Aphrodite: I Simply Want to Destroy You

"I suppose, if I'm not mistaken, you must be the revered goddess Aphrodite, correct?" Promise asked.

Night had fallen, and the silver moonlight danced on the ocean's surface.

A silvery comet shot across the sky, landing on the beach near the anchored Argo.

Sensing something unusual, Promise naturally left the ship and walked over to the shore, where he saw the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite, sitting on a rock by the sea.

Beside her, was Pegasus, who was resting contently as she gently stroked him.

Promise glanced at the creature, who, to his surprise, winked at him with an innocent expression, as if to say, "I'm not to blame here."

In the moonlight, Aphrodite's fiery red hair gleamed like flames, and she wore a silver gown.

The goddess' light yellow eyes locked onto Promise as he approached.

"You're just like the rumors say," Aphrodite said with a soft laugh. "Delicate, like a flower, so fragile that one wouldn't even have the urge to pluck you, only to care for you tenderly."

"Hmm... But such a flower, while beautiful, might be too fragile," Promise mused, replying thoughtfully.

"Oh?" Aphrodite raised her eyebrow in surprise. "And why do you say that?"

"Because no matter how carefully a flower is tended, there comes a day when it must bloom for the world to see. That's its purpose, isn't it?" Promise smiled. "Overly cautious care might just cause it to wither at the slightest breeze, right when it's supposed to shine."

"Are you saying…" Aphrodite narrowed her eyes. "You're a flower with thorns?"

Promise didn't respond immediately but moved closer.

At that moment, Pegasus, sensing the shift, discreetly left Aphrodite's side and returned to the boy.

Using Pegasus as leverage, Promise climbed up onto the rock and sat beside Aphrodite.

The goddess didn't stop him, but she did instinctively shift her position slightly, putting a bit more distance between them.

"They say you're a good child, always respectful toward us gods," She said, watching him intently. "But it seems that's not entirely true."

"If I were that respectful, would I have led a group of us to hunt Hermes himself?" Promise replied playfully, winking at Aphrodite.

Her face went silent at that.

"Still, I do respect the gods, especially Goddess Hera and my teacher, Hephaestus."

Aphrodite eyed him, her gaze sharp and thoughtful. "So... you dislike me?"

"At first, only a little," Promise answered without hesitation.

Honesty was his approach, after all. Lying to a goddess was pointless. "After all, technically, I should be calling you 'teacher's wife,' shouldn't I?"

Promise knew enough about the strained relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus.

Since Hephaestus was his mentor, it wasn't surprising that he harbored some resentment toward Aphrodite from the start.

"But now, well... my opinion of you isn't great. Do you know why I went after Hermes?" Promise asked in a serious tone.

It was because Hermes, seeking amusement, had dragged Promise's friends and teacher into the troublesome Golden Apple incident.

"And now, goddess Aphrodite, what you're doing seems quite similar to what he did."

"...When did you find out? Who told you?" Aphrodite's tone was cool, but there was a clear edge of anger in her voice.

"No one told me. It's just obvious," Promise answered. "I've been trying to avoid this island, but you brought us here anyway. And as soon as we arrived, you arranged for everyone to be teleported away... Of course, I hoped at first that it was a gesture of goodwill on your part, goddess Aphrodite."

"And yet, here you are, standing right before me, goddess Aphrodite," Promise said, his emerald eyes meeting her golden ones, watching her closely.

Aphrodite's eyes glinted as she gazed at the young boy.

For a moment, she almost felt the urge to compliment him.

But Promise's next words quickly broke the mood.

"Well, everything I just said was half true. Not a lie, but not the whole truth either."

Shrugging with a playful grin, Promise continued, "The real reason is much simpler.

On this whole journey so far, the goddess Athena hasn't shown up to talk to me once!"

"The adventure has finally begun, yet she hasn't sought me out or sent any guidance. Everything's been unnaturally peaceful. That alone tells me something's off!"

"That's Goddess Athena we're talking about—the goddess of wisdom herself!"

"And if she's being so quiet, there's only one explanation: she's been watching this trial unfold the whole time, or she's waiting for it to arrive... Don't you agree, goddess Aphrodite?"

Aphrodite's lips twitched as she heard his reasoning.

She knew Promise wasn't lying, and worse, she couldn't refute him.

Even Pegasus, grazing nearby, seemed to nod as if to say, "Finally, someone figured it out."

After all, everyone in the god realm knew that Athena was only quiet when she was either watching a spectacle unfold or waiting for something exciting to happen.

....

In the distant heavens, the silver-haired, golden-eyed Athena scowled. "How dare he say such things!"

"Hera, can you talk some sense into your follower? Look at him, spreading such nonsense!" Athena huffed in frustration.

Next to her, Hera rolled her eyes.

"What nonsense? Little Promise is just telling the truth," said their pink-haired elder sister Hestia, feigning surprise.

"That's slander! Total slander... No way, I'm going to have a talk with him next time. I'm not that kind of Athena!" She protested indignantly.

"You sure about that?" Hera muttered under her breath, but then paused, narrowing her eyes. "Wait a minute... Athena, you're just looking for an excuse to go see the boy, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, down on the shore, Aphrodite cast a weary glance at the heavens, clearly annoyed by the commotion the other gods were causing as they eavesdropped.

Turning back to Promise, she let out an exasperated sigh.

The goddess's elegant demeanor faded, her face now displaying irritation and impatience as she clicked her tongue and grumbled, "You're a lot more annoying than I expected... And even though you know everything, you just couldn't keep quiet, could you? You had to say it out loud?"

"Well, one has to be honest with the gods," Promise replied, his clear green eyes gleaming with sincerity.

After all, Goddess Athena and Hera were definitely watching.

This was a trial, and since Aphrodite was involved, it undoubtedly had something to do with the painting from the chief gods.

There was no way those gods would pass up such entertainment.

"I think you're better off hanging out with Hestia than with Hera and Athena. You two would get along just fine," Aphrodite muttered, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized Promise, as if beginning to see through his true nature.

And yet...

She found herself oddly intrigued by this little human.

There was something about him that she found... interesting.

"Fine, let's keep this simple. I've set up a trial for you. Solve it, and I'll give you the painting.

But if you fail..." she trailed off with a smirk.

"What happens if I fail?" Promise asked, with curiosity.

"Oh, nothing too dramatic," Aphrodite chuckled darkly. "Just that your group will fall apart like clowns, and you'll lose everything. No more favor from the gods, no more friendship with your companions.

And you'll carry the shame of failure for the rest of your life."

"Ah... I see," Promise nodded, beginning to understand. "It seems you really don't like me, goddess Aphrodite."

After all, he had always sought the path of a hero.

If things unfolded as she predicted, his entire journey would be ruined.

True, the past couldn't be changed, but it would leave an undeniably dark mark on his legacy.

"It's not that I particularly hate you now," Aphrodite shrugged.

"Eh?" Promise blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in her tone.

"But you're so close to Hera and Hephaestus," she continued with a wicked smile. "I just want to see how they'll react when I destroy you. That's all. I want to see their faces after I've ruined you."

As Aphrodite spoke, everything clicked into place for Promise.

"So you never cared about the painting, did you? You never planned on giving it to me. All of this was just because you wanted to destroy me."

.

.

.