Into the Quiet by Beth C. Greenberg

Author:Beth C. Greenberg [Greenberg, Beth C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Isotopia Publishing
Published: 2021-03-08T14:00:20+00:00

23

Fanning Flames

There was only so much wife-wandering a god, especially one with self-esteem issues, could take. In recent weeks, Aphrodite’s level of hero worship for Ares had progressed from the occasional, manageable swoon to a constant gnawing at Hephaestus’s manhood.

Hephaestus would have been lying if he denied a grudging respect for the God of War—ingenuity, good looks, and brass balls. Sadly, Heph could no longer miss the obvious manifestations of his wife’s dangerous fascination: stolen glances below the belt of Ares’s chiton, a quickened flutter of her treacherous lashes, the rosy flush in her cheeks, a breathy lilt whenever she spoke to him.

And what of the “private strategy sessions” called on a moment’s notice at Ares’s whim? Hephaestus could only imagine—and he often did, in torturous detail—exactly what Aphrodite and Ares were up to behind closed doors at the compound. Hephaestus took little reassurance from his own occasional conjugal couplings with Aphrodite, who returned his romantic attentions with legs barely open and eyes tightly closed.

The longer Cupid sojourned on Earth, the more perilous grew Hephaestus’s marital situation. The first trial had taken Cupid less than two weeks to sort out; this new punishment was already into week five. Frankly, Hephaestus hadn’t seen much progress, hence his fixation on this new Worthy couple.

Hephaestus felt for Ruth. He’d spent centuries in her shoes, drying up in the corner like last year’s raisins while the juicy new grapes plumped on the vine. It was neither here nor there whether Zach had cheated on his wife. Her insecurity alone would be enough to ruin their marriage.

Enter Cupid, a charming admirer, slavishly devoted to Ruth’s happiness. Even with the best intentions, the boy could not necessarily be relied upon to discern short-term comfort from everlasting happiness. Hadn’t Cupid proven that by diddling Mia in that parking lot?

Hephaestus had been quick to judge Cupid’s indiscretion, even convinced Aphrodite to impose a second labor. It was the right move, but oh, he was kicking himself now. The Divine Council surely would have overruled Cupid’s ascension, but at least they would have taken over his case and supplanted the unholy alliance of Aphrodite and Ares.

With those two manufacturing excuses to draw out Cupid’s punishment, Hephaestus could no longer stand idly by. The time was upon him to set his plan into motion. Aphrodite would be angry at first, but the nobler part of her, the part Hephaestus had fallen in love with over and over again, would eventually win out. Above all else, she was a mother who loved her son. Once Hephaestus got Cupid home, Aphrodite would appreciate the enormity of what he’d done for her. She would forgive, and somewhere down the road of eternity, she would respect her husband not only for rescuing Cupid but also for restoring Aphrodite to her finest self. Her attraction to Ares would wither and die without a purpose to nourish its existence.

If his plan worked.

Generally speaking, Hephaestus lacked the discipline of his nemesis. Today would have to be different.

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