"Chaos? Why? Why is this happening to me? Why did this happen to me? Explain to me what I did before I was Hephaestus to make me this way." said the god, causing Aphrodite to listen in once more. "My family laughs at me behind my back, tormenting me. They think I don't know, but I do. My own mother cast me off Olympus when I was just a baby due to my condition sure things are better especially lately, but my own father denies me as his child unless it suits him. My brothers and sisters all find me repulsive, and my own wife, who I have not stopped loving since day one, sleeps with my brother because I am not good enough. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS TORTURE CHAOS DAMN IT!" screamed Hephaestus, which was followed by an audible crash. Before he finished with one last question.

"Why does no one love me?"

Aphrodite who had be secretly listening, felt this ache in her chest ever since hearing those words.

Hera was in her palace brushing her hair, and thinking about her Percy when suddenly Aphrodite appeared in the living room. 'Chaos above, what does she want?' Thought Hera.

"Aphrodite. What brings you here?" asked Hera.

"I need help." said Aphrodite. "There's this feeling in my chest, and it won't go away. Not even sex helped me! What do I do?"

"If there's something wrong with your body, you should have gone to Apollo." said Hera. Aphrodite shook her head.

"But if I went to Apollo, he'd end up fucking me, and that makes the pain worse." said the goddess of sex. "I have nowhere else to turn, so help me, please."

This was new.

Never once had Aphrodite ever asked for anything, not even a please. She simply demanded. Whatever this feeling was, she wanted it gone so bad she was willing to ask for once, maybe even beg. But Hera was already trying to comprehend the asking.

"Alright. Start at the beginning." Said Hera.

And so Aphrodite did. She recounted what she went through at the house of her husband, hearing his words, the pain on how no one loves him, and how fucking Ares, which she had no problem with before, now bothered her to no end and the pain inside her grew.

'Dear Chaos she's an idiot.' thought Hera.

"Alright. I know the problem now." said Hera.

"Do you know how to fix it?" asked Aphrodite.

"Only you can know how to fix this problem for yourself." responded Hera slightly smiling. "However, i can identify the cause of this discomfort."

"What is it?"

"Guilt." Said Hera coolly.

"Huh?"

"You feel guilty about how you have treated Hephaestus after his rant, and now your heart wants to make things right. That is the source of your pain. Guilt." Explain Hera.

"You really think it's guilt?" asked Aphrodite. Hera nodded.

"There is no alternatives." replied Hera.

"Oh… oh my… you're right." said Aphrodite, the truth dawning on her. "OH CHAOS! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" cursed the goddess as the truth sunk into herself and cried.

"I'VE BEEN SO BLIND GIRLS! ALL THAT TIME, HE SHOWERED ME WITH GIFTS, I THOUGHT IT WAS HOW HE INVITED SEX! BUT HE NEVER MADE A MOVE! I AM SO STUPID!" cried the goddess of love as she sat next to Hera on the couch. "ALL THIS TIME, I'VE BEEN FUCKING HIS FAMILY AND HE ALWAYS TOOK IT ON THE CHIN! I NEVER SAW THE PAIN, BECAUSE HE NEVER STOPPED LOVING ME! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!"

"Make thing right that's what." said Hera, patting Aphrodite on the back as she clung to Hera, crying into her shoulder.

"I'm so stupid! Ares never loved me! He loved the sex! And Hephaestus always loved me! I'm so stupid!" continued the distraught goddess. She continued crying. "He never once asked for it, even before I fucked up! I'm a horrible person!"

Hera held Aphrodite as she cried.

Time Skip

"Okay Aphrodite, let's do this." said Hera, helping Aphrodite tie her gorgeous blonde hair back into a ponytail to keep it away from the food.

"Do you really think this will help?" asked Aphrodite.

"As sure of it." replied Hera nodding. Hera wore aprons as did Aphrodite.

"Now, let's start this by making some plans. What do we want to cook?"

"I asked some of the Cyclops that work at his workshop when he wasn't looking, and they say that he loves Mexican." replied Aphrodite.

"Alright then, Mexican it is. How about some pork nachos?" asked Hera.

"Sounds good." replied the goddess of love, the fire of determination filling her eyes. Hera smiled at seeing the goddess desire to be a real wife instead of a whore.

Hephaestus knew something was up.

He was no fool, and he knew Aphrodite had entered his workshop, since she wasn't exactly the best at hiding her presence. When he asked some of the Cyclops that worked in that area what she wanted, they only smirked and told him to wait for that night to find out.

Logically speaking, it was a cruel joke that even his workers wanted to see. So he made the short track back to his house, which he constructed himself, but was surprised to see some of the lights on.

'Isn't that my kitchen?' asked the god to himself, and snuck in, doing a much better job than his wife did earlier.

As he approached the kitchen, he heard voices.

"How does it look?" asked a familiar voice, the voice of his wife.

"Wonderful." replied another. It was his mother's voice? "He's going to love it."

"I hope he does. I just want him to understand where I'm coming from." said Aphrodite.

They cooked something, probably for Ares. He could smell it. It smelt of pork, spices and cheese, making his mouth water slightly. Mexican, his favourite. Did Ares like it too? Probably the only thing the two brothers had in common. Cooking her lover a meal in her husband's kitchen, and his favourite food no less? Even though he loved her, there was only so much he could take. He went to walk out.

But Hera's voice stopped him.

"I'm sure Hephaestus will, if you sit him down with good food and intentions. Just be open and honest, and try to make things right, and I'm positive that, given time, he will forgive you."

Hephaestus stopped dead in his tracks. What was going on? Did Aphrodite cook his favorite food, with the help of Hera, and by going off what she said, did she want to make things right between them?

"It's just, when I look down at this, and think of all the things I did, it doesn't even come close to what I need to do. I screwed up so much… and I'm a fool for only realising that now." said his wife, and he heard her sniffle.

"It certainly isn't worth a full forgiveness, but you need to understand that Hephaestus is going to appreciate the effort that you are putting in the effort to change, and it's most definitely a start." said Hera her voice sounding more wise then Athena.

Hephaestus didn't know what to do. This was a first. Aphrodite wanting to make things right between them. Him? She wanted to make things right with the 'Ugly God'?

This was everything he ever dreamed of.

Having Aphrodite make things right, having a happy life with her, Ares be damned. He felt a feeling in his heart he hadn't felt for a long time.

Genuine happiness.

A warm smile adorning his face, Hephaestus made his presence known to the two.

Aphrodite gasped in surprise. She didn't think he was here. How much had he heard? Did he hear anything at all? Did he have the right idea of what was going on, or did he think this was all for Ares?

All thoughts broke when he held out his arms, inviting her into a hug.

Tears fell from her face as she set down the nachos, rushing into his arms and embracing him, crying into his shoulder. "I'M SO SORRY! I'VE BEEN A FOOL! I'M SO SORRY!" cried Aphrodite into his shoulder, repeating her apology over and over as Hephaestus, he husband caressed her hair.

"It's alright Aphrodite. It's okay."

"It's not… all I've done to you… everything… I want to repent for each and every thing."

"It's going to be alright, my love. We can work together on this." said the kind god. Aphrodite continued to cry and beg for forgiveness, with Hephaestus being the comforting hand that helped her.

Hera smiled to herself and left the house, her job done and heading to her date with Percy and him the good news about the two. For she knew unlike her marriage to Zeus, the two gods hugging in the house had a chance at real happiness.

And Hephaestus shared his first dinner with his wife that night.