Aphrodite -3-
In truth, when Aphrodite first heard the conditions from the three goddesses—Gaia, Adamantia, and Echidna—she took it to mean they would accept her as one of Heracles' wives.
There was no man who wouldn't desire her, the goddess of love and sexuality. At least, that's what Aphrodite firmly believed without a shred of doubt. And with her infamous girdle of seduction armed and ready, she was certain she'd be sharing his bed by tonight at the latest, tomorrow night at the earliest—then she could return to the three goddesses with a triumphant greeting.
But...
Wait, why isn't he even looking at me?
There was an unforeseen trap, something she hadn't even considered as a potential issue. Heracles showed far less interest in Aphrodite than she'd imagined. No, he wasn't even glancing her way. He moved as if consciously avoiding her gaze, in a strangely deliberate manner.
Aphrodite, who prided herself as Olympus's greatest beauty, was now beyond offended— she was utterly baffled. Meanwhile, Heracles, a married man with three wives, felt equally wronged in reverse. The gulf between their perspectives was so vast that no one else could truly comprehend it.
Why the hell is she keep throwing all this sex appeal at me?
He was a married man with three wives, no less—a guy who honestly felt he had everything he could want from life. Heracles was on the verge of losing his mind. Aphrodite kept dousing him with her allure and closing in, and knowing her notorious promiscuity all too well, he deliberately avoided her to prevent any pointless drama with his wives.
But whether that had stroked her ego or something, she was now radiating even stronger seduction, desperately trying to get close. This back-and-forth between two gods with utterly incompatible mindsets became prime entertainment for the other deities—especially Heracles' wives.
"It's going just like we thought—Heracles is dodging Aphrodite!"
"What an incredible man. Any other male god would've been in bed by now."
"I believed in Heracles from the start."
"...Our mother is trying to seduce him, and he's fleeing that desperately? It's shocking. He can't be... you know, impotent, can he?"
No way, that can't be.
The three powerful goddesses munched on ambrosia and fruit, watching Aphrodite's struggles(?) with keen interest. Beside them, Eros perched on a large fruit basket like a chair, munching grapes and staring in fascination.
It was heartbreaking and frustrating for Aphrodite as a mother, but news of a bet on whether she'd seduce a man or fail had reached Eros, the god of lust and love—and nothing beat this spectacle. He'd long set aside any filial piety toward his mother and joined the three goddesses.
The silver lining was that Aphrodite, frustrated by things not going her way, wasn't even noticing her son's betrayal.
"If he's not impotent, it makes even less sense. Why's he avoiding Mom like that?"
"He said trust is key in marriage, so he can't just fool around."
"He's in his right mind, Heracles is."
"Totally sane. A splendid husband, right?"
"Where? To me, he looks like a properly insane husband."
Eros found the show entertaining but couldn't wrap his head around it. Right now, Zeus had thrown this banquet precisely to cover up his schemes against Heracles. Even the gods in the know had tuned out long ago, no matter how many days or nights it dragged on. Forgetting who was married to whom and indulging in debauchery was par for the course.
With nectar and ambrosia flowing freely, such chaos was routine at Olympian feasts—and Aphrodite was always at the center. In those moments, not even the king and queen of the gods could touch the goddess of beauty and eroticism.
"See? Everyone's starting to get bored."
"Then Aphrodite should just give up on our husband, right?"
"Mom? Give up on a man? Oh, Lady Gaia, you don't know her— she'd chase him to Tartarus if she had to, not just the underworld."
"Now, now, you rascal."
Tartarus, the abyss feared by all gods and mortals of Achaia, was none other than Gaia's womb. Though said in jest, when Gaia feigned a stern look at Eros for poking fun at her own womb, he sprang up from the basket, flapping his wings.
"I'm serious! Mom giving up on a guy she's set her sights on? The island of Rhodes sinking under Grandma Thalassa would happen sooner."
"...Yeah, you're right. That kid's pride won't let her, no matter what."
Echidna giggled for a good while before chiming in agreement with Eros's whiny complaint.
Aphrodite's father was mighty Uranus (the sky), and her mother, if one had to pinpoint, was Thalassa (the sea). As the child of two formidable Protogenoi, Aphrodite's pride was sky-high. She especially harbored fierce rivalry toward Hera, whose domain overlapped with hers. For such a woman to abandon a man she'd targeted? Unthinkable.
"But pride alone won't make it happen. Heracles is even embarrassed about having three wives."
"Lady Adamantia, really?"
"Yeah. Normally, you marry just one for life—unless your souls don't match."
"He's not right in the head, Heracles."
"But I like him that way."
"How the hell did a guy like that marry three goddesses?"
Eros clicked his tongue.
It's your fault, punk.
The words nearly escaped their throats, but the three goddesses desperately swallowed them back.
They were blissfully happy with their devoted husband. Heracles always respected and cherished all three wives. That included Gaia, tormented by her husband Typhon who treated her like an ugly hag despite impregnating her, and by Uranus who hurled her into the abyss for being hideous while pregnant. Adamantia, for whom Heracles was her first love and man, had fallen for him again through his brilliant inventions, deeming him her irreplaceable mate.
"Yawn... Isn't it getting boring now? It's the first time I've felt sorry for Mom."
This capricious god of love could shatter their happiness with a few lead arrows if his mood soured. Echidna, the most sociable of the three—freakishly so for a monster—backed him up again.
"Eros is right. We can't just let it go on like this. Aphrodite might actually cry."
"She's a major goddess; we can't let that happen. Adamantia, what should we do?"
"...Help her, Mom?"
"We egged this on, so it's our responsibility. We can't leave it like this."
As Gaia said with pity, Aphrodite—who'd been huffing at Heracles' cold indifference, not even deigning to look at her—had sunk into a deeply gloomy expression. She looked on the verge of tears, the great goddess of love unable to bear the pain of rejection.
Seeing that, even Adamantia—Heracles' first love—felt a twinge of sympathy for Aphrodite.
"It's real. Like Eros said, she might actually cry."
"What do we do? We don't have a good plan either."
"...There might be a way."
"What do you mean, sis?"
Gaia's eldest, the sharp-minded Adamantia, seemed to have an idea even in this awkward mess. Could she truly have a way to break Heracles' ironclad vow of "My wives will only ever be these three for life"?
Echidna looked stunned at that.
"Sons can never beat their moms."
"But Alcmene's human; we can't bring her to Olympus."
"Hera's here. She's Heracles' stepmother now."
"...But Lady Hera wouldn't cooperate with something like this."
"We have a way. Hera owes us a debt."
"Ah."
Gaia recalled her nightmarish wedding upon hearing that. Hera's eldest son, Hephaestus, had ruined their ceremony—a horrific memory still fresh. Though Hera, as the marriage overseer, hadn't been held accountable then, she technically owed Heracles and the three goddesses.
"But this isn't just settling a debt—it's good for Hera too."
"What do you mean, Adamantia?"
"Hera used our wedding to boost her authority."
"Oh, right. It's a bit sneaky, but if she oversees Aphrodite's remarriage herself, it'll elevate her status."
"If he still says no, that's that—but let's call Hera anyway."
"Thank you so much, Lady Gaia."
It was a sly trial the three had imposed, but Aphrodite was starting to look pitiful. And keeping Eros from boredom was paramount for them. Thus, in that very spot, the bizarre Aphrodite remarriage project kicked off.