In the forge of Olympus, where the clang of hammer upon anvil echoed through eternity, Hephaestus toiled. The god of craftsmanship was forging as always, his hands shaped the most wondrous artifacts known to gods and men.
But on this day, Hepahestus's task was different. He stood before an offering, a gift from Hera herself—an apple of gleaming gold, plucked from the divine gardens of the Hesperides.
Hera had been pleased with Hephaestus's latest work, a magnificent crown encrusted with shifting gems that reflected the cosmos itself.
In return, Hera bestowed upon hephaestus a golden apple. Hephaestus saw potential beyond what even Hera had spoken of. And so, he set upon his grandest experiment yet.
With steady hands, he placed the apple upon his anvil. Drawing upon the raw power of his forge, he summoned the spirits of earth and fire from the spriit realm. Flames danced and surged, consuming the apple without charring its brilliant sheen. He whispered words of divine power, letting the elements infuse into its core, shaping it into something beyond its origins—a fruit of transformation, of new beginnings.
As he worked, Hephaestus sommoned one of his incarnation, Daedalus entered the forge, his keen eyes filled with curiosity.
"Eat it" Hephaestus commanded, offering the glowing fruit. "And be reborn."
Daedalus without any hesitation took a bite into the golden flesh. The taste was unlike anything he had known—sweet, yet burning with the essence of fire and stone. The transformation began instantly. His body shuddered as his form shifted, shrinking yet becoming more compact, his bones stronger, his hands more dexterous.
Daedalus felt the eternal pulse of the earth and the roaring warmth of fire. His mind, sharp as ever, grew keener still, attuned to the mysteries of stone, metal, and magic.
He had become the first dwarf.
Hephaestus watched with satisfaction as Daedalus examined his new form. No longer merely an immortal, he was something new, something born of divine craft. His lifespan extended beyond mortal years, his skills enhanced beyond human limitation.
In time, as ask by Hephaestus, Daedalus would find companionship, and from his union with humans, a new race would be born. A race of dwarves—short in stature but mighty in spirit. Blessed with lifespans that stretched centuries, they inherited the affinity for earth and fire, for art and craft, for creation beyond human reach. And thus, the legacy of Hephaestus lived on in their hands, their forges burning bright across the ages.
Hephaestus smiled, knowing that from his action, a new race has been born.