Chapter 94 - A Step Back In Time(2)
At the end of the Titan War, the new gods that called themselves the Olympians emerged victorious and divided amongst the three brothers the land that the former King of the Titans ruled.
Zeus received land and sky and they crowned him King of the Gods.
Poseidon received the sea from Oceanus, and lastly, Hades received sovereignty of the Underworld
On the inconspicuous island of Kythera in the Aegean Sea, where the realms of Poseidon and Zeus confronted each other at all times, a similarly inconspicuous seafoam washed up ashore.
From that seafoam, a naked woman arose.
She had platinum-blond hair and clear lilac-blue eyes.
She felt groggy and looked around, confused at her very existence.
However, amidst that confusion, she felt awe as she looked to the beautiful sandy beaches. There was a salty smell in the air, and a cool breeze made the woman's hair slightly flutter.
She didn't exactly have any language to describe the awe she felt at the beauty, but she instinctively sensed it.
Suddenly, she perceived a woman on the rocky side of the beach.
The latter had a fishing rod in her hand, and was counting her maritime harvest and looked proud of herself.
When the fisherwoman caught sight of the naked and unfamiliar woman, the former ran up to the latter.
She exclaimed, "Don't stay naked like that, you'll catch a cold and....it's dangerous...."
Surprisingly, the woman understood what the other one was saying, and she felt she could even speak.
"Who am I? Where am I?" Those were the only words that came to her mind.
The other woman widened her eyes and took the latter's hand.
She ripped off her clothing and gave it to the naked woman.
"Follow me, we'll get you some shelter."
The woman confusingly nodded and followed the fisherwoman.
She lived in a very humble hut, with her sons, and they relied on fishing and small-scale agriculture to feed themselves.
Her name was Tyske, and she provided the mysterious woman with everything she would require.
"Do you....have a name?" Tyske asked the stranger.
The woman shook her head.
Tyske nodded in understanding and asked, "You know, you're as beautiful as the sky, I think the name 'Urania' would fit you well..."
'Urania' seemed to really like her name and nodded fervently.
From a slit in the door, the sons of Tyske snuck glances at Urania. These men were at the prime of their youths, and Urania truly had extraordinary beauty.
Suddenly, one of her sons came in.
He spoke to Tyske, "Mother, do you remember how Grandfather used to tell us he met a goddess back in Phoenicia? And she was as beautiful as Urania? What was her name?"
Tyske contemplated and replied excitedly, "Ashtaroth, that's a great name."
Urania unexpectedly interjected, "Can I....use that name?"
The son exclaimed, "Of course!"
From that day on, the woman would be known as Ashtaroth Urania in the region.
One day, a woman from a nearby village visited Tyske.
She was weeping, and she lamented, "He's going around to visit other women, what can I even do?!"
Urania eavesdropped and felt an unexpected curiosity at these matters of 'love', an emotion that she didn't understand but was incredibly interested in.
She stormed in and said, "Perhaps, I can....help?"
The woman didn't believe her, but in her desperation, she allowed Urania to visit their home in the village.
The moment Urania entered the village, she became an instant source of gossip, as people wondered who the mysterious beautiful woman was.
Urania followed the woman, and her husband was home.
They had a lot of issues in their relationship, but miraculously, once Urania simply spoke to the two, it was as if love had rekindled like a bright fire between them.
Since that event, the people of the region revered and worshipped Urania as a matchmaking and love goddess.
However, not all would be peaceful forever.
The tides of war had engulfed the region, and one day, the very epitome of this warfare visited the island.
It was a man that referred to himself as Ares, the very personification of war.
He asked for a stay in Kythera, and the residents granted him the most beautiful facilities they could offer.
Ares, however, didn't concern himself with these, but with a mysterious lady, he observed on this island.
She was beautiful, unlike any woman he'd ever seen.
Urania also found herself intrigued by Ares. He was handsome, and his perfect appearance triggered her love for beauty.
On that day, Ares came to the hut where Urania lived, and he simply said, "What is your name?"
"Ashtaroth, Ashtaroth Urania."
From those simple words, a relationship sprouted between the two deities.
Soon enough, Urania was leading a double life as 'Urania, goddess of love' and 'Areia, goddess of warfare'
On a peaceful night, the two were engaged in passionate kissing.
Urania had been curious for a while, and asked Ares, "Can I visit Olympus, where I can meet other people like me?"
Ares immediately got angry and pushed her.
"NO!"
"Why?"
"Olympus corrupts everyone, that is just the curse of that damn*ed place."
"I can visit it, and then I'll make my own conclusion, Ares, love." Urania insisted.
Ares sighed and said, "As you wish."
The two navigated through the mountains and reached Mount Olympus, where a gorgeous palace was constructed for the King of the Gods.
Ares left Urania and entered the palace.
Suddenly, a short and winged man approached her.
He mockingly asked, "Another one of Father's mysterious offspring, are you?"
"I'm Ashtaroth Urania, partner of Ares."
"I'm Hermes, very pleased to meet you."
Hermes was talkative and the topics of their discussions changed as fast as the wind, but one such topic remained in Urania's mind.
"You do know how Hera treats Ares?" Hermes questioned her.
"Who's Hera? How does she treat Ares?!"
Hermes informed her of all of the cruelty Ares had endured from his mother, and that it was the reason why he hated Olympus so much.
But, speak of the devil, Ares stormed out of the palace and interrupted the two.
"Urania, Father wishes to meet you."
Urania followed Ares and the latter left her to enter an extremely wide hall.
There were two thrones on the end of the hall, and a large and muscular man sat upon one of the thrones.
The other throne was vacant.
"You're really as beautiful as the sky, what is your name?" The man pried Urania's body.
She didn't like his slithering eyes but she replied, "Ashtaroth Urania."
The man frowned and said, "The name of a foreign goddess or the Father of the Titans doesn't suit you."
He continued, "You rose from the seafoam, right? Then your name shall be Aphrodite, the one that rises from the seafoam."
And so, Urania became Aphrodite.