He snorted. Loudly, with the eye-rolling disdain Allegra taught him when she was fifteen and he was thousands of years older yet obviously oh-so-slow in comparison. But that was all he did. For the moment, Hephaestus kept his mouth shut in favor of letting Elpis continue.
And then there they were. If not at the heart of the matter, then at least talking about it.
"You don't have that kind of power." He leaned forward as he said the words, spoke them quietly. Were he asked, it'd be hard to say whether they were formed with regret or irritation.
And if you did, Hephaestus very pointedly did not say. If you did...
"Think I wouldn't help for her sake--" Cutting himself off, it was Hephaestus's turn to cant his head now. Hope found herself on the receiving end of a look which started out hard and harsh, but ultimately devolved into guarded surprise.