Aphrodite's Daughter

Chapter 3

Olympic Games, Goskopeion

We all went our separate ways at the start of the race. I didn’t even bother trying to keep track of Iliana or Flash after about twenty minutes. They were old enough to look after themselves without me acting like a mother hen. Besides, it’s not as though running was inherently dangerous beyond taking a spill in the dirt. Just… boring and tiresome. So VERY tiresome. Ugh. I already regretted agreeing to this race. Seeing as how human legs were a new appendage for me, I’d never had any reason to exercise them in such a vigorous manner before.

It was awful. My legs felt like they were constantly on fire and my skin had become clammy and gross from sweating so much. Combined with the summer heat bearing down on me (I just assumed that was the current season), I wanted nothing more than to augment my speed with magic and get the fucking race over with. But I knew I couldn’t use my powers to—wait a second. That’s not entirely true! Yeah. That was the caveat, wasn’t it? Technically, it’s not cheating unless I got caught. With a shit-eating grin, I proceeded to pump magic into my legs.

The results were almost instantaneous. I felt as light as a feather, the burning sensation turning into a cool, pleasant tingling that started in my thighs and spread all the way down to my toes. Not wanting to stop there, I extended the magic to encompass my entire body. Granted, I was still sweaty and gross but at least I didn’t feel miserable anymore. After taking a brief whiff of myself, I crinkled my nose in disgust. Yep. I stunk. Scented oil only did so much, apparently.

Despite feeling self-conscious of my body odor, I pressed on. It’s not like we had to stay within spitting distance of the other competitors. So, in that regard, I don’t think anyone would have been able to pick up my scent anyway. Still… it left me wanting to take a nice, relaxing soak in the bath. Cold water, if possible. I sighed to myself. It was times like these that made me wish I was still living in the ocean. Oh, how I miss my beautiful scales…

Not long after I’d begun setting a nice pace for myself, I heard someone groaning in pain. I had to strain my ears to hear it again, but there was no doubt in my mind that the sounds of agony had a distinct, feminine tilt to them. The only person it could possibly be out here was Iliana. I ran towards the cries, and sure enough, I found the Spartan Princess laying on the ground, clutching her ankle. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that she’d sprained it somehow.

I crouched on my haunches and placed my hand on her shoulder. “What happened, Iliana?”

“I was running along just fine and—agh—tripped over a rock. Must have landed on my ankle awkwardly and sprained it. Gods damn it! Now, I won’t win the race!”

“For the time being, let’s not worry about the stupid race. Your health is far more important. Are you able to stand up by yourself?”

Iliana grit her teeth and hissed in pain. “No. I already tried that. Didn’t work.”

With a bit of effort, I managed to carry her along piggyback style. She held onto my neck firmly, but I could tell that she would have rather crawled the rest of the way to the finish line. What is it with these humans and their pride—well—actually, I know exactly what it’s like to have a big ego. Were our positions reversed, I would have been embarrassed too. For quite some time, Iliana didn’t utter a single word, until I heard her cry out in pain. I was no doctor but even I knew that if she didn’t get her injury looked at soon, she might end up with permanent damage.

“Iliana, I know this is humiliating for you but we need to stop and rest.”

“No! We can’t! I’m already dishonoring the spirit of competition by relying on you to carry me, Adagio. But you can still win if you just leave me behind. I’ll manage somehow. Lay me down upon the ground and I’ll—”

“Absolutely not,” I admonished, “There’s no telling if or when another person will come along. It could be hours, days even. We need to treat your injury now or it will get worse. Do you want to become permanently crippled for the rest of your life just for the sake of fucking honor?! Seriously. How stupid can you be? I want to help you, Iliana. Just shut up and let me.”

Iliana began to cry. “I-I… if that is what you wish, Adagio. I am in no position to stop you.”

“Good girl. Now, we need to find a source of water. Did you happen to see any?”

Iliana sniffed. “Yes. I believe I saw a small creek a few paces in that direction.”

“It’s settled then. I’ll take you there.”

My first priority was getting us both properly hydrated. I can’t even begin to imagine how much moisture we lost from sweating underneath the burning summer sun and exerting ourselves. Come to think of it, I thought it was a bit asinine for us not to have been provided with a waterskin while we ran. Perhaps finding water along the way was part of the challenge? I don’t know. Seemed like a gross oversight on the Olympic Council’s part. It made me wonder how many of these honor-bound idiots wound up dying from dehydration every festival.

Healing magic wasn’t a specialty of mine, but I could perform basic spells in a pinch. Like back when Flash and I were staying in the village. Instead of mending bone or ligaments directly, I decided to augment the body’s natural healing process and let nature take its course. However, as with any form of magic, spells come with a price. Iliana would need some extra energy for it to function effectively without aggravating her injury further or cause her to become exhausted.

I ran my fingers through Iliana’s hair to try and calm her down. “Just sit tight for a little while and stay calm. I’m going to go find something for you to eat.”

The confused expression on her face was adorable. “Why? I’m not hungry.”

“Let’s just say there’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Iliana.”

The Spartan’s mood became increasingly more irritable as the seconds passed by. Pain, coupled with frustration, is not a combination most people are able to deal with for very long. She finally snapped after about thirty seconds and pulled me down so that I was close to her face. “What is it you’re not telling me about, Adagio?! I want the truth! You’re not a demon, are you?”

I shook my head. “No. More like a demi-goddess. I’m the daughter of Aphrodite. Look, Flash & I didn’t think it would be fair to the rest of the competitors if we used our enhanced strength, or magic in my case, to give ourselves an advantage during the events.”

“So, it’s true then. Flash Magnus really is the son of Zeus…”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Sure is~ Say, Iliana. Does this mean you’re more willing to consider Flash as a potential husband? I haven’t known him for very long, but he seems like a decent enough man. I mean, yeah, things were pretty awkward between the two of you back at the amphitheater but… it’s nothing a few more conversations can’t fix.”

Iliana blushed furiously. “Why must everyone see fit to intervene in my affairs?!!”

“I didn’t hear you say no~”

Iliana crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “Fine. If you must know, I found him quite handsome and charming. BUT! That doesn’t mean he is worthy of my vows… or my virginity.”

I giggled. “Oh ho! The truth finally comes out. I presume you felt this way before finding out he was a demi-god? Ooooh that’s so precious! I think you two would make a great couple.”

If Iliana turned any redder, she might’ve passed out. Instead, she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves and sighed. “Suffice to say, I am not concerned about marriage right now. You mentioned magic earlier. What did you mean that I needed to eat something?”

“Ah, right. As with any school of magic, spells require energy to function correctly. Ergo, you would need to consume some food in order to fuel the healing spell I intend to use on your ankle. Not to worry; it is a simple one designed to enhance your body’s natural ability to heal itself.”

“Huh. That makes a lot of sense, actually. I didn’t realize magic operated in such a manner.”

Instead of replying verbally, I simply nodded. Without further ado, I concentrated on calling upon my magic to perform a different spell. This one, unfortunately, was a bit more complex and required my undivided attention to cast. The quickest way to find food, was to find a living creature. To do that, I would utilize a mystical echolocation spell. It was one that sirens used often when traversing the deepest parts of the ocean to hunt prey.

As I suspected, the task was much more difficult while using a human body. The amount of energy I required to cast the spell was significant, so it took about a minute of concentrating to achieve the desired level of power. An echoing blast of ruby-hued magic radiated from the center of my body and shot out in all directions. Within seconds, I received detailed information regarding the whereabouts of many living creatures. I chose a mountain goat grazing nearby because it would offer enough meat for the both of us to regain our strength.

About five minutes later, I lugged a goat carcass back to where Iliana was resting. I must have looked an absolute mess because the poor princess turned as pale as the snow. After giving my body a quick look over, I realized that I was covered in bits of gore and blood. Oops. I’d been so absorbed in the hunt that I forgot how much of a mess bashing a creature’s skull in with a rock makes. Plus, I typically hunted my prey underwater where such things didn’t matter.

Iliana winced when I began ripping off the goat’s hide. “Sorry if this is a wee bit messy. I need to properly butcher the goat and make sure you get all the nutritious parts. And just in case you’re wondering, yes, I can make magical fire. So, you won’t have to eat any of the meat raw.”

Within no time, the carcass was cleaned and the meat cut into manageable portions. I made sure she got the liver and heart, as they were packed with nutrients, while I took a chunk of leg myself. It tasted ok, I suppose, but it would have been so much better with seasonings. Whatever part of the animal wasn’t immediately consumed, I left in a pile for some lucky predator to happen upon. They deserved a break sometimes too.

Now came the hard part. The spell itself wasn’t difficult to cast, it’s just that it required incrementally larger amounts of energy from the user, depending on the severity of the wound. I had no idea if Iliana’s ankle was broken or sprained, so I had to assume the worst-case scenario. My hands glowed an iridescent shade of green while magic poured over her ankle like molasses. Iliana gasped but said nothing to me while I worked. I guess that meant things were going well.

After five minutes of continuous treatment, I felt like I’d run the rest of the marathon and went out drinking the night afterwards. Not the pleasant drunk part but the massive hangover that followed. I was even sweatier (if that’s possible) than before and wanted to do nothing more than lay down in the dirt for a quick nap. I shook my head a bit and tried to resist the temptation as best I could. The princess owed me big time after this. And you bet your ass that I’d collect!

Iliana laughed as she jumped up and down. “It’s all better! Adagio, you’re a miracle-worker!”

“Great! Now we can actually finish this shitty race.”

Imagine my surprise when instead of being met with grumbling disagreement, Iliana took it upon herself to wrap her arms around me in warm embrace. I’ll say this much, the experience was wholly unique from any form of physical affection I’d received as a siren. Even though we were both sweaty and covered in grime, the sensation of Iliana’s bare skin pressed against my own felt… nice. Unsure of what else I should be doing in such a situation, I settled for gently stroking her back with my fingers while we embraced each other. I rather enjoyed it to be honest.

Iliana cleared her throat and blushed. “Yes, we should be on our way!”

A few hours later, we reached the finish line. Flash had apparently gotten second place but given how many delays Iliana and I ran into; we just barely came in after the twelfth competitor. It didn’t bother me that much. I’d gained something far more valuable than accolades during the race: Iliana’s friendship. Now, that I’d gotten a chance to become better acquainted with the Spartan princess, I found that she was significantly more amicable towards me than before. Underneath her hardened-warrior façade, was a young woman still searching for her lot in life.

I just couldn’t see Iliana becoming the ‘obedient housewife’ most men expected her to be once she got married. She was independent-minded, stubborn, built like a warrior, and succinct to the point of being blunt most of the time. A true daughter of Sparta if ever there was one. Personally, I found her manner of speech quite refreshing when most ~~creatures~~ people I met in my life would lace their opinions with meaningless pleasantries instead of getting straight to the point.

However, I should also point out that she was still very much a naïve, idealistic maiden. Both in terms of her virginity (she told me for whatever reason) and desire to find romantic love. As princess, I reminded her that such a thing might not be possible because of her position in society. She was the daughter of a powerful king; whose army was the uncontested elite amongst their peers. A political alliance of that magnitude would surely be coveted by potential suitors.

My ruminations about Iliana’s future prospects aside, she did very well in the discus throwing contest. Not wanting to draw too much attention to myself, I settled for tossing my own discus just a smidge further than Iliana’s. It wasn’t my intention to outshine her, rather, I’d accidentally used too much strength during the throw. If anything, she didn’t seem upset by it. Instead, Iliana came running up to me and patted my back like we were old comrades. All I could do was offer my congratulations on her throw and accept the praise… undeserved though it may have been.

I won’t bore you with the details of Flash’s throw. It went a lot further than mine and just about all of the other competitors. What in the name of the Mother Kraken was he thinking? I told him to keep our powers on the downlow and he does something stupid like that. Maybe I wasn’t being fair. There was a chance, however small, that Flash didn’t have full control of his godlike strength. As in my case, he might have just used too much by accident. With the discus throwing event all but decided, I took the liberty of sneaking back to the refreshment area for a drink.

While I was enjoying my second cup of grape juice and a much-needed shoulder rub, the hairy baboon who’d tried to get me to suck his cock came sauntering down the hall. He looked about as smug and sleazy as ever with a big, shit-eating grin plastered upon his lips. In a fit of poorly contained rage, I crushed the clay cup I was drinking from. Grape Juice spilled over me and some of it even formed a little purple puddle on the floor. I wanted to scream.

Neofytos put his hands on his hips. “Well, lookie here! It appears that you had a little accident. Not to worry, sweet thing. I am more than willing to help you clean it up… with my tongue.”

I growled at him and stomped my foot. Much to my chagrin, it hurt like fucking Tartarus because the godsdamn floor was made of solid marble. Not a smart idea when you forget that your human feet are no longer hooves. I had to bite back a yelp of pain in order to maintain my scowl. “You might as well stop fantasizing about it because the answer’s still no.”

“Still playing hard to get, I see. No matter. You’ll come around. They always do…”

I huffed in exasperation. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Neofytos chuckled while stroking his beard. “You have no idea who I am, do you? Well, allow me to make it clear. I am a high-ranking commander in the Seuthian Army. Consider yourself lucky for attracting my attention!”

“Look, I don’t care if you’re the fucking king! No means no! End of discussion.”

Commander Neofytos waggled his finger. “My sweet, that’s the wrong attitude to have. Especially coming from a woman who prefers to flaunt her naked body in front of others like a common whore. Were we anywhere but on these sacred grounds, honoring Zeus, I would make you crawl on your knees and submit. Believe me; you’d love every SECOND of it.”

I poked his chest. “You’d better hope we don’t meet in the ring.”

As Neofytos walked away, he laughed at me. “We’ll see, sweet thing. We’ll see.”

All of the tension that had been massaged away came rushing back in an instant. That hairy bastard knew EXACTLY how to get on my nerves and I fell for his taunts. Even when I was busy cleaning the grape juice off of my skin, my mind fantasized about all of the nasty ways I could kill him. Strangulation, bludgeoning, stabbing… the list went on. As far as I was concerned, no matter how competent of a military commander Neofytos was, the world would be a much better place without another misogynistic pig running around in it.

When I turned around, Flash looked back at me with a fearful expression. “Adagio, is everything ok? You look like you’re ready to go out and murder someone.”

My cheeks turned red as I stared down at my feet. More out of embarrassment than anger. I was ashamed of myself for letting my emotions get the better of me. I didn’t want Flash to think I was some kind of wrathful demi-goddess. “Yes and no. I’ll be ok. That dickhead, Neofytos, got under my skin. That’s all. Just… give me a moment to calm down.”

Flash didn’t seem convinced but rubbed my back as a gesture of comfort. “Are you sure? If he’s causing you trouble, I could always—”

Wouldn’t you know it, that dickhead, Neofytos, had already moved onto one of the servant girls. She looked extremely uncomfortable while he had fun groping her ass and kissing her neck. Yet, no one made a move to admonish or stop him. It made me feel sick to my stomach. The mother fucker was actually starting to get an erection too! Blegh. How disgusting! My vision suddenly turned red and I lost all semblance of control over my temper.

“I SAID I’M FINE!” I barked after pushing Flash away.

Adagio, you are an idiot and a terrible friend. Yep. Totally the worst. Flash Magnus was just trying to help comfort you and you went and snapped at him all because that slimy bastard, Neofytos, pushed you over the edge. Suffice to say, I immediately regretted my outburst when I saw how hurt Flash was. Oh gods! Were those tears forming in his eyes? NO!! AGGGH! Don’t go shuffling away like a kicked puppy! I need to make things right between us!

Shit. I really screwed up big time, didn’t I? To make matters worse, Iliana had apparently seen the entire situation unfold (sans the harassment). Instead of cursing me out or knocking some sense into me, she just shook her head and shot me the most intense, disappointed look I’d ever seen in my entire life. It was soul-crushing and so much worse than being yelled at or beaten up.

I let out a heavy sigh and slumped my shoulders. “So much for making friends…”

Oceans below, did I crave alcohol. Part of me wanted to grab the strongest wine possible, crawl off to some dark corner, and drink until I couldn’t tell up from down. Yes, I know it’s not a very healthy coping mechanism but cut me a little slack! Besides my sisters, I hadn’t given a flying fuck about maintaining relationships in centuries. Why did I suddenly care now? Was I starting to grow soft? Emotionally speaking, the physical part was quite evident, thank you.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of sorting out my problems. By drinking or otherwise. The Olympic Games were still going on and the next event was set to begin soon. When all of the remaining athletes gathered in the courtyard, the announcer stated that we were going to be partaking in wrestling matches. An icy knot formed in the pit of my stomach. The odds being what they were, I would no doubt be pitted against a male competitor.

My enthusiasm dropped to an all-time low when the pairings were announced. I was to face off against Neofytos. Was this some kind of cosmic joke? Why did the universe hate me so much? When I looked over at the commander, he was grinning at me like a shark who smelled blood in the water. I fought hard to keep my expression neutral, but I screamed inside my own mind. As tradition dictated, the athletes were supposed to shake hands before the event started. Begrudgingly, I walked across the field and did so.

“Don’t you see? This is fate. Zeus himself has decreed it so!”

I made sure to squeeze his hand extra hard. “Ha! Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Neofytos laughed and squeezed my hand harder in return. “Care to make a wager, temple whore? If I win the wrestling match, you shall spread your legs for me without hesitation. If you win, I shall agree to leave you and your comrades alone and never lay a hand on you ever again. Are these terms agreeable or do you desire to negotiate further?”

I had no intention of agreeing to such a ridiculous wager. Instead, I spat in his face. “Fuck off! I’m not some timid servant girl you can bully. Mark my words, Neofytos. Do NOT underestimate me. If you do, it’ll be the last mistake you ever make. That’s a promise.”

“I’m going to enjoy breaking you, bitch.” Neofytos growled after wiping his face clean.

A judge from the Olympic Council stepped onto the field and blew an ornate horn (goat by the looks of it) signaling that the match was to begin soon. After our entire bodies were lathered up in olive oil (a task that I wasn’t particularly fond of but they insisted I do so), we stepped out of our respective corners and squared off.

Before the match could officially proceed, however, the judge stood between us and explained the rules. No gouging of the eyeballs, punching, biting, or purposeful harm to the genital region. All reasonable, given that this was an athletic contest and not a fight to the death. The final rule was more of a disadvantage to Neofytos than me but I agreed to it nonetheless. I could inflict plenty of pain and humiliation unto him without even touching his manhood.

Admittedly, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s not as though I’d studied up on wrestling before entering the Olympics. Well, that wasn’t one hundred percent true, I’d gotten the general gist of it from the scholar’s mind but it’s not as though he was an expert on the subject. In the end, I decided that taking a defensive stance and waiting for Neofytos to make a move was my best bet. There’s no way he was going to be able to overpower my super-human strength.

And attack he did. With a savage grin, the commander came in low and nearly headbutted me in the stomach. I yelped in surprise when he took hold of my thigh and shoulder and slammed me into the dusty ground. Although winded from the blow, I rolled to the side and got back up onto my feet. I managed to sprint fast enough to get behind him and lock his neck into a chokehold.

What I didn’t expect was that he had the strength to flip me over onto my back. In doing so, it broke my hold and he locked his legs around my waist to keep me from escaping. Then he grabbed my wrists and pinned them down so that I couldn’t move my arms. Or so he believed. I bided my time and waited to see what he would do next. Using too much strength to overpower him now would raise too many questions.

Neofytos panted. “I knew it! You are all bluster and no bite, temple whore. This is precisely why women shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the first place. Nothing but a distraction.”

Even though I was annoyed by his attitude, I chose not to respond to his taunt. I didn’t need to say anything at all, rather, I would let my actions speak for me. In the blink of an eye, I pushed forward, easily overpowering his hold. His back hit the ground with a meaty thud while he laid dazed and gasping for breath. I’m not sure if I broke any bones, but it’s highly likely that I at least bruised a few of his ribs. I got up, casually dusted myself off, and grinned at him.

“Impossible,” Neofytos wheezed, “There’s no way a woman could be that strong!”

“Maybe you should try being a bit more open-minded, Commander.” I taunted.

In a blind rage, Neofytos charged at me. I was able to step aside easily, and laughed while I watched him stumble onto the dusty ground. Tempting as it was to kick the pompous turd while he was down, I resisted the urge and kept the contest going. Neofytos was clearly being humiliated in front of his male peers and the crowd at large. That should have been enough for me. But was it really? A brilliant idea suddenly popped into my mind while he struggled to get back onto his feet. Was it dirty? Oh, yes. But it was still technically within the rules.

I walked up behind him and looped my arms underneath his armpits. Then I locked my hands behind his head to keep him in place while I began ratcheting up the pressure. Once again, I was careful to limit how much strength I was using, so that I would cause an excruciating amount of pain instead of outright killing him. Even though I was of the opinion that a disgusting pig like him deserved to die a thousand times over.

A sinister laugh escaped my lips. “How does it feel to be helpless?”

Neofytos was in so much pain at that point that he didn’t respond with much more than a grunt. I took it as a de-facto admission of defeat but… I wasn’t about to let his punishment stop there. Oh, no. I wanted to give him a little extra something to remember me by. I released my grip on his shoulders so that he would fall face first into the dirt. But I wasn’t done there. To make sure that I wouldn’t get disqualified, I made it seem like I lost my footing and drove my knee into his lower back, effectively (if temporarily) paralyzing him from the waist down.

The look of sheer terror on his face was priceless. Of course, I had to pretend that I was concerned about injuring him in front of the judge but in reality, I was happy to have taught that slimy bastard a valuable lesson about underestimating women. I was declared the victor of the match by default, since Neofytos was unable to continue. The cheers that came from the audience didn’t interest me in the least. After all, I didn’t cripple Neofytos for their amusement.

I looked around to see if I could spot Flash and Iliana but they were still nowhere to be seen. I suppose they were so upset with me that they decided not to watch my match. No matter. I could honestly say that I wasn’t prepared to speak with either of them just yet. Guilt was such a strange emotion to deal with. I’d never felt it affect me with such intensity before. It made me want to cry, rip my hair out, and grovel all at the same time. With no method to resolve my emotional turmoil (at least in the immediate future), I settled on taking a break and resting for a bit.

The servant girl that Neofytos had been harassing earlier came over to me and offered some refreshments. I partook of them and noticed a slight smile on her lips as she did so. Mind you, I was not an expert on human expressions but… this was more than just a polite smile. It was gratitude. How could I tell, you ask? Well, I’d chalk it up to instinct rather than knowledge. My gut told me to just roll with it, so I did. While I reclined on a pillow, I beckoned her closer.

“What’s your name?”

The girl bowed slightly. “Lisandra, honored Olympian.”

“Hmm. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Tell me, Lisandra. Do you believe what I did was wrong? Did Commander Neofytos get what he deserved? No need to be shy. Feel free to speak plainly. Upon my honor, I promise that I won’t harm you.”

She hesitated for a moment and rubbed her hands together. “Wrong? I don’t understand…”

“It’s quite simple, Lisandra. I injured his spine on purpose to teach him a lesson.”

I expected her to be shocked, but was surprised when she smiled instead. “Indeed, Mistress. I’ve seen enough wrestling matches to know that such a move is unorthodox and nigh unheard of. Even if it weren’t for that, the expression on your face was telling enough.”

“My… expression? Do tell.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder as if to comfort me. “Just before you ‘fell’ on him, your face reminded me of a gorgon. Cunning and full of mischievous glee. Please forgive my forwardness, Mistress. But you asked me to speak plainly.”

I sighed and took a sip of juice. “So, I did. Does that make me a bad person?”

“Given the circumstances, I should say not. You were an instrument of Aphrodite’s justice.”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “That’s certainly an interesting way of putting it.”

Lisandra picked up my hand and kissed it. “Regardless of how you may view the act itself, I am grateful for what you did. People like Commander Neofytos need to be reminded that they cannot act with impunity, lest they invite the wrath of the gods.”

“You’re welcome for what it’s worth. But I’d be lying if I said I did it just for your sake.”

Lisandra nodded slowly. “Nor would I expect that to be the case. He mistreated you as well.”

As Lisandra walked away to tend to the other athletes, I was left alone to stew with my own thoughts. Deep down, some part of me wanted to believe that what I’d done was justice but I also couldn’t help thinking that it was vengeance in equal measure. Perhaps, even a subconscious desire to dominate those around me and show them who the true Alpha Siren was.

I slammed my fist against the cushion in a fit of frustration. All this self-reflection was well and good but did little to solve my ‘friendship problem’. In the end, I decided that the best course of action was to wander around for a while and see if I could find out where Flash and Iliana were. Now that we’d all had some time to cool off, I figured that trying to apologize for the way I’d behaved earlier was more feasible than before. At least, that’s what I hoped.

Palace of Zeus, Mount Olympus

The Goddess Aphrodite wore nothing more than a pleased smile as she ascended the steps of her father’s house. She’d long since shed her mortal coil; that of a servant girl tending athletes. The daughter of Zeus was lithe of figure, olive-skinned, and her ebon-hued curly hair flowed just past her pert breasts. To many mortals she was worshiped as the scion of feminine ideals and grace.

Thus, she chose to remain nude so that all could revel in her beauty. Although it had infringed upon her sense of womanly pride, she’d allowed a mortal man to fondle and grope wherever he pleased. It had been an infuriating insult to her honor, but the goddess endured it for the sake of a greater purpose. A mission, if you will. It was the very reason she sought an audience with her father.

Aphrodite’s uncle, Poseidon, sat next to Zeus while they drank wine and dined on the finest meats. Despite the jovial atmosphere, the god of the sea seemed pensive and on edge. He wore a silken blue toga with gold accents, and sandals to match. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he preferred to keep his head clean-shaven. However, his long, dark beard was braided with colorful beads crafted from mother of pearl. He looked every bit the god of the seas.

Aphrodite had always been thankful for her uncle’s expressiveness because his stormy grey skin rarely ever had any color to it. Normally, this would have been a telltale sign of embarrassment or anger. Beyond the fact that he was notorious amongst the Olympians for having an extremely short temper. Ergo, she made a point to stay on his good side. Most of the time, anyway.

Zeus, the undisputed Lord of Olympus, looked over at his daughter and invited her to sit down at the table. He was every bit as tall, muscular, and mighty as humankind depicted. His skin was of a similar tone to his daughter’s, although his hair was not. Instead, it was of an ivory hue and grew just beyond his shoulders. His majestic beard cascaded down to his chest like an ivory waterfall. The god of lightning wore an elaborate purple and gold toga that stopped just below the knees. Like his brother, he too wore a pair of simple sandals.

“Welcome, daughter,” Zeus boomed, “You look as radiant as ever in your natural splendor. Come! Join us and feast to your heart’s content. There’s plenty of victuals to go around.”

“Hello, father. How fares your day with Uncle Poseidon?”

The sea god scoffed. “Terrible. I want answers, brother! You know as well as I do that we cannot allow interlopers from other realms to roam freely across our domain. Especially, when their abilities remain a mystery to us. Dare I say, she might be a threat to us! We must act!”

“Please stay your temper, brother. I agree with you wholeheartedly but we must exercise cunning and guile regarding this matter. That is why I sent Aphrodite to observe the interloper. Go on, daughter. Explain to your uncle what you have found out about her thus far.”

Aphrodite took a sip of wine and crossed her legs. “Her name is Adagio Dazzle. She travels with the one known as Flash Magnus. Like Magnus, I sensed that she has the strength and abilities befitting a demi-god. In fact, she goes so far as to claim that I gave birth to her. Plausible, considering how beautiful she is and that she came from the sea. Most amusing of all, she too enjoys frolicking about in the nude. Imagine that~”

Poseidon cocked his brow. “How odd indeed. However, we both know that you never bore a daughter. You are far too stubborn and prideful to allow a mortal man to place his seed into your belly. I mean no offence, niece. I am merely saying that you resemble your mother.”

“No offence taken, uncle. You are correct. However, despite the tale she has woven to explain her supernatural abilities to the mortals, I am inclined to grant her my blessing. Regardless if she is actually my legitimate spawn or not, she has demonstrated a willingness to honor my virtues and name. What kind of goddess would I be if I did not reward the faithful?”

Zeus stroked his beard. “I’m under the impression that she must not be aware of our presence.”

“I don’t believe so, father. At the very least, she uses the mortals’ belief in us to further her own agenda. Please hear me out. She could prove to be a useful ally to us against the titans should they ever rise against us. I suggest we leave Adagio Dazzle to her own devices for now.”

Poseidon slammed his goblet onto the table. “Subtly be damned! I want a real test to prove what kind of powers she possesses. Brother, allow me to send one of my minions to your games. Think of this as killing two birds with a single stone. You’ve always wanted to know how capable Flash Magus was too. He has never shown his true strength before.”

Zeus let out a heavy sigh. “Very well. I shall compromise on this matter. Send only one of your minions to test Adagio Dazzle and Flash Magnus. Nothing more, nothing less. But do not harm the mortals reveling in my name. They have done nothing to invoke your wrath. Am I understood, Poseidon?”

“Yes, brother. You have my word.”

“Good. As for you, Aphrodite, I am inclined to agree with your argument. Understand though, that should Adagio Dazzle step out of line, I will hold you accountable for her actions. For the time being we shall not intervene any further in her affairs and allow them to continue.”

Aphrodite hugged her father. “Thank you, father! You won’t regret this!”

“Indeed. See to it that I don’t.”