"You disappoint me, brother." A tall woman with peacock feathers in her long hair, rich skin radiant with a celestial glow. A defeated Vasilios lay on his knees before her, huffing to himself and went to stand up. "Stay like that, lest you make your punishment worse, 'Seidon." She rose her hand, and he stayed where he was. "You don't understand, Hera. I have to go back, I have to protect him-" He began to plead his case, but Hera gave an intense glare that impeded his speech. "You've done enough. I told you that meddling with mortals is a slippery slope, and you, my brother, never listen. Might consider thinking with your head instead of your-" She began scolding him but was interrupted much to her dismay.

"It's different this time! This mortal is different, special. I can't be here; I must be there with him." Vasilios had never put himself so low, practically begging on his knees. The God of the sea completely reduced to a sniffling boy at the feet of his older sister. Hera shook her head in the deepest disappointment, "And yet you broke our most sacred rule. Never to show your true form to a mortal! Your recklessness almost sent him to his death." She boomed, not breaking eye contact with the man at her feet. Soon, another voice began laughing from behind a golden column, a rosy toga, and big curly blonde hair made the presence of Aphrodite known. She had stepped out and walked down to where Hera and Poseidon were now, her hips swaying as she walked.

"Oh, Seidon, You are so pitiful." She said and gracefully placed her hand to Hera's shoulder. "Tell me sister, what has he done this time?" She giggled and Vasilios looked to them both, "Please understand!" He begged of Aphrodite and yet she only kneeled and kissed his forehead. "I thought you learned your lesson after Nerites. Love is for mortals; freedom is for the gods. You could have anything; why spoil everything for one prince; there'll be another like him in a hundred years." Aphrodite stood up, with all her glam and sass her heart was always genuine. "I'm surprised you even fell for him, I didn't ask Eros to go out tonight. Are you sure you actually love him?" Aphrodite asked as the two goddesses looked at their brother for a moment, and then Hera rose a brow, "It seems our problem gets worse. He showed his true self to a mortal. A palace guard I believe?"

Vasilios swallowed dryly and looked up with eyes like a puppy that had just chewed through fine shoes of his owner. Aphrodite gasped and held her mouth, "Revealed himself to a mortal? How brutish!" She sucked her teeth and put her hands on her hips, "Not even my dear Adonis ever saw my true self, what a shame. You've really hit rock bottom this time, brother." Aphrodite was about to continue teasing while Hera pinched her inner brows.

"Enough! If he wants to act like a dog, then a dog he shall be." Hera held her hand out above Poseidon's head, and Aphrodite squealed, "It's been so long since I've seen her punish someone! So exciting!" She looked to Hera and spoke again, "Awe he's going to be so cute and helpless." She laughed uproariously and stepped away as to not be afflicted by Hera rolling out her punishment for the lovesick God.

Vasilios' eyes widened, and he went to stand, "No! No you ca- AGH!" The great god began to shrink and contort. Where there was chiseled muscle and olive skin, there now was black fur sprouting out like flowers in the spring. His lips and jaw stretching forward into the muzzle of a dog and his words seemingly morphed into incoherent whimpering. Vasilios shrunk down to less than half his original size, falling forward into all fours as his hands and feet turned into padded toes and fur covered paws. When it was over, all that was left of him was a tiny puppy with fluffy fur and bright sapphire eyes. The goddesses looked down at him as his words had become squeaky barking. "You want to be with your mortal so badly, I'll grant you this and maybe you'll learn this time." She held the puppy in her hands and walked over to a grand basin made of white stone, and inside was the world beneath them. She moved clouds away with her hands and eyed the small ball of fur in her hand as Aphrodite stood next to her absolutely hysterical with laughter.

"Remember, my brother. My punishments are just. You cannot return to your true form unless you prove to me that you have changed your ways." Hera's grip was loosening as the little pup in her hand had started to whine.

"Be a good boy, Seidon." Hera condescendingly retorted and dropped him into the basin, Aphrodite leaning over and watched him descend back to the mortal world. She waved her hand goodbye to her brother falling down to the Earth. Her beautiful emerald eyes then looked to Hera. "You think he'll be okay?" She asked, beginning to feel a little guilty, and Hera turned on her heel to walk up the marble steps, "He'll be fine, though I may call on Hermes to keep watch over him." She said. "You're not feeling sorry for him are you my dear?" Hera had began to walk away, though looked suspicious of Aphrodite who only moments ago found the whole thing rather amusing. "Of course not! Your punishments are as just as they are wise." Aphrodite responded while Hera smiled, leaving the Goddess of beauty.

Aphrodite stayed at the basin, twiddling her fingers in the clouds and making people fall in love from afar. Today, she sparked romance between a sculptor and his statue of a woman. "This'll be interesting." She giggled. Though, her eyes were eager to look to what became of Vasilios. Why had she felt so guilty this time? She shook her head and distracted herself with her own lover stories that she had conjured up. Vasilios would be fine, right?

As Vasilios fell from the sky, he writhed and twisted in the air, yelping and barking in protest. He had many curses and ill-wishes for his older sister, but to no avail they wouldn't change his fate. He was plummeting to the ground, and almost as soon as he had been dropped from Olympus he had now plopped into a small body of water. Kicking his paws that he did not know how to use and trying to get his head above the disturbed water. How ridiculous, the God of the sea nearly drowning in what he alone commanded.

Eventually, a slender hand had reached into the water and pulled the puppy up and out. The hand set the sopping wet dog onto the edge of the fountain and when Vasilios looked up he was pleased. It was Kalliás, who had puffy eyes from crying and had been laying in the grass beside the fountain. It brought a smile to his tear-stained face to see this little creature having come just when he needed, "My goodness, what are you doing in there?" He wiped his tears away with his free hand and sat down on the fountain edge with the puppy in his lap. "I don't remember the palace allowing mutts inside. Where did you come from my sweet little friend?" Kalliás tilted his head, he was stricken by the puppy's almost familiar eyes.

Vasilios was overjoyed to see him, the rapid wagging of his tale and squeaky barking desperately expressed what he couldn't say. "I'm here! It's me, I've come back for you. My sweet prince. Please hear my voice!" Vasilios thought he was speaking, but none of it was translating to the prince who just started to laugh. It may not have come across to Kalliás, but he was happy that this soaking wet puppy loved him so much already. "You are a great lifter of spirits, aren't you?" The prince said and grabbed his cloak, wrapping the puppy up to try and dry it. "I'm sorry it took me so long to notice you in the fountain...you came out of nowhere!" Kalliás mused and got to his feet and brought the little dog inside, "Let's get you something to eat. Would you like that?" The prince hummed and as he went inside he had glared at Gloriana who was standing by the door.

"Your highness I-" She began, and Kalliás stifled a sob and pushed through the door, rushing up the stairs to get to his bedroom. He couldn't face her, not after the embarrassing moment that she caught him with the dignitary. And because she had separated him from the person he was falling in love with he was overprotective of the puppy in his hands. In his mind, this life was terrible and lonely again and he would not let anyone take his new friend away...especially not Gloriana.