doth thy son torment me only among all? Why should I be blamed
more than others that help the men of Troy? Verily, I will cease from
helping them, if he also will cease. Nay, I will swear a great oath that I
will keep no more the day of doom from the sons of Troy; no, not when all
the city shall be consumed with fire."

And Queen Juno heard him, and called to Vulcan, saying, "Cease, my son; it
doth not beseem thee to work such damage to a god for the sake of a mortal
man."

So Vulcan quenched his fire, and the River flowed as he flowed before.

VULCAN MAKES ARMOR FOR ACHILLES

By Walter C. Perry

On high Olympus, the Loud-thundering Zeus spake mockingly to his consort,
Juno, and said, "At length, thou hast what thou desirest, and hast roused
Achilles to fight against the Trojans. Surely, the long-haired Achaians
must be thine own children, since thou lovest them so dearly!"

And the ox-eyed queen replied, "Dread son of Cronos! what words are these
which have passed the barrier of thy teeth? Even a mortal man doth what he
can to help another; and shall not I, the chief of goddesses by birth and
as thy wife--O thou king of the deathless Gods!--shall not _I_ avenge
myself upon the men of Troy?"

Thus these two strove with one another.

Meantime, the silver-footed Thetis came to the splendid palace of Vulcan,
bright and immortal, which shone like a star among the mansions of the
Gods. She found him at his bellows, sweating from his mighty toil; for he
was forging twenty tripods, to stand round the walls of his well-built
mansion. Beneath each of them he placed wheels of gold; and they move, of
themselves, into the assembly of the Gods, and so return.

While he was thus employed, the silver-footed Thetis approached the house.
And Charis, of the shining veil, the wedded wife of Vulcan (whose first
wife had been Aphrodite or Venus), came forth to meet her, and took her by
the hand, and called her by her name. "O long-robed Thetis! dear and
honored as thou art! not oft, I ween, dost thou come to visit us. But
follow me, that I may show thee due hospitality."

Then she led the way in, and seated Thetis on a lofty chair with silver
studs, beautiful, and cunningly wrought, and placed a footstool beneath
her shining feet. And she called to Vulcan, the divine artificer, "Come
hither, Vulcan! for the silver-footed Thetis seeketh thine aid."

And the glorious lame god answered, "Revered and dear to me is she; for