Hephaestus is the cuckolded husband of Aphrodite, who has an ongoing affair with Ares. In one version of their triangulated drama, Hephaestus crafts a thin, almost invisible golden net and places it above the bed to capture them, and he does.

In this version, the “net” represents control, and he “captures” them by creating beauty from their love even though it excludes him. He is drawn closer to the fire of his own pain by choosing to witness what he cannot ultimately control.