Page 40 of Loved By Aphrodite

“How rude!” she exclaimed, spinning around to glare at the house. “What about Matt Anchises? Are we supposed to just figure this out on our own?”

Before Hephaestus could reply, there was another pop, the sound sharp and echoing in the stillness. They turned to see a small, glowing orb hovering in front of them. It pulsed with light before exploding into a shower of golden sparks.

From the sparks, a folded piece of parchment materialized and floated down to Aphrodite’s waiting hand.

She unfolded it quickly, “It’s a clue,” she frowned. She glanced at Hephaestus, holding it up for him to see. “Looks familiar, doesn’t it?”

Hephaestus studied the image, recognition flickering in his eyes. Without a word, he reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. “Let’s go.”

In a blink, they materialized inside Anchises’s Newport home. The air was still and heavy, the faint scent of the sea wafting through the open windows. Everything looked exactly the same—as it had the last time they were there—right down to the dusty furniture and the old grandfather clock ticking in the corner.

But this time, they could feel it: Anchises’s presence.

They exchanged a glance and made their way upstairs. The door to one of the bedrooms was slightly ajar, and Hephaestus pushed it open cautiously. There, slumped in a chair and tied up with rope, was Anchises—unconscious but breathing.

She gasped, rushing to his side. She knelt beside him, her hands hovering over his face as she checked for injuries. Relief washed over her when she saw that he was unharmed.

“We need to wake him,” Hephaestus said from behind her. “We’ll need to scan his eyes to unlock the program.”

She frowned, brushing a strand of hair from Anchises’s face. “I don’t want to traumatize him. Let me put a spell on him first.”

With a flick of her wrist, a soft golden glow enveloped Anchises, settling over him like a warm blanket and freeing him of the rope tied around him. “Alright,” she said, stepping back. “Wake him up.”

Hephaestus leaned down, giving Anchises a gentle shake. “Matt. Wake up.”

Anchises stirred, his head lolling to the side before his eyes fluttered open. He blinked blearily, his gaze unfocused. “Didsomeone leave the kettle on?” he mumbled groggily. “I swear I can hear it whistling. Oh wait—no, that’s my brain.”

She stifled a laugh. “Matt, it’s us. You’re safe.”

He squinted at her, then at Hephaestus. “Aphrodite? Hephaestus? Wait…am I in trouble? Did I miss a deadline? I knew I shouldn’t have ignored that reminder…”

“You’re fine,” Hephaestus said, stepping closer and holding up his laptop. “We need your help. Can you focus for a moment?”

Anchises looked at him, wide-eyed. “Focus? Oh, sure. I’m great at focusing. Except when I’m not. Did I dream about dancing sea cucumbers, or was that real?”

“Definitely a dream,” she said, biting back a grin. “Listen, Matt, we just need you to look at the camera on the laptop.”

“Laptop?” Anchises repeated, his expression suddenly suspicious. “Wait a minute. You’re not here to delete my browser history, are you?”

Hephaestus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, Matt. Just look at the screen.”

Hephaestus’s laptop was already powered on; the program they needed waiting for input. After a few seconds of staring, there was a soft beep, and the screen displayed the words Access Granted.

“Whoa,” Anchises said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s fancy. Did I just unlock the secrets of the universe? Or at least the location of my missing socks?”

“Something like that. Thank you, Matt,” she gave him a little pat on the head.

“Anytime,” Anchises said, his head bobbing before his eyes started to close again. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have coffee, would you? Maybe with a splash of ambrosia?”

Hephaestus shot her a look. “We’d better move fast before he starts asking for snacks.”

Aphrodite gently supported Anchises as he shuffled toward the bed, muttering nonsensical phrases under his breath. Once he was tucked in, she placed her hand lightly on his forehead. “A little spell to keep you out until morning,” she murmured, golden light shimmering from her fingertips. “Sweet dreams, Matt.”

When she returned downstairs, she found Hephaestus crouched over his laptop at the kitchen table, his face illuminated by the bluish glow of the screen. The television, mounted on the wall, was tuned to a news channel, the headlines scrolling across the bottom.

A news anchor was mid-report, “As the mysterious disappearance of Matt Anchises continues, the world remains at a standstill. Reports are coming in from around the globe of widespread disruptions. Productivity has plummeted as people focus on one thing: love.”

Aphrodite paused at the foot of the stairs, her eyes narrowing at the screen. “What’s going on?”

---