Chapter 7: Aphrodite, Goddess of moral ambiguity(TW: Mentions of PTSD) (1/2)

”Some of us nymphs used to dabble in cuisine and they used to make much better tasting foods than this...” Contrary to her usual tone, Crista spoke in a bittersweet, even nostalgic tone. He wanted to ask her more about it but before he could do so, he heard a knock coming from the entrance.

Alex went to check it out while Crista stayed in the kitchen, still deep in thought. When he finally reached the entrance, the knocks got louder and more frequent, it looks like the person knocking was quite impatient.

'Can't they just wait?' Alex thought in his head. He hated impatient people, and he was going to proceed as slowly as possible just to teach them a lesson. Petty.

When he opened the door, Alex was rather surprised by what he saw. It was a woman. She was wearing a light magenta gauze that draped over her body yet it didn't hide her curves and back-problem-causing breasts. She had platinum blonde hair that reached her shoulders and skin whiter than ivory, her eyes were of a vibrant magenta colour, also emitting that same depth and glow Alex had seen in the other gods he's met. Alex didn't dare look at her appearance too much because he felt like he would be trapped in those eyes forever and he didn't like the feeling of being manipulated.

The devil in question seemed rather displeased that he didn't look at her appearance more and her towering height made her seem a bit intimidating.

'Who is this?' He wondered internally.

”Hello” said Alex.

When he greeted her, it was as if her contempt and anger from earlier disappeared instantly. It felt unnatural. She responded with a 'vibrant' smile and slanted eyes ”Isn't it rude to leave a beautiful lady waiting?”

It seemed the 'beautiful lady' was herself in question. Alex thought that she is in fact beautiful, but saying it comes off as a bit distasteful. Alex didn't really know how to respond so they just stood in awkward silence for a short while before it was interrupted by her words.

”Anyways. I'm Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty and fertility. I'm here to ask you something, can I come in?” 'Aphrodite' said in a cutesy annoying voice. When she asked him to come in she leaned really close to him, and he got a whiff of a strange perfume that overwhelmed his senses. Alex leaned back, frowning a bit and inviting her inside.

He remembered there was a table and chairs in the balcony, acceptable for hosting guests, so he led her there and they sat down, opposite of each other, and surrounded by the mountains of Olympus.

”Beautiful scenery, isn't it?” said Aphrodite. However her expression of displeasure clearly wasn't one of someone appreciating beautiful scenery. At this moment Alex would usually offer tea or other drink and food to his guest but he didn't like her that much so he just omitted it.

”Anyways, how are you liking my gift?” asked Aphrodite with a smile on her face that completely replaced her earlier frown.

'Gift.....? She must be referring to Crista. Well, she's not very useful but I guess I should thank her..?' Alex thought in his mind.

”Ah. Yes. I'm grateful, Lady Aphrodite.” responded Alex in a formal tone.

She seemed to be frustrated at his sudden use of honorifics, and she subtly pulled her chair closer to his.

”If she is disobedient, just tell me and I'll send her for a round of torture. Also, drop the formal tone. I'm a youthful maiden and it doesn't fit to use such honorifics” Aphrodite said in a calm tone. Alex was a bit shocked at her casual mention of torture and her disregard for Crista, but he then remembered that this was Olympus and cruelty and injustice were fundamental elements of the god's personalities.

'I mean, Crista doesn't really do her duties and she's a bit annoying...but at least she speaks her mind, unlike Aphrodite, who makes me feel like I'm conversing with a slithering snake'

”She's attending to her duties seriously. Thank you for the offer though” Alex responded calmly.

Aphrodite then clapped her hands and took out 2 objects from thin air, a small wooden box and a letter. She then spoke.

”Anyways, let's talk about why I'm here in the first place. I'd like you to do a favour for me.” She continued ”Of course, as a reward, you can ask for anything” Aphrodite emphasized on the 'anything' part like she was expecting something. Alex clicked his tongue, in his mind of course.

”What do I have to do?” Alex asked in a confident tone.

”The king of the city of Abdera has recently married and wishes for my blessings for a happy marriage and numerous offspring. I accepted because the city has been a big source of faith for me but I can't go personally. That's where you come in. You would deliver the blessing and this letter for legitimacy to the king” Aphrodite finished her sentence but he heard her mumbling ”*Tsk* These kinds of requests are more fit for that bitch Hera but she's always busy chasing around that unfaithful husband of hers” It looked like Aphrodite and Hera don't get along too much.

Alex fell into thought. There wasn't much to lose from doing it and he could request for Essence and in addition to that making an enemy out of Aphrodite didn't seem like a good idea and he would get a chance to explore this world.

”I see, is Abdera far though? How will I get there?” Alex asked curiously. He hasn't heard too much of this world's transportation methods, but they're probably still using horses and carriages.

”When you climb down Olympus, you'll find the city of Olep. Show the consul my seal on this letter and he'll give you the best of carriages and horses” Bingo. It seemed that Alex's hypothesis was right.

”Now that I've told you I should get going. If you need anything, I'm in the 4th peak east of here~~” Aphrodite stated with a flirtatious tone that made Alex feel sick.

'Should I send her off?' Alex ultimately decided to send her off because offending her wouldn't do him any good considering how weak he is. He remembered what Hermes told him about his role in Olympus, that, with him having no specialties whatsoever, he'll probably be running errands for the major gods for a while before he finds his place in the pantheon.

Feeling a bit sad about his current powerlessness, he made his way back to the kitchen only to see Crista sprawled on the floor, loudly gasping for breath and shaking like a cold kitten. Alex ran to check up on her and she turned her head to face him.