Aphrodite gasped as she materialized next to the mystery man. Whatever he had done to transport them, it was not the same as the flashing she was accustom to. Shaking her head to dispel the dizziness, she looked around and gasped again. She was in a large black room that appeared to be some form of art gallery. Well, the mystery man had claimed he was an artist, and if this was his work then she was thoroughly impressed. The pieces were like nothing she had ever seen before. Moving paintings on indescribable beauty and statues made of stone that flowed like water. A large starry throne sat against the far wall, and in the middle of the room was a swirling pool of light. Finally finding her voice she was able to ask, "Where are we?"
"This is my realm," the man replied. He waved his hand and a bench of black stone appeared. "Please, sit. I'll explain everything," he said taking a seat himself. Aphrodite sat and looked at the man expectantly. He just smiled and without preamble stated, "I am Chaos, and you're in the Void."
Aphrodite's eyes widened and she felt her breathing speeding up. "Chaos!? I thought you were just a legend?" she shrieked bordering on panic. To her great surprise, and annoyance, he laughed and placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"And I had planned to remain that way, but recent events have forced me to reveal myself," he said smiling. "Don't worry, I gave you my word no harm would come to you and my word is binding." Aphrodite felt herself starting to calm down. With the return of her composure she came to her senses. This was Chaos, creator and ruler of the Universe. She quickly fell off the bench bowing before him.
"Lord Chaos, please forgive my outburst. I meant no disrespect," she pleaded. He only laughed again.
"None of that. Please stand. You're my guest here, and I only want to talk." He grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Let me tell you why I brought you here." His face grew serious as he continued, "As I told you on Earth, I consider myself an artist. The Universe you live in is my masterpiece. Long ago I created my children, and placed them within my masterpiece without any knowledge of me. I had grown bored with my art and wanted to try something new. I've watched them thrive and grow and live and die, and what started out as a simple experiment has turned into a family that I care about. I see what is happening on Earth, and like I told you there, I wish to help in the fight with Kronos. I will not see my crowning achievement in the hands as one such as him." He glanced up and looked Aphrodite in the eyes, "I cannot interfere directly, my word is binding, and I made an oath long ago preventing me from doing so. However, I can name a champion to act in my place."
"And you chose me?!" Aphrodite asked him incredulously. Sure she was a powerful goddess, but she was by no means a warrior. How did he expect her to fight in his place against the ruler of Earth? For a being of such power, she was really starting to doubt his intelligence. Before she could continue he just laughed again.
"No. I didn't choose you," he said smiling. "I know you're powers lie elsewhere, but you can help me in your own way."
"How can I help? My powers are over love and beauty, what good are love and beauty in a war?" Aphrodite protested. She was a bit relieved he didn't want her to fight, but she was still worried about what he would ask of her.
"Love and beauty are powerful forces Aphrodite," he chided. "It was love for my family that caused me to reveal myself to you, and it was a desire to create something beautiful that caused me to create the Universe and everything in it. Yourself not being the least of these. You have dominion over forces that can sway even me. Don't do yourself the disservice of dismissing yourself or your powers."
Aphrodite blushed at the compliment. Did he really just call her beautiful? She knew she was, but even her ego wasn't big enough to expect the creator of the universe to think of her that way. "Still," she said, "what can I do? If I'm not to be your champion, then why did you bring me here?"
With that Chaos looked away. Was it possible for the creator of the Universe to be nervous? If it was Aphrodite could have sworn she was witnessing it. "I would like my champion to be my child and heir," he said. "I need someone to watch over my artwork, my creations, and since my current children are part of my masterpiece, they will not do. I need a new child." He smiled then, "a Curator of sorts I suppose."
Aphrodite was confused, she still didn't know how she could help him. Athena would have figured it out by now she thought wryly, but she was no goddess of wisdom. "If you need another child why don't you just create one? That's what you did last time isn't it? Why do you need me?" she asked him.
There was that nervous look again. "If I create another child, then he or she would be part of my creation same as my current children. The child would not be a Curator for my work, but would be another piece of it. If I'm to have the champion I need, then the child must be…born and not created," he finished in a rush.
Aphrodite looked at Chaos for a moment, then it dawned on her. "Are you trying to seduce me?' she asked with a small smirk, "Because if you are your pickup lines could use a little work."
Chaos groaned and buried his face in his hands, "I'm sorry! I've never done this before!"
Laughing Aphrodite patted him on the back. Here she was, laughing at and trying to comfort the creator of the Universe. That was too weird to think on at the moment, so she decided to ignore it for now. He looked up at her and met her eyes. "I'm not going to force you to do anything, but I do need an heir, and they need to born naturally, and yes I would like you to be the mother," he said in a rush. When he finished he closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then looked at her. "Think on it will you?" he asked.
Still trying to hide a smile asked him, "How could a child born now help in the war?"
Chaos looked relieved that she hadn't outright refused him yet. He answered slowly, "This place is not bound by time the same way the Universe is. I control the passage of time here. Despite how long we've talked here only a few seconds have passed back on Earth. If we had a child, we could raise him or her to adulthood and return to Earth with a fully trained Curator only about a month after I took you."
"Wow…" Aphrodite was impressed. She knew Chaos had to be powerful, he did create everything after all, but to be able to slow time down that much was something she had not expected. Something else he said caught her attention. "Wait, we? You want me to stay and help raise the child?" she asked.
He looked startled by her question. "I wouldn't force you to, but I assumed you would want to. I don't want to deprive my child of its mother," he said seriously.
Aphrodite grinned at him, "Of course I would want to! I just assumed you would want to train the child yourself once it was born. Forgive me, I guess I'm use to Kronos's rule."
Chaos frowned, "And that's one of the reasons he will be removed."
Aphrodite was beginning to like this idea. Admittedly, being a parent wasn't high on her list of things to do, but she wouldn't abandon a child after it was born. Plus this was Chaos. She'd never forgive herself if she let the chance to seduce him pass her by. Well, it wouldn't take much seducing, but still. She leaned in and kissed Chaos on the cheek. "Ok," she told him, "I'll do it."
Time was difficult in the Void. Aphrodite assumed that was because it had stopped. Well not really stopped, but close enough. Every time she looked into the swirling mass of lights that was the Universe in the throne room she was shocked to see how much time had slowed. In the time she'd been here, she and Chaos had conceived a child, and she had carried it to term giving birth just a few hours, or what would have been hours was time normal, earlier. The baby boy had inherited his father's black hair and eyes and his mother's beauty.
Aphrodite was sitting in the nursery rocking her newborn baby boy, and singing to him softly. Chaos stood at her shoulder proudly watching her. "What do you want to name him?" she asked glancing up at the new father.
"You're his mother Aphrodite, you decide," he answered smiling down on her. In all the time she'd been here she hadn't seen him smile as much as he had since the birth. Without even trying she could feel the love for the boy coming off him in waves. Aphrodite smiled, she'd been doing a lot of that herself.
"How about Perseus?" she asked not taking her eyes of the child.
"Hmm. Perseus? Yes, I like that. Perseus, Son of Aphrodite and Chaos, Curator of Creation, and Heir to the Void. It has a nice ring to it don't you think?" he replied chuckling to himself.
Perseus opened his eyes and grabbed a fistful of Aphrodite's hair, laughing as he began to play with it. Aphrodite smirked at his father's antics, but ignored him to focus on the baby. "Hello Perseus, I'm your mother," she said.