Chapter 3.
It was a few months later and Alexandra's wounds were slowly starting to heal and she had now started to see another boy named Emilio.
He was a couple of years older than herself and worked as a barkeeper in the evenings so she didn't see him all that often which made the little time they had special.
They had been going out for about a month now and today were their anniversary so they had decided to meet at Alexandra's favorite restaurant, "The Minotaur."
Emilio of course was on time as usual and showed his girlfriend to the table where he put out the chair for her so she could sit down. The he sat down himself on the table smiling at her.
She smiled back as her hand slowly found his on top of the table as the waiter took their orders.
As the food arrived they were whispering sweet nothings to each other, hands gently caressing. Their hands slowly broke free from each other to eat as their feet played with each other instead.
Alexandra blushed shyly of something she said when suddenly everything went wrong. The young boy started to heave for air as he had gotten something in his throat. She at once called for help, but he was dead before anyone could reach him.
Alexa sat down next to her lifeless man silently crying as people started to gather around them asking questions, but she didn't answer instead she ran from there, it was simply too much to handle.
Faster and faster she ran to get away from it all, as fast as she possibly could as tears was running fast down her cheeks making it hard to see. She didn't stop until she was by the ocean where she sat down in the sand looking out. Her hands were around her knees and she was shivering due to her heavy crying.
"Can someone please give me some answers," she said looking up at the evening sky.
And just like that she heard a voice behind her say, "Yes I can my child."
Shocked by the voice the young girl turned to look at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, her long, dark hair was falling down her back and she was wearing a long, dark dress. Her eyes were those of her own and filled with love and sorrow just as hers.
"Who, who are you?" she asked confuse.
"I'm Aphrodite the Goddess of beauty and love," the woman answered.
"You mean that you are really her?" she asked, looking at her with shocked eyes as she couldn't quite believe that.
"I am yes," she answered.
"So the Gods exist," she said a bit surprised.
"We do," she answered.
"How old are you?" she asked more out of curiosity than anything else.
"To be honest I lost count decades ago, but I do know my birthday is the 7th of April," she answered.
"You mean all the Gods have birthdays," she said a bit surprised.
"We do yes," she said with a smile as she sat down in the sand.
Alexandra quickly joined her and said, "That's kinda nice I think. Do you celebrate them as well?"
"Yes we do, although that is sometimes hard," she said.
"Let me guess because you dunno if you are gonna celebrate with your husband or lover?" she said with a giggle.
"Something like that," she said with a half smile.
"But at least your men are alive," said Alexandra with sadness in her voice.
"That they are and I am so sorry yours are not," Aphrodite said.
"May I ask a question?" the young girl said.
"Yes you may," said the woman next to her.
"What are you really doing here?" she asked.
"I came to see you of course," she said like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You a Goddess came to see me a normal girl," Alexandra questioned.
"I had my reasons," said the Goddess with a sigh.
"Being?" she asked as she had a little trouble with the fact that a Goddess would come see her just like that.
"You were in trouble," said Aphrodite.
"And, must be more that me that is in trouble down at earth," she said.
"There is, but only you are my daughter," said Aphrodite with a sigh.
"Sorry what did you just say?" she said looking at her with even more shocked eyes than before.
"That you are my daughter," Aphrodite repeated.
Alexandra tried to make sense of these words as it wasn't something you would hear every day, yet it would make some sense as she looked more like the woman in front of her than her parents. With a puzzled look on her face she asked, "Is this really true."
"It is, I would have produced a birth certificate if Gods and Goddesses had that," she said.
"No, no, it's just… a little hard to believe that's all, and my parents?" she questioned, still a bit taken by it all.
"They are a couple I found most suitable at the time as they could not have children, but really wanted them so I know you would be loved and there was some resemblance," said Aphrodite.
"And my father?" she asked as she wanted to know who he was.
"He's dead," she answered without getting more into it.
"Why does everyone I love die, I mean you are the Goddess of love shouldn't that count for something?" she asked hoping her real mother would know.
"I honestly don't know and I really wish it wasn't so as I can see how it pains you," she said.
"Did you love my father?" she asked.
"I did or you would not have been born?" she answered.
"But he was taken from you or you could not have him?" she thought out loud.
"The latter then the first, at that point I was young or younger and I then as now had a husband and a lover I could not afford another and as I knew you may look like your father I could not take the chance of keeping you," she said.
"Poor Goddess of love not being able to keep her own," Alexandra whispered.
"It is not a big deal as I love the two others," Aphrodite said looking away.
"Perhaps, but I imagine that if you had kept your love or may father as it were I would perhaps kept mine," she concluded.
"Or you will not keep the man that is not truly the love of your heart," said Aphrodite.
"How will I know?" she asked.
"Listen to it when it speaks," she said as she slowly got up.
"Will I see you again?" she asked.
"You will," she promised, gently stroking her cheek.
"And if I ever would need to talk to you?" she asked.
"Turn your head against the sky and listen to your heart and I will answer," she said and with that she was gone.
Alexandra looked around wondering if it was all a dream or not, just in case she whispered, "Thank you for telling the truth mummy, I love you."
She stood silently listening and just then it was like she could hear her mother's voice say, "I love you too my little Goddess, with all my heart."
When Alexandra came home she sat down on her bed with a deep sigh not knowing what she should believe. She the daughter of Aphrodite, could that really be.
She always somehow knew that "her parents" wasn't her parents, but still this was a bit over the top.
If she had any friends she would probably tell them about it right this instant, but as she didn't she just sat there thinking.
A silent tear ran down her cheek as she wondered how much difference it would have that she was a half Goddess, surly she wouldn't be up at Mount Olympus with her mother and the others, that would be to risky, that was after all the reason why she was left behind in the first place.
While others had their parent's present she most likely would never have that. How could she? She wondered if she had been better off not knowing, it wouldn't change anything at all.
"Why did you have me?" she whispered as angry tears ran down her cheeks as she felt like the loneliest person on earth.
"Because I didn't have the heart to do otherwise," she heard her mother's voice from behind. The young girl turned with still teary eyes whispering, "Have you any idea how lonely I am?"
Her mother sat down next to her, slowly letting her little girl come close, hiding in her, whimpering sadly.
"I can imagine," she said as she gently stroked her.
"I don't wanna be lonely, if I hadn't been this beautiful maybe I would have a chance," she said.
Aphrodite didn't answer so the young girl said, "It made trouble for you too, at least if I shall believe the myths."
"It has yes, everything has its price even beauty," she answered truthfully.
"What are they like?" Alexandra asked.
"Who?" said Aphrodite.
"The other Gods," she said.
"They are as humans, but they have their own powers in a way," she said.
Alexandra nodded as she said, "Did you name me?"
"I did, I decided that if you were a boy it would be Alexander and a girl Alexandra after Alexander the great as I knew you would become something great," she said, kissing the top of her head.
"What's great about me, when all I love dies," she whispered, hiding deeper.
"To me you are the greatest thing I ever made," she whispered back.
"Really I am," there was a hint of happiness in her voice.
"Mhm," she said.
"I know it is a lot to ask, but can I please come live with you?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
"I dunno little Goddess," Aphrodite said.
"Please, I never really belonged here and you are after all my mother," she said.
Aphrodite knew she was speaking the truth and of all her children she was the only one truly looking like her, yet she knew that bringing her up with her would cause her to come in conflict with the other Gods so she was unsure on what to do.
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"Mummy," Alexandra questioned as she hadn't answered her yes.
"I'm sorry my little Goddess, I want you there don't get me wrong, but I do have to talk to my husband first," she said with a heavy sigh.
"I understand, but can you please stay?" she asked with a tired yawn.
"I can," she answered knowing that would in fact get her in trouble with her husband, only right then she did not care as her daughter was more important. Slowly young Alexandra fell asleep for the first time in her mother's arms as Aphrodite gently stroked her wondering how she could ever have left her behind.