Aphrodite

“Dite.” Ari said as she stopped us at the garden in front of my palace, nodding towards my attendant.

If Ariadne had not been with me, I would have completely overlooked the fact that Eucleia was even trying to say something to me and kept on walking towards my home in a daze. But I was fortunate to have someone like Ari, who always made sure to take care of me.

“Leia? What is it?” My voice came out harsher than it ever had been. And I instantly regretted it. I had never spoken in this manner to anyone without cause, not even my attendants. I still kept on trying to befriend the lower goddesses who were tasked with taking care of me.

But Leia, and all my other attendants under her lead, had made the divide clear. No matter how many times, I had tried to eliminate the absurd class system. It only served to remind me, how things had been so much different at the Kingdom of Oceans. So much better.

And the competent attendant that Leia was, she did not even bat an eyelash at my rude tone, and simply bowed before saying. “Goddess, your sisters have gathered here and wish to have a word with you.”

“Without prior agreement, Leia?” Ari asked, which was no question at all. And the meaningful look between my friend and my aide, only added to my already frayed nerves.  It irked me how well Leia got along with Ari, and yet she kept me at a length.

"We both come from humble beginnings Dite," Ari had once tried to explain. But it was still hurtful. Perhaps, more so today with the way Hephaestus had sneered at my presence.

And now this! Why would the great Athena and Artemis care as to how rude there unannounced presence was to me. Unlike, Ari I had never given them express permission to come to my home whenever they pleased. It was customary in our world, especially in Olympus, to request permission before going in another god or goddess’s residing quarters.

But obviously according to my half-sisters, I did not deserve such respect or courtesy. The other goddesses barely tolerated me, so why would they ever have come to see me before today?

Before Hephaestus.

I would have been so grateful for my sisters presence, that them not providing me with the basic courtesies of Olympus would not have mattered. On any other day, I would have welcomed my sisters happily. So eager I would have been to be a part of their little sisterly group. But not today. Not after everything that had just transpired in the throne room.

“Leia, tell my sisters that the goddess of love is unavailable and will receive guests at a later time.” The reason behind the presence of Zeus’s daughters was quite obvious. But my response would be surely unexpected. If the looks on my friend and my attendant’s faces were anything to go by.

I had no desire to go through their superior and smug attitudes, not at the expense of the foolishness I had displayed by speaking in favour of that beast. 

“Dite, I truly think it would be best to see what your sisters want.” Ari said, a calculative look on her face. Leia’s face while seemingly aloof, but also somehow seemed encouraging at the same time.

“But Ari they…” I tried to explain my reluctance, but she cut me off.

“I know Dite. But I do not think they are here because of how you took Hephaestus’s side. For that, they would have ignored you. And I doubt they care that you are connected to Hephaestus’s mind. I saw how they dismissed him at first glance. They do not view him as a threat. Perhaps, less so than even when you arrived to Olympus, Dite. They are here because the King wishes to see you tomorrow.”

“I know Ari. Perhaps, I had not given it as much thought as you. But I know it is our King that has brought them here.” I sighed, feeling a weariness settle in the pit of my stomach.

“That’s where you’re wrong Ariadne. My reasons are my own.” Came a voice from behind us. The only feminine voice in Olympus (beside’s Queen Hera’s) that could turn anyone’s heart cold with fear. As she stepped from the shadows to stand beside us.

Eris.

Strife. Discord. Chaos.

The mistress of pain. The companion of a killer. The bringer of misery. 

What was she doing here? Why would she come into my home? Eris was the one goddess, I would never want to befriend. It was one thing to see her beside Ares in a room full of other gods and goddesses.

On her own? I could perhaps brave the mother. But the daughter? Fates no. I would rather join Hades on his dining table in the Underworld than deal with this madness, that stood in front of us.

“Don’t be so afraid Aphrodite. I am simply curious. Satisfy it, and I’ll be on my merry way, little goddess.” The goddess of chaos said as she rubbed her apple between her palms. Her cold blue eyes burning into my own. They were just like Hepheastus's. 

No doubt Eris was beautiful, in a cold mad sort of way. Dangerous and unfeeling. Like her mother and her brother. It seemed these two siblings had not fallen too far from their maternal tree. 

“That’s right Aphrodite, just like my brother.” She smirked as her sharp long nails pierced her apple. Did I say that out loud? “You most certainly did dove. I can’t speak to your mind like brother does. And don’t worry, I’ll take you comparing me to him, as a compliment.” It was truly frightening how her smile did not reach her eyes.

She removed her right hand from her apple, and brought to my face. And I couldn’t help but flinch from her. And my growing fear only made her happier, as her smirk turned into a happy smile.

“Ah goddess, if you fear so much, then how can you love him?” Words that did not make any sense at all. Words that I could not reply to as her wet fingers took a hold of my chin. "To love him you must be bold, be brave. Or he will burn you to ashes." 

But before I could say anything, Ariadne had taken a hold of Eris’s hand and removed it from my face. “That is enough Eris.”

“If you insist, A-ri-ad-ne.” She sang as she she backed off. Her gaze though sharpened on me, loosing its lifelessness for a moment. “Goddess, tell my brother, that Queen Hera is mine, just as much as she is his.”

And just like that, she was gone. Leaving behind nothing but smothering black smoke.

“She was not talking about Ares, was she?” I asked my two companions who had witnessed the entire ordeal.

What had Queen Hera’s son dragged me into?

“Eris is not incapable of telling any of her brothers’ whatever she wishes to, herself. Ignore her Dite. Let us go in to see what the other two want from you.”

“You are right Ari.”

Though a part of me could not agree, as we made our way down towards my home. I had always thought that Eris was the most powerful of all of my sisters.

More so than even Athena. Ignoring Eris , particular when she sough you out, did not seem wise.

*

“Ah dear sister. We have been waiting for you for ages.” Artemis said, as she stood up from the chaise she had been occupying.

If someone were to force me to admit, I would not deny that between all of us sisters, Artemis was the most beautiful. With her pale skin, and even paler silver eyes and hair. Ethereal, and absolutely fascinating. Enchanting.

Athena, on the other hand? Well she was beautiful, but she was not…

“If you are done with your shallow musings, shall we proceed goddess.” The goddess of war positively hissed at me.

Not at all polite, I completed the htought quietly.Athena ever since I had stepped into Olympus, had made her dislike of me obvious. I wish I knew what I had done to gain her disfavour.

At first, I thought it was because we leaned on the opposite spectrum of our powers. She with her wisdom, and I with my irrational sentimentality. She with her mind, and I with my heart. Logic against fanatsy.

But this was the first time she had been blatantly rude. It was too much. To come uninvited into my home, and to add insult to injury. And they called her the goddess of wisdom?

Athena could not even see far from her nose anymore. One day she would learn that love would always be greater than the loneliness the pursuit of greatness brings. There was no doubt about it in my mind. I could only hope it would not be too late for her.

“If you find me so bothersome, you are more than welcome to leave goddess.” I fired back. And by the looks on the faces of the eternal virgins, they were shocked.

I had no reason to fight against dislike and insults that happened behind my back. If I did not see it, as far as I was concerned it did not happen. But insulting me right to my face, in my home? That was entirely a different matter.

“No, no, Aphrodite. You misunderstand sister. Athena is simply very worried about the newest issue that has come at our father’s feet. She has been taciturn all day. Even with me.” Athena said, her face begging for sympathy and understanding.

Now Artemis? She could have been a cunning negotiator. But unfortunately for Olympus, the moon goddess’s heart lay with the forest, and not court matters. And unfortunately for her, she was saddled with spending most of her time with two of the most arrogant deities within Olympus. Apollo was impossible to break ties with. Athena, almost as much impossible given her favoribilty with Zeus. 

“So your venerated King is unable to deal with this threat on his own? He is that afraid of one crippled god, who can barely walk faster than a snail?” We all turned to see Ari, who was leaning against a wall. As she witnessed the tableau we three goddesses of the same father, made. Ari was always dubious how we could have come from the same father. The three of us were very different, both in appearance and in demeanour. 

“You are a fool to trust the wine god’s treacherous wife, Aphrodite.” Again came Athena’s judgemental voice.

“And yet your father’s indiscretions do not seem to bother you one bit, Athena.” Ari said with equal measure of tartness and indifference.

“He is a god, with a male’s natural right. Furthermore, the Queen does not deserve my father’s fidelity one bit.” Athena said with stubborn determination to protect her father's pride.

“Ena.” That one word from Artemis’s mouth held a world of censure. “I was going to ask Ariadne to leave. But you force me to ask it of you, sister.” The look on Athena’s face made it quite clear that she was flustered, but still too proud to apologise. 

“Artemis, I know I should not have said that. I did not mean that you…”

“Leave Athena.” Was the moon goddess’s cold command. “Is that what you truly wish Artemis?” Athena said, an edge of panic to her voice that would have amused me silly at any other time. 

“Yes.” The moon goddess said coldly, ironically in a mnaner very similar to Queen Hera's. 

“I hope you do not come to regret this sister.” Athena said, her father’s infamous expression of sulking residing on his daughter’s face.

And once I was sure that Athena was gone, I looked back at Artemis. “Ariadne stays.”

“I was not actually going to ask her to leave.” She told me, before turning to Ariadne. “Ariadne you may not be an Olympian, but you are a goddess. A powerful one at that. I do not see it as my duty to tell fellow deities, as to where they should go and be. Especially in someone else's home." She looked at me pointedly as if she knew how I felt about her presence here. I simply raised an eyebrow in response looking in the direction Athena had just left. 

"Well most deities, Athena is of course a different matter.” She smiled at me. Though her smile was never a true one these days. The loss of her hunter, it seemed had truly opened the moon goddess’s eyes. And if her frequent absences were anything to go by, she desperately regretted her capitulation and inaction in saving the mortal she had loved. But it was too late.

Orion was gone. And Hades was too possessive of the souls that crossed into his realms.

As if Artemis knew what, or rather who I was thinking about. “You are right, you know. His loss has taught me much.” She blinked, and I knew she was willing tears away. “Aphrodite, I will not pretend here with you. And neither can I apologise for Apollo’s or Athena’s behaviour today. They have not learned yet. Perhaps they never will. All I will say is, avoid them as much as possible.”

She sighed sadly, a lot look on her face. “I have come to wish, I could.”

“You give unnecessary advise Artemis,” I responded, and it did not take Artemis long to undersatnd what I meant. I had been avoiding them, well at least the gods quite zealosuly. 

“Of course. Well then,” Artemis paused as she looked at me seriously. “I did not come here for the King, Aphrodite. I had not known how I would say this in front of Athena. But now that she has excluded herself, this has become easier for me.”

“You know what Orion meant to me, means to me, goddess.” I simply looked at her neither denying nor acknowleding her words. I could not undersatnd her actions at the time, which made it very hard for me to she her any sympathy. 

“I thought so, and that is why I think I should tell you.”

“Tell me what Artemis?” I asked, dreading to know why she had actually showed up at my house if not for Zeus. 

“I did open my heart to him.” She said quietly, unexpectedly. “When I did that, my hunter, a human was able to reach me in my mind, Aphrodite.”

I had already suspected what it meant that I could share Hepheastus's mind with my own. But I had not wished to fully acknowledge it just yet. 

“Should you not be happy with my unfortunate fate then Artemis? Why warn me about it?” I asked her not believing in her beneficence at all.

“I have my reasons Aphrodite. One of them being, I have always thought you to be sweet. But I must stand beside my loyalties. Regardless, I do not wish you to suffer the same fate as me.”

“He is a god, Artemis.” I replied stonily. Despite his physical ailments, he was still leages ahead of a mortal. 

“But he is no hero.”