18. Flattering will get you...

"So I guess I'll have to ask Boreas," Aphrodite hummed to herself as she jumped down the hillside, ignoring the annoyingly winding staircases which were cut into the rock before she made her way down the gilded and tree-lined streets across the meadows to the part of the Olympic village which was a bit more densely built-up than over where she lived. This part of Olympos appeared more like an idealized version of a mortal town, with neat little two story houses in pastel colours, toppy roofs and well-kept gardens in front of them, showcasing all kinds of Demeterian marvels. Birds were chirping in the trees, fountains were singing and the sun was glittering in little ponds where koi fishes swam. Small canals were running between the houses at regular intervals, with seemingly no other purpose than the aesthetic one. The same could be said for the little parks which were also spread around and all the randomly distributed marble statues.

It was here they lived, the nymphs, centaurs and lower deities who were working at Olympos. However most of them didn't seem to work that much. Not like when it came to the mortals Aphrodite still compared things to. Putting in some 10 hours a week seemed to be the norm here. The rest of the time was spent with socializing around, tending those gardens (no wonder they looked lovely) or just relaxing. She met so many people here while walking down the street - so many faces and she was glad that she remembered all the names because a lot of them stopped and wanted to exchange a few words. Most of these were pleasantries, luckily, or gossip – the kind Olympos seemed to thrive on. There were also those asking her for advice when it came to her line of business. Love, pairing and erotica. She talked to Glaukia who desired some rivergod and Collëta who wanted to get away from a too persistent satyr. And there was Xenodora who wondered if it was normal that men wanted...

Therefore her walk over to Boreas took almost half the day, especially since two happy nymphs and a ditto satyr wanted her to join their lunch on melons, ham and cheese. While the satyr seemed to silently eye her thoroughly with a certain activity in mind, the nymphs were just as happy and chatty as all of their kind were. For the millionth time or so, Aphrodite wondered how nymphs could stand their own jabber, which most of the time seemed as stupid and pointless as cheep's bleating. It was no secret that neither the nymphs nor the satyrs were the most intelligent beings in the creation. Still they seemed happy enough in their little world, doing their simple things and fending off boredom with gossip, playing catch and ball and an almost endless appetite for sex. Even she, Aphrodite, thought it a bit too much with nymphs sometimes. Still it was a nice enough lunch, although she was happy when she was finally able to excuse herself – and foremost getting away from that darn horny satyr. And no, she didn't remember his name. To be honest, she couldn't care less!

Then finally, finally she reached that two-story yellow house with a flat roof and an unusually neglected garden for being at Olympos. The blinds were closed and the pond in front of the house lacked water. Instead it was filled up with some green-brown muck she would have ordered to be cleaned away first thing!

Upon arrival Aphrodite feared that nobody was at home, then she heard music emanate from an open balcony door on the second floor. Faint tunes of a flute playing a sad and forlorn tune which ached her heart when she listened to it. She pushed the iron gate open (it creaked and needed greasing), crossed a patio where weed grew between the cobblestones and stopped by the front door where she used the cloud-shaped knocker, first gently and then a bit harder. When there was still no reply from inside she backed up a few steps, craning her neck to regard the balcony with that opened door.
"Hello!" she called out.

The music stopped but then very little else happened.
"Hello!" Aphrodite repeated herself.
"I said GO AWAY!" came a tart voice from inside the building.
"Did you?" she asked in a mild tone. "To whom?"

Silence became the response and Aphrodite sighed.
"Patience," she told herself. Something was clearly gnawing at this man, she just wondered what and if it could be in her might to help him. After a few heartbeats she became rewarded when a dark head showed itself up in that door opening. Boreas regarded her with sad, blue eyes in a face surrounded by long, dark curls.
"Aphrodite!" he exclaimed, clearly surprised at recognizing her. "What do you... what may I help you with?"
"Somebody told me that I might be the one to help you."
"Uh – who?"
"I might tell you later. May I come in?"
"I'd rather not, this place is a mess," he hesitated a few seconds. "But wait a sec' I'll be right down with you instead."

The head backed off again and after a while the front door creaked up and there he was, god of the Northern Wind. He had tied up his hair and obviously splashed some water in his face, because Aphrodite noted wet droplets upon his nose and chin. He was carrying an amphora and two cups and his ice blue tunic looked starched and almost new, although not that fancy.
"Sorry for the neglect. I've been away and – well I guess I forgot to ask someone to look after the place. Come on!"

Boreas lead the way up to a corner of the garden where two chairs and a little table stood. Using some swift magic he seeped off old leaves and dust, made the place comfortable to sit in. He then poured a semi-transparent golden beverage in the two cups.
"Cider," he said. "A specialty from Strabon where I spent some months a while back. This is the last amphora so I might go back for more."
"Strabon, where is that?" Aphrodite asked as she accepted her cup. She sipped gently, rolling the beverage around her tongue. It was sweet, but there was something else as well. A faint trace of resin-like bitterness which intrigued her in a way. It reminded her of the mood of the god sitting opposite of her, now with half his face in shadow. Still, she noted the tiredness in his eyes which went well with his worn aura. Boreas showed her a map in her mind and she nodded her head.
"I've heard of the place, yet I haven't been there," she nodded her head. "In fact I've never been that far from the Hellas area."
"You should travel," Boreas told. "It's educating. And you find new things. New people. Now, you come here to offer help? Tell me!"

Aphrodite blinked at his fast change of subject. Then again he was a wind, and they were known for these swings in mood and thought. So she guessed small talk time was over and went down to business.
"I heard through the grape wine that you've been romancing the Attican goddess Oreithyia."
"A paramour."
"What?"
"She was nothing but a paramour. Forget her."
"I was under the impression..."
"Then you've been misinformed." Boreas drank from his cup and she could tell that he was hiding emotions.
"But something is eating at you, right?" she poked.
"That might be the case, yes."

"Is there anything someone like me can aid you with?"
"Someone like you?" He was stalling and she went on along the line.
"A Goddess of Love. Can a Goddess of Love help you, Boreas?"
"Honestly, what can you do?" The Northern Wind put down his cup. "If you trigger some lass out there, make her fall in love with me, then it's just fake, isn't it? Then she'll just fall in love with me because you've been fiddling around with her mind. Not because she really wants me. Besides, I don't exactly think this goddess is receptive for your fiddlings, Aphrodite."

"Boreas, it doesn't work that way. I do not go inside someone's mind and 'fiddle' with it. I cannot make a woman – or a man either for that matters, fall in love with someone against their will. There must be some kind of emotions there to start with. An attraction. Or at least a vague interest. Or else – well, I could create a passion and there could be some hot nights as an outcome of it, but that would be dishonest. A dishonesty which would be the smallest delinquent in such a case."

"And the worst delinquent?" Was there a genuine interest she heard in the voice of the wind?
"Those hot nights may be followed by an emotional disaster, when the spark goes out and the two poor ones involved realize there's no real attraction between them. If worse comes to worse they may end up hating each other and accuse each other of everything from betrayal to rape. I've seen it happen. I've seen love gods and goddesses fiddling with things out of their control, people with absolutely no match. Just flushing off hormones, and more or less hypnotizing those poor subjects. The outcome becomes terrible for all involved."
"Oh..." Boreas paled considerable and then he emptied his glass in one single drag. Had he...

"Go on!" he urged her while he poured some more of that beverage, which to Aphrodite had become more and more bitter in taste.
"I don't do things like that," she told the wind. "It's unethical. A love god or goddess who involve in such things are nothing but careless. Irresponsible."
"So you mean there has to be some fascination there in the first place?" Boreas asked.
"Certainly. Or it won't work."

Boreas fell silent while he regarded her with thoughtful, inscrutable eyes, the rest of his face more or less concealed behind the cup as if he was trying to hide his emotions.
"Have you tried anything along that line," she felt she had to ask.
"Not... here," he shook his head. "Not at Olympos I mean."
"Then where?" Regarding him she added: "You don't have to tell me if you do not want to. But it may help to open up your heart. Talk to someone who might understand."

She saw discomfort in Boreas eyes – then he shrugged his shoulders and chuckled hollowly.
"Okay I guess it is... can you keep it as a secret then, Aphrodite? I don't want it going around the mountaintop. The Fates know that this place has more than its fair share of gossipers."
"Cross my heart," the goddess assured. "What is told me in confidence, when I'm exercising my profession, I will not tell anybody else."
"Thanks," Boreas looked notably relieved as he poured himself a third glass. He held out the amphora towards her but she declined with a shake of her head.

"You see..." the wind went on. "It didn't happen here but no matter. I went to see – well a colleague of yours. Lady named Ishtar. You know her?"
"Yes, I studied with her on Cyprus before I came here."
"Then you know her. Very ambitious. Very professional as it seems. She claimed she could fix this girl for me."

"Whom?"
"Goddess named Sekhmet. Egypt. Awesome-looking. Dark in features with eyes burning like coal beneath long, jet black lashes. Full and inviting lips, the most gorgeous body a man can imagine! To her manners a bit like Nike perhaps. But more ferocious. Female Ares kinda type."

"War goddess?"
"Um yeah."
"Actually, war and weather usually works," Aphrodite regarded the beverage in her cup, how the sun shone at a part of it, ray-traced against the brass of the cup. Glittering and gleaming. She swirled the liquid without drinking from it. "But that's not a guarantee. Both are active, restless, non-conformal temperaments. They might as well clash. Tell me more!"

"You're right. She was just as you describe. Active and restless, always on the move. Like wild fire. And this god became infatuated. I wanted her like crazy, I was ready to do anything to get her. And – eh – to cut a long story short, this Ishtar promised to help me. And help me she did. Suddenly Sekhmet was there, her hands all over my body. Her eager lips capturing me and never let go. And we had sex like... like... " Boreas lost his eyes somewhere when he reached back in time, searching for words to describe his experience and Aphrodite rested her elbows on the table, waited for it. "...like blizzards. But hot ones. We've could've been... back then I thought like – crazy! This doesn't happen. And I was right, it didn't. Well, it did. But you know what I mean, it wasn't real, it was... "
"Boreas," she laid her hand upon his. "I know."
"You – can't! This was like insane!"
"Insane? Like how?"
"She was... It was amazing!"
"Then what?"

"It suddenly – wasn't anymore. And you be sure, Aphrodite! It was not my fucking fault! I gave it all! I did everything for that woman! I even... I gave that woman everything. I mean it. I would've gone through the whole world for her – even down to the Tartarus if that had been asked for me. She was my soul, my heart, my life, Aphrodite! Then one day – she was not there anymore. She had just disappeared. Left a note, saying it was over. That she needed to get away from it all before it suffocated her! Have you ever heard such a strange thing? It was suffocating her! Our relation! I mean how could it? Anything? I'd given her whatever freedom she'd wanted – all she had to do was ask me. I'm not the man who wants a woman sitting around at home waiting for me while I travel around. She could have come with me if she'd wanted. Or she could have gone elsewhere. I'd never stop her from anything. I'd never put a lock on her freedom."

"Maybe that was the problem, Boreas."
"What do you mean? You mean I should've restricted her?"
"No, I think you should've talked a bit to her, told her what you wanted out of the relation. Now she might've become insure. If you just kept saying everything she wanted was okay and fine with you she might've ended up not trusting you. Wondering where in the Tartarus the catch was. Or perhaps she considered you being week. Insecurities like that may end up feeling suffocating, Boreas."

The wind didn't reply immediately. Then he begun all over, repeating mostly what he already had said about Sekhmet and their failed relation, perhaps elaborating it slightly. Telling about what they had done. A boat ride down the Nile and love making at the slopes of the Etna. Snow ball fight in some nameless valley among the Alps. When he was done Aphrodite ended up replying with almost the same thing as she had said before. Then then they went through two more re-runs. However she understood he needed to vent, so she let him keep it up. After that Boreas' cider was finished and the god made a motion to raise, but stopped himself half way.
"What about Oreithyia by the way?"
"You mentioned she was nothing to you," Aphrodite was also feeling that the discussion was nearing its end. Somehow she had managed to make the god feeling a bit better. Perhaps he just needed to talk. Getting it out of his system. Now he was toying with that cup of his, asking:
"I mean who mentioned Oreithyia to you?"

Aphrodite hesitated for a moment. Then she replied:
"Your brother. Zephyros."
"Zephy, eh? He sure didn't like me dating Sekhmet. Told me she wasn't good for me. That her fire didn't warm me. Sounded wacked back then and still does, although not as much. Instead I've started to wonder what he meant."
"Probably he meant that she was a bit too savage. Like I said about winds and war. She would've burned you instead of warmed you if you understand what I mean. Perhaps he was right about Oreithyia."
"Like how?"
"Did you hit it off with her?"
"No, I scared her off."
"Now it's I who don't understand."

"Perhaps I should give her a second chance. Perhaps I should try to approach her in a way which doesn't scare her. Then I might learn to know her better. Do you think that might be possible, Aphrodite?"
"It might be, you never know if you don't try."
"Will you help me?"
"I'll do my best!"

*o*o*

"Aphrodite!" Poseidon smiled while more or less blocking her way by leaning against the pillar. To continue down the stairs Aphrodite would have to get around him and then circle back towards the next case. That felt a bit – awkward. So instead she stopped, decided to see what the sea god wanted. "Haven't seen you in a while," he went on and she shrugged.
"Been busy. And I guess you have too."
"A bit. Been working on some seismic problems. You know volcanos and such."
"I get the idea," a white lie. She knew nothing about volcanos. The heats she dealt with were of a complete different nature.
"And you? Coming down from Zeus and Hera's I can tell."
"Yes, Hera and I are working on some things," she said noncommittally, knowing it was nothing that interested the god of the sea. She tried making an exit, but Poseidon wanted nothing of that kind.

"You look beautiful tonight, milady!"
"Flattering will get you..."
"Yes it will," he laid a big hand on her shoulder. "And no, it's not flatter. I'm the God of the Sea. Not some sweet talking dandy like Zeus and his broods."
"Then what do you have on your mind?" she smiled gently while she groined inside. She had absolutely no interest in playing around with this man at the moment. Al right, she missed Ares like crazy and her bed had been cold and empty for so many nights. But Poseidon? Nah! Better than if Zephyros came back. Or any of Zeus' 'broods' as Poseidon had expressed himself. At least Apollo and Hermes she knew.

"I think you can guess," he smiled.
"You lost me," she lied.
"No I'm sure I didn't. Don't play hard to get, Aphrodite, it doesn't become you."
"Poseidon, get the message. I'm not in the mode for playing at all. Or for a one night stand, since I know that's your ultimate goal, isn't it?" She regarded him in the dusky light from the divine fires which lit up the staircase hall, yellows and orange and the odd green which coloured them both, giving them somewhat unearthly hues. He was handsome, there was no denying that. Those dark shamrock-coloured eyes, like the sea underneath the surface, almost bluish black curls and a strong but thoughtful face, picturing so well his volatile man. In a way he looked solemn and happy at the same time. On some other occasion she might be all for it. On some other occasion he might've intrigued her. But now... Now she felt that she had already strung up two men on her thread – Zephyros and Ares. No matter that none of them was around for the time being, it was not right to play around with the God of the Sea, just because he happened to be there.

"I don't know if I have an 'ultimate goal' right now," he grinned. "I'm just floating with the stream. See where it carries me."
"Well, keep floating then. I'm..."
"Only if you float along with me!" that hand travelled up and touched her face, ever so gently he cupped her cheek as he leant in closer. Darn, he was affecting her. Claiming otherwise wouldn't fool anyone. She ought to be stronger in character, but after seeing so many happy couples today because of hers and Hera's hard work, Aphrodite felt melancholic of the fact that she was alone. Hera had Zeus, she had been mentioned him absent-mindedly when commenting of a very blond and handsome Theban youth. And sure, Aphrodite had had to agree, the man had looked quite a bit like Zeus. As if...

"Poseidon!" she leant back against the marble railing, trying to figure out what to...
"Hush!" Then he kissed her and all her resistance melted away in a little puddle on the floor. Not that it had been much to start with...

*o*o*

The next day Aphrodite felt quite embarrassed with herself as she sneaked away from Poseidon's place in the early dawn, just prior to sunrise, dodging among the mists which sneaked around tree trunks and fence posts as she made it back to her own safe haven, hoping to meet no one. Earlier on, Aphrodite could safely say that no one ought to have seen her and Poseidon. There weren't that many people using the staircases between the fourth and fifth floor of the Palace of Zeus, after all the top floor was the private home of the King and the Queen and thus rather sequestered. Hera had remained up there when Aphrodite left and Zeus was away on some errant or another. Making Thebans perhaps.

Neither had they been spotted when they rapidly crossed the lawns down to Poseidon's palace facing east and the Aegean. There they had enjoyed a nice and fulfilling night. Not breathtaking but good enough, even if her nocturnal friend was a bit too quick in his antics. Now Aphrodite could only hope the sea god had grasped her wish for discretion and thus keep his mouth as silent as the fishes he lorded over.

Walking back home, she perceived a kind of inertia in her soul, a tiredness which felt both nice and melancholic. She missed Ares like crazy! She missed his hot kisses, his exploring touches, his embrace – even his bad excuses for jokes. Naturally, she wondered how long that war might take and if it against all odds would be a chance for him to make it home soon. Just for a night or two, so she could hold him and feel a little less alone. A little less tempted by gods like Poseidon, who had been so sure of himself up there in the staircase. Aphrodite wondered how long the Sea God had waited along for the time to be right. She knew how it often was a question of timing if you got someone in bed or not. And Poseidon had got that timing so right! She would never have guessed that a capricious god like him would have that kind of patience in him.

Shivering slightly, Aphrodite opened up the door to her home, a hot bath would be bliss right now. So she told that to the two sleepy-looking nymphs who met her in the entrance, and one of them ran off to do her mistress' biddings while the other took care of Aphrodite's cloak. Then, just by habit, the goddess stopped and took a glance in the full-body mirror – and cursed! She had forgot completely! Her whole body still bore the look of love making, her lips being swollen, her hair ruffled and there were two marks on her neck and yet another on her left breast which was poking up just where her cleavage ran. She could only hope that the nymphs knew not to gossip. It was little comfort to know that a nymph might gossip, not out of disloyalty with her mistress but because of not understanding better – the result was more or less the same.

Then she shrugged it off. She was after all Aphrodite – Goddess of Love. She should be allowed a little leeway when it came to hot nights with men – hey, you might say it was even expected of her, she told the woman in the mirror. That one just returned her glance with a smirk while regarding the mark on her body.

"Forget I said anything!" she scoffed at her mirror image, before she headed off for the bathroom and the beckoning scent of perfumed water.