In Mount Olympus it was Mothers' Day. Every god or goddess with a mother except for Athena who was looking forward to Father's Day, prepared for their big outing, including the nine Muses, Three Graces, Hebe, and such. Hermes was taking a day off to visit his mother so Iris has to take over his duties. Aphrodite planned something with her mother Dione already, but her own daughter Harmonia had something special planned for her too. Hebe was to celebrate with her mother Hera, but Hebe's children planned to take her out for a surprise brunch. Iris had a handful of duties, answering prayers for all the gods since everyone had Mother's Day plans except Athena, who was busy in Athens for the day.
Artemis:
Artemis the moon goddess especially was insanely busy. Apollo was on leave for six months for a solar god convention with solar deities from other Pantheons and had to miss Mother's Day unfortunately. Phaethusa the goddess who personified radiance of the sunlight filled in for Apollo and drove his chariot for the full six months when he was gone. Apollo trusted her. Artemis had tons to do. Her temple was stacked up with offerings from pregnant women all over mainland Greece and the islands. She had been aiding her mother from the moment of her own birth. Thus that gave her the idea to assuage the pains of all pregnant women all over Greece, making her a patroness of childbirth and moon goddess. The moon's cycles lined with women's menstrual cycles and she watched over young womens' menarches as well as their pregnancies. Artemis had eighty nymphs who hunted with her at her disposal. She dispatched her sixty Oceanids and twenty Amnisiades to earth to collect her sacrifices and answer all prayers from her worshippers while she was busy with Mother's Day.
The moon goddess returned to her palace, freshened up and changed out of her hunting tunic into her floor-length silvery dress she wore for special occasions—banquets on Olympus or weddings. Her personal hairdresser the Oceanid Crocale brushed her long waist-length pale blonde hair and fixed it into an elegant up-do. She hardly wore that unless she absolutely had to. She booked a fancy reservation for her mother on top a mountain in Thebes in a hotel palace and thought she would look her best. There was nothing Artemis wouldn't do for her mother. She hated dressing up but it was completely necessary, for her mother's happiness. She twirled around and checked her mirror and put on her favorite moonstone pendant and pearl earrings her mother sent her for her last birthday. On her wrist was a matching pearl bracelet. She slipped into her favorite silver sandals embedded with moonstones and diamonds and gave herself a final twirl. Artemis was one of the most beautiful goddesses on Olympus. She was beautiful in an unattainable, chaste, maidenly way that drove many men wild with longing much to her chagrin. She smirked to herself as she recalled turning them all into stags for staring too long. Those imbeciles learned nothing from Actaeon's fate apparently.
Artemis stepped into her silver chariot pulled by her golden-horned hinds and drove off to her mother's hotel palace in Thebes.
Thebes:
Leto sat herself down at the dining pavilion of the hotel palace shining like silver with engravings and lunar phases. A magical fountain played in the great hall with naiad nymphs dancing around it. A few hinds strolled around in the palace hotel, tended to by naiads. This palace had been one of Artemis' former palaces before she relocated but she bestowed it on her mother for her mother's last birthday. The naiads promised Artemis that they would look after her mother Leto whenever Leto decided to stay. Artemis would occasionally visit the palace too and stay over with her mother from time to time for special occasions like birthdays, or Mother's Day. Leto wore a long teal green robe and silver tiara in her long dark hair with silver sandals. Leto was a beautiful goddess with moonlight pale skin and silvery eyes, both of which her daughter inherited.
It was her gentleness and patience along with her beauty that caught Zeus' eye, as well as her tremendous compassion and nurturing personality, all of which Artemis inherited in spades. Leto was the proudest mother on Olympus. That title was yet to be decided, but so far Leto felt Artemis was everything she wanted in a daughter. Everything ANY mother wanted in a daughter and more: Strong, independent, nurturing, compassionate, loyal, resourceful, protective, selfless, what mother WOULDN'T be proud of such a daughter? On top of that Artemis was universally worshipped by women all over Greece and Ephesus. Leto beamed to herself. She really couldn't ask for more. What more could she want?
"Mother!" Artemis called. Leto beamed and embraced the grinning moon goddess.
"Artemis darling! You look gorgeous!" Leto laughed as she caught her daughter in another tight hug.
"How are you, mother?" Artemis asked happily, flushing with joy.
"I am quite fine, dear. There's nothing really new, now that my two children have grown with lives of their own, they hardly pay any attention to their mother nowadays." Leto teased.
Artemis rolled her eyes and blushed. That was typical of what mortal mothers told their children. She witnessed it on earth all the time but with her mother it was a special case.
"Mother you know that's not true. Apollo and I visit whenever we have time, whenever we can" Artemis protested. Leto laughed lightly. She loved getting under her daughter's skin at times, something Artemis picked up; the poets didn't call her Latogenia "Daughter of Leto" for nothing even though it was redundant. It was to show Artemis was her mother's daughter in every way and damn proud of it.
"Your brother is busy at that solar convention for some six months, correct?" Leto inquired. She was less aware of her son's whereabouts than her daughter's. Apollo was always gadding off to doing Hades knows what with the nymphs or mortal women, yet he paid his duly visits to his mother as well, just not as frequently as Artemis did. Artemis was the older, responsible twin and had to cover for her brother for Hades knows how long now.
"Now what about you, dear, when will you have a boyfriend?" Leto beamed as she glanced at her daughter. Artemis sighed deeply. Not THIS conversation again. This was the same thing year in and out: Why was she still single? When was she getting a boyfriend? Why haven't men been courting her? When will she find the right man to marry? It annoyed Artemis to NO END.
"Mother I told you, I am happier hunting with my nymphs and aiding pregnant women in childbirth and overseeing young girls' transition from birth to adolescence than flirting with men. I don't need any attention from men" Artemis sighed.
"You're so beautiful, my dear. Men must be flocking to you in swarms" Leto pouted slightly. Other goddesses boasted of their daughters' beauty and Leto wanted them all to know she had THE prettiest daughter in Olympus. That was who Artemis was, absolutely beautiful inside and out.
"I don't WANT attention from men mother." Artemis looked at her, exasperated. Was this how the rest of Mother's Day was going to be? Chatting about MEN and why she couldn't get a boyfriend?
"Alright my darling. I know you may think your old mother is a nuisance and trust me, I can be, but I just want your happiness."
"I am HAPPY, mother. I swore eternal chastity when I was only three years old and father approved of it. He never forced me to marry if I never wanted to. I don't have to be lonely. I may never be a mother, but I found immense satisfaction aiding other women in their labor pains and nurturing their newly born children. I am always hunting with my nymphs. I have no time to be lonely" Artemis assured her.
"I just want you to be happy, dear." Leto smiled.
"I am, mother. I am" Artemis smiled and hugged her.
The Nine Muses
The Nine Muses were in their courtyard of their palace on top of Mount Parnassus preparing to meet their mother Mnemosyne in a few hours in Delphi at a fancy hotel palace to celebrate Mother's Day. Calliope muse of epic poetry was the eldest of the nine sisters and wore her favorite long navy blue gown with a velvet purple sash. On her feet were her golden sandals glittering with sapphires and amethysts. Calliope picked up her signature tablet. Clio muse of history was the next sister, carefully placing her wreath on her long combed dark hair. She wore a long golden gown with an indigo colored sash and amber necklace. She wore golden sandals embedded with emeralds and took up her book and scrolls. Euterpe the lyrical muse of music wore a lavender colored gown with a white sash and silver sandals sparkling with white sapphires. She played on her flute for a few warm ups and laid her flute on her lap. Terpsichore the Muse of dance was the ballerina of the family and gracefully pirouetted next to Euterpe. Terpsichore wore a long indigo colored gown with forest green sash and crystal sandals with blue diamonds . These two inseparable as music and dance always have been. Thalia the light-hearted and carefree Muse of comedy wore a lime green colored gown and with a black sash, twirling her shepherd's crook and her comedy mask in tow. She was listening to some of the prayers comedian playwrights prayed to her about and burst out laughing every five minutes before answering them. She wore golden sandals decorated with peridots. Polyhymnia the thoughtful, pensive Muse of choral song, dance, hymns, mime and agriculture, as well as meditation closed her eyes in a trance and sat on her favorite cushion in prayer stance, her veil over her beautiful face. Polyhymnia wore a silver gown with a green sash and silver sandals glittering with white diamonds. Urania the equally dreamy and pensive Muse of astronomy came out wearing a royal blue gown with a golden sash and golden sandals with star sapphires and aquamarines holding her celestial globe and compass. Thalia giggled as she observed her sisters' antics from a distance.
"Someone's in a zen-like state again, aren't you Polly" Thalia laughed. Thalia had a knack for nicknaming her sisters. Polyhymnia blinked
"I need alone time, Thalia I told you I do this every day". Polyhymnia answered serenely. She was always in her own world, always in her "zen-like" meditative stance. She was one of the only sisters along with Urania whom Thalia couldn't get to. These two were the toughest for Thalia to get under their skin. Thalia smiled and shrugged.
"Whatever you say".
"I don't blame her for wanting alone time". A somber, mournful voice joined the two. It was a voice the girls knew too well: Polyhymnia and Thalia looked up to see their sister Melpomene join them. Melpomene wore her long black hair loose in long waves down to her waist. She wore a long black robe, silver sandals decorated with obsidian and black onyx.
"Again with the black, Melanie. We're not going to a funeral, for Hades' sake!" Thalia sighed impatiently. She and Melpomene were both Muses of theater, yet they bickered constantly all the time. Melpomene winced at the name "Melanie' and yet rolled her eyes. She was used to it by now.
"Melanie" was a nickname bestowed on her by Thalia. It meant "The dark one" in Greek. What other nickname was appropriate for the muse of tragedy? Plus Melpomene wore black ALL the DAMN TIME. It was a tragic taste of fashion in Thalia's eyes.
"You'll never understand the beauty of darkness, Thalia. You never take anything seriously" Melpomene groaned.
"Everyone is always so serious! Lighten up for once, would you?" Thalia retorted.
"There's more to life than you think Thalia. Not everything is funny" Melpomene returned.
"You know laughter died with you a long time. I guess you ARE off to a funeral after all" Thalia smirked.
"Oh girlies, Here I ammm" A sing-song voice penetrated the air. Melpomene rolled her eyes and Thalia crooked her head to the source of the voice. Erato finally arrived, late as usual—to make her entrance more dramatic. She was the beauty of the family and envy of her sisters, without a doubt. She wore a pale pink robe with her favorite rose-quartz pendant, gold armbands, golden sandals decorated with platinum and pink tourmalines. A crown of roses settled on her head and she smelled like rose fragrance. Erato was one of Aphrodite's best friends and a constant ally as well as confidante of Aphrodite's son, Eros. It was no wonder the love goddess divulged her beauty secrets to the muse of love poetry.
Calliope rushed to the center stage to quell her chattering sisters.
"Alright girls! I need everyone's attention. You all look lovely and presentable. I need to take attendance though before we depart for Delphi. Just say you're here when I call your name!"
The eight other Muses started to roll their eyes. Calliope was the eldest and most responsible sister and all, the other girls would be lost without her without a doubt. Of course they all loved her dearly. Yet she was always overprotective of all of them. She might as well be a surrogate mother. Calliope wouldn't allow any of her sisters to have suitors unless she approved of them first.
"Clio!"
"Right next to you" Clio answered, stepping up next to Calliope. She was the second eldest and closest to Calliope.
"Euterpe!"
"Here I am" A lyrical voice called out as Euterpe raised her hand.
"Terpsichore!"
"Over here as always!" Terpsichore gracefully sashayed over to Euterpe.
"Thalia!"
Thalia couldn't stop laughing as Erato whispered something into her ear regarding the latest gossip involving the naiads and satyrs.
"THALIA!" Calliope shouted.
"I am here, Callie CHILL OUT GIRL" Thalia laughed.
"I am here too!" Erato smiled sweetly. Calliope suppressed an eye roll.
"Polyhymnia!"
"Hereeee" Polyhymnia murmured in a trance like state.
"I'll take that as a here. Urania!" Calliope continued, going down her checklist
Urania was still in her dreamy pensive state. She didn't budge when Calliope called her name.
"URANIA!" Calliope called.
"Hello, SPACE CADET. Earth to Urania!" Erato poked her sister. Thalia burst out laughing hysterically.
"Here, I am here" Urania murmured.
"Melpomene!"
"My existence is inevitable" Melpomene answered mournfully. Erato and Thalia giggled. These two loved to get under Melpomene's skin.
"Melanie is here, I guess" Erato smiled. Erato called her that too. Let's be honest. ALL her sisters called her that.
"Everyone is here, we're good to go!" Calliope answered cheerfully, waving her sisters to follow her. They piled in after her as the nine sisters climbed into one chariot, and led them straight to their mother's hotel palace in Delphi.
Mnemosyne awaited her daughters' arrival with anticipation. She sat at her dining pavilion embedded with gold and Corinthian as well as Doric designs and other symbols. The centerpiece of the great hall of her hotel palace were her nine beautiful daughters each carrying their own symbols and attributes surrounding their beloved mother. Mnemosyne herself beamed with pride. For this special occasion she wore a multicolored robe and golden sandals decorated with diamonds and opals. Opals were an iridescent stone. That did symbolize the beauty of all her nine daughters.
Each one was unique, talented, special and beautiful like a color of the rainbow. Mnemosyne loved all her daughters from the bottom of her heart. She really was the proudest mother on Olympus. There had always been a friendly rivalry between herself, Leto, Demeter, Eurynome and Dione over who had the most beautiful daughter. She would definitely win. She had Nine amazing, talented, uniquely beautiful daughters who brought gifts of creativity of every sphere known to mankind. They were so much more than just pretty faces. Their worship would transcend time for centuries. They had temples erected to them on every city which would later be known over the centuries to be "museums" or "House of the Muses". These would be intellectual and cultural centers for mortals. What more could she want in her children? What mother could ask for more? Mnemosyne smiled smugly to herself.
"Mother!" Nine gorgeous melodic voices of different altitudes and tones called out at once. Mnemosyne stood up and embraced her nine laughing girls at once as Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Thalia, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, and Urania rushed at once to embrace her.
"Darlings, you all look wonderful! Oh my don't all of you look divine today" Mnemosyne beamed. All the girls chattered at once
"Mother we haven't seen you for so long!" Erato cooed.
"Oh mother is that a new hairdo, it's perfect!" Euterpe smiled
"I love your new robe, mother! All the dresses the ballerinas wear on earth are just as lovely!" Terpsichore chimed in.
"Mother what is shaking!" Thalia giggled
"Mother have you seen the latest artifact the history museums collected? It's absolutely priceless!" Clio gushed
"I hope you're in good health, mother" Calliope added.
"Girls it's so lovely to see all of you! Calliope tells me you all have a presentation each of you made" Mnemosyne's voice tinkled in anticipation. The girls looked at their elder sister with anticipation. Calliope always had an individual project for each of them every Mother's Day. The eldest of the nine Muses wanted nothing short of perfection for their mother.
Calliope was first to go. She narrated the latest epic tale of Cadmus. Then Clio was next. She went on ahead to talk of Herodotus' tale throughout all of Greece and his valiant deeds and the father of history. Thalia could hardly stay awake
"This is SO BORING! Let's get this party started in here!" Thalia shouted. All her sisters turned to look at her and Clio frowned sternly. Erato giggled as she ate dove chocolates Aphrodite sent her earlier.
"Thalia SHUT UP!" Calliope snapped. Mnemosyne raised her eyebrows at her eldest daughter.
"Calliope is this how you talk to your sister?" Mnemosyne chided her gently.
"Mother, she interrupted Clio. She ALWAYS DOES this!" Calliope sighed.
"That's who Thalia is, dear. She is muse of comedy. It's her duty to bring joy to mortals and some light to the rest of us" Mnemosyne answered. Thalia smirked and stuck her tongue at Calliope who made a face at her. Mnemosyne turned to the source of a gentle chewing sound. Erato was chewing softly on her chocolate doves.
"Erato are you going to share with the rest of your sisters?" Mnemosyne prompted her gently.
"Erato has chocolates?!" Terpsichore shrieked.
Her sisters flocked to Erato at once.
The muse of love poetry held her hands up, overwhelmed.
"GIRLS, I don't have a lot to go around, can we just"-The girls pounced at her all at once and devoured the rest of her chocolates within minutes.
Terpsichore and Euterpe performed a piece combined of violin, flute, and ballet with graceful arabesques and pirouettes.
Thalia and Erato finally performed their presentation of a forlorn lover overcome and dejected by unrequited love. He prayed for his love to answer him and reciprocate his affections, only to be courted by another whom he wanted nothing to do with. There were some mishaps and mix-ups but in the end, his love professed her true feelings for him and was reunited. It was a typical romantic comedy and brought the audience to fits of hysterical laughter.
Polyhymnia was up next. Her piece was uniquely beautiful as she was patron Muse of mime. Silence was truly golden and the rarest form of beauty when the world was so overcome by noise. Her pantomime piece was "A day at the park". Polyhymnia successfully introduced the art of mime to theaters everywhere on earth and was widely venerated by mortals.
"Polly that was flawless, a true work of art!" Erato beamed
"I am inspired myself just watching you!" Clio chimed in enthusiastically.
"I need an interpretive dance with it if you don't mind" Terpsichore added with admiration.
Polyhymnia blushed. She was the quiet sister, the meditative sister and was unaccustomed to being center of attention. Men don't usually flirt with her. She was always overlooked in favor of her bubbly and attractive sisters like Erato or Thalia.
Urania's piece was of a true work of art, introducing the illusion of aurora borealis to her sisters, much to her mother and sisters' delight.
Finally it was Melpomene's turn. She needed a few minutes to calm her nerves before she was ready though.
"What's taking Melanie so long?" Thalia asked.
"Wardrobe malfunction I guess" Erato shrugged. Thalia snickered.
Melpomene appeared at once and delivered the most touching, hauntingly beautiful piece on Medea using song to interpret it, bringing all her sisters and her mother to tears. Thalia especially was tearing up, which Erato provided her with enough pink tissues to last an eternal lifetime.
"Melanie that was brilliant!" Erato gushed at once.
"Gosh Melanie I had no idea I was such a mess! I have never cried this hard in my life!" Thalia praised.
"I have to add that to my repertoire for operatic performances" Euterpe smiled.
"I'll need to invent a new dance interpretation to go with it!" Terpsichore added.
"That was the finest epic poetry to ever grace the stage" Calliope nodded in approval.
"Melanie, wait who is Melanie?" Mnemosyne asked in confusion as she looked at her daughters. All the girls laughed.
"It's a nickname for Melpomene, mother" Thalia laughed.
"She always wears black, so the name just stuck" Erato giggled
"It's actually catchy now you think of it" Euterpe laughed.
"I am used to it" Melpomene smiled.
"Girls that was absolutely phenomenal. Each and every one of you make me so very proud, everyday" Mnemosyne beamed lovingly at her nine daughters.
"Wait, mother the celebration isn't over! We have something for you!" Calliope interjected.
At once the girls brought forth a Mothers' Day cake with nine candles and a figurine of Mnemosyne in the center along with a bouquet of roses chosen by Erato and a golden card all the girls signed, each with her own aura color and symbol next to her name.
It was the best Mothers' Day ever.
Demeter and Persephone
Demeter awaited for her dear daughter Persephone to arrive at her palace in Eleusis. Finally, Persephone was freed from her ghastly husband's clutches in the underworld and was allowed to return to her for six months of spring and summer. Demeter always feared for the mortals' sake whenever Persephone had to depart the mortal realm to rejoin her husband in the underworld every autumn equinox. The harvest goddess blamed herself for not being a more trusting, tolerant mother. She had kept a tight leash on Persephone for as long as she could remember, allowing her only daughter by Zeus to make a few amount of friends under her own close supervision, forbidding her to befriend any goddess who was too lewd or immoral like that Aphrodite and her crew of loose nymphs always attending her.
Demeter allowed Persephone to associate with Artemis and her retinue of Oceanids however. Artemis was disciplined, pure, chaste, had morals and was guardian of all young maidens, someone Persephone could admire and she did. Demeter kept all suitors of Persephone at bay—Apollo, Hermes, Ares, and Hephaestus all wooed Persephone with no luck. Demeter wouldn't entrust her precious daughter to any of these gods with questionable paths. Plus all of them had the reputation of being womanizers with the exception of Hephaestus.
Artemis and Persephone became the best of friends, always picking flowers together with attending Oceanids accompanying them in the vales of Sicily whenever they had free time. Even then, Demeter had a curfew for Persephone, requiring her to come home after only three hours of flower picking. The Oceanids would always get the prettiest blooms in season since Persephone always had to leave early.
One day however Persephone stayed out for a little too long, even when her friends had to go home she was still picking flowers. She was mesmerized by the most beautiful blooms on the farthest edge in the field away from her friends. The next thing she knew, the ground itself opened up and a tall, dark god in a golden chariot seized her and tossed her into his chariot, escaping into the underworld with her before anyone had time to react. All they heard was a girl screaming. There were no traces of her anywhere. The rest was history. Persephone was terrified of Hades yet in time she grew to fall in love with him and spent most of her time with him. She gradually accepted her role as queen of the underworld and was no longer the shy, timid, virginal maiden she once was. She was widely venerated as queen of the underworld as she was Demeter's daughter. She hasn't seen her mother for way too long, thus this Mothers' Day she wanted it to be perfect between her and her mother.
"Mother!" Persephone called out gaily as Demeter embraced her tightly in a hug.
"Persephone, my darling! Oh goodness, look at you, you've definitely paled" Demeter answered in concern.
"Paled? What do you mean?" Persephone asked in puzzlement as she ran a hand down her own cheek.
"Your cheeks, dear. They've hollowed and are waxy in complexion. Has that husband of yours kept you a little too long in the underworld version of sun" Demeter demanded angrily.
Persephone rolled her eyes. Here we go again. Blaming and shaming Hades version 301. She thought wearily.
"Artemis was right about all men. All they do is care about conquest and view women as nothing more than prizes. I wonder why I ever called him my brother" Demeter spat angrily.
"Mother he's NOT like that, I promise. He's been nothing but generous and loving with me" Persephone pleaded for the trillionth time on Hades' behalf. Not even Artemis could hold a grudge for that long. There was no way in Hades or all Elysium that Demeter would forgive her scum of a brother for abducting her daughter in broad daylight.
Demeter rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't say that, dear. Don't you remember the time he was flirting with that tramp Minthe, and the other one named Leuce?" The harvest goddess writhed angrily. Her green eyes were cold as snakes.
Oh no. Not Minthe again. Persephone shuddered. True she hated that wench. That tramp had NO RIGHT whatsoever intruding on HER territory. Hades was HER husband and that was final. Even if she never wanted to be married to him in the first place, he was already married and he was hers. No other nymph or goddess should be ogling him once he was already married, nor was he allowed to do that with any of them behind HER back either. How difficult a concept was that to understand?!
"Minthe was taken care of. So was Leuce. They'll never try to steal away someone that was never theirs to begin with ever again" Persephone finished with a smirk. She was no longer the innocent maiden goddess abducted by Hades. She was a strong-willed queen of the own right now. As a true queen, she defended what was rightfully hers. This especially included her husband.
Demeter smiled.
"You truly put that scamp in her place, didn't you, dear" Demeter asked, pleased.
"I did, mother I always did. You don't need to worry about me. I am no longer a little girl. I am queen of the underworld now" Persephone assured her. She was the queen of the underworld and no longer went by the name Cora anymore. That was a name meaning "Maiden" bestowed on her by her mother when she was born, but she shed that name over the years, right after her marriage to Hades. She was exclusively Persephone from then on.
That was really all Demeter could ask for and more in a daughter.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite the love goddess awoke and dressed herself carefully in front of her heart-shaped vanity mirror in her bedroom. Of course it was pink everywhere in her palace. It always was. The love goddess ran a golden comb through her long golden hair and surveyed her flawless figure in her long mirror. She smirked at her reflection, her perfect, incomparable, unparalleled reflection every morning. She was the fairest, most ravishing goddess in the cosmos. She wore her favorite floor-length pink gown with a sweet-heart neckline, her favorite rose quartz necklace, aquamarine bracelet, and golden sandals studded with pearls, beryls and emeralds. She smelled like rose fragrance. There was no competition. Not anymore. There never was. She would always scoff at any goddess challenging her for the position. As if they would ever win. Anyone with half a brain would know that no goddess came close to her in terms of beauty. There was that one time with Psyche however..
Never mind. She didn't want to think of Psyche anymore. The one mortal princess who dared to be compared to HER, the goddess of beauty herself?! The idea! The sheer audacity and ignorance of some mortals! However her own son Eros, her beloved dearest son who never failed her in any mission she sent him on to make mortals or gods fall madly in love, fell in LOVE with her himself. Psyche overcame all the daunting tasks Aphrodite sent her on, ensuring she would fail but she succeeded in all these. Finally even the love goddess consented that Psyche should be with Eros forever. Aphrodite reconciled with Psyche over the years and was grandmother to a darling baby girl named Hedone, goddess of pleasure.
Today she went on a brunch with her mother Dione and then a beauty spa excursion with her mother too. Dione beamed at the thought of spending a whole day with her daughter at the beauty salon in Cyprus, home of her daughter's most famous temple.
"Oh look at this piece of jewelry! Rose quartz would look wonderful on that yellow"-Dione began
"Mother, NO. Rose quartz and yellow aren't together" Aphrodite fumed. Seriously her mother sometimes was so clueless in matters of fashion. Rose quartz and yellow?!
"Alright dear. Hmm I was thinking of getting a tan" Dione began.
"Mother you're tanned enough already. I was thinking of setting you up with a man actually" Aphrodite beamed with mischief.
"A man? Darling I don't need a man for ages. Your father and I stay in touch just fine" Dione assured her, laughing.
"Nonsense, mother. Father's always on fling after fling with other women. You need someone else" Aphrodite pouted. She LOVED playing matchmaker since she could walk. Whenever she spotted her mother welcoming a foreign male visitor on her island when she was a little girl, she would envision her mother ending up together with the handsome stranger, only to be proven wrong time and time again. That never stopped her from finding the perfect fit for her mother however, long before Dione had caught Zeus' eye.
Over the years Dione was accustomed to being on her own. No woman ever lasted with Zeus for long. The lord of the cosmos had a roving eye when it came to women. Hera was the only one who captured Zeus' heart but that never stopped him from cheating on his wife time and time again, no matter how much he loved her. Sure Zeus always returned to Hera after a long day of philandering and flirting. Dione got the picture. Whichever man she ended up with was never going to be perfect enough for her and Aphrodite simultaneously. Whenever Dione approved of a man, Aphrodite would question her mother's choice. When Aphrodite approved, Dione doubted his sincerity or principles. Mother and daughter don't always see eye to eye on things.
Aphrodite had impeccable tastes not only in clothing and jewelry, but in men. It took so much to please the goddess of beauty. Her standards were sky high and she valued only PERFECT bodies, muscles, tans, confidence, competent masculinity, so on and so forth. In short, she wanted an Ares for her mother. She never expected to meet Ares, yet it was love at first sight as soon as she met him. There was no other god for her in the entire Pantheon except Ares. It was all over when she met him. She knew at once this love would last eternity.
In time though, Dione would find someone. She knew she would.