Aphrodite's Flame

24.

As Summer fades into the earthy tones of Autumn, I'm getting up before Adonis is awake. I wash myself in the river, as the water hasn't cooled down completely yet. After that I put on some clothes and leave my handsome mortal lover. 

'I'll be back in three days,' I promise him. 'Do you feel like hunting while I'm away?' He shrugs and I know something is on his mind, and I know he wants to avenge his own death even if he won't tell me. I kiss him with all the love I feel for him in my body, tell him I love him, although it feels more difficult this time around - more like hot iron in my throat - and I leave for Olympus.

Both Artemis and I follow our winding way up to Court. She looks different from last time.

'Did you make up with Apollo?' I ask her. She smiles at me. When Artemis is content she has the most beautiful smile.

'Yes. A hundred years without my brother - or rather him a hundred years without me has been plenty.' I'm happy for her, the whole situation was eating at her as well.

'Good for you. What brought you back together?'

'I met someone. She is amazing. I favoured her and all she wants is to stay with me. She and I talked and somehow it clicked. It had been long enough.' I grin and wiggle my eyebrows. She always preferred our own, gentler kind.

'What's her name?'

'Callisto.' I've heard that name before, not too long ago. 'She's a princess. Beautiful like a princess, too, and witty.' Cato. Cato never spoke badly of her sister. She even said Callisto saved her - now I know why. They have the same ideas. Artemis passionately tells me all about her new favourite while my thoughts linger on Cato.

'What about Heath?' Artemis abruptly asks. I look up.

'Heath?' 

'Yeah, your future husband. Hephaestus is so long and weighty, Hermes and I call him Heath. Hasn't he told you?'

'I'm afraid we rarely talk. There's little I know about Heath or Heph or whatever his name is.' That ugly grump is sitting in his cave while I avoid both Hephaestus and Zeus in the hopes they will both forget about this dumb sentence.

No such luck, apparently.

The reason Artemis and I are going up to Olympia is because a hero was born this morning. I don't recall Hephaestus ever attending this sort of thing - he always has his gifts delivered to the pile, but never visits himself. Except for today,  apparently. He is sitting quietly with Hermes, holding a cup of golden nectar and scanning the room with his dark eyes.

If anything I daresay the god has actually washed himself.

When he sees me, he nods in acknowledgement. Artemis touches my arm and directs us toward the pile of gifts for the newborn. Artemis has crafted a bow for him, which I know will be a favourite of his in the future. I immediately recognise the shield Athena has gifted him and the helmet Ares must have put here. No need to ask who is responsible for the beautiful sword sticking out the pile. I look for Hephaestus in the crowd and we make eye contact. This sword is the very thing he was working on when I first visited him.

'Is that Aphrodite?' I hear someone whisper. I clench my fists when I hear the other female huff. 'Isn't she with the mortal youngster?'

'Yeah, wanna bet she would bed the child Herakles as well?' I'm not the violent kind, otherwise I would have hurt them. I walk away from the shameless gossip with great strides and sit myself down on one of the fountains. Again I find myself looking for Hephaestus. It's weird how often I see him all of the sudden. I'm still uncomfortable seeing him as my fiance.