I sat across from Aphrodite, her electric blue eyes staring into mine. She looked intrigued and interested, eyeing me up and down slowly. She had a look of approval on her face, as though she liked what she saw.
"So, my Lady, why is it you call me the Anomaly?" I finally asked.
She giggled. "Oh, I love it when they play all mysterious~" She grinned as pulled out a mirror about the size of a dinner plate. "Could you hold this for me?"
I raised an eye, but I took it and flipped it towards her.
Her eyes lit up with delight. "Oh my, now this is one beautiful appearance~ A beauty that could rival even the Gods..." She looked over herself slowly. "Lots of different features added together to make an icon of pure beauty... I like it, I might use this from now on," she giggled in delight.
"So then, you asked why I called you the Anomaly, correct?"
"That's right," I nodded, continuing to stare at her calmly.
She chuckled. "Well, after all... It's not every day that we see a child from a Dead Pantheon roaming about."
I just raised an eye at her… They thought that the Aztecs were dead… Strange, given I had memories of this world's Tezcatlipoca… No, wait… Looking more closely at those memories, that felt like Tez talking to me… Hm… Perhaps, in this world, Tez had also had his existence registered. A sort of lingering fragment of Tezcatlipoca that had a child, and then stuck with me…
"You aren't surprised that I know?" She asked. "I thought you'd tense up, be filled with shock, something like that."
"I never pretended like it could be hidden," I told her. "I hid it for as long as was needed. Eventually, someone was going to make the link. Shadows and fire, and a connection to the underworld. Hades does control shadows, but fire is more aligned to your husband..." I paused. "Or is it wife, I didn't get that far in lessons yet."
"Husband," Aphrodite confirmed with amusement, while Ares grunted in distaste from outside- clearly able to hear every word.
"Regardless, I knew that once I killed those skeletons, someone would make the connection..." I looked into her eyes. "And I'm not surprised it was you instead of the Goddess of Wisdom."
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Oh...? Do go on..."
"Do you know why Love is considered one of the most powerful emotions?" I asked her. "Of course you know, because you personify love. And so, you know... Love is cruel. Love is wonderful. It's twisted, and brilliant. Sometimes in love you play dumb, other times you play smart. But almost always, you're trying to control the situation... Manipulation. For you, the Goddess of Love, manipulating others is like second nature to you. After all, you began to manipulate everyone the very day you arrived on Olympus. Had it not been for the Queen of the Heavens, you'd likely be ruling the entire Greek Pantheon."
Aphrodite smiled very slowly and laughed. "Oh my, I'm amazed someone actually noticed," she stared at me deeply. "I'm even more interested in you now, Yuno~"
I felt a blush rise to my face, but I pushed more of my Dark Energy through my body to force it down. "So, for someone as skilled at manipulating others as you are... There's no way you haven't noticed my own subtle manipulations during this quest. The little steps I've taken, the little ways I've acted. Even intentional choices I made to my own potential detriment. Someone so skilled in manipulation, even more than I am... How could I ever consider such a person to be stupid?"
I paused and took a deep breath. "I'm confident that the only reason you aren't hailed as a Wisdom Goddess is because you want people to underestimate you. You want them to perpetuate the image of you just being a love struck sex crazed fool. You don't want them to see the true depths of your genius. Because I might fear a cunning leader... But because you're so focused on the leader, you never stop to think that the most inconsequential soldier might be the most cunning of all."
Aphrodite smiled with delight, her eyes lighting up. "My, my~ You are a smart one, aren't you?" She didn't confirm nor deny my words directly, but her happiness was more than enough of an answer.
"As expected of an Anomaly, you see things in ways that others- even my 'sister,' overlook."
I snorted at the slightly mocking way she referred to Athena as her sister... Truly, there was no love lost between Aphrodite and her maiden sisters. In fact, I could definitely see that Athena still having children via her brain method was likely even more insulting to Aphrodite. A child was meant to be the ultimate culmination of love, the fact Athena had children without any love involved was no doubt infuriating.
As for Aphrodite's countless children? There was no doubt in my mind that Aphrodite loved each and every one of her partners. Maybe she didn't love in the way humans did, but there was no doubt that she loved them. Even when Aeneas founded Rome- which would later be the fall of Greece- she still loved and adored him.
"So, I'm an Anomaly," I spoke, bringing the conversation forward. "The Child of a Dead Pantheon...
And yet, I don't think that alone would be enough... Which means there's something else about me that interests you."
She smiled and grabbed my hands, making me lower the mirror. "You are an interesting child," she told me. "Interesting enough that I believe you might be the one to fulfil my long cherished wish."
Knowing all I did about Aphrodite from this conversation, I didn't need to ask her what her wish was. "The fall of the Maiden Goddesses."
For Aphrodite, the very idea someone would reject love- reject sex- was the highest insult she could ever receive. Hestia, Athena, and Artemis. These three goddesses had rejected love- one out of peace, the other two simply because they didn't want to. Hestia might be able to be forgiven, but Aphrodite wouldn't forgive for too long.
"But I won't worry about that for now," she chuckled. "For now, let's get to the real reason..." She grinned slowly. "Your relationship with Thalia... The way you're manipulating Poseidon's daughter away from Athena's... You're doing very well; I'm very interested in this~"
"Oh?" I raised an eye. "I thought you'd be interested in the children of two people who hate each other getting together."
"Oh, I am," she nodded. "But messing with those fake children of Athena's? That's even more fun~"
She licked her lips. "I'd love to see the girl turned into nothing but a cuckold, only able to paw at her unsatisfied pussy as the two people she wanted to be with fall to a man~" She laughed.
"So then, what is it you want exactly?" I asked her.
She just smiled. "I want you to receive my blessing."
"I respectfully refuse," I turned her down without hesitation.
Aphrodite's blessing would no doubt come with terms and conditions. On top of that, should she bless me, then that might even give her a foothold to enter other worlds. Aphrodite was already dangerous enough in this world, but entering other worlds, with that much love?
She might even be able to rival Gaea at the height of her strength.
"Hm... I expected you'd say no," she admitted. "But that's okay, I'm a very patient woman," she smiled. "This has been a very interesting meeting, and I'll be keeping an eye on you from now on, Yuno~
"For entertaining me, I'll give you some advice... That junkyard you're about to go through is my husband's. Touching things in the Junkyard is fine, but you must not take anything out of the junkyard. You wouldn't like the result~"
"I thank you for the advice, my Lady," I said respectfully and inclined my head slightly.
"I'll be watching you from now on, my little Anomaly~"
With that, the door opened. I merely nodded as I climbed out of the car; my audience with the goddess of love was over.
"Well, I see you enjoyed your talk with the Lady," Ares said, cocking her hips as she raised an eye at me, pushing up her sunglasses.
"I did, it was lovely," I nodded. "Small question, did you come from Hawaii for this talk? Cause those are not winter clothes."
She snorted in amusement. "As a matter of fact- yes. We're going to go back and relax before the Solstice. But make no mistake, she'll be watching you."
"Understood," I nodded. "Well then, as a gentleman, I'll leave you to it."
She barked out a laugh. "Gentleman? The fact the Lady acknowledges you tells me everything I need to know. You're a manipulator, plain and simple- just like her."
I smirked. "And yet, she is the Lady, as you say. Just as I am a Gentleman."
She grinned slowly. "I like you, punk... Wish my girls could find a man half as good as you, then they wouldn't be such fucking disappointments."
"One question," I raised an eye. "Are you going to report me to your father?"
"Hell no," she looked amused. "My siblings call me an attack dog, and they aren't wrong. I acknowledge that I'm nice and simple, I don't overthink things and just do what I'm told. As a result, I can be easy to manipulate... But I'm not stupid like the others think. I know when to push, and when to hold back. Do you really think I'd get by this long with so few punishments from my father if I didn't know how to restrain myself? Nah, he won't hear a word about you from me, 'Mister Anomaly.'
"And besides..." She grinned. "Those Aztecs were always some of my favourites before they bit the dust. Always the bloodiest."
"Another question, if you're willing."
"Go on," she shrugged, knowing Aphrodite would be wanting to make some plans anyway. She had some time before they should go back to Hawaii.
"Besides the Lady, who is your favourite god?" I asked her.
She paused and looked at me. "Why do you ask?"
"So that I can manipulate you later on," I told her. Why hide it from her, after all?
She stared at me incredulously...
And then she laughed. "Hahaha! Fucking hell, you're just as crazy as the Aztecs too! Directly stating you want to manipulate a God? You're out of your mind, boy! That kind of craziness- the insanity..." She licked her lips. "I like that a lot... I might take you for a ride myself one day, if you manage to impress me."
I merely raised an eye, not responding to her words.
"Hm... My favourite God..." She rubbed her chin. "Besides the Lady, of course... Hoh, tough one... Of course, Aunt Hestia is always high on the list... I suppose if I had to choose..." She tapped her chin and nodded. "I guess that its gotta be Eros- my Son."
I raised an eye at her… The God of Love, the child between Ares and Aphrodite… Who knew Ares had such a soft spot for her kids? "May I ask why?"
She snorted as she looked at me. "Don't think I'm that generous. I gave you the answer you want, you'll have to find out the rest on your own," she pinched my cheek. "Don't get cocky, brat."
I just smiled. "You look absolutely ravishing in that dress, Lady Ares. I'm sure Lady Aphrodite won't be able to keep her hands off of you once you get to your villa."
She looked surprised and then grinned, letting me go. "You're damned right~" She turned, hips swaying as she headed back to the limo. "See you later, punk~"
She snapped her fingers, and my world was momentarily covered in red dust. I lifted my arm instinctively to shield my eyes, feeling as though the world were spinning around me.
When it finally stopped, I lowered my arm... I was standing with the rest of the quest group, right in the middle of the Junkyard. No taco restaurant, no town of Gila Claw, no Limo.
Just us in Hephaestus's junkyard, with mountains of scrap all around us.
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