Aphrodite was staring down at her latest favorite couple. A young man, a common thief, trailing after a lower class lady. Their was nothing extra-ordinary about the pair. You could find thieves a dime a dozen, and poorer girls to match. Maybe that's we she liked them so much. The simplicity. The other thing was how true their love was. Aphrodite could feel their trust and compassion as if they were standing right next to her. As it was, she was watching invisible, high up in the sky. The couple was walking hand in hand down the path when a bedraggled woman came up to them in a crazed frenzy.

"Please take him. Take him away. She must not see him, or my boy will die before the age of 20." The couple seemed shocked as the woman reached out her arms and they peered at her bundle. It was a baby boy.

Aphrodite peered as well, and in her mind she could see the baby as he would be in the future. The most attractive man you could imagine. She felt herself become entranced. 'I must have that child'. She transformed herself into a swan and hid in the bushes near them.

"Take him, please." With that the woman keeled over and the man just barely caught the bundle before she crashed into the ground. The couple looked at each other, their faces confused, but willing, if a bit reluctant.

At first Aphrodite thought it would be fine to have the couple she so much admired take care of the child till he was old enough. Then she realized that if he was out in the open someone else would snatch him up. That was no good. So she waddled out to them. Following instinct more than common sense. They looked bewildered at the swan before them.

"Do not be alarmed. I am a goddess. I will take care of the child." A look of relief passed over their faces.

"Thank you goddess." They both bowed their heads and the man set the bundle on her back.

"You two have the favor of Aphrodite, your love will always be strong." And with that she flew away. Transforming into herself once she felt It safe enough. She sped off for home and locked herself in, placing the baby on her bed.

She could raise a child. Couldn't she? The boy was still sleeping. She lay next to him on the bed and realized how often she shared that bed with a different man. That would be problematic. All of her children had been taken care of by a lesser goddess, and her children were deities themselves and were hard to injure. This was a fragile piece of flesh, and she didn't trust any of them to keep the child safe and out of the spotlight. The baby woke up saw her and started crying.

"Oh it's okay sweetie. Bouncy boy, bouncy boy." She tried bouncing him, that didn't work. She checked to see if he soiled himself, he hadn't. She offered him food and milk. He didn't want either. Finally she couldn't take it any longer and reached in her bathroom to her medicine cabinet. She found the sleep dust that some god had given her after a one night stand. People couldn't seriously expect her to remember all their names, could they? So she dashed him with the powder and back to sleep he went. Aphrodite sighed in relief. So watching him herself was out of the question. The new question was, who could she trust to hide him. Or even want to help her. She trusted Athena and Artemis, but neither would want to. Hera and Demeter would do it, but they wouldn't keep it a secret. She considered Rhea, but she didn't know her well enough to trust her. "Who else do I trust?" She thought to herself, picking up her drink of Necter that Hebe's replacement had brought to her. Hebe, the party, her talk with... Persephone. It had been there all along she was just to stupid to see it. Looks like a visit to the underworld was in order.