TEN

The Lady Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, sped her way to Mount Olympus on the wings of the Three Graces. Her soft hair sailing behind her in waves of gold. Eyes of clearest blue filled with hope and determination. Surely this time Ares would see, surely this time He would know.

The Graces gently glided down to the rocky ground outside Ares' cave on Olympus and Aphrodite hurried inside. "Ares? Lover? Where are you?" She called out in the darkness of the ancient rocks which surrounded Her. No sound came back to her finely lobed ears. "Ares?"

"Mother?" Came the voice of her second oldest son, who soon appeared from the shadows.

"Deimos, where is your Father?" She asked hurriedly.

"Ares is not here," he said slowly as his almost translucent eyes looked through his Mother, "He has gone to the Dark Lands."

Was She already too late? Had all been set into motion so quickly that not even the Gods could keep up with it? "When will He return?" Lady Aphrodite began to absently pace about the cave, long strips of the finest silks in the shade of a perfect rose, criss-crossed and hugged Her ample breasts and firm wide hips, the strands which flowed behind Her wisped at the floor as She paced. Ares had gone to see Maab, why? What part had she still to play in this?

"I don't know." Deimos informed his Mother as he crossed the room to refresh the fire in the hearth. "When He leaves there He will not come here. Father plans on going to Avalon after that."

Aphrodite turned quickly to look at her son. "Why?" She demanded to know.

"All is set in motion," Deimos explained slowly, "The Champion and the woman are on their way to Greece as we speak."

"I know that, you idiot!" Aphrodite thundered. "Why Avalon?"

Deimos stared his Mother through and through with eyes that She could barely see the color of. He pushed a long strand of his dark wavy hair away from his heavily scared face with a rough hand. "Because He cannot bring her here."

"And He will not bring her there." Aphrodite threatened as She fled away from Her son back through the mouth of the cave and once again climbed onto the Graces and flew away.

Deimos stood in the darkness of the mouth of the cave and watched his Mother go flying off toward her temple. Once there, he had no doubt that She would attempt to persuade Eros to join Her cause. Good luck to Her on that one, he thought as he smiled to himself. It would take a lot of fancy talking and promises on Her part to get him to join with Her on this one.

Aphrodite entered Her lavish temple hurriedly and paced around the main room endlessly with Her thumb nail in Her mouth, chewing nervously upon it. No matter how much she loved him, She would not let Ares get away with this. Finally She plopped Herself down upon the overstuffed pillows which lined the floor of the temple. There She sighed and huffed a bit more. After much grousing and arguing with Herself Aphrodite called for Her son.

"Eros?" She called quietly at first. "Eros?" Aphrodite called in a stronger voice. He did come to Her call, He already knew what She wanted. "Eros!" She demanded in the voice that only a truly ticked off mom knows how to use.

"What Mother?" Eros asked as He finally appeared before Her. His golden wings fluttered about His bronze body as He settled Himself to the floor of the temple.

"I want you to go to the Dark Lands and speak with Maab. Find out if Ares is still there." She said in a voice which She knew was too stern and tried to soften Herself. "Please, my son. Do this for me."

"Why?" Eros demanded as he folded his wings across his taut chest. "After all that has happened, why should I help you with this?"

"Because she is your sister. No matter what, she is still your sister." Aphrodite hissed quietly. She had no wish to be questioned on the matter or to dredge up history four thousand years dead.

"And my step-daughter." Eros grumbled. "Have you forgotten that?"

"That is not Onya's fault." Aphrodite softened Her voice and Her eyes as She looked upon Her most handsome of sons. "Don't you know that much, my son? She did not chose how she came into this world."

Eros stepped back from Her as He let out a loud grumble. "Why don't you go yourself?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Aphrodite rolled Her beautiful blue eyes and tossed Her golden hair over Her shoulder. "Maab hates me." She huffed. "That foolish old woman will never tell me anything. But you...she will speak with you. I need to know what Ares is up to."

"We all know what Father is up to, Mother. Why are you so intent on stopping it?"

"Because I love her. And so does He. If Ares does this, He will regret it for all eternity." Aphrodite whispered to Her son. "I love Him, I cannot let Him do this."

Eros held his distance as he gazed into his Mother's eyes which were now wet with tears. He never did understand why She loved his Father so much. Every other God detested Ares, but not Her. Somehow He had won Her heart and He had won it forever. How a woman so gentle and precious as his Mother could ever allow a barbarian like his Father to touch her, never mind want Him to do it AGAIN, was well beyond Eros' comprehension. Even the God of Love, who unlike his Mother, was not concerned with beauty, could not grasp the concept at all. Aphrodite had stood by His side, fought for Him, fought with Him, tended His wounds and cared for Him since They had met so many millennia ago. Even after Her true husband, Hephaestus, trapped Her and Ares during one of Their trysts and hauled Them out for all the Gods to see Their shame, She stood by Him and He protected Her. For that, Eros had no doubt that it truly was love They felt for each other. What he would never understand was how Love had found it's way in his Father's heart at all. "You will not get me to fight for Him, Mother. But I will go and do as you ask." Without further word Eros spread His wings and flew away from his Mother's temple.