A dimwitted oaf or an intelligent man who lets himself be ruled by his passions? Hmn… I've been going back and forth so far. I prefer the latter and I thought I'd given enough development for you to see things my way. However, it has recently been brought to my attention that there is no way that Athena and Ares could ever be together. And that I can't just 'magic' away Aphrodite. Sigh… Damn, damn, damn…

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Athena smiled, her eyes narrowing at him skeptically. "This isn't actually what we're doing is it?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" he replied, tying the sword to the strap at his waist.

"I realize that I'm not exactly in the position to be the best judge of what occurs during amorous encounters, but I do believe that hunting down the 'monster' that has been terrorizing a village is not following protocol," she said, adjusting the dagger she kept strapped to her ankle in case of emergencies.

"I thought you might prefer a different approach," he said, handing her the lance she always carried into battle before picking up his spear. "Second thoughts about agreeing to meet with me?"

"Not at all," she responded, reading the challenge in his eyes and prepared to meet it. "It's always good to have a hobby."

"A hobby? You wound me, madam. How quickly and easily you demean my efforts to protect those who cannot defend themselves," he said in his light, mocking way.

"I am dreadfully sorry," she murmured. "Of course their mindless worship of you would have nothing to do with the fact that you occasionally intervene on their behalves."

He scoffed. "Just because my followers happen to find themselves belonging to a class that could be classified as the peasantry and what some like to call 'barbarians' it does not mean they are any less worthy of aid than your lofty so-called Athenian intellectuals."

Her eyes narrowed at him and for a moment she thought that their playful banter had escalated to the level of an outright argument. But then he laughed and motioned her forward with a sweep of his left hand. "Shall we?"

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"Who in the name of all that is Olympian does he think he is? For that matter, who does he think I am? If he thinks for one moment that I am just another one of his brainless paramours who will sit idly by and watch as he trounces off with another women he is greatly mistaken. I am the child of Ouranos himself. I am his superior. What would cause him to believe that I would approve of his cavorting with a plain, homely, prudish, arrogant witch while I sit here caring for our children? They are his responsibility…" railed the voluptuous blond goddess at her handmaiden.

"Well, mistress, you did command him to renounce any claim to his children prior to the end of your affair in order to prevent your husband from discovering your infidelity," Charis reminded her.

Aphrodite's eyes flashed in anger. "Traitor! All of you, every one of you knows no loyalty. You are always gossiping away about me when you think I am not listening… always plotting against me, trying to ensure my downfall. Jealous, that is what you all are! Do you hear me?" she shrieked, her usual sultry tones replaced by a horridly high-pitched, grating wail.

"Mistress, please you know that isn't true," said Charis soothingly. "Is it girls?" she said turning to the goddesses and nymphs who sat around the room engaged in various frivolous tasks who had been chosen to wait on Aphrodite when she had been in a more friendly mood.

"Of course not, mistress," they all chorused in unison.

"Well," Aphrodite pronounced huffily. "Well."

The other girls turned back to their sewing and cleaning and lute-playing, but Charis was suspicious of the anger still burning in Aphrodite's eyes as she returned to pinning the hem of her dress. It never seemed to bode well.

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Do I know where I'm going with this? No, not at the moment.

Regardless, PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Much love, Cat