Aphrodite
Aphrodite appeared on the balcony; she straightened up and squared her shoulders. She took a step into the throne room and looked around. There was once a time that this place felt like home, now it felt…. Desolate; no longer was there life here. When she looked around she took a shuddering breath, a single tear at the corner of her eye. Memories from a time the old gods ruled come unbidden, some are filled with happiness and joy, others of pain and sorrow; of love and hate. Without the power of the gods, time and decay had encroached upon the once radiant home of the Greek Gods. Vines now covered statues and columns of marble; marble that once shined. She was avoiding the area the throne was; every time she looked at it she thought of Zeus and Hera.
Being the goddess of love you would think she loved them both. She did, but she also disliked them, so her feelings towards them well, are complicated. She couldn't hate, it wasn't in her nature. Even though she wasn't born of them, she still considered them family. She wish's they would have taken a different path, but they made their choice. There are a lot of ifs when it came to the other gods. Like 'if' Zeus hadn't constantly cheated on and hurt her, then Hera might not have betrayed him. There are a lot of 'what ifs.' Too many to recount.
Aphrodite strode across the floor, glade that the vines blocked her view of the throne. She didn't want to see the empty throne just yet. She stood in front of the curtain of vines that block her from the throne, she closed her eyes and waved her hand in front of her and the vines dropped. When she opened her eyes she gasped. She ran to the throne and the figure, she stopped just in front of throne and tears escaped her eyes at who she saw sitting there. "Athena?" she whispered, and she raised her right hand and caressed Athena's cheek.
Athena didn't move and muscle, nor did her eyes move. She just sat there back straight; she looked like one of those Egyptian statues. Tears fell from her eyes as she cupped Athena's cheeks, "what has happened to you, how did this happen to you?"
"She is being punished."
Aphrodite spun around, but she didn't see anyone there. She knew what it was, an angel. She didn't expect it to show itself, so she turned back to Athena. With tears in her eyes, she looked into Athena's.
"She is reliving the last day she and her siblings were alive." Chimed the disembodied voice.
Aphrodite ignored the voice, dropping down to her knees she placed her head into Athena's lap and cried. She cried for what Athena was going through and she cried for herself. Athena may have been a pain, but she loved her. Her heart hurt. Athena was going through her own hell, but so was she. Another Greek god within reach and yet still be so far away. Without much thought and some will she released some of her power. Throughout the throne room all the plants and debris disappeared. Any broken marble was repaired, when all was said and done the throne room was immaculate.
Aphrodite hugged Athena's legs, her head still resting on her lap, she continued to cry for hours. In all that time what she didn't see was a single tear escape Athena's left eye.