Hephaestus, the god of fire, secretly pined for Aphrodite. His devious assistant. Iagos, hatched a plan to give Hephaestus a substitute for Aphrodite in return for a powerful bronze shield. Iagos went to retrieve Leandra, a beautiful mortal who rejected Hephaestus 50 years earlier, prompting the god of fire to place her in suspended animation. Aphrodite, who had recently decided to give up matchmaking, went with Iolaus to Leandra's rescue. Iolaus destroyed Iagos and revealed he was Leandra's grandson. Meanwhile, sparks flew between Hephaestus and Aphrodite, who resumed her duties as goddess of love.