[Arc 1]Chapter 1

Hephaestus' POV

'Mhm...', Hephaestus opened her eye, as she awoke from her slumber. She touched her head to confirm if her eyepatch was still equipped, and once she confirmed it was still on she sighed in relief.

She brought herself off the bed and headed to do her daily necessities. When she was finished she picked up a plain white shirt and back jeans. Hephaestus then attached her trusty equipment box and then wore her black gloves, as she was proceeding to leave she saw her mirror.

CRACK

Hephaestus threw a nearby screwdriver and listlessly looked on ahead to her destination. As she left the room and proceeded to head towards her smithy, she remembered of a friend of hers. A small figure which had lots of her assets filled out, the first person to accept her.

'Maybe, it will be a good day afterall.', Hephaestus smiled.

When Hephaestus entered her smithy she began to prepare her materials and continue to make a weapon. Over time as she was preparing a weapon her familia - her children - came to her seeking advice, and advice she gave.

As the day went by she noticed that it was time for her to eat. Hephaestus has the necessity to eat because - like all gods - once she came to the Lower World she sealed her [Arcanum], also known as her divine powers, hence she now can suffer from starvation.

Hephaestus at first, arrived in the Lower World for acceptance - or some form of acceptance - however in the end all she got was reverence and schemes.

Hephaestus sighed deeply and exited her smithy and exited her apartment. The Hepaestus familia has two bases. One, is for the normal smithy and business work and the other is for relaxation.

She roamed the streets and headed to a bar. The bar she entered was fairly popular because of the servers and the great food. The food always tastes better with alcohol.

Hephaestus smiled as she saw the name of the bar. 'Hostess of Fertility', the place with the best food. Despite the place being the best, it doesn't have more customers than the reputation states. The reason for this is...--

"GUWAAAA!", a rugged voice exclaimed.

"And stay out!", a rough voice shouted.

--They throw the nuisances out. This does effect business, however it effects business in two ways. It increases the well-mannered customers and reputation among them, however it also decreases the profit from having a bad reputation amongst those nuisances.

Hephaestus entered the bar and sat near the counter. She waited a while and a waitress in a green dress appeared to take her order.

"Hi, what would you like?", the black haired and green eyed cat person asked.

Hephaestus smiled and answered:

"Give me today's special."

"Coming right up!", the cheerful cat person went back to report to the cook.

While Hephaestus was waiting for her order, she decided to note some materials she may need for a weapon that she'll make in the future.

CLACLICK

"Thanks.", Hephaestus smiled.

"No problem!", Mia Grande - The owner/cook/former adventurer - replied.

Hephaestus finished noting down the materials and began to eat. She dug her spoon in the tender meat of the boar. The juices leaked as the glistening droplets dropped back onto the plate. Hephaestus raised the juicy meat towards her mouth and savoured the flavour. She picked the fresh salad and engulfed them in her mouth. It was fresh and the taste of mother nature was clearly there, Hephaestus immersed in the delicious flavours, as the aroma was attracting bystanders who were passing by.

After a while, Hephaestus finished the glorious meal and headed back home.

On her way back home she saw a friend of hers - Hestia - running a food stand, trying to earn money. Hestia is a god who's known as a goddess who's always in debt, and frequently asks for money. She's also looking for someone to join her familia however there is no one who is willing to join her due to the massive debt.

Hephaestus went in the line and waited until she was first-in-line at the food stand.

"Hephaestus! Long time no see!", the small figure greeted eagerly.

"I'm not lending any more money.", Hephaestus replied as she saw her friend's immediate eagerness.

"GAH", Hestia looked as if someone struck her with an arrow.

"I'm not always asking for money...", she said downcasted.

"What was that last month then?", Hephaestus scowled slightly.

"T-that was...", Hestia couldn't reply and hence she didn't.

"Don't worry about it.", Hephaestus said with a grin.

"How about you give me some meat-on-a-stick?"

"That'll be 25 valis!", Hestia grinned while giving her a small discount.

Hephaestus payed what she owed and headed off towards the property which is used for relaxation. 'I'll use this week as a holiday.', Hephaestus grinned happily.

After a couple of hours of walking she finally reached her property. However unknown to her, something was falling towards her.

"Hmm?", Hephaestus mumbled as she thought she heard someone screaming. She looked around and saw nothing, until she saw it.

A few metres away in the air someone was falling towards her. It was a young boy who looked no older than 10 falling towards her. Hephaestus shielded herself with her arms and caught the boy while grunting a little bit in pain.

"H-guh! Ite..."

Hephaestus dropped the boy onto the ground and saw a black haired boy who was donned in simple white clothing.

"Hah? What's this?", she muttered audibly. Hephaestus looked around to possibly see who he was or where he came from, but seeing that there was no one around she just sighed.

'Guess I'll just take care of him, for now.', she deeply sighed.