Two months after Hephaestus' death. Two months of constant discord between the gods, they were troubled and in turmoil, unsure of who would dare to kill one of their kind, of what creature was that powerful to send the god of forge all the way to the Tartarus without a chance to come back. No trace to follow, no hints neither trusthworthy testimonies of who would do such atrocity to one of the kindest olympians.
Zeus was seated on his throne, once again hearing over and over again how the rest of his gods debated whether the killer was a mortal or a demigod. Some even suggested that it could have been Hermes himself, but the poor messenger was still too traumatized to be considered a main suspect. The endless discussion was starting to get to the king of gods' nerves, he was beyond annoyed and frustrated to hear his kind so fearful of whatever force had killed Hephaestus. The collective panic will not bring anything god, and Zeus knew that perfectly. He raised his hand, casting a cloud big and dense enough to strike the loudest of thunders.
"Quiet!" Zeus growled angrily at the same time the lightning bolt struck the ground, destroying the concrete and leaving a hole on the floor that eventually repaired itself.
The leader of olympus looked at every single one of his olympians, not sure of what was he looking for. With a heavy sigh coming out of his lips, he turned to one of the only divinities he would trust, Athena. His favorite daughter.
"Do you have any leads?" He asked, his voice tired.
Athena looked over at her father, before she shook her head. Even if she did have a lead, it was too confussive to be considered a good hint on where to start investigating. She casted an owl out of a cloud, and sent it to the human realm for exploration. Zeus was not pleased to see the smartest goddess in Olympus unsure of her own actions. He was tired, exhausted and beyond frustrated. With a dismissal hand, he ended the meeting among gods, silently commanding them all to leave the throne hall. As Zeus watched every olympian leave, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the evident absence of a certain goddess.
Aphrodite never participated in any of the discussions, pretending she was grieving the death of her husband. But in reality, she was in the mortal realm, dancing and wandering around the forest between Cyprus and Rhodes, enjoying her 'much deserved' freedom from a marriage she did not want in the first place. Today she was exploring Rhodes, barely disguising herself with a cloak that was whiter than snow itself. She did not care of being seen, let alone get killed by whatever killed Hephaestus. She was free, and that was what mattered.
After roaming around the beautiful island and taking her time to admire the enormous statue of her friend Helios, she found a nearby shack, one that seemed abandoned enough for her to sneak inside. As she got to the entrance, she noticed the locked door, and decided to just walk around the shack to find a back entrance. Instead, she was mesmerized with the sight of a beautiful garden. Daisies, roses, violets and trees with various fruit adorned the space behind the shack. She gave in to curiosity, and without a second thought, she jumped over the small fence and walked around the garden, admiring the flowers and trees, even taking her time to take an apple and enjoy the sweet taste of it. Ambrosia was delicious, she could not lie. But there was always a certain something to everything she would find in the mortal realm.
She continued to enjoy her apple as she continued to admire the flowers, taking her precious time to lie down on top of a small bunch of roses, not caring about how well taken-care of they were. She enjoyed the natural cushion the flowers brought, and even fell asleep for what felt like half an hour. When she woke up, she just got back to her feet and continued to explore the garden, not aware of the tension that was suddenly created.
Perhaps was the fact that her husband was dead, perhaps was her own judgement telling her to run away. But the moment she finally turned to face the fence that led out of the garden, she was meet with a pair of eyes. Ocean blue eyes, and one of the most beautiful ones she had ever seen. A mortal was in front of her, probably admiring her. Or at least, that is what she immediately assumed. Without hesitation, she extended her arm out for the male mortal, waiting for him to greet her with a kiss on her hand and a bow of respect.
"Well met, stranger.~" Aphrodite said with a kind and mischievous tone.
The man remained still, almost like a statue. His expressionless face only added to the tension and intrigue growing in Aphrodite. Now she was sure she had to know who this mortal was. But right before she could ask a question, the man spoke.
"You are a goddess."
At his affirmation, Aphrodite was about to nod, but she noticed the man starting to unfold a sword. She could only chuckle, finding the man's actions quite amusing. How dared he try to scare her?
"Ah, so observant." Aphrodite let out a soft chuckle, her eyes watching the blade before turning back to look at the man. She did not appear to be threatened by the sword. Her eyes only held a mixture of curiosity and a bit of intrigue as she took in the look of the man.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, holding his sword tightly, ready to attack if necessary. He did not appear to be threatened by her nonchalance, either. His eyes screamed the necessity of taking her life.
"You do not know who I am, do you?" The mysterious man asked, his voice pretending to sound dangerous to Aphrodite.
She chuckled again.
"Do tell who you are then, I suppose." Aphrodite replied with an amused smile, watching as the man's grip on his weapon tightened. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes studying the mysterious stranger. Her voice was still soft and sweet, but there was an underlying tone of mischief to it. Little did she know that her mischief and wit was about to disappear when the man opened his mouth again to speak.
"I'm a God Hunter, good enough to have killed your husband." The man replied, using her same tone of mischief in mockery, and grabbed something from his leather bag. The moment he threw the object to the goddess' feet, Aphrodite felt her soul leaving her body. It was Hephaestus' golden emblem, the one he always wore.
After a moment of silence, the goddess' eyes went back up to look at the mortal man again, studying him with a mixture of surprise, anger, and disbelief.
"You... You killed Hephaestus." Her voice was quiet for a moment before she continued. "You killed my husband. How did you...?"
"It's not how, but why. You gods have only betrayed and disappointed us humans. We are tired of you. Zeus brought multiple plagues and destruction, olympians almost cause extinction more than once. And you, Aphrodite, only use us as your favorite source of entertainment." The man replied coldly, before he took a step closer to the goddess, holding his sword firmly.
"Not anymore. I'm here to fix what you all have broken."
Aphrodite's expression darkened as the man continued on. She listened with narrowed eyes before taking a step backwards when he moved closer, a hint of wariness in her eyes. It was clear that she was used to being the one in control, but the man's words were causing her to feel uncomfortable. For the first time in decades, she felt powerless and she did not know why.
"Fix what we have broken? You honestly believe that the actions of a few have ruined everything?" The goddess's voice was strained as she spoke. "What makes you think that killing us would solve anything?"
The man let out a dry laugh, and shook his head with disbelief. He took another step closer, his expression turning into some angry amusement.
"And what makes you think that causing a war and the extinction of an entire town justifies your greed? You think I do not know history? I know what happened in Troy. I know you did it because you found it entertaining. You are the worst of all gods." He replied, showing visible despise towards the goddess in his voice and in his eyes.
Shock and anger flashed across Aphrodite's face as the man got closer, holding his sword as if he was ready to attack. Hearing the events of Troy spoken aloud made her seethe with anger, but she knew that she could not let herself show weakness.
"You think killing me will save your race? " The goddess's voice was strained as her eyes widened. For a moment, fear flashed behind her angry expression. "You wouldn't dare."
The stranger raised an eyebrow and let out another dry laugh of irony, before looking at Aphrodite coldly.
"Funny. Your dead husband said the same thing." he scoffed, before he rushed towards Aphrodite, and in a quick movement, he waved his blade, only cutting a few strands of Aphrodite's hair. Not meant to kill her yet, but to show her that he was far from joking.
Aphrodite let out a gasp as she felt the blade slice through her hair. The realization that this man was not backing down made her feel something she had not felt in a long time... fear. He was a hunter who killed one of the main gods in Olympus, which meant he was an experienced and formidable opponent. If she could not defeat him, she would be gone. Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched in her throat. Of course, she could try to escape. But the way the stranger swiftly cut a few strands of her hair without her dodging it made evident that she was not fast enough. She could try to fight back, but somehow, the god hunter in front of her was immune to her silent spell of love. The one that forced any being to love her devodetly.
She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.