𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞 ♔ spencer ried

neptune

Frustration was something that needed to be controlled. Jason Gideon knew that she was being genuine when Aphrodite Valentine said that she did not want involvement in the investigation. He had to get her under control before his team lost their tempers on her. Especially Derek, who had already found a way to offend and criminalize her.

Aphrodite was refusing to say anything else to the team, waiting to see what they had to say in return. Her face had become grave and worried since she had made the connection to the sister gang. There had to be some kind of deep history between them, but it was hard to place what it was. Gideon could tell that the tensions were a breaking point for the powerful siblings, but it was not the reaction he would have normally expected for resentful children.

"It is out of fear that you hide from this." Morgan told her, leaning back in his chair as if he was in an interrogation room. This only seemed to offend Aphrodite more. She stood up, sending a pointed glare at each of them. "I hide for my own reasons. I will call my mole in the Wolves and see what they have to say, but that is all that I will do."

"Didn't you reached out to us? Surely you planned to help a little more than this?" Reid challenged.

"Yes. Let me remind you that it was also me who reached out years back for help, yet no one came." She shot a glare at Reid, "My body still holds the trauma those horrible people caused."

"Look where you are now, you hold a place of power." Morgan retorted, "Are you a coward?"

Aphrodite looked livid, ready to punch Morgan in the face. "Did it ever occur to you that I never wanted any of this? Maybe I wanted a normal childhood? Perhaps I wish that every moment I had been violated never existed?"

"Let us talk to Zeus Valentine." Gideon said calmly, trying to soften the chilly atmosphere, "We can get everything smoothed out without a fuss."

"Gods!" Aphrodite exclaimed, standing up from the throne looking furious. It was quite a scary sight. "Haven't you fucking misinformed idiots heard? My father was murdered last April! Nearly the same way my mother was!"

The group went silent. Gideon should have guessed that something like this had happened as soon as Aphrodite Ares stepped out those doors. He had to find some way to reason with her. She was their last hope. "Please. We have over Sixty dead and the numbers are not decreasing. If this is a man from your sister operation then doesn't this matter fall on to you to fix since you are the leader of all this?" Gideon tried to reason.

She didn't look any less angry, but at least she was not storming out of the door. They needed to keep her here, in the conference room. "I never said that I was not going to deal with this. I only said that I would not go with you and help."

"And why is that?" Morgan challenged once again.

Gideon had a feeling that it wouldn't be very long until someone was sent after Morgan to kill him. She did not look too fond of him. "Because even in these walls, I am not safe. After all the protection I have done over and over again, I still am not safe. Even after the name I have made for myself inside of the organization and the Greek Ares, I still am never safe. There is not a moment in the day where I feel completely safe."

"Well- maybe you just need to quit your job?" Reid suggested jokingly.

"Quitting would become a death sentence. I have an false immunity under my name here. As soon as I leave those doors with the hope of never coming back- that is when my throat is slit from behind me." She didn't seem as annoyed at Reid like she was with Morgan, Gideon wondered why that was. She was taking the time to explain and speak with him.

"If it is a guarantee of safety that you need we can put you under watch. The BAU can give you the protection that you need when working this case." JJ told Aphrodite.

Aphrodite sighed, defeated, she sat back down in her chair. "Involving myself with the Wolves never ends well. Especially with a stray Wolf running around. You'd be taking photos of me as the next victim."

"You worry that your death will be too violent?" Gideon doubted this. In the line of work that she was in there was not a promise of dying old and happy. Aphrodite chuckled, "As soon as the Greek Ares was passed down to me I knew that my end would be gory and graphic, and extremely personal." She gave Gideon a confident smirk, "I have already excepted death Jason Gideon."

"Listen," JJ sounded frustrated as she leaned forward on the table towards Aphrodite, "People are dying. They are being slaughtered like animals and we can not do a single thing about it. We came to you because we wanted a consultant that dealt with gang violence and organizations, and in the few minutes we have been speaking with you we now have information that we did not even know in the months that we have worked on this case." Aphrodite watched the ceiling, taking carefully placed breathes, "So what you are saying is that you no longer want me to consult- you want me to work this case with you? You do realize the risks of that, correct?" 

"Miss Aphrodite you really need to consider the lives being lost at this killer." Morgan insisted. An idea struck Gideon, her body language and the way she interacted with each agent spoke volumes about her. 

She was terrified. Aphrodite had seen the worst of humanity and nothing more. Changing their approach could potentially switch her sides.

Gideon wondered if he was the only one to see through her cracks or if the rest of his team had caught on. It certainly didn't look like it with the way Morgan was treating her. Gideon tapped Reid's knee with his finger, trying to get the Doctor's attention. He jumped on the opportunity. "Aphrodite?" He asked, tapping on her bare arm.

Her eyes widened as she looked to him, away from the high ceiling. "Yes?"

Physical connection had been made.

"If you were to work with us- with me." Gideon appreciated the empathy in Reid's tone, it was one of the best things about him. He was trying to level with her. No matter what someone had done, Reid only judged on actions in the present. "You could save lives instead of ending them. This could be a new page for you morally. You can let the guilt go." 

Silence,

"You act as if I am some sort of angel Doctor." 

"Are you?"

Morgan disguised a caught off guard snicker with a cough. Once again Aphrodite rose from her throne, her face was decided. Whatever she choose, they would not be able to talk her out of it. "I'll do it." 

Gideon and the rest of the team rose, relieved. They had all been scared that Reid was being too cocky, but that must have been what Aphrodite needed to be won over to their side. "Great news." Gideon told her, shaking her small hand, "We will have a plane sent to the airport by 11 pm tomorrow."

Aphrodite began putting her papers into a neat stack from the meeting, without looking up at them she said, "That's fine. I have my own. Just have someone to pick me up at the DC airport by 4 tomorrow."

Gideon recovered quickly, "Of course. We will see you then." The team headed out, towards the elevator they had come off of. The body guards that were once there no longer remained stationed at the doors. They were completely missing. Aphrodite must have sent them off with the rest of the people at the end of their meeting. Was she that confident that she could handle 4 Agents?

"Jason Gideon?" Aphrodite called after them as soon as they reached the doors.

"Yes?" 

"You all must know if you are to work with me, I am not some saint that wants to help you with good intentions for humanity. You have to go in with the idea that I have done triple of the things that this Stray Wolf has done."

"And why is that?" Gideon asked as the elevator doors opened for the team.

"I was born into this life. No one who does what I do is ever counted innocent in the eyes of the Gods."