Aphrodite

As I mentioned, I am Aphrodite, goddess of love. I am married to Hephaestus. He is the god of metalworking and blacksmiths and I suppose by association the god of fire. He makes all of the weapons for us here on Mount Olympus. Unfortunately, that means Hera is my mother-in-law. I didn't really want to be married. I think that life should be enjoyed. There are so many joys and excitements in this world. Why tie yourself down to one? But, alas, my father, Zeus, always decides to be a good husband to my step-mother, Hera, whenever it is unideal for me. So, when Hera offered up her son, Hephaestus, I had to say yes. I tried my absolute hardest for it to be a good marriage. I am fun and spontaneous and wanted a good time (if you know what I mean). However, my husband, as loving as he was, could not satisfy that part of me. I needed more. I needed passion. I fell in love with another who could satisfy all parts of me. I fell for the handsome and devilish Ares. He was the fire I needed to live. But, the nosey Apollo got in the way. It is him I blame for ripping out my poor Hephaestus's heart, when all I had done was to protect him!

Oh my gosh! Does Aphrodite EVER stop talking? Anyways, Hera here, for the truth. How dare she blame anyone but herself for hurting my precious Hephaestus? She was married to him and never faithful. She blamed her "beauty and desire for love" as the reason she took lovers among mortals, like Phaethon, and gods, like Poseidon or Hermes. Paris is the only one to ever agree on her beauty. However, I thought, as the goddess of marriage, that they would be a good fit. She could settle down and allow others some of the love she normally hogged for herself. She did make one true statement: she fell for Ares. He was as hotheaded and impulsive as her. But she forgot to mention that he was Hephaestus's brother. I guess it is easier to climb up the same family tree. She made my sons game pieces for her entertainment. My Ares deserved better than to be used by Aphrodite and my Hephaestus deserved to be loved back. Aphrodite swore she was protecting Hephaestus by keeping him in the dark. If it were not for the sun god, Hephaestus very well may still be kept in the dark of their secret affair. Thank Apollo for shedding light on that entanglement.

Oh wow! That got heated really quickly. Hi! Persephone here. I, personally, have no horse in this race, so let me tell you what happened. Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus. Their personalities made a dashing couple because they were loved by many, but he was physically handicapped and she was all about perception and how they looked on the outside. She never looked fully content. How could the goddess of love be tied down to one partner? So, she continued her life as though she had never been married. That is where Ares comes in. He was the one whose fire matched hers. They were a good pair, but they were both closely intertwined with Hephaestus. Both felt a sense of loyalty to him, one by marriage and one by blood. One day, Apollo was raising the sun as he does and he noticed a couple entangled in the sheets of Ares bed. He quickly finished his duties and bolted to Hephaestus. Hephaestus clearly did not believe Apollo because they surely would not betray him like that. Using his powers, he created a net that would trap them in the bed. After setting it up in his own bed, he left with a quick goodbye to his beloved to see if she would use his absence as an opportunity. Much to his dismay, when he returned, they were ensnared in the net together. Upon seeing this, he was filled with anger. He ran to gather all the other gods to ridicule them. The gods made cruel jokes and snide remarks to the two lovers. These sneering comments continued for what felt like a millennium.