Disclaimer: I don't own Saint Seiya characters.

Stásimo tríto

Athena walked hesitantly through the portal that headed straight to the Kingdom of Aphrodite. She was all nervous, because she knew any talks with that selfish Goddess were really hard and difficult. It was like fighting with the wind. This person was really selfish, thinking she had the right in everything. Athena many times heard she herself was really spoiled brat before the powers of Goddess awoke inside her, but Aphrodite was much more like it. She was like delicate princess that had to have everything she wanted. There was no negotiations – if she wanted something, everyone had to work hardly just to gave it to her.

Athena in the past's lives met this Goddess many times, she could remember that. And she had no nice memories about this person. But anyway, she wanted to save Milo and bring him back, and to do this, she had to talk with Aphrodite. She couldn't just leave Milo, when all his friends deep inside his heart missed him deeply. She couldn't leave him for the sake of Camus, for her own Sake, for the sake of the whole Sanctuary. Milo was just too important to all of them.

So, even if really nervous, she left the portal and stood up at the warm sand of the endless beach, with the hum of the clear water, that was washing gently the coast with delicate waves. She looked around at many pillars made of coral and not far away spotting a small palace. It was a beautiful building, with white walls decorated with many colorful shells, with round windows and coral roof.

She was there for the first time in her all lives, but these pillars were making her really uneasy.

"Goddess Athena…" she heard melodic voice behind her. She turned around and in the place where just a while ago was the portal, she saw smooth silhouette with long, golden hair, big, beautiful eyes and lenient expression on her face.

Athena greeted her with the respect, knowing it would pleasantly flatter the person in front of her.

"What do you want?" asked Aphrodite, not changing her expression, but still overwhelming everything with her beauty.

Athena smiled to her as nicely as she was able.

"To bring back my Saint you took away."

The Goddess of Beauty chuckled under her slim nose. Then she walked over one of the pillars and gently stroked it.

"Bring back? Why? He is only a human," she answered with a delicate smile. She whispered something to the pillar and then Athena saw some of the coral falling away from the construction, after a long while showing a silhouette with blue curls.

Milo of the Scorpio.

Athena gasped from the surprise and fear. Her Saint was motionless, being trapped in the coral, with his eyes looking at some point without any life inside them. He was like…

"He is not dead, if you are afraid of it…" said delicately Aphrodite just after a short laugh. "I had put him into the trance, so he could wait patiently for the time I would like to play with him."

Athena sighed with the relief.

"So, why making such a fuss over a mere human, Athena?"

"He is not only 'human'. He is my faithful Saint."

"So what? I like him, so I took him. What is the problem? Humans are for our content, aren't they?"

"I can't agree with you."

"Oh, right, you were always protecting these humans. Whatever. I won't give him back to you. He will be here, loving me forever and being for me as long as I will be interested in him."

"I won't allow you to do that. He is my Saint and I need him. And there is a plenty humans who need him too. Who miss him and who loves him."

Aphrodite laughed strongly.

"Miss him and love him? No one even remember about his existence."

"You are wrong. I'm here because someone loves him so much he wasn't able to forget. Your power is nothing against the pure and strong love, Aphrodite."

For a short while there was silence between them, but finally Aphrodite burst into the laugher. She stroked gently the cheek of Milo.

"My power is nothing against love? You are so childish, Athena. Love is something unstable, changing in the speed of the storm. One day is here, but the other day it is somewhere else. I can change it with my power. It is not something hard to make him, "she delicately touched the cheek of Milo with his lips, "love me forever. I can make him forget this 'pure and strong' love you are talking about."

"But you failed to make someone to forget about him, Aphrodite. You can't just mock with their feelings because they are too strong. Someone loves him so much, you wasn't able to erase his memories and his love."

"My power is absolute. There is no way someone could broke my spell."

"Oh, really? I think you are mistaken. This person clearly remember Milo and pretty much miss him. You are Goddess, so I'm not surprise you think about love so low. We are living pretty long already, for us it is normal to change our minds time to time. We have many children with many persons, with Gods, with humans, with half-gods. For us love has no meaning. But for humans it is something allowing them to live. Their emotions are strong because they live really shortly. You can't change something deep inside their souls just because you want that. It will be always inside them, no matter what you would do, Aphrodite. So, I'm asking you again. Give back my Saint."

Aphrodite snorted skeptical under her nose. That Athena-brat was really sure about her words, and it was making Aphrodite really sick and angry. There was no way someone would broke her spell. There was no way some low humans, using his power would be able to stand against her. It was low trick of that Athena.

So, she had to show this 'oh-so-wisdom-and-confident' brat that she could erase this 'love' from human's minds.

"Fine. Bring here that human and we will see how much worth your words are. If that human will be able to show me how much he loves my Milo," she kissed delicately his lips," and how deep Milo's love is towards, then I will give him back to you."

For a while Athena was considering these words. It was fair deal, without any unnecessary fight and blood shed.

"As you wish. I will show you how human's feelings could be strong. How your power could be nothing against their love."

And with these words she left the Kingdom of Aphrodite, being really sad about leaving her faithful Milo in the hands of that selfish Goddess. She was sure it wouldn't be so easy to bring Milo back, Gods had many ideas how to mock with human's lives, and she was sure, Aphrodite would do anything to have Milo forever.

But also she knew Camus would do anything to bring his beloved Milo back. She saw it inside his dark eyes – this worry, this love, this compassion. There was no way these feelings could be defeated by any divine power.