For the goddess of love, the past couple months had been entirely different to the last few decades. In the past she had made the bare minimum guest appearances, supporting her carefully constructed façade, whilst away from the prying eyes of Olympus she withered away.
Her discussion with Hestia had reinvigorated the life within the goddess and each day from then on was lived to its fullest. No longer secluding herself to the confines of her palace or an empty forest as she got lost in her few cherished memories of her child, Aphrodite had decided to occupy herself with spreading her domain within the mortal world.
For the past couple months, the goddess had travelled through the mortal world as unobtrusively as possible. She blessed many couples in love and aided those trapped in loveless relationships, not only that but she aided those in times of desperation using a small portion of the fortune she amassed from offerings.
Helping mortals brought Aphrodite great joy and a much needed respite from the crushing loneliness that had consumed her life for so long. Unfortunately, such distraction couldn't last forever, each night Aphrodite would retire to her palace, the building becoming the marvel of many of the mountains residents due to its recent unveiling. As the goddess laid down to rest her mind would wander to her discussion with Hestia and she would be face with a massive jumble of emotions.
Whilst her excitement and joy could barely be quenched, doubt and fear lingered in her mind. Even though Hestia's word was beyond reproach and she had even sworn to much of what she said on the Styx, Aphrodite couldn't help but question whether what she was told could possibly be true. On top of that fears grew within her as to whether her child would accept or even want her around, such thoughts soon tumbling onto frightening thoughts of her son hating her for not having been there for him or protecting him.
As a result of her current state, Aphrodite gained little rest, which whilst unnecessary for immortal beings such as herself, often would aid in calming the mind and controlling such rampant emotions. Because of her insomnia, Aphrodite found herself spending long nights imagining what Perseus' life could have been like, unfortunately these ideas often leant closer to nightmares than dreams.
Alongside all of this, the goddess' hatred of Poseidon came back to the forefront, no longer clouded out by her past despair. Aphrodite was often overlooked, not only due to her carefully created image, but because of the Olympian arrogance that nothing could be greater than themselves. So, whilst many would believe that she would be impulsive in her vengeance, in reality the goddess of love was much more cunning. She knew that war would resolve nothing and causing him grief would only create trouble for everyone and likely harm the mortals to which most Olympians gave little regard. Instead, she had decided to wait for the most ideal moment to arise, and together, once reunited with her son, along with other immortals who held similar feelings of resentment, they could exact justice. Never-the-less, this didn't stop the goddess from planning out and imagining methods of destroying the god who had tricked her and attempted to kill her beloved child.
Due to Aphrodite's new lifestyle, she was far more observant of the people around her on the mountain and had seen that Hestia was not often found at Olympus beyond the occasional council meeting, and the same could be said for Demeter. Whilst this is not all too unusual for other gods, both of those goddesses were at most times found on Olympus until this recent development.
Aphrodite wanted to know what was going on, having the feeling that this had some relation to her child, but before she could do anything, she reminded herself of Hestia's promise and that the goddess in question would never break her word, especially not in a case such as this.
Tension built each day as her anticipation grew, as such she decided that she would spend the day training her combat which she felt must have grown rusty due to not being used since the Titan War. Fortunately, she found the exact person she was looking for, the god of war himself, Ares. The egotistical god had claimed time and time again to have bedded the love goddess and Aphrodite hadn't seen to correct him as it supported her manufactured image.
Nonetheless, Aphrodite wished to make it clear to the god what fate would await him should he continue his act, and due to his own ego, the war god would never mention her defeating him to anyone, as such keeping her abilities hidden from the self-absorbed Olympians.
Stepping into the sand covered arena, Aphrodite approached the God who was currently battling two of the minor gods who served him, inflicting unnecessarily harsh wounds on the pair.
"Perhaps we could have some privacy Ares?" Aphrodite spoke up, immediately drawing the other gods' attention.
Ares' dismissal of his servants was immediate as he turned to Aphrodite, removing his helmet, and pulling a cocky grin. "Ahh, the image of beauty itself, so wonderful of you to come and assist me in relaxing after my training." The god spoke with a gruff voice.
A grimace marred the goddess' perfect features before she settled into a sneer, "Do not kid yourself Ares, I have no need or desire for the likes of you. I am here to train and you shall assist me."
Ares chuckled before realising the goddess was being serious. Upon this realisation he grinned broadly, "And my reward for this assistance? You should know that you don't need to be so difficult in you efforts to drag me to your bed."
"We have never, nor will ever, share a bed Ares. You disgust me and nothing will change that." Aphrodite said calmly, schooling her features.
Ares began to anger as his eyes flashed a menacing red, "I will teach you your place goddess..." The god of war spoke the title with as much sarcasm as he was capable, "Your nothing but a breeding bitch for your betters. I should have been truer to my word about you and I and perhaps you wouldn't make such a mistake as this."
Aphrodite didn't anger as the god had intended, instead stepping closer and speaking in a cold, hard voice, "I am the daughter of Ouranos, and you are nothing to me war god. We will battle and when I am victorious you will not speak a word about me again in your life, understood?"
"A wager I see, ha you truly are a fool to think you could defeat me. When I defeat you, I will claim you as my own and you will obey my every command."
Aphrodite simply nodded as she backed away. As Ares stared after her he realised something for the first time in this encounter, something had changed about Aphrodite. Her clothing and general appearance was different, she held a regal, untouchable, beauty that she hadn't seemed to only a few months ago when he last had contact with her. She held herself with a more confident poise and seemed to move with a dangerous intent.
Scoffing at the thought that the goddess before him stood a chance, Ares took a moment to lose himself in thoughts of how he would take the spoils of his victory, before he resituated his helmet and hefted his great sword onto his armoured shoulder with a single hand. Aphrodite on the other hand walked a few paces away before turning around, as she twisted around her robes swirled and as she was once again facing Ares, they had formed into her armour, last worn at the end of the Titan War.
Over the soft lavender coloured silk of her chiton, a beautiful golden armour had formed. The armour had amazingly intricate patterns as it wove around her, clinging to her body with the gaps in the weaving design small enough to not allow attacks make it through. In one hand she clasped a simple solid gold spear and in the other was a solid gold dagger with floral carvings in the handle and a large round cut ruby embedded into the hilt.
Ares was fearful for a moment as he saw the impressive appearance of the goddess before soon being distracted by her beauty and dropping his guard. Seeing her opponents distraction without having even let out her aura, Aphrodite scoffed before capitalising on the opportunity.
Bearing down on the god in no time, Ares barely had the time to evade the thrust of Aphrodite's spear before taking a slash to the ribcage from the dagger that made its way through Ares armour like it was nothing.
Ares was stunned by the pain, along with the though that the goddesses weapon could carve through the celestial bronze of his chest plate. With little time to contemplate, Ares was again dodging out of the way of a broad swing from Aphrodite's spear, sending him stumbling backwards as he attempted to regain his composure.
Rather than pushing forward and taking the victory quickly, Aphrodite stood back and allowed the god to get his bearings. Whilst his helmet blocked most of his face, Aphrodite could clearly make out his eyes which shone far brighter as Ares recovered. Seeing the sign for what it was, Ares using his godly abilities to enhance his strength and speed, Aphrodite chose not to respond in kind.
Allowing Ares' hasty approach, the pair met in a lengthy clash of blades. Ares seemed to have the upper hand for a few minutes until Aphrodite began attacking the gaps in her opponents assault. Having spent the next few minutes accumulating more and more gashes on her opponent, Aphrodite felt herself recovering her comfort in battle that she had once had after having trained herself to fight in order to defend herself from titans and gods alike.
Giving up the charade of a close fight, Aphrodite pushed forward, not even attempting to overpower the gods own swings, not that she wasn't able, but simply sidestepping the last swing Ares attempted and then kicking him back.
Off balance now, Ares had nothing to defend against the series of vicious blows Aphrodite dealt before she decided to finish things by driving her spear through Ares' knee, the sand below, and into the solid earth beneath.
With an agonised cry of pain, Ares collapsed, kneeling his untethered leg as he attempted to wrench the spear from the other leg. Each attempt growing more pathetic, Ares ended up panting with his head bowed down.
Grasping the whimpering gods chin in a soft manner, Aphrodite gently lifted his head to face her. Her seemingly kind actions were betrayed by the fire shown in her eyes as they flashed an endless series of vibrant colours.
"I am the daughter of a primordial god; you are nothing but a prideful little boy. Should you wish to betray our wager this spear will soon be driven through your skull and I will await your return from Tartarus with glee." Her cold whisper drove a chill down Ares' spine as he whimpered pitifully.
Aphrodite then pulled the spear from the war gods leg effortlessly before planting it deeper into the ground straight down right in front of Ares. The god didn't make any visible response as he clenched his brutalised knee and softly whimpered. Aphrodite on the other hand walked out without a second glance, her armour and dagger fading away as she turned around, leaving her in her lavender chiton with a thin golden belt around her waist, her beauty untouched by the conflict.
As she left the arena, she let out a sigh, whilst she had been able to test her abilities and make sure Ares behaved himself in future, she had given into her rage too much and hadn't properly retained her composure as she'd trained herself to do. Fortunately though, the only the only one to suffer was the war god who she believed deserved everything he got and more.
She had seen the numerous occasions he had rape an innocent person leaving behind a demigod without a thought for the consequences, often destroying a young maiden's life or a marriage once filled with love. Such a direct attack on her domain should be left untended.
Whilst all of this had gone on, Aphrodite had actually found herself truly distracted for the first time in a long while from the perils of her child and as such, when she returned home to find Hestia waiting in her palaces dining room with a full meal prepared, she was quite shocked.
Hestia had to calm the goddess down as she guided her to her seat before taking the seat across from her as the two began eating in a peaceful silence. Aphrodite's emotions were the opposite of Hestia's calm demeanour, and whilst she didn't show it, she was thinking a million things at once and couldn't figure out what to do or say, so instead methodically savoured the delicious food that the other goddess had prepared for her.
Pushing aside her thoughts, many exciting and an equal amount frightening, Aphrodite cleared her throat and asked, "What's going on Hestia? Is Perseus, ok?" She couldn't help but ask the second questions as her worries overcame her.
"There's no need to worry Aphrodite, everything is ok. Let us finish eating and then we can retire to the sitting room and discuss what we must." Hestia's soft and comforting voice calmed the love goddesses frayed nerves as they settled into the meal properly and traded comments and discussion on the regular comings and goings of Olympus.
Both enjoyed the conversation, especially Aphrodite who had been deprived for so long of such a normal and easy-going interaction, cherishing the normalcy of such a scene and allowing her to forget the troubles that came with being on Olympus and not conforming perfectly to the demands of the mighty king. As their meal came to an end, Aphrodite began to dread the more serious conversation to come despite Hestia's previous reassurances, but not one to cower from adversity, Aphrodite marched the pair into the room and took a seat on the edge of one of the chairs.
Hestia took a seat next to Aphrodite, taking a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself. Whilst the goddess of the hearth almost always had a calm and collected appearance, now of all times she was feeling a great degree of stress. This moment may very well define her future and so Hestia was carefully planning out what to say. Regardless of Perseus' insistence, Hestia often felt an imposter within assuming the role of his mother, and whilst she never even thought of replacing Aphrodite, the fact was that she had had far closer contact to the other goddess' beloved child and depending on how she explained things it may very well seem to be the case to the love goddess.
Aphrodite couldn't stand the silence and coughed softly, drawing Hestia's attention from the fireplace where she had been staring. The goddess of the hearth shook off her fears and decided to be as direct as possible, "Aphrodite, your son, Perseus, he was cast down onto a hidden island created in the Aegean Sea when Poseidon didn't have it in him to kill the babe. The island was shielded with methods used by the Titans for their prisoners, through my domain I found Perseus and developed a connection. From then on, I visited him for a few years through use of my domain, this was until I realised the detrimental effect, I was having on Perseus' ability to escape. As a result, I had to spend the following 16 years away before I could return and get Perseus away from the Island. Once I brought him back, well you know how Zeus has been with his newest child, that ridiculous oaf he is so proud of, should Perseus have returned I fear for what my brother would have done."
The slight against Heracles and the disgust with which she spat the word brother surprise Aphrodite, as whilst Demeter and Hades, Hestia's closest family beyond her child and granddaughter, might know of her perspective it was a shock to the love goddess.
"As such, Perseus left into the mortal world to await his time to enter godhood fully. You know of his condition, and as a result Perseus had many years to wait and so he explored the mortal world, learning and teach alongside those he met and aiding in a way that puts the pathetic works of the godly council to shame." These world brought a smile to Aphrodite's face as pride swelled in her chest and her eyes shone with tears due to her imagining her picturing her child's actions.
"Only recently did Perseus assume his position in godhood and finally he has gained control of his domains enough to remain stable and relatively hidden outside of his Island, where once his prison was but now is his godly domain as his recognised 'birthplace'."
"There is so much more for you to learn but I wish for you to hear it from your son, although there is something else, I must inform you of before then." Hestia's voice was fading into meekness so unlike the calm and confident goddess, "As I told you, Perseus and I grew close, I was the only family he had, and he was one of few that I could consider real family of my own. As a result, after many years I made the offer to become his adoptive mother, by no means did I ever want to replace you, as I made abundantly clear, but as of many decades now I've been Perseus' adoptive mother."
At this point Hestia had tears running down her cheeks and had averted her gaze from Aphrodite, fearful of her response to what she was saying, "I love Perseus with all my heart, and I know he loves me as well, but he loves you so much too. Perseus is the most wonderful person I've ever had the fortune to meet, and he remembers you holding him as a newborn and staring up into your eyes."
"I know what I did was wrong but I only ever wanted to protect Perseus, I should have found a way to tell you sooner and I'm so sorry I didn't, but I wish with all my heart that at some point we can get past this and join as a real family unlike the sham that resides on this mountain.' Hestia bared her heart and soul to the love goddess, something that Aphrodite could tell, especially given her domains.
As Aphrodite listened to Hestia, she first felt a burning rage, grouping Hestia with her brother as having stolen her child from her. Fortunately, that passed rather rapidly as she knew, even without the explanation, that Hestia would never do such a thing and that it would only harm the goddess of hearth to even attempt such. At this realisation, Aphrodite saw the pain that her actions have caused the goddess before her despite everything and wiped away her tears as she moved to sit beside the other goddess.
The love goddess initiated the embrace that they both desperately needed, and the two goddesses clung to one another, not yet realises the kindling of an immortal kinship between the pair.
"I won't lie, when you first mentioned being Perseus' mother I was enraged, but then I woke up to the truth quickly. You're probably the best this to have happened to my child, no, our child. I am eternally grateful for what you have done for me, for Perseus. If there is ever anything you might want, you need only ask."
Hestia's face split into a broad grin at those words and after letting go to look into Aphrodite's face to confirm the truth in her words, she grabbed the goddess tightly and let out a huge sigh of relief. Aphrodite had a smile of her own as she reflected on Hestia's words, hearing for the first time, even if from a secondary source, that her son loved her was beyond a dream for the goddess who so recently though him to have died as a babe.
"I'm sure you want to know more but I think we should get some sleep. Tomorrow we head to the island and you can meet you son again."
Aphrodite had the happiest glow of her immortal life, only comparable to her time holding her child after he was born and the concept of sleep at this point was almost laughable, though the recent talk had left the pair emotionally drained. Due to this, the pair only lasted a few more minutes before retiring to their sleep, Hestia taking a spare bedroom in the love goddess' palace for the night.
It was the crack of dawn and the love goddess was in her kitchen preparing a feast in hopes that the sooner the pair ate, the sooner they'd get to their task for the day. Akin to recent times, Aphrodite was dressed in a chiton of the palest, pastel green with a thin brown belt around her waist, a far cry from her attire used to generate the façade she had lived behind. Her hair was in soft waves cascading down to her lower back with a crown braid holding it back, in combination with her perfect porcelain skin and kaleidoscopic eyes that shone with joy, she was the picture of a natural beauty, untouched by other mortals and immortals alike.
She was soon joined by Hestia, who upon seeing the other goddess evolved into her former glory, shared a similar expression of joy, and the pair shared their morning meal with sparse chatter, each soaking in the radiant sunlight that shone into the room. Only Hestia was aware that the radiance was a result of similar excitement from their son, but Aphrodite would be aware as well soon enough.
As had been planned by the eager goddess, the meal was over in short order and she was awaiting Hestia's instruction in barely constrained anticipation. Seeing the pleading in the love goddess' eyes, Hestia softly grasped her elbow as they were immediately engulfed in flames, each only feeling a soft warmth before it dispersed, leaving them alone together on a pristine beach that backed onto a rather dense forest.
Aphrodite's eyes darted about in wonderment for a few minutes as she attempted to absorb everything surrounding her. Hestia on the other hand simply watched the other goddess, who shone brilliantly in the glow of the sun. A huge weight that had been bearing down on her since she figured out the story behind Perseus had been lifted the night before and she felt a great deal lighter for it, now her only mission was the success of the upcoming meeting, and if her reading of the situation so far were correct, she wouldn't stand a chance at failing.
Realising that they were wasting time in which Perseus was likely burning through by worrying without reason, Hestia placed her hand on the goddess' shoulder and steered her towards one part of the forest slightly to the right of their current position. Aphrodite allowed herself to be steered as she continued to observe the environment around her, this is where her child had grown up. This brought tears to her eyes as she thought of how lonely and cruel it would have been, but the beauty of it all kept her smile firmly in place.
As they neared the forest, Aphrodite noticed the well-worn path leading inland, where the foliage had been cut away for ease of access. Following the path ahead of Hestia, Aphrodite soon noticed the vast array of wildlife that approached to observe their wandering. Squirrels, birds, deer, and rabbits to name a few. As she continued along her way, she was amazed by how close the animals were willing to get, and how they were more inquisitive than they were afraid, something she had only observed between nymphs and wildlife in the past.
This wasn't enough though when Aphrodite saw a strangely large wolf standing in wait at the edge of the path. Hestia was quick to reassure her that there was no threat, which was confirmed when the fierce creature approach with none of its usual predatory demeanour, but rather with similar inquisitiveness to the rest of the forest's life. Shocking the goddess, the wolf sniffed her as it came close, then rubbed its side along her leg before wandering off gradually into the forest.
Taking Hestia's assurances that all would be explained in time, the pair continued onwards, shortly reaching a fork in the path as it turned to the right, the other route branching left towards the mountain. At this point the path was larger and more well traversed, leading Aphrodite to believe that they were getting closer to their destination.
Soon enough, the path widened out into a large clearing, off to one side sat the forge, looking much as it had for a long while. The building was as sturdy as ever with its heavy stone base leading into the strong wooden slats of its upper portion, the one end of stone forming a circular stone tower that housed the furnace. From the ground, vines rose up through the stone, but rather than destabilising the structure they seemed to support it. Moss also clung to the stone on the northern edge of the building, further blending it in with the surrounding forest.
Despite this impressive structure, it was outshone entirely by the large house that took up the entire other side of the clearing and almost immediately drew Aphrodite's attention. The building had very similar features to the forge but consisted of multiple stories and spread out to either side from the centre. Aphrodite looked towards Hestia in amazed wonderment, "This is rather new, Perseus constructed it alongside Demeter, Erimia and me."
Aphrodite nodded her understanding, but nonetheless marvelled at the structure. It was not much compared to the palaces of Olympus or the temples to the gods. A work of construction that mortals have repeated many times over, but such was rarely seen from a god and Aphrodite didn't believe she could name one other than the rather new son of Zeus, Hephaestus, and possibly Athena, that could construct such a thing. The goddess simply accepted that the unknown 'Erimia' would be explained in due time.
Upon entering the clearing, Hestia was not nearly as caught up by the sights, having been there more times that she could count. The first thing that she noticed was the smoke billowing out of the forge, an unusual sight for so early in the morning. To Hestia though, the meaning was clear, Perseus found forging to be relaxing and used it to relieve the stress of events such as the one that would occur today. As such Hestia brought Aphrodite into the house and settled her in the living room as she went off to retrieve her son. Reaching the forge, Hestia gently knocked on the door, a sound heard by means of Perseus' heightened senses, otherwise inaudible over the blazing hearth or tools within.
Perseus quickly threw on a shirt and smoothed out his hair before opening the door with bated breath. Letting out a sigh at the sight of Hestia, Perseus gave her a soft hug, careful not to get the sweat and grime of his work onto her clean dress.
Hestia smiled brightly at the warmth in the gesture and playfully pushed Perseus inside as she followed in. Hestia was unbothered by the heat of the forge that others might find rather sweltering, instead taking the opportunity to look at what Perseus was working on.
"I finished it last night, but I was finishing smoothing out the edges of it this morning." Perseus explained.
Hestia picked up the piece of extremely ornate jewellery, something that she quickly observed was completed to perfection, which it had likely been prior to last night, and Perseus was simply grasping at the distraction.
"It's beautiful, I'm sure she'll love it. You do know that you have no need to buy her affections? Your mother loves you. We both do." Hestia said as she stared into Perseus' eyes from where he sat on the bench that used to serve as a bed.
Perseus bowed his head and nodded faintly, Hestia seeing his unease, gently placed the piece down on the velvet cloth that rested on the table and made her way to Perseus' side. Sitting beside him, an action going seemingly unnoticed by Perseus, she gently rubbed his back.
"I know this is a huge deal for you Perseus, for all of us, but especially you. It doesn't have to be today if you don't want it to." She spoke in a soft voice, trying to comfort him.
"But it is today, and that's amazing, I've been waiting for this forever, and I wouldn't want to wait another moment, but at the same time I never want to walk out this door." Perseus spoke without lifting his gaze from the spot he was staring at on the floor.
Rubbing his back gently, Hestia responded, "There are difficult things everyone has to do in their life, immortals and mortals alike. You've definitely had far more than your fair share of such, but whilst this is difficult, this isn't like the rest. This isn't a struggle against something painful or seemingly undefeatable, this is facing the woman who has loved you from the moment you were conceived. The first person to hold you in their arms, and someone who has missed you painfully ever since."
"I promise you; I love you more than anything else, and I couldn't imagine loving you more. But Aphrodite does, she would fade just to have another moment with you, but you've got the gift of an immortals lifetime with her, with both of us. As hard as the next few moments are, the rewards are immeasurable."
Many would scoff at the troubles Perseus was having, especially the self-absorbed gods of Olympus, but to the young god, this was his hopes and dreams that he had many times thought unattainable. Fortunately, with the words of his mother, her promise for which he knew she would never break, Perseus was given the courage needed to take the all important step, "Where is she?" He asked in a meek voice, so unlike himself.
"In the house." Hestia answered, watching as Perseus rose up, gently folding the jewellery up in the cloth it laid upon, placing it in his pocket, before heading to the door. Before stepping through he turned to his mother and placed a soft kiss on her head, "I will love you for my immortal life as well, thank you so much for everything you've done for me." And with that he turned and walked out.
Hestia was left with a tear trickling down her cheek and a radiant smile. Brushing away the tear of joy, she went about cleaning the forge for Perseus, knowing that whilst he would always meticulously store his tools otherwise, he forgot due to the current distractions.
Perseus, whilst reassured, was still more nervous than he could remember ever being, as he walked the distance between the forge and the house. As he walked, he noticed a blur to his side and reacted immediately, catching Erimia in her smallest form in his arms as she grumbled softly, reassuring Perseus. Smiling, Perseus smoothed out her fur before letting her down where she walked beside him proudly.
Taking a moment, Perseus summoned brilliant purple flames across his body, seeming to any observer like a momentary flash of purple, cleaning away the grime and sweat from his morning. As he was about to enter the house, he felt the appearance of Demeter in the forge with Hestia and knew she was there for him as well, bringing a smile to his face and giving him the last ounce of courage needed as he crossed the threshold into the house.
Aphrodite had been left on the lounge in front of the blazing hearth as Hestia left to get her child, as she sat there Aphrodite's mind drifted and she began to think on the events soon to occur, as she begun stressing, she distracted herself by looking around the room and seeing the minimal yet refined work that went into the place. It wasn't the lavish interior of Olympus' palaces and other such buildings, but the furniture was clearly crafted with careful precision from fine materials. The lounge area decorated with what seemed to be a cured lion pelt rug. The kitchen had an arrangement of herbs and plants distinguishing it from the rest of the room, yet the masterpiece was the bold table that stood in the centre of the room and was hewn from uncut wood and left with solid legs and accompanied by chairs made from the same wood, but with coverings of cloth and cushioning. Whilst simple it presented a strong and unyielding presence, an accurate summation of the environment and construction of the island.
Aphrodite was entirely lost in her own thoughts at this stage, only to be broken from it as something approached her at a fast speed. Turning towards the disturbance, Aphrodite saw a young boy that she would judge to be the mortal age of 12 or so years, it was only until she saw his eyes that everything clicked into place. Before she could fully comprehend everything, she was caught in a tight embrace, and took only a second to return the embrace in kind as the young boy buried his head in her shoulder as she did the same, clutching him just as tightly.
The pair began weeping in both joy and sorrow, letting out the emotions both had attempted to bury for so long, each feeling an otherworldly connection reform between them that had been torn almost entirely moments after Perseus' birth.
It was almost an hour before they broke apart, long since running out of tears, and as Perseus sat on the couch next to Aphrodite, the two stared into one another's eyes, deep glowing purple into shining kaleidoscopic whirls of ever-changing colour.
It was then at the same moment that they both spoke, "I love you Perseus", "I love you mother".
They both let out a laugh before sobering themselves. Aphrodite speaking first, "I'm so sorry I failed you my son, I was so caught up that I never noticed the villain right in front of me. I let you down and you have suffered for so long without reason. I just want you to know, I have always loved you more than anything and would have torn down Olympus if I knew you were still out there." She softly cupped his cheek as she spoke.
Reaching up and holding her hand against his cheek, Perseus responded, "I have always felt your love for me mum and it has helped me every day of my life. Even if you didn't know it, you were always there for me. I am the one who should be sorry, I am ashamed that I couldn't reach you sooner, and I am eternally sorry that my abnormalities caused all these issues."
Aphrodite's eyes sparked with anger, surprising Perseus, "You are not abnormal, you are perfect. It is only those who could never understand you that would think you abnormal and I will hear no more of you being anything but proud of your life so far. I don't know much about it yet, but I am amazed by what I know you've achieved."
Perseus felt cleansed by these words and morphed back into his older form, having barely acknowledged the change he underwent. Aphrodite was amazed by his appearance as he morphed and couldn't be prouder of him, he looked just like her own father did when assuming a similar age. Whilst she had barely known him, she had ben guided by his presence as a godling and at the start of her godhood, and in doing so saw images in her mind of Ouranos.
Aphrodite explained this to him, and this simply got the ball rolling. From that point, the rest of the day was spent with each of them explaining everything about themselves to one another and further bonding as mother and son. Throughout the morning, Erimia was introduced to Aphrodite, another huge shock for the goddess, who only took a moment to entirely accept the bear, with the ability to take a godling form, as her granddaughter.
Hestia and Demeter joined them after lunch as they focussed more on Perseus' life and information about Olympus, the morning being spent with Aphrodite explaining her own life and sharing knowledge of Ouranos, Primordials and Titans, the times before the gods, practically no one, bar the two of them now, knew about. Perseus was fascinated by all he learnt, and at the same time embarrassed relentlessly by Hestia and Demeter exposing each and every achievement he had made in his life so far.
The biggest shocks of the day though were reserved for just after dinner as the sun was falling and Perseus revealed his domains and titles, leading to a demonstration of his plethora of powers and a spar with Erimia in her godling form to illustrate their skills. Aphrodite expressed her pride many times throughout the displays and after, but to Hestia and Demeter she expressed her belief, "He's more powerful than your brothers, he has the presence that Primordials had! He's the most powerful person I've met in person, other than the Fates, maybe."
The pair simply nodded at this as Hestia answered, "We have realised and are eternally thankful that he doesn't wish war against Olympus for what they've done, he truly has a pure heart. He wishes to protect the mortals from the crossfire that would occur." Hestia said, shining with pride.
"He doesn't realise his own strength, doubts it even, regardless of what we say, but it is clearly evident. When he received his domains, the island he was on was destroyed entirely by his presence alone." Demeter said, amazement in her voice even though she had clearly known of this for so long.
In the end, the family had simply expanded, with Aphrodite connecting like a piece that had been missing all along, which was really what the case had been. As such, when sleep called to them all that night, they each retired to a room, Aphrodite taking the one that had been set aside for her when the home was built, the gesture touching her deeply. As everyone had left to rest for the night after the intense day, Aphrodite and Perseus were left sitting side by side on the lounge before the hearth, sharing a warm embrace and not wishing to part.
Eventually gathering the necessary strength of will, Perseus pushed himself up, turning to Aphrodite, "Thank you for everything, have a good sleep and I'll see you tomorrow." Perseus said with a warm smile, kissing Aphrodite lightly on the head before retiring to his room.
It took a moment for Aphrodite to realise Perseus had left something behind in her hand. Looking down she saw something wrapped in a purple cloth, the same purple as her son and granddaughter's eyes. Unwrapping the cloth, she let out a gasp, the concealed item leaving her breathless, as she stared at it.
Her eyes teared up as she stared at the magnificent piece in front of her. She had heard of Perseus' prowess in the forges, as evidenced by the weapons he had used in his spar, but this was more impressive than anything Hephaestus was capable of.
Suspended on a thin golden filigree chain, the precision and detail of which were a matter of its own, was a pendant. The pendant was made up of a perfectly cut jewel in the shape of a heart, encased in the diamond encrusted, golden wings of a dove. Even the diamonds were each perfectly cut and placed in the piece forming the most amazing piece of jewellery she had ever seen. The most impressive thing, what made it so special, was the jewel itself. It was of the same purple as Perseus' eyes, but if one looked close they could see flecks of fiery orange held within, a perfect imitation of his eyes.
To Aphrodite, this was the most special thing she had ever received and instantly became her most treasure possession. It wouldn't be until tomorrow that she found out about Hestia's own necklace, which made it a symbol of their shared role and connection to Perseus, which Aphrodite considered the most important thing.
As the family had grown, each within had grown stronger and felt more peace than they ever had before, and Aphrodite couldn't wait to teach Perseus about his final domain to master, a representation of their connection as mother and son, an act that would symbolically finalise Perseus' progression into godhood and his domains, paving the way towards his, and as a result, the families, future.
A/N:
Hey everyone, been so, so long, I know. Thank you to all of those that stuck around this long to read more pf the story. To those just reading this for a first now, I hope you are enjoying it so far.
This chapter seems to mark the end of a 'part 1' to this story, not that it means anything, but from here I would take a guess and say a second part will occur from here set in ancient Greece, then probably a third in the time setting of the books. Don't be concerned though, those will all be a part of this same story so no need to look elsewhere.
As always, please comment, I love hearing feedback, and as it's been so long, if there are any continuity errors, or just plain writing errors, please point them out so this read can be as enjoyable as possible.
What did everyone think of this chap? What did you like? Was there something you wanted to see?
I'm curious whether you think that this sort of thing, dialogue and emotions, went on too long, should I write some chapters like this in the future or not?
I know there was a lot of repetition and emotions flipping back and forth in this chapter but I wanted to represent the tumultuous experience for both Aphrodite and Perseus. Did this work?
An author note of epic proportions, I know, to those that got here, sorry if I went on too much, and I apologise to everyone for my absence, life gets the best of everyone at times.
Thank you for reading and I hope the next wait isn't nearly as long, see you in the next chapter. :)