Vision (gxg)

quatre

It was almost lunchtime when Medusa and Athena arrived at Aphrodite's residence, and they found the goddess at the annex of her mansion. Aphrodite was swimming laps in her sparkling pool, and Athena was not at all ready for the sight.

"I'm just getting a bit worried, you know?" Medusa admitted anxiously as they walked towards the annex. "What if Gaea doesn't accept, and I'll stay like this forever?"

"You'll be fine," Athena began. "You just have to—oh gods—" then a thud.

Medusa found Athena, cheeks red and wincing in pain, on the tiled floors. "I swear, you trip literally every day!" Medusa exclaimed as she walked to the fallen goddess and helped her up. "Whoever decided to make you goddess of war clearly never met you. Goddess of gravity seems more accurate."

"Don't blame me! I didn't know—I mean—Aphrodite! Warn me next time!" Athena whispered harshly as she gestured towards Aphrodite, and limped and held on to Medusa for support.

Medusa turned and found Aphrodite emerging from the pool. She was stunning, that was certain. Not many people would look good stepping out of the water, with no makeup and with wet hair and all, but Aphrodite was truly something else. With the sunset hitting her dark skin gorgeously, and with a body that fit and so finely sculpted, she would've sent anyone to their knees — though perhaps not as clumsily as Athena. Athena was just terribly whipped like that: she quite literally tended to give in to gravity in the presence of a certain goddess, in the form of tripping over her own feet, and occasionally, on absolutely nothing at all.

"Oh gods," Medusa laughed. She raised her thumb and index finger by Athena's face. "You are this close to dethroning Sappho!"

"Sweet mother, I cannot weave," Athena replied with a chuckle, which faded when Aphrodite reached them.

"Hey, what's wrong?" a genuinely worried Aphrodite asked.

"The great Athena tripped on air once again," Medusa replied, earning her a nudge from the injured goddess.

"Come here," Aphrodite said as she took the mildly injured goddess from Medusa's shoulder. Medusa could only imagine the sapphic chaos in Athena as she was effortlessly carried by a soaking, barely clothed Aphrodite to a pool chair.

Aphrodite kneeled by Athena's legs, and rested her hands on the latter's swollen ankle. She shut her eyes momentarily, whispered a short prayer inaudibly, and Athena's body relaxed.

"Thank you," Athena sighed in relief. "I am yet again indebted to you."

Smiling warmly, Aphrodite stood up, reached for a towel, and dried herself. "I only accept repayment in service."

Needless to say, that rendered Athena speechless, and Medusa laughing.

As if she didn't just drive Athena crazy, Aphrodite easily changed the topic. "Anyway, how's your search going? Figured out how to please Gaea yet?"

Medusa shook her head. "I have nothing to sacrifice."

"She takes immortality, you know."

Medusa remained silent. Did she really want to sacrifice that in exchange of lifting her curse?

"Medusa's a nerd," Athena spoke. "Immortality means endless books, and learning from every generation. I doubt she'd trade that."

"It's up to you, dear," Aphrodite said as she wrapped herself in her thick, black towel. "You have the rest of eternity to decide."

"I don't know. I'll see." Medusa sighed. She sat on an adjacent chair, as Aphrodite shared with Athena. "Anyway, I'll be heading off now. I just came to drop Athena off—"