3rd Place Winner of Immortal Living Mortal Contest
Hephaestus, the lame one by Emilythenext

Tonight I can't fall asleep. I pick up a shirt that I bought on my last trip to Hawaii. Going down the front steps I feel a horrible pain in the bad leg. Even so, I go down and take the path that goes up the volcano.

My house is not far from the forge, not far enough that I can't get there on foot. Also, Mount Etna is a quiet place, where I can get away from the noise of humans. You only hear the chirping of the crickets and sometimes a hooting owl.

The leaves on the ground creak under my crutch, which mercilessly skewers them. I advance slowly, following the usual path.

When I have covered part of the trail, I stop and sit on some rocks next to the path. I rest my crutch on the side of the rock and stretch out my leg. When I look at it, I notice it's a little more swollen than usual, but everything else looks the same.

When I feel better, I grab my crutch, get up, and diligently continue on my way. So far from the lights of the city of Catania, the stars of Astreo shine in a beautiful starry night.

Sometimes on such silent nights, I wonder what my life might have been like if I hadn't grown up on Earth, but I try not to think about it too much, otherwise I get melancholic and things go out of my head. I'm getting closer to halfway.

A few days ago I received an unexpected visitor. Silver-footed Thetis turned up unannounced. She was wearing a large sun hat and expensive-looking sunglasses. His son, the great Achilles, had announced that he would return to war, after the death of his friend. She feared for his life. I comforted her the best I could, her pain was mine. I assured her that I would make something to protect her son from all the dangers of war. After she drove off in a red sports car, I kept thinking about what I could build.

I have finally decided to create what will help Achilles to win the war. I am determined to finish my project tonight. I am going to do something so glorious, that when the brave warrior goes out to the battlefield, his opponents will surrender before so much splendor.

At the thought of Achilles and his mother, I feel a pang of pain. Poor Thetis was completely heartbroken. Seeing a son go off to war must be hard. My leg protests again and I sit down to rest a little more.

A few minutes later I get up and continue walking until I reach my destination, the entrance to a cave that is hidden by the branches of some trees. I part the branches and enter the gloom of the cavern.

As I get closer to the end of the gallery I feel the heat that makes my blood boil and my skin tingle; I love that feeling.

I get to the end and meet one of my guys, Kevin. Today he is wearing snorkel goggles and a slightly worn tracksuit.

"Hi, Kevin." He, who is a little sleepy, takes off his glasses and blinks absently.

"How is it going, sir?"

"Very good." I approach my workshop, but suddenly I remember something and turn around. "Has the usual freak come back?" Kevin denies.

"It has been a while since I saw him last time, maybe he's given up. In any case," he points to his only eye. "I'll be watching him closely." He puts his goggles back on and I get to my workshop and close the door so no one bothers me.

Finally in the forge, I flopped down on one of the stones where I usually sit to rest.

To one side the fire burns from the very entrails of the volcano. The lava falls gushing, forming small bubbles that explode, splashing everywhere. Within easy reach, my hammer and other tools hang on hooks on the wall, waiting to be used.

Before starting work I take the old stereo out of the hole where I always keep it, and tune in to a heavy metal station. When the guitars start to thunder reverberating through the cavern, I feel better and, after getting up, I start working.

But my loneliness is disturbed. Before I start to hit the bellows someone knocks on the door, ruining my concentration. A bone-tired Kevin enters, his goggles down and breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" I ask angrily. Kevin points towards the cave entrance.

"The boy is back, and I can't get him to leave." I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, tell him that I'm not here, that I've gone on a spiritual retreat to the Himalayas." The cyclops denies. Then behind him appears the usual boy.

"You can go now, Kevin, thank you very much." he says as he enters my workshop. "And what cool goggles!" Then he closes the door behind him and sits on the floor.

Today her twinkling eyes seem to shine brighter. His wavy blonde hair is a bit disheveled and his boxing club T-shirt is wrinkled. What most attracts my attention is the cast that covers his right foot. He leans on a crutch very similar to mine. I pinch the arch of my nose out of sheer nervousness.

"Didn't Kevin tell you that I went on a trip to the Andes?" The boy offers me a charming smile. He is the classic guy who usually has everyone eating out of his hand in just the blink of an eye.

"Chill, bro!" That irritated me. "Wasn't it the Himalayas?" he asks in a condescending tone. "Besides, your heavy music can be heard from all over Sicily, dude."

"Yeah, hey, weren't you whining? I thought you wouldn't come back"

"Is this what you mean?" He points to the cast. "Well, Kevin stomps monstrously."

"Yeah." I sit on a ledge of the rock. The boy looked around very interested.

"I've never made it to your workshop, or whatever it is."

"It's a forge, I'm a blacksmith." He wrinkles his nose.

"Are there still those in the twenty-first century?"

"The job of the blacksmith is very important, more than you think."

"Yeah," then he says something that he judges to be funny, "It's funny that you work with fire and lava from Etna" he jokes as if it was a joke.

"Well, my cyclops and I make the best weapons, kid. They are the envy of the entire Olym... I mean the entire world."

"Yeah."He says, not very convinced, "You're a bit weird, man."

"That is said by a guy who calls himself The Destroyer and that loves following people through the mountains." he is not amused by my answer.

"If I follow you, it's because they told me I had to look for an old man who had something for me on Etna."

"Who are you calling old?" I ask angrily. He ignores me.

"I know you have something for me," he insists.

"I already told you no!"

"Whatever you say, but they have insisted a lot that I had to look for you." Then he stops. "And about The destroyer, It's because I destroy whoever gets in my way.

"Well, my guard beat you up..."

"He hit me on the right heel, but if he hadn't, I would have beaten him without even trying!" He hits his chest with his closed fist "I'm invincible!" Too bad I don't have my supernatural powers right now. I'd bust his skull in for being conceited. I think as the teen glares at me.

"Whoever told you that I have something for you made it up, because I don't usually hang out with humans." The boy stands up with the help of his crutch. He points an angry finger at me.

"You don't know who you're talking to."

"Neither do you." I remind him.

"I am the best warrior in all of Greece!"

"And I'm a God!" The boy steps aside and laughs heartily.

"I think someone's got a little bit of it..." I'm about to crush his skull, with or without powers.

"Shut up." Kevin, who was listening to the ruckus, approaches to see what is happening.

"Besides, if you were a God you wouldn't be..." The destroyer points to my legs "a cripple." That finished hurting my feelings.

"That's it! You're an ignorant boy, who has no idea what he's talking about." I raise my crutch and punch him on the right foot. The boy staggers and falls on his back. A look of pain appears on his tanned face. He grabs his foot and seems to be in a lot of pain.

"My weak spot," he mutters as he sits down.

"You're exaggerating, I haven't even touched you." I say to play it down.

"You do not understand! The heel is my only weak point." Grunts. He tries to get up but fails. Then, he falls backward and appears to have lost consciousness. I approach him and with the tip of the crutch, I touch his head. The boy does not answer. I signal to Kevin who is coming and he stares at me visibly uncomfortable.

"He just passed out, he's a crybaby. Take it to my house, the keys to the door are under the mat at the entrance. Lay him in my bed and keep an eye on him until he wakes up." The Cyclops nods. He makes use of his superhuman strength and throws it over his shoulder as if it were a sack of potatoes. He takes the crutch and goes out the door complaining. "As soon as I finish Thetis's errand I'll be back."

As Kevin leaves the cave I close the door and turn the radio back on. Finally, I begin to fan the flames using the bellows. I shake my head as if trying to ignore that boy who was distracting me. Beneath my hands, the metal begins to bend to my will and I feel more powerful.

I frown remembering the young man's words. He had told me, the God of smiths and metals, that I couldn't be a God because... I am a lame one. I silently curse the time my mother threw me off Olympus. Always the laughingstock of all the gods. I hit, very frustrated, my creation with rage. Looked down on by everyone, including my wife. When I remember Aphrodite I feel that something is twisted inside of me. But after this new creation, no one will laugh at me anymore.

I'm about to create the best armor ever. An armor that will make the wearer invincible. In my hands, a beautiful shield begins to take shape. Now I'm working on the exterior, which is going to be five-ply and have a silver clamp. I start engraving scenes on the shield. The light from the forge comforts me and makes me feel at home. For a moment I see myself on Olympus, with all the gods, and with Aphrodite. I wish I could be sitting next to her and run across the field hand in hand.

But the reality is different. Here I am, forced to live among humans, pretending to be one of them, without my supernatural powers and having to stop and rest every time I take two steps. I sigh and continue my task.

My hands slide over the shield giving it the final touches. It will serve great heroes, who will perform wondrous feats with it and kill fearsome monsters under its protection. Every time they return victorious from combat, everyone will call out my name, admiring my skill in making weapons. I almost forget about my situation and imagine myself being hailed by everyone. But it doesn't last long, because before I know it, the armor is finished.

I don't even stop to admire my work, I'll have time at home. Now I have to deal with the nuisance waiting for me unconscious at home. As I collect everything and leave the forge I stroke the engravings on the shield. I follow the currents of the Ocean River with my thumb while I take my crutch and begin to descend the volcano.

It really annoys me to have to take care of the annoying boy who visits me almost every night. When I think of his confident smile and twinkling eyes, I can't help but think that there really is something peculiar about him. I quicken my pace almost without realizing it. In fact, his physique of an elite athlete and the charisma that surrounds him are not average.

I start to connect the dots. He claims to be indestructible, but how come that by a simple blow to the right heel he collapses? He assures that they told him that he had to look for me, that I had something for him. I look at the armor under my arm in dismay. That smile is not the smile of a common human, it is the smile of a hero.

I almost run to my house. I don't stop to rest even though my leg begs me to stop. I have the greatest hero of all time, in my house. When I trip over a protruding root, I'm close to falling and rolling the rest of the way home. But I manage to keep my balance and get home in one piece.

I scramble up the front steps and rush into the house. In the living room is Kevin, lying full-length on the couch, watching a reality show. He's sleeping, snoring loudly. I ignore him and finally make it to my room. I drop the armor in a corner and sit at the foot of the bed breathing a sigh of relief.

The young man is still asleep, but noticing my presence, he opens his eyes and frowns.

"Where am I?" he asks confused. Then he looks at me and assumes it's my house. "Why did you bring me here?"

I try to say something, but I'm so embarrassed the words won't come out of me. I feel small even being a God compared to the imposing young man who looks at me. I discover in his hands the delicacy of Thetis's. Seeing that I won't answer, the boy remains silent. Then he looks at me and sighs. The anger gradually fades from his gaze

"Hey, I'm sorry I offended you." He apologized. "You know, deep down I'm the same as you." He pointed to his cast. "I think I'm invincible, but with the slightest bump on the heel... I'm very sorry."

I nod and take his hand. He looks at me a little surprised because I'm crying. I feel very ashamed, because I am a God, and crying is for humans, but I can't stop. I rub my hand over my face and manage to calm down. It takes me a while to find the words to start talking:

"Son of Thetis, if I had known that you were the one who came to visit me every day, I would not have received you like this." The boy smiles sympathetically. "Now I am very old, as you say, but a long time ago I was little, and I was terribly lonely. It was your mother, lovely Thetis, who gave me affection when the gods turned their backs on me. She loved me like a son and led me to be what I am now. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here. I feel so honored to be able to be with her son."

The hero hugs me, and I don't feel alone anymore, I feel loved. Then he lets go and tells me:

"It is also an honor for me to be able to be with you, great God. And now I would like to know something... What do you have for me?" I get up laboriously and approach the corner. I take the armor and turn to him.

"I know that you are going to go to glorious war again, brave Achilles. Your mother asked me to create something to protect you from all harm. That's why I created this armor with which you will win without any doubt." Achilles' eyes wide in surprise, and he points to himself as if wondering, "For me?" The glow of emotion sparks in his eyes and his face lights up. Then he moves and before I can stop him he's on his knees with his head bowed.

"I would be very honored to be able to wear this beautiful armor in combat. Now I know for sure that I will obtain the victory once and for all and that I will return home glorified." His voice trembled with emotion as he spoke. "Now if you could give me this divine gift, I promise to tell everyone who its creator was."

I put the helmet on her blond hair and the arm guards. On the right arm, the bracelet glows in the moonlight. I give him the shin guards and at the end I give him the shield. He gets up leaning on the crutch. When he stands up I see for the first time the greatness of the bold Achilles. For a moment I ignore the cast, the jeans, and the T-shirt, I see him on the battlefield fighting without mercy, brandishing the sword against adversity. I feel proud. Achilles snaps me out of my thoughts.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me. Now there is only one thing left, I would like to know the name of the generous God who made my armor.

He extends his hand and I take it. I'm smiling.

"Call me Hephaestus."