Hercules nodded as he read her words. It really was a relief to have that safety net of sorts of a good, true friend, whether they were blood related or just a close friend. He reached out and added a little bit more to their conversation. It is. When my wife and children had been killed by my stepmother, Hera, and my father doing nothing about it, my mother and best friend did all they could to console me. Their words got to me, but only after I met a former slave girl who reminded me that I should properly honor my family's memory by helping people, not going around and destroying temples. Add in the fact he had lost Iolaus that time to the she-demon, Hercules knew what his path in life would be.
The Greek saw the sad smile and, like she had done for him, he reached over and gently placed his hand on her arm, giving it a small, very gentle squeeze. He was very aware that she was a well to do woman and his hands were calloused from years of fighting, farming, and other kinds of helping. He didn't want to be too firm or anything in showing his sympathy to her.
It took Hercules a moment to figure out that Venus was Aphrodite and he chuckled some at her story. Though at the end of it there was a very faint tinge of red to his cheeks. It didn't take an Athens scholar to know what she was referring to. And while Hercules was well aware of what went on between men and women behind closed doors, it was certainly another thing to hear about it.
I'm sure if he ever tried it again he used more caution. The one surprise birthday party my friends and family tried to throw me didn't work out so well. He remembered one of his own surprise birthday parties. Which had ended with him teaming up with Callisto, Xena's nemesis, to find the Golden Apples to save his family and friends. That blonde was certainly trouble and was nearly as good as Xena, if not as good.