Page 10 of Loved by Aphrodite (Gods and Beasts #4)
Chapter 10
Hephaestus
I n a shimmer of light, Hephaestus transported them directly into the divine hall where the Council of Olympians met. A hush fell over the room as they materialized, and much like Hermes, several of the other gods appeared dumbstruck. Whether that was due to his appearance or his and Aphrodite’s linked hands, he didn’t know nor did he care. The only two gods who didn’t appear surprised were Hades, whose expression said he’d rather be elsewhere, and Hestia who flashed him a sly grin.
“H-Hephaestus?” Poseidon stammered, before he cleared his throat to compose himself. “What are you doing here?”
“This is a council meeting, right?” he replied. “And I’m still part of this council, last I checked.”
“But you haven’t attended a meeting in forever,” the god of the sea said. “And you were not summoned, Aphrodite was.”
Hephaestus tamped down the urge to retrieve his anvil and slam it into Poseidon’s face. How dare he ‘summon’ Aphrodite like she was some common servant, when they all held equal power on the council now that Zeus was no longer in charge? Perhaps this was a power play on Poseidon’s part or maybe his way of showing his displeasure at anyone who had previously been Zeus’s ally. It was no secret, after all, that the god of lightning had favored him, even though Hephaestus considered making all the weapons, armor, and chariots as doing his part in the war, rather than being subservient to one particular god.
Well, whatever Poseidon’s deal was, Hephaestus would not play his games.
“You, summon Aphrodite? Does she bow to your will? She is a member of the council, too, like all of you.” He smiled at Aphrodite, who only stared at him, her mouth agape. “Come, love.” Placing a hand on her lower back, he guided her to her seat and sat on the empty chair beside her.
Poseidon muttered something under his breath. “The meeting of the Council of Olympians will come to order.” He paused. “Our main agenda today is the chaos currently reigning on earth. Human society is in disarray. If you haven’t heard of what’s happening, then I’m sure you all can feel something is not right.”
“The levels of war and conflict are dwindling,” Ares began. “All the current battles playing out on the Upperworld have ceased.”
“And without war, there cannot be peace,” Athena added. “Not to mention, productivity and innovation have slowed.”
“Crops are dying, as there has been no one to harvest them,” Demeter moaned. “How will the mortals feed themselves?”
“Home life has been interrupted,” Hera said. “Couples who used to be happy under one roof have broken apart. And new families are forming at an alarmingly fast rate before proper bonds can be formed.”
“Music and poetry are at an all-time high, though,” Apollo quipped, which earned him an elbow from his mate, Geri, the new goddess of the hunt.
“I’m sure all of us have sensed the disruption in the order of the world and our realms, and it all stems from one source.” He trained his gaze on Aphrodite. “Why are millions of mortals falling in love all of a sudden? Why are their emotions taking precedence over everything else, to the detriment of society? This is your realm and, therefore, your responsibility.”
Hephaestus’s stomach tied up into knots. Fuck. They’d been so busy running around—and wrapped up in each other—they hadn’t thought about how a worldwide disaster would catch the attention of the other gods.
Aphrodite remained calm as a millpond under Poseidon and the others’ scrutiny. “I am the goddess of love, of course I have noticed these things, and I do not take them lightly.” Her tone sounded like that of a mother scolding a child. “As you said, this is my realm. What do you think I have been doing these past few days? Sitting around, twiddling my thumbs? Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t ignore the problem.”
“And yet you haven’t told us anything?”
“Do you tell me of all the goings-on in your realm? When was the last time you brought up the melting of the polar ice caps during our meetings? Why haven’t we summoned Athena over the effects of the advancements during the Industrial Revolution or the more recent consequences of unfettered capitalism?”
“This is different and you know it,” Athena said, defensive.
Pride burst from Hephaestus’s chest at Aphrodite’s confidence and nerves of steel.
“And for your information, I have been working to find a solution, and with Hephaestus’s assistance. I assure you that the matter is resolved and everything is back to normal or will be in a few more days. Whatever is happening now are unintended consequences.”
“Unintended consequences?” Hera scoffed. “This is a disaster.”
“I’ll be working on rectifying as much as I can in the coming days, but you can’t possibly expect to solve everything at once, especially when I’m pulled away from my work for useless meetings like this.”
“This literally could have been an email,” Apollo added.
“So, what happened?” Poseidon asked. “Why were the mortals falling in love?”
Her lips thinned. “Do I ask you how you conduct your business, Poseidon? Just trust me that the matter has been dealt with. Can you not sense it?”
“Yes,” Hestia said. “I feel the order returning. It’s slow, but steady.”
“Did you cause this, then?” Poseidon said. “Were you neglectful in your duties? Distracted?”
Aphrodite snorted. “Do you think I wanted to cause this chaos? Do you remember what it was like back in the day, when the mortals prayed to us constantly? It’s like that for me, but ten—no—a hundredfold! I was nearly going insane with all the never-ending stream of prayers reaching my ears.”
“So, who was it then? Tell us,” Poseidon insisted. “So that the guilty party may be punished.”
Aphrodite’s confident mask slipped for a moment. “There is no need for punishment when all will be normal in a matter of days.”
“There is every need for punishment,” Poseidon retorted. “There is divine magic behind this incident, and it is obvious that someone—another god, likely—has interfered with the order of things. As the Council of Olympians, everyone looks to us to set an example. If we let the culprit get away with this, then who is to stop others from doing the same thing next time. In the wake of recent events”—he looked meaningfully at Hades, who once again, had a bored expression on his face—“we must stand together and show the other divine and magical beings that such insolence will not be tolerated.” He rubbed at his chin. “Unless you would like to bear all responsibility.”
Hephaestus could no longer stay silent. “None of this is her fault. You can’t punish her.”
“And do you know the culprit, Hephaestus? Since you have been ‘assisting’ your ex-wife,” Athena asked. “As a member of the council, you have a duty to tell us.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but Aphrodite sent him a pleading glance. Instead, he slumped back in his seat and folded his arms.
Poseidon did not look pleased. “How about we put things to a vote? Aphrodite cannot vote on the matter regarding herself, so it must be up to the rest of us.”
While he wanted to protest, he knew that he could not. This was the rule of the council after all, the very same one that voted out Zeus.
Poseidon continued. “Aphrodite must put the culprit forward or she will be deemed responsible. All those in favor?” He raised his hand, as did Athena, Ares, Hermes, Hera, and Demeter. “Six to five votes, we have a decision.”
“It’s the wrong decision,” Hephaestus protested.
“Nevertheless, we abide by the rules of the Council of the Olympians,” Poseidon said smugly. “Aphrodite, you are ordered to produce the being responsible for all this.” With a wave of his hand, a large sand clock appeared in the middle of the table, the golden grains flowing down from the upper bulb to the lower one in a steady stream. “You must do so before the timer runs out or face judgment by the council yourself. This meeting is concluded.” Poseidon stood up. “I hope you make the right decision, Aphrodite.” With that, he disappeared, as did the members of the council who voted with him.
Aphrodite’s silvery-blue eyes met his, wanting to say something, but obviously they couldn’t discuss this. Not here, anyway.
“Thank you for your support,” he said to the other remaining gods.
“It wasn’t enough, though,” Apollo sighed.
“I’m starting to hate that guy,” Geri muttered. “Why is he in charge again?”
“He’s not,” Hades said. “But until we figure out what to do with that”—he nodded at Zeus’s empty seat—“he’ll keep thinking he is.”
“A problem for another time,” Hestia said. “Aphrodite?—”
“I know,” she said. “Thank you for your support. You didn’t have to vote with me.”
“What will you do?” Geri asked.
Aphrodite glanced up at Hephaestus. “I need to think.”
“Of course.” He placed an arm around her, then turned to the others. “Thank you once more.”
“No prob.” The god of the sun waggled his eyebrows at them. “So are you guys like?—”
Before he could finish, Hephaestus teleported them out of the divine hall.