Aphrodite's Aspirations.
So, this story came into my head right the heck out of nowhere.
I know there are many other stories that deal with retellings of the Greek gods and goddess, but I don't know if this has ever been done before, so we will see how this is received.
This story contains Adult subject matter and descriptions of a sexual nature. If such things offend you, please do not read any farther. This story is not meant to be read by children either.
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Mount Olympus. Home of the Greek gods. Throne of Zeus, youngest of his siblings and husband to his sister Hera. In the many millennia since their birth, the gods and goddesses had undergone many changes. Though the deities were not as worshiped as reverently as they once were, they still held a great power, living outside of the sight of mere mortals, but having an impact on their lives.
There were many other pantheons of gods and goddesses as well, but they all conducted themselves in their own ways, isolated from each other.
Among the Greek gods, there was a goddess whose names were many, but whose form and body had inspired countless generations of artists and writers to sing her praises in the medium of their choosing, Aphrodite.
The Goddess of Beauty, Passion, Love and many other things associated with such things, was sitting in the grand hall of Olympus, surrounded by columns and arches of all sorts. Looking down on the mortal world from a veritable perch, the beauty unmatched saw the lives of mortals, the love, the loss, the passion and the betrayal. If she chose, she could inhabit the body of a mortal for a time and make love to a mortal in that body, man or woman, it mattered not to her.
Her eyes shone of gold, as all children of the blood and flesh of Kronos did, the children of the once Titan king, overthrown by Zeus. The lives of the mortals she saw were but fractions of a second compared to her life, and yet she could view them however she wished, for time had no true meaning to the gods and goddesses of Olympus.
Aphrodite did not, contrary to popular belief, have a craving for sex. She craved companionship more than anything, and even the goddesses were seen as secondary to the men upon Olympus. For one such as Aphrodite, being both a woman and a goddess served to keep her isolated in many ways.
But as the millennia wore on, she began to see the changes; Women in the mortal world casting the first stones of gender equality, and succeeding in ways even the gods never could, set in their ways and having to yield to the imperial will of Zeus.
And so, when the time finally came for the gods and goddess to meet in their summit on Olympus, Aphrodite cast her own stone.
"I call for a reform of leadership."
Such a claim had only rarely been made, and Aphrodite saw on the faces of her fellow deities a potent mixture of many feelings. Nearly half, most of them the male portion, looked aghast at the declaration. The other half, the goddesses, looked at the goddess of love and passion with a sort of admiration.
Zeus almost looked appalled.
To have someone, let alone Aphrodite, make such a call was no small act, and it soon became clear his thoughts on the matter as the sky above Olympus slowly darkened.
"You would dare call my authority into question Aphrodite?! Such a thing is tantamount to treason!"
Zeus summoned his legendary lightning bolt into his right hand, the ends of it crackling with restrained charge.
"I have seen the will of mortals, Zeus, and they no longer believe as you do, that men alone should rule absolute. And you know our laws. Once this challenge has been made, it must be put to vote who shall become the new ruler of Olympus."
"Such a claim has only ever been made once before, and it resulted in the mortal world experiencing the Black Death. Hades hasn't tried to overthrow my authority since, what makes you think you have the power, or the support, to win this throne?"
"Because of decisions like THAT. You were SO angered at Hades for trying to challenge you that you released that accursed plague on the mortals as punishment. And now, the mortal world wishes to move in a new direction, and I feel it is high time we do the same. But, you misunderstand Zeus. I do not call this vote to appoint myself leader. I do so to nominate another far more suited to the task."
Aphrodite walked with her infinite grace, and came to stand behind the seat of Zeus' daughter.
"I nominate Athena for Monarch of Olympus!"
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, warfare and justice, among many other things, was stunned to hear this from Aphrodite. Athena and Aphrodite were essentially opposites in many respects: Athena being virgin and chaste, and Aphrodite having the deserved reputation of being openly sexual with multiple partners, Athena always utilizing her mind to solve problems, Aphrodite utilizing instinct and impulse coupled with her charms to get by.
Ares, Athena's counterpart and sibling as a god of warfare, let out a bellowing laugh that shook the clouds themselves.
"For once, I think I will have to side with my sister, Father, for I too have been feeling a need for change as of late." Ares was brutal and belligerent, but also confident and bold. He saw the conviction in Aphrodite's eyes and dared to step over this line…if only to antagonize his father.
Zeus felt his anger growing. Already two of the members of this council were throwing their support behind his own daughter. Poseidon then made his voice be heard.
"Athena, skilled and wise though she may be, is not fit to be the ruler of Olympus. My brother, though I am loath to say it, has proven his place."
Aphrodite looked at the god of the sea with disdain.
"And to think; were it not for you cutting off Kronos' testicles, I would not be here."
Poseidon looked at her with a stare colder than the ocean's darkest depths.
"I did so to impede Father's rampage. Had I known that it would have resulted in your traitorous birth, I would have destroyed them with my bare hands."
Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting slammed her bow on the table.
"Touch one hair on Aphrodite's head and YOUR balls will be experiencing what it feels like to be shot through with an arrow, you bastard!"
Athena finally stood and signaled for Artemis to yield.
"I will accept Aphrodite's nomination, but I believe that we would be remiss if we were not to let the final member of this conference to arrive."
An instant after saying such, a thick, black mist appeared near the vacant chair at the end of the table, the lord of the dead and the underworld making his entrance.
"No need to fill me in, brothers and sisters. I heard it all on my way up." His voice was malleable, as all of the gods and goddess' were, but Hades was currently using his normal voice: the sound of a thousand damned souls speaking in agony, each ever so slightly out of sync with each other to give his voice a chilling echo and power.
Zeus rested his chin upon his upturned palm, mumbling to himself. "Damn your ears."
"I hear all beings at once brother, such is the 'gift' bestowed to the custodian of the dead."
Aphrodite then spoke up.
"So, who do you support, Hades?"
Hades looked at the eternal beauty of the goddess, and smiled a smile that could chill the bones of any mortal being to death on sight. "I support Athena," he said as he flashed said grin to his brother in his throne.
And soon, it came down: all 22 of the primary gods and goddesses voting on who would control Olympus.
In the end, the power struggle ended with Athena winning 17 to 5. Save for Hera, Poseidon, Dionysius, Hephaestus and Zeus himself, all of the other gods and goddesses voted for Athena.
Zeus looked beyond livid, his lightning bolt crackling more and more with every vote against him.
But, even one as powerful as Zeus had to follow the laws that the Olympians had set down long ago.
So, begrudgingly, Zeus stood and walked over to his daughter, his lightning bolt disappearing and his posture tense.
"Congratulations, daughter. You have been chosen to become the new Monarch of Olympus." He said through gritted teeth.
Athena took the throne as was her right, but she felt uncomfortable.
"As my first act as the Monarch of Olympus, I hereby declare that we shall hold these elections for Monarch on a regular basis, so that every member of Olympus may see the power that those whom we watch over hold. It was because of their change that provoked Aphrodite to her selfless act, and I thank her for such a show of compassion for the mortal world."
"I wish to not rule Olympus, but to be its guide, as a good leader should be. I promise to maintain balance and stability that for so long has not been the norm. As a token of my appreciation, I offer Aphrodite one request within my power."
Aphrodite was not expecting this, but she thought it over for a few precious moments, and finally came to a decision that would change everything forever after. Smiling, she made her request.
"I wish to be divorced from my husband Hephaestus, and become your wife, Lady Athena!"
Athena of course was not expecting that, as were none of the other Olympians. But they received a second and more devastating shock when Athena replied "Very well" with a smile to rival Aphrodite's. "Come join your new Monarch, wife."
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And so this story is done… or is it?
I intend to give this story a second chapter, but only if I get a good response from it.
Let us see how much you guys want a new story.
In the meantime, Happy New Year everyone :3