She burst out laughing kindly and grabbed an apple from a basket of flowers.

'You might be wise, cousin, but you're completely lost in life,' Aphrodite smiled, taking a bite from the fruit, 'Trust me, I'm never mistaken in this stuff.'

'Yes right, Miss Goddess-of-all-blondes,' snapped Athena, 'I suggest you don't get in trouble with me.'

'That wasen't funny,' the Goddess of Love replied crossly, 'Mortals value heart more than brains nowadays, you know?'

'Well, is doesn't mean that all mortals can love,' Athena took off her helmet and looked into it, 'Not even all gods love.'

'They do,' her friend reassured her.

'No,' Athena shook her head, 'People are never the same, which means not all of them are able to love.'

'Come on, my dear Athena, you're only a Goddess of wisdom, use your mind and understand that I see these things! I have seen every single mortal love!'

'My mind tells me that there is always something special in a stock of nonentity.' snapped the Goddess, 'Surely Aphrodite, you know you'll never be right when you argue with me.'

'Want to bet?' asked Aphrodite, her eyes glowing with excitement, 'Let's have a deal.'

Athena eyed her quietly.

'If you won't cheat, like always,' she said coolly.

'Cheating is last century,' the Goddess of Love swung her hand a bit, 'I'll be truthful, I promise.'

'Okay, then, what's the deal?'

'Well,' smiled her cousin mysteriously, 'I will try to prove you that even you can love.'

Athena laughed.

'One thing then!' her eyes twinkled, 'No magic arrows.'

'Sure,' shrugged Aphrodite, taking another apple, 'You'll see that love can hurt too.'

'Can hurt men,' replied Athena, being quite a woman – hater.

'And women…' nodded her cousin, 'and so, if I win…?'

'What will you do?' chuckled Athena with notes of sarcasm in her voice.

'Hmm…' the Goddess thought for a moment, screwing her brain, 'I'll… I'll… Make you have… a child.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Athena laughed nervously.

'Scared..?' sneered the goddess.

'No!' the woman replied icily, 'And then if I win, you live with Hephaestus for the next 50 years.'

The Goddess of love bit her lip.

'Terrified…?' chuckled her cousin.

'No, not at all,' Aphrodite shook her head lightly, 'so, deal?'

She held out a head confidently. Athena shook it.

'And so it is.' she smiled coldly, 'We just had a deal.'


We'll ignore the small annoying fact that all gods are related. :)