1 “What you shall hear is not a tale I have shared with many, indeed parts of it I have never shared,” Hephaestus stated as we made our way toward the Othrys Mountains and Trachis beyond. “But I hope you can accept what you hear and support the decisions made, and those still being made.” Lysistratos looked to me in confusion. “Just listen,” I told him. I appreciated Hephaestus trying to pre-empt his story about Demetri … about Demi with strangers and I could only hope that Moeris and Lysistratos would be as welcoming as I had been. “Many winters ago I emerged from Hera’s womb, a full-grown god, with the expectation of being just as strong and powerful as she, and my father, Zeus were. As they still are,” Hephaestus continued. “As I slid from her body, she taunted Zeus that she had borne me alone, without help from him. He did not believe her, replying that he had planted his godly seed within her and from it, I was created. Their argument did not last long, neither suddenly eager to admit their part in my lineage when they saw the lameness in my legs preventing me from standing as tall as my other siblings. “Before I could defend myself or prove I had talents that would outweigh my physical limitations, Hera threw me from Olympos. I fell for days through the clouds and the air, falling towards the mortal world far below until finally I landed on the island of Lemnos. “The sea god Proteus found me and cared for me as my broken bones healed. Proteus was father to the Haliai nymphs who tended and guarded the sea, the sand and the rocky shores around Lemnos. Schools of fish and other sea creatures were loyal to them; obeying their commands and assisting them when ships crashed against the rocks and threw the mortals into the raging waters. “Proteus taught me to walk again with the aid of metal frames around my legs and in return for his care I gifted Proteus and his family with fire to cook the fish they caught, and keep themselves and the injured sailors that washed up on their shores warm. When I had recovered enough, I helped Proteus build the first forge. I showed his people how to tend it and how to craft objects from the heat. Proteus told me the gifts I had given them was far more than he had given me with the metal frames, and insisted I accept something else – his youngest daughter, Cabeiro. “Cabeiro was just a child, barely three winters old, but Proteus assured me that she was not as mortal as she appeared. She was not immortal but she would live for many, many winters and would bear me strong children should I request it of her. I thanked Proteus for his kindness, and his gifts, and assured him I would return one day, but first I had matters to settle on Olympos. I needed to assert my place amongst the other gods – lame legged or not. “I returned to Olympos and proved my standing through a number of deeds, some honourable, most not so, until finally Zeus gave me the titles of God of the Fire and God of the Forge. I took my place among my family, my parents grudgingly accepting my existence and imperfections, along with my gifts. “I remained in Olympos for a long time, and Zeus gave me a wife – Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. At first I believed it was because I had proven myself worthy of such a gift, but I quickly learnt that he had given her to me so the other gods would not fight each other for her affections. I did not care much for Zeus’ reasons and I loved her dearly, honoured to have such a beautiful woman to call my wife. “I wish I could tell you our marriage was a happy union, but it was not. Aphrodite did not love me or desire me the way I did her and she soon returned to her lover, my brother Ares. I did not know of their affair at first, but the all-seeing sun god Helios did, and he informed me of it. I arrived back at our palace to find my wife and my brother writhing together in our marital bed. Fury surged in my blood at the sight of them. They were oblivious to my presence and I silently retreated to my forge deep beneath the earth where I devised a plan to trap them. I would have killed Ares, killed them both for the betrayal, but I knew I could not. Zeus would have banished me again from Olympos, stripped me of my immortal powers and forced me to live as a mortal being for the rest of my days. Or perhaps he would have just killed me, even though he had told me he favoured me more than Ares. “For moons I worked on a net made of unbreakable chain-links and when it was finished, I strung it high above the bed in my palace, ready to catch the unsuspecting lovers. The links were so tiny that it was impossible to see the trap from afar and that was my intention. One morning I announced to Aphrodite that I intended a visit to my worshippers and would be gone many days. I knew she would not care which temple I named, her only thought would be how much time she and Ares would have together. I was not wrong as, with barely a glance, she wished me a pleasant journey and breezed out of the room, rushing to get a message to Ares. I knew then that my plan would work. “I hid in the palace as Ares arrived, furious at how they flaunted their passion through every room in our home, but I took comfort that soon they would be discovered and made to cease their affair. When they took to our bedroom, I dropped the net onto them, ensnaring them in its power. They could not move or deny what they had been doing; caught in their lover’s embrace. I appeared to them and told them it was not enough that I knew, I wanted every god and goddess on Olympos to know of their betrayal. I was certain my father would put an end to any future between them. I told myself that Aphrodite belonged to me, Ares could not have her; Zeus would not allow it. “But when I took the lovers to Olympos, my plan unravelled – no one was outraged at the trapped pair, they only laughed that they had been caught by the lamest god of them all. They ridiculed me too, speculating that I had been unable to satisfy the Goddess of Love, and would never be able to as my body was not whole. I fled far below to my forge, leaving my wife and her lover trapped beneath the net. “Eventually I returned to Olympos and spoke with my father. I told him that Aphrodite and I would part ways, but I would only release them if Ares paid me the bride-price I had paid when Aphrodite and I married. Zeus agreed, adding that Ares would also pay the adulterer’s fine. I agreed to the terms and allowed them their freedom. I was not everything that Aphrodite desired, and she was not what I wished for. I wanted more than constant betrayal and lies from the woman I wed. I did not carry on as the other gods; marrying one and lying with another just because I could. I wanted a proper union of love and trust, and with Aphrodite that could never be. “Over time I took other lovers, but none were satisfactory to me, none filled me with what I was looking for, no woman – goddess or mortal – wanted what I did. None that is until I returned to Lemnos and saw the beautiful sea-nymph who had been promised to me so long ago. “I was hesitant to reveal myself to Cabeiro; such a beauty could not love me, just as Aphrodite had not. I told myself she would hide from me, scream at my damaged legs and refuse to lie with me should I ask it of her. But I was mistaken, when Proteus finally convinced me to reveal myself to Cabeiro, she accepted me with open arms, listening to my struggles with Aphrodite and offering comfort in her arms and her bed. “I had found my love, and our union produced three beautiful daughters, the Caberides, nymphs just as their mother was, and two blacksmith sons – Alcon and Eurymedon – who were known as the Cabeiri. The boys were strong and talented and it was clear from the moment they entered the world that they carried my godly blood inside them. They grew from infants, to boys, to men in one short winter and were soon running the forge I had begun with Proteus so long before. “Cabeiro and I were immensely happy together and she did not shy away from the boys when it became clear that they had also inherited some of my lameness; for both did not grow taller than half the height of normal men. She loved them and cherished them with all that she had, just as she did me, and I did not want to leave when Zeus called me back to Olympos. “I went of course, but promised Cabeiri I would be by her side again just as soon as I could. Whilst I was away, Cabeiro found she was with child again. She did not tell me the news, intending the baby’s arrival to be a joyous surprise for me when I returned. But I was kept away for almost two mortal winters and I did not know of my child’s existence until an old woman prayed to me and told me of the fate that awaited it. “Cabeiro and our children had welcomed the impending birth with joy. There would be another in the royal line of the sea nymphs, fathered by Hephaestus, the great God of Fire. But when our sixth child arrived, healthy and strong, it was not celebrated. It was not a magnificent event. The baby was a Halfling. Part-girl, part-boy. Already developed. Immediately feared. Instantly hated. The child was not a demigod – not in the true sense of the word where strength or abilities were obvious at their birth. It was plain. It was … mortal. It held no power, it was as though none of my blood flowed in its veins. Being neither immortal nor nymph, this new arrival, this simple mortal, was a disappointment. He did not age as his brothers did, she did not display talents in the waters as her sisters did.” Lysistratos looked to me again, his eyes sliding across to Demetri as well and taking in the flat chest and short tunic, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “What does he mean part-girl, part-boy? You have … both male and female organs? Your chest is …” He waved his hand as if searching for the right word. “It’s like mine. It’s flat,” he finally said. Demetri took a deep breath and blew it all the way out before replying. “I had breasts. I don’t have them anymore but that is another story, one that I will share with you if you want to hear it once Hephaestus has told us the rest of his tale.” Lysistratos took an almost imperceptible step away from Demetri. I didn’t miss it and I had to figure Demetri didn’t either. A flash of anger lit my blood but Demetri squeezed my hand and gave a small shake of his head. “Don’t.” I bit down on my response as requested but glared at Lysistratos. Moeris stepped between Lysistratos and Demetri and addressed Hephaestus who stood on my other side. “Allow us to hear the rest of what you have to say.” Hephaestus nodded in return. “I think that best for now, things shall become clearer to you all as I explain.” I nodded in return, mouthing ‘thank you’ to Moeris. He inclined his head in acknowledgement.

2 Hephaestus continued with his story. “Within a few days of the child’s birth, Cabeiro shunned it. She refused to see it, feed it, care for or love it. She gave the baby to Ophelia, the midwife who had helped her deliver, with instructions to throw it into the sea and never speak of its existence again. But Ophelia could not. She feared my wrath and kept the child hidden from Cabeiro and its siblings. “When the child was a winter old, Alcon and Eurymedon somehow found out that their sister- brother was alive and took it, naked and screaming from Ophelia, intent on killing it themselves. Ophelia prayed to me, begging me to return. When I did, she told me of everything that had happened since I left, and of much I did not know from before. “I thanked Ophelia for all she had done, resettling her far from Lemnos before setting out to find my sons. It did not take me long to locate them; they were behind their forge, a semi-circle of rocks hiding them from unsuspecting eyes. Eurymedon held the innocent child and Alcon the knife that would end its life. “I intended to remain hidden, and I did – from Eurymedon and Alcon at least – but the baby’s eyes captured mine, and I stared into the deep brown flecked with the same yellow as my own. I cannot say how she knew I was there, but our gazes locked and in that instant, a silent acknowledgement of our kinship passed between us. When Alcon drove the knife into my child’s chest, I ensured the pointed tip did not touch her heart. In return, she appeared to understand what we must do, she did not cry out, nor make any sound, but his body went limp and her eyes closed. Somehow I knew that she – he – was destined for greatness and I was determined to do everything in my power to ensure he had the chance.” I drew a breath and held tighter to Demetri, noting with interest that Hephaestus referred to the child like I had when I first learned of Demetri’s dual sex – a female from the waist up and a male from the waist down. “The older boys worked quickly and I allowed them to believe they had succeeded with their murderous plan,” Hephaestus said. I stayed out of sight as they wrapped the small body in a purple cloak, wreathing the head and burying it beneath the rocks, before fleeing the area. When they were gone, I took the body from the hole and placed it on a bronze shield, returning to my palace. “I took the wreath and peeled the cloak away, finding the child alive beneath the layers with not even the hint of a scar from the knife on her chest. I held him to my breast as she stared up at me with wonder and innocence. “I told no one of my child’s existence and took her to a small town called Larissa. I knew the people there to be kindly and they worshipped the goddess Demeter, who favoured them with an abundance of crops, so I knew she would never go hungry. I had considered Athens, where I was highly worshipped, but I did not believe a baby would be as well cared for there; there were more people, which meant more mouths to feed, and I believed that those who saw her would be more inclined to leave her where she was rather than take her and care for her. “So, I left the child beneath a small statue of Demeter in a grove just outside the town of Larissa and waited with her until a group of women returning from the fields came across her. The women did not hesitate to take her back to their home or hide her from their master, even when they realised she was not just a she. “They were not unkind to the child, but they were not fully nurturing either. They assigned no name, referring to it only as child, and no one took on a true mothering role. The child lived with them in secret until the age of four when it was discovered by the master of the house. He did not normally enter the small rooms that belonged to the slaves, but for some reason that day he did, and the child happened to be bathing in plain sight. He saw not only a betrayal by his slaves, who all truthfully claimed that the child was not theirs, but an opportunity for coin. “He marched the boy-girl through the streets to the inns and taverns, attempting to convince the owners to allow him to use the child for all manner of ways in their private rooms, with the profits to be split between the two parties. I ensured none of them took him up on the offers. In the end the master saw the youngster as a burden rather than a use and took it to the slavers market to rid himself and make some coin anyway. I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Hephaestus for what he had done for his child, knowing that Demetri’s life had taken a turn for the better at that market. “I could feel my blood pumping strongly through the child and I knew he would have exceptional skills in metalwork so I ensured that Spyros – the most talented metalworker in the area and a kind hearted man – was at the market that day and saw the master and young child. I knew Spyros’ heart and that he would not leave the boy-girl to the clutches of the others milling about there. “After learning the child had been left beneath a statue of Demeter, Spyros gifted him with the name of Demetri after the goddess. And with my assistance, Spyros decided to put Demetri to work in the Celator’s hut rather than the fields, as well as outwardly raising Demetri as a boy, with the intent of one day allowing him – or her – to live as they wished. “Satisfied that my daughter-son was safe, I returned to Olympos and turned my attention to Cabeiro and my other sons. I could not punish the boys for killing their sibling but I have not assisted them with their forge or answered their prayers and sacrifices since; they do not deserve such kindnesses after what they did. “As for Cabeiro, Ophelia had told me many things, none of which made me want to ever return to her side as the husband and lover I had been before. It was not just the rejection of our child that I could not forgive, but the knowledge that she had used me only to father powerful sons and daughters, to keep her royal bloodline worthy. She had never truly loved me, and spoke of my blindness to the truth of her deception with glee to her friends. “I still loved her dearly, but I could not forgive such a betrayal, and I could not pretend I did not know of it so I never returned to Lemnos. I did not want to see or speak to Cabeiro again. I did not want to hear her lies if she chose to hide behind them, but neither could I bear to hear her speak the truth. “I had truly believed we wanted the same things; that we felt the same way about each other, but I was wrong and an innocent child had almost paid for my blindness. I cut all ties with Lemnos and the people there, never again aiding them in their quest for better metal products or blessing one of their own with the skills of the forge. “I returned to Olympos but spent much time in Larissa as well, watching Demetri as he grew. When I left him beneath the statue winters before, I also left a small pouch with him. It was not an ordinary one made of animal skin and leather; I had laced it with crystallised carbon, which made what was inside invisible to those who would seek its contents. I added a drop of the child’s blood to the pouch so that if, by some chance, Cabeiro or her sons ever found out he was alive, they would never be able to find him. “My heart ached as I watched from afar. I wanted to love and care for my child as he deserved, to protect him from those who taunted and tortured him but I was afraid that my own enemies would use his existence against me and I did not want to add to his burden. I could see that even unconsciously he had questions about his mother, about who his parents were – he drew my face and the likeness of his mother, the nymph, with unnerving accuracy even though it had been winters since he had seen either of us, and he had never seen Cabeiro in her fish form.” “My mother,” Demetri murmured, sudden clarity of who she was and why he had been compelled to draw her dawning. Hephaestus nodded in reply, addressing Demetri directly with his next words. “Your skill with not only the designs you drew, but the silver you put them into, surprised even me. I had never seen a Celator carve such intricate designs for the obverse side of a coin into a block of iron, nor a design just as intricate for the reverse side. Your early coins did not quite have the accuracy, but as you grew, your pictures graced each side of the heated silver disks with unnerving perfectness. “I was proud to call you my son, proud to call you my daughter. I was proud to know that you had come from my body, even if no one else ever knew of it. I hoped one day we would meet, but I did not know how or what would see it so until Ava came along and I found the opportunity I had been waiting for to meet you … and to hurt Ares and deny him what he wanted.” “And how did that come about? Where is Ares now?” Moeris asked. “In a cage deep in the earth,” Hephaestus replied. “He shall not see light again.” I explained what had happened since I left them at the Pass of Coela, Papou and Demetri adding their own perspectives when I had no answer for the questions Moeris or Lysistratos asked. “So that is how we find ourselves here,” I finished. Lysistratos drew me aside, his voice low when he spoke. “So you and Demetri are … you have started a relationship with him … her?” “I have,” I replied. “How … I mean is he a boy or a girl? If he doesn’t have breasts anymore then does that mean he has …?” He trailed off again. “Demetri is the best one to answer those questions. If he or she wants to discuss it with you.” “But does it not bother you … that he had breasts?” “I have fallen for someone for who they are, not the body they are in. Talk to Demetri, hear what he has to say, judge her on who she is, not what she looks like. I believe the two of you can become friends if you only get to know him.” Lysistratos was quiet a long moment before giving a single nod. “I can listen.” “Thank you.” I returned to Demetri, to Demi. “Everything alright?” she asked. “Lysistratos has questions about you, about your past. He may not ask them tactfully, he may even offend you with them and I apologise on his behalf if he does but he wants to learn, to understand why I care for you and he will try and understand who you are as best he can.” Demetri nodded. “I can imagine it’s difficult for him and Moeris to understand given that I introduced myself to them as a male, and then they learnt what they did through my father’s story. It makes me wonder …” Demi paused but I remained quiet, letting her arrange her thoughts before she continued. “When we get back to Trachis, I don’t want the same confusion to befall your grandparents. I want them to know who I am straight away. I want to introduce myself as Demetri. As Demi. As a Halfling in all senses – half-woman, half-man, half-god, half- mortal. I don’t want there to be any question about who I really am.” I drew a breath, blowing it all the way out before I responded. “I can … appreciate that wish but … I do not know how it is going to be between Agrias, Melina and me when I see them again. When I return to Trachis with Papou and a thought of acknowledging who I am to the people there, of being the Princess of Trachis like I was always meant to be … it is complicated. Can it possibly wait just a little while?” “I understand where you’re coming from too but now that I’ve left Larissa I want to live my truth. I want to be who I really am. I’ve wanted it for so long and now finally I have the chance. Why should I have to introduce myself as one sex or the other?” “Because you look like a man,” Lysistratos murmured, re-joining us. “Yes, but I am not just that,” Demi countered. “You are unless you tell people otherwise.” Papou neared, his hand on Demi’s shoulder as he weighed into the conversation. “We do not have to make any decisions right now, allow us to see what happens when we arrive, and then a decision can be made.” “Agreed,” Moeris nodded. “There is much to be discussed on our return.”