Grecian Urn...

There was a dissatisfaction she felt as she moved through the temple that, if she thought about it, had started creeping up a few days ago. She was back to being Love and Beauty, which she thought would have offered a feeling of completion, but there was something missing. It wasn't the crown of the sea, she was sure - Gaia knew that regent or not, the responsibilities offered to the Queen were still hers de facto, regardless of what Cronus wanted to play at.

The only thing she could think of was the children... and those she saw on any sort of regular basis were all fine, she could tell. There were others, Hymenaios in particular, who felt... off at the moment, more distant... but he hadn't been one for Olympus in ages. She tried to summon him to no avail - still not sure if that was a sign of a problem, or mere insolence on the part of her cherub. Granted, of all her children, the Erotes were the least likely to be problematic in any way, but given recent situations, it was always a possibility that he was still nursing the wounds of having been cherub of divorce and separation for a while.

More troubling was that when she tried to find him, she was unable to pinpoint a location, but again some no longer dwelling on Olympus were known to give up a corporeal form, preferring to be more of an *essence*. None of these thoughts were doing anything to solve a mood.

There were of course a few who'd be able to tell her where he was, without much effort... the messengers were one source, but she didn't feel like explaining what was going on to any who weren't asking at the moment. The other answer was her daughter.. if everyone was back to normal, Harmonia would know the general idea of where to find a sibling. Only problem there, of course, was where she tended to be.

It really was unavoidable.

With a soft growl she left her home, making her way quickly to that of Ares, heels offering an angry staccato across the marble of his entrance way. She offered an annoyed glance to the closest attendant, a brow lifting slowly. If he even thought of collecting Ares, well... it might not be pretty.

He knew the minute the powers shifted again. Power rushed through him and the piddly love he'd endured for what seemed like forever, rushed right back out. Ares flexed his biceps and might even have leaned down to give one a kiss as he rejoiced in the return of War. He was not meant for love, and he'd made an emo, annoying love god. But no more. Once again he was himself and it felt wonderful!

For a moment, he considered finding his woman and throwing her against a wall somewhere, but then he remembered she didn't love him at the moment. Pesky, that. It would have to be dealt with at some point; he couldn't have her not loving him, but not right now. Right now? He really wanted either sex or death and since sex was out of the question at the moment?

Death it was.

He stalked out his room and contemplated just were he was going to go and who he wanted to kill.

Aphrodite eyed Strife and Harmonia as the trio reappeared in the courtyard of her temple, offering a stern look.

"It seems I need to go talk to Ares about what occurred... so if you two think you can avoid turning anyone into reptiles or raising the dead or starting global thermonuclear war or whatever it is you manage to get into for a while, I'd appreciate it. And Strife? I know you're going back there, no matter what anyone says... but don't let her go alone, or I'll have your head."

She smirked lightly as she swept past them into her home, she wasn't geting a break at all it seemed. And wasn't it just oh so kind of Hephaestus and Ares to drop all of this in her lap anddo nothing? This had been Heph's idea and Ares' goal for ages, and here she was the one holding verything together... or trying to at all.

With little effort she was able to work herself into quite a bad mood, grabbing the scroll of Apollo's spell to take with her as she relocated herself to Ares' temple. Ares, whom she was mad at to begin with... Ares, who was personifying the idea of good for nothing, and dared to hurt her in the process. Ares was going to gert the brunt of her temper, it seemed.

"Ares... Come out, come out where ever you are..."

She called out as she entered his temple, working her way to his throne room... he couldn't be that many places.

She sent her children off to do what needed to be done, and had wandered back down to the main area of her temple to do what she had stated was her responsibility. There really was no possible way to avoid telling him, She realized. he'd figure it out eventually, and then all hades might break loose. She had no desire to be the one sharing the news, but it had to be her... who knows what he'd do to Deimos or Hermes, or god forbid, Anteros. rubbing her brow lightly, she sighed, and did what she needed to.

"Ares... Your presence is required..."

She crossed her arms as she waited for him, preparing for a fight.

Never one to be obedient or punctual – unless someone was going to be brutally harmed in some way, then he was front row and center, beaming – he did not acknowledge Aphrodite’s summon for several minutes, knowing full well she knew he had received it and was merely being typically unruly.

Exploding into the room Dite had located herself in, Ares appeared looking a little disheveled. His hair was awkwardly everywhere, he was unshaven and clothes were pulled this way and that. Clearing his throat, he wiped something off his neck, lofting an expectant eyebrow at Love. “Mn?” he finally questioned.

"Oh good... you've dressed for the occasion. You do look fabulous..."

She smirked and she shook her head lightly. There was an aura of tension around her... this wasn't her typical aspect of the all loving Pandemos, but instead Areia, war like love.... or not love, as the case may be. Her hair was pulled back and plaited down her back, and she wore a long dress of scarlet, clingy but loose enough for movement.

She unwove her arms and beckoned him to follow with one as she walked out toward the gardens. "Have you noticed anything.. strange recently?" About yourself?

Glancing down at himself, he crinkled his nose slightly. He did look a little... dilapidated, and far less immaculate than normal. But.. as she had eluded, there were a few things that were slightly... off. And his recent endeavors – despite them not being detailed yet – were an indication to whatever was wrong.

Straightening his shirt, Ares brushed his hair with his palm, trying to make it a little more presentable, especially considering how resplendent Love looked. “Yeah..” he confirmed, shadowing behind her a pace or two.

"Oo.. Poise and verbosity. You're almost ready for you're Mr. Olympus pageant. "

She lifted a hand lightly to her brow for a moment.. there was no reason (so far as she knew, at any rate) to take this out on him... And regardless of her current mood, fighting was one thing she was looking to avoid, at least on a large scale. She took his arm, and led him to a pool of Koi fish swimming peacefully in a tranquil pool.

"Make them fight?"
( longer than I thought... )

Hands on her hips, Aphrodite stood looking on in horrified disbelief at the scene in front of her. On the side of a volcano they sat, looking out over the expanse of the Greek world below them… part and parcel of the kingdoms they had inherited. The sight in front of her was far, far less majestic… and was enough to make her boil.

“What…. exactly do you think you’re doing?”

She stepped forward as Hephaestus turned to her with a pleased grin on his face.

“Grilling.”

“Oh. I see. Grilling. Because… that’s what you should be doing. I mean, it’s not as if we’ve just settled down from pulling off the greatest coup in the history of man and god… I don’t see how you’d possibly have anything to do *but* grill.”

“Well, Machanitin, I’ve been thinking about it, you know? We both have… I’m thinking of giving up the whole God of the Forge thing…. Hardly anyone pays attention to it. I’m taking up…. God of Barbeque. I’ll only work summers.”

Aphrodite just stared at him, feeling some of the (she felt) deeply hidden hysteria rising up, mouth agape as she looked from him to Ares. Ares was, at that moment, rising off his beach chair and moving toward her with a leer on his face and an umbrella’d drink in hand. Draping an arm across her shoulders heavily, he leaned in to mouth a kiss behind her ear.

“Chillax, cherish… we did it. We won. We’re the kings of the world. And Queen. All thanks to Gimpy’s little toys and my excellent strategies… And you doing that thing you do, of course. Have I told you lately how hot you are? You look good in a crown.”

“I’m not wearing a – Oh gods, you’re drunk.”

She scowled as she turned her head away, nose crinkling.

“Drunk on Power, Cherish… drunk on power…”

“Oh, no… I’m pretty sure it’s rum.”

Delicately she plucked the umbrella out of his drink and dropped it to the ground, worming quickly out of his embrace... the same embrace she’d been longing for in the not too distant past.

“You too are gross… and ignoring all the work that has to be done. Are you really just going to sit up here and pat yourselves on the back?”

Heph flipped a burger as Ares chuckled, sashaying back to his chair and dropping into the cushions once more. Using his flipper as a pointer, Heph just grinned at his wife.

“We’ve got it under control. You just worry your pretty head over your business. Enjoy it, Machanitin. You’re as powerful as any God, now.”

Dite just blinked... slowly, fingers fisting into tight little balls. She straightened her stance even as her eyes narrowed. Powerful as any god, now? She’d always been that way… as well her wayward spouse was aware. Instead of fighting with them, however, she just disappeared from the side of the mountain in a puff of smoke… that both men recognized for what it was, and promptly shrugged it off. Heph turned back to his grill and glanced over at his half brother, who was adding a new umbrella to his drink.

“How rare do you want these steaks?”