For the Fairest
A/N: I'm back again writing another short fic about Greek Mythology. This centers around Eris, goddess of discord and strife and her involvement in the pre-Trojan War activity. Also, thanks to Yamisgypsyyugisgirl who was the first to review my first fanfic, Eternally Cold! (BTW: check out fanfics by Yamisgypsyyugisgirl; she has a knack for the romance genre)
Also and Lastly, thanks to YGYG, who was my beta for this fic. You're awesome ^_^! 3
Part 1: The Invitation
Eris sat in front of a silver framed mirror. Ornate designs of vines and flowers were worked into the single piece of metal. Her honey-brown locks spilled down her back and over her shoulders. Her face wasn't quite as porcelain as Aphrodite's or Athena's, but she was beautiful in her own right, and amongst the lower gods.
She picked up a mahogany and amber brush from the vanity, running it through her hair. The knots of last night's rest were made straight with considerate ease. She massaged a pink cream into her face, before heading off towards the baths.
The palace was majestic and considered by the lesser gods, as Olympus on Earth. Other than the gods, it was frequented by magical beings and royal humans.
Eris walked into the baths meeting Echo and Nike there.
Echo and Nike had been close friends of Eris for quite some time. Nike, as the goddess of victory, was always involved with war of some kind, whether it was working for Athena, Ares, or Zeus himself, she rose to the task. She met Eris once, long ago, while helping Aphrodite—who was punished for being caught cheating on her husband—clean up and service the island of Crete. The two goddesses became fast friends while working in each other's presence and decided to continue the relationship when their work was done.
Echo, personification of the echo, was always rather reserved and quiet, like the goddess Hestia. She would work for whoever needed her powers for some dramatic effect. Along with being the personification of the echo, she was skilled at the art of herb and potion making. From time to time, she would visit poorer towns of the Mediterranean world and aid the humans with medicines and medical supplies. She met Eris while on assignment in Delphi, in the temple of Apollo's oracle. The two found that each other's company made the work day less contrite.
"Ladies," she greeted, "how were your nights?"
Echo yawned. "Tiring. I've only slept four hours." She blinked her eyes rapidly attempting—in vain—to erase the blurriness. It was always interesting to Echo that humans believed the gods didn't need rest.
"What were you doing?" Nike asked, while shampooing her raven locks.
"I was assigned to follow Artemis around all day while she hunted amongst other things." Echo stifled another yawn before pouring a ceramic dish of water on her fiery red hair. "It's like she never sleeps. And Artemis is one to hold a grudge. I had to watch as she killed a few people who had wronged her."
Eris nodded, Artemis could be cruel."Well, we can only hope you're not assigned to her anytime soon," Eris said. "What did you do Nike?"
"Helped Athena with a small battle on Samos; it was finished quickly. Ares was on the other side, but you now how moody he can become," Nike said as all three goddesses assented.
"Did you ladies hear?" Iris peaked into the private bath where all three goddesses were bathing. "Everyone is invited to Thetis' wedding. Invitations will be handed out later today." As quickly as she appeared, Iris was gone. As messenger to the gods, she was amongst the busiest.
"Wow," Echo turned from the mirror to the other two, "there will be a grand affair."
"Yes, but certainly this will mean new dresses," Nike assessed with her sultry voice.
"It should be fun to see all the gods trying to out dress each other," Eris added with a smirk.
"Of course! That is always the most important thing," Echo chuckled.
"I got my invitation, did you get yours?" Nike asked Echo.
"Yes, it's right here!" Echo said as the two females poured over the invitation. In keeping with Thetis' aquatic domain, the details were on blue paper with white and coral sea-shells.
"It's lovely," Eris said walking into Nike's chambers.
"Did you get yours?" Echo asked.
"Not yet, but I haven't been back to my chambers yet. It's up there, I'm sure." Eris said, very certain of this.
Eris returned to her room, later that evening having followed Hera around for the day spreading her discord to the Olympian Queen's victims. Her duty, as set by the Olympus Office of Employment, was to cause havoc for one Onesimus who had murdered his wife's sister after she decided to expose their affair. Hera, being the goddess of marriage, she felt bound to intervene. And she did, with Eris as her sword.
The history of the Olympus Office of Employment is a rather brief one. Zeus and his older brothers Hades, god of the underworld, and Poseidon, god of the sea, realized that within their three domains—including the fourth domain, the Earth—lesser gods and goddesses were spending too much time frolicking within the pleasures of life or causing unnecessary havoc in the lives of humans. They collectively decided to put an end to this misuse of time and status, but creating the Employment Bureau. The Office was centered on Olympus, where the divine had to come twice in an Earthly week to receive assignments. There was a whole system devoted to keeping the gods and goddesses out of trouble, including a point system, reviews by the people they were assigned to, and surprise visits for the Office. It was Zeus', Hades', and Poseidon's hope, that with everyone working, none of the divine would live of the hard work and backs of others. They had been largely successful, with a few "rogues" to deal with. Mostly everyone complied with procedures set forth by the Office because they did not want to suffer the punishment of offences.
Eris unlocked and pushed open the dark oak door to her chamber. Directly inside was a foyer and ante-chamber which opened up to her main sleeping area. Her bed was large and wooden complete with privacy curtains and old world carvings and designs. She thought her room very comfortable with the furnishings of a regular bedroom. The room wasn't very large, but it suited her needs perfectly, mostly due to the wonderful late evening sun that shown through her west windows and balcony door. She felt the room was perfect since she spent many nights away on assignment.
She marched over to her long dresser, depositing the day's jewelry and accessories. She brushed her hair from out of the single honey-brown braid and washed her face in an ornate-china bowl in a stand next to the dresser.
Once she finished washing her face, she started searching the contents of her dresser and floor for Thetis' wedding invitation. Her eyes assaulted her bed, floor and desk. They narrowed into tiny beady slits. Where was that invitation!
It dawned on her, after more than 30 minutes of searching, that there was no invitation. She did not get one. She was not invited.
Why am I not invited? Why wouldn't they invite me? Eris wondered to herself with pity.
A mixiture of emotions ran through her cranium. Anger and sadness were most prominent, but there were hints of hurt-pride, envy and even denial. With a rush of these emotions, she fled her chambers and sought out Euegneaus, the palace's message and package deliverer. She questioned Euegneaus about the delivery of the invitations. She discovered that everyone received an invitation, but herself. Eris' blood boiled as she threw open the doors to her chamber in re-entry.
"If that's the way you want it…that's exactly what you'll get." Eris' mind begun to churn with the formation of a plot; a plan so devious she could upset the balance. For her plan to work, a little discord, like her namesake, would be called to order. Ah yes, the sweet discord of scorn.
Olympus has no fury like an Eris scorned…
A/N: everyone will have to forgive me, I completely made up Echo's power/ability.
Part 2: The Reception
Hues of blues, whites, and coral adorned the tables in the hall and ornate sea runes and designs colored the marble walls of Poseidon's Sea Palace's reception hall. At the entrance to reception hall A—and thereby the largest, sat two white and marble aqua-blue pillars just behind the entrance doors. The floors were of a polished obsidian black with a pristine white section for dancing in the very center. Square and circle tables were placed all around the white center. The head table sat parallel to the pillared entrance, where the bride, groom and wedding party were seated.
The walls held their own patterned majesty of white, with wall decoration s in the colors of the wedding. At the tables nearest to the head table, sat the higher gods and further back were seated lesser gods and non-divine friends.
Currently, a band played sweet and sultry tunes from pipes and stringed instruments blessed by both Pan and Apollo. Thetis and her groom spun around on the white center amongst the other divine couples.
Zeus and Hera rocked slowly, deciding to put away their martial issues, to manage romance. Aphrodite swayed with Ares, god of war, while her husband Hephaestus was away. Apollo danced with Athena and Artemis drummed her fingers on a table trying her best to ignore Dionysus' advances. The wine-god managed to get the huntress on her feet and even persuaded her for a dance or two. Hermes even danced with silent Hestia and Hades with his niece bride Persephone. Demeter was making for a very nice hostess mingling with the divine, royal humans, and other invited guess.
As the evening waned, Eris snuck into the Sea Palace undetected by the guards. She stood outside the gold-laden doors of the reception hall listening—albeit angrily—to the soft sounds emerging from the base of the door. She eyed the door suspiciously as she reached into the bag across her shoulder.
Eris produced a pure golden apple; a very rare oddity. She went through quite a lot to secure the venue of discord which involved a trip to special gardens and bribery of a few people. She pulled at a crystal pen with white ink on the inside. It was a special ink that would show up on any surface. All one had to do with write.
Eris took a quick glance up and down the hall to ease her peace of mind. Quickly, she scribbled "To the Fairest" on the golden apple, opened the door a sliver and tossed the prize inside. The apple made first impact with the obsidian black marble with a soft and unnoticed thud. It rolled under tables and between dancing feel to come to a halt on the white center of the dance floor. Eris' mouth twitched into a smirk at the mini maelstrom she would cause.
"Hey, what's that?" she heard lovely Aphrodite say, who had ended her dance with Ares to peer at the object on the floor.
Hera caught sight of the object and nearly leveled Zeus trying to get a look. "It's gold!" she exclaimed, eyes lit with desire.
Athena spun to a stop before the prize and pronounced, "It's a golden apple and it's mine!"
Aphrodite and Hera stepped up to take a grab at the golden apple, right in the middle of the white marble dance floor. The motion of the two beauties, caught the attention of all the guest and the music paused. Thetis, from her seat at the head table next to her groom, looked on with narrowed eyes.
"It is I," Hera declared, "I am the Queen."
"But beauty is my specialty," Aphrodite refuted.
"Brains have won wars, not beauty, my dearest Aphrodite," Athena added.
Eris' smile widened from the door. Obviously, Her scorn ran deep.
Artemis shook her beautiful locks at the goddesses. She would never involve herself in such trivial matters. As the argument ensued, she decided to end it by a suggestion. "Why don't we let Zeus decide? His choice will get the apple."
The three feuding goddesses rounded on father Zeus. "What say you, father?" warrior Athena asked.
Zeus, smart and cunning man as he was, knew having to any two of these goddesses angry at him would cause quite a situation. If he didn't choose Hera, however, she could make things very difficult for him. Although with her distance, he could continue his 'wanderings'. Oh, the choice was though.
"Obviously this is difficult," his voice boomed amongst the crowd, "so I believe a human, unacquainted with these immaculate goddesses, would be better suited for such a…a task."
Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera looked amongst each other, agreeing to this choice.
"Who do you propose?" Hera asked with narrowed eyes.
Zeus pondered a bit. He wanted the festivities to continue, but knowing these three, a decision had to be secured. "Prince Alexander of Troy. Let him choose. The date will be set for tomorrow."
As his decree faded, the music tuned up and the crowd forgot the feud. For the remainder of the evening, the goddesses refused to acknowledge each other's presence.
Eris smiled, "my work here is done." She slipped the hood of her cloak over her head and pranced quietly from the sea castle.
If Eris only knew what her fury caused, she would have immediately fell down and confessed the entire ordeal. If only she knew the weight of a goddess scorned.
Part 3: The Decision
A/N: I want to note here, that it wasn't Zeus who took the goddesses to Alexander (Paris), it was actually Hermes, in the original Mythology. But that little change is not really important.
They stood on a green grassy hilltop waiting his decision. Lovely Aphrodite had her arms definitely crossed across her breast. She was clothed in the purest of white, with her lovely such touched hair cascading down her porcelain back. A gold belt circled her waist. Strong Athena, wore battle robes of grey and soft blue. Her famous headdress crowned her head, and bronze sandals on her feet. Her stance was one of unyielding power. Her hands were clapsed behind her back. Tricky Hera wore robes of purple and gold, denoting—in a not so subtle way—her status as Queen amongst all gods. She paced back and forth leaving soft, sandaled foot prints in the grass.
Alexander, known also as Paris, Prince of Troy, sat under a large tree. Zeus, the lightning barer, stood directly in Paris' line of sight blocking the view of the three goddesses. Zeus held the golden apple out to Alexander; he took it up, feeling it and spying the words "For the Fairest" on it's surface.
"So…" he said after a few moments of pregnant pause, "you want me to choose the fairest of them?" His robes were astonishingly splendid for both his current task as shepherd and rank as second son and therefore not the heir of Priam, his graying father.
"That's right," Zeus boomed, voice like thunder just before a storm.
"All I have to do is choose one?" Alexander was right to be skeptical.
"Each three of us will offer you prizes," Hera spoke up from behind Zeus.
Alexander's eyes glistened, "What kind of prizes?" He could hide his enthusiasm and greed at what he could gain.
"Worship by all humans and dominion over all of Europe and Asia," Hera replied, looking very sure of herself and her offer.
"Military prowess and eternal wisdom," Athena smirked. What prince didn't want to be victorious. If only this were Prince Hector, heir of Troy, and not the younger.
"The most beautiful woman in the world!" Aphrodite replied emphatically. Hera and Athena eyed the love and beauty goddess with slightly shocked expressions across their faces. Zeus looked on disapprovingly.
"I'll take it!" Alexander shouted before Aphrodite's prized could be mocked and offer resent by father Zeus.
"Which one?" Zeus asked sensing the answer of human greed.
"Aphrodite," the Prince replied very smugly.
Epilogue: The Results
Eris followed behind Artemis through a clearing of trees. Her breath remained at a heavy pant as she struggled to keep up with the huntress and her ladies in waiting. Each demi-goddess brandished a bow and quiver of arrows fashioned by divine Hephaestus.
Artemis gave Eris a warning "keep up" glance. She dug in deep and increased her speed by a half step.
Her deep violet dress snagged on a tree as she jumped over a small stream. She hit the embankment, falling partly into the water, wetting her sandals and what was left of un-torn part of her robes.
They entered another clearing of Achaeans versus Trojans. The battle was epic, no doubt. Each god saw fit to support his side of choice, rising the activity of the war to monumental and historic proportions.
Artemis quickly shot down three Greeks and continued through the battle. Eris followed suit with a hand-forged steel sword. She ran it through two soldiers of opposition as she heaved. Artemis shot another warning glance at Eris.
"You better move your ass or I'll kill you myself. You will not slow down my unit!" Artemis' words were harsh and cut deep into Eris' spirit. She appeared not to be bred for war.
Eris gritted her teeth and struggled to run with a wound across her left calf. Someone earlier had hacked at her leg, narrowly missing anything vital before she removed his head from his neck in anger.
It was then, as the weight of the war came down as a crashing blow, she tumbled towards the Earth. She looked up at the sun dipping behind fat silver-lined clouds.
"I didn't mean for this to happen…" she whispered to herself amid the bloodshed staining the beautiful Earth. "I didn't mean to cause the Trojan War…" Her voice faded out as tears got the better of her.
"Move. Your. Ass. Eris!" Artemis Bellowed from yards away.
Eris rose onto her elbows and took off after the huntress, wiping falling tears along the way.
FIN
A/N: Thanks for reading all. Tell me what you think. Did you like it? No? What could I have done better? Don't forget to review. Thanks for reading my sophomore story!
BTW: Kallisti means 'for the most beautiful' or 'for the fairest' in ancient Greek.