Hephaestus

"It isn’t easy being a brilliant inventor, always alone. Always misunderstood. Easy to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes. People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can’t be fixed."

- Hephaestus

Hephaestus is the Greek god of forges, fire, technology, craftsmen, sculptors, volcanoes, and blacksmiths. His symbols are the ax, an anvil, a pair of tongs, hammer, and fire. His Roman counterpart is Vulcan. Hephaestus is portrayed by Conrad Coates in the film adaptation of The Lightning Thief.

Hephaestus' Rivalry with Hera
Due to Zeus' giving birth to Athena, Hera was angry at his actions. She then gave birth to Hephaestus. He was an ugly and deformed child. When Hera saw the unsightly appearance of her son, she threw him from Mount Olympus, crippling him forever. Afterwards, Hera spread a false rumor that it was actually Zeus himself who hurled Hephaestus down from Olympus. Hephaestus landed in the sea, where he was found and raised by the Thetis, a kindly Nereid. However, Hera's act of cruelty haunted Hephaestus, and he sought revenge.

After spending nine years under the sea with Thetis, Hephaestus finally rode back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. As he rode into the Olympian Throne Room, all of the gods (especially Hera) were shocked into silence. With him, Hephaestus had brought magnificent new thrones for all of the Olympians. Hera's throne was made from shining pure adamantium, making it particularly beautiful. A very impressed Hera quickly seated herself in it, and instantly, she was tightly bound by invisible and unbreakable chains. The chains grasped Hera so tightly, that she could not breathe, and all of the divine ichor in her veins flowed to her arms and legs. Ares and Hermes tried to convince Hephaestus to release his mother, but the latter remained stubborn and inexorable. Finally, his half-brother Dionysus (the god of wine), decided to take matters into his own hands. Dionysus began visiting Hephaestus' forge from time to time, and peacefully chatting with him. The two gods quickly became friends, and a week later, Dionysus introduced Hephaestus to wine, and finally convinced the intoxicated god to forgive Hera, and took him back to Mount Olympus on the back of a donkey. There, Hephaestus declared his forgiveness of Hera's act of cruelty, releases her. Afterwards, Hephaestus and Hera made peace with each other.

Olympian Riot and Hephaestus' Punishment
Hera, enraged at her husband's infidelity, decided to start the first (and last) Olympian riot against Zeus. Hera managed to gain the support of Poseidon (who secretly desired to become King of the Olympian gods), as well as Apollo, and Athena. Hephaestus, however, chose to remain neutral, as he deemed his mother's idea of a riot ridiculous. As a result, after Zeus was freed by Briares, the King of Olympus did not punish him.

However, Hephaestus could not bare to see his mother hanging chained right above the terrifying Void of Chaos. As a result, he finally set her free. Hera tearfully embraced Hephaestus, and promised to never to call him ugly ever again. Zeus, however, was infuriated. He violently stormed into Hephaestus' chambers, easily overpowered him, and flung Hephaestus all the way from Mount Olympus to Lemnos (which broke every bone in his body). In time, however, Hephaestus' wounds were healed, and returned to Olympus. Zeus was somewhat ashamed of his past angry fit with his son, and (in a rare act) apologized and welcomed his son back with open arms.

Marriage to Aphrodite
The goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, was causing a lot of problems in Olympus due to her radiant beauty. Zeus decided to wed her to Hephaestus to keep her unavailable, though she still had multiple affairs with Ares, the handsome god of war. Though these days the affair is considered old news and everyone just accepts it, however, Hephaestus still finds ways to publicly embarrass his wife and her lover in front of the other gods with elaborate traps and tricks. The first and most famous one was when he caught the two lovers in a magical unbreakable golden net, and then invited the other gods to come and laugh at the unfortunate sight. In the end, however, Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to release the god of war.

As the Blacksmith of the Olympians, Hephaestus also took part in creating the metal giant Talos, the Colchis Bulls, the Trojan Horse, and other various elaborate automatons. He also built the impenetrable armor of Achilles, a powerful and great tool.

The Lightning Thief
Hephaestus doesn't appear in this book, but Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase get caught in a trap made by him, after they see his symbol Eta, Greek for 'H'. The trap was originally intended for Ares and Aphrodite, in Waterland, but Percy and Annabeth got trapped there instead, while trying to retrieve Ares' shield. Percy retrieves it and also collects Aphrodite's scarf. The scarf now resides in the big house attic. Before leaving the ride, Percy bows to the camera as the trap had been airing on Hephaestus TV.

The Titan's Curse
Hephaestus has a minor appearance in this book. His wife Aphrodite mentions him to Percy, warning him to be careful in her husband's junkyard, because he is "touchy about his little toys".

When the Hunters and Campers are going through his junkyard, Bianca di Angelo picks up a little statue of Hades because it is the only Mythomagic statue her brother doesn't have, this causes one of his automatons to attack the group. They attempt to defend themselves, but the automaton is too powerful, and Bianca decides to go up its foot and to shut it down from the inside. Percy volunteered, but Bianca insisted after Percy pointed it out to her. When she shuts it down, the robot falls to the ground and Bianca was electrocuted. Her little brother, Nico di Angelo, later blames her death on Percy. During the winter solstice, Hephaestus later voted to let Percy live, though he didn't remember him later.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
His first close encounter with Percy and friends. He sent them on a "mission" to find out who was using his favorite forge in Mount Saint Helens, the same mountain where the monster Typhon was being held captive. He goes to retrieve Percy, who had been marooned on Calypso's island for weeks. He was also the one who told Percy about how Hera likes her "perfect family" a certain way. He gives Percy another hint about how a regular mortal was able to navigate the maze when demigods and monsters could not, and that Percy knew the answer (which was something Hera had told Percy before). This leads to Percy realizing he needs the help of Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a mortal able to see through the Mist. Hephaestus also gave them information on what happened to Daedalus, though very little.

The Last Olympian
Hephaestus was also in the fight between the gods and Typhon. However, he was hit by Typhon and "was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia."

Hephaestus later votes to abide by Percy's wishes in claiming all of their demigod children by the time they turn thirteen years old.

The Lost Hero
Hephaestus appears in the dream of one of his son's, Leo Valdez, using an old dream radio, and talks to him, (with bits of Wheel of Fortune cutting in) giving information about why Olympus was closed down and the Giants being the sons of Gaea and Tartarus. He is shown to view Percy as an ingrate for refusing immortality. He transports Festus' head back to Bunker 9 when Leo crashes him, surprising his friends with an act of kindness when he deigns to be "unsilent" and help Leo.

Personality
Hephaestus tends to be gruff, and disappointed in life, in people and other "living organisms." He loves his wife Aphrodite, however he is sad and angry at her unfaithfulness. He is very bitter and hateful towards his "perfectionist" mother, Hera, and even once tricked her into sitting on a throne with hidden unbreakable chains. Hephaestus' tendency to bear grudges (namely against his mother) for a very long time make him similar to Hades. However, as shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus is shown to have at least some love for his mother, and could not bear to see her chained over the Void of Chaos, and he finally rescues her. Hephaestus is somewhat bitter about his life, and puts his faith in machines rather than people, as machines "can't let you down." However, he appears to have a soft spot for Cyclopes like Tyson, and seems to be on very good terms with his half-sister Athena, while they both mutually despise Ares. He is also very good friends with Dionysus, who was the only one able to convince Hephaestus to unchain his mother Hera. Hephaestus also greatly admired Daedalus, above all other mortal men. Despite his bitterness, Hephaestus is the lover of many things, such as his unfaithful wife, Aphrodite, his many demigod children (especially Leo) and their mothers. He also pays Calypso friendly visits from time to time. However, there is also a darker side to Hephaestus, shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, when he gives Harmonia (the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares) a necklace with a horrible curse.

Appearance
He is a huge and ugly lump of a man with his shoulders at different heights (so that he always seems to be leaning) and a huge, bulging, misshapen head and his leg in a creaking steel brace, with a wild brown beard that sparks fire from time to time. He is the only Olympian to show such extreme physical injuries; however, he is also very muscular from working in his forges. According to Leo, Hephaestus' face is red, lumpy and covered with welts, "as if he’d been bitten by a million bees, and then dragged across gravel." Inside his workshop, he wears a jumpsuit smeared with grime and oil with the name Hephaestus embroidered over the chest pocket. When he is on Olympus, however, he is much cleaner and elegant. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy says "I guess he'd cleaned up when I saw him on Olympus or used magic to make his form seem a little less hideous." According to Percy, Hephaestus' voice is deep, booming, and rumbly. Hephaestus is also said to wear a "permanent scowl". According to Leo, Hephaestus' laugh is so loud, that it makes his tools rattle of their workbenches. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, it is revealed that Hephaestus is extremely hairy, and had to shave multiple times a day, even as a child.

Vulcan
Hephaestus can change into his Roman counterpart of Vulcan. As Vulcan, he becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike due to the Romans being a more warlike race than the Greeks. He may have children or descendants at Camp Jupiter. The Greeks envisioned Hephaestus as a benevolent and clever being. The Romans believed Vulcan to be the god of volcanoes, giving him greater respect among them.

Abilities
As a son of Zeus, Hephaestus is an extremely powerful god.
 * Prowess in Battle: Hephaestus is shown to be very strong (from constantly working in his forges), which makes him very formidable in battle. For instance, he successfully fought against the mighty Giant Mimas in the first Gigantomachy, and managed to bring him down with the help of Ares and Hercules. However, during the gods' massive battle with Typhon, Hephaestus was defeated and knocked out of the sky with such force, that a new lake was created when he landed.
 * He excels at fighting with a heavy hammer.
 * Pyrokinesis: As the god of fire, he has absolute control over heat, fire, and lava. This is a very dangerous and powerful ability, which is why only children that he chooses have this ability. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus generates a wave of flames that instantly flattens the wheels of Ares' war chariot, and completely melts the helmets of Deimos and Phobos.
 * In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Hephaestus appeared, in a massive "column of fire".
 * Fire Immunity: Hephaestus is immune to fire and heat, as he works with them constantly.
 * Technokinesis: As the god of blacksmiths, he has unbelievable mechanical abilities which are second to none. As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus' skills even surpass that of the Elder Cyclops and Hekatonknieres.
 * Enhanced Forging: Hephaestus can build any kind of machine out of any kind of material, as well as animate it and make it do things to suit his needs. He can even do this absentmindedly, fiddling with parts and gears when nervous or thinking hard over something.
 * In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus was even able to use his tools to unchain his mother Hera, while simultaneously keeping himself and her from falling into the Void of Chaos.

Family
Aphrodite is Hephaestus' wife but she is notoriously promiscuous with Ares as her most notable lover. Hephaestus constantly tries to trap the two when they are together and humiliate them as he did the first time. However, the smith god himself has had his own number of affairs as well.

The Lightning Thief
Hephaestus is only seen for a short time when Percy enters the Hall of the Gods to return the Master Bolt to Zeus.

Trivia

 * Hephaestus is the ugliest and most physically injured Olympian.
 * Hephaestus is the one who built all of the Olympians' thrones in the Hall of the Gods.
 * As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus was flung off of Olympus twice: first by Hera (right after his birth), and then by Zeus (after he rescues Hera from Zeus' punishment).
 * As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hephaestus is shown to have a crush on Athena.
 * Another name for Vulcan is Mulciber which means "fire" in Latin.
 * In the books, he is pictured with light skin. However, in the movie, he was played by an African-American actor.
 * In the books Hephaestus is still married where in Homer's account Hephaestus demands his bride-price back after catching his wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares, which means in the modern sense they divorced. Homer also has him remarry the goddess Thalia.
 * Hephaestus claims to have once admired the Hekatonknieres.
 * The word "Volcano" and "Volcanic" both derive from Vulcan, his Roman aspects' name.
 * Hephaestus has the most named demigod children out of all the other Olympians.