Chapter 34: Reuniting with a Lost Brother
“Hmm~ Is that guy Zeus’s son?”
Keres, watching the situation with open curiosity from a step away.
Zeus, the chief of Olympus and the strongest god,
his son Ares kneeling before Hephaestus and begging to be taken in — this scene held quite a bit of entertainment for the observer.
Honestly, from the first moment I saw him, I had felt a faint sense of intimacy toward that little brat.
The thick scent of blood clinging to his body.
Though still young and immature, perhaps even more so because of that.
The vivid scent of slaughter emanating from that guy was making me, the goddess of terrible death, feel an instinctive fondness.
‘Still annoying in so many ways… but he’s quite promising material to watch, isn’t he? Perhaps he might even carry the divinity of death like us.’
If the son who rules the highest place walked a path similar to us, born from the lowest depths, that would be an even more entertaining prospect.
So I savored my unique gloomy tastes, watching with expectant eyes as Hephaestus made his choice.
“…I got it.”
“A!”
“O…”
Hephaestus finally allowed the boy’s companionship.
“Th-thank you! Thank you, Hephaestus-nim!”
Seeing the boy bow his head repeatedly in joy, Hephaestus let out a small sigh.
Though he didn’t really want to, there was no choice.
Seeing that, I approached Hephaestus’s side with a light step, having thought rejection was more likely.
Hephaestus began moving while loading the still-tired boy onto the cart.
From beside the melancholic-looking man, I spoke quietly.
“Unexpected, isn’t it? Honestly, I thought you’d refuse, but that little one must have really won your heart?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Yeah right, just looking at your face now, I can see affection pouring out. Anyone would think he’s reunited with a lost brother.”
“…”
Hephaestus remained silent for a moment at my words,
on his slightly sweaty face, the word ‘no way’ seemed to flash.
But ignoring this further, I said with a deep smile on my lips.
“Well, regardless, I like that little brat. The fact that he’s carrying the aura of death from such a young age, if you will.”
“…Is that so.”
“Of course, it’s not as much as you, my darling, but I’m currently making and selling things that call for terrifying deaths enthusiastically. Personally, the one I showed in Tartarus last time is more to my liking, though.”
“…”
With those words, I secretly placed my hand on Hephaestus’s shoulder.
“Let go.”
“Kihit, I don’t like that? When will I become yours, my darling? Or perhaps am I waiting for you to become mine?”
“…Haa.”
Hephaestus let out a familiar sigh and continued pulling the cart silently.
In response, I smiled more deeply and leaned my cheek against his shoulder.
At that moment.
“Hey, Hephaestus-nim? That person is…”
“This kid is…”
“Hehe, hello there, little one. My name is Keres, goddess of death.”
“Heh! Uuuh… A… N… Ne. A… nice to meet you.”
Ares showed a slightly tense expression at the mention of the goddess of death.
In response, I stepped back from Hephaestus and sat down beside Ares.
“Speaking of which, our little one is quite amazing, isn’t he? At such a young age, showing such potential already.”
“N? A… amazing? What… I…?”
“Then, even at this young age, recognizing divinity and using it, aren’t you? Though he hasn’t fully bloomed yet, he will definitely grow into an enormous god.”
“Th-thank you…”
Ares blushing slightly at my praise.
In response, I smiled and gently patted his head.
No matter how you looked at it, as a big sister with two brothers, I was quite used to looking at boys.
While watching this, Hephaestus showed a slightly odd expression.
“*”
“I heard he went to the battlefield many times. Can you tell me that story? This sister loves stories of people dying… Kihit, I really like war stories.”
“A… N… Ne. That’s, you see…”
I sat beside Ares and began having various conversations… mainly about ‘killing people’ with him.
Though not the best stories for educating a child, I didn’t stop him.
The god of war and the goddess of death.
Thinking about their essence as gods, such a sight might be extremely natural.
Moreover, Ares, who seemed to have lost a lot of self-esteem due to Hera, was now talking enthusiastically.
‘As his older brother, I didn’t want to pour cold water on the situation where my abused younger brother was starting to feel some energy.’
“On the other hand… what should I do from now on…”
Had it been anyone else, but since Ares was my own brother, and even knowing he had received emotional abuse from a terrible mother, I couldn’t send that child back to Olympus at all.
Originally, there were many connections with evil, but
now Ares is still a young and pure boy.
Especially since he’s my brother who harbors admiration for me, I wanted to help him in any way.
But apart from these inner thoughts, from an official standpoint, the current situation was practically kidnapping.
It could even be said that a prince of a country was kidnapped.
Whether he knew or not, Olympus must have been in an uproar already, and when Ares’ whereabouts were known, they would actively respond.
In the worst case, we might have to fight the balanced Olympus forces again.
As a man, I knew solving problems with strength was the easiest, but I couldn’t break the peace I made with Oceanus like this.
So after thinking for a while,
I suddenly recalled one solution.
“Well… I need gold, it seems.”
“*”
“Uuuuh…”
Aphrodite sitting by the shore staring blankly at the horizon.
Seeing her appearance, Thetis let out a small sigh and said.
“How long are you going to keep this up? Let’s go in soon.”
“It’s fine. You go in first.”
“If we are late, we have to come back tomorrow. Let’s eat something at least.”
“I’m not hungry. You go in and eat, Thetis.”
“Haa…”
Aphrodite stubbornly staying in place.
Seeing that, Thetis let out a small sigh.
“Always waiting for your outgoing husband… or father? Anyway, waiting so tenderly…”
“…I-I’m not that! I-I was just worried that something might happen…”
“There’s no way that would happen. It’s not some other person, but my sister. If something happens, I’ll twist the tails of whatever it is and come out as if nothing happened?”
“Uuuuh…”
Men who went far out to sea usually become subjects of worry…
But honestly, not human but gods, especially a god as extreme as Hephaestus, Thetis firmly said she couldn’t say that.
As a sister, she knew that her brother would come out dusting himself off even if thrown to the bottom of hell.
‘Well, it could be said to be a difference in methods… Aphrodite loves him in her own way, while I love him in another.’
Of course, Thetis thought that love was for family… but Aphrodite seemed to have a different personality from her.
Feeling that Aphrodite wanted a deeper relationship beyond simple siblings.
Though the Hephaestus side had been drawing lines, the relationship had been changing a bit recently.
“This is all because of that woman?… Keres that woman…”
“…C-cough. W-what are you talking about…”
“Why hide such obvious facts from me?”
“…”
“Isn’t that right?”
“…Haa. Yeah. That’s true.”
At Thetis’ words, Aphrodite let out a heavy sigh and accepted it.
Hearing that the goddess of death helped a lot when Hephaestus defeated Tartarus,
At first when the kid came out with his siblings, there was a big uproar, but that part is now a familiar story, and
the problem is that the woman who came out of hell is showing quite active interest in Hephaestus.
“Honestly, I don’t like that woman! She’s sticking to Hephaestus’s side blatantly! Even openly using the bothersome title ‘my darling’! How can she be so brazen like that!”
“Well, death gods all have such parts, don’t they.”
The appearance of me actively appealing to affection.
This naturally made Aphrodite feel crisis, and as a result, she also started taking some active actions.
The fact that they went out several times together recently was also for that reason.
So, looking at the ‘little sister’ who was suffering in many ways, Thetis smiled slightly.
“Well, cheer up, I’m cheering for Aphrodite. If I keep trying, something good will happen someday.”
“…You Thetis! Hey there!”
At that moment, a familiar figure appearing over the horizon.
Then Aphrodite stood up with a bright smile.
Soon, Hephaestus’s figure gradually became clearer.
But...
“Eh?”
“What is that kid…?”
A late-arriving young boy.
Seeing that kid sitting beside me, Aphrodite’s heart began to feel a certain clear emotion.
A feeling like something boiling from deep in the chest.
This is clearly...
“Hephaestus! Who is that kid exactly?”
“A… that kid is…”
Aphrodite shouting at the arriving Hephaestus.
At that moment.
“What? It’s my love’s fruit with my darling~”
“As expected!!!”
My playful words,
prompting Aphrodite to shout in fiery anger.
With that vivid rage, Hephaestus showed an expression of disbelief.
“No… what ‘as expected’?”