Chapter 7: Planet Earth
Subtitle: Hurt You
(Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's Identity)
Author's Note: I finished this update sooner than expected. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.
Full Disclosure: I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.
This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is about Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.
Trigger Warning: This chapter contains a reference to non-consensual sexual activity. It also contains some analysis of the impact of the abuse on the victim.
I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.
I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.
Republic of Cyprus: Friday, August 27, 2010
Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's Identity
Helena strolled up a rocky hill, sniffing the air and methodically following the scent that had called to her as she stood with M and Quinn overlooking the tower construction and the Mediterranean Sea. She walked around rocky crags, inhaling deeply and zigzagging a pattern through the rugged soil. She increased her pace as the scent became stronger. She abruptly stopped in front of a cave opening, where she heard the soft clanking of metal and humming. This is where the smell is coming from.
Helena made her way to the cave's entrance and peered inside. She saw a lanky, attractive black woman with caramel skin and curly shoulder-length hair. The woman was gently brushing some kind of clay container, engrossed in thought. The woman looked up, startled to see Helena standing at the cave's entrance.
Helena raised her hand in a calming gesture, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
The woman pressed a hand over her eyes like the brim of a visor, shielding out the sun coming in through the cave opening to get a better view of Helena. She stood and casually walked over.
"That's alright. I don't get many visitors. Can I help you?" the woman asked.
"I don't know. I heard you working and was curious what you were doing?" Helena made this up. She didn't know how to explain that she smelled something familiar in the cave without sounding weird.
The woman replied amiably, "I'm a professor at the University of Athens. I specialize in Antiquities. The Hellenistic Period is a special love of mine. This cave is potentially a ground-breaking discovery, at least for me."
"What is it? If it's not top secret, that is?" Helena asked.
The woman smiled, her light brown eyes sparkling, "Not top secret. I hope in fact to eventually make it very public. This appears to be the sight of the world's oldest perfumery. It's also a place of worship for devotees of the goddess Aphrodite."
Helena looked intrigued, but frowned, "Why is this such an important discovery, besides the fact that it shows how long ago perfume was made?"
The woman answered, a bit excited to be talking to someone who seemed genuinely curious about her work, "Well, it's lots of things. The kinds of ingredients used to make the perfume, all herbs, which was unique to this region and apparently to the time period. It's also the role the scents played in the worship of the goddess. These were known as Aphrodite's scents. Being able to wear Aphrodite's perfume was a status symbol, and represented an acolyte's station as a beloved worshiper of the goddess. Who these people were will tell me much about the cults of the goddess in this particular region of Cyprus, in this particular time period."
Helena asked, her mind starting to race, "How do you know that the scents in this cave belong to Aphrodite and only her? Is this island uniquely associated with her or something? Weren't there many other … Greek goddesses who liked perfume? Maybe it's not a goddess at all, but some wealthy merchant women or …"
Alexis shook her head enthusiastically, "No, no. Merchant women, no. Other goddesses, no. With the goddess Aphrodite, yes. Of course, there are other goddesses, but they have their own cities. For example, Athens was the province of Athena, goddess of war. But this entire island of Cyprus belonged to Aphrodite, goddess of love. Did you know that Cyprus's other name is Aphrodite's Island? Some local people still call it that."
Helena shook her head. No.
Alexis continued, "This is supposedly the place of the goddess Aphrodite's birth. She was born, or rather emerged from, the Mediterranean Sea however many eons ago."
Helena stepped further into the cave, sniffing but trying not to be too obvious. She reached for one of the clay containers. "May I?"
"Sure, I guess. Just ..., please be careful," the woman came over to Helena, somewhat intrigued.
Helena lifted the vessel and sniffed. Her eyes widened. "Olive oil. Almonds. Coriander. Myrtle." Helena paused and sniffed, before uttering, "Bergamot."
The caramel-skinned professor looked utterly shocked, "That- that's right. How did you? This building collapsed in 1850 B.C. These jugs are more than 4,000 years old? How could you possibly smell…?"
The woman frowned. Helena couldn't focus on managing the woman's queries. She was too busy processing the questions racing through her own mind, namely why the scents emanating from these 4,000 year-old jugs smelled exactly like Afrida, a seductive, complex aroma Helena knew all too well. And why the professor was calling these scents Aphrodite's scents.
Helena eventually pulled herself out of her mental reverie when she noticed the woman staring at her. "I'm sorry, I have an acute sense of smell, I guess."
Helena extended her hand, hoping to change the subject a bit. "My name is Helena. Helena Wolfe."
The professor slowly took Helena's hand, still regarding her. "I'm Alexis Stavros. Call me Alex."
Alex regarded Helena's uniform. "Are you with that military crew over the hill?"
Helena reluctantly replied, "Yes."
Alex queried, "I'm guessing that what you're doing is top secret?"
Helena's silence gave the answer. Alex nodded. "Well, you're welcome to stay. I'm going to get back to it, if you don't mind."
"No, of course." Helena walked over to a cave wall in a far, dark corner of the professor's work den. She studied the colorful drawings. One in particular stood out. It was a wooden stick, wrapped in lush green ivy and vines.
####
Helena's tongue circled rapidly, faster than humanly possible, making a deliberate, repeating pattern over Afrida's clit. Afrida, eyes clamped shut, writhed and moaned underneath her, snaking across the bed on her back. Helena gripped Afrida's hips, holding her in place and following her as she traversed the king-sized bed. Helena was relentless in her attentions, slowing down only when her tongue felt the tiny tremors of orgasm emanating from Afrida's wet center.
Afrida gripped Helena's head as she screamed one last time, weakly pushing the brunette's lips away from her sensitive privates. Helena lay quietly with her head on Afrida's thigh, listening to the sound of Afrida's heavy breathing. Their bodies were tangled crossways on the bed, surrounded by a mountain of crushed pillows.
A glint of color caught Helena's eye. Helena raised up, lifting Afrida's leg slightly. She examined an area just inside and toward the back of Afrida's upper right thigh. To her surprise, engraved on Afrida's skin was a tiny but very colorful tattoo, a drawing of a brown stick of wood. Lush green leaves wrapped around the stick.
"What's this?" Helena asked.
"What's what?" Afrida answered, dreamily.
"You have a tattoo. When did you get it?" Helena caressed the marking on Afrida's thigh.
"What?" Afrida raised up on her elbows, more alert now. Frowning. "What are you talking about?"
Helena continued to gently run her fingers along the tattoo, caressing Afrida's inner thigh. Afrida jerked, aroused by the touch. Afrida looked down. "I don't see anything."
Helena looked up and locked eyes with Afrida. "Hmm, I guess you can't see it from your angle. Wait a minute."
Helena got up and walked over to the dresser. She retrieved a hand-held mirror and lay next to Afrida. She angled the mirror across from the tattoo so that Afrida could see it. Afrida examined the image silently, frowning. Her features morphed from confusion to anxiety. Her eyes widened and she started to breathe heavily.
Helena tried to move the mirror away, and was startled when Afrida tightly gripped her hand. Afrida squeezed, drawing blood as she held the mirror in place and studied the tattoo. "I don't know how I got this. I didn't even know it was there. I… I can't remember."
Afrida's lower lip quivered. Her hands shook. Suddenly she screamed and jerked Helena's hand away from her with a force so strong the motion tore the mirror from Helena's hands. It crashed into the wall and broke into pieces.
Helena held Afrida, rocking her back and forth as she wept. Afrida cried, "I can't remember. I should remember something like that, shouldn't I? Why can't I remember?"
####
"Do you know what this drawing means?" Helena asked.
Alexis looked up from dusting pottery. "What?" She walked over to the cave wall and stood next to Helena. She couldn't see anything until she took out a tiny flashlight from her pocket and angled the light onto the dark wall. "How could you possibly see…?"
Helena stared straight ahead. She realized she wasn't doing a good job at not piquing the professor's interest, but she needed to know about this cave and its contents. She was willing to risk the professor learning a little too much about her in the process.
"It's called a thyrsos. It's a symbol of Dionysus, god of wine, joy and theatre. He was one of Aphrodite's lovers. They had a brief but very passionate relationship." Alexis gave Helena her full attention.
Helena asked, "Did Aphrodite have a tattoo of this symbol?"
Alexis's eyes lit up, "Are you a student of the Hellenistic period, Helena?"
Helena shook her head, laughing slightly, "No, I'm not. I guess you could say I have a … uhm … personal fascination with Aphrodite." Then Helena lied, "I've just read some of the myths about her, that's all."
Alexis observed, "Well, your readings must have taken you deep into some esoteric texts. I mean, there is a myth about Aphrodite having a tattoo, but it was a regional myth popular during the end of the Hellenistic period. It was never widely circulated because most adherents believed the goddess appreciated the beauty of the human body only in its natural state, unblemished. So tattoos would have been anathema."
Helena asked, "But there was a myth about a tattoo, you said?"
"Yes," Alexis replied. "There is. In fact, it was popular in this very province, with the people who ran this perfumery, which is why this thyrsos is on this cave wall. So the myth goes, Aphrodite began a passionate, secret affair with Dionysus. She kept it a secret because her lover Ares, god of war, was extremely jealous. Dionysus grew tired of being denied as Aphrodite's lover. To appease him she did something that would normally be unthinkable. She marred her beautiful skin with this symbol, as a way of proving her love to Dionysus."
Alexis reached down and pressed her hands to her inner right thigh. "It is said that she placed the tattoo here, on her inner thigh. The placement of the tattoo in and of itself symbolized the depth of intimacy between her and Dionysus, as only the most intimate of lovers could ever see it. Even if the goddess made love to someone else, they would know that Dionysus had been there, so to speak."
Helena blushed at this. Alexis, who was studying Helena, noticed but didn't say anything. She continued, "Of course, Aphrodite took other lovers, and she explained the tattoo by saying it was a tribute to Dionysus for giving her the gift of a special red wine, whose taste she said, mimicked the intoxication of love. No one believed her, of course."
"How many lovers did Aphrodite have?" Helena asked, feeling more than a little jealous.
"Oh, many. She was the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, lust and procreation, after all. Ares, Dionysus, Poseidon, Hermes. Most myths say that her main lover was Ares, god of war. But according to this particular cult, Aphrodite's greatest and one true love was Adonis," Alexis mused. "She also had many children."
Helena's face saddened for the briefest of moments. She asked after thinking a bit, "I don't mean to keep you from your work. But can I ask a hypothetical question?"
Alexis interrupted, laughing a little, "You're not keeping me from work anymore. I'm enjoying our conversation immensely. It's not everyday, or any day for that matter, that someone bothers an Antiquities professor huddled in her cave with hypothetical questions."
Helena smiled, then turned serious. "Did Aphrodite have enemies? Or a tragedy of some kind? Something so terrible that she would want to forget who she was."
Alexis stepped closer, a look of utter shock on her face. She gripped Helena's arm, studying her. "I… I'm sorry. I can't believe what you're asking."
Helena asked, "Why?"
Alex answered, still quite taken aback, "I found manuscripts in this cave. They're tattered and so the story is in fragments. I'm still translating it. It's a new myth. A myth about Aphrodite losing her memory. To my knowledge, the only version of this myth is locked in my desk drawer back in Athens. I have to ask how you even thought of such an idea? Have you seen this story somewhere?"
Helena stammered, "N-no. I… I heard this story from a friend. I… I don't remember. Where they heard it. It sounded interesting, and, well, and, since I'm here with you, I thought I would ask about it."
Alexis gave Helena a look that indicated she thought Helena was full of shit. But she continued. The professor was anxious to see where the conversation would go. "Well, Aphrodite was the goddess of love. But like all of the gods and goddesses in the Hellenistic pantheon, she was deeply flawed. She was passionate, jealous, arrogant, willful, vain, competitive. So, yes, she had lots of enemies. And there is a myth related to her losing her memory in which her enemies seek revenge against her."
"Please tell me," Helena implored, sounding a little too desperate.
Alexis gestured for Helena to sit. Alex joined her on the cave floor, crossing her legs in front of her and leaning forward to tell the story. "The popular stories you learn in school basically tell you that Aphrodite was a beautiful bitch. You know, the head cheerleader in high school who dates the captain of the football team and puts her cleats on the necks of the nerdy girls who wear braces. Basically, a beautiful monster."
Helena laughed as Alexis continued, "But this cult picks up the story much earlier, giving details about Aphrodite's childhood. According to their story, Aphrodite wasn't always the way she was. She wasn't born a bitch. No woman is, if you think about it."
Helena smiled, liking the casual, edgy way Alexis told the story, as if she knew the goddess personally. Helena thought of Afrida - the woman she knew, worked with every day, made love to - as she listened to Alexis. "Aphrodite was born of the sea, perfect. She was the embodiment of love, even more beautiful on the inside than she was on the outside. She was so beautiful on the inside that a visible light emanated from her very being.
Now, no one knows who her mother was, but it is believed that she was a goddess. Not a named goddess, but the sea itself. The sea represented the primordial, perhaps the Earth itself. In effect, a part of Aphrodite was as old as the universe itself.
Her father was believed to be Zeus. Zeus had many children, but Aphrodite was special. She stood apart from all his other children, because of her outer and inner beauty.
Zeus loved her, and young Aphrodite adored him. She worshiped him. Over time, Zeus saw how everyone reacted to his favorite daughter. Her beauty was captivating, mesmerizing. Zeus knew that eventually someone would deflower her. This idea haunted him, made him jealous. Zeus's gaze turned from doting father into … lust."
Helena shifted uncomfortably, not liking the direction the story was taking.
Alexis turned serious, "Zeus was the supreme god. He couldn't deal with the idea that another man would one day know such supreme beauty, beauty that he had created, while that beauty was to him forever forbidden. He … well there's no nice way to put it. He raped Aphrodite, repeatedly over a period of time. He sought to possess that light that emanated from inside her. In the cruelest irony, Zeus didn't capture that inner beauty. He destroyed it. That light disappeared."
Helena winced at this. She felt tears brimming in her eyes, and fought them back. Alexis gently touched Helena's leg, seemingly unbothered by Helena's strange reaction to a mythical atrocity. Alexis continued, "Zeus raped her until that inner light turned into darkness. Then he snapped out of his incestuous lust, regretting the evil he had done to Aphrodite. But he mainly was very concerned about his image.
Zeus manipulated his human adherents, so the popular story that you read in classical literature is that Zeus attempted to force himself on Aphrodite, but she escaped. This story looks bad, but not as bad as the truth according to the cult that worshiped in this cave, which was that Zeus was in fact a serial rapist of his own child.
I like this story because it offers a much more complex view of Aphrodite. Not just that she is a pretty bitch who wasn't very nice and was deservedly hated by most other gods and goddesses. She grew cold because of what Zeus, her own father, did to her, the taking of her innocence.
She became cynical about her physical beauty, and used it to her every advantage. As her inner beauty diminished, her external beauty magnified. Her response to the horror that was done to her was a perfectly understandable coping mechanism. She basically said, "life's a bitch, now so am I."
Helena smiled knowingly, "I love Catwoman, too. Michelle Pfeiffer was fierce."
Alexis nodded, "I agree."
Helena asked, "So why did other gods and goddesses hate her?"
Alexis replied, "For one, because they didn't know the truth about what Zeus did to her. Zeus went to great lengths to keep his crimes a secret. He forgave Aphrodite whatever bad or mischievous acts she did because he was afraid she would expose the monster that Zeus really was. I mean, it was kind of like the quid pro quo that happens in some human child abuse situations. The abuser bribes the child to keep the abuse secret.
So from the outside looking in, to those who didn't know the truth, which was everyone, it looked like Zeus the loving father unfairly spoiled his beautiful daughter because of her physical attributes. So other gods and goddesses were understandably very jealous. They consoled themselves with the belief that Aphrodite, however attractive she looked on the outside, was heinous on the inside.
Over time, many members of the pantheon went to Zeus to complain about Aphrodite, over some betrayal or insult or just plain jealousy. They felt that Aphrodite seemed to always be getting away with something. Zeus would placate them, but never really curb Aphrodite's behavior. That was the silent deal they struck. Zeus let her do whatever she wanted, and in return Aphrodite said nothing about what Zeus did to her."
"So who were her enemies?" Helena asked, feeling fearful for the goddess even though all of the events Alexis described had already happened.
Alexis gave a small smile, "The question really is who wasn't her enemy. At some point most of her lovers were angry about being rebuffed or replaced. But her biggest enemies were other goddesses – Artemis, Persephone, Athena, Hera."
"Why?" Helena asked.
Alex leaned in and looked reflective, remembering the stories. "Well, Artemis was another of Zeus's daughters. She never wanted to be married, as was custom, so she convinced Zeus to allow her to remain an unmarried virgin. Zeus, perhaps remembering how he had sullied Aphrodite, agreed to Artemis's request. Artemis was jealous of Aphrodite's beauty, and chided her by calling her a whore.
Aphrodite countered that Artemis was a repressed lesbian, who insulted same-sex love by emphasizing chaste sisterly bonding over, well, hot sex."
Alexis and Helena both blushed. Alexis pushed past the embarrassment, and continued, "To Aphrodite, there was nothing sisterly about same-sex romance and love. It was as passionate, as unchaste, lustful and unabashed as heterosexual love. While Artemis made the argument that her view of sisterly love elevated love between women, Aphrodite countered that Artemis's idiotic denial of sexual desire diminished lesbian love.
Well, apparently Aphrodite had the better argument in this debate. What Artemis withholds Aphrodite freely gives, and it seems potential acolytes preferred the giving of hot sex and love over the withholding and replacement of said hot sex and love with sisterly, chaste friendship.
Aphrodite is the goddess of all forms of mutually consensual lovemaking. So, as you can imagine, the goddess of love didn't have much trouble finding worshipers to sign on to what she had to offer."
Helena smiled, agreeing.
Alexis explained, "But the biggest victory for Aphrodite in this debate with Artemis came when Sappho chose Aphrodite as the goddess of lesbian love. Sappho believed that it was Aphrodite, not Artemis, who embodied the unique way that women could make love to one another – the intensity of connection and intimacy that comes from knowing the other's body so well because it is like your own."
Helena's mind wandered as images of her and Afrida's lovemaking flashed in her head. She felt arousal warming her. She shook her head, pushing away the erotic thoughts.
Alexis smirked, as if reading Helena's mind. She continued, "So that's why Artemis hated Aphrodite."
Helena asked, "And the others?"
Alexis moved to the next story. "Persephone hated her for breaking a deal brokered by Zeus over Adonis; and as an aside her other male lovers hated her for elevating Adonis to the status of her one true love. Adonis was orphaned when he was a baby. He was at least part god, but also part human. Oh, and basically it was Aphrodite's fault that Adonis lost his parents. She caused Adonis's mother to develop an incestuous attraction to her own father. Adonis was the product of this union, and the incestuous relationship is what ultimately caused the destruction of Adonis's family."
Helena frowned, "Why would Aphrodite do something like that?"
Alexis smiled, "In a word, boredom. Aphrodite had disliked Adonis's mother, Myrrha, for a long time before Adonis was born. Myrrha was a beautiful bitch. Aphrodite was a beautiful bitch. Beautiful bitches tend not to like sharing each other's space, and the two of them hated each other.
Aphrodite cast a spell to make Myrrha become attracted to her own father, largely so that she could enjoy the fallout and see Myrrha get her comeuppance. That Myrrha got pregnant with Adonis by her own father was just ... an added bonus."
Helena looked shocked. She couldn't picture … someone … like Afrida, doing something so cruel.
Alexis saw Helena's shock and tried to explain. "This sounds shocking, I know. But you have to remember that these are gods and goddesses we're talking about. They are immortal, have lots of power, and lots of human traits, both good and bad. And lots of time on their hands to do shit to each other. I'm not saying any of this is good. I'm just saying in the context of the story, Aphrodite's actions were mischievous with a touch of evil, as opposed to downright evil." Alexis smiled to herself at this idea.
Alexis considered something else, then said, "Also, somewhat in Aphrodite's defense, she had been defiled by her own father and had grown hardened because of that experience. This may have played some psychological role in her particular choice to get back at Myrrha in the way that she did."
Helena nodded. I see.
Alex continued, "So …, Aphrodite found the orphaned Adonis and saw how beautiful he was. How beautiful he was going to become. She wanted to save him for herself, but didn't want to mother him. And she wanted to keep others at bay as he grew older and became more and more handsome. So she locked him in a box, intending to keep him there until he grew into a man. Aphrodite gave the box to Persephone for safekeeping in Hades, intending to retrieve him when he came of age.
Persephone's curiosity got the better of her and she peeked in the box. When she beheld the beautiful boy, she instantly fell in love with him. When Aphrodite returned for Adonis, Persephone refused to give him back.
Well, a battle ensued, and Zeus had to intervene to keep the two goddesses from warring with each other. He brokered an agreement in which Adonis would spend half the year with Persephone and half the year with Aphrodite. Zeus wouldn't have given in to Persephone at all, except he needed her for political alliances.
Aphrodite was pissed. She doesn't share well, especially not when it comes to something she really wants. And she really wanted Adonis. Moreover, she felt she had a rightful claim to him, having found him first.
Eventually, Adonis grew to love Aphrodite exclusively during their time together, and he ultimately rejected Persephone. Aphrodite claimed that Adonis was her one true love and that he grew to love only her on his own, but Persephone believed that Adonis's affections were influenced by a spell cast by Aphrodite. Aphrodite was known to cast spells that influenced the affections of others. It was one of her favorite things to do, often with mischievous intent.
Persephone appealed to Zeus that Aphrodite had made a mockery of the gods' rules by violating the deal to share Adonis. Zeus threatened punishment, until Aphrodite privately reminded him that it was he who had violated the most sacred of rules. It was Zeus who made Aphrodite what she was. Zeus succumbed to this blackmail and basically told Persephone to get over it. So that is why Persephone hated Aphrodite."
Helena thought through what Alex had just told her, then asked, "Why Adonis? How could she be attracted to … a child?"
Alexis leaned in, particularly interested in Helena's question. "I see your discomfort with this story. Perhaps you are wondering whether Aphrodite developed an abnormal attraction to children because of what her father did to her?"
Helena nodded, her face showing the sadness she felt on the inside.
Alexis shook her head. "No, no. That's not it, if we look at the story. There's nothing to suggest that Aphrodite was pedophilic, or that she would have ever violated the line that separated her, the adult, from the child Adonis."
Alexis thought for a moment, and then said, "I think I have a way of explaining to you how I see it. I have a good friend whose husband is twenty-two years her senior. She sometimes gets in a mood and muses with her husband about the reality that, if they could go back in time, they would come to a point where she is a child not of age, and her husband is a grown man.
She asks him what he thinks he would feel if he had met her as a child, and what would he do? Her husband, a very intelligent man, gives virtually the only right answer. He tells her he thinks that it would be love at first sight, and that, of course, he would wait for her to be old enough for him."
Alexis chuckled, and drew a small laugh out of Helena. Helena quipped, "He showed himself to be madly in love with only her and not a pervert."
"Precisely," Alex replied. "So, I think this story of Aphrodite and Adonis is sort of my friend's hypothetical brought to life. Aphrodite meets her true love at a time when she cannot act on that attraction and love. So she waits. Or, I should say, she doesn't violate the line between her and Adonis. She is the goddess of love, after all."
Helena frowned, "And ... she put him in a box until he grew up?"
Alexis laughed, "It's an allegory. You can say that she put him in an actual box, or that she put him away from her, in a safe place with a supposedly trustworthy caretaker. Now a view of Aphrodite as a bitch would say she treated Adonis as a possession and didn't care for his well-being and safety.
However, when I read her background and consider her actions in the context of what her father did, I think she put him away from her so that she would not even be tempted to violate his innocence. This shows that despite what happened to her, Aphrodite still retained some, maybe a lot, of her inner light."
Helena asked, "So that explains how she could be attracted to him. But still, why him?"
Alexis mused out loud, "Adonis was … beauty incarnate. Perfection. His body was perfect, but he also was, in terms of Aphrodite's particular needs, perfect on the inside as well. He was naïve, childlike and innocent in his view of the world, especially since he had spent his entire life sheltered in Hades.
Aphrodite was attracted to his innocence, his childlike wonder. She was attracted to him because he gave her back something vital that was taken from her. He wasn't the deepest person intellectually, but he was very emotionally warm. This appealed to the goddess immensely.
Note that Adonis was emotionally warm but not emotionally mature; he was a teenage boy, after all. But then who could match Aphrodite in this category anyway? She didn't need Adonis to be emotionally mature. She already possesses enough of that for the entire world. But what she did need was to play, to laugh, to run barefoot through grass, to be childlike and silly. That is what Adonis gave to her."
Helena smiled as she thought of Afrida and Quinn endlessly playing and seeking ways to fight crime and eradicate evil.
Alexis continued, "And that is why Aphrodite was so pissed when Persephone claimed Adonis. Persephone may have wanted Adonis, but Aphrodite needed him, so much so that she disobeyed Zeus's edict and took him back completely. And that is why Persephone hated Aphrodite."
Helena tried to process the enormity of Aphrodite's troubles. She said, "It sounds like it was just a matter of time before someone plotted Aphrodite's demise."
Alexis agreed, "Yes, the attack against her was a long time in the making. Zeus resisted numerous calls for Aphrodite's head, which was a continual source of stress for him. But Aphrodite's conflict with Athena and Hera was the last straw.
Athena and Hera hated Aphrodite because they felt she cheated her way to the title of Fairest Goddess of All. So . . . there was a wedding, to which all of the gods and goddesses were invited, except for Eris, the goddess of discord."
Helena joked, "I could see why no one would want Eris at their wedding."
Alexis laughed, "Indeed. Eris tried to enter the wedding and was turned away, which totally pissed her off. Well, Eris isn't the goddess of discord for nothing. She can wreak havoc without even being in the room. She lobbed a golden apple into the midst of the festivities, and labeled it, "To the fairest goddess."
Helena smiled as she listened to the story unfold. Alexis smiled back, enjoying seeing the story through Helena's eyes. She continued, "Three goddesses laid claim to the golden apple – Athena, Hera and, of course, Aphrodite.
Zeus tried to mediate the triple claim to the golden apple. He commanded his son Hermes to bring the goddesses to Paris, Prince of Troy, so that he could choose the fairest, most beautiful goddess. Now all three goddesses offered Paris favors, essentially bribing him for his vote. But, as these things go, the losers, Athena and Hera, accused the winner, Aphrodite, of cheating.
Athena and Hera bribed Paris with honor and victory in battle, and with the promise of a happy marriage and family life after his days of war. Aphrodite shrewdly promised Paris the woman of his dreams - the most beautiful non-goddess, Helen of Sparta. Paris easily agreed to this deal and, in return, chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. Well, Athena and Hera were so angered by this that they used their war powers against Paris, declaring themselves enemies of Troy.
There also was a not so minor problem with Aphrodite promising Paris that he could have Helen of Sparta. You see, there had already been a long contest for Helen's hand, and she was betrothed to another. This did not stop Paris from kidnapping Helen to be his wife, helped along by a spell cast by Aphrodite that caused Helen to fall in love with Paris. This act led to the Trojan War, with Athena and Hera on the side of the Spartans. Aphrodite remained loyal to Paris and sided with the Trojans."
Helena interjected, "But wait, Athena was the goddess of war."
Alexis agreed, "Yes, and wisdom. And Hera was the goddess of women and marriage."
Helena frowned, "So Sparta had Athena's wisdom and war powers working on their side, as well as the legitimacy of Helena's Spartan marriage supported by Hera. How could Aphrodite beat those odds with love and beauty?"
"You've heard the expression love conquers all ?" Alexis asked.
Helena nodded thoughtfully.
Alexis explained, "Aphrodite, the embodiment of love, proved relentless in her support of Paris and the Trojans. This, ultimately, was her downfall. You see, the gods had a sacrosanct rule. They involved themselves in the affairs of humans, but never directly.
You are correct that Aphrodite probably couldn't match Athena and Hera's influences from the heavens. But she did the unthinkable in her zeal to support Paris. She inserted herself directly into an earthly conflict.
We know the end of the story, that the Spartans eventually penetrated the city of Troy with the Trojan horse, ultimately destroying Troy and winning the war. But the war lasted for many years longer than it would have because Aphrodite took a human form and personally intervened on Troy's behalf, even to the point of being injured in battles.
The Trojans may have eventually won the war, but Zeus countered Aphrodite's influences by himself intervening. He used the war to further his personal goals of destroying humans to lessen the burden caused by humans on Gaia, the Earth. Like everything Zeus did, his actions were motivated by political ambitions. But Zeus came away clean, and the pantheon of gods only focused on Aphrodite's wrongdoing."
Helena exclaimed, taking all of this a bit too personally, "But how is that fair, when Zeus intervened in the war, as well?"
Alexis raised a pointed finger, "Not so fast. Zeus could say, and did say, that he only intervened to undo Aphrodite's interventions, to undo the harm she had done, so to speak. At the end of the day, the Trojan War would not have happened had Aphrodite not mesmerized Helen, making her think she was in love with Paris.
Troy was destroyed because Paris had to have a woman, but it was Aphrodite who put the idea in his head in the first place, and she further facilitated things by casting a spell. The story went that Aphrodite was such a self-absorbed bitch that she changed the course of human history and caused countless human deaths, all so that she could be reminded that she was the most beautiful goddess of all."
"So what happened then?" Helena asked, still angry about what she had just heard.
Alexis was about to answer, when her cell phone rang. She took a glance at it and frowned. "Excuse me, Helena. I have to take this."
Alexis pressed a button and placed the phone to her ear. "Yes… No, I'm still at the site… No, but - … Look, I – Phillip! Okay, okay. I do care! … I cannot get into this right now with you. I really can't… Look, I'll be there soon, but right now I have to go."
Helena averted her eyes, trying to ignore the conversation, which sounded quite heated. She could hear the other person's voice, a man. He sounded increasingly agitated as the conversation proceeded.
Alexis placed her cell phone back in her vest pocket. She ran her hands through her chocolate curls and smiled sheepishly at Helena. "Sorry. Uhm … that was my husband Phillip."
Alexis paused for a moment, then said, "Seems funny that I'm so fascinated with the goddess of love when my marriage … let's just say it's having its moments right now."
Helena quickly interjected, "Alex, you really don't owe me any explanation."
Alex nodded her head. There was several seconds of awkward silence. Helena looked around the cave, thought for a moment, then said, "How did you end up in this field?"
Alex reflected, then said, "I always had an interest in classical languages and literature. My interests became more focused on the Hellenistic period when I met this really smart, handsome Greek boy in grad school."
Helena smiled and said, "Well that sounds like a romantic story."
Alexis nodded, "Yes, it was. We were brought back to reality, however, when I went home to Athens to meet the Greek parents. Let's just say they weren't approving of the black American girlfriend, no matter how much she loved Greek culture and history."
Helena pursed her lips, looking sympathetic to the situation. Alexis gave a little smile, "I've spent the past eight years trying to be the perfect Greek wife. I moved to Athens. I converted – Greek Orthodox, of course. Most of his family is here. Sometimes it feels like I'm a sheep among wolves."
Helena winced a little at the analogy. She didn't know what to else to say, so she just listened. Alexis shook her head vigorously, as if she was literally shaking away unpleasant thoughts out of her head. "Anyway, I've got to go soon. We're meeting Phillip's sister and her husband for dinner.
Helena pushed herself up, preparing to leave. Alexis rested a hand on her leg and gently but firmly pressed down. Stay.
Helena protested, "But I don't want to make you late."
Alex continued, "No, no. I want to finish telling you. This is far more interesting than listening to my sister-in-law bitch about her job. This is Greece. She should be thankful to have a job."
Helena laughed, and then so did Alex, as she remembered her place in the story. "Where were we? Oh, what happened to Aphrodite? So, the Trojan War was kind of the last straw. Gods and goddesses had gone to Zeus about Aphrodite many times in the past, to no avail. But this was serious.
Zeus always managed to give some excuse for Aphrodite's behavior. But this time there was a coalition. They went to Zeus en masse. And remember that Zeus had allowed the Trojan War to escalate because it advanced his personal interests. But this ultimately placed him in a difficult position.
There was a strict prohibition against gods and goddesses getting directly involved in human affairs. Aphrodite's violation was clear. So Artemis, Persephone, Athena and Hera came to him with this very clear violation, and demanded that he enforce the law. They wanted Aphrodite reduced in station, banished from the heavens, at least dishonored. Each demand sounded too harsh, and Zeus refused.
Finally Persephone argued that at the very least Aphrodite should lose Adonis. This shouldn't be that big of a deal. Adonis was just the latest in a long line of lovers. Aphrodite would hurt for a minute, then move on to the next one. This was Persephone's argument, even though she knew full well what Adonis meant to Aphrodite.
Zeus was still reluctant, arguing that Aphrodite was good on the inside, just misunderstood. He, of course, could not say how he was so positive that Aphrodite was good deep down, not without revealing what he had done to her.
Hera, his wife, was always good at twisting an argument. First she suggested that maybe Zeus had been secretly working with Aphrodite to violate the rules about getting involved in human affairs. As Hera suspected, the accusation made Zeus very nervous.
Hera then offered that if Zeus was so sure of Aphrodite's inherent goodness, then he should give Aphrodite the choice to prove that she really is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Zeus saw no way out of this proposal.
Helena nodded, saying, "Hera made a threat, then offered him a way out."
Alexis nodded, smiling. "Of course. You're a soldier. A general, I see. I'm not surprised you understand how political intrigue works."
Helena smiled. Alexis continued the story, "The Fates, three goddesses who define the destiny of humans, brought Aphrodite before the pantheon, where she was allowed to define her own destiny. Zeus gave her a choice. She could either give up Adonis forever, or she could agree to be cast from the heavens with no memory of her identity."
Helena's mind raced as she remembered how Afrida had suddenly come into her family's life in 1944.
Alexis continued, "According to the edict, if, without knowing her true self, Aphrodite performed at least three selfless acts, she would regain her memory and more than 1,000 times her inner and outer beauty, and more than 1,000 times her power.
Zeus had the Fates bind Aphrodite's tongue, so that she could only answer yes or no to the choice she was given. This was to protect him if Aphrodite decided to publicly reveal that he had raped her. Zeus told Aphrodite that she could either give up Adonis forever and remain a goddess, or she could agree to be cast from the heavens, with no memory of what she was.
If she failed to evolve, she would eventually regain her memory, but she would forever be a lesser goddess and she would lose Adonis forever. She would forever live with the knowledge that she could have won back Adonis by being a better person, and failed.
Helena frowned, "That's a big downside."
Alexis nodded, "Yes, but the upside was immense. You see, if Aphrodite redeemed herself, the spell would be undone. She would not only regain her memory and her beloved Adonis, but she would gain many times more beauty, outer beauty and inner beauty, and power. Her power and beauty would be forever undisputed. She would essentially become the most powerful god of all, more powerful than Zeus himself."
Helena sat, utterly shocked, "But… why would her enemies ever agree to that? Why would Zeus ever agree to that?"
Alexis explained, "Well, they knew the deal would be enticing, and they wanted the deal to have enough upside to make it worth it to Aphrodite. The offer appealed to Aphrodite's pride. As predicted, she chose to believe in herself and be cast from the heavens. Adonis was cast out along with her.
Being cast out actually probably saved Adonis, since Aphrodite's other male lovers would have eventually killed him out of jealousy. They didn't understand how this part-human child could take the place of a man-god, that is, any of them, in Aphrodite's eyes."
Helena was confused. She asked, "But wait… you said Aphrodite's enemies intentionally made the deal so enticing that she was unlikely to refuse. Why would they want to do that, when they could potentially have to deal with their enemy basically being the supreme, most powerful god? Maybe even seeking revenge on them?"
Alexis smiled, and said, "Because her enemies never believed Aphrodite could pass the test. Even Zeus. He knew how thoroughly he had destroyed her with what he had done. He believed there was no beauty left inside her. And if Aphrodite was forever banished to a lesser station, it would be a way out for him."
"I don't understand," Helena said, bristling and puzzled.
"Well, Zeus could say that he tried to atone for the harm he did to Aphrodite," Alexis explained. "He could honestly say that he gave her a chance to be more powerful than himself. This was arguably sufficient penance for his heinous crimes. And if Aphrodite failed, well technically she would have only herself to blame."
Helena's heart raced. She whispered, "That's so unfair. She doesn't even know what's at stake."
Helena was so stricken that she forgot she was speaking of the goddess in the present tense. Alexis didn't seem to notice as she rose, gathering her things to leave. "I know it doesn't seem fair. The spirit behind the whole deal seems… wrong. But technically, it is fair. Being a goddess is a ruthless business. It's not for the weak."
Helena stood watching Alexis pack her things. Speak. Say something. This may be your only chance.
Alexis saw the hesitation mixed with worry on Helena's face. She asked, "Go ahead. I can see you have another question. Ask it."
Helena paused, but gained courage when she saw the warm and expectant look on Alexis's face. "Suppose… suppose hypothetically… I'm just curious what you would say."
Alexis stepped forward and nodded expectantly for her to continue. Helena breathed out, "Suppose it was real. Suppose … Aphrodite really fell to Earth from the heavens, and someone found her. And the two of them … fell in love. Why would Aphrodite fall in love with that person?"
Alexis gave Helena a curious, almost knowing look. She answered, treating the hypothetical seriously, "There could be many reasons. Maybe the person had a quality that attracted her."
"Helena asked, "What kind of quality?"
Alexis pondered, "I don't know."
Alexis came closer to Helena and stared at her intently. The woman's intensity in that moment reminded Helena a bit of Quinn, which she was used to, but the scrutiny still made Helena nervous. Finally, Alexis said, "Well, if the person had your eyes, that would catch Aphrodite's attention, at least initially."
Helena asked, "Why?"
"Because you have eyes like Adonis," Alexis explained, still staring into Helena's eyes, as if somewhat transfixed. "Adonis had this striking combination of features ..., beautiful curly, auburn hair and piercing green eyes. Although your hair is black, the contrast and combination of your hair and your eyes evokes … I don't know how to explain it better. Gazing into your eyes would remind the goddess of him.
But the person would probably need something more than beautiful eyes to attract the goddess. There would need to be something special that made the person stand out."
Helena asked, emboldened now, "What if the person was supernatural?"
Alexis raised a brow, "Supernatural how? What is he … or she?"
Helena replied, "Several things, perhaps. Android. Vampire. Wolf. Fairy. Maenad."
Alexis's face moved through various reactions as Helena listed each kind of supernatural being. Her face lit up when she heard the word maenad.
Alexis worked through the prospects, "That is a most interesting combination. First off, an Aphrodite without her memory would be very drawn to the wolf. Its protective nature would make her feel safe, especially if the wolf is an alpha."
"Assume it is," Helena answered confidently.
Alexis smirked. She thought for a moment, then asked, "What kind of fairy?"
Without hesitation, Helena answered, "Sky fairy."
Alexis, "Well, some of the text is missing, so I can't tell what kind, but the story goes that when cast to earth Aphrodite believes herself to be some kind of nymph…"
Helena knowingly interjected, "A water nymph."
Alexis quirked her eyebrow, "Hmmm, a water nymph makes perfect sense, since Aphrodite was born of the sea. The ocean represents darkness, Hades, the nascent stage of evolution. In contrast, a sky fairy is the highest stage of evolution, an angel."
Helena asked, "And so?"
Alexis replied, "Well, nymphs and fairies are cousins, so to speak. So there's a natural affinity between them. And a water nymph at the beginning stages of her evolution would be instantly drawn to a sky fairy. The sky fairy represents what she is trying to become, a kind of guidepost for how to be … better, if that makes sense."
Alexis studied Helena for a long moment. "But the maenad is the most intoxicatingly attractive part of this hybrid being you describe."
"Why?" Helena asked.
Alexis answered as if it was obvious, "Because maenads were the keepers of the cult of Dionysus. They were the expectant brides waiting for their beloved god to return to them. You know this, yes?"
Helena nodded, "Yes, but why would that make Aphrodite so drawn to a maenad?"
Alexis, "Because maenads love everything that has any connection to Dionysus, their god who comes. As a consort of Dionysus, Aphrodite was revered by maenads. Why, there are several maenad traditions about her. There are even maenad lesbian sex rituals that celebrate Aphrodite's return as a proxy for Dionysus.
There are other rituals in which female worshipers play the roles of both Dionysus and Aphrodite in a sacred marriage. I would think that for an Aphrodite without her memory, happening upon a maenad would feel like … coming home. It would feel the same for the maenad – an instant attraction. It would just feel, right for the both of them."
Helena's heart raced. She tried to ignore the pounding in her head and chest. She breathed out, "And the android and vampire?"
Alexis thoughtfully replied, "No, those would not be obviously attractive to the goddess. An android is devoid of feeling. The goddess would find it very difficult to relate to a being who interacted with the world solely through intellect. That was the very thing she hated about Artemis.
And vampires, while passionate and sensual, are cold and they thrive on biting the skin. It's how they live and, so I've heard, biting is an important aspect of how they relate sexually. The goddess would not be fond of marring the skin."
Helena answered before she could catch herself, "The skin does not stay marred. The vampire uses its blood to heal the skin after biting."
Alexis smiled and nodded knowingly, "Thanks for that insight. I didn't realize. That's better, but being with a vampire would still involve a compromise, which means the goddess's love interest is in a most unfortunate position."
Helena asked, concerned, "Why do you say that?"
Alexis replied, "Because the goddess normally does not compromise. She cannot be tamed or possessed. She does not allow herself to be marked or owned. She generally does not submit to her lovers. She is always aloof and dominant.
I'm imagining in this … hypothetical … relationship you describe with this exotic hybrid creature that the goddess, alone and confused and without her memory, found a savior. A savior who makes her feel at home, safe, protected, loved, sexually satisfied.
And in exchange for this love and stability the fallen goddess deals with occasional analytical coldness that she loathes, allows herself to be marked with vampire bites, and often takes on the sexually submissive role. Am I correct?"
Helena nodded, slowly, and said nothing.
Alexis folded her arms and frowned, "She's not going to walk away. She's compromised too much. The goddess does not compromise easily. And when she does, she feels she's owed something."
Helena thought out loud, "Well, why would she walk away? I don't want her to… I mean, maybe she can just … be happy. Be happy with the maenad hybrid forever and they can be in love and …"
Alexis shook her head violently, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No! Wrong!"
Helena was taken aback by the force of Alexis's words. Alexis moved closer and locked eyes with Helena. "I'm sorry, Helena. Can we say, hypothetically, that this exotic hybrid is you. And that you found the fallen goddess and the two of you fell in love. It's just that, my husband is pissed off and waiting for me. I'm already late for dinner but I want to finish this, and using you in the hypothetical saves me some words."
Helena took a nervous breath and nodded for Alexis to continue.
Alexis spoke sternly. "If… if you love her, truly love her, you cannot try to keep her. Possessive sexual love. Jealousy. Compromises and fits of rage… those are all hallmarks of the old Aphrodite. If she keeps doing those things she doesn't evolve.
She doesn't become a better person. She just proves her enemies right. And eventually, according to the judgment passed upon her, she will remember who she is, only to learn that she has been permanently demoted within the pantheon and she has lost her true love forever. She will be eternally stuck in a kind of hell."
Helena convulsed. Tears brimmed her eyes. "Then what does the … ahhh, fuck … what do I do? What am I supposed to do?"
Alexis answered, "You can't be possessive and selfish. You have to cut off the romantic relationship. The fallen goddess has to be given an opportunity to love in a deeper, more spiritual way, beyond her own personal and selfish interests. She has to be given the chance to truly love you, even if she can't be with you. I don't know how to explain it any better than that.
She has to be given the chance to evolve. To be … better. Accordingly to the myth, she has to do three … at least three things, the kinds of things that she did as a goddess for selfish reasons, but do them selflessly."
Helena asked, confused, "Like what?"
Alexis listed examples, beating her forefinger against the palm of her other hand for emphasis. "Give up a lover and still love them. Still genuinely want them to be happy, even if they don't belong to her. You can give the goddess the chance to accomplish this.
Uhm, allow someone else to have the place of glory, even if she knows she herself truly deserves the honor.
Fight a war because it's morally right, not because she owes a political favor or she wants to win a beauty contest.
Alexis paced the cave floor, then suddenly turned to Helena, excited. "How about the greatest love of all, according to the New Testament's Book of John. The greatest purest love is the willingness to lay down one's life, to risk one's life, to save one's friend. That's a kind of love expounded upon by many religious traditions."
Helena asked, "But if she did that she would die. Then how would she ever regain her position and power?"
Alexis smiled and shook her head, "No, you're not listening. I said she accomplishes the goal if she is willing to die. She cannot actually die. She's a goddess. But she doesn't know who she is, so if she willingly puts her life on the line it is still the greatest love, because at the time she does it she truly believes she is going to die."
Helena nodded, although she looked forlorn. "I understand."
Alexis grabbed Helena's arm in warning. "No, you don't. It's not going to be as easy as you just making up your mind to let her go. The goddess is used to always getting what she wants. She doesn't deal with rejection easily.
No one rejects the goddess of love. No one. This situation is potentially really bad because the goddess compromised a lot to be with you. She's not going to like feeling used and discarded. And if she doesn't change her ways she's going to be very dangerous when spurned."
Helena shook her head, panicky and confused. "Okay, she's a nymph. How dangerous can she be?"
Alexis interjected, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, no, no, no. Again, you're not listening, Helena. This is very important, so pay attention. She's not a nymph. She's the goddess Aphrodite."
Helena objected, "But you said…"
Alexis put up a hand. "I said she believes she's a nymph. I said she's forgotten she's a goddess. Nothing else has changed about her except what she remembers. What she believes. In reality, she's still a goddess. A very powerful goddess. With all of her powers at her disposal."
Helena's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to process the enormity of what Alexis was telling her.
Alexis, seeing Helena's confusion, rephrased the problem. "Think of the fallen goddess without her memory like a baby. A baby who has a finger always hovering above the detonator of a nuclear bomb. The baby doesn't even know the bomb exists or what it is. But if you piss it off, its gut instinct will be to press that button."
Helena shuddered. "What you are demanding is impossible!"
Alexis placed a hand on Helena's shoulder. She spoke softly, "It's not me demanding it. The circumstances demand it. You were chosen for this. You were chosen when you found her, or when she found you. She was drawn to you because deep down, on a primal level, she knew you were the person to save her."
Helena's eyes widened, and now she let the tears fall. In such a short span of time she had come to feel like Alexis, this woman she just met, was her lifeline. She didn't see the need to hide anymore. Alexis' demeanor told her she all but knew the truth, anyway.
Alexis pulled Helena into her arms and held her, rocking soothingly. She whispered in her ear, "You can do this, Helena. You are strong enough to do this."
Helena cried openly now, taking comfort in Alexis' embrace. "How?" she sobbed.
Alexis shushed her, "Use your love. Let her see the honesty of your love for her. Be as open and honest as you can. Don't pretend you no longer love her. Don't play games. Don't lie. Tell her the truth. About everything except who she is. No matter what, no matter how much she begs, you can't tell her who she is. She has to figure that out on her own. And the only way she can discover her true identity, is by doing the work of becoming better. She has to evolve.
She has to find the light that was once inside of her. You can be her friend and support her. But it's her journey. Hers and hers alone. She probably has to revisit places … painful places … that she's actually quite happy to forget. And she probably has to forgive, both herself and others, including those who have hurt her the most."
Alexis and Helena stayed embraced. Alexis rubbed Helena's back until she stopped crying. Helena eventually raised her head and stared at Alexis. She smiled weakly, "Phillip is going to scream his ass off at you."
Alexis laughed and nodded, "You're probably right. My sister-in-law will chime in, too."
Helena was struck with panic. "Please don't tell anyone about …"
Alexis shook her head, cutting Helena off. "Don't worry. I won't. Besides, I'm not sure exactly who would be the best audience to hear how I spent my afternoon in a cave with an extremely beautiful maenad android fairy wolf vampire. Oh, and by the way, she has eyes like Adonis and she's in love with the goddess Aphrodite, who fell to earth after being cast out of the heavens with no memory of who she is."
Helena laughed a rich laugh, understanding that her secrets were safe with Alex. "I suppose I never thought of it that way."
Alexis quipped, "Hmm mmm. People worry that I spend too much time in caves as it is. The only thing I'll be talking about tonight is Greek politics and economy. Woo hoo."
Helena released Alexis and headed for the cave entrance. She turned, looking genuinely thankful. "I can't thank you enough for … everything."
Helena was almost out the cave, when Alexis called to her, "Helena, can I… can I ask you something?"
Helena turned and smiled, sadness still in her eyes. "Anything."
Alexis asked, "I know you may not be able to, and you can say no of course, but … But it would make my life if when … when she remembers who she is, if I could meet her."
Alexis dropped her head, a little embarrassed. But Helena responded, mustering all the sincerity she could convey in her voice and her smile, "Yes. I promise, yes. If I don't get myself killed, I promise."
Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean: Friday, August 27, 2010
The Wisdom of GEICO and Oprah Helps Helena Make a Decision
Helena leaned her head against her airplane window and gazed out into the nothingness of the night sky. Her plane was climbing at an altitude that prevented her from seeing the ground below. She imagined Alexis somewhere down below, behind her now, sitting in a restaurant in Athens with her husband and in-laws.
Helena needed to keep that image of Alex in her mind as a way of reassuring herself that Alex was indeed a real person; and more importantly, that the conversation she had with Alex in the cave was real.
The more miles eaten up by her plane, the more the reality awaiting Helena in the States seemed to eat up the fantastical story she had heard back in that cave in Cyprus. Helena told herself that she lived in a concrete world that consisted of crisp uniforms and organized rules, the solidity of political unrest and occasional wars and a stable family life that for the past sixty plus years had added up to the number four.
But, Helena had also spent the past few decades enmeshed in a reality that included all sorts of supernatural phenomena, which the average human going back and forth to work everyday would be horrified to discover. That reality wasn't horrific to Helena. It was part of her everyday existence. And she herself was supernatural, as were her husband and son. With everything that Helena had seen, was the story of a goddess cast down from the heavens to earth really that unbelievable?
Helena's mind raced. Her possessive wolf nature screamed at her to forget this foolish story and return to the safe, happy, predictable life she knew and loved. Had the consequences for ignoring the story, as laid out by Alexis, not been so grave, Helena might have pushed the tale completely out of her mind. A nutty Antiquities professor who spends too much time alone in caves. That's all.
This thought didn't sit right with Helena. The poised, confident woman she had spent most of the afternoon with wasn't crazy, or delusional. Helena therefore forced herself to entertain seriously the idea that what Alexis told her was true. In fact, the truth of this story would account for so much that had been questioned but accepted about the mysterious beautiful blonde who literally fell out of the sky and into their lives several decades ago.
At this point Helena had no idea what she was going to do exactly, or how she was going to do it. She was suddenly entertaining an existence that wasn't even within the realm of possibility for her at the beginning of this day. She needed time to think. To decide. Helena was suddenly glad that Afrida went to her apartment in Washington, D.C. She couldn't imagine what she would do had Afrida been sitting next to her, nestled against her arm. Or strolling into their New York apartment, expecting to retire with M and Helena in their bed. Their bed.
If Helena went through with cutting off a romantic relationship with Afrida, it was going to affect everyone in her family. It would devastate M, who loved Afrida and had come to depend on her to help him develop the small amount of empathic capabilities he had.
Movement next to her pulled her out of the deepness of her thoughts. Quinn's arm had bumped Helena's as he pressed on his iPad. Oh my God, Quinn.
Helena felt sick to her stomach. Afrida and Quinn were virtually inseparable. They played together, such play woven seamlessly into their day. While this observation was further proof of the truth of Alexis's story, it also saddened and frightened Helena. She couldn't imagine what Quinn's world would look like without Afrida in it.
And what about Afrida? Helena had seen Afrida jealous only a handful of times, literally. This was partly because Helena was not even mildly flirtatious or even emotionally assessable to outside suitors. Helena was always about her family, which gave Afrida immense security, since Afrida knew that she was undoubtedly a part of that family. Helena had no idea how Afrida would react to being told they could not be together anymore, but she knew it would be some combination of devastated, hurt, confused and angry.
Helena inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to ride through a sudden wave of nausea. She sat up and looked to her left. Quinn was in the middle seat and M was sitting in the aisle seat, sleeping.
Although Quinn was wearing his headphones, Helena's acute hearing picked up the same 30 second loop of music from something that Quinn had been playing over and over on his iPad for the last hour.
"Quinn, what are you watching," Helena asked, mostly to get her mind off Greek myths and fallen goddesses.
Quinn was, as much as he could be, enthusiastic about answering. "I'm watching my new favorite GEICO commercial."
"I thought your favorite GEICO commercial featured the gecko. You like the cavemen now?" Helena asked, a bit warily. Quinn's new media fixations often involved purchases of products featured in said media, and Helena noted the motorcycles and shiny jackets.
"Yes, but this commercial I find intriguing. I like the motorcycles. I think Afrida and I should get these motorcycles and jackets. The jackets would be an excellent symbol of our individuality and belief in personal freedom. And we could use the motorcycles to fight crime and eradicate evil."
"Hmm mmm," Helena said, noncommittally. Quinn had almost never met a cool jacket that didn't symbolize his individuality and belief in personal freedom, at least not since 1990 when Wild at Heart came to theatres. And the purchase of any media novelty that he desired was justifiable as helping in the fight against crime and eradication of evil.
The pattern was the same. Quinn suggested a purchase to M or Helena as a first resort. If successful, all's well. If unsuccessful, Quinn's totally reliable backup plan was to go to Afrida, who to date had never denied him anything requested, no matter how odd or expensive. It appeared that unless M and Helena relented, Afrida would be purchasing new motorcycles and leather jackets.
Helena sighed and her heart raced at the thought. She expected that after speaking with Afrida about ending the sexual relationship, Afrida would probably want … need to be away, at least for a while. She hoped it was only for a while. How would she explain this to Quinn?
Helena was feeling lots of things right now, but the most intense feeling reverberating through her chest was abject fear. She was terrified of hurting Afrida, losing Afrida, having Afrida hate her, and all the other unknowns her mind had tried to conjure up since talking to Alexis.
Quinn's voice pulled Helena away from her thoughts. "What does it mean, Mother?"
Helena turned and waited for Quinn to start the commercial again. She observed the full 30 seconds, then asked, as she so often did with Quinn, "You tell me what you think it means."
Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "The cavemen show up at this place. It is not clear where they are, but it is far enough away from their point of origin that they needed to use motorcycles to travel there. They park their motorcycles and walk toward the two women, who are smiling in a nonaggressive manner. They seem inviting. In fact, the woman wearing the black leather vest waves and smiles. But the cavemen turn around and leave."
Helena waited for a moment to see if Quinn had anything more to say. She then said, "That's a nice description. Why do you think they left without even speaking to the women?"
Quinn played the commercial over and over, studying the faces of the actors, especially the two cavemen. "They shake their heads and turn around. I … I don't know."
Helena saw her son struggling and she looked out the window. Her instinct was to give him the answer, and she always made herself resist. She knew he needed to do the work to figure it out himself. She said, still facing the window, "What do the cavemen do just before they shake their heads and leave?"
Helena could hear Quinn restart the commercial, pausing, restarting, pausing, rewinding. Finally, he said, "They look at the billboard showing the GEICO advertisement for motorcycle insurance."
"Yes, and what does the ad say?" Helena asked.
Quinn answered easily, because he and Afrida had already talked about other GEICO cavemen commercials. "The ad says that obtaining GEICO motorcycle insurance is so easy that even a caveman can do it."
"Which means?" Helena patiently asked.
Quinn knew this answer. Afrida had spent three hours one afternoon getting him to understand it. Quinn understood straightforward advertising messages, such as "pancakes taste good" or "car gets excellent gas mileage and therefore saves money."
He had a more difficult time understanding a commercial where the primary point was not the product itself, but getting the viewer to like the mascot, in this case the cavemen, and thereby like the company. The advertisement was primarily a vehicle, a storyline, to get the viewer to "like the mascot" and the series of commercials featuring the mascot. The idea was that if viewers liked the mascot, they would like the company and any product it sold. In this sense, the commercial is more like a television series than a traditional commercial; and the payoff is potentially greater than a commercial targeted to selling a single product.
Quinn said, "The advertisement suggests that even people who are not very smart can obtain GEICO motorcycle insurance because a caveman is capable of obtaining the insurance; and cavemen are not smart."
"Yes, and how do the cavemen feel about the advertisement and the billboard?" Helena asked, as she remembered that the first person brave enough to ask Quinn how he felt about something, as opposed to what he thought about something, was Afrida.
"They don't like it," said Quinn. "They don't like that GEICO keeps calling them stupid in front of so many people. Because …, especially because advertisements are designed to influence people's opinions. And so the GEICO advertisement may not only be calling the cavemen stupid, it may also be influencing other people who had no opinion one way or the other to think that cavemen are stupid."
Quinn paused for a moment, then said, "I like GEICO."
Helena smiled. "Then their advertising agency is doing its job well. Do you think that it is possible that the two women saw the advertisement?" Helena asked.
Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, it is probable, actually. The billboard is prominent displayed at the entrance to the venue. Since the two women are already within the venue, it is likely they saw the billboard as they entered."
Helena closed the loop on the analysis. "And so if the advertisement can influence how people think, and its message is essentially that cavemen are stupid, and it is probable that the two women saw the advertisement, does that give you any clue as to why the cavemen turned around and left before even saying hello?"
Helena waited for Quinn to think about it. She gazed out the window and pictured Afrida at home in her Washington, D.C. apartment, lying in her bed … touching herself. Stop it!
The wanton thoughts filling her head made Helena feel guilty. She hated to admit this, but if she was honest, Helena would acknowledge that a big part of her hesitancy was the simple fact that she loved being intimate with Afrida. Their lovemaking was heady and intoxicating, sometimes earth-shattering. The way they communicated in bed, literally, was unlike anything she had previously experienced.
But Helena loved Afrida, genuinely and deeply loved her. She knew that she could not be selfish and allow her decision to be dictated by her own lust.
Quinn said, a bit excited. "I think I understand. The women may think negatively of the cavemen if they have been influenced by the GEICO advertisement. They may think the cavemen are stupid, and the cavemen did not want to be friendly with someone who thinks they are stupid."
Helena smiled and nodded, "Yes, very nice. That's precisely it."
Quinn frowned, "But this conclusion, while possible, was not certain. Why didn't the cavemen speak with the women, investigate the theory before deciding to leave? Why didn't they try?"
Helena said, "The cavemen didn't try because they didn't trust the two women not to hurt their feelings or think negatively of them. They didn't trust them because they didn't know them. This was the first time they were meeting each other."
Quinn observed, "But the cavemen may have suffered a considerable loss. The two women could have become two new friends, but the cavemen will never know because they never tried."
Helena's eyes widened, then she sighed, as she proceeding to the logical conclusion, what she called "the therefore," more for her own benefit than for Quinn's. "But it's different when you know someone … really know someone. If you know someone, and you trust them, you're not afraid to risk that they might hate you. You take the risk and put yourself out there, because you have more information than just circumstantial evidence. You actually know who they are, deep down … and you trust that everything is going to be okay."
Quinn summarized their conversation by commenting, "Every major life event is an opportunity to choose love over fear."
Quinn's words surprised Helena, because they were a direct answer to what she was grappling with internally. She regarded Quinn and asked, "Is that from the book of John? The Bhagavad Gita?"
Quinn answered earnestly, "No. Oprah."
Helena smiled, "Of course." She couldn't help the pang of sadness as she remembered that Afrida and Quinn sometimes watched taped episodes of Oprah. She returned her head to its resting place against the window and closed her eyes.
If nothing else, this discussion with Quinn had reminded Helena how much Afrida meant to not just her, but her entire family, and especially her son.
Helena inhaled deeply and made a final decision, bolstered by the eminent wisdom of GEICO and Oprah. She was going to choose love over fear, and hope she caused as little hurt as possible.
Don't want to hurt you
Try not to mess with your feelings
It's just a matter of trust, for us, for lust
Don't want to hurt you
Try not to fuck with your feelings
It's just a matter of trust, for us, for lust
Ending Scene Song: Hurt You by The Sounds
Credits Song: Planet Earth by Duran Duran
Author's Notes:
(1) Movies quoted in this chapter include Batman Returns.
(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include Hurt You by The Sounds.
(3) In March 2007, news outlets reported that Italian archaeologists discovered the world's oldest known perfumes on the island of Cyprus, otherwise known as Aphrodite's Island. The perfumes are associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love, and they were considered aphrodisiacs, which of course, help foster love, so to speak. :) To read some of the articles, Google: Aphrodite perfume Cyprus.
(4) The Greek myths discussed herein mostly follow the popular originals, including the myth regarding Aphrodite and Adonis. It also is true that local cults told their own stories that were not popularly known. I elevated the story of Adonis by a local cult in Cyprus. The popular view is that Aphrodite had numerous lovers and was not uniquely connected to any of them, except maybe Ares, god of war, with whom she had Eros, aka Cupid.
To my knowledge, there is no definitive explanation regarding why Aphrodite became attracted to Adonis, other than his exceptional beauty. I constructed a "local myth" to explain this unusual attraction of the goddess to a child. There could have been a myth about the goddess being cast from the heavens, right? This story of what happened to Aphrodite will have significance for our heroines later in the story.
(5) To see Quinn's favorite GEICO commercial, YouTube: GEICO motorcycle caveman.
(6) To hear the full version of the GEICO commercial song, YouTube: sounds hurt you.
