Chapter 36: Uneasy Premonition -4-
Gaia the goddess had issued such a blatant warning before departing, but Zeus wasn't one to cower. Even though the very subject, Hebe, had been whisked away by Gaia, he stubbornly refused to give up and summoned his faithful messenger, Hermes.
"You called for me, Lord Zeus?"
"Perfect timing, Hermes. Go fetch Aphrodite and Eros for me. Tell them I wish to see them."
"Understood. I'll relay the message."
Hermes, who appeared at Zeus's summons, vanished from sight after hearing the command. Though he was Zeus's son, Hermes was always obedient, never once defying his father's words—a thoroughly satisfactory and praiseworthy child. Zeus had a tendency to favor the illegitimate offspring from his affairs, whether he admitted it or not. His legitimate sons with Hera were all potential heirs to his throne, making them too awkward to keep close.
Just as Hera had schemed before, Zeus now plotted to use Aphrodite and Eros to push forward a marriage arrangement, blissfully unaware of their actual circumstances.
"Mother, why are you pacing around like that?"
"You little rascal Eros, when have I ever paced? I'm just... pondering a bit."
"You're turning down even Ares's invitation to meet—what on earth could be troubling you so much, Mother?"
"It's nothing, really. Hmm... just calming my nerves after that fright with those hideous giants. Yes, that's it."
In the palace of Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and eroticism—one of Olympus's grand halls—a peculiar standoff unfolded. Aphrodite prowled her chambers like a restless puppy desperate to go out, while Eros struggled to stifle his laughter, relentlessly prodding her. To Eros, the sight of Heracles swooping in like a perfectly timed savior, only for his mother to keep fidgeting ever since, was pure comedy. It was hilarious that this had happened without him even firing a single arrow.
"...Why hasn't he called for me?"
That was Aphrodite's dilemma. As the goddess of love and eroticism, she knew full well how easily young men's lust could boil over. That's why she'd indulged mainly in her affair with the handsome, hot-tempered Ares. He was a passionate lover who ignited quickly, delighting her every time. Though neither her husband Hephaestus nor her common-law partner Ares, Heracles had certainly earned a spot in her bed a few times over for saving her. To her, it was only natural—a fitting reward, something that simply had to be done.
Yet Heracles neither summoned her nor visited her palace, no matter how much time passed. That irked her.
"......Eros."
"Yes, Mother?"
"I'm exceedingly beautiful, aren't I?"
"Of course! You're the greatest beauty in all Achaea, Mother."
"Hmph, that's right. Of course I am."
Her son's flattery eased her foul mood a touch. In her own estimation, her long, glossy black hair cascading like silk, ruby-red eyes, delicate features, apricot-tinted cheeks flushed with health, and lips that drew men in with their natural rosy hue—without need for floral gloss—were perfection. Add to that breasts rivaling even Gaia's in voluptuousness, a nipped waist soft with flesh, and hips flowing into thighs in a dizzying curve that left men's loins in disarray, and her figure was a siren unmatched. She didn't lag behind Gaia or the newly famed beauty goddess Adamantia in allure by any means.
"So why hasn't that man called for me?"
"Mother, what are you talking about?"
"Heracles. Heracles."
"What about Heracles, Mother?"
"He saved my life—and yours. Well, precisely, my chastity."
"That's true, Mother."
"So naturally, he'd want his due reward. How can you be so dense?"
"......"
Eros barely suppressed a massive burst of laughter. His doting mother Aphrodite might be the goddess of love and eroticism, but her pride was sky-high and notoriously unyielding—she'd never admit to waiting on a man. Not even for Achaea's famed heartthrob Heracles, her deserving benefactor worthy of her bed. If Eros had cracked here, he'd have been banned from her palace for ages.
"But there's Gaia, Adamantia, and even Echidna—all goddesses of formidable caliber. His bed must never go cold."
"Mm, you're probably right. I forgot they come in a set of three. With three wives, he might not have a free moment."
"Especially since one is the famously fertile Echidna, and another is the primordial goddess Gaia herself. It's a miracle Heracles hasn't wasted away, Mother."
"True enough. We can't overlook that. No helping it, then—I'll have to approach him first myself..."
"Lady Aphrodite, are you in?"
"Who dares knock so rudely on thisAphrodite's palace doors?!"
Eros choked back his laughter with a straight face, spinning some shameless yet plausible excuse. Aphrodite's demeanor softened noticeably. Perhaps fortunate, she'd even resolved to take the bold step of approaching Heracles directly. But that ambitious plan shattered with the sudden arrival of the uninvited guest, Hermes.
The great goddess of eroticism nearly ejected the rude intruder on the spot, but the mention of Zeus's summons forced her to compose herself instantly.
"Lady Aphrodite, Lord Zeus urgently wishes to see you."
"Oh, Hermes, what an honor for you to come in person. Give me a moment to prepare, and I'll be right with you."
"Very well, Lady Aphrodite."
Aphrodite straightened her attire, meticulously checking for any flaws, then followed Hermes to Zeus's palace audience chamber. The sky god's majestic, awe-inspiring hall held only Zeus seated alone—an oddity. But like Eros with her, she tactfully ignored it and bowed politely.
"You summoned me, Lord Zeus?"
"Ah, Aphrodite, come in. I called Eros too, but he didn't come."
"He detests audience chambers. If you have tasks for Eros, just tell me, Lord Zeus. I'll see them done without fail."
"Reliable as ever. Then I'll trust you, Aphrodite, with an important request."
The next words from Zeus's mouth shattered Aphrodite's composure like glass.
"I want you to pair my daughter Hebe with the hero-god Heracles. Tell Eros to prepare a golden arrow."
"...Pardon?"
"...What's wrong, Aphrodite?"
Her voice flipped at the mention of matching Hebe with Heracles. Gaia and Adamantia were her equals in stature, so she overlooked them. Echidna, mother of monsters, was one too, but as Gaia's daughter, her rank was unquestioned. But Hebe? How could Hebe—Zeus and Hera's daughter—marry the man Aphrodite had set her sights on?
"Forgive me, Lord Zeus, but I fear I don't grasp your intent. Might I ask why you wish to pair Hebe—your and Lady Hera's daughter—with Heracles?"
"Mm, fair question. As you know, Heracles earned great merit in this war. I mean to reward him with my precious daughter."
"......"
Aphrodite was dumbfounded. Zeus's gall in calling Hebe "precious"—when he only ever had her serving ambrosia and nectar to the gods—was one thing. But settling war merits with a single marriage? Absurd. And to lose her prey this way? Fury sparked in her eyes unbeknownst to her.
Recalling how Zeus had finally shoved the forced-marriage Hephaestus off to the underworld, only for her coveted prize to slip away now...
"Forgive my impertinence, Lord Zeus. I have a better idea for this matter. Would you hear it?"
"A better idea? Now that piques my interest. Speak."
The brazen sky god grinned, urging her on. But Aphrodite's gaze burned with resolve. Freedom won at last after Hephaestus's departure—thanks indirectly to Heracles. She had no intention of letting that freedom's prize be snatched away. Steeling herself, she resolved to voice a proposal that would leave even Zeus reeling.