Page 21 of Hermes
How could things have gone so awry? Crocus loves me, just as I do him. This I know to be true. Otherwise, he would not have kissed me so passionately, nearly making love to me. Everything was going so well. I revealed to him my true identity, and we both were still so infatuated with one another, even after our two-year hiatus.
But the only thing standing in the way between the two of us was Smilax. Who was this woman? How could she have this tight of a hold on Crocus, to even make him refuse the lust of a god? Or maybe Crocus was truly in love with the both of us and Smilax had absolutely nothing to do with Crocus choosing to flee and disregard me and my feelings.
Even I, as a god, was baffled by Crocus’s behavior. What would possess him to kiss me and then have a change of heart and run off? It was difficult for me to try and comprehend what was going on in his mind and how he was feeling, but I needed to know the answers, and I needed to know them as soon as possible.
However, there was only one person I knew that could provide me with them, and I dreaded the thought of having to ask this goddess. Just the very thought of requesting a favor of her made me cringe. But, I had no choice in the matter. If there was any goddess who could address all matters pertaining to love, it was the Goddess of love, herself, Aphrodite.
Chapter 11
IhadpresumedthatI would have to be the one to track Aphrodite down, find her whereabouts, and confront her about the Crocus and Smilax conundrum. But that turned out not to be the case. As I went to gather my belongings to disembark from Corinth, she appeared the very second I was about to take off.
“And where is it you are heading off to in such a hurry?” she asked me, slowly treading her delicate feet through the warm, white sand, making her way closer.
“Actually, I was on my way to come find you,” I revealed. Somehow, I figured Aphrodite already knew that was exactly what I was doing, which is why she chose to make her presence known to me now of all times.
“Interesting…” she remarked in a calculated voice. “And what is your reason for seeking me out?”
I noticed the wicked grin she held on her face as she asked this. Immediately, I knew she was privy to everything that was going on. “You can cut the coy act, Aphrodite. You know why I was on my way to find you. I need your guidance. Crocus has fallen in love with a village girl named Smilax, when deep down, I know he loves me. He has always loved me. Crocus must be under some sort of spell or something that is pulling him further away from me and into Smilax’s arms.”
My frustration led the Goddess of love to chortle, at my expense. “Oh Hermes! You poor, pathetic excuse for a God. Just listen to yourself… desperate for the attention of a single mortal. What would your father say about such a thing? It reeks of weakness,” she insulted me with.
But Aphrodite was accurate in her claims. I probably did seem pathetic in this very moment, but my mind and heart were consumed with Crocus. My judgment was completely clouded when it came to him, and I had already come to terms with that and was okay with it, no matter how foolish it made me look in the eyes of others.
“I don’t care about your opinions,” I informed her. “Now, can you assist me or not?”
“Assist you with what?” Aphrodite had a quizzical expression on her face.
“Capturing Crocus’s attention. Making him fully love me and ridding his feelings for Smilax.”
The goddess let out a haughty laugh. She was hysterical to the point where I thought she would lose balance and fall over, tumbling down into the sand. Once she could slightly compose herself, she spoke up. “You cannot be serious. And to think the trickster of the gods is blinded by all that is happening around him.”
Aphrodite began pacing in a circle around me. “It’s ironic, you know… just two years ago, I was requesting you of a favor. Do you remember?”
Of course, I did. I made her grovel on her feet before me and forced her to beg me to save Ares when he was kidnapped by the Aloadae. “Yes.”
“Well, that was, without a doubt, one of the most humiliating moments of my entire life. I’ve never been treated so disrespectfully in all my existence. I swore that I would seek revenge and make you pay for the embarrassment you put me through. And now, here we stand today…” she trailed off.
“What is it you want me to do, Aphrodite? Do you propose I get on my knees and plead to have you help me gain Crocus’s affection? Is that what will get you to provide me with assistance?”
She shook her head. “Oh no. Absolutely not. Making you repeat what you made me do wouldn’t be fair. Justice would not be served if that were the case. No. You need to be punished for taking those reprehensible actions against me. And so, you are now experiencing your just consequences for what you did to me.”
“Just punishment?” I was confused, unsure of what she meant by this enigmatic statement.
Aphrodite stopped in her footsteps just in front of me, slapping her hand to her forehead. “You fool. Do you not realize why Crocus is no longer in love with you? It was because of me. I made him fall in love with one of my devoted patrons, Smilax. Don’t you see? He is under a spell I put on him.”
I couldn’t believe she would resort to such deceit in order to hurt me. How could she be capable of something so abhorrent? I stomped my foot in anger. “It was you!? You’re the reason for all of this?” I was in utter disbelief. “How could you do this, Aphrodite? This is low, even for you.”
She flailed her hand in the air, brushing my comment off as if it had zero effect on her. “Well, now you know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of this situation. So, just give up on Crocus. He is no longer of your concern. He belongs to Smilax now and is off limits. If I so as well hear that you tried to meddle in their affairs again, I will make you suffer a far worse fate than this one. Do you understand me?”
Her threats knew no bounds. But I needed to play by her rules for now, for if I did anything drastic, she would surely try to do worse to harm me, or even Crocus for that matter. Therefore, I let out a deep and heavy sigh, utilizing my acting skills once again. “Very well. I won’t interfere with him ever again. There are so many other handsome mortals I can spend my time with anyway,” I further added, making this performance all the more believable.
I was done with Aphrodite. There was nothing more I wanted to hear from her. She had gone out of her way to cause great anguish to me, and in the very near future, I would make sure she didn’t get away with it. The wheels in my head were already turning, and I was concocting a plan for how I would get Crocus all to myself and away from the deceitful Smilax, who I assumed was in on Aphrodite’s treachery and knew of the spell she put on Crocus to make him fall in love with her.
I didn’t bother to utter a single word to Aphrodite. What was the point? She made her stance known, and I had no desire to further argue or entertain her. I now had a mission before me, one that required careful plotting and great stealth. From this moment forward, I vowed to ruin Aphrodite’s and Smilax’s hold on Crocus. I would make him mine again, and I’d do anything to make that happen, even if it meant risking it all. I would have to resort to deception and being shifty to get the job done, but it’s nothing I haven’t done before. After all, I am the God of trickery.
Chapter 12
DecidingtorevisitCorinthto confront Smilax too soon would be rash and likely something Aphrodite would expect. Therefore, I would be patient. Hopefully, as time would pass, the goddess would presume that I stuck to my word, moving on from Crocus, putting him permanently in the back of my mind. Then, when she would let her guard down, that was when I would plan to strike, while Hephaestus’s iron was hot.
