The Sea of Cyprus, a blue so deep it seemed made of molten sapphire, beat gently against the white sand where, according to legend, the foam had given rise to the goddess. But Aphrodite's idyll was about to be stained by a storm that came not from the ocean, but from the sky and iron.
The Garden of Sacrilege
Aphrodite's temple was not a fortress like Ares'; it was a palace of pink marble and ivory, surrounded by a garden where spring was eternal and the scent of the rose was so inebriating that it could make an entire army drop its weapons.
When Eron's and Diana's feet touched the sacred ground, the grass beneath them withered instantly, reacting to the dark and static energy Eron now carried.
— She is here — Diana murmured, her hand tightening on the hilt of her sword, but her eye gleamed with a covetousness that was not of a warrior. It was the hunger of a woman who wanted the absolute.
— She knows we are here — Eron replied, his white eye scanning the column. — And she will try the only weapon she has.
It did not take long. From the perfumed shadow of the central atrium, Aphrodite emerged. She wore no armor; she wore only a veil of translucent silk that seemed made of sea mist. Her beauty was a physical pain to whoever looked at it, a symmetry that defied mortal logic.
She ignored Diana immediately, fixing her eye on Eron. She smelled the scent of Ares' blood on him, felt the stolen divinity, and instead of fear, she used seduction.
— Eron... son of Zeus — her voice was like honey dripping on velvet. She walked to him, every movement a promise of pleasure that would make Olympus collapse. — Why do you bring Ares' destruction to my garden? You are so strong... so magnificent. Why fight when you can reign in my embrace?
She reached out to touch Eron's chest, the tip of her finger grazing the skin where the blue spark danced. Eron did not pull away; he let her approach, a cruel smile playing on his lip. He felt the Goddess's power trying to invade his mind, trying to transform his desire into slavery.
But Erond was now the lord of war and magnetism. He grabbed Aphrodite's wrist with a force that made the goddess gasp in surprise.
— Your trick is old, Aphrodite — Eron growled, the electricity crackling between his finger, burning her silk veil. — I already have my Queen. And she wants what is yours.
Aphrodite paled, finally looking at Diana. The Princess of the Amazon stepped forward, her presence now so imposing that the Goddess's beauty seemed pale in comparison.
— You will not seduce him — Diana said, her voice heavy with divinized authority. — You will hand over your essence. I will be the perfection he desires. I will be the pleasure he demands. Your time as the fairest is over.
Eron pushed Aphrodite toward Diana. The Goddess of Love tried to summon her power, trying to create an illusion of dread, but Eron clenched his fist and the air around Aphrodite became a magnetic prison, paralyzing her every divine muscle.
— She is all yours, Diana — Eron said, stepping back just enough to observe, arm crossed, eye gleaming with the anticipation of seeing his Queen ascend. — Take what you need to handle me.
Diana did not hesitate. She approached the paralyzed Goddess and placed her hand over Aphrodite's heart. The ritual she had seen Eron perform with Ares was now repeated by her. A bright pink light, bright and hot as the center of a star, began to be drained from Aphrodite's body, flowing into Diana's vein.
The temple began to tremble. The flower withered and the pink marble column began to crack. Diana let out a scream, but it was not of pain; it was of ecstasy. She felt her body changing, her skin becoming softer yet indestructible, her curve shaping into the sacred geometry of absolute desire. She felt the lust of a millennium enter her blood, giving her the power to not just attract, but to dominate through pleasure.
When the light finally faded, Aphrodite fell to the floor, a pale and lifeless figure, the once infinite beauty now reduced to nothing.
Diana stood up. She was different. Her hair seemed to have a life of its own, her skin emanated a pearlescent glow, and her every breath made the air around vibrate with unbearable sexual tension. She looked at her hand, then at her body, finally feeling equal to Eron's divinity.
She turned to Erond, and the gaze they shared was enough to make the remaining temple collapse.
— Now — Diana whispered, her voice now heavy with Aphrodite's power — I can handle everything you have to give me, Eron. And I will want more.
Eron walked to her, feeling the new gravity Diana exerted. He was not just the God of War; he now had beside him the Goddess of Beauty and Passion, a warrior who could sate his divine hunger.
— Olympus is officially dead — Eron said, holding Diana's face. — Because nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us now.