Chapter 1 - Looks don't matter.

This is the first Fanfic I'm going to publish, so wish me luck!

On mount Olympus, all was well. Poseidon, god of the Ocean, was having a friendly wrestle with his brother, Zeus, god of the Sky and King of the gods.

Hestia, Aphrodite, and Demeter were relaxing. All were happy the Titanomachy was over and done with. Plus, Hera was expecting a child.

He will be handsome, have the body of an athlete, and just perfect in appearance. She thought.

Boy, she could not be more wrong.

When she gave birth to the Boy, he was named Hephaestus. When Zeus showed the Child to her, was she pleased? Proud? Happy?

No, she was not!

She let out a scream of anger and disappointment.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Asked Zeus, nervously, his Black hair Drooping.

"Is something wrong!?" Hera Screamed, her Blonde hair standing on end.

"Of course, something is wrong, Zeus, you fool! Our child... is... HIDEOUS!" She snapped.

She was overreacting, as usual. The baby did look a bit ugly, with body parts too big for his face, such as the nose, left eye, and right ear, as well as Mismatched eyes, both Iron Grey, and Fiery Orange.

"Come on dear!" Scolded Zeus. "Does that Really- Wait, what are you doing?"

Hera had gone to the balcony, and drop-kicked the poor baby off Olympus. The Gods watched, a nasty silence erupting.

Zeus was so flabbergasted he just stared at Hera, a stupid look on his face.

"There." Hera sighed. "That Creature shall never bother me again."

Zeus's response was to faint.

. . .

The poor, unfortunate baby Hephaestus, who, being a god, could understand what was going on around him, even at a young age. This would have been the end of him, had he not been immortal.

He crashed into a cave on a far-off island, breaking his leg in the process. This cave happened to be home to a couple of sea Nereids, Thetis and Eurynome. Both had long, Blonde hair.

"Good grief!" Cried Eurynome. "What was that!?"

Thetis looked. "It's a baby, dear."

Eurynome looked "Poor thing, I wonder why it was crashing through the ceiling of our lovely cave?"

Thetis thought. "No idea."

Eurynome got an idea. "Why not raise him? His parents probably threw him off a high mountain, or something."

"A... High... Mountain..." Thetis thought. "I can think of only one mountain high enough to make him plummet this far. And only one mother cruel enough to do this."

Eurynome gasped "You don't mean..."

Thetis nodded. "Hera."

They suddenly realised that the baby had not cried, not even after hitting a very hard wall.

It just slept peacefully, it's leg looking broken.

...

When the child grew old enough to speak, he told them everything.

"I hate her!" Yelled Hephaestus tearfully, and despite the scolding of his mothers, he stuck by this.

No matter what, he would get his revenge.

...

When he was seven, he became fascinated with fire.

He would poke campfires with sticks for hours on end, and once set fire to Eurynome's hair by accident, for which he was grounded.

While he watched from his bedroom window, Thetis came in.

"Dear! We have a visitor!" Hephaestus went downstairs (it was a very large cave that was hollowed out). In the living room sat a man with simple trousers and a leather apron, his hair brushing his ceiling, for he was huge. He had a single, large eye.

He stuck out a hand. "Brontes, Co-Forger of Zeus's Thunderbolts." He introduced himself, with a kind smile.

Hephaestus shook his hand. "Hephaestus, Estranged son of Zeus and Hera." Brontes looked surprised. Hephaestus explained things to him, and he understood.

"Well, I'm here for a couple of days since I got a holiday." he remarked. "Mind if I use a spare room to forge a necklace for you two? I brought spare equipment." He asked Eurynome and Thetis. They smiled, and told him to go ahead. Hephaestus followed him, eager to see more fire. Brontes, being kind, showed him how to forge metal objects.

"And you dunk the metal into the water... like this!" He showed the boy. Thetis came in. "Need a drink?" She asked. "Yes, actually." Replied the Cyclops. He went out of the room, leaving Hephaestus there.

Hephaestus looked at the hammer, the leftover metal, the furnace, the dunking cauldron, and the anvil. It didn't take him two seconds to figure out what to do.

...

When Brontes came back in, he was shocked. He saw a Seven-year-old, that came up to his knee, banging a sword on the anvil! He gasped when he saw the sword was red hot...

"Hephaestus?" Asked Brontes.

"Yes?" Asked the boy, absentmindedly.

"Did you... make this?" The sword was patterned, and looked like it had been forged by someone with centuries of experience.

"Yep." Answered the boy, dunking the sword into the cauldron of water.

...

Even after Brontes left, Hephaestus was brilliant! He forged jewellery for the inhabitants of his island, which made him very popular.

He also discovered a talent as as Stonemason, artisan, and a spot of woodcrafter.

When he turned eighteen, he still wasn't a pretty sight. He still had bits in his face too big for him, and his hair was long and matted, plus he had a limp from breaking his leg as a baby, but he was the kindest individual on the island.

His mind still burned with anger, however, at what his birth mother, Hera, had done.

One day, he had an idea.

He worked in his forge for hours on end, beating at the anvil, ordering more and more gold... And after a day, he announced his work complete.

...

On Olympus, Hera was relaxing. She ate grapes, in bliss. She had given birth to a second son, Ares, who showed a talent for fighting. Not too bright, but a talented fighter.

Suddenly, her Servant, Argus, who looked like a bald, clean-shaven man with eyes all over his body, came in, carrying an huge package. "Gift from the Island of Lemnos M'Lady!" He explained.

Hera unwrapped it, to see a Beautiful golden Throne. Oh! How wonderful the patterns!

She sat down.

Chains suddenly leapt out of the Throne arms, binding Hera to the Chair.

Her screams shook the Earth.

...

Her siblings and Aunt came round. "Don't worry!" Announced Zeus. "I'll handle this!" He drew a thunderbolt, and threw it at a chain. It bounced off harmlessly, and went out of the window. When they had stopped looked like hungry fish, they made Several Attempts to free her.

They called Hades up there. He thought. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do." He sighed.

Hera began to sob.

"Like my Throne?" Came a voice.

They all turned. In the doorway, bold as brass, was Hephaestus.

"Hello Mother, Father, uncles, Aunts!" He announced.

Hera Shrank a little. "Oh." She muttered.

Hephaestus leaned against the Throne. "I will set you free, if you can guess what word I want you to say." He told Hera.

Hera Thought. "Now?"

"No."

"Immediately?"

"No."

"At once?"

"That's two words?"

Hera thought.

"Sorry?"

The chains turned to dust.

Hera got up, and turned to Hephaestus.

"I'm so sorry! I was a cruel mother! Please, stay and become an Olympian." She begged, tears flooding out of her eyes.

Hephaestus thought. "Okay." He smiled.

...

Hephaestus Moved to Olympus, though he still visited his Foster mothers once a week. Everyone liked him, for his kindness and good temper, which was remarkable for a Fire God.

Oh, yes! They named him The God of Fire, Blacksmiths, Craftsmen, and Volcanoes, as there was one on the Island of Lemnos.

Hera had learnt her Lesson. She promised never to throw out one of her own children ever again.

Though she never said anything about Stepchildren...