(okay, so i knew thetis—leader of the nereids and achilles’s mother—was the one who found hephaestus, not tethys with the ‘y’ but as always in my stories—because i admit, i am no mythology expert—let’s just pretend for the sake of the plot ≧▽≦)
Everyone thinks the blacksmith god is ugly, but you think otherwise.
You are a daughter of Tethys and Oceanus, making you an Oceanid.
When Hera threw Hephaestus off of Mount Olympus and he fell to the ocean, it was you who found him. You were playing hide-and-seek with your sisters when you heard a ‘thump’ somewhere near your hiding place. You squealed in alarm and swam out your hiding spot to see the boy, his leg stuck in a huge rock.
“Hey!” you called.
You swam towards him and saw he was about the same age as your physical appearance. He was no doubt a god. He groaned and tried to take his feet off the rock.
“Wait, do not force it. It will make it worse,” you said.
You helped him roll the rock aside, and at last, he’s free.
“Can you swim?” you asked him.
“I think my legs are crumpled,” he answered.
You offered him your hand. “Come, I will take you to my mother’s cave.”
Hesitantly, he took your hand. You kicked and swam as fast as your little legs could do. You willed the ocean to support the boy trailing behind you, so he wouldn’t break his legs even more.
“I am Y/N,” you said.
“Hephaestus,” he answered, a little irritated.
You ignored the slight annoyance in his tone. “How did you get here?”
“My mother threw me away,” he said.
You glanced at him, but he averted your eyes. “Why?” you asked.
“Because she thinks I am ugly.”
You studied his face, and frowned. “I do not think so.”
He didn’t answer, but his eyes are sharp, like he thinks you’re lying to him.
The two of you arrived at your mother Tethys’s grotto. And there, she sheltered Hephaestus and raised him like her own son. The other sea spirits steer away from him, but you always try to talk to him. You knew that you annoy him, but you can’t stay away from him. You want to know why he’s grumpy and hates others. He always prefer to be alone, and you can’t stand that. You want to be close to him.
You watched Hephaestus at the palace courtyard, fiddling around with stones and corals, assembling them in shapes.
“What is that?” you asked, peeking over his shoulder.
“None of your business,” he grumbled.
You sat at the bench next to him. “Why are you always grumpy?”
“Why will you not leave me alone?” He glared at you.
“Is it not obvious?” You sighed dramatically. “I want to be your friend.”
“You are just wasting your time. Go befriend someone else.”
“But I like you. You are interesting,” you said, smiling brightly at him.
He sighed exasperatedly. “Do you know why the other kids did not want to be friends with me?”
“Because you are unique and interesting?”
