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Chapter Seven: What Should I Do? Lady Aphrodite, Help Me.

Point of view: Perseus Jackson

As I walk the back paths of Olympus, I try to figure out what I should tell the Olympians. Well, the Olympians who were in the dark. I will not let my wife and children be there when it happens. The things I have done for milady are not the best.

~Flashback~

I follow the man who supposedly beats on his family, all girls but him. I have been tasked with dealing him the most painful of punishments, but I want to see for myself if he does abuse the women. The moment he raises his hands to any one of them, I will strike. 

The man, Jim Houtin, is an outstanding citizen and goes to the church events all over and even calls off work for them. To good to be true I suppose, but I have to see with my own eyes. Normally I wouldn't argue with the Lady, however, this man seems to be of a different descent than just mortals.

He parks his car in his driveway and goes through the door. The bruieses and unhealing scabs on his knuckles gives me proof that he has harmed someone, and repeatedly. 

My eyes narrow. I enter through the window in the living room, the women are in the kitchen, and hide in the doorway from the hallway opposite of the entrance hall the man is entering through. 

The women, two twin teenage daughters of fifteen, a ten year old daughter, a seven year old daughter, and the mother of 37, slave away in the kitchen and the man slams the door close, making the ladies jump. 

I fear that milady was indeed correct about this man. His social figure in society, a front. 

Jim enters the kitchen and removes his belt. He pushes the mother out of the way of the 7 year old and I take action. I jump on Jim and knock him to the floor. His belt hits my side and I growl at him. 

"Admit it, you never thought you would get caught. It's time to go to the Underworld, descendant of Dionysus." I snarl.

His eyes widen and the women gasp. "How do you know who my grandfather is?" he asks frightened.

"More like seven times great grandfather and I do believe you are Roman, congratulations. Bacchus is his name, but it's not as familiar to normal mortals. Too bad you got insanity, rather than wine and harvest." I chuckle darkly.

He struggles under my grasp. I pick him up on to slam his head back into the linoleum floor. "Hold still so I can make this as agonizing for you as possible." I sneer and he starts to tremble.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look to find the ten year old. "Make it more than that. He deserves it." She whispers.

I nod. "As you wish." I turn back to JIm. "Time for justice." I tell him.

I rip into him and after fivehours of the many things I was ordered to do and more to appease the women of the household, I slit his throat and let him die slowly in his pain. I mark him to go down to the Fields of Punishment and to the worst parts of it.

I head into the living room and stand in front of the ladies. "There are some places where all of you can go, except for you." I look sadly at the mother.

She just looks at me. "One place is with my very nice cousin who helps girls like you, or you have the chance of going to two different camps for special people like you. I will settle you in any of them. However, I don't know where you would go, Martha."

The mother nods in understanding. "Bacchus told me of these places." She sighs. "It was a happy marriage, until I got pregnant."

I tilt my head at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

A pained look comes across her face and becomes her expression throughout the story she tells me. "When he found out I was pregnant, he got this look in his eyes and...raped me several times. Then he got me pregnant until he had as many kids as he wanted. He drugged me everyday and today is the first day I have not been sluggish. I made it look like I took the drug, but I was finally awake enough to refuse him more than I normally could. The girls are in the same condition as I am."

I nod with a grave look on my face. "If you choose not to go to any of these places, there is one other place where all of you can go together."

They brighten. "Where is it?"

"It's in the mortal world, but has a mythological setting." I tell them.

"Where?" The mother asks more forcefully. 

"My home. My wife and I have a ton of space. We'd love to have you. You'd be safe there. I won't even be around much to scare you. You'd adore my wife. Though, she can be a bit commanding. She was in the legion as praetor." I admit.

 Their eyes alight with a curious spark. "Do you have any children?" The mother asks.

I shake my head. "No. But I think my wife wants them. We've been together for ten years now. She doesn't want to ask me, but I can tell she wants to. I haven't brough up the subject yet."

"And you are sure she won't mind? You bringing another woman and her children into her home might seem a litte..." Martha tries to find a word.

I chuckle. "She won't mind. She is sorely in need of company anyway. My Lady Aphrodite adores the love I extend to others. But I do not reach out to people idly any longer. If you are ready, I can take you there now."

The small family looks at each other. "Can you give us a moment?" One of the twins ask.

"Of course young one." I answer and walk into the kitchen so I won't hear, but I always do.

~Flashback End~

Reyna and I accepted them into our home and we adore having them there. They run around with our children.

But there are darker paths I have trudged upon for Aphrodite. And darker still is the way I accomplished those missions. Scars upon the Underworld were made as I made the minds of mortals shatter with the love theyt shouldn't be allowed to hold. Too much insanity I thrust on them because of unworthy treatment of their lovers or the objects of their love as aimed at.

~Flashback~

I travel down to the Underworld to meet with Persephone. I kneel before her throne, her husband absent.

"How may I be of service, Lady Persephone?" I ask.

"Lady Aphrodite's new Champion, I presume?" She replies with a kind tone.

"Yes, milady. What is the deed that I need to handle?" I answer.

"My husband, as you know, has been having affairs for centuries. I fear he may try again soon. He has been visiting the mortal world too many times as of late. I want you to keep an eye on him and stop him from committing adultery once again. If he is about to, drag him down here to me. The woman, erase her memory of him." She begins.

"And if she is with child?" I ask.

"Bring her to me. I have my ways of making the baby mine with an old spell." Persephone looks disgusted.

"It is a child made from love. You should consult Lady Aphrodite on how to proceed. There is no longer a Great Prophecy for the child to become attached to by fate, will you not let them grow up by their true inheritance?" I inquire.

She looks thoughtful. "Fine, very well. If she is with child, you will raise them. But, I want them brought to me when they are thirteen so that Hades may admit to me that he once again has cheated. Oh, and if you catch him with another woman, espeially with her, you will be staying in the Underworld for a few days helping me with something. I've learned a few darker ways since I've been married to my over-loving husband."

"I understand, Lady Persephone." I nod and disappear from the Underworld throne room.

~Flashback End~

The things Persephone had me do to Hades were absolutely horrific. It was worse than the Fields of Punishment and Tartarus himself. Aphrodite didn't like it much, but she told Persephone that I would help in any way she needed. So, I did it.

The men I tortured to show them the love they should have held for others, the women I found abused and violated, and the children I have found dead or barely even alive for the things missing love or too much lust got them into. Aphrodite never sends me after the women who harm others, she asks me just to bring them to her and she deals with them. I do not touch other women. 

Reyna and I have taken into our home a mass count of 43 children, 12 women, and 6 men. Now we have 19 kids of our own to add in the mix. That's 62 children and 80 people in total, 82 including Reyna and I. The ones we have taken in are now minor immortals and have branched into our house as caretakers and some are even adopted children that lost both parents. It really is another whole job. The kids swarm me like I'm a magnet! Reyna takes care of the teenage girls and I the boys. I am not going to go into what the girls have asked me. So uncomfortable as a seventeen year old frozen forever.

Do I sound like that dude from Twilight? Frozen forever at the age of seventeen.....gods I'm old though.

I walk into the throne room where the other Olympians are talking about me.

"Nice to know I'm still a subject of your small attention span, Zeus." I say coldly as I lean against the doorway, arms crossed and looking out at Olympus.

Zeus jumps and all conversation/arguments stop immediately. "W-we thought you wouldn't be back for a little while..." 

"I am an Olympian, the meeting is still in session is it not?" I question.

Zeus clears his throat. "Yes, it is."

Hestia walks up to me and I smile at her. "Hello, aunt."

She grins. "I could not sense the little ones. How come? I would've came to you."

I chuckle. "That's exactly why. I didn't want anybody finding me. As to why you can't sense them...my ability to naturally be undetected is in their blood. They don't even know about it. Reyna has hers hidden by Aphrodite's minor blessing. They cannot be tracked by mythological means. Mortals have an easier time, or Artemis's normal tracking abilities without her powers."

Hestia pouts. "Why hide from me though?"

I raise an eyebrow and glance over at Poseidon. "You would have told your brother."

"Zeus? No I wouldn't have." Hestia argues.

My eyes narrow. "Not Zeus."

Hestia seems to realize. "Oh, I guess I would have told Poseidon.He really has missed you."

I bark out a laugh. "Has he now? Interesting. Because I haven't missed him."

Hestia frowns. "He's been beating himself up for doing that to you."

"Funny. I haven't. The sea still loved me even after he did that. I am perfectly fine without the God of the Sea." I tell her.

I sense Poseidon moving toward me. "You shouldn't say that." Hestia whispers.

"And why not?" I ask.

"Because he was being stupid and you should forgive him." Hestia says.

"Forgive him? Forgiveness. Hmm...What exactly is that?" I muse.

"Aren't you the god of it?" Hestia asks, looking at me like I've lost something.

 "It doesn't make me forgiving." My tone darkens.

"You were before." Athena comments.

 "I'll give you that, but I'm a changed person. At least, around those I don't know." I say.

"You know us." Athena presses.

"No, I don't." I tell her and she looks at me quizzically. "You see, I thought I did before, but no. So, I don't know you, I don't want to know you, and I don't care about you. I'll fight for you and I'll defend Olympus, but that's as far as interacting with you goes. Other than meetings."

Zeus turns red. "You must stay in contact with us."

"I always do. I am Lady Aphrodite's to command. I always answer to her. She knows where I am all the time. That's my contact. Plus, Hepahestus and Hermes know where to find me. I'm sure you won't lose track of me. Besides, I don't want you anywhere near my person or my family. Don't try anything, sky god. I'll kill you if you touch them again. Mark my words, bad fortune shall fall upon you for your actions." I growl the last sentence out and flash to my home.

Rick RIordan owns PJO/HOO.