Psyche

Chapter 44

Aphrodite raged. She raged and raged and raged. Psyche had been a thorn in her side since before she was born. She had cost Aphrodite the love of her devotees. She had cost Aphrodite the love of her son. She had cost Aphrodite the love of Hermes.

She couldn't hurt Psyche directly, not if she ever wanted her son's love back. She knew that, but she could hurt Psyche in other more profound ways. In any case, Time would destroy her and her foul beauty in good time, anyway. It would be practically the blink of an eye for a goddess such as herself.

Aphrodite swooped down to Earth, not landing on land but diving into the deep, blue water. She flew through the water as she had flown through the sky, passing whales and sharks and fish. She passed coral reefs of dazzling colors until she arrived at the undersea palace of Poseidon.

She swam through the gate, bursting through the top of the water and landing on her feet in the foyer of the great palace.

Several sea nymphs bowed before her.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Aphrodite," asked one.

"I wish to see Poseidon," she said.

The nymph nodded. "I shall announce you."

"As protocol dictates," replied Aphrodite.

The nymph nodded and disappeared through a door made from several giant clamshells. Aphrodite was not used to waiting for anything, but Poseidon was one of the few gods - along with Zeus and Hades - that actually outranked her. She had to wait.

The clamshell door opened again, in a relatively short amount of time. The nymph reappeared and bowed before her.

"The Great God-King of The Sea will see his good niece presently," she said.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. Poseidon ran his palace in a more pretentious way than did Zeus, who at least had a sense of humor about himself. Poseidon was notoriously unable to take a joke.

Aphrodite strode past the nymph, who was still bowing and through the open clamshell door. She stepped into Poseidon's soaring throne room, which had been built from a shimmering sea-cave. Furniture and other decor had been fashioned from stalagmite and stalagmites, petrified coral and sand that had been polished into glass.

Poseidon himself, who resembled his brother, except that he looked a little more like a fish because of his big eyes and puffy lips, leaned forward. He wore a crown of shells.

"To what do I owe this visit, my dear niece?" he bellowed.

"I wish you to destroy Atlantis."

If Poseidon was shocked at her desire to see the most prosperous, advanced continent on Earth destroyed, he did not show it. He rubbed his beard a moment, and he appeared to be thinking about this. Aphrodite couldn't tell if he was contemplating whether or not to grant her request or how he would grant that request.

"It sits on a fault line," she suggested, "All you need to is summon a massive Earthquake, and it will sink into the sea. Many of its treasures will then belong to your kingdom."

Poseidon snickered at that. "I have enough treasures, my dear."

She glared at him.

"I must have something I can offer you," she said.

Poseidon looked her up and down, and she suddenly knew exactly what he was going to request. This caught her off guard, since she always thought Poseidon more concerned with material wealth than pleasure. Clearly, he had layers.

"If you become my mistress for a month," he said, "I shall grant the request."

Aphrodite smiled, and she bowed before him.

"It will truly be my pleasure," she lied, wistfully thinking of Hermes. And Ares, too. Hell, her ex-husband Hephaestus would probably be a better lay and he was a cripple and ugly.

Poseidon stood up and crooked his finger at Aphrodite.

"No time like the present," he said and she followed him to his chambers.