Aphrodite's Choice

Chapter 42 – The Other Lover

Even as she laughed and talked with her guests, Aphrodite was unable to get his husband off her mind. And neither did she stop Ares from playing the role of her lover.

Whilst she had found it a nuisance to play along, as time went by, she found that acting as Ares’ lover had unintentional benefits: the more time she spent with Ares, the fewer nightmares about Hephaestus she endured. It was definitely not because she enjoyed his company, or because she found his jokes funny. As such, Aphrodite was annoyed when Ares had not turned up to her party. Normally he would be there before her, or even if he was late, he would stick to her unwaveringly.

Aphrodite tilted her head, curious as to why his usual pattern was broken.

“Aphrodite, shall I pour you more wine?”

“No, it’s fine.”

She put her goblet down and scanned through the crowd of guests. Everyone was engrossed with drinking away in their close circles, and she didn’t feel like joining any of them.

I guess it leaves me with no choice, I’ll just go for a stroll.

She quietly got out of her seat so as not to draw attention to herself, and slowly left the room and into the empty corridor. A thick arm appeared and wrapped itself around Aphrodite’s waist. As she felt her feet leave the ground, she screamed in surprise.

“Kyahh!”

“Shh, It’s me, Ares.”

The stranger may have identified himself, but knowing that it was Ares didn’t put her mind at ease.

“Let me go!”

Surprisingly, Ares immediately obeyed. He withdrew his hand and smiled widely, unlike his usual reaction of getting annoyed. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes and glared at Ares, suspicious of him and his actions.

“What are you up to?”

“What?”

“You’re not acting like you normally do.”

“Oh my, were you upset that I came late?”

Again with the relaxed, nonchalant behaviour. He wasn’t acting like himself at all.

“I am speechless.”

“Can’t you say that you felt a little bit upset, even if they are empty words?”

“Why would I bother saying empty words?”

“Ah, I get it. I’m not in a position to expect such things from you.”

Now he was being humble? This was too much. Aphrodite wondered if the person in front of her was another person disguised as Ares.

“Ares?”

“What?”

“Are you really Ares?”

“If then who would I be?”

“Maybe Hermes?”

If one were a messenger god who liked to play tricks on others, it was possible for him to pull off such an act. But she must have guessed wrongly, as Ares bent over laughing. The movement caused Hera’s medal to swing from his chest. And then, everything was cleared up. It was basic etiquette to remove the medal before coming to see her. Seeing his inconsiderate mannerism, she was fully convinced that the man in front of her was Ares after all.

Ares stood up tall, tucking Hera’s medal beneath his cloak.

“There is a place I want to go with you.”

“What do you mean, a place?”

“It’s the perfect place with gorgeous scenery, perfect to stay over. If you were upset because I was late, then my excuse is that I was busy getting my final preparations in.”

Ares had a habit of going on and on even before he was asked a question. On one hand, it meant that he was honest. On the other, he was a self-centered narcissist who didn’t know when and where to shut up.

Aphrodite had no intention of correcting him, but sometimes she questioned the way Hera brought up her children. Ares led her to his special place, talking the entire journey there.

Then, a moment later, he stopped.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes.”

On a gentle hill, there was a spotless pavilion built of the finest white marble with golden embellishment, surrounded by fragrant flower bushes. In the centre of the pavilion was a large, round bed, similar to that found at the bottom of a bird cage. The rims were gold, and the bedding was of the highest quality.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Ares asked, pride in his voice.

“Well, it’s not bad.”

No, it was in fact brilliant. So much so, that Aphrodite changed her mind about criticizing Ares. However, something was off. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something was bothering her. The more she examined it, the more she started to realise that she had never seen anything like this before on Olympus.

“Was there something like this here?”

“I heard it appeared some time ago.”

“Some time ago? If someone has already used it, then I decline.”

“As expected, how picky.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Ares smirked. He seemed unbothered.

“Yes, yes. I knew you would be like this so I told my subordinates to reserve this place.”

“Reserve?”

“Yes, ever since it was first found.”

“Of course, you did.”