I finally got around to creating Vulcan, a.k.a Hephaestus. I still suck at fire though.
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Vulcan is a broken and angry man.
Disfigured by an I.E.D during the Iraq war (where he met Ares) Lester Owens lost both legs and was badly scarred across most of his body. He was sent back to the states for treatment but he knew his life would never be the same again. Lester fell into a downward spiral of depression and alcohol. Feeling sorry for himself, he pushed away his family and friends and everyone who tried to help him. He hated the looks of pity in their eyes.
When it seemed he could get no lower, his old buddy Ares showed up and introduced him to the man calling himself Jupiter. Jupiter informed Lester that he was the reincarnated soul of the god, Vulcan. Lester wasn’t inclined to believe such nonsense but Ares backed up Jupiter’s story and Lester had never known that man to lie.
Jupiter said he could help Lester, but first Lester had to help himself. He left, informing the downtrodden god that if he wanted to join the ranks of the Pantheon, he would have to do something to impress him, rather than wallowing in his own self-pity. Vulcan rose to the challenge and then some. He used his incredible creative talents to forge himself a pair of robotic legs. He could finally walk again! He wondered why he had never done such a thing before and berated himself for not doing so. Maybe the visit from Jupiter was just the kick in the pants he needed. Vulcan proudly displayed his creations to the rest of the Pantheon. Jupiter was so impressed that he welcomed Vulcan with open arms and taught him to unlock all of his potential and abilities.
Vulcan has been a loyal member of the Pantheon ever since, with one or two lapses in judgement. He has become utterly infatuated with Aphrodite, who wants nothing to do with him. Even as a god, Vulcan retains a lot of bitterness and anger at his disfigured appearance and at one point even tried to kill Eros, who Aphrodite seemed smitten with. Driven to extremes, and apparent insanity by his love, Vulcan thought that if he could remove Eros from the picture Aphrodite would fall in love with him. It was only the wise words of Apollo that managed to bring Vulcan back to his senses and prevent a tragedy. In typical fashion, Eros forgave Vulcan without a second thought, knowing all too well what true love can do to a man.
The Pantheon continued on with their business but Jupiter now keeps a close eye on Vulcan for signs of any further trouble. As for Aphrodite…She realized that Vulcan would do just about anything for her. A fact that could come in handy for the manipulative goddess.
