(Aphrodite POV)

100 Years ago, Dionysus threw his national century celebration.
At this time, I was always partying and flirting about without a care in the world.
My top priority was to be the prettiest and most loved person in the world. The men who did not see me most alluring were forced to fall in love with me. With one touch and a taste of my lips, they were mine to control.
All except for one.
Ares, god of war had his sights set on something different. The soul of a warrior and the heart of a child, I wanted them to all be mine.
Of course I didn't hesitate to walk over where Ares was talking Hermes. I put a pretty smile on my face then sat in front of them.

"Aphrodite?" Hermes seemed to leer at me, but the only person I looked upon was Ares. He sat qiuetly, drinking his cold glass of wine. He slowly took his lips away from the glass and licked the dripping liquid from around the rim.

"Have you come to tell us something, Aphrodite?" Ares' eyes flickered to mine in an instant when he spoke my name.

"Why question me? Can't I just come over and socialize with my siblings?"

"Y-yes you can, don't listen to Ares." Hermes smiled with innocence.
"Haha! See Ares, Hermes wants me here."
"I didn't say you couldn't sit here, I said did you want to tell us something." Ares seemed to be drinking more than usual.
"Simple, I didn't want to talk with Athena any longer."

Ares looked around the room until he found Athena. Then he smiled. "I wouldn't want to talk with her either."

"So cruel." I laughed along with Ares. I loved seeing and hearing him laugh.

"Hermes! Come!" Dionysus called for the messenger god.
I sighed with relief because now I was alone with Ares.
Naturally, I stood up and sat beside him. The war god was utterly drunk and shook his head back and forth to keep himself upright.

Leaning closer to Ares, I ran my fingers down his arm.
"Why don't you go lie down and rest."
Ares shook his head and moved away a bit.
I grabbed his arm and felt his muscles. "If you fall out here, you will be at Athenas mercy of the ultimate humliation."

Ares' eyes widened and I knew I had him.
The war God was indeed drunk. To the point where I had to hold him up to walk.
"Ares...can you not hold yourself up?"I said struggling to make it up the stairs.
"Go...get H-Hermes."
"You call for him again? If I'm not mistaken, is he in your sight of interest?"
Ares closed his eyes and sighed. "He's the only one who can h-handle me in this state. That is all."

"Well, Hermes is off somewhere drinking with Dionysus."

"Mmm...Not great."

After we went into my chambers, I laid Ares onto the bed.

"Ares, I want to ask you something?" I said as I sat on the edge of the bed. Slowly, I played with my hair, debating on if I should further this conversation.

"Mm?"

"Do you not find me attractive? I mean, out of all the other gods, you're the one who doesn't spare one look at me?"

Ares didn't answer for a while. I began to think he had fallen asleep.
"... I find that no women is ugly. You just happen to be the prettiest of them all."
My cheeks flushed with red wonder. I was happy with this progression and wanted to take it further.
"Ares?" I said as I leaned over the war god and kissed his soft lips.

Then there were many more times after that.

(3rd Person POV)

"Frankly, who would reject such a willing seduction?"

"No one I guess, I wouldn't really know..." Eros flew low the ground as he followed Ares. "I would rather you didn't tell me about you and my mother's..."

"Aye! I guess that's awkward, haha!"
Eros look at Ares like he was insane. He really had no filter and Eros wondered if he should call him father? Probably not...

The white temple could be seen in the distance and Eros began to hasten his pace. He looked around the field of flowers, but Aphrodite was nowhere to be scene.

"She must be inside?" Eros quickly flew to the front door and easily opened it. Ares was a few steps behind; he seemed to be slowing down the closer they got. The home seemed to be empty and quiet when they looked around. There were no servants to be seen and no furniture out of place. It was just a lifeless sight.

"Mother!" Eros called out and ran into the bright room. Aphrodite sat on the back wall twirling her a piece of her hair.

"Eros." Aphrodite looked up and noticed Ares standing behind him.

"...Yo." Aphrodite swiftly looked away.

"You have nothing to say?"

"What more can I say...you see that he is right here. What more proof do you need?"

"I didn't say I needed proof. I said do you have nothing to say?"

"It's not a big deal is it? Father has many sons and daughters he doesn't know about."

Ares hit the wall beside him making it crumble to pieces. "Don't you dare compare me to that bastard of a father!!"

Ares kicked the rubble around. "Shit!" He kept stomping on the dust, trying to control his anger.

Aphrodite was done. She didn't care who found out about Eros. She was angry with herself. Was this all a part of Zeus's plan?

"I'm sorry I'm being cross, but I don't know what to say or do anymore..." Aphrodite looked down at the floor.
"You probably don't even remember that night. You don't know how I felt. I loved you so much, but...this is how it turned out..."

Ares stopped kicking the rubble on the ground and look at the goddess of love.
"Don't say that when you know nothing."
"I'm just a sister to you..."
"Aye." Ares instantly answered back. "I loathe fake women, I loathe liars, I loathe false lovers, and I loathe dry hearts."

Aphrodite's smirked at the fact Ares was insulting her. "Its sad to see that if Hermes asked the same thing of you that I asked, you would gladly say yes."

"Whatever you want to think..."

"You won't deny it?!"

Ares continued to kick some of the gray rubble. "Like I said before--"

"Yes, that you hate fake women and liars. Same goes for Hermes right?"

"Why do you keep bringing his name into this?! He has nothing to do with this!"

"He does!"
"And why is that?"

"...because he's in love with you!"

"Hahaha!" Ares barked a laugh, "Yeh right."

"It is true. That is why he was mad when he found out about Eros." I glared at Ares who refused to glance my way.

"...Mother, if I may." Eros interrupted. I had almost forgotten he was here this whole time.
He cocked his head to the side before he spoke. "Not to tease, but I'm sure Hermes was not in love with Ares, but was infatuated with you."

Aphrodite felt her eyes widen as she looked upon her son. Eros continued to speak.

"When I met him, he was highly agitated that I was asking about your whereabouts...not Ares." Eros gulped almost silently, like he knew he was crossing a fine line.

"Ha! Problem solved." Ares barked as he leaned against the wall.
We were all silent for a moment because of my false reasoning. Until Ares broke the silence.

"...yet, I can't seem to hate you..."

Both Aphrodite and Eros looked at the war God with shock.

"No matter if you lie, or if you are a hoax." The war God started swinging his left foot,back and forth across the ground. It was noted as a nervous tic of his.

Aphrodite stood up and tears slipped from her eyes.

"...but, we can't- we will not be together?" Ares quickly said.

"Why!? Even after you say that to me and throw me away!"

"Aphrodite, I'll admitt that I think you are beautiful, but I don't feel that type of love for you. Please try to understand." Ares began kicking the tiny pebbles on the ground continuously now.

"I can't believe this! Stop contradicting yourself!"

"Mother, you should not worry about this now, but go speak with Hephaestsus." Aphrodite ignored Eros and walked closer to Ares.

"Why don't we run away?"

"Not in a million years."

"Ares!"

"I told you-"

"Yes, you said that you can't seem to hate me."

Ares began to laugh. "I say that to every woman I've slept with. You think you're the only one who's seduced me? Ha! Don't be a fool."

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you that far under Hades' influence?"

"What did you say!" Ares kicked another hole into wall. "Don't bring uncle into this!"

"That's all you care about!"

"Aye!"

Eros was in a state of hysteria. Were they really having this pointless fight? Frankly, Eros didnt know who was right or cared about their feelings, he only worried for Hephaestsus.

"Listen Aphrodite, I've tried to let you off easy, yet you keep pestering me."

"And I will keep doing so."

"See, that's why--"

"JUST BE SILENT AND SPEAK THE TRUTH!!" Eros blew a fuse and pulled an arrow from his sack.

"Eros? What--"

"This is what you want right mother? I can do this here and now."

"What is he talking about?" Ares said confused.

"With this one shot, Ares will it have eyes for you and you won't have to worry about anything else."
Eros pulled the arrow back on the string and it began to glow.

"Ares will be in love with you. That's what you want is it not?"

"Wait! Don't aim that at me." Ares began to back up.

"Then say what you mean! Both of you. Do you love my mother or not?"

The war God took a deep breath then scratched his head. He looked around and jolted with many facial expressions.

"...No. I'm sorry if I made it seem that way, I just wanted to let you down easy."

Aphrodite fell to the ground and sighed. She had heard this rejection for the first time. In the past, she would have never been able to let this go no matter what. For all she wanted was Ares to woo her as she did to him.
The goddess of love wipes her tears away and sighed with relief.
"A weights been lifted." The beautiful goddess began to laugh.
"That's what I wanted to know all of these years. I've been a fool thinking that I loved you because you didn't love me, but actually hearing that you have no feelings for me at all makes my heart feel better."
Aphrodite looked up at Ares then smiled.
"Crazy right?"

"...Aye..."

"Well..." Aphrodite yanked off a golden bracelet. She stared at it for a while remembering when Ares gave it to her as a gift.

"I can finally give up." She stood up and handed him the golden band, "Here."
Slowly, Ares took the circlet and glared at it. He looked at it for longer than he expected to.

Aphrodite looked upon Ares one last time, forcing herself to give up all hope. But she knew she would never forget that night.

Aphrodite slowly looked away from the war God. "Well Eros, let us be off. You know where Hephaestsus is right?"

"Heh, I do." Eros jumped up and down with excitement and followed his mother out the door, but not without taking one last look at Ares.
He stood still staring at the golden band, then crushed it with the palm of his hand. Golden sprinkles slid from his palm and down to the dirty ground. All that was left to see was the dense gray stone and then he spoke as if he were alone...

"Seems like I made a mistake...now I need someone to lift this weight in my heart." Ares finally spoke.