How To Be A Queen (Myths Finding Love #1)

Chapter 5 - Aphrodite

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CHAPTER 5- APHRODITE

The Throne Room
Hades' Palace
The Underworld

-Hades-

"My Lord, my name is James Arthur. I-I am new here and I wanted to petition you for another chance above. My wife and kids... I am their provider. Without me, they'll have no one... I was taken away at such a young age."

I sat in my throne, bored. Every single day, it was the same. Over millennia, the petitions all sounded alike. I think I'd heard it all – every reason, every lie of why shades deserved a second life or why they deserved another kind of afterlife.

The thing is, I can't do anything about it. The power to bring back someone from the dead has been taken away by the Olympian council a long time ago. They said it messed with fate. It was not natural.

Tired of hearing the shade's pleas, I raised my hand and ordered the shade to stop speaking. The latter immediately fell silent.

"You know the rules. There are no exceptions. I am sorry. Pray to the gods that they might keep your family safe. What I can do for you however is give you the afterlife you deserve. And according to the scales of justice, you have been a good man during your previous life. You deserve Elysium."

I waved my hand again and the shade before me disappeared into his afterlife.

"My Lord, you have a guest," Leandro, my most trusted servant, appeared before me.

"Who?" I asked in a tone that made Leandro flinch. I was not known for being hospitable to guests. In fact, a lot of the Olympians avoided me and my domain.

"Aphrodite, my Lord."

I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. When I opened them again, I saw Leandro fighting back a smile. He knew that the goddess always visited me ever since she heard that I was awakened eighteen years ago. It was no secret that she desired me and wanted me in her bed but I always said no.

"Send her away," I commanded.

Before Leandro could reply, the goddess suddenly appeared before us. "Now, that's no way to treat a lady," she purred seductively.

"Aphrodite..." I tilted my head to the side in acknowledgement. At the same time, I fought back the desire to chain her in Tartarus or send her back to Olympus. She placed her hands on my arms and edged her body closer. I looked at her directly and her face shimmered.

Aphrodite appeared differently to people. That was her glamour. As the old adage goes, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...'

That was how Aphrodite's legendary beauty worked. It was said she would appear to be the description of beauty to whoever looked upon her. If you asked five people in a room to describe how they saw her, they would all describe her differently.

Years before, I believed that Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. Even if she was already a shade when I saw her, her beauty was still unparalleled. For years, I saw her face whenever I looked at Aphrodite.

All that changed the moment I laid eyes on Aerith, my future queen. Now it was her face that I saw when I looked at Aphrodite. I saw pale skin and hair and large, violet eyes framed by lashes that seemed to go on forever. She had full lips which were the color of roses.