Aphrodite threw her arms around my neck, her body pressing tightly against mine. Her warmth, almost overwhelming, made it impossible to ignore the intimate closeness. Her laughter, light and lodious, carried an unsettling undertone—like a breeze that seed too gentle to carry the storm you knew was coming. "Ahaha, Hades! I'm so happy you're here!" she chid, her breath brushing against my ear.
"I never thought you'd actually visit . Does this an you're finally taking my advice? Maybe seeking true love?"
True love. The words grated against my every instinct. Aphrodite loved to toy with , throwing out that phrase like a taunt, knowing how little patience I had for such things. She had sung this tune too many tis before, as if repeating it would sohow make it real. But her excitent today felt different—more invasive, more desperate, even.
I suppressed a shiver as her perfu, sweet and intoxicating, filled my senses.
Gently but firmly, I pried her arms from around my neck, stepping back to reclaim so distance. "Aphrodite, you're a goddess. There's a way you should carry yourself," I muttered, trying to maintain so composure. She had the air of a younger sibling who never knew when to stop pushing.
But before I could finish, she grabbed my hand, her touch like a silk snare, and tugged toward a velvet sofa draped in soft, shimring fabric. She practically shoved onto it, her body settling too closely beside mine. The sofa creaked under our combined weight, and it was hard to ignore the palpable energy radiating off her.
I stayed still, not wanting to show how uncomfortable I was being this close to her. Her proximity wasn't just unsettling—it was dangerous.
She tilted her head, watching with a strange mix of amusent and curiosity. Her eyes sparkled like they held secrets I wasn't prepared to uncover. "You're still so stiff, Hades. So cold. What happened to you?" Her voice took on a sharper edge as she leaned in slightly. "I can sense it, you know.
Your Arcane is low. You've always been good at hiding your weakness, but not this ti. You're depleted, aren't you? Could it be… that old injury again?"
Her words cut deep, and I found myself tensing despite my best efforts. Aphrodite was perceptive—more so than she let on. For all her airheadedness and flirtations, she could see more than most gods gave her credit for. She was the goddess of love, after all, but love wasn't her only power. I had forgotten how sharp her instincts were.
Without waiting for to respond, she gracefully stood and drifted over to a small ornate shelf. She picked up a slender bottle filled with a shimring blue liquid that seed to glow faintly in the dim light of her quarters. Returning to my side, she held it out with a knowing smile.
"You rember this, right? Arcane fluid. One sip will restore a lot of your energy. Just enough to keep you on your feet. But don't overdo it," she warned, her voice almost teasing. "Too much of it will burn you out from the inside."
I took the bottle from her, its weight familiar in my hand. The fluid inside was thick, swirling like liquid sapphire. I hesitated for a mont before bringing it to my lips, taking a asured sip. Imdiately, I felt it—the surge of energy rushing through my veins, sharpening my senses, easing the dull ache that had settled in my bones.
It was like waking from a long, deep slumber, my strength returning in waves. The temptation to drink more was strong, but I handed the bottle back, resisting the urge. Aphrodite's eyes glittered with amusent as she took it, almost impressed by my restraint.
"Why are you being so generous?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my tone. Aphrodite had never been one to offer anything without expecting sothing in return. "You and I have never exactly seen eye to eye."
She shrugged, her lips curling into a coy smile. "Maybe I'm just feeling charitable today. Or maybe… you earned a favor after that little incident with the golden apple."
I felt my muscles tense at the ntion of the apple. The cursed apple. My mind flashed back to that mont, the golden fruit gleaming in my hand, a dangerous allure that still haunted .
"Is that what this is about?" I asked, my voice low, a thin thread of anger simring beneath it.
She shifted, the playfulness in her deanor fading slightly. "You're not the only one who's been thinking about it, Hades. After Hers' death, I started wondering… why would you, of all gods, host such a ridiculous contest? You, who barely set foot outside your underworld unless absolutely necessary. It didn't take long to realize that sothing wasn't right. The apple—it was poisoned, wasn't it?"
I clenched my fists, trying to control the surge of anger that flared inside . My mind raced, thoughts spiraling. How did she know? How much did she really understand?
"I didn't poison the apple," I said, my voice harsh. "But soone did. And that's what I'm trying to figure out."
Aphrodite watched carefully, her smile softening. "I know you didn't. But the question remains—how did you get it? And why did you pass it on to us?"
Her words hung in the air, laden with accusation, but also genuine curiosity. I looked at her, trying to read her expression, to gauge if there was sothing more she wasn't saying. Before I could respond, she turned and began to unzip her dress.
"Aphrodite," I said, my voice warning, but she ignored , letting the fabric fall from her shoulders and down her back. I braced myself for so new form of seduction, so ploy to manipulate further.
But what I saw made my blood run cold.
Black, spiraling tendrils marked her skin, like creeping vines etched deep into her flesh. The mark pulsated, faint wisps of dark smoke rising from it, alive with a sinister energy.
"Do you see it?" she whispered, her voice strained.
For a mont, I couldn't speak. My mind raced as I stared at the dark pattern twisting across her skin, moving, writhing as if it had a will of its own.
"You've got a tattoo?" I finally managed, my voice barely audible.
Aphrodite spun around, anger flashing in her eyes. "It's not a tattoo, Hades! This… this is a curse."
I stood, stepping closer to examine the mark. It wasn't just a simple curse. This was sothing ancient, sothing dark, unlike anything I had ever encountered. The tendrils seed to pulse with every beat of her heart, coiling tighter and tighter.
"Who did this to you?" I asked, my voice low, filled with a mix of shock and fury. "Curses like this shouldn't even exist."
Aphrodite's body trembled as she clutched her arms around herself. "I don't know who," she said, her voice shaking. "But I've had this mark for as long as I can rember. It binds … prevents from ever feeling love. The goddess of love, cursed to never experience it herself. I can make others fall in love, but ?
I'll never feel it."
I stared at her, disbelief and anger swirling inside . A curse that could strip a god of their very essence? This was beyond anything I had expected.
"Why are you telling this now?" I asked, pacing the room as my thoughts raced. "You think I can break it?"
Aphrodite's eyes t mine, her gaze pleading. "You're the god of death, Hades. If anyone can undo this curse, it's you. Please… help . Break this curse, and I'll give you the golden apple. I'll give you whatever you want."
Her voice cracked, the desperation in her words raw and undeniable. For the first ti in a long ti, I felt sothing stir inside —sothing more than the usual cold detachnt I carried.
"I'll try," I said, my voice cold but honest. "But I make no guarantees."
Relief washed over her face as she retrieved the golden apple from a hidden drawer and handed it to . It shimred in the low light, its surface smooth and perfect, but the mont I touched it, I felt it again—the wrongness, the darkness that seed to cling to it. This apple was more than a symbol; it was a weapon.
Just as I grasped it, my phone rang.
I hesitated, then answered, my pulse quickening. "Hades," I said, my voice sharp.
"Detective Pine from the BAI Corps," a voice crackled through the line. "I regret to inform you… we've just recovered the body of your assistant, Talos."
Ti seed to stop as the words echoed in my ears. Talos… dead? How...?
The ride wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
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