https://youtu.be/J5P2-9YY7qU

Song of the Sea

••••••••••••••

Coast Of Cythera

"Geez, I wonder if this shell is made of Gold? I'll be rich if I can have a piece of that thing" I asked while squinting my eyes. My gaze landed on the golden giant clam floating in the sea. "Anyway, when will Aphrodite come out of that thing?"

I returned my gaze to Hephaestus.

"Probably weeks from now," Hephaestus answered while avoiding my gaze. "Apollo never stated the exact day or time, but my mother Thetis told me that she feel the changes inside of that clam. If her guess is correct, it should be a week from now."

"Wow, It's near, I am sure that many Gods and Goddesses will come to witness her birth," I mumbled with a smile on my face. "It must be nice to be born lavishly. Anyway, how are we supposed to---"

Whaily, the whale who brought us to the Coast Of Cythera, suddenly stopped which made me out of balance. It was a good thing that my reflexes acted up before I fell to the waters. Demeter knows how Forest nymphs hates seawater.

Hephaestus suddenly jumped into the waters which created a big splash that almost reached me. I glanced at him with a confused face with my hands covering my lips.

Men! don't tell me I have to swim from here to there?

Anyway, I forgot to say that Hephaestus looks good in the waters. If I have a camera from the modern days, I would like to take a photo of him and sell it to magazines---- or maybe I should keep and adore it by myself.

"Jump," Hephaestus told me with his palm directed at me. It was as if he was asking me to join him in the waters. "Wait, can you swim? If you don't know how to swim, then I'll swim you off to the shore."

My eyes fell to the waters.

This part of the sea is still far from the Coast so the waters are still deep. Whaily can't bring us to shore because she's too big, and she might be put into danger if she goes a little nearer to the Coast of Cythera.

But I can't swim...

I mean... I can swim a little, but rivers are different from seas. I am a Forest Nymph, and salt waters is a no-no for me. It's not like it affects me as a nymph, but it feels uncomfortable because it's saltwater...

My eyes went to Hephaestus' hand.

"I can swim but... Us-- the Forest nymphs don't really like salt waters. It feels like they are dehydrating us so I don't know if I can swim," I told him before taking a deep sigh. "Well... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, If you can't swim in salt water, then I'll swim you off to the shore," Hephaestus told me gently. A smile appeared on my face after hearing those words, his gentle tone sounds comforting.

Such a gentleman.

"Aren't you afraid that I might act like a pervert and touch your tiddies?" I suddenly jested with a grin. I glanced at him teasingly while caressing my rosy cheeks. "If I swim with you I might become a naughty Nymph and---"

"It's okay," Hephaestus replied with a blush on his face.

"Huh...?"

I stared at him with a dumbfounded face. I don't know if I heard him correctly, but am I hallucinating things? I must be hearing things, why would he suddenly agree like that?

Hephaestus stared at me intently, his eyes casually went down to my chest, but he suddenly averted his eyes before scratching his head.

My face suddenly turned pink when I remembered something from a while ago. I unconsciously crossed my arms on my chest with a flustered face. That hug is not the reason, correct? It can't be that hug!

THIS NAIVE DEITY!

My buns... This Hephaestus surely felt my buns when I hugged him behind his back! He's okay for me to touch his tiddies because he felt my buns behind his back?!

Naive! That's not how the world works!

"Ughhh nevermind," I mumbled to myself.

In the end, I decided not to tease him any longer and jumped directly into his arms. My body created an impact to the waters which almost drowned me, but I suddenly felt a strong arm pulling me up.

I unconsciously hugged Hephaestus as if my life is depended on him. I cursed when I tasted the salty water on my tongue, it taste unpleasant, and no I don't like it! If I am really a plant, this water will surely kill me!

"Ahhhhh, saltwater sucks..." I whined while being pulled by Hephaestus to the shore. "It tastes salty."

"Fool, why are you drinking saltwater in the first place?" Hephaestus asked me.

"Well... Uh... I drank it accidentally?" I replied to him with a drowsy tone. "Anyway, do you think I'll be able to see saltwater nymphs or mermaids today? I heard that they are incredibly beautiful."

"Mermaids? Do you want to die early?" Hephaestus asked me. "Those creatures will drown you and eat your flesh. Meeting one means asking for death."

I frowned when Hephaestus destroyed the image of a friendly mermaid. I was actually hoping that I'll meet Ariel, the Little Mermaid while were traveling on the salt water.

Unfortunately, it seems like there is no kind Mermaid in this place.

"Heh, do I look like delicious?" I asked with a smirk on my face. "I bet they'll hate the taste of a plant nymph, who knows if I taste like a vegetable."

Hephaestus became silent upon hearing my rambling. When I look at his cheeks, I noticed he was currently blushing.

"Delicious..." I suddenly heard him mumble.

Deli... What?

•••••••••

The Sun was about to go down when we reached the shore of Cythera, I can't help but stare at the beautiful sunset while drying myself with the sea breeze. It was so beautiful that I almost forgot why we went here.

"Next time, I will craft a beautiful ship if we travel to seas and oceans again. If I am not in hurry, I could've crafted one for you," My gaze went to Hephaestus when I heard him say that. "I apologize."

A smile appeared on my face when I darted my gaze at the shining golden clam on the Coast of Cythera. The Sunset was beautiful, but the Golden Clam made it gorgeous. If I have my phone, I would like to capture this moment.

"No need to make a fuss about it," I giggled before crossing both of my arms. A naughty smile appeared on my face as I tried to tease him. "Riding you was actually good."

"Asche!" Hephaestus stared at me with wide eyes and a flustered face. "Y-your teasing is crossing the line! I know that you are a free Nymph, an open-minded one at that, but you can't just say those words to me like that."

The teasing smile on my face quickly disappeared as soon as I heard that.

"Crossing... the line...?" I mumbled to myself. "How...? I..."

I fell into deep thought as I reflected on my teasing actions with Hephaestus. Upon remembering all of those times, a realization hit me.

My eyes fell to the ground when I quickly realized what I did wrong.

If I was in the 21st Century, if a boy said something like 'I wanna fondle your breast' to a woman which is similar to 'I wanna touch your tiddies', it could be considered as verbal sexual harassment by the netizens.

And being treated like that is really uncomfortable.

I used to hate guys who do that to a girl, I always think that they were trash that needed to be exterminated from the world...

But I am acting like those perverts to Hephaestus, although I only meant it to tease him, I've never really considered how Hephaestus would feel while teasing him like that.

I...I'm a trash.

And I've been acting like this since I met him. I don't mind being called a pervert by him, but after realizing my own dumb actions...

My forehead crumpled while biting my lips.

"Asche...?" Hephaestus suddenly called my name.

"Perhaps I was too comfortable around you... I'm sorry I never considered your feelings," I told him as I fidget my palm. My eyes avoided his surprised gaze as I continued to speak. "I guess my jokes and teasing are indeed too much."

"What...?" Hephaestus glanced at me with a confused face. "No, I didn't mean it like that..."

The Blacksmith stared at me for a while, I noticed how his feet took a step to get near to me, but it looks like he was hesitating.

"No... I think I verbally sexually harassed you..." I mumbled with a sullen tone. "As a woman, If some other guy told me things like 'I wanna fondle your breast' I would really feel uncomfortable, and as a Man, I bet it's the same thing for you..."

Hephaestus stared at me dumbfoundedly after hearing me say those things.

"You... Sexually harassed me through words?" Hephaestus asked me with a confused face. "I don't... I don't understand..."

"I did it! I said 'I wanna touch your tiddies' to you and many more perverted words! It's 'Verbal Sexual Harassment!" I told him in frustration. "I guess I'm a trash, although not as trash as Zeus."

Hephaestus took a deep sigh after hearing those words from me.

"I don't really understand it since you are the first person who acted like a pervert to me, but if someone like Zeus will be treated like that, he'll probably enjoy it," Hephaestus told me. "Are you sulking because you 'verbally sexually harassed' me?"

A pout appeared on my lips before gazing at the sunset. I slowly nodded my head while playing with my palms.

I returned my gaze at him with a sad look on my face.

"I'm upset because I unknowingly disrespected the person that I like," I told him as I directly stared into his eyes. "I'm sorry for my inconsiderate actions, Hephaestus. I'll try to change my ways of teasing you."

"Like... Like... You do like me..." He mumbled as he stared at me with mixed emotions.

"I already said that many times," I told him with a serious look on my face. "I like you, I adore you, I can't call it 'love' yet, but I do care for you. I can't upset the person that I like," I told with a smile on my face.

"Like..." Hephaestus stared at me after my seeming confession. "What do you... like from me? I'm ugly--"

"I like your appearance, Hephaestus, I sincerely think that you're handsome, but let's do say that you are 'Ugly'..." I paused. "But your appearance is not the only thing that I liked from you. Hephaestus, you are a good person, I am really comfortable with you, and it's just two of the reasons why I like you."

The confusion and shock on Hephaestus's face last longer as I continued to speak.

All of his expression is just lovely.

The sunset is doing his job better, good job for Helios because he showed this perfect momentum on Hephaestus' face.

I giggled as I turned away from the dumbfounded Hephaestus. I started to play with the sand while plastering a wide smile on my face.

While playing with sand, I started to sing a song as if I were serenading the seas and oceans. While watching the sky turn dark, I turned my gaze at Hephaestus who was watching me from the distance.

He was listening to my voice.



Oh, won't you come with me?

Where the moon is made of gold,

And in the morning sun,

We'll be sailing free.



Oh, won't you come with me?

Where the ocean meets the sky,

And as the clouds roll by,

We'll sing the song of the sea.



This song is a lullaby that I really loved when I was in my previous life, It was from a movie that we call 'Song of the Sea'.

I kept singing the lullaby until I was finally satisfied. The sky had turned dark and there was only me and Hephaestus at the shore, the blacksmith was only staring at me as if he was wondering about something.

"Oh, well? Do you like my voice?" I asked him with a teasing tone. "As a nymph, my voice should be very beautiful."

The silent Hephaestus finally walked in my direction as he stand by my side. "Yes, your voice is calming. Like a warm voice of a mother... I like it."

That statement of his was actually a great compliment for a woman like me.

"Thank you," I told him with a sincere smile.

But it seems like Hephaestus' words became the foreshadowing of the next thing that happened to me after arriving at Cythera...

Because after that night, when the sunrise came, a voice of a young woman woke me up singing the same lullaby that I sang last night.

When I followed the trail of that voice, it led me to a girl with golden hair.

"Oh, won't you come with me---" The little girl stopped singing when she suddenly noticed me. Her cerulean eyes were glued in my direction, and I can't help to admire it because the girl looked like an angel.

"Who... are you...?" I unconsciously asked her. "Why do you know that song?"

The golden-haired girl stared at me intently with a haughty look on her face. "Aren't you my mother? You were singing me that song last night," the girl told me as she crossed her arms. "Why can't you recognize me?"

"W-What? M-me, a mom?" I asked in confusion. "Me...? As in me?""

"Uh-huh," The little girl told me. The little girl suddenly pouted as she observe me from head to toe. "But it's a little confusing, how did I become so pretty and beautiful if my mother is a little normal?"

"What... Normal-- Hey!" I reacted. I quickly slapped my face as I reminded myself not to take on kids. "W-wait... what's your name again?"

The little girl stared at me with a pout before a mysterious smile appeared on her face.

"Mother... My name is..."



"Aphrodite"