Dying Ichor

FORTY-TWO

Honestly, where did Hades go? He promised Elias he wouldn't be gone for too long, but now Elias has gotten himself into some sort of romantic relationship with none other than the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

He was only trying to be nice since her ideas did sound pretty cool. It really backfired on him.

Deimos held an object for Elias to throw around, wanting to distract the boy from his awful mood. Even Phobos dropped a piece of candy he stole from another room, but Elias was too distracted by his own thoughts of trying to fix what he can.

Maybe it was time for him to sneak out and run away to Hades' carriage. He was sure Hades wouldn't mind... but first, he should steal something from the palace and sell it to make a fortune.

"Phobos." The dog placed a paw on top of Elias' leg in reply. "Is there a way for me to sneak out of here?"

The brothers looked at each other. They had a feeling Elias wanted to escape. Normally, they wouldn't follow anyone's orders other than Ares or Aphrodite. It'd be weird to listen to the goddess, but she was the one who helped Ares create them, so they followed her orders more than Ares liked.

But Elias... their master liked him. Even if Ares was too stupid to notice his own feelings, Deimos and Phobos was quick to catch on and thought it wouldn't be too bad to follow his commands... which was why they were reluctant to show Elias the way out. They didn't want him leaving the palace.

Elias sagged his shoulders in despair. They weren't going to listen to him, were they?

He didn't want the others to return and know he interacted with the Goddess of Love. Hades would freak out, and there's no telling what Amphitrite and Ares would do. Even though those two hated each other, it's like they shared one brain and would do something crazy.

Was it possible to move into another room? No, he had to scratch that idea out. It's better to be in here than being caught somewhere else. He didn't want to anger an Olympian.

He didn't have to think too long about trying to leave this place though. He jumped in surprise when a goddess came inside the room, panting heavily with flushed cheeks. Aphrodite beamed at the sight of Elias and scurries over to him, latching onto his arm without a care in the world.

"My love!" She sang sweetly. Elias awkwardly laughed, noticing how her attire has changed into something fancier and eye-catching. With how astronomically beautiful she is, the clothes were merely enhancing her features, so Elias had a hard time looking away. Aphrodite knowingly smiled, happy that he couldn't stop looking at her.

"My lady," Elias roughly began, "I don't think it is appropriate-"

"Nonsense! You're my man now! It doesn't matter how I act around you, right?" Aphrodite sighed. "I couldn't wait to come back, so I changed immediately after saying hi to Her Majesty. Do you like the outfit? Hephaestus helped to pick it out! Well, not really... he only came out for a few minutes to randomly choose one of my dresses, but he was still helpful nonetheless!"

"Hephaestus?" Weren't these two on bad terms or something? According to the original myth, he was supposed to be angry at Aphrodite for something she did with Ares. Didn't they sleep together and had an affair, but Hephaestus caught them in the act?

Elias had to sigh. He didn't think Ares would be that much of a playboy.

"He never comes out to party," the goddess pouted. "He's always tinkering away in that workshop of his. Oh, but he did make me these earrings! Do you like them as well? They're beautiful, aren't they?"

She pulled back a piece of her golden locks, showing a dazzling earring that shone brighter than necessary. It was actually nicer than he thought. A whole lot nicer. There were dozens of tiny gems carefully melded together, seemingly looking like they were stars.