It was dark. Helios hadn't stared his day long drive across the sky. With her head bowed, her long hair flowing behind her the goddess walked slowly through the forest. In the distance she could see the outline of the beautiful white temple.
A statue of Aphrodite stood in front of it, her hands reaching for the sky as flowers seemed to drip off her cold marble body. At her feet sat three grinning children. Their faces turned upward as if they were offering her thanks for her beauty.
The goddess's steps slowed as she grew closer. When she reached the edge of the woods she stopped and reached a hand out against the closet tree, in an attempt to hold herself up. Her gray eyes narrowed and she studied the statue with a great longing.
The only sound around her was the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees and the sound of someone humming in the distance. Taking a quick step back, to hide amongst the shadows the goddess watched as Aphrodite appeared next to her statue.
The beautiful goddess of love looked around her with a smile and spread her arms above her head. It was her usual ritual, to visit this temple before the sun came up. And she never missed it. But neither did the other goddess.
Watching safely from afar she closed her eyes and turned her head away. The pounding of her heart was hurting and she wondered briefly if today would be the day she would die from her heart breaking. Or if she would keep going on, waiting for the day when it would.
When she opened her eyes Aphrodite was gone, no trace of the goddess of love having been there. Stepping forward the gray eyed goddess sighed dejectedly and leaned against a tree as she clutched her aching heart.
She didn't know how much more she could take. Standing by and slowly dying with each passing day. With a heart wrenching sob tears flowed down her pale cheeks. She couldn't stop them, as they broke all her damns and the seeped through the coldness she surrounded herself with.
She knew show silly this was. How stupid it was to long for someone she couldn't have. But she couldn't help herself. Aphrodite was a need, a desire an addiction that she had to have, or she couldn't make it through the day.
Form the moment she opened her eyes she searched for Aphrodite. Some times when she would walk along a path in Athens or some other city she would catch the scent of Aphrodite, and follow it in hopes of finding her on the end. But alas, she never did.
Lowering her head to hide the tears from the air around her she sighed and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hands. There was no hope for her to ever win the love of Aphrodite, but she would take the small smiles passed her way, the soft words of greeting when they bumped into each other, and the thoughts she allowed herself.
A world where they were together. Happy and in love. No one to tell them no and nothing to stop them from being happy. Some times it was all that could keep her going. With one last look at the statue the goddess turned and started to walk back through the forest.
With each step her armor appeared on her body and she held her hand out for her spear. Ready for the day Athena went off in search of a battle. Maybe it would let her forget about the constant pain in her heart and the burning in her blood that was Aphrodite.