"Argh," I yelled while throwing a fireball right at its target making it burst into flames.

     "High-five," Hephaestus said cheering with me.

     I jumped up and smacked my palm with his since he was a foot taller than me. Even in his human-sized form, he towered over me.

     "That was good, didn't know you would be a good teacher," Hera said strutting into the training field.

     I rolled my eyes at her, "Of course, he is, unlike you who sits beside my father like a "gold-digger" acting as if you deserve it demanding for everything. Hephaestus works for anything he wants or makes it himself, it's called hard work, something you don't possess." 

     I saw Hephaestus smirk from the corner of my eye.

     "Do you have any sense of what you are saying child," Hera screamed?

     "Hera please leave, you are disturbing a training session and I'm sure that Lord Zeus would be mad if he found out," Hephaestus said patiently and respectfully.

      After what Hera had done to him when he was young, Hephaestus was always respectful towards her when they had to talk to each other. 

      "I'm your mother," Hera said angrily.

      Well, she never wanted to be his mother when he was born. Mother my ass, Thetis way so much better.

     "I have no mother," Hephaestus quoted from when he was young.

     "Excuse me," Hera said with fake offense.

     She really didn't care. 

     "You heard what he said, you wouldn't want my father to embarrass you in front of everyone," I said having enough of her being straight up rude to Hephaestus.

     "Now that you're in his life, he never listens to me," Hera said pointing an angry finger at me.

     "I suggest you remove that finger away from me before I bite it off," I threatened.

     "You psychotic bitch," Hera muttered. 

     "Only for you," I teased with a wicked smile.

     "What's going on here," Zeus's voiced loudly with authority. 

     "You're daughter is being a bitch towards me."

     "She started it, father you know how much she hates me."

      Hera and I said together but I added in some fake tears along with what I said. Even if I didn't add in the fake tears my father would've still been on my side.

     "Hera look at what you did, you make her cry," Zeus screamed at her with fury.

     "She's faking it," Hera argued.

     "I don't care if she is fake crying, she is obviously fake crying but you still did something to her that made her need to fake cry so therefore it's your fault," Zeus said.

     "Are you serious, I'm your wife," Hera screeched.

     "And Aster is my daughter," Zeus said.

     Zeus then rushed over to me and hugged me and checked to see if I was hurt. I had been trying to be a better father for the past week so I was used to this by now.

     "Urgh," Hera yelled and stomped away.

     "Um we must get back to training, this is her last training with me before she goes off to train with Posiden," Hephaestus said cutting in awkwardly. 

     "Oh yes sorry," Zeus said and disappeared in a quick flash.

     "That was eventful," Hephaestus commented.

     "Very," I agreed.

     "Also thank you for defending me," Hephaestus said smiling at me.

     "Of course, what she did to you, you didn't deserve it," I said.

     Hephaestus looked down, "I've never really had a friend to defend me, I was always the black sheep of the family."

     I looked at him with sympathy, "Well you have a friend that cares, I Asterope Potter declare myself your best friend!"

     "I Hephaestus, god of fire accept your proposal as my best friend," he said chuckling.

     "Are we going to keep training," I asked tiredly after we finished?

     "Yeah, we should. Okay so hit those 3 targets and then we can end the lesson," Hephaestus tired himself.

     I nodded, "Got it."

     I raised my hands above my head moving them around as I was holding a ball, I felt the flames ignite shaping themselves into a ball. Once I fireball had held onto its shape I separated my hands separating the 1 fireball into 2 more making 3. I focus my eyes on my target, if I focused on the on in the middle, the other 2 will mirror the actions of the first one. The next thing I know I blinked and the fireballs went out of my control and they reached each of their targets burning the 3 dummies into flames.

     "Asterope are you okay," Hephaestus said looking at me surprised.

     "I-how did that happen," I muttered in shock.

     "Your eyes had flames in them, they were a mixture of red and orange flames into your eyes," Hephaestus said just as surprised as me.

     "What is that supposed to mean," I asked confused.

     "It means you can command some of your powers through your mind," Hephaestus explained, "I wasn't expecting you to have it passed down to you."

     "Why," I asked.

     "Only the most powerful Olympians can mostly do it as well as some others like Nyx or some titans can do it. I suppose you can do it since you're blessed by all of us," Hephaestus said in deep thought. 

     "Does that mean I'll be able to do that with the rest of my blessed powers," I asked?

     "Most likely," he answered.

     "Would this be an advantage," I asked?

     "As long as you learn all your powers you will be able to control them through your mind too with no trouble, come on we need to inform Zeus," he said taking my hand as we flashed into a garden. 

     "Ah Aster, I was waiting for. You can leave Hephaestus," father said turning around from whatever he was looking at.

     "I'm afraid I can't, we discovered something while training," Hephaestus said.

     Zeus furrowed his eyebrows, "What could it be now?"

     "She is able to control some of her powers through her mind and her eyes glow the color or the power once does," he explained.

      "How did I not notice this, her eyes always have flashes of lighting in them when she uses her lightning powers," Zeus said, "I didn't think anything of it before!"

     My eyes were grey so I wouldn't change colors when I would my lightning powers or shock someone with a lightning bolt. Percy and Annabeth had told me that something was wrong with my eyes countless times. 

     "Does that mean I keep training," I asked?

     "Yes my daughter, you must keep training, we don't have much time," Zeus said.

     "For now she must rest, too much of her energy has been used," Hephaestus said.

     "Yes, go to your room, tomorrow morning you have training with Posiden first thing in the morning," Zeus said agreeing with Hephaestus.

     "I'll take her," Hephaestus said as he grabbed my hand.

     Before we could flash away Zeus put a hand on Hephaestus's shoulder smiled, then he said "Thank you."

     Hephaestus nodded in response before we flashed away.

     "Thanks, Heph, I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast," I said smiling and giving him a huge hug.

     He was shocked for a moment before he hugged me back, "See you at breakfast tomorrow, Aster."

     He then flashed away I took a shower and changed. I then got comfortable in my bed falling asleep the moment my head reached my soft pillow.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     Okay, the "!" border doesn't look that good but idc. I wrote this whole chapter today! So proud of myself. I was actually going to update earlier (so unexpected right lmao) but I got my phone taken away and I still don't have it so I've been using my laptop for the past 2 weeks.

     Anyway, Hephaestus's and Aster's friendship was never planned, I was writing this chapter, and halfway through I decided to make them best friends bc Hephaestus deserves it. 

     Don't forget to vote, comment, and share!

     Love ya guys! Stay safe.