She stirred, waking her consciousness. A dim room. Concrete marble walls. Chandeliers. Candle holders. A pile of armor on a blood-stained carpet beside her own silken robe. The corner of her lips curled into a smile, finally remembering where she is. She twisted her neck and groped for the other behind her: finding him sitting up, naked as she is, his lower part concealed with the blanket, and thoughts drifting into melancholy. His back leaned on the bed headers and he was sitting on his own pillow. He had not even noticed she was awake not until she laid her head on his left lap.

"Sleeping with eyes open?" she touched his face, long painted fingernails gliding from the bottom of his eye toward his lips. Ares plainly looked down on her, bending the knee from his right leg which was not laid by Aphrodite's head. His right elbow touched the bended knee and the other hand slipped its fingers through her hair. He scanned her politely, with a little mist of hungriness on his eyes. Her golden hair felt like silk between his fingers, matching the fairest skin in all Olympus. She looked at him seductively, the art that she can perfectly perform. One look from her dark ocean eyes can revolt the hidden passion within the innards of a man. She had everything, and that was what she thought. Lovely curled eyelashes, thin blood red lips, perfume stuck beneath her smooth milky skin, and a body carved with perfected curves, was all she was made of: sugar, spice, and everything sexy.

He breathed in her scent and sustained the feeling of floating over fresh morning flowers. "I was… uh… meditating,"

"War meditation…" she smiled, "so manly… one flavor I really love to taste,"

He shrugged his shoulders, and watched her raise herself to sit up. She corned her arms on his broad shoulders and stood on her knees, her eyes towered over him and he silently followed the blanket once covering her slip down through her breasts to her knees, revealing the body he had been consciously taking advantage with lust. She pressed her lips into his with closed eyes, not noticing his half opened. Her tongue penetrated through his mouth, feeling the smoothness of his ribbed palate. Feeling no response, she parted her face from his, eyes flavored with wonder.

"Are you alright?" She asked with a hint of heartily concern.

Ares shook his head slightly, slowly bowing it. She sighed and embraced him, pressing his head on her bosom. He can hear her slow heartbeats and closed his eyes. "What are you thinking, love?" she inquired once more, patting his dark hair, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied with a broken voice. He can feel the disappointment within her, clinging with a little bit of hope that he would smile. He sighed, searching for a topic worth conversing to at least brighten her up, except another useless round of sex. "I was in the woods… sitting on a branch, kinda thinking of some shit to cause another joyful quarrel."

She chuckled a bit, "Aw Ares, that would be another grey hair on daddy almighty," Beneath her chin, he smiled. "And then?" she asked after a silent second.

"Then something flew in front of me… its claws perched beautifully on the same branch holding my ass. It had big brown eyes and almond coated feathers. The owl looked at me. Majestic. Striking. And I got to think of you," he paused, "well who wouldn't. That was yours anyway." He chuckled but felt her pause from patting his hair.

Aphrodite let him go and leveled her face to him with a false smile. She held his cheek, he, thinking she might have been easily pleased by what he said. "Ares," she sighed, "I don't remember my doves flying over the woods this day," she looked down, emphasizing the hurt in her voice. He took the hint and realized the error in his statement, one sweet lie. In front of her, he shut his eyes and breathed deep. He felt the bed lighten and peered to see her get off, picking up her robe with her back facing him.

He sighed, closed his eyes once more, and pulled some of his hair with what his fist can conquer. She didn't look back to glance at him but he saw how her hand wiped something from her face. Ares pinched his temples with the same hand that let go of his hair, glancing away from her, "Aphrodite, we've talked about this."

"Huh?" she finally looked back at him while tying the ribbon on her side to fit her waist. She had a face of a wonderer, but he can read the mixed hurt and agony concealed beneath her innocent what-are-you-talking-about eyes. Picking up pace, she ran a hand on her golden hair, fixing herself, dusting an imaginary dirt from her silken robe, "It's kind of…" she looked around, "chilly in here, yeah," she crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders, trying to hide the tears welling deep within. He was silently watching her with seriousness, and she finally sighed whilst feeling his cold stare drying her from within, covering her eyes with a palm.

"Of course," she spoke with voice choked by tears, "I… I understand, yes. You, we, uh…talked about this right?" she tried to smile but the curve on the edge of her lips quickly wilts away. Ares ran the tip of his tongue at the base of his fang, thinking what to say. "But how long was it since we did talk about it? Six hundred? – seven? – a thousand years before?" this time she was losing to calmness, letting herself be consumed by pride and irritation.

Aphrodite watched him slap his thighs lightly, his fingers tapping on the surface.

"Ares I've already bore three of your sons… you've waited too long. But what happened?" she pleaded for him to answer whatever was running through his ragged mind. "Right now you're still waiting – and might be waiting for nothing,"

"We're both waiting…" he finally shot back without staring at her. She swallowed, letting the words push through her ears. She absorbed it heavily and told herself that he was right. He waits for her, and she waits for him. Both clinging into hope that each will change one's own mind. That the other woman would take back her celibacy vow, and the man to overcome his secretive feelings and finally love Aphrodite.

"Aphrodite, this isn't fair," he sighed, "You don't deserve this. You don't deserve me,"

"And she doesn't deserve you. Because she can't. And she won't dare. She is committed to be pure –"

"And you are committed to marriage,"

Aphrodite opened her mouth, but found the words on the end of her throat shrink back to humiliation. Her knees weakened and they bendt to let her sit on the edge of the bed.

Ares slapped his face and shook his head, cursing himself about words that he was not supposed to speak. "I'm sorry." He comforted her, "I didn't mean to."

"All my time with you, I…" she swallowed, "I've kept in mind I am as degraded as them,"

He can read her mind. Your other women.

"You're different,"

She looked at him, eyes lightening with wonder and a dominance of happiness, waiting for his next words.

"Despite knowing what a stud I am, you still cling to me," he smiled sadly, sighing. "Someone so beautiful doesn't deserve what I am doing. Aphrodite, let's stop this facade... look for someone opposite who I am. One to care and love you,"

"Ares I am opposite what she is." She can feel the same tears blurring her vision. "I care for and love you, I can be what she is not. I can treat you what she can never do."

"Hephaestus would say the same,"

"You are not Hephaestus."

"And you are not Athena,"

"Ares!" Aphrodite slapped the bed. She was breathing fast, her throat aching with pain. He watched the tears fall from her eyes and sink into the bed sheets. This time she sobbed, letting all the confusion, anger, and agony trapped within her come free. He leaned over to cup her cheek and his thumb brushed away a bead of tear.

"I tried, Aphrodite… I tried to see you in you…" but I can't. And I hate myself for trying endlessly. Trying to dissolve the vision of her in you. Trying to focus that it was Aphrodite who shared my bed, and not Athena. Whenever you moan and I writhe in pleasure during sinful nights, I cannot help myself but imagine that it was her voice, her face, her eyes, her own lithe body that I ravage. I always keep the lights dim and let the darkness envelop us to hide what the reality. Because…because whenever I enter you, I wished perpetually that I have broken her virginity… I have no right to. But I cannot help it. His thoughts reeled but kept his mouth shut, keeping it to himself.

She waited for his words but only noticed his scarlet eyes lowering and he sighed. She knew in her mind that they were too painful to hear. He let go of her cheek after she held his hand with a smile and kissed his palm. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. One quick whisper that came from his sincere side. She stood, took her golden earrings on the table and wore them on each ear.

Ares watched her step away from him after wearing her sandals. She headed towards the door, a distinct depression in her every move, and turned to look at him with a hopeful smile.

"Do you happen to know where I can have a transform-into-Athena potion?" she jested with a blink on her heavy eyes which reddened at the bottom.

He smiled back, "Ask Hades."

"I surely will," was her reply after flipping her hair over her shoulders. A dumb reply but it was all she could think of after lifting the curtains of the entrance to his chamber and letting herself out. The night shadows lurked the halls, and she felt free from the humid temperature inside his chamber, breathing in the cool breeze which crawled everywhere. She walked with poise and grace, one characteristic that distinguishes her from the others. Within the halls she was walking through, a distinct sound of light footsteps seemed close. She looked far through the dizzying halls marked with marble columns. The moonlight made their silhouettes stretch to forever.

She saw whom the footsteps belong to now; they have come into a rest. There she was, on the wide Olympian balcony, her back facing Aphrodite. She was sitting among the stone benches, and her hair tied behind her head. She held the spear beside her, and rested the round shield which her other arm carried around. Her owl hooted a warning, and Athena looked behind to see whom the bird was referring to.

Athena stood in greeting to the other. Aphrodite was dumbfounded when Athena took a few steps towards her, all in her majestic glory. The warrior goddess with a little flush of boyish attitude beneath her feminine qualities. They were almost of the same height, and they were now standing a foot away from each other. Aphrodite unconsciously scanned her from the sole of her foot to her eyes. She took a little pride on herself, thinking that she had a more beautiful and perfectly waved golden hair than her dark almond colored strands. Athena wore an attractive breastplate, but Aphrodite was always wooed with her silken robes.

"Good evening," Athena finally broke the silence, unable to decipher what the Aphrodite was thinking. The other goddess seemed to wake from a shock. She stammered and greeted back, trying to level up with the same coolness of Athena's voice.

"I have to go," Aphrodite bid, giving a hint of suspicion on Athena. She watched the golden goddess walk swiftly away. Thinking to herself that she was the one who has everything. A load of men, a sexually attractive physique, a ton of beautiful things.

But she begins to realize how she has become the goddess of love and beauty who was only loved because of her beauty.

A/N: xD and suckish as it is!

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