Chapter Text
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. Known for her stunning beauty and her power to awaken passions in people's hearts. But on Olympus she was known as the youngest daughter, the youngest goddess daughter of Zeus and Dione, the King of Gods and the Goddess of the Sea.
The youngest daughter could even be said to be spoiled during the early years of her upbringing and indeed she was on some levels, but also very demanding. Being responsible for the love in men, for the fertility of men, was always a difficult job, especially having to respect the threads of destiny that were woven by the Morias, and if there was one thing that Aphrodite didn't want, it was to step on the toes of Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, the three blind seers were always a little grumpy if they needed to change the lines of destiny.
So Aphrodite tried to stay in line as much as possible, to avoid envious eyes from her less pleasing brothers and sisters and disapproving looks from her parents. Maybe that's why she never said anything. Especially when it happened to Athena.
Athena and Ares always had problems, the two oldest were always the type to poke each other. The daughter of the goddess Metis and the son of the goddess Hera were always a little irritated with each other. But Aphrodite still preferred to ask Athena for help than ask Hebe, Hephaestus, Apollo or Dionysus. She could perhaps ask Hermes and Artemis for help, but still, neither of them was the Goddess of wisdom and military strategy.
Athena, the eldest daughter, was considered the good standard among her children, the correct daughter and who, if she made mistakes, made few mistakes. Except when it came to her daughter. When Athena spoke without fear, without shame and without dread that she had impregnated Silkie, the sister of the Queen of the Amazons, there was a commotion. The Virgin Goddess had a daughter.
Athena was a generally serious, composed and polite woman. But it was the day she told her father with her mother's support. And well, Ares thought it would be fun to mock his sister and was almost murdered, in fact Zeus himself had to interfere in the mortal combat that quickly took shape between the two Aphrodite's older siblings.
And then there was her, the tenth in line, the youngest among the Goddesses, and the one with a half-human daughter hidden from everyone. And don't get her wrong, Aphrodite was the best mother she could have been, but she still kept young Fleur hidden from everyone.
But that moment was the turning point.
The chains bit the skin of her pale wrists, her body was sore and bruised. Fleur had actually lost track of time after losing consciousness a few times.
The thing is… Demigods are immortal through time but can be killed. Their lives were lengthened by awakened divine powers, but when it came to torture and injuries, they were as susceptible as any mortal. They were just more resistant and resilient. But after so many injuries, Fleur was no longer sure what to do.
“Fleur…” The divine voice sounded in her mind and she opened one eye with difficulty. “I will send help, my daughter.” Aphrodite's voice seemed distant, but Fleur clung to that faith. She needed to hold on to the belief that her mother would help. Just a few more rounds of torture and she would be left in the cell, that's what she thought to herself.
*******
The hurried steps across Olympus were what caught Athena's attention, the goddess of wisdom was sitting on one of the many sofas there, she liked some comforts from men and whenever she could she included something she liked there. So a good silly human fiction book and a couch was what she needed at the moment to rest, but apparently the hurried footsteps coming towards her room made her just look up from the book.
Athena never changed much, immortality was a blessing at that point. Tall, slender, the warrior goddess was strong and resilient, her wavy brown hair fell down her back and her piercing brown eyes always made her enemies tremble. As always, she wore a light dress, since she was not in battle so the shield, spear, helmet and armor were useless at that moment.
And it was a little surprising for her to see her younger sister's golden hair, dark blue eyes and the almost terrifying beauty that Aphrodite had. But perhaps what made the goddess of Wisdom most intrigued, and vehemently worried, was her sister's panicked look and pale face.
"What happened?" She said, sitting down promptly and putting the book aside. Aphrodite walked towards her in three long strides, which was surprising since she practically walked across the room.
"I need your help." She spoke quickly and Athena frowned. She will always protect Aphrodite from the cruelest brothers and this made her worried.
"What happened?" The goddess repeated herself and stood up.
“I hid something from everyone and now there is trouble in sight.” She stuttered. And Athena just looked a lot more confused. “I need help to save my daughter’s life.” The Goddess of love spoke in a trembling tone.
******
The sound of a body hitting the ground and a sword sliding away was what broke the silence of the training field where several warriors observed the training taking place there.
Themyscira, the island of the Amazon warriors, was located in the Aegean Sea. The expanse of the Mediterranean Sea left the island between Greece and Turkey, and the island had a lush landscape, with dense forests, crystal clear rivers, impressive cliffs, paradisiacal beaches and secluded coves and a variety of tropical plants. The island's fauna was diverse, there were many deer, wild boars and a huge variety of colorful birds that enjoyed the island's fruit trees. Olive, fig, orange, lemon and pomegranate trees, along with seafood, made the warriors' diet rich in natural and fresh foods that provided essential nutrients to sustain their strength and vitality. The surrounding marine fauna was very diverse, with the presence of dolphins, sea turtles and a variety of colorful fish.
The island had the majestic, imposing and grand architecture of Greece. With fortified structures, such as walls and watchtowers. With temples dedicated to the many Greek deities, the dwellings were simple and functional, there were many structures with columns with capitals carved with flowers or animals, statues and decorative elements, the friezes carved with scenes of battles and mythology representing the Amazons in warrior poses and some statues of Greek deities. There were many flowers, many plants all over the island, which made it lively and happy. The island had many cats scattered around as Artemis was one of the greatest deities active on the island.
Artemis, Hera and Athena were the main patron goddesses of Themyscira. The place was totally colorful, the Amazons liked vibrant colors in their buildings and panels, contrasting with the white columns and colorful plants. It was a sea of colors that honored the goddesses and warriors.
The Mediterranean summer was pleasant, despite being hot and dry, average temperatures varied between 25°C and 30°C and winters were mild and rainy, with average temperatures between 10°C and 15°C. So that summer day was pleasantly transitioning into a slightly cooler autumn.
“Get up, niece.” Antelope said amusedly, resting the base of the spear on the ground and supporting herself against the material.
"Yes yes." Hermione spoke promptly, standing up and holding her sword and shield. Hermione had been a sergeant for just over a few months, she had a long way to go before reaching her aunt's level. The general was just having a little fun training the lower ranks.
In the stands in the training area there were several ranks. Several soldiers watched the sergeants training. The lieutenants responsible for training the sergeants were there just absorbing knowledge while there were one or two captains observing everything with curiosity. It wasn't often that a General, second in command if no less, came down to train in lectures.
Hermione was Athena's daughter, so there was a lot of pressure on her to perform well. And she deserved it, the scholar and warrior knew how to handle a spear like her divine mother and swords like her earthly mother. She was an exceptional fighter for her age and rank. She knew beyond her time about military knowledge. And yet, the general was practically wiping the floor with her. She was again thrown to the ground forcefully and for a moment considered that she had been humiliated enough for one day.
"General." Hermione's mother's voice broke the training, Antelope looked curiously at her sister and tilted her head to the side.
"Yes?" She asked again, leaning on the spear that had its back stuck in the ground.
“The queen wishes to speak to Sergeant Hermione.” She spoke bluntly and Antelope's eyebrow rose in surprise.
“Well, the Queen will have what she wants. Dismissed, Sergeant.” She spoke to Hermione, who promptly stood up, sheathed her sword and made a short bow to the general, going directly to her mother.
"Everything is fine?" She asked when she saw her mother's serious expression.
“I don’t know, but you were called directly, let’s go.” She spoke, walking in long strides.
Hermione was very different physically from her mundane mother, Silkie was a short woman, with long straight red hair and vibrant dark green eyes. The woman was always very beautiful, a competent warrior, but she was the hand that healed. The devotee of Artemis was faithful to healing fallen warriors.And it was with a warrior that she fell in love and had a daughter.
Silkie and Athena's love was practically legendary among the Amazons, as was blessing with a demigod child. The Goddess faced everyone to be present in her daughter's life and even though Athena moved between Themyscira and Olympus, she was always around Silkie.
And Hermione looked like her divine mother, brown hair, brown eyes, slender and strong body, a little taller than her earthly mother and shorter than her divine mother. She had Athena's physique and Silkie's calm, thoughtful personality.
As she entered the throne room, she saw the two familiar figures. Queen Hippolyta, with her dark blonde hair tied in a high ponytail and with the Hera’s tiara that gave her Queen status, she was tall, strong and Hermione always felt that she took over the room with her presence. And next to her is a very well-known figure.
"Mother?" She asked, looking at the divine figure who seemed worried beyond usual.
"My child." The Goddess walked over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug. “Time is short and we are urgent.” She spoke and this made the warrior tense up and look at everyone there with concern.
"What needs to be done?" She asked like a good soldier and that made Hippolyta smile slightly, still sad.
“We have a mission of recovery in the world of Men, I know that the Goddess took you to learn about them and you are the most capable of adapting to execute it.” Hermione nodded.
“Aphrodite’s daughter was kidnapped.” Athena spoke and Hermione, although surprised, didn't show much. “Despite divine figures, I cannot and must not interfere with the law of men, so I need a mortal or in your case a semi-mortal who can. We urgently need to recover her, I managed to track her essence, even though it is still weak. Aphrodite knows she is somewhere in the kingdom of England.” Hermione nodded.
“What are the guidelines? And what about the form of transportation?” She asked succinctly.
“The order is to kill anyone who interferes with the recovery. The Goddess will take you as close as possible.” The queen responded directly.
“Can I have a description and her name?” Hermione questioned, understanding that information could not always be given.
“Yes, Fleur. Blonde, blue eyes and just like you have the mark of the Goddess, in her case the flower of Aphrodite.” Hermione nodded that. “We will leave in 20 minutes.” Athena spoke firmly.
“I need ten.” Hermione spoke coldly. “I will organize myself and return in ten minutes.” She was serious and there was a collective nod.
Hermione then walked through the royal palace to her room in the isolated part. She donned her full armor in a few minutes, grabbed her spear, shield and helmet. She grabbed the hooded coat that would cover pretty much everything except the spear. She grabbed the dagger and strapped it to her ankle, it was better to be sure that she would do well, even though the armor was resistant against the heaviest shots from human firearms, she preferred not to be unarmed. In nine minutes she returned to the royal hall, Athena had her arms crossed in a deep conversation with Silkie.
"I am back." She caught everyone's attention.
“Stay safe my daughter.” Silkie said worriedly and Hermione nodded. “We love you.”
“I love you too.” Hermione said lower, it was always hard to say goodbye for a mission, the possibility of not returning was always real.
"Let's go." Athena extended her hand and Hermione readily accepted, the two then disappeared and appeared in a mountainous region of England. “I managed to locate her there, in that tiny fort.” She pointed into the distance. “Be careful and when the time is right, wish to come back to me and I will take you to the island. I love you.” Hermione nodded again, she was a warrior of few words when on a mission.
She started down the peak as soon as her mother disappeared. She pondered the daughter of Aphrodite. In any case, the goddess of love hid Fleur's existence very well. She observed the place where the demigoddess was captive. It was a well-guarded place, but still had many security gaps for Hermione's military eyes. The cloudy day gave her some cover. Then slowly she approached one of the beat guards, a hand on the man's mouth and a dagger thrust between his collarbone straight to his heart had him dead in moments.
She took a security card from him and opened the door, knowing that there were cameras and she needed to go quickly. It was a dark and small place, there was a descending staircase that went into the earth, and when Hermione went down into the complex she saw that it was an illegal prison.
She couldn't tell if it was governamental or not, but she didn't care. That's when a guard passed her and she quickly pulled him into the corner, the sharp tip of the dagger against the man's carotid artery.
“If you don’t want to die, you’ll tell me something now.” She spoke softly against his ear. “Where is the blonde, blue-eyed prisoner?” She whispered.
“There are a lot of those here.” He spoke swallowing hard in terror.
“Ah but you know who I’m talking about and if you don’t answer I’ll cut your throat.” She spoke coldly and he turned pale.
"I can not say." He tried and the knife applied more pressure. “The last cell in the westernmost corridor.” He spoke quickly and Hermione nodded, easing the knife slightly which seemed to give him comfort, then in one smooth, quick cut she slit the man's throat. Leaving the body on the floor, she began walking towards the west corridor.
That's when a red light started flashing and the warning sound came on.
“Intruder in the west corridor. Intruder in the west corridor.” A mechanical voice began to sound and Hermione sighed. She put on her helmet, pulled out her shield and spear and prepared herself, still moving along the corridor.
She arrived at a more open area that gave access to several corridors, sounds of heavy footsteps walked towards her and she prepared herself. Twenty armed men appeared ready to take her out. The wave of shots came sharply and Hermione didn't care about it, the first guard was impaled in the torso by the sharp spear and what started there could only be described as a bloodbath.
The spear strikes were fluid and deadly, half the squad was dead in moments and those who managed to pull out weapons other than the inefficient rifles tried in vain to fight Hermione hand to hand. Until a bigger and more prepared one appeared.
The few still alive were missing parts, legs and arms scattered across the floor without being attached to their original bodies.
"I will kill you." The man spoke, pulling out a machete and Hermione just continued seriously.
The first blow came hard from him and she dodged, only to be kicked firmly in the torso. Hermione fell backwards and the spear rolled away, in one fluid motion she continued to roll backwards using the force of the fall to stay on her feet. She drew her sword and parried a blow with her shield.
They exchanged several heavy blows, until the man became careless, in a side attack he opened space for Hermione to cut deeply into his thigh, when he relaxed slightly due to the pain the sword rose and went through his torso. He coughed up blood and died quickly when Hermione twisted the sword and pulled it out.
She, seeing no one else coming, headed to the west corridor. She felt some of her own blood dripping off one of the cuts she received from the man with the machete, but she ignored the pain, she pulled a clean cloth from one of the corners of the armor and stuck it into the wound to stop the bleeding. She walked to the cell, seeing a woman wearing rags that only covered what was necessary. Fleur from what Hermione saw had been tortured.
She tested the access card and it didn't work. She then walked up to the man who had the machete and looked for an access card with him. She saw that he had one in another color and tested it against the electronic lock, and the door still didn't open.
Hermione sighed then and began looking for a higher security area within the small complex, which wasn't necessarily difficult to find. She saw a room with many screens that gave access to several cameras and a scared man inside when he noticed she was there he just squeezed himself into the corner, Hermione tested the two access cards she got and the door to the security area opened with the of the leader.
“Out if you don’t want to die.” She spoke curtly and the man simply walked out the door quickly. The red intrusion light kept flashing and she ignored it. Hermione looked at the cameras carefully, she saw that there were many prisoners there, but they were not hers to worry about. She then saw one of the cameras facing a meeting room. Holding the camera system's mouse, she zoomed in and observed for a long moment what they were doing there.
There was a map that she recognized as being the region of Aetolia and Epirus, but there was a marking on the coast, she took one of the sheets that were there and wrote down the coordinates that she could see and stuck the folded paper inside the shield gauntlet, she then she saw that there were several door control buttons and with a general click she opened all the doors and turned to where Fleur was.
There was pandemonium there, with prisoners escaping as best they could, some were still charitable and helped those who were tied up, but Hermione wasted no time in trying to free those who were trapped, she had a mission to accomplish.
She pushed Fleur's cell door open, the woman was oblivious to the world, which prevented her from trying to escape in any way. The brunette just walked in without fear. She took in Fleur's situation quickly, the woman had clearly been kept without food or water for a while, she looked exhausted, there were some bruises and cuts but nothing much beyond that. Apparently the greatest torture was not beatings or injuries but deprivation. Mentally was much worse if one asked Hermione, but both extremely traumatic in equal measure.
With the spear, which had been recovered after killing the lead guard, she made a sharp movement strong enough for the chains that kept Fleur hanging by her wrists to snap. Hermione moved to quickly catch Fleur's body and not let her fall to the floor. The woman was breathing and looked exhausted, but overall, Hermione thought her physical condition as a prisoner was somewhat acceptable.
That's when she heard clapping coming from the door. Agilely she moved as she drew her sword and adjusted her shield to defend Fleur if necessary.
“Congratulations, you alone killed 22 elite guards... For her.” A white man, bearded, blue eyes and white hair, wearing a dark uniform spoke.
“Choices have consequences, my dear sir, will you interfere and end up dead like your squad?” She asked, keeping Fleur's unconscious body close and protected by her own body.
“Ah, no, we already got what we wanted from her.” He said with a shrug.
"And what would that be?" She asked and he gave a wicked smile.
“You will find out.” He spoke and walked slowly down the corridor, dodging pieces of soldiers. Hermione quickly looked around, seeing the camera, she then in one quick movement blew up the equipment with the spear, she felt a twinge in the side of her body where she was injured, but ignored it. She placed the shield behind her back, locked the spear where it was when not used, and resheathed the sword, then she put one of her arms around Fleur's torso and the other held Fleur's body firmly beneath her knees, so she closed her eyes longing to return home to her mother's arms.
She opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of the throne room. Was having a meeting there from what Hermione saw and she cleared her throat slightly, adjusting Fleur's body and steadying herself.
“Sorry for the rude interruption, my Queen.” She spoke seriously but was still visibly embarrassed to have the generals, captains and the Queen looking at her. “Target successfully recovered, casualties twenty-two.” She spoke and adjusted the woman in her arms.
“She is very weak.” Silkie spoke with a frown and Hermione understood why she was moved there, she wanted to return to her mother after all.
“Yes, I wished the Goddess a safe return to you General.” She spoke and amended. “I know she needs emergency medical support, should I take her to the wards?” Hermione asked, already ready to move, and knowing that she was dripping blood onto the floor. Plus she was always uncomfortable with that number of eyes on her.
“Is the blood from the casualties or yours?” Antelope asked succinctly, already standing up.
“We will continue the meeting as soon as the current situation is resolved, when the General Doctor finishes what is necessary I will inform everyone, dismissed.” Hippolyta spoke and Hermione adjusted the young woman in her arms again.
“Both, General.” She told Antelope and that's when they saw the bloody cloth stuck in the rib area.
“Let’s go to the wards. Sister, carry Fleur.” Hippolyta ordered Antelope firmly and she didn't hesitate, removing the unconscious woman from Hermione's arms. Led by the queen, Antelope walked a few steps behind with Fleur, while Silkie walked in front of Hermione and the young woman was feeling twinges in her ribs where the cut was, but she remained serious, she had not yet been dismissed so the warrior persona, Sergeant posture should be held firmly.
The wards were a very bright place, where there were several Amazons taking care of the injured and sick, of which there weren't many. There were comfortable beds and emergency beds if needed, Hermione knew there was a room at the back where surgeries could be performed. In Hermione and Athena's comings and goings through the world of men, she bought many things to innovate the medical field, mechanical techniques and everything else that might be necessary to progress Themyscira and still keep it off the radar by divine magic. They ultimately protected the entrance to Hephaestus' workshop and one of the many gateways to Tartarus.
“Ritaria, take care of Sergeant. There is a laceration on her ribs. General, leave her there and the rest of you with me, we have a patient in critical condition.” Everyone there started to move. “Sisters, with all due respect to you, leave my ward.” She ordered curtly and Antelope chuckled softly, shaking her head in amusement. Hippolyta only, still very serious, nodded.
“Hermione, that cut was really deep.” Ritaria spoke after helping Hermione take off her armor. She had some bruises but nothing more serious than the cut.
“It was twenty against one, that cut came from their squad leader who was carrying a machete.” She said, already adjusting herself in bed.
“So it went really well.” Ritaria spoke and Hermione saw that Silkie looked at her with an unhappy expression.
“Take this, it will knock you out for a few hours for your body to recover.” The woman spoke firmly and Hermione didn't blink, already drinking the bitter-tasting drink. In a few moments, even feeling the pressure of Ritaria's hand against the wound, the young woman found herself falling into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again it was a deep night, perhaps it was the movement of the ward that caught her attention but it wasn't exactly that, it was an unknown call, a tug inside her chest.
Hermione opened her eyes and slowly moved to sit up, feeling her ribs hurting and ignoring the pain. She saw that sitting next to Fleur's bed were three figures, two she knew and one new.
The very pretty blonde woman was holding Fleur's hand tightly and had a sad look on her face. Beside her, Athena had her arm over Silkie's shoulders.
“What about the other mother?” Silkie asked softly.
“Apoline died in childbirth.” Aphrodite spoke softly. “I took care of her her entire life with the help of her aunt. The aunt died last year in a car accident, so it was just me and her.” Aphrodite stood up gently and touched her daughter's face. “I should have done more.” She said, clearly blaming herself.
“You did what was supposed to be done, they discovered Fleur and took her at a time when you were on Olympus, somehow they knew of her divinity. “ Athena spoke softly and gently. “It’s not your fault, sister.” She spoke quietly.
“You left your daughter in a military area, safe from everyone, mine was in the heart of London.” Aphrodite said, clearly irritated with herself.
“It’s not your fault, the world of men is cruel.” Silkie spoke and Hermione felt Athena's mind's eye on her, then the divine mother slowly turned her head towards her daughter.
"You woke up." The sentence was spoken more loudly and then the three women looked at her.
“The medication has worn off, I believe.” Hermione spoke and looked at Fleur for a moment. “Whatever they wanted, they got it from Fleur.” Hermione spoke quietly. “I think I interfered at the right time where they were going to execute her.” She said looking at Aphrodite. “What is her status?” Hermione said, sitting on the edge of the bed and getting up.
“You should lie down.” Silkie spoke in a motherly tone and Hermione denied it.
"I am fine." She spoke a little more firmly. “I will give more relevant information tomorrow before the Queen, but for now, how is she?” Hermione walked slowly, after all the stitches would pull if she tried hard. And she knew that even though they were divine, the hands of the two goddesses present there could not interfere without there being consequences for them, so letting the healing be its own course was better. Athena preferred to interfere only if extremely necessary. And Hermione imagined that Aphrodite was tied to the same obligations.
“She is recovering as expected, she was deprived of water for at least 3 days and food for six.” Silkie spoke quietly. “There are some old bruises, from seven days ago, when I imagine she was captured.”
“Time on Olympus passes more slowly than here, one day there is equivalent to seven days here.” Hermione heard Aphrodite's speech and frowned.
“On Olympus, every hour is practically seven hours here.” She spoke contemplatively and Athena gave an amused smile. “So when you say you would go out for a few hours I can multiply that by seven times?” She asked her mother and the goddess just laughed softly.
"Let's say yes. Divine time is a little strange, Olympus is still closer to men when it is equivalent to time, but one hour there is equivalent to seven hours here indeed.” She said amusedly.
“Dehydration, food deprivation. Did she have damage to her wrists and shoulders?” Hermione asked and looked at Fleur who simply seemed oblivious to the world in her unconsciousness.
“A little, but nothing that can’t be reversed with medication and physiotherapy.” Silkie continued.
“And we assume it will take her how long to wake up?” Hermione amended.
“It could be tomorrow or it could take a few days. We have access to IV fluid in her, with vitamins and minerals, I didn't want to put in a feeding tube yet, I considered that her body was too weak immediately to force the system to carry out digestion.” She pondered. “If Fleur doesn't wake up by tomorrow, we'll put in a tube to infuse soft food. I will ask you to go to Athens to buy it for us.” She told Hermione who she nodded.
“Whatever is necessary.” She spoke and looked at Fleur. And there was a moment of silence. “Without sounding ungrateful or unnecessarily rude…” She said and cleared her throat. “Can I go get something to eat and sleep in my own bed?” Hermione spoke quietly and Silkie frowned.
“You will sleep here.” Silkie spoke in a dry tone.
“But I’ll take you to eat something in the kitchens.” Athena cut off anything Silkie could say and the two looked at each other in a silent conversation, Hermione didn't know what had been communicated between them, but Silkie took a deep breath and nodded, still slightly unhappy. "Let's go." Athena spoke, getting up and mother and daughter left in silence in the middle of the night to the palace kitchens.
Hermione sat down after her mother indicated one of the chairs, slowly and in a mundane way the goddess made a sandwich for Hermione. Which Hermione always found funny since sandwiches became popular on the island after Athena brought the idea. One of the slices was covered in honey and the other in butter as she always liked bittersweet food, Athena placed olives, cheese, tomatoes, a little meat that was probably left over from a previous meal, a pinch of fine herbs and olive oil. “Would you like a glass of grape juice or milk?” Athena asked in a thoughtful tone.
“Uh… Milk sounds good.” Hermione spoke and there was a moment of silence between them.
“I didn’t know Fleur existed, you’re practically the same age, just a few months apart in fact.” Athena spoke and left the sandwich in front of Hermione, with a mug of milk. “Thank you for recovering her with such capacity.” The speech was gentle.
“It was my given mission, I would die to fulfill it.” Hermione spoke like the good soldier she was and went to get her sandwich. But the mother's hand held her briefly, making the mother and daughter's eyes meet.
“Thank you for saving Fleur, Hermione. That would have destroyed Aphrodite.” She spoke in a tone that dripped with thanks and Hermione smiled awkwardly.
“How did Aphrodite manage to hide Fleur for so long?” Hermione found it surprising that Aphrodite had indeed managed to hide Fleur for so long, they were both 23 years old.
“Aphrodite is the goddess who most descends from the world of men, she likes to see the actions of her powers creating love and children in men. It was always something she appreciated. I imagine it was never something that aroused suspicion because she always came back to us on Olympus. Unlike me, who is publicly in a relationship with your mother, Aphrodite always made a point of saying that she had many loves, many affairs and everything. I think she took advantage of the image of sexual and romantic freedom that she always exposed to hide Fleur. For Olympus it has only been fifty days of madness so far there and here it has been practically 23 years.” Athena pondered.
“Considering that practically all the gods are isolated due to the madness of men, it is expected that this would go unnoticed. But… Why did she hide it?” Hermione questioned this time, already taking a generous bite of the sandwich.
“Don’t drown, I’ll do more if necessary.” Athena teased her daughter who just rolled her eyes. “About your question... It's complex... In my father's time and when the world was still young, coming down to earth and having children was easy, it was common, Greek heroes were demigods, there were wars, glory and fall. Today man has changed, they has become more corrupted by Ares' desire, more petty, more cruel. Having demigod children is dangerous due to exposure, Gods may be immortal, they may not be killed, but everything else is. And a god without a follower… Well… There is a risk that he will be left without powers. Things we can't have nowadays. The world needs us even if the old gods are no longer followed.” She pondered. “But when I recently revealed, for Olympus time, that I got your mother pregnant, my father kind of lost it, he went crazy about it. Hera and other goddesses interfered, claiming that he himself had made many children out there, especially Hera is always angry with Zeus' depravity, this calmed the father of the Gods. I think that because Aphrodite was the youngest among us, she felt cornered and scared to reveal that she had done the same shortly after me. And even though he’s calm about it, he still turns his nose up at a demigod child that isn’t his.” Athena rolled her eyes slightly.
“And what will become of Fleur now? She can’t go back to the world of men, at least not anytime soon.” She spoke thoughtfully.
“That will be for Aphrodite and herself to decide.” Hermione nodded and continued eating, the two were silent for a while. “Come on kid, let’s go to your comfortable bed in the infirmary. My sister will spend the night next to her offspring and I will spend the night next to mine.” She said and Hermione grimaced.
“With all due respect, my mother, don't stay by my side like an owl, it will just keep me awake. Try to get my other mother out of the doorway, she needs to rest and unlike you she is powered by limited energy and even a long life can be destroyed by that...” Hermione grumbled and Athena laughed softly.
“Consider it done, child, but promise to rest, tomorrow I will return to Olympus, I need to see if this mess has reached other people’s ears.” She spoke and Hermione nodded, the two then entered the infirmary and Hermione lay down. Athena kissed her daughter's forehead and turned to the other Amazon.
“What?” Silkie spoke with a frown.
“You, Miss Trouble, need to rest. Let's go." She spoke without much room for argument.
"I'll stay here." Silkie spoke stubbornly.
“As much as I love your stubbornness and perseverance, you may be immortal through time, but you are still mortal through exhaustion.” The argument came effortlessly and Silkie grumbled, standing up and accepting the offer. “Anything happened you call, sister.” She said leaving with the red-haired woman through the door. Athena heard no response and Hermione soon fell asleep when Aphrodite began to hum a lullaby softly.
“Thank you, Hermione.” It was the last thing the warrior heard as sleep fell upon her.