Gaia -1-
Gaia couldn't help but sigh as she watched the bustling inhabitants(?) of the island from early morning. The only two residents on this solitary isle were both her children. One of them, Adamantia—the eldest daughter and owner of this forge—and the other, Typhon, the giant son she had personally borne to seize Zeus's throne. He had nearly succeeded in his plan, only to fail due to his own blunder, and now he lived in his sister Adamantia's forge. And he was the culprit behind this morning's commotion, too.
"Back from the Black Sea already? What the hell happened?"
"Sis, no doubt about it—it was the golden ship. That bastard Heracles grabbed his bow and arrows and probably threatened Helios again to borrow it."
"Threatening a god? Is that guy right in the head?"
"Well, threatening Helios is easier than loving you... Gah!!!"
"You wanna die!!!"
The reason these two were kicking up such a fuss from dawn was that Heracles, off on his labors, had returned far sooner than expected—after just a few days. Sure, he might have failed due to the perils of the sea, but Typhon's superhuman eyesight had spotted Helios's prized golden ship, so failure was out of the question.
Echidna was her child too, but it seemed even she had fallen head over heels for that handsome son of Zeus. Gaia's heart was a tangled mess.
Ignoring their mother's complicated feelings, Typhon and Adamantia prepared to welcome their guest with open arms, which only made Gaia resentful. Sighs poured from her lips unbidden, and it took a while before Typhon finally noticed.
"Mother, you look awful—got some worries eating at you?"
"You woke your poor mother from her sound sleep at dawn, yapping about Heracles coming."
"You sigh when you're sleepy? Nah, something's definitely bugging you."
"You sharp-eyed brat."
Her son Typhon, with his serpent heads, might look brutish at first glance, but true to his birth from the wise Gaia, he boasted keen wits. This pride(?) of hers had instantly seen through her brooding. But right now, as a mother, she wished he'd just let it slide—yet Typhon wasn't one to drop it.
"What's got you so worked up? Worried about Echidna and Sis getting hitched?"
"Who said I was worried? I fretted over it, and now you're handing them off to a human hero like cheap goods—how do you think that makes my heart feel, Typhon?"
"Aigoo, quit frettin' over that. Echidna and Sis are worthless trash not even worth selling at market. Hand 'em off to Achaea's top stud like Heracles, and Mother, you'd get called the shrewdest merchant alive."
"...You're gonna get smacked by Adamantia again."
"Aigo, Mother! Save me! I can't survive that vicious sis of mine!"
Typhon rolled his eyes and flicked his tongue, begging for help, but in Gaia's eyes, he was always the one courting the whip. She couldn't blindly take his side. No, she even thought he needed some personality training under Adamantia. Odd phrasing for a god, but anyway—Gaia's worries ran deeper than that.
A big part of it was her reluctance to see Adamantia wed a human. By Gaia's greed, Heracles should have become a god before marrying her daughter. Yet he hadn't completed the thirteenth labor she'd assigned him. Adamantia already loved him, but as a master smith, she hadn't fully approved him yet. The problem? Her daughter had been struck by a golden arrow and lost her senses.
"Adamantia."
"Yeah, Mom? What's up?"
"This mother's heart just won't settle. You really want to hold the wedding the moment Heracles returns?"
"Yeah. Everyone coming to my wedding's already here—Thalassa and Tyrrhenus'll show if we call, Typhon's right here, and you've got Mom too."
"Still, it's your wedding. Shouldn't it be grand? A few months of prep wouldn't hurt."
"Nah, I hate that. Don't wanna see Zeus's ugly mug, and I sure as hell ain't vowing marriage in front of him. I'm vowing it before you, Mom."
"...Thank you, child."
Gaia was so deeply touched she nearly teared up. Her ever-devoted daughter was grateful enough on normal days, but right now, that consideration was throwing her into even greater turmoil. Adamantia was stubbornly insisting on vowing marriage before Gaia the instant Heracles returned with her sister Echidna in tow. Even the mighty Gaia had no way to cut through such ironclad resolve.
But that didn't mean she'd let Echidna get snatched up and married off like beans in a lightning fire the moment she arrived. So Gaia decided to make a counteroffer to Adamantia.
"Hold on a moment, Adamantia."
"What?"
"The trials I set for Heracles only end once he earns your approval."
"Oh yeah, there was that."
"..."
Adamantia showed zero interest in the labors her mother had imposed. Gaia seethed at her lovesick daughter but reined it in with superhuman patience and laid out her thoughts.
"At the very least, I can't permit a marriage until he completes those labors."
"What? Where's that written? Heracles already cleared my conditions."
"Those were yours, dear. Mother's conditions remain unmet."
"That's unfair, Mom!"
"Rant all you like. I won't allow it until he proves himself to you as a true craftsman."
"..."
Adamantia's face twisted in sullen frustration at Gaia's firm stance, but beyond calling it unfair, she didn't challenge her mother's decree. Gaia was moved—such a good daughter—but the volcano goddess was no pushover.
"Fine, then I have a condition too, Mom."
"What? You're in no position to set terms—this is mother's decision."
"It's not weird. Heracles completed my labors, so he deserves a reward."
"...Fair enough. What reward do you have in mind?"
"Make him a god right now, before the wedding."
"What?"
Adamantia threw out a totally unexpected demand. Make him a god immediately? What nonsense was this—ascension before even marriage? Gaia judged it a line crossed and was about to snap back, but Adamantia pressed on.
"You...!"
"Hear me out, Mom. This is key to your labors."
"...Speak, Adamantia. What on earth are you thinking?"
"Don't forget, Mom—a Heracles who hasn't ascended is still human."
"Obviously."
"And humans can't handle iron yet."
"..."
Adamantia's words hit the mark. She hadn't yet granted her authority over iron to any human. Only her divine apprentices, the Cyclopes and Hephaestus, had that privilege. To work iron, one had to become a god first.
"So you make him a god first, Mom. I have no intention of allowing humans my iron authority."
"Cheeky girl— is this some ploy to rush the wedding?"
"But that's the catch with your labors. You assigned tasks impossible without godhood—your fault from the start."
"...Fine. But I'm not granting him a high god's seat right away. Just a local deity rank—for the labors' sake and nothing more!"
This much she wouldn't yield. Handing over major divinity from the outset would defeat the labors' purpose. Even her bullheaded daughter knew that, so Adamantia gracefully stepped back, respecting her mother.
"Do as you like with that—it's your right. I'm just pointing out the limits of your labors."
"Sly one. And no lovemaking till the wedding, of course."
"...Then you gotta bar Echidna from joining the bedchamber too."
"Agreed."
That was music to Gaia's ears. Labor or no, she was a tad miffed at her wicked daughter for getting so easily abducted. No matter how handsome the man, you at least drag it out a bit—but Echidna had fallen hopelessly and botched everything. Gaia was filled with intent to give her a stern talking-to, even if just for a few days.
Soon, the voices—and footsteps?(?)—of Heracles and Echidna approached. Gaia steeled her heart further as she awaited her daughters.
Unbeknownst to her, high above the skies of the island of Sicily, Eros watched with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.