Application for Aphrodite

[seafoamrisen]

There's a shimmering in the air and a scent of roses, and suddenly manifest in the entrance plaza is a woman of nearly impossible beauty. She is tall, perfectly formed, with cascades of red-gold hair.  She wears a Greek chiton of the finest translucent linen, trimmed with gold and royal purple, and around her waist is a jewelled belt of literally

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[late_born_myth]

If you'd been in Psyche's path from her little pavilion in Fantasyland to the gates, you might have seen her with an unaccustomedly black expression on her bright countenance, muttering something under her breath in a long-dead language. When she reached the entrance, however, her face smoothed over into impeccable - if slightly pale - calm.

"Hail, gold-crowned Queen of Paphos, Kytherea, she whose lips are honeyed and whose eyes are sweeter than the first breath of violets, Aphrodite." There are deserts less dry than her tone.

[seafoamrisen]

Oh. It's her.

What in Tartarus is she doing here?

Still, Aphrodite is mindful of the disgrace that ensued the last time the two of them crossed paths, and there's no Eros, Ares, or Hermes to distract them or pull them off each other, so she decides to be on her best behavior whether she likes it or not.

"Thank you, Psyche, wife of my son," she replies. A pause; then she huffs out a little sigh. "How did you get here?"

[late_born_myth]

Psyche very nearly laughs out loud at her single given title. Instead, just the corners of her mouth curl up in wild (for her interactions with Aphrodite, anyway) hilarity.

"I was going down to see Persephone," she explains. She wonders whether this is the Aphrodite she saw last in Scotland. "Like you, I seem to have been...diverted."

[seafoamrisen]

"Diverted." She snorts. "Oh, yes, that's one way of putting it. I was on my way to Olympus from that dumpy little magic school." A heavy sigh. "And apparently we're stuck here, so I'm told."

[late_born_myth]

"Ah," says Psyche, enlightened.

On the one hand, then, this version of her mother-in-law knows all about the disastrous rift between Psyche and Eros that had taken place at Hogwarts, which isn't something Psyche relishes having thrown in her face as she has no doubt it will be. On the other, this version should also remember what happened the last time they engaged in a full-scale squabble. Which, really, is marked down with little hearts and twinkly lights in Psyche's memory.

"Yes, we are. I was one of the first to arrive. Time is strange here."

[seafoamrisen]

"Is it now," Aphrodite says. "And how long have you been here, then? The last I recall, you were still dealing with your little personal crisis. Any progress on that?"

[late_born_myth]

Right on cue. "It's a bit pointless giving measures of time, but...well over a year, I'd say. And yes, I think so. Insofar as there can be progress with him absent...my sympathies, by the way, I know you'll miss him too. Although of course you're a little more used to that than I am."

[seafoamrisen]

Simmer. Seethe. A smile that's mostly teeth. But she's doing a pretty fine job of maintaining her composure, all things considered.

"Quite so, darling; he's a busy, busy boy. Are there any others of our kind here?"

[late_born_myth]

"Mm. Not exactly. Though some of the people here are really very interesting. But no, for 'our' kind, it's just you and me."

[seafoamrisen]

Well, it was perhaps too much to hope that there'd be other Olympians there to take the edge off her daughter-in-law's presence. One would have to make the best of it. "And you've been keeping busy, I hope? Getting to know people, talking about their lives, the usual?"

[late_born_myth]

"Making friends," corrected Psyche, in a sweet 'I know it's an unfamiliar concept' tone. "Yes, exactly."

[seafoamrisen]

"Isn't that lovely. Well, one wouldn't want to be bored, of course." She looks at some point in middle distance past Psyche's left shoulder. "There do seem to be some ... intriguing undercurrents about the place. Not as many as in the last, but then, not quite as many people either."

[late_born_myth]

Oh Styx wasn't this going to be fun. "You might say that," Psyche admitted. "Some people might take issue with your interference, though."

[seafoamrisen]

"Darling, did I say I planned on interfering?" Well, in fact, she hadn't planned on doing anything of the kind. But that was worth exactly nothing in terms of what her actual action might be, and both she and her daughter-in-law knew that perfectly well. "I was just observing. But since you're so concerned, perhaps you should let me know if there's anyone I ought to avoid. Anyone of yours, for instance." Of course, she knew perfectly well that playing favorites wasn't one of Psyche's games. That was more the speed of the twelve elder Olympians.

[late_born_myth]

"Oh, Mother, you know I don't claim mortals, more one than any other. No, I was really just thinking of the ones who could mash you into paste."

And she was. She was thinking she'd better send them a letter, or something, in the near future.

[seafoamrisen]

Her eyes flash dangerously, but she doesn't move, narrowing her eyes a little. "Such as?" she says, her voice low.