Chapter 218: Chapter 62
Aphrodite folded her hands together, elbows resting lightly on the table, her smile never wavering as her gaze shifted between the two women before her.
Hera’s eyes burned like molten gold, and for a moment, Aphrodite thought that her friend might lash out without warning.
The silence dragged, heavy and hostile, until Hera finally spoke, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.
"So it’s true," Hera said, her tone trembling between rage and anguish. "You dared. You laid your filthy hands on him."
Aphrodite’s smile only widened, though inside she felt her chest tighten from the venom in Hera’s words.
’So direct. She doesn’t even hide it. How unlike her.’
"I didn’t dare," Aphrodite replied sweetly, her tone dripping with mock innocence. "He let me. He wanted me."
She leaned forward, her lips curving as she added in a hushed, almost intimate tone, "And you should know, my dear Hera, once Hades decides that he wanted something, no one can take it from him."
Hera’s hands clenched, the table rattling beneath her divine strength.
Her hair flickered like flames, her divine authority pressing forward for a split second before she wrestled it back under control.
"You think this is some game?" she spat. "You—of all goddesses—dare to claim the lord of the underworld as if he were some prize to flaunt?"
Her voice wavered as her hand pressed against her chest, as though holding herself together. "Marriage is mine. Devotion is mine. He is mine."
Aphrodite tilted her head, feigning curiosity. "Yours? Funny. I don’t recall seeing you in his chambers last night."
She let the words hang for a moment, her tone sharp as a blade hidden behind her smile. "Nor the night before. Nor ever, for that matter."
For the love of everything divine, she is enjoying this! Aphrodite almost couldn’t resist laughing out loud.
Glare, glare all you want! I just love the fact that you hated what I did, but can’t do anything to me!
Hera’s divinity flared again, raw and uncontained, but Hecate’s voice broke through before Hera could erupt.
Aphrodite actually sighed in relief. Although she enjoyed messing with them like this, it’s really dangerous.
"Enough," Hecate said quietly, her tone cold, cutting in its restraint. "We are all part of Lord Hades’ patrons, infighting is absolutely not allowed, and this is not the time for hysterics."
She finally turned her gaze fully on Aphrodite, her eyes narrowed, her voice steady but trembling at the edges with a bitterness Aphrodite could taste.
"Tell me, goddess of love, do you understand the storm you’ve created? Do you realize the hearts you’ve shattered with your selfish indulgence?"
Aphrodite leaned back, laughing softly, though there was no mirth in it. "Storms, shattered hearts, selfishness? My dear Hecate, do not lecture me on matters of love. I am love. I am desire. I am the very force that makes even gods kneel. If you couldn’t keep his attention, that isn’t my fault. That is yours."
For the first time, Hecate’s composure cracked—her hand trembled visibly against her cup, though she quickly steadied it.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she lowered her gaze as though shielding the fury in her eyes.
Aphrodite’s thoughts churned behind her bright expression.
’So brittle, the both of them. Hera burns like fire, Hecate hides behind shadows, but in the end, they are no different. Both wanted him, both failed, and both blame me for succeeding. How delicious.’
She let the silence stretch for a heartbeat, then added softly, almost teasingly, "Don’t look at me as if I stole him. Hades is not a trinket you can lock away. He has a choice. He always has a choice. And last night... he chose me."
Hera slammed her hand on the table, the sound echoing through the hall, her face twisted with fury.
Even Hecate, composed as she was, couldn’t help but glare at the goddess of love.
After awhile, Hera took a deep breath, calming herself. She glanced at the tea and decided to take a sip to calm her nerves.
If she remained this tense, she might accidentally kill Aphrodite.
Aphrodite leaned back in her seat, lips curling into that maddening smile that always seemed to linger between mockery and genuine charm.
Her fingers tapped lightly against her teacup, and her gaze wandered between Hera and Hecate, watching every twitch, every subtle shift of expression with the keen delight of someone who knew she had the upper hand.
"You both look so tense," she said softly, voice smooth, teasing, almost playful, "like maidens caught sneaking into their first forbidden tryst. Relax. There’s no need for daggers in your eyes or frost in your words. I’m not here to gloat... well, maybe a little."
She gave a laugh, light and warm, though her words were barbed enough to sting.
Hera’s knuckles tightened around her cup, and for a moment the porcelain threatened to crack under the weight of her grip.
The goddess of marriage glared at her, lips pressed into a thin line, but she did not immediately respond.
That in itself was telling, and Aphrodite’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
She tilted her head, deliberately letting her golden hair slide down one bare shoulder, her tone lilting as she added, "You two should not scowl so much at me. I am the goddess of love. I’m not like you two. Do you think I would ever stand in the way of those who desire? What kind of goddess would I be if I hoarded him all to myself? Love does not belong in chains."
The words hung heavy in the room, and even Hecate’s calm mask cracked a little, her fingers twitching against the fabric of her robe.
That’s right. These two should be grateful that it was her who had been chosen by Hades. After all, if it was either of them, then there is really no chance for others to be with Hades.
But Aphrodite is the goddess of love, if there are others who wanted to pursue Hades, she’d even gladly help them if they ask.
Everyone should be free to love whoever they want, and be together with them.
Aphrodite leaned closer across the table, voice dropping, soft but piercing, as if she were whispering temptation itself into their ears.
"Hades is the king of underworld, he is not a man who belongs to only one woman. We all know this. His presence is too vast, his shadow too deep. Even if I hold him, even if I warm his bed, it does not mean there is no place for you."
Hecate’s lips parted, the faintest tremor in her voice as she replied, "You speak of sharing as if it were a gift... as if we should be grateful for crumbs of affection."
But though she said the words, there was no conviction behind them. Her eyes flickered away, betraying the storm of conflict in her heart.
She wanted him. She wanted to be his only one, his equal, his queen in the dark. But Aphrodite’s words had lodged like thorns in her chest, reminding her of reality.
He had chosen, and she was not the first.
If she did not agree to this, then she can only watch as the man she loves be with someone else.
Aphrodite smiled wider, almost cruel, though her tone remained honeyed. "Not crumbs, Hecate. A feast. If you take the courage to reach for it. Do you think I would ever deny you? Or you, Hera?"
Her gaze slid to the goddess of marriage, and her eyes gleamed with sharp amusement. "I saw the way you trembled when I said his name. Do not try to deny it. The weight in your chest, the pull that drags at your soul, that is love, however you may dress it in pride or call it shame."
Hera’s shoulders stiffened, and for the first time her composure cracked.
Her divine aura flickered violently, and Aphrodite could almost feel the woman’s soul tearing itself in half.
Hera’s domain of marriage, of vows and binding unions, screamed at her, reminding her that this was betrayal, that it was unworthy of her dignity, that she should be the only one bound to Hades and no other.
Yet, she couldn’t deny the fact that Hades did not choose her. That no matter how much she believes that she is Hades’ wife, in the end, it is only her fantasy.
He chose Aphrodite. And if she didn’t agree with Aphrodite’s words, she will have to endure pain and torment every time she sees him with another woman.
"I cannot," Hera whispered, more to herself than to Aphrodite, her voice trembling, her eyes burning with a mix of rage and despair. "My domain does not allow it. I am marriage itself. The embodiments of faithfulness. How could I betray what I embody?"
Aphrodite reached out, her fingers brushing against Hera’s trembling hand, and for once her smile softened, gentle, almost pitying.
"Hera, my dear, think of it like this; if we all marry Hades, then we are all his wives. So technically speaking, he is not cheating, because we are his wives! Surely, your domain can go around that."
Hera’s eyes widened at that. When she thought about, Aphrodite’s right! It doesn’t matter how many girls there are, as long as they are all married to Hades, and Hades himself remain faithful to his wives, then there is no problem...right?
Hecate looked at Hera, then at Aphrodite, her voice steadier now though tinged with bitterness. "So there really is no choice? Either we agree to you and endure sharing his love, or refuse and endure this pain of not getting his love."
She chuckled bitterly, "Why must love hurt so much?"
Aphrodite’s laughter rang out again, soft but bright. "Of course it hurts. That is love. But what hurts more, Hecate? To love him and know he loves you back, even if not only you? Or to sit in silence, pretending you feel nothing, while another woman takes everything?"
She leaned back, smug, satisfied, her voice rich with cruel kindness. "I chose the former. And you may call me shameless, but I have never once regretted it."
The room fell quiet, save for the soft clinking of Hera’s trembling cup against its saucer.
Aphrodite’s eyes danced with amusement as she watched them both, knowing her words had sunk deep, knowing she had planted seeds that would bloom no matter how they tried to deny it.