(Book 1 of the Mythology Series)
Aphrodite~ Goddess of love; fertility.
She stayed in the clouds, looking down upon the humans as she helped them fall in love. She stayed in the clouds, watching as the celestial beings found their mates. She did not...
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There are many reasons that she smiled. When happy. Like right now. It was nervousness mixed with happiness.
She felt the babies move around. At first, she cried, but then she grew worried about the small bump forming. She had to tell them soon but it was hard. There were many reasons why she deserved to be afraid. They were not ready for this at all.
But she knew she had to tell them soon because she estimated her pregnancy lasted 10 months. Who knows how much time she'd wasted. 3 months? Or 4?
"Are you okay?" Claire questioned while she walked into the kitchen.
"Yeah. We're just hungry." She said with a grin and Claire laughed softly when she caught on, watching her rub her belly lovingly.
"Dinner will be ready in a minute. The kings are busy so they won't be joining." She was setting the table whilst Aphrodite frowned.
"With what?"
"I guess they've been trying to secure the place and build alliances if there would be a war."
"This is such bad timing, Claire... I didn't think Ares would ever go to such lengths." She instinctively touched her belly with protectiveness and Claire sighed.
"He's a god. Most of them are used to getting what they want."
"And that won't happen. I need to speak with my father soon before the baby is here. He'll know what to do-"
"Baby?" Markus had looked between the women, confused.
The women stopped talking, watching the Hybrid King look at them with an unreadable expression.
"I... Markus-"
"Are you pregnant? Is that why your scent changed?" She opened her mouth to say something but closed it in fear of saying the wrong thing. She only nodded, watching his face have a mixture of emotions. "Okay..." He digested the news, feeling indifferent.
Was he happy to have a child? Inside, he was ecstatic. He'd always wanted children and since he met Aphrodite, he wanted them more than anything. However, the timing was wrong. This was when he knew truly that the war was real. That he could lose his mate and children in the process.
She sensed his inner turmoil and stood in front of him with a small smile. "We'll be fine, Markus. If anything happens, I can always go to my father. He can help." He exhaled a shaky breath and nodded, holding her close.
For the next few days, Claire stood by her side, surprisingly taking a liking to the unborn children.
At this rate, everyone could see she was pregnant. No matter how hard she tried to hide it.
Lucian and Lucifer were tense, keeping her with demon and Fae guards. They had magic and would be able to fend off anyone easily. Even a god. However, they wouldn't be able to kill it. It would just give Aphrodite a lot of time to run if she ever did encounter a problem.
She felt like a sitting duck, waiting for something bad to happen. "I need to see my father." Claire nodded, sitting with her on the couch, both snuggled under a blanket.
"I will go with you." Aphrodite looked at her hesitantly, knowing that there was a small chance she'd run into her father. From Markus' story, she knew that Claire saw him as the villain. "What?"
"It's just that... you don't have to."
"Yes, I do! I can't keep running forever." She sighed, shaking her head. "Please, Aphrodite... I need closure..." She said softly. Aphrodite understood her reasoning for coming and accepted.
Aphrodite made sure to let her mates know that she was going to visit her father, in hopes of help. They let her go, knowing that when she had her mind up, there was no stopping her.
Unfortunately, they couldn't join her since the kingdoms were in a mess and couldn't be left alone. There was an agreement between the brothers as they knew to finally come together and merge into one now that they both shared a mate. Some people were simply in an uproar, some on neither side wanting anything to do with the agreement. But many people respected their kings and knew that change was good. They were the first kings to ever do such a thing, uniting Vampires, Humans, and Lycans under one Kingdom.
It was easy to travel between worlds with her being a goddess, but it was hard to go there undetected, not knowing what was waiting on the other side. Claire was next to her, looking at the light abyss in awe. It was the portal her Queen made to get them to Olympus.
Aphrodite smiled softly at her father, who looked surprised to see her. "Dad!" Tears threatened to spill when she ran into his arms, missing the comfort of her father.
"What are you doing here, Tee? You are supposed to be with your mates." Although he was happy to see his favorite daughter, he couldn't help but think something was wrong. Did they hurt her? The thought made him angry and Aphrodite laughed seeing his tense posture.
"No papa, they did not hurt me..." She trailed off as he looked down to see her stomach with a shocked expression.
"My baby girl is having babies!" He bellowed joyfully, his eyes slightly watery.
"Dad if you start crying, I'll start crying and once I start, I don't stop." She warned, specifically blaming her hormones. "Now, Papa. We need to talk to you about something urgent." We? He looked at her confused before spotting the small figure behind her, finally noticing her small mortal friend.
"What is your name?"
"C-Claire... sir, or God!... I mean... uh your essence and everything." Claire cleared her throat, looking away from his intense gaze.
"She's adorable..."
Aphrodite laughed softly, knowing her father's ways, and walked into his realm. "You already corrupted me. Do not corrupt my in-law as well."
He only gave Claire a wicked grin before she paddled along behind Aphrodite, blushing wildly.
