The tea cup, which rested neatly in the goddess' hands, was cold and discarded.

Aphrodite's mind had long ago moved onto the subject love and problems – then again, when was the topic love completley cast from her mind? Love was such a beautiful emotion, and, arguably, the most powerful one. And while she appreciated the beauty of the opposite gender – she had many children, did she not? – a permanent love for her, herself, was... undetermined, one could suppose.

There was Ares, of course.

The manly, rough and a bit barbarically behaved war god, who always knew how to show her a good time. He was a rush, a new flavor, a new color in her grey, tasteless world.

But, he was fleeting.

They were not committed to each other, they left each other free of bounds and she appreciated it; at the end of the day though, it was unsatisfying and left an ache in her heart, when distractions and other people's relationships were stripped from her mind.

They might have had a platonic relationship under different circumstances. But all he really desired from her was what she could physically offer. And sure, it was fun during, but it still left her standing alone.

Onto another matter: She was married.

Hera had long ago given up on chiding her for her adultery (and any other gods'; they did not care much for oaths); she was the marriage goddess and she the love goddess: they were supposed to go hand in hand, not contradict each other. Then again, when it came down to it, she did not really love Ares in that specific way, did she? And sometimes she did wonder, if there was anyone she truly, truly, loved; what was if she really was just fooling herself with all the romance and love talk? Maybe she was just distracting herself with other people's love lives and ignoring her own?

Hephaestus was her husband.

One she had sworn to stay faithful to, to love, to care for, and she had not done any of those things. He despised her, but he still loved her. And she cared for him deeply too; albeit he was misshapen and an outsider, but she still cared.

And yet, she had betrayed him, not only with Ares but with countless other men as well.

And he, in turn, had betrayed her with many women.

She had rejected him and his love, and for eternity, he would always carry the memories of that rejection in his heart.

And now to the most troubling matter: herself.

She pondered what her appearance was like currently. Brown hair? Red hair? Blonde? Maybe a pair of baby blue eyes as well. But did it really matter? She could change her looks any minute. How did she truly look? Who was she beneath the façade of beauty? Did a person even exist underneath?

A lone tear rolled down her cheek, surprising Aphrodite.

I am nothing, she concluded, for, at the end of the day, I am alone with myself, a person who might have already faded with time; and no lover can bring someone back who might have never existed in the first place.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson nor anything remotely related to it.

I've always wondered how to correctly portray Aphrodite; she is a fangirl, but she is a goddess foremost; wouldn't she have some kind of stature and wisdom to her? I remember a few scenes in which she seemed very serious, so I wonder how her personality's dynamic is. So this was just a little go at figuring out the goddess' mind. Tell me what your thoughts are!

-flaminia