Chapter Twenty-Three

The little ferret was having a wonderful time in the back garden. Hephaestus was inside. Landyn knew his mate was keeping tabs on Thor and how his efforts with finding the cyclops was doing. Apparently, they'd absconded from the studio, where Hephaestus had thought they were staying, which made them more difficult to find.

But that was a worry for another day. Hephaestus's garden had huge brick walls, creating a very private place filled with bushes, trees, and small patches of lawn. The ferret loved it – there were so many interesting places to sniff and check out. I should hide, he thought gleefully, even as his human side was warning him not to. Hephaestus was already stressed enough, and the ferret truly cared about his godly mate.

I'll be good. But, oh, that was an interesting spot. The ferret spied on a burrow tucked underneath a bush, down toward the back of the garden. Hmm. Something is living in this garden. He snuck forward, nose twitching, trying to scent out what it might be. He wouldn't go near it if it was a snake, but there were lots of other animals that could live in a hole much like the one he was getting closer to. The ferret knew he was lucky. His body was slender, but it was also long, so he could keep his back feet out of the burrow, while his front half did the investigating.

This is fun. The ferret couldn't scent anything except the warm damp earth, but the burrow was deep. He inched forward a little more, his belly resting on the ground as he worked to keep his back feet anchored. There had been an incident, once a long time ago, when he had fallen into a damn hole when he hadn't realized how deep it was. It had taken him ages to catch his breath and climb out again.

This one wasn't nearly as deep. His nose twitching wildly, the ferret sniffed out every inch of the small open space at the bottom of the shaft. It clearly hadn't been used for a while, but the ferret had to check. He could hardly be the savior of Hephaestus's garden if he wasn't thorough.

Once he was sure he'd cataloged every smell, now came the slightly awkward process of edging backward to get himself back out again. Some parts of the soil wall were crumbly, and as the burrow wasn't very high, the ferret had to do more of a shuffle than a graceful exit. He was just about to rethink his options, drop down into the burrow and turn around and come out face first - just in case Hephaestus was watching - when a huge hand grabbed him around the middle.

Mate? But it wasn't Hephaestus. The ferret's heart almost jumped out of his chest as he was swung into the air, a thick hand tightening his grip around the ferret's rib cage.

"Just like a mosquito," Bronte sneered. "So easy to swat away. I'll teach you for turning our god away from us. Sending that damn Thor after us. You and that god are just pathetic."

The squeeze was getting tighter. The ferret could barely breathe. He tried to wiggle his legs, kick out, do anything but he felt it as one of his ribs cracked and then another. A shooting pain ran up his spine, leaving him unable to feel his legs at all. With the pain there was no way he could shift, and it wasn't as though he could anyway because the grip on him was just too tight. The ferret knew he should be protecting his mate – he should be able to do something. But he was in his furry form without an automaton in sight. In desperation he screamed through their bond, praying that Hephaestus would hear.

HELP!

/~/~/~/~/

"That damned giant is here in my fucking garden." Hephaestus dropped his phone and hobbled as fast as he could out of the house. It wasn't one giant, it was all three, and Hephaestus threw a ward up around the garden – it would keep the giants in and stop anyone in the neighborhood hearing them.

"Oh, look, the cripple has come limping along, trying to save his mate." Bronte's grimace was ugly in his cyclops form. "You're too late, old man." He held up his fist, and Hephaestus could see the limp form of his sweet ferret hanging over the side of beefy fingers. There wasn't a sign of life in that still form, and while Hephaestus knew he'd blessed his mate with immortality, he had no idea how that worked, or what he could do.

"Give him to me." Bronte wasn't the only one who had a second form. Hephaestus rarely appeared as a god to anyone, but that didn't mean his form didn't exist. He grew until he met Bronte eye for eye, his hammer appearing in his hand. "Give me back my mate, or you will cease to exist. I'll send your remains back to the afterworld, and you'll never walk the earth again."

"You sent Thor after us!" Bronte roared waving his fist – the fist Landyn was caught in. "How could you do that? I thought we were friends."

"You think we'd be friends after what you did?" He had no choice. Raising his hammer, Hephaestus prayed his bad leg would hold him. It would have to, because Hephaestus was committed. Swinging wildly, he hit at Bronte's arm with his hammer, causing Bronte to let go of Landyn's ferret form. The tiny body flew into the air, and suddenly Thor appeared in midair, catching him.

"I'll call Silvanus," he yelled. "You do what you need to do."

Silvanus? What the hell. If Thor thought that was the way to go, then Hephaestus had to trust him. Raising his arm, he swung again, this time at Steropes, who was trying to get behind him.

It was harsh. It was brutal. Three on one was never going to be easy. Hephaestus got a thump to the rib cage at one point, and he was sure he'd never breathe again. But the good thing about being a god was that he knew he couldn't die. He could be in a world of pain for the rest of his days, and he would welcome every second of it, if that's what it took. Seeing his ferret's limp body was the final straw. Any thoughts of past friendship dissipated in that moment and Hephaestus lashed out.

Landyn had told him one night after watching him work, how Hephaestus's love for his craft came through with every beat of his hammer. Now Hephaestus was using his hammer to weave a spell of eternal pain around those who tried to tear him apart from his mate.

At one point he thought he was lost. Arges had snuck up on him while he was fighting Steropes and Bronte both, kicking at his bad leg, causing him to stumble. But Hephaestus had lived a million lifetimes adjusting for his foot, and he was determined it wouldn't let him down now. Using the momentum, Hephaestus kicked back, using sheer force of will, to stay on his feet. Arges went flying when he followed that kick with a strong blow from his hammer.

Bronte was the last one on his feet. That was inevitable. Out of the three he was both the biggest and strongest. But Hephaestus wasn't going to stop until that cyclops was down.

"He's already gone," Bronte taunted as he jabbed with his fists – Hephaestus blocking every blow. "You'll live your life alone and be miserable without us."

"Far better to be miserable than being lied to by so-called friends. Just remember you brought this on yourself." Hephaestus raised his hammer one last time and called on every last ounce of his power. "I revoke the cyclops' right to live on earth. Send them back to the fires of Tartarus where they belong." His roars bounced around his wards. One final swing at Bronte's face, and the giant went down, shaking the ground as he fell. His shocked face was the last thing Hephaestus saw of his ex-friends as they disappeared into the earth.

Shallow panting, Hephaestus rested his hands on his knees, letting his human form come through. Every bone in his body ached. His knee on his bad leg felt as if it was broken, and he wasn't sure he could take a deep breath without puncturing his lungs. But he had only one thought - Landyn!

Turning, he could see Thor, Orin, Silvanus, and Artemas all crowded around his mate. Artemas noticed him first and came running over, offering his shoulder for Hephaestus to lean on.

"Uncle Hephaestus, you certainly know how to use that hammer of yours. But seriously, I think you need to sit down now." A chair appeared, but Hephaestus resisted.

"Landyn. How bad is he?" All Hephaestus could see was that his ferret wasn't moving.

"He had a lot of broken bones," Silvanus was working quietly, weaving his hands in a mesmerizing pattern in the air above Landyn's form. "The shock made him lose consciousness. It often happens in animal form. Your young mate was lucky he's naturally supple in this form. I have healed most of the breaks and reinflated his lungs. A few hours rest, some food, and I'm sure his shift will heal any lingering aches and pains."

"Please bring him to me." Hephaestus's legs couldn't hold his weight anymore. He sunk into the chair Artemas had zapped for him, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I have to hold him. This was all my fault."

"I wouldn't let your mate hear you say that," Silvanus said, cradling the ferret carefully as he brought him over, laying him on Hephaestus's lap. Then Hephaestus felt the same strong hands resting on his head. Soothing vibes flowed through his body, healing the bones, chasing the stiffness from his muscles. "The first step to healing yourself, Hephaestus, is recognizing where the fault lies. It is not with you. It's never been with you, and you are not to blame for any of this. Call me if you need me again, and I promise I will heed your call."

"Your kindness is a gift. Thank you both," he added as Silvanus and Artemas disappeared.

"Are you going to be all right?" Orin asked, his hands twisting in front of him, worry written all over his sweet face. "Can I do anything? Get you some coffee or maybe some juice?"

Considering he didn't think he had enough energy left to zap a glass of water, Hephaestus nodded. "Hot chocolate if you please. It's Landyn's favorite. The smell might help revive him."

Perhaps glad he had something to do, Orin disappeared into the house, leaving just Thor hovering near his chair.

"I can see your point about having a longer handle on your hammer," Thor said gruffly. "Those were some pretty powerful skills you were showing back there."

"You saved my mate, that is worth more to me than anything else." Hephaestus looked up, brushing the tears one handed from his cheeks. His other hand was cradling his precious ferret. "But if you ever want some modifications done to that thing you call a hammer, you know where I am. Thank you for coming. You didn't have to."

"That's what friends do." Thor shrugged as though he was uncomfortable admitting it. "Our paths might not cross that often, but I was always in awe of your craft. A man who knows how to treat a hammer is always a handy person to have on my side."

"Understood and appreciated." Hephaestus looked down at the still ferret again. At least the chest was rising and falling now, when it hadn't been before. "What made you think to call Silvanus? I haven't seen him in centuries."

"He was the one who attended the birth of my twins. He was the first god I thought of who knew how to heal. And besides, Artemas carries the Tree of Life on his back – I figured that couldn't hurt either. He and Orin are good friends. They both love books most of us can't be bothered to read."

"Yeah, I can see your point. Good thinking, Thor, and thank you."

"I gotta say, you could've let me get a few thumps in. I've been wanting a go at those cyclops for centuries."

Wiping away another tear, Hephaestus shook his head. "You were the hero today when you caught my mate. It wasn't until I saw that…when I saw just how far they would go to destroy me, destroy my mate." His breath caught and he struggled to get his next words out. "It was only yesterday I vowed to Landyn he would be safe. I gave him my fucking word."

"You proved you could do that today – proved it to yourself and to Landyn." Thor was looking at the mess of the lawn – giants falling would do that. "You know, having a smaller mate, we could spend our time worrying every second how to keep them safe, and we'd still never be able to account for every little thing in life that goes wrong."

"Only you could call three attacking cyclops a little thing."

"Meh. It's all relative. The thing is we're gods, not oracles. Your Zeus might think he can predict the future, and I know Odin makes claims like that at times, but we can never know what the future will bring from one minute to the next. Think about it. One minute you're on track, thinking you're getting a blowjob and the next thing you know your mate is sucking your toes. What I'm trying to say is that we can only roll with what life brings us, and you definitely did that today."

"You're making a good case for just staying in bed." Hephaestus chuckled quietly.

"Or maybe I just like my toes sucked." Thor chuckled with him. "The thing is, you fight when you have to, you love on your mate every chance you get, and if you ever mention to anyone I can be mushy, I'll be coming for you with my short-handled hammer."

"Noted."

Stroking over Landyn's fur gently, Hephaestus sat quietly, guarded by his friends, willing his mate to open his eyes.