Robert Smit sat on a rock somewhere in a huge field in which billions of people sat or strolled aimlessly. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there. [i]Maybe I should start another fight, snap someone's neck. They'd be down for a few hours, tops, and at least the pain from the beating he got from the other denizens would liven the place up a bit.[/i]
He looked up an indeterminate amount of time later and saw a man standing there in Greek clothing, wearing winged sandals. [i]Well, at least someone interesting showed up. A conversation with him should alleviate some of the boredom.[/i] "So, how long have you been standing there?" he said in Greek, having picked up several languages over the years. Centuries? [i]Not a bad start to a conversation.[/i]
"Doest it matter?" said the man in Old English. "Thou art Robert Smit?"
"Ay" he said, surprised the man had come looking for him specifically.
"Thou hast been summoned by the god Hephaestus. Come."
[i]What possible use could I be to a god? Whatever it is, though, it's got to be more interesting that this.[/i]"Very well." Robert said, slipping into a more modern English. "I'll go with you.
The man grabbed his arm and they were in a forge of some form. A man limped towards him, followed by a woman in a long robe. "Greetings Robert the Smith." said the man, "I am Hephaestus, god of the forge. I've asked you here because I need help."
"You deem me worthy of being your assistant?" he asked, as the man he now knew as Hermes disappeared.
"Actually, I deem you worthy of being hers." Hephaestus said, pointing towards the woman the the robe. She pulled back her hood and Robert saw one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He knew she had to be a goddess.
"Hecate," she said, "I've come to Hephaestus to get help freeing someone from Tartarus's version of a torture chamber."
"I'm sorry," said Robert, "But I don't understand the problem. You're the Goddess of magic. Couldn't you summon this prisoner?"
"It is protected from such magics, and I can't seem my own agent because they know I would never sent someone to my own daughter's chambers, considering the nature of most of her punishment."
Understanding what she meant, Smit looked at Hephaestus. "But they wouldn't suspect anything if he sent a servant in to meet her. I'm to be a double agent, only the one I'm fooling isn't one of my employers."
They nodded. "If you accept," said Hephaestus, "I will use you as a worker in my forge during the daytime, and you will go to her at night, to learn to use magic. Unfortunately, that will be fairly tough for you, as you can't technically be the servant of two gods at once, and you won't have her blessing."
"And what will I get out of it."
"Other than the equipment I give my assistants? When you are finished we will help you get back what you missed most down here."
"Action?"
"No, a life." said Hecate.
Robert nodded. "So, how do I sign up?"
Hephaestus waved his hand and the back of Robert's right hand burned. When it stopped hurting a few seconds later, he looked, and on it the symbol of an anvil. "Good," said Hephaestus, "now grab an apron and hammer from over there, and come over here. I've got an order of swords from Ares, and I'm a bit behind schedule.