Aggie raised an eyebrow. “Then you’ll have to turn it off.”
Aida took a deep breath. “I’m not sure that’s wise.”
Aggie seemed to understand her discomfort. “Just for a little while. We can ask Heph about it.”
Reluctantly, Aida found the MODA phone in her bag and turned it off. “All right, let’s go.”
She followed the goddess and Yumi out of the bar to the elevator. When the doors slid shut, Yumi asked, “Where is he? How will we get there?”
“Like this,” Aggie said, taking Yumi’s and Aida’s hands.
There was the briefest flash of light, and then they were standing in the middle of the Roman Forum next to a fence in front of a sad-looking round brick structure that Aida recognized as the Umbilicus Urbis Romae, the Navel of the City of Rome, or the center of the city from which and to which all the distances of the Roman Empire were measured. Legend had it that the structure was built atop a gate to the Underworld. Aida had spent a lot of time in the Forum since she had come to Rome and knew the structures fairly well, and she was surprised to see the dark opening of a door on one side of the Umbilicus. She was quite certain she had never seen it before.
“I thought the Vulcanal is over there,” she said, pointing to a roofed excavation behind the Umbilicus that, although hotly contested among Forum archaeologists, was considered to be the site of the god’s ancient forge.
“Well, it is,” Aggie agreed. “But under it. Come.”
The gate opened before them, and she led them toward the Umbilicus. There were a number of tourists milling about the ruins, but none seemed to notice them. Aggie ducked into the dark space. Yumi didn’t hesitate to follow, but Aida paused just long enough that her friend reached back and pulled her through—into a long hallway with a red runner. The atmosphere was surreal, as if the ancient world had collided with modern times. The wallswere adorned with frescoes depicting various gods and mythical creatures, illuminated by sleek LED lights.
“How did...”
Aggie looked back and shrugged. “Gods, you know.”
Aida and Yumi followed the goddess down the hall to a regal marble stairway that led to a landing and a large ornate door made of a strange alloy that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly glow. Two silver lions rested at the door, and when one of them turned its head toward them, Yumi jumped backward with a shriek, almost falling to the ground.
“It’s all right. They won’t hurt you with me here,” Aggie assured her. Then she placed her hand on the door, which opened with a low hum, revealing the inner sanctum of Vulcan’s forge.
A booming voice greeted them. “My love! Give me a second to finish.”
The moment Aida stepped inside, she found herself in a world where mythology had embraced the digital age. The room was vast and domed, with an immense anvil at its center, surrounded by all manner of futuristic machines and tools.
At the heart of this breathtaking scene stood Vulcan himself, his tall muscular form draped in a modern heat-resistant outfit. His hair was a dark fiery red that seemed to flicker with the energy of the flames he commanded, cascading down to his shoulders in unruly waves. A neatly trimmed beard framed his strong angular jawline. He was manipulating molten metal using a high-tech holographic interface, his eyes glowing with an intense fiery gaze.
The interface projected a 3D hologram of the workpiece, allowing Vulcan to visualize the desired end product and make adjustments with remarkable precision. Aida had been to a few forges as part of her historical research, but nothing like this. The forge itself was a marvel of modern engineering, seamlessly blending ancient elements with state-of-the-art technology. A central high-efficiency furnace provided the intense heat required for Vulcan’s metalworking. Robotic arms with specializedtools waited at the ready. The walls were adorned with touch screens and panels that likely monitored and controlled every aspect of the forge’s operation. Several golden humanoid figures worked at various tasks throughout the space. Despite the obvious heat of the forge, Aida was amazed at how cool the room felt. Surrounding the central anvil were multiple workstations, each equipped with a suite of tools and machinery for specific tasks, such as metal casting, welding, and engraving.
Aida and Yumi stood in awe, overwhelmed by the incredible sight before them. Aggie smiled and motioned them forward. “Heph, I brought some friends.”
Vulcan looked up. When he saw Aida and Yumi, his face twisted into a scowl. “What is this? Aglaea...”
“It’s important,” Aggie said. “It’s about Euphrosyne.”
The burly god flicked off the hologram. As he walked toward them, Aida noticed something was off about his gait and understood that some of the myths about his one misshapen leg might be true. He was probably wearing some form of prosthetic.
“Why have you brought mortals to my abode, Aglaea?”
Aggie admonished him. “They can help us. Hear them out.”
He folded his arms across his chest and stared down at them. “This better be good. I’d be happy to test out my new lasers on you.” He waved a hand at the robotic arms, which Aida realized with shock were aimed right at them.
“Go ahead,” Aggie said, nudging Aida.
Aida tried to explain the situation to the intimidating god, ending with the strange circumstances at Palazzo Spada. When she was finished, he let out a string of modern curses and turned back toward the forge. He stood there staring into the fire, which seemed to grow hotter and brighter with his anger.
“The oranges, and forking the lawn. That’s my sister’s idea of a good time,” Aggie explained. “She is the goddess of discord, after all.”
Vulcan snorted with derision. When he turned back to them,his eyes glowed with a dark red heat. “They don’t have the ability to create a machine capable of holding the world’s happiness. I’m the only one who can do that.”
“Then how did they...” Yumi began, but Vulcan cut her off with a wave of his hand.
