Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

After a fruitless day, it was only at sunset that Achilles was finally bound by the Golden Net and taken to the palace belonging to the God of Sun.

Logically, this should have been Apollo's temple, yet long before he replaced Helios to drive the Sun Chariot, this deity, who brought light to the mortal realm, already owned his own palace.

Apollo's true divine role was always meant to be Light rather than Sun; although the two are so closely linked, he still preferred to reside in his own temple.

Thus, the former hall of Helios stood empty, save for the Sun Chariot parked there; not a single silhouette was in sight.

"This is also why Lord Apollo readily lent the temple to Lord Hephaestus, because he never dwells here."

"No deity would allow mischief in their temple unless it was out of their sight."

At the foot of Mount of the Gods, beside a river, a fairy nymph crowned with flowers watched in terror as a hand grasped her neck.

As a nymph serving the deities, she never imagined that anyone would dare lay hands on her beneath Mount Olympus.

Yet now, the reality was before her; this half-human, half-horse being was different.

He, like the mortal taken to Mount of the Gods, held the authority of the Olympian Gods in contempt.

No, they must be compatriots.

In her panic, the nymph finally came to her senses.

The centaur before her seemed to be inquiring about the whereabouts of that human—so what exactly was he planning to do?

"The gods have imprisoned him, and by tomorrow noon, it will begin."

"Clytius raises the hammer, the God of Craftsmanship ignites the fire."

"Lord Hephaestus will use Thunder Fire from the heavens, Earth Fire roaming underground, and the stove fire burned on the mortal hearth to smelt this blasphemer."

"Whatever you are planning, it will never succeed."

Heavenly Fire comes from thunder, Earth Fire from the divine role of Hephaestus.

As the de facto god of volcanoes and molten lava, he inherently commands the fire veins of the Earth.

Even in some way, Hephaestus's innate talent to forge Divine Artifacts is likely connected to this.

After all, the first sickle in ages past was forged from fire deep within the Earth.

It seems plausible to suggest a connection.

Regarding the last, the fire burning on the mortal stove... that was actually the stove fire Hestia personally gave to him upon his return to Mount of the Gods.

The purpose of her gift was clear; it was meant as a peace offering to ease the tension between Hephaestus and Hera.
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It was evident, however, that once again Hestia's intentions were unmet.

"...Heavenly Fire, Earth Fire, and Stove Fire; impressive, Hephaestus, truly worthy of your fame as the God of Craftsmanship."

"Even though everyone knows of his unimposing stature, no one can deny his abilities in this field, not even the naturally talented Clytius, who reluctantly serve as his subordinates."

'Subordinates' might be an overstatement, but to the gods, it was almost exactly that, as they never regarded the Titans as equals.

Instead of anger, Chiron was reassured upon hearing Nymph's threats and warnings.

Previously having captured the other party to press for Achilles's whereabouts, the centaur once thought he was dealing with a loyal servant who had been deceiving him with lies.

But now, he doesn't think so anymore; perhaps as the opponent suggested, Achilles was indeed going to be 'refined', and he was already confined in the Temple of the Sun God.

"That's enough; you need not concern yourself with my matters. Go sleep, and by the time you awaken, everything will have already ended."

"Of course, I would advise you not to return to Olympus upon waking. Although it isn't your fault that I captured you, not everyone might think the same."

Shaking his head slightly, now that he had his answer, Chiron decisively knocked the nymph unconscious.

A single night would suffice; as always, there were no gods watching over that place then, and he should be able to smoothly rescue Achilles.

Hmm... it should be fine.

Thinking for a moment, the centaur then activated a rune in his hand.

As a subtle wave of the Magic Net dispersed, his figure vanished as if he had never been there.

The entrance to the secret tunnel on the map lay here; before the chaos unleashed by Typhon, this location was a river governed by a River God.

However, changes had buried everything, and the original river had been contaminated and, despite redirection, had greatly altered.

Silently slipping into the river, Clymene, the once Oceanides and Goddess of Renown, might have frequently visited under the guise of visiting a brother.

Approximately two water clocks later, the centaur finally located the hidden passage.

"This place...requires the 'Sun's' essence to open."

Retrieving the stone case from his back, Chiron carefully opened it just a slit, then immediately closed it.

In that instant, despite some form of suppressing force, the riverbed was nearly brought to a boil.

Taking a sharp breath, Chiron hastily put away the case, then looked toward the slowly opening portal.

"This passage must be it...is it a bit too small?"

With a slight twist of his lips, the centaur felt a tad embarrassed.

Calculating every scenario, he had forgotten that he was twice the height of an ordinary man...