Hephaestus

""I thought Zeus would have killed you by now.""

- - Hephaestus

Hephaestus, the Craftsman of Olympus, is a god of fire and craftsmanship, and a character in God of War III. He started out as an ally to Kratos, but at the very last encounter with him, he tries to kill Kratos.

Greek Mythology
Hephaestus (Hēphaistos) was a Greek god, whose Roman equivalent was Vulcanus. His mother was Hera, who gave birth to him either alone or with Zeus. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and he was worshiped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly in Athens. The center of his cult was in Lemnos. Hephaestus' symbols are a smith's hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs, although sometimes he is portrayed holding an axe. Hephaestus is the only Olympian god to have been exiled from Olympus and to have returned. In a Homeric version of Hephaestus' myth, Hera, mortified to have brought forth such grotesque offspring, promptly threw him from Mount Olympus. He fell nine days and nights and landed in the ocean. Hephaestus, being the most unfaltering of the gods, was given Aphrodite’s hand in marriage by Zeus in order to prevent conflict over her between the other gods.

First Encounter
While trapped in the underworld searching for Hades, Kratos encounters Hephaestus. Hephaestus told Kratos that Zeus imprisoned him in a carvern but it was Kratos that left him tormented. Hephaestus told Kratos about the Flame of Olympus, that it's extremely dangerous, and that no man nor God can touch the flame.

Second Encounter
After Kratos killed Hades, Hephaestus told the story of why he become a monster. Hephaestus was a skilled craftman and Zeus gave him premission to marry Aphrodite. But after Kratos killed Ares. Zeus became a monster. He also mentioned that he has a daughter named Pandora, and that she was taked by Zeus. Hephaestus tried and tried to recreate his daughter but always fails. He requested to Kratos to find Pandora and bring her to him.

Third Encounter
The third time Kratos encounters Hephaestus, Kratos seeked the labyrinth. Realizing that he was searching for Pandora, Hephaestus told him to stay away from his daughter. Hephaestus told of how Pandora's box was created. He mentioned that all the great evils couldn't be contained so easily, and that the great evils were contain greater than any God; the Flame of Olympus. He realized that the Flame was the safest place for the Box to be. All was needed to open the box was a key. The Key took on a life and became Pandora. When Zeus came for the box, Hephaestus hid Pandora from Zeus. He also mentioned that storing Pandora's Box on Cronos' back would be the safest place to hide the Box. When Kratos opened the box, Zeus tortured Hephaestus until he told Zeus about Pandora and that she was the key. He left Hephaestus in torment. Hephaestus knew that his daughter would be in danger, so Hephaestus tricked Kratos by offering to help to destroy Zeus. But in order for him to help Kratos, Hephaestus asked Kratos to retrieve the Omphalos Stone, from Cronos. If Kratos was successful, Hephaestus would make a powerful weapon for Kratos. However, when Kratos entered the door that led toward Tartarus, Hephaestus sealed the door shut, snickering out loud.

Fourth & Final Encounter
After Kratos killed Cronos and retrieved the Omphalos Stone, Kratos thought that Hephaestus sent him to his death. Hephaestus told he that he really needed the Stone to make the weapon. Kratos gives Hephaestus the Stone. Hephaestus created the Nemsis Whip but, before Kratos could try them, Hephaestus tries to electrute Kratos to death. Failing to do so, Hephaestus tries to slam a piece of burning rock onto Kratos. That failed as well. Kratos then used the whips and stabbed Hephaestus' hand, electricuting both him and a metal rod non-stop. Kratos then used the whips to electrocute the second metal rod. When both metal rods were fully charged, a carving anvil came from underneath the platform and stabbed Hephaestus to death. Before Hephaestus died, he begged to Kratos to spare Pandora.

Trivia

 * In English version Rip Torn and Polish version Włodzimierz Bednarski, who both provided Hephaestus' voice, also voiced Zeus in the Disney movie Hercules.
 * Judging from his constant depression over Pandora and two attempts at killing Kratos, Hephaestus was most likely infected with the evils Misery and Deceit from Pandora's box, or caused by Zeus' punishment for keeping Pandora and taking her away from him.
 * Interestingly, no significant event happens upon the death of Hephaestus, though he was the god of volcanoes, smithery, forging, and similar things dealing with fire. The GoW Community theorized his death triggered the eruption of volcanoes. It's possible that the reason nothing happened after his death was that Hephaestus was a fallen god.
 * In a way, Hephaestus himself was indirectly responsible for bringing about his own demise, as Pandora's Box was designed to forever contain the evils of the Titanomachy, and yet, he created Pandora as a key to retrieve the box. Whatever reason compelled him to create a means, while it was never meant to be opened again is unknown. Hephaestus blaming Kratos for his suffering is therefore a meaningless argument.
 * Similar to Gaia, Hephaestus first aided Kratos --in this case by crafting him a new weapon-- only to turn his back on him.
 * Helios informed Hephaestus about Ares and Aphrodite's affair in Greek Mythology, hence Hephaestus remark on Aphrodite having conquered another god of war.
 * Kratos seemed to have little to no lingering animosity over the Smith God's betrayal, later telling Pandora that Hephaestus died doing what any father should do: protecting the life of his child.
 * Kratos and Hephaestus have similar lives, as both had a family, both were attacked by their father, Zeus, both would do anything to protect their children, both treated Pandora like a daughter, and both were cast down from Olympus.