"Hephaestus, are you not tired? You've been working like crazy for a week. Do you intend to stay here forever?" I asked while staring at the God of Craftsmanship. "I like watching you to work, but do not busy yourself too much."

Hephaestus stopped what he was doing. His electric orbs went to me.

It's been a week since we went to the 'Coast of Cytheria' and meet Dionysus. After that day, Hephaestus quickly packed our things and we moved to another island. I don't know about this place, but Hephaestus told me that we will temporarily live here.

As a result, Hephaestus bought a house and remodeled it. He had been working for a week to fix this house, and I was starting to get worried about him. This house is already comfortable for me, but Hephaestus won't listen to me...

"It will be done this afternoon," Hephaestus replied. "And you don't have to watch me while I am working. It is better if you can take a walk outside with Aphrodite."

I frowned while staring at him.

"I guess I am not a hostage anymore," I mumbled.

A smile appeared on his face. It seems like he heard what I said.

"Correct, you are now my guest. And you've acted like a guest from the very beginning, what's the point of restricting you as a captive?" Hephaestus answered me with a smirk.

Well, he has a point.

I've been acting like a shameless nymph from the very beginning. Whether I'm a hostage or a guest doesn't matter anymore.

But I am happy that he slowly opened up to me.

Hephaestus walks in my direction.

He suddenly took out an emerald bracelet from his pocket as he sat next to me. I stared at him in confusion when he suddenly took my hand and slipped the bracelet onto my arm.

My eyes went wide while staring at the emerald bracelet.

"It looks like your hair. I've been keeping that stone for a decade. I decided to craft a bracelet for you since I don't have a use for it." His eyes were staring at me when he said those words.

"Why are you giving this thing to me...?" I unconsciously asked.

"You don't like it?" He asked calmly.

I quickly pulled my hand and wrapped the emerald bracelet on my chest.

"Of course, I like it! I'm just asking why," I replied to him. "You didn't put something on this bracelet... Right? Like a trap?"

"Why would I put something like that on my gift?" He frowned. "You are with me... You're already trapped with me."

"Is that a pick-up line?" I chuckled.

Hephaestus took a deep sigh and went back to work. The little smirk on my face was quickly replaced by a frown when left me there.

"Another strange word," He mumbled.

It was crystal clear, Hephaestus didn't get my joke.

Geez, it is really hard to humor this Deity, but I could forgive him for giving me this beautiful emerald bracelet. In my past life and in this life, this is the first time that a man gave me jewelry, so this is really special for me.

Hehe, plus the fact that it was given to me by the person I simp the most.

"If he is really in love with you, he should've given you a ring, Mother," A girl with Goldilocks hair suddenly appeared before me. "But no one could deny the quality of this Emerald. It looks good on you."

"Aphrodite!" I shouted.

Look at this Deity.

Just like Hephaestus said, it only took days for Aphrodite to grow up. When I first met her, she looks like a 10-year-old girl, but as the days passed by, Aphrodite grew slowly.

Right now, she looks like a 16-year-old teenager, and she also became prettier as her body started to grow. However, despite of these changes, Aphrodite still believed that I am her mother.

"You two, get out of here," Hephaestus told us when he saw Aphrodite appear before me. He took a deep sigh once more. "I won't be able to focus if you will be noisy in my working place."

"This old man really gets on my nerves," I heard Aphrodite mumble. The young goddess suddenly pulled my wrist as we left Hephaestus in his workplace. "Come on Mother, let's walk on the shore. Let's talk to ocean nymphs that I met."

"Wait, how about Hephaestus--"

"Come back before the sunset," Hephaestus told us with a calm tone. "And don't be too friendly with those ocean nymphs, you might fall for their trickery."

"Who would even be fooled by such third-rate trickery? Only a fool would be tricked by those ocean nymphs," Aphrodite replied.

Hephaestus chuckled as he hammered a steel.

"Why don't you ask your Mother?"

••••••••••••

'The Queen is waiting for you...'

My eyes went to the sky when I remembered what Dionysus told me before he left. It's been bugging me. I've been staying with Hephaestus for how many weeks already, I did not expect that Hera would look for me through that wine Deity.

I'm starting to get worried...

I'm not only worried about Hera, but I am also worried about this 'version' of Aphrodite. I am sure that many things have changed and the 'Greek Mythology' that I know will surely cease to exist in the future.

To be honest...

I don't give a f*ck if the real Greek Mythology changes, after all, the real 'Greek Mythology' is already a mess...

I'm just worried if this change is for the better or for the worse...

"I was wondering, I know that at this moment, it was clear that I am not your real Mother," I mumbled before glancing at Aphrodite who was sitting beside me. "And it's not like I acted as your real mother too... So why do you still call me 'Mother', Aphrodite?"

Aphrodite stared at me with a surprised face.

This child...

No...

This Deity...

Any moment from now, Aphrodite will soon be awakened as the real 'Goddess of Beauty'. She will be a fully grown Deity as she should be and she will be able to fully grasp her real responsibility as a Goddess.

It is true that Hephaestus and I acted as her guardian in the meantime, but, she won't be needing us after her awakening...

She'll soon realize this mistake.

"Don't say that, you might not be my real mother nor acted as one, but you cannot deny that you took care of me with that Hephaestus," Aphrodite answered me while twirling her golden hair. "And also, I like you, I feel like I can learn many bizarre things from you."

"Bizzare things?" I asked while raising my brows at her.

Am I really weird from other people's perspectives?

Aphrodite giggled when she saw the reaction on my face. The Deity suddenly clung her hand to my arms as she affectionately placed her head on my shoulder.

"I really thought that you were my mother when I was born. When I was inside of that golden clam I quickly noticed your presence when you came," Aphrodite told me. "Perhaps I was still in my spirit from that's why I noticed it, but mother... Did you know that your soul feels very different?"

My body felt chills when Aphrodite said that...

My soul?

Could it be connected to my reincarnation?

"That's why when I was born, I concluded that you are my Mother," Aphrodite continued as she wrapped her arms around me. "Since I am a beautiful being, my mother should be different from others too."

Geez, so that's the reason why you called me Mother that day?!

But contrary to what Aphrodite said, I might be a little bizarre but I am not completely different from other nymphs. I came from Demeter's breath and was living like a normal nymph, other than my personality and past life, nothing more is outstanding about me.

I chuckled before patting Aphrodite's head.

"Have you now realized that I am not as 'special' as you expect me to be?" I asked her.

"It doesn't matter anymore, I like you, what can other people do?" Aphrodite replied with a pout on her lips. "I want to live with you too, I'll bring you wherever I go, we'll live together and forever."

"You can't live with me forever! You are bound to live in Olympus..."

"I'll bring you with me..." Aphrodite replied with a stubborn tone. "I'll bring Hephaestus too if you want..."

"Geez Aphrodite, I have a different home, the forest---"

"Then I will go with you if I can't bring you with me," Aphrodite told me with a soft and sad tone. "No matter how different we are, those dumb creatures may say that you are just a nymph, I will stay with you no matter what."

"Why would you even do that? We've been only together for a week," I asked confusedly. "Besides, you are a Goddess. Soon, you will realize how different we are. Many people will love you too---"

"But I love you too, Mother," Aphrodite cuts me off. I noticed the frown on her face.

"You love me...?"

I was caught off guard, I don't know how to react.

I didn't expect that it will end up to this point.

"You told me that many people will love me, but you also taught me that they will only love me because of my appearance. Because of this, I realized that I should prioritize the people that can love me the most," Aphrodite stared at me with a determined face.

"Then why me?"

"Well.." She mumbled. "And If you can love Hephaestus, the ugliest God, then you can love me too."

Love Hephaestus...?

Me?

I love him?

Wait what...?

Well, I like him...

"Don't call him ugly," I mumbled. "He's perfectly amazing"

Aphrodite stared at me for a while.

"I'm sorry," She suddenly mumbled.

I smiled and nodded my head. "It's fine," I told her with a smile.

The fact that she can apologize... It's so amazing how different she is from the original Aphrodite...

"But nevertheless... Love that is not bounded by the standard is greater than those who love because of appearance," Aphrodite told me with glittery eyes. "Isn't that the beauty of love? As the Goddess of Love and Beauty, I should understand that very well!"

"And I love you too, Mother."

She loves me...?

Geez, her ideology of love...

The real Aphrodite won't be able to say those things because she values appearance as her desire the most... But anyway, did I just succeed in influencing her?

I took a deep sigh before glancing at the seashore, A small smile appeared on my lips as I shook my head.

"Don't call me mother anymore," I told her before I stand up. "Just call me Sister."

"Sister?" She asked.

"I may not be able to give you motherly love, but I can definitely love you as my Sister."

•••••

Author's Note:

Honestly, I want to revise this whole story, but I'm too lazy...