Page 10 of Loved By Aphrodite

Inside, the familiar soft marble columns and airy spaces of the god’s domain were transformed into several rooms filled with the strange glow of screens, computers, and rows of servers humming in sync. LED lights pulsed, casting a dim but colorful glow around the room. Monitors displayed endless streams of data—lines connecting countless mortal couples in real-time, some showing the very courthouse line she’d just left and other places across the Upperworld, others scrolling with feedback, success rates, and the blinking heart icons of new matches.

But Eros himself was nowhere to be found.

She paced around, her frustration rising.This was beyond a playful experiment.

Her fingers brushed one of the screens that showed a live feed of mortals getting married, oblivious to the influence over them. Her jaw clenched as her eyes roamed over the room.

“Eros!” she called, her voice echoing off the marble walls. But there was only silence.

“Not hiding, are you?” She could feel her patience slipping. “Wherever you are, I hope you’re ready to answer for this, darling, because your mother is not pleased.”

She willed herself to stay calm. But as she continued to survey the tech-filled room, she couldn’t deny the tightening knot in her stomach.

Although she could tell Eros was behind it, she didn’t even know where to begin. The screens and jumbled mess of wires were like a foreign language to her. All this mortal technology—servers, screens, and blinking lights—might as well have been an art installation for all she understood. She sighed as she looked around. The app, the deluge of prayers, the chaos—it all screamed Eros. But she needed answers, and there was only one god she knew who could untangle this mess.

Hephaestus.

She hesitated, chewing her lip. He was her best shot if she wanted to keep things under wraps. He wouldn’t talk unless he had to, and he wasn’t one for gossip. Plus, of all the gods, he was the only one who might actually understand all these mortal objects. She glanced around the cluttered space one last time, willing herself not to get overwhelmed, and then closed her eyes to focus.

With a shimmer of golden light, she vanished, reappearing in a place she hadn’t seen in ages—a place she once called home. The marble foyer felt the same, and as she walked, she saw the decor untouched since she’d redecorated during those early days, when she and Hephaestus were still…well, married. She looked around, a bittersweet pang settling in her chest as she took in the space. Some things really don’t change,she thought, glancing at the perfectly arranged columns, polished statues, and golden details she’d once insisted on.

“I guess he still spends most of his time in the workshop,” she muttered to herself, knowing all too well where she’d find him.

With a sigh, she strode up to the double doors leading to his workshop and pressed the door cam button. The tiny camera light blinked on, and a moment later, his voice came through the speaker, more surprised than welcoming.

“Aphrodite?” He sounded genuinely shocked. “What are you doing here?”

“Let me in,” she demanded.

There was a pause. She could almost imagine him standing there, staring at the screen with that ever-thoughtful look, weighing whether to open the door.

Finally, the door clicked, unlocking with a heavy mechanical sound. She pushed it open and stepped into the dimly lit space, immediately hit with the familiar scent of metal, wood, and the faint warmth of smelting fires. Hephaestus stood a few feet away, wiping his hands on a cloth, his usually stoic face a mixture of surprise and wariness.

“Aphrodite,” he said, watching her as she closed the door behind her. “You don’t usually visit unannounced.”

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important,” she replied, her voice steadier than she felt. “I need your help, Hephaestus. It’s about Eros.”

He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. “What has he done now?”

She let out a breath. “Something with mortals and… technology. It’s beyond me—rows of computers, screens, data flowing everywhere. He’s got mortals thinking they’re in love overnight, pushing them to marry. And I can feel the magic spiraling out of control.”

“And you want me to take a look.”

“Yes,” she admitted, meeting his gaze. “If there’s anyone who can make sense of all that tech nonsense he’s mixed with magic, it’s you.”

He watched her for a moment, his eyes searching hers. Finally, he nodded, setting the cloth aside. “Alright. Let’s go find out what your son has been up to.”

Hephaestus walked briskly down the hall, his strides purposeful, and she trailed behind him, the sound of his cybernetic lower leg echoing in the hallway with a faint, rhythmic whir and metallic click. It was a sound she hadn’t heard in millennia but still felt oddly familiar, like a memory buried deep in her mind.

Her eyes wandered over his broad shoulders and sturdy frame as they walked. He was still unmistakably Hephaestus—powerful and deliberate in his movements—but time had left its marks. His long hair was a wild tangle, and the scruff on his jaw gave him a rugged look she wasn’t used to. And he was wearing a loose, grease-stained shirt paired with worn cargo shorts, and scuffed boots. Yet, beneath it all, he was the same—steady, resilient, a god shaped by fire and toil.

She followed him into a cavernous room she didn’t remember at all. She glanced around at the space with its rows of sleek monitors, processors humming, and blue lights casting a sharp glow over the workstations.

“This wasn’t here before,” she muttered, still trying to make sense of it.

He gave her a wry glance over his shoulder. “Well, it’s been a long time since you’ve been here, and mortals have been busy with their tech,” he retorted, not bothering to mask his amusement. She grimaced, biting back a response and reminding herself that she needed him for this.

“Here’s the app,” she said, handing him her phone, which displayed Winged’s home screen.

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