Kallos

PROLOGUE

Aphrodite gazed at the young girl and prayed that she would make it. “Come on, you can do it!” she whispered.

It wasn’t fair that she had to watch and not do anything to help. The young girl started to have a seizure as the man in a white jacket strapped her down.

“Come on, Acidalia. You can do it!”

Aphrodite heard someone enter her chambers. She didn’t have to look up to know it was Apollo. She’d been in love with him since the beginning of time. Granted, she had many lovers, but she’d always come back to Apollo and also to Ares.

They were cursed to watch themselves be reincarnated over and over until all of them were perfectly matched. Apollo and Ares had watched themselves successfully be reawakened many times, while Aphrodite hadn’t. She’d only watched herself die many times over.

“You shouldn’t be watching this, Agápe.”         

Aphrodite grinned at what he’d called her since they first met. Agápe meant unconditional love, or his true love. Standing next to her, he placed his warm hand on hers.

“Maybe she will be different.”

Aphrodite brought her hands to her face, and wiped away her tears. Part of the curse was that she couldn’t interfere with anything that happened. She’d known for a while that Acidalia wouldn’t make it through the change. She wasn’t strong enough to survive, but it still broke her heart to watch another of her reincarnates die. Acidalia didn’t love the Hunter brothers’ likes she should. She loved Ian more.

“Oh, my Agápe, please stop watching.” Apollo soothingly rubbed her shoulder as he tried to comfort her. “We already know her outcome.”

Apollo was right. She allowed him pull her away from watching what she couldn’t change.

“Would you like to see where the soul is going next?”

She had to think about it for just a moment and nodded.“I must see who will be next. I don’t understand why none of the girls make it. It isn’t fair that I have to watch.”

They walked over to the looking glass, and saw a woman about to have a baby. Looking closer, Aphrodite noticed the woman wasn’t a woman but a child herself. She had short, brownish-red hair, and when she opened her eyes, Aphrodite was stunned. Incredible sapphire eyes were staring back at her.

She clasped Apollo’s hand tight. “Look at that! The mother has my eyes.” Aphrodite couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice.

“She does, but that doesn’t mean that the baby being born is going to be the one.”

Aphrodite knew he was right, but she hoped he was wrong. As the doctor pulled the baby from the young woman’s womb, Aphrodite was astonished. She hadn’t seen a more beautiful baby in all of her time.

“I know, but look at her!”

Aphrodite smiled down at the new beautiful baby. Maybe she would be the one to change everything. Another couple rushed into the room full of excitement. The woman ran to the baby. She gradually covered her face with her hands, and tears ran freely down her cheeks. The woman twisted around to face the man, and he grinned proudly at her.

Aphrodite turned her attention back to the young mother as she was being rolled out of the room. As the girl passed by, she turned her head away from the newborn baby. The second woman moved to the young girl’s side and kissed her forehead. She was saying something, but Aphrodite couldn’t hear what the older woman said.

“Apollo what is going on?”

“She has been adopted, amore. The younger one is not able to care for our little beauty,” Ares said as he strode into her room.

Aphrodite understood and nodded at her war god. She wondered if this one would be the one who would change everything. At that moment, the baby opened her eyes and seemed to be looking right at Aphrodite. She inhaled and wondered if the baby was the one that would become her. Aphrodite concentrated and could now hear what the woman and the man were talking about.

“James, she is beautiful. I know the perfect name for her.” The woman paused to wipe away a few tears. “Kallos . . . It means beauty in Greek.”

Aphrodite started to laugh. Perhaps the woman could see the great beauty the little one held. She sent a welcome to the new baby girl.

Welcome, Kallos.