Omorfia and a preview...
Omorfia (Beauty)
I.
I know it, I have always known it. I have seen it in your eyes. The first time you laid your eyes on me, I knew you have loved me.
You are another of the victims of my treacherous looks. You loved me, you wanted me and you had me.
They thought that if I were married, my deceitful ways would come to an end; if not, they wished me to be disgraced-the Goddess of Beauty married to the ugliest Olympian of all-the idea, no matter how anyone would look at it, is absurd.
We were a spectacle, a sight to behold. Everyone else would talk about us but I acted indifferently, I have plotted vengeance for each of them, and that was enough to ease my rage. You were tormented. Unlike me, your heart was pure. Day and night you sit in your forge and do your duty to drown all thoughts of everyone, of how they stared and whispered and condemned you.
You are ambitious, they say and still do. But I know all you want is to be accepted.
But my pride was hurt and my anger was directed at you. I would go off each night to sleep with gods and mortals alike but never with you. I would talk longer to every other Olympian than I would my own husband.
But I see your eyes each time I go, I see your face every time I would ignore you and it was full of pain. I know you did not deserve all that I have done. But I am perfidious, disdainful and I continued to treat you as I would a common mortal.
But still, you stayed by my side.
I am the Goddess of Love and Beauty. I am unfit for my title. If anything, you embodied it.
They call you the ugly and lame God of the Forge but they do not know that you were purer than all of them. I know, I can see it, I can feel it.
I remember when you were punished by father. You were only trying to protect your mother. Your mother who despised you the day you were born. But you loved her just the same and suffered in her behalf. How can anyone ever think ugly of you after that?
I have always known about every tear you shed. I have always known that you look with pain and longing at my ever retreating back. I have always known about the sleepless nights that you have fervently wished that I would come home.
I know that you would have struck Ares with all your might each time you saw him but you refuse to listen to your whims, because you thought of me, even if you ache inside.
You have always thought of me. I am selfish, conceited, and treacherous; I deserve no such love. I am the cause of suffering of many and I have tricked and lied and caused torment to everybody.
You have always spoken words of love and devotion, quietly, shamefully, if you would find me alone. And I chose to ignore you as your head bowed to further shame.
And I am sorry.
I am sorry for causing too much pain. I am sorry for crushing your heart and your confidence. I am sorry for all the hurt you feel. I am sorry because you deserve none of them.
You are clean, untainted. You are pure. Your beauty is not one they can see but your beauty is of the best kind.
Your beauty comes from your heart.
And in my sick and twisted life, that kind of beauty is the only thing I can hold on to, nothing else.
II.
I have loved you the very first time I saw you. I looked on and thought, how could such a beautiful being exist? Next to you, everyone else fades in comparison. I could drown in your eyes and be intoxicated by your scent. I have loved you and somehow convinced Lord Zeus to make you my betrothed.
You were not happy. The gods talked about us and I understand, you are beautiful and I am ugly. It is that simple. I was a disgrace to your name but I am selfish and I chose to stay with you. I know you act indifferently but I know you are hurt. They all perceived you evil; beautiful but evil, it was all they saw of you.
You are devious, they say that and still do but I know you are only afraid of getting hurt.
You, of all divinities, have seen pain unlike any other. You have seen emotional torment. They blame it all on you but I know you never meant all of it, all you wanted was to spread love.
I am the lame and ugly God of the Forge and I deserve it for my form is of a monstrous kind.
You are the Goddess of Love and Beauty and nobody else is fit to be called that but you.
I have always known that you never meant to hurt me. I have always known that you are angry at yourself and not me. That is why I stay by your side. I have always known that it does not please you to sleep with gods and mortals. I have always known you did not come home at night so you cannot see me and feel guilty about what you have done.
I remember the time a mortal stabbed your wrist. You were trying to save your son; you were keeping him from harm. You fled back here in agony and they had the audacity to laugh at you. How could anyone laugh at a mother’s love?
I would have rampaged and killed every god and mortal who ever touched you but then I see you and your eyes are sad and I do not want to add any more.
You ignore me but I know, you are protecting your name and I understand. I have given you such a predicament. I choose to speak of my love, even if it is indolent because somehow, I want to comfort you, to assure you that my love is pure. I did not want your body; I did not want your favors. You could hate me for eternity and I would still love you.
I love you because you are beautiful-both in appearance and your heart.
You act treacherous, disdainful. You take all the blame when mortals and gods alike are hurt by love. You take all the harsh words and malicious stares sent your way.
So I am sorry.
I am sorry because you are trapped as the wife of the ugliest of us all. I am sorry because I can do nothing to help you. I am sorry because I do not even have the courage to tell them that you have never wished for anything more than pure love. I am sorry I am lame and ugly and undeserving of you.
They may not know but I do.
You are clean, untainted. You are pure. Your beauty is one they can see as only skin deep but your beauty is of the best kind.
Your real beauty comes from your heart.
And I know that because of that I will never stop loving you.
--
and here's chapter 16's preview for OUAFP:
Hades sipped on his goblet and leaned back on his chair and relived the moments that made him choke with self-loathing.
You have taken my love away.
I have made everyone suffer as I have. I did not touch you for him.
Everything she said felt like venom and yet, he saw, through her blind rage, all the pain hidden behind her eyes.
Agony.
What has he done? The full impact of everything he did hit him now. It felt like the flames of Tartarus threatened to engulf him. It felt like a giant just swung a full-forced blow on him. It felt like he was hit with a thunderbolt and yet, he had a feeling that even taking on such pains literally would not be enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
The sheer weight of his unforgivable actions blew him away. He has never been one to lose control, or fail or even feel regret. Yet, there he was, accomplishing those things that should be absent at the advent of his being the Lord of the Underworld.
But he was not stupid. He can never fully understand. He knew that. No matter how much he would loathe himself, how much worse he felt, he cannot truly gauge the anguish he has caused.
And it made him reel into self-contained and self-directed fury.
He closed his eyes and hoped for sleep.
I.
I know it, I have always known it. I have seen it in your eyes. The first time you laid your eyes on me, I knew you have loved me.
You are another of the victims of my treacherous looks. You loved me, you wanted me and you had me.
They thought that if I were married, my deceitful ways would come to an end; if not, they wished me to be disgraced-the Goddess of Beauty married to the ugliest Olympian of all-the idea, no matter how anyone would look at it, is absurd.
We were a spectacle, a sight to behold. Everyone else would talk about us but I acted indifferently, I have plotted vengeance for each of them, and that was enough to ease my rage. You were tormented. Unlike me, your heart was pure. Day and night you sit in your forge and do your duty to drown all thoughts of everyone, of how they stared and whispered and condemned you.
You are ambitious, they say and still do. But I know all you want is to be accepted.
But my pride was hurt and my anger was directed at you. I would go off each night to sleep with gods and mortals alike but never with you. I would talk longer to every other Olympian than I would my own husband.
But I see your eyes each time I go, I see your face every time I would ignore you and it was full of pain. I know you did not deserve all that I have done. But I am perfidious, disdainful and I continued to treat you as I would a common mortal.
But still, you stayed by my side.
I am the Goddess of Love and Beauty. I am unfit for my title. If anything, you embodied it.
They call you the ugly and lame God of the Forge but they do not know that you were purer than all of them. I know, I can see it, I can feel it.
I remember when you were punished by father. You were only trying to protect your mother. Your mother who despised you the day you were born. But you loved her just the same and suffered in her behalf. How can anyone ever think ugly of you after that?
I have always known about every tear you shed. I have always known that you look with pain and longing at my ever retreating back. I have always known about the sleepless nights that you have fervently wished that I would come home.
I know that you would have struck Ares with all your might each time you saw him but you refuse to listen to your whims, because you thought of me, even if you ache inside.
You have always thought of me. I am selfish, conceited, and treacherous; I deserve no such love. I am the cause of suffering of many and I have tricked and lied and caused torment to everybody.
You have always spoken words of love and devotion, quietly, shamefully, if you would find me alone. And I chose to ignore you as your head bowed to further shame.
And I am sorry.
I am sorry for causing too much pain. I am sorry for crushing your heart and your confidence. I am sorry for all the hurt you feel. I am sorry because you deserve none of them.
You are clean, untainted. You are pure. Your beauty is not one they can see but your beauty is of the best kind.
Your beauty comes from your heart.
And in my sick and twisted life, that kind of beauty is the only thing I can hold on to, nothing else.
II.
I have loved you the very first time I saw you. I looked on and thought, how could such a beautiful being exist? Next to you, everyone else fades in comparison. I could drown in your eyes and be intoxicated by your scent. I have loved you and somehow convinced Lord Zeus to make you my betrothed.
You were not happy. The gods talked about us and I understand, you are beautiful and I am ugly. It is that simple. I was a disgrace to your name but I am selfish and I chose to stay with you. I know you act indifferently but I know you are hurt. They all perceived you evil; beautiful but evil, it was all they saw of you.
You are devious, they say that and still do but I know you are only afraid of getting hurt.
You, of all divinities, have seen pain unlike any other. You have seen emotional torment. They blame it all on you but I know you never meant all of it, all you wanted was to spread love.
I am the lame and ugly God of the Forge and I deserve it for my form is of a monstrous kind.
You are the Goddess of Love and Beauty and nobody else is fit to be called that but you.
I have always known that you never meant to hurt me. I have always known that you are angry at yourself and not me. That is why I stay by your side. I have always known that it does not please you to sleep with gods and mortals. I have always known you did not come home at night so you cannot see me and feel guilty about what you have done.
I remember the time a mortal stabbed your wrist. You were trying to save your son; you were keeping him from harm. You fled back here in agony and they had the audacity to laugh at you. How could anyone laugh at a mother’s love?
I would have rampaged and killed every god and mortal who ever touched you but then I see you and your eyes are sad and I do not want to add any more.
You ignore me but I know, you are protecting your name and I understand. I have given you such a predicament. I choose to speak of my love, even if it is indolent because somehow, I want to comfort you, to assure you that my love is pure. I did not want your body; I did not want your favors. You could hate me for eternity and I would still love you.
I love you because you are beautiful-both in appearance and your heart.
You act treacherous, disdainful. You take all the blame when mortals and gods alike are hurt by love. You take all the harsh words and malicious stares sent your way.
So I am sorry.
I am sorry because you are trapped as the wife of the ugliest of us all. I am sorry because I can do nothing to help you. I am sorry because I do not even have the courage to tell them that you have never wished for anything more than pure love. I am sorry I am lame and ugly and undeserving of you.
They may not know but I do.
You are clean, untainted. You are pure. Your beauty is one they can see as only skin deep but your beauty is of the best kind.
Your real beauty comes from your heart.
And I know that because of that I will never stop loving you.
--
and here's chapter 16's preview for OUAFP:
Hades sipped on his goblet and leaned back on his chair and relived the moments that made him choke with self-loathing.
You have taken my love away.
I have made everyone suffer as I have. I did not touch you for him.
Everything she said felt like venom and yet, he saw, through her blind rage, all the pain hidden behind her eyes.
Agony.
What has he done? The full impact of everything he did hit him now. It felt like the flames of Tartarus threatened to engulf him. It felt like a giant just swung a full-forced blow on him. It felt like he was hit with a thunderbolt and yet, he had a feeling that even taking on such pains literally would not be enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
The sheer weight of his unforgivable actions blew him away. He has never been one to lose control, or fail or even feel regret. Yet, there he was, accomplishing those things that should be absent at the advent of his being the Lord of the Underworld.
But he was not stupid. He can never fully understand. He knew that. No matter how much he would loathe himself, how much worse he felt, he cannot truly gauge the anguish he has caused.
And it made him reel into self-contained and self-directed fury.
He closed his eyes and hoped for sleep.