Fallen Out Of Grace

12.

Aphrodite taps her nail on her golden chair as she's planning to take Ares away from Saphrina.

"Are you even paying attention to the words I have spoken?" Aphrodite's husband Hephaestus asks.

Aphrodite sighs looking at her tiresome husband who is going on and on about fixing some carpenter thing that was of no interest to her.

"Yes, it's the same conversation we have in this place. We never speak of something with a little more taste."

Hephaestus nods with his jaw tightening from the disrespect his wife is giving him.

"Of course not, everything is having your way and if not to hell with it."

Aphrodite scoffs rolling her eyes, "Yeah? And what exactly is my way? If it was my way I would be married to your brother and not you."

Letting her tongue slice through Hephaestus' heart, she gets up wanting to get some fresh air and that fresh air was finding a way to see Ares.

Taking a stroll there, she sees Ares and Saphrina out in the open taking in the insults being thrown their way.

Aphrodite rubs her chin amused as some throw rocks at Saphrina.

Ares kept blocking every hit and once they realized who Ares was they bowed down.

"I'm here to make an announcement on the behalf of my wife and I," Ares roars out.

Everyone looks to Ares still keeping their head hung from where they're now kneeling.

"We do not fear my father, Zeus, as we go against his prophecy of keeping my children, his grandchildren hidden just so he and you can feel justified for some hypocrisy you've all scrimmaged to the surface."

Aphrodite, loving the dramatics to Ares' speech, walks out to where he is with Saphrina and says, "I too will not stand as I too feel this injustice needs to be stopped."

Saphrina moves from behind her husband and grabs hold of Aphrodite making the people gasp as she would do something so immorally disrespectful to a Greek Goddess like Aphrodite.

"Are you even willing to risk everything to win Ares over when you know he doesn't even want you?" Saphrina says into Aphrodite's ear as she still is holding onto Aphrodite's arm.

Through gritted teeth while still keeping a smile, Aphrodite chuckles, "I've always been the one he's leaned on no matter what, what makes you think he'll stop?"

Saphrina lets go and now scoffs, "Because if he really wanted to, he would have ran to you after I caught you visiting but he hasn't has he? And you're feigning for what you can no longer control or have and think this grand gesture will change something but it won't."

Aphrodite, now angry, looks to Ares as he holds on to Saphrina.

"We can handle this on our own, we don't need any fake concern for something you left with me and my wife for twenty three years," Ares says, talking about Fisher.

Aphrodite's lips quiver with hate towards Saphrina saying, "You only moved on from me to her because she's something you had to depetal. Don't think for a second it was anything else but a conquest you accomplished and can't find a way out."

Ares finally puts his foot down putting Aphrodite in her place as he defends his wife.

"She was neither a petal to pick apart nor a quest I had to conquer, it was out of pure love instead of lust. Something you can not comprehend in that dense mind you have."

Aphrodite can't hold back the tears forming as they rapidly fall down her cheeks to her chest.

"You said you loved me and only me until she came into the picture and then you became this cuddly bear instead of a vicious one I knew you to be."

Ares sighs, holding his head, "Why can't you see that I do not want such things anymore, I just want Saphrina and what we've become together."

Aphrodite conjures up the courage to yell out, "BUT WE HAVE A SON!" Having the people of Greece cover their mouths in utter shock since Aphrodite was married and her husband was Ares brother.

****

Hecate looks to her son as he tells her about Fisher getting in the way of their grand scheme against Nysa.

"So, kill him."

Keon shakes his head, cutting his palm reciting words from the book in front of him.

"Not everything has to be killed to be solved," He coldly says.

Hecate laughs, "It's in our blood it's what we do, besides why can't you just use a reversal spell to have this Fisher boy in love with the other girl–what's her name?"

Keon answers, "Dov, and no I'm not doing that either."

Hecate scoffs, "She's made you mushy to your beliefs. I don't think we should have you taking on such an important task after all."

Keon looks to his mother, detached, confused as to why he should even be proving so much to her when he's doing all the work and not her.

"Who can take my place when I am your only son, the only one who would even push his real emotions to the side to take on such a sin that even God would strike me down for?"

Hecate closes her son's mouth wagging her finger at him in slow motion with bewildered eyes.

"You will not speak of such a thing in my presence. Your father might have implemented those horrendous thoughts in you, but we do not say the G word."

Keon moves his mother's hand and narrows his eyes at her.

"You won't even let me know who he is. Why is he such a secret to only me?"

Hecate scoffs heavily, turning her back to her son as she holds her chest dramatically.

"We do not speak of him because he is not worth bringing up."

Keon slams the book that was opened, looking down, piercing his eyes at the back of his mother's head.

"I remember fragments mother, fragments of his voice, his teachings, his beliefs. He wasn't a bad man yet you choose to have me in the dark of what really happened and where he really is."

Hecate looks to Keon with such grave emotions as she says, "Putting you to be with that girl has blurred what's important, I forbid you to continue this silly request of mine."

Keon shakes his head hastily, "It's too late," And before he can finish what else was lying on his tongue his mother vanishes fearing something other than him falling for the girl genuinely but him finding out who his father was.