Beauty Divine, Pain Be Thine CH.28

The fourth night on the ship. It would be the last before they began their long drive through America. Aphrodite was excited to see just how much it had progressed, but nervous about the long road ahead of her. It would be weeks, maybe more, before she could attempt to return to her home. She had much work to do in order to prepare for a battle with her step-mother. She knew there would be no turning back once she challenged Hera. She would either win, or she would die. As much as she loved this world, Olympus was where she belonged, and she couldn't bear the thought of living in disgrace, banished from her home, her family. She felt cold, as if her death could be very near. She wondered, is this how human beings feel about their own mortality? It was a terrible feeling, and guilt and pity left a hollow pit in her stomach. She had been tossing and turning for two hours, trying desperately to rest, but she found she couldn't.

Aphrodite slipped out of her bed and slid into the complementary slippers that came with the room. She opened her door and crept across the hallway, gently knocking on Dom's door. A few moments passed, and she was nearly ready to turn around and go back to her room when the door opened. A shirtless, half-asleep Dom appeared in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Ally?" He yawned, "It's 1:00 in the morning. Is everything okay?"

"Sorry," she whispered. "I couldn't sleep.. I was just wondering.. well, umm, never mind.."

"No, it's okay. Come in. You can come to me whenever you need anything," Dom responded, taking her hand and leading her into his room as he shut the door. He drew her into his arms. "What's up?"

"Realizing that not knowing when I could die is terrifying, and finally accepting that I really could, and it could be soon… I have lived for thousands of years, but I still feel like I haven't really lived enough. Right now, I feel so.. human."

She felt Dom shrug. "You know, that may not be such a bad thing. Getting in touch with your human side, your vulnerability, it might help you get back to being that loving, compassionate, patient woman that we all know is in there. I have a feeling that this group of people here with you are some of the very few who've seen that version of you in a very long time. Your sister was right. Being here, training, facing your fears, and fighting for yourself may be exactly what you need to beat Hera. You're the Goddess of love and beauty. Real beauty comes from being in touch with all of those feelings that human beings experience, and using them to guide you through your life. You need to use them not just as a weapon, but also as a shield. Lashing out leaves you open to more injury, not less. Let yourself feel something other than anger."

Aphrodite smirked, "You're very wise for someone so young. Something tells me that you and your friend have both been through very much." She looked up and saw the expression on Dom's face, which could only be described as an almost haunted look. Her smile faded and she stroked his face.

Dom closed his eyes and nuzzled her hand, kissing her palm. "We both grew up in a flawed system of foster homes. I was orphaned at 3, when my parents died in an accident. Tristan was taken from abusive alcoholic parents when he was 6. We both bounced around from home to home. Each one seemed worse than the last, and the older we got the more damaged we were; less likely to be adopted. We finally met in a group home as teenagers. He was 16, I was 17. We were instant friends. We came up with this plan together; get emancipated, get a place together, find ourselves part time jobs while we finished school, and then do whatever the hell we wanted to do with our lives. Before we could do that, though, this lady, Jess, came in to find some kids to foster. We figured she'd look for some younger kids, someone more adoptable. But she picked us. Both of us. She brought us home and treated us like we were really family. She adopted us both just a couple of months before I turned 18, and let us live there while we finished school. Hell, she even put us through college. She was the mom we'd always dreamed of. Anyways, she died a few months ago, and she left us everything she had. I remembered the way she used to talk about Athens, like it was the most wonderful place on Earth. So we decided to travel the world. Athens first, and then wherever fate took us. And it looks like fate brought us you."

The hollow pit in Aphrodite's gut filled with butterflies. The pull she felt towards Dom was stronger than ever. "I think you're right," she said, and kissed him.

Aphrodite slept peacefully that night, safely enfolded in Dom's arms.