NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: CH 20
"Harry, this is Hephaestus," she introduced. "He's the God of Forges, Fire, Technology, Craftsmen, Sculptors, Volcanoes, and Blacksmiths. Hephaestus, this is Harry Potter."
Harry look up at the powerfully-built god, noticing the powerful muscles and the callused hands of a craftsman, yet completely ignoring the god's lame leg and malformed face. "Are you really the God of Blacksmiths?" the little boy asked, suddenly sounding excited. "Like forging weapons and armor and such?"
Hephaestus, halfway resigned to a comment about his appearance, grinned as the boy spoke. "All of that and more, young Harry," he said, grin widening.
"Hephaestus also builds a lot of machines and other devices," Hestia supplied, sounding proud. "He's the greatest inventor on Olympus."
"Whoa," Harry said, impressed. "That's awesome! Can you build robots and stuff, too? Like Robocop or Terminator?"
Hephaestus grinned. "They're called automatons, and I've built plenty of them. Robocop would need a mortal-"
He was interrupted by Zeus growling his name. Hephaestus went on as if his father hadn't spoken. "Unfortunately, we're not allowed to interfere in mortal lives so that's out. And while I could build a terminator, the way it can hide would wreak havoc with mortals. Too dangerous without a way to experiment safely."
"Whoa," Harry said again. "But still! Pounding metal on an anvil is cool!" He grinned, and pointed at the god. "You're my favorite god so far."
There were complaints from the other male gods, and Harry suddenly shrunk in on himself. He'd let his mouth get away from him, and now the others were going to be mad at him. He wished he hadn't said anything. Hestia gave the other male gods a look, making them retreat into silence – although it wasn't heartfelt.
Hephaestus, meanwhile, grinned. "Not a lot of people recognize the value of hard work these days. I'm glad to meet you, young Harry."
Harry gave the god a tentative smile, and gave a somewhat abashed look to the other male gods he had already met. It wasn't returned.
He sighed sadly. He'd liked the other gods, too, but… blacksmithing! And robots!
"Now, now," Hestia said. "Everyone has favorites. There's no need for hurt feelings." Harry nodded. "He's a centaur, right?" Hades laughed, as did plenty of other deities in the room. "That's a common mistake, Harry," Hades said. "It annoys Charon to no end, please feel free to remind him to his face should you ever see him."
"Hades," Hestia warned.
The others grumbled slightly, but seemed to subside in their anger. "Good," the goddess of the heart said, her trademark smile back in place. "Come, Harry, let me introduce you to my oldest brother."
Harry gave another smile and wave to Hephaestus, and followed Hestia to the last throne on the male side of the room. He had deep black hair and equally black eyes, and as he sat up straight on his throne – which seemed temporary for some reason – he also seemed resigned about something.
"Harry, this is my oldest brother, Hades. He's the ruler of the Underworld, and God of the Dead and Riches. Hades, this is Harry Potter."
Harry stared at the god for a few moments. "That's so cool," he finally said.
The god in question looked surprised. Harry went on. "The Underworld sounds like something out a James Bond movie! It's awesome!"
Hades, still looking surprised, finally answered, "Thank you, Harry."
"Since you're God of the Dead, Mister Hades, does that mean you're god of zombies, skeletons, and ghosts, too?" Hades nodded. " Yes, I am," he replied, surprised.
Harry turned to Hestia, smiling widely "Awesome!"
Hestia shook her head gently. Harry was a young boy, and like most young boys, he loved zombies and skeletons.
Harry didn't notice her shaking her head, and had turned back to the dark god. "How does it work, Mister Hades? When someone dies, do you bring them with you? Oh, and what about heaven and hell? Are they real?" Hades smiled slightly, as if he weren't used to Harry's questions. "I have a god working for me who transports the spirits of the dead. His name is Charon." Hades gave another short laugh. "Being a god, I can touch them just fine. And after they have been judged, they take on some form of physical body, so to speak, so they can be punished. Extensively. Depending on their crimes."
Harry nodded. "So bad people that get away with things here get punished after they die?"
Hades grinned. It was not a nice grin. In fact, it was a rather bloodthirsty grin. "Exactly, Harry," the god said.
"Sorry, Hestia," the god of the underworld replied. "No, Harry, Charon is not a centaur. Chiron is the centaur you're thinking of; he's working at camp as a trainer. Charon is the bargeman. He collects the deceased spirits, and ferries them across the river Styx into the underworld. The spirit is then judged, based on the actions they have taken in their life. Good people go to the Elysian Fields; heaven, so to speak. The average people go to the Asphodel Fields. Bad people… are punished," he hesitated at seeing Hestia's warning look.
Harry just nodded. "That sounds cool," he said. "So you're basically taking care of people after they die? Make sure they're rewarded or punished, and make sure they're alright?"
Hades hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "That's an adequate description," he allowed.
"That's so cool," Harry repeated again. "Thanks for taking care of my mom and dad, Mister Hades!"
The god seemed surprised again. Harry thought that it was because not a lot of people would think about thanking him for taking care of their dead loved ones. Which is really sad, because it sounded like an important job.
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