Hephaestus & Aphrodite

Birth

(3rd Person POV)

The sounds of panting went all throughout the empty room as Aphrodite lay down on the cot.

Artemis slowly walked around the table gathering towels and cold water.
"Artemis!!! Hurry!!" Aphrodite screamed in agony as she put pressure on her belly.
"Do not press down, sister. You will puke." Artemis, who was finally done rampaging around, went over to ease Aphrodite.
Artemis placed a cold towel over her sisters head, then pulled out a tiny bottle.
"This medicine will help ease the pain." She twisted the cap to reveal the smells of the earth and poured it down Aphrodite's mouth.
"Now breathe slowly."
Aphrodite did as instructed and took long breaths. They were rather uneven and ridged, but well enough to do the job.
"...Artemis...please hurry, I can't go on."
Artemis slowly sat Aphrodite up causing her to feel more pain, then embarked on the performance.

For about ten minutes, Aphrodite's screams went throughout the whole area. Artemis was afraid someone might hear and wanted to end this quickly. The birth of a god was no easy task. One not knowing if the god would come out full grown or a small normal baby was hard to cope with. Fortunately, Aphrodite's child was a normal sized baby boy with no blemish or disfigurement. The babies cries sounded more like a sweet melody than a annoying whine.
"Ha...ha... I did it." Aphrodite slowly opened her eyes and looked upon the child with dark hair. Her eyes suddenly changed when she stared a bit longer.
"What's that?" Aphrodite pointed to the babies back where small white wings grew outward.
"Wings are very rare for a god to have. You should be proud." Artemis ringed as she folded the child in a warm cloth.
"Give him to me." Swiftly, Artemis handed her sister the child and his cries suddenly stopped. It was no other than the power of love and warmth.
Aphrodite smiled a smile so sweet, it made Artemis believe everything with this birth is fine.
"Eros..."
"What?"
"That's will be his name, Eros...it means love and desire."
"Perfect!" Artemis chimed a smile.
"So, when will you tell Ares and Zeus. Oh, they will be extremely delighted."

A hush went throughout the room when Aphrodite looked at the goddess. She thought and had already planned to keep this a secret from her lover who never loved her.
"...I will never tell Ares.....ever...."
"But father will find out sooner or later."
"Let father find out, but the other gods stay unknowing. That is all I ask." Aphrodite looked deeply into Artemis' eyes.
"You promise to keep this a secret?"
Artemis sighed and thought of how troublesome this situation was.
"...It is not my secret to keep."
"But you have to! You must! I cannot bear it if Ares never speaks to me again..."
Aphrodite clenched the child's hand and looked at his face.
"He can never know..."
"How will you know Ares will never speak with you again? Does he not know who he's slept with?"

Aphrodite ignored the question and kept playing with Eros' little hands.
"I beg of you to keep him safe...that is all I ask of you in this never ending life of mine."

Sigh..."I will keep Eros hidden...for now that is. However, when the truth comes out, do not put the blame on me."
Aphrodite once again smiled and hugged Artemis with complete love and trust.
For Artemis knew she would never tell anyone, not even her closest twin brother Apollo about the child of Aphrodite and Ares.

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Present Day

(Hermes POV)

The wind howled at the setting sky. I hid among-st the trees looking down upon the boy with wings. He seemed vexed while he peeked at the human siblings fighting across the stream. When he did this, his hands moved in a back and forth motion as if he wanted to terminate their violence. He started to mock them while rolling his eyes and sighing constantly. I've noticed this before, but it's more prominent now that Eros acts like a child. A complete child! It's like he's stuck being the age of ten while in a young mans body.

The winged god carefully sat up trying not to make a sound, then stood up and slipped out of the siblings sights. At this moment, I already knew what he was going to do. This is one of the reasons why father wanted a bow and arrow made, so Eros wouldn't have to stumble secretly behind a person and PANG!

A golden light went threw a mini dagger that Eros constructed himself, and pierced the man's back. The man's body shook rapidly as a flash of flaxen came through his chest where his heart should be. The man fell forward causing the women to cease her angry screaming. She instantly fell to her knees as Eros struck her from behind as well. If I didn't already know what Eros was doing, this scene would seem horrific to the naked eye.
To tell the truth, when I first saw this, I almost puked at the sight, but when the people came too, they were infatuated with one another. The once two fighting humans awoke from their ten second dizziness and embraced each other like their lives depended on it. This embrace wasn't a brotherly sisterly love either, as they seemed to osculate like they were lovers once before.

I looked at Eros who was once again laying on his side looking across the river. He yawned and closed his eyes as if what he just did was normal to him. I've seen him perform this act so many times. It didn't matter who or what he did this too, he just seemed bored and didn't want to hear their yelling.

If the bow and arrow were to be given to him, who knows how many people will be in a fraud relationship that was out of their control. And Eros seemed to not care one bit; that part of him reminded me so much of Ares. While his beauty was somewhat similar to Aphrodite. I hate to admit it, but this was indeed their love child. A child who has the power to make people fall in love and against their will, he can start a war.

What Irony....

I began to fly towards Hephaestus's abode and thought about asking him to do fathers task, for this child will start a war between the three gods; Ares, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus.