Aphrodite's Flame

52. Darkness

I burn my days ignoring the world. I have the feeling either Dionysos explicitly told his satyrs to leave me the fuck alone or they know I will tear them to shreds if they dont. Also, I must be highly ineligible right now anyway.

I do not care about my hair, my clothes, my face, my jewellery. I do not care about feasts and offerings and I do not show for divine gatherings - whether my presence is obligatory or not.

Like my presence would even matter.

I made a mistake. I was weak.

I'm not referring to giving into Ares in some twisted way - no, that was not my fault and I shall never share blame for whatever happened in his palace.

I just regret the fact that someone asked for my help and I jumped at the opportunity. No more of that. I am no longer Love. I am Aphrodite. And if I am hurting, they will be hurting. If I cant love, no one else will.

Love is like a flower. If nurtured, it will bloom. If given the space and time, it will grow. None of that and the flower wilts. Love wilts.

Four days after I told Hephaestus I loved him, I left for Corinth. The only thing I took with me was the necklace he gave me. I keep it in its neat ebony casing. I left my swan driven carriage in the court stables and got on a ship.

An actual mortal ship.

It was horrible.

But in the end I made it to Corinth, where my temple stands on top of a mountain, glorious, enviable, grand and elegant. I take a deep breath when I disembark the ship.

The harbour is bustling with people. Here and there I do see a nymph or an other creature, but over 99% is plain mortal. Nobody will exactly come looking for me here. And it is here I plan on giving birth to my daughter.

If one thinks the mortals may notice a trail of blooming roses in the wake of a woman - think again. Mortals hardly notice anything and often they only see the signs in hindsight. Looking back is a bitch and therefore I refuse to do it.

I walk up the hundreds of steps toward my temple, looking for a familiar face. Dozens of whores, prostitutes and courtesans stand to the side, eyeing the people walk by. Some of them grasp my interest, but only for a second.

Upon entering the temple, I turn around to gaze at the sea surrounding the land. A salty wind pulls my hair, flinging it around, playing with it. Clouds cover Helios' vision when I quickly make my way into the temple.

Only a high priestess may visit the insides of a temple. So, it is really very quiet and still on the inside. There is a statue of me in the middle, looking over my head, like it is too good to even look at me. It may as well be.

'Excuse me,' an echoing voice bounces of the marble walls as a woman comes in my direction. I turn around and meet Cato's eyes. She stops dead in her tracks, her lips parted. I smile a light and lopsided smile.

'If it isn't Cato, sister of Callisto, high priestess of the temple of Aphrodite,' I solemnly say. 'I should have known it was no ordinary mortal I met all that time ago.' She breaks out in a smile as she rushes over to me. I let her hug me like she is my sister.

'To be completely fair - I was an ordinary priestess until you touched me. The high priestess was growing old, but she saw your mark on me. Two days later she passed and I became high priestess.'

'What brings you to Corinth?' she asks, as we walk down the temple.

'Refuge,' I tell her casually as I look around, eyeing the offerings I've been presented. She studies me closer.