The Crowns of the Gods.

Falling in love again Blair/Macaria

Blair spent many days wandering around Olympus, her thoughts consumed by one thing and one thing only: Manny, her ex. Their breakup hadn't been easy; he had been her best friend for ten years. As Blair gazed out at the heroes toiling away in their yard, lost in daydreams of Manny, Aphrodite approached quietly behind her. The goddess of love and beauty exuded an ethereal grace, her presence suffused with an aura of warmth and wisdom.

"True love, at last, mine eyes behold," Aphrodite remarked, her voice melodious and soothing.

"What does that mean?" Blair asked softly, her gaze still fixed on the distant horizon.

"It seems you and Manny are destined for each other," Aphrodite replied with a gentle smile.

"He doesn't seem to think so," Blair said, her voice tinged with sadness, betraying her inner turmoil.

"Both of you have had your own journeys, but now that you've come into your own, his feelings might change. You'll never know until you ask," Aphrodite suggested, her words carrying the weight of centuries of love and loss.

Blair turned to face Aphrodite, meeting her compassionate gaze. "How could we ever make it work? I'll never die, but I'd have to live through watching him and anyone I love after him die," she mused, her voice filled with a poignant reflection on her immortal nature.

"You never know what life may offer, Blair. You possess great power—enough to grant him immortality," Aphrodite said softly, her tone imbued with a hint of encouragement.

"Granting him immortality would upset the balance. I can't do something like that just for my own sake. The consequences would be too much to bear," Blair replied earnestly, her eyes reflecting the weight of her decision.

"You have a wise head on your shoulders. But consider this—talk to him, explain who you are and what you can offer. You might find that the consequences you fear can only arise if it's not true love," Aphrodite suggested gently, her voice a comforting presence amidst Blair's uncertainties.

"Aphrodite?" Blair asked, her voice soft yet probing.

"Yes, child?" Aphrodite replied, turning to face Blair with a serene expression that masked a deep, underlying sadness.

"Who did you lose?" Blair inquired gently, her empathic abilities heightened by proximity to her sisters.

"What do you mean?" Aphrodite deflected, attempting to evade Blair's keen insight.

"One of the perks of being near my sisters is that my empath abilities are heightened. When you speak of love, your sadness is palpable. It nearly knocks me off balance. So, who did you lose?" Blair pressed gently yet persistently.

Aphrodite sighed softly, her demeanor shifting as she realized she couldn't easily deflect Blair's intuitive questions. "My uncle. Many years ago, Hades and I were very close. He met Persephone, had you and Ananke, lost you two, and when he lost you, he blamed me," Aphrodite confessed, her voice tinged with old wounds.

"Why?" Blair asked softly, sensing the weight of history and family dynamics in Aphrodite's revelation.

"Athena and I were supposed to be on watch that night. We never expected our own flesh and blood to betray us. We let her slip by; we didn't even think twice about it. Then we had to admit to them that we had let the person get by us. But she was our grandmother, and we couldn't betray her," Aphrodite explained with a mix of remorse and justification.

"So Hades blamed you for the loss of his children?" Blair clarified, understanding the complexities that had strained their family ties.

"We didn't know Rhea the way he did. We didn't realize how manipulative she was," Aphrodite said sadly, her gaze distant as she recalled past mistakes and misjudgments.