InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 17: Mighty Aphrodite ( Chapter 17 )

Great thanks to Merith and Chris for the beta and to Everstar for being the rockingest sounding board ever. Long live NERT!

Chapter 17: Mighty Aphrodite

Sesshoumaru blinked, staring at the woodland around him. There was no sign of Hera, and no sign at all of... wherever it was he'd been. She had dismissed the youkai lord, brushing him aside like a common insect.

It was a wasted trip. His efforts had been all for nothing. Nothing. Teles was still mortal, still hurt... nothing at all had been gained.

Nothing.

His mate -- human. Human, injured, and the gods only knew what else. He had done the one thing he could think of to relieve his mate's suffering, and it had been fruitless. And now he had to return and explain to her that she was doomed to live the rest of her days as a human.

Worst of all, Inuyasha had been right. Sesshoumaru would have been more useful had he stayed behind to care for her injuries. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he thought about his mate, pale, bleeding, and dying little by little every day. He had no idea how old her human body was, but even by his best estimation he had less than fifty years with her.

Fifty years. Perhaps more if he was lucky.

In a hairsbreadth of time in the life of a youkai, her life would be over. Fifty years -- or fifty-one, or fifty-five -- had passed many times over for Sesshoumaru; he'd never given it a single thought. Inuyasha had been bound to the tree for fifty years -- a pittance. In his younger days, Sesshoumaru had once taken fifty years to travel all of Japan and had thought nothing of it.

Until now, fifty years had been trifle.

And he had wasted several days on this fool's errand -- days he would not get back.

Never before had he felt so utterly powerless. He, Sesshoumaru, was unable to do anything. He was in a place where it mattered nothing whether he was the great lord of the western lands. Here, it held no clout, no importance, no influence. A sudden surge of rage flooded the youkai's system, overriding his long-practiced calm, washing away his cultivated patience, stripping away layer after polished layer until nothing but rawness remained. He looked down at his hands, which were curling into fists. The left hand, stolen from a wolf youkai, seemed almost to mock him. Why did he bother attempting to conceal a physical weakness in a place where it was already decided that he was inferior? With an animal growl, the youkai ripped the replacement arm from his body, and threw it into the trees with as much force as he could.

Inhaling deeply, the youkai reined in his anger; it would do him no good now. It was time to return -- clearly he would find no aid in these lands. He was needed elsewhere now and had wasted several days already -- he would waste no more. After a quick search, he found Jaken a short distance from where he'd been deposited.

"My liege!" the small youkai exclaimed. "I had feared you lost!"

"It is time to return," he replied, his tone low.

Jaken blinked. "So soon, my lord? Did you not find what you came for?"

He grit his teeth at the reminder of his failure. "No, Jaken, I did not. Come. We must return." Sesshoumaru turned and began walking back towards the eastern shoreline.

They walked for nearly a half an hour before a frown settled on Sesshoumaru's brow. They should have reached the ocean by this point; he could still smell the salt air, and they were most definitely heading towards the east. Why, then, had they not reached the rocky cliffs?

Instead, the forest around them had grown denser, the thick grass cushioning their feet, the air moist with sweet-smelling dew...

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly. They had wandered into a clearing that appeared to be nowhere near where he desired to be. In fact, as Sesshoumaru blinked at strange half-man, half-horse creatures as well as half-man, half-goat creatures, he began to suspect they were nowhere near where they had been either.

The meadow was far from deserted; in fact, a variety of different beings in various stages of dress and undress lounged in the grass. Muted laughter floated through the air, none of the strange individuals taking any notice of the two youkai standing at the edge of the clearing.

Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly, his confusion growing. What is this place? Suddenly a sylph-like woman ran past them, laughing as one of the man-horse creatures cantered after her in pursuit. His eyes followed them, widening in horror when the tableau began to unfold before him. They have half-animals running around doing... that, and they think I'M a lower being?

Jaken made a small noise in the back of his throat. "Uh, m-my lord? Forgive my insolence, but... I think we might have taken a wrong turn."

The youkai lord had turned to reply when a tall woman with cascading red hair and ivory skin visible through her almost transparent sheath approached them, a small smile in place on her lips.

"Demon Lord Sesshoumaru, I presume," she said serenely.

"That is correct," he replied, frowning. "And you are?" He felt suddenly awkward as he tried to keep his eyes on the woman before him and not what was going on behind her. He was not used to such casual displays of disport. Such blatant exhibitions of sex-crazed uselessness would have grated on him even under normal circumstances. He glared at them. I would think anyone with native intelligence would be able to realize the hypocrisy of condemning youkai while allowing this sort of debauchery to flourish...

"You may call me Aphrodite," she replied. Giving a brief glance over her shoulder, she looked back at Sesshoumaru with an apologetic smile in place. "Forgive me; I wanted to make sure you didn't leave right away. I had planned on speaking with you, but not so soon, and certainly not under these conditions. This," she said, gesturing to the merriment going on around her, "is not an ideal place for conversation."

Sesshoumaru arched one eyebrow. "Really?" There was an edge to his voice.

If the goddess sensed the demon lord's irony, she didn't show it. "Please," she said, taking his arm, "this way, if you don't mind."

Though he disliked the idea of being led anywhere -- especially now, when he wanted nothing more than to return to his own lands as quickly as possible -- he found himself acquiescing. Perhaps he'd lately spent too much time around goddesses, because Sesshoumaru was quite sure that this was no ordinary woman. "Very well."

"M-my lord?&q uot; Jaken croaked.

Suddenly reminded of his vassal's presence, Sesshoumaru glanced down at him. "Stay here. I will return."

Linking her arm in his, Aphrodite strolled slowly through the meadow, leading Sesshoumaru past the various beings in the midst of many different kinds of activity. She took no notice of them as she spoke. "While I had known that Hera would not take very much time speaking with you, I had hoped she wouldn't have dismissed you quite so suddenly." She sighed softly. "It couldn't have been helped."

"She had no interest in listening to my request," he replied stiffly as Aphrodite led him to a portico and through a series of brilliant, white hallways.

"I know."

"Yes, I suppose that was fairly obvious." He sighed a bit. "On some level I knew it was a fool's errand."

The goddess opened a heavy door leading to a lavishly decorated salon. The floors and walls were polished marble, enormous silk cushions graced the floor, and huge urns overflowing with flowers ran along the perimeter of the room, scenting the air. The furnishings were lush and opulent, and the room itself was ethereally quiet. "You believe yourself to be a fool for making such an attempt?" she asked, leading him inside and closing the door securely behind them.

He shrugged, taking in the room's furnishings. "Teles had made your people's stance on youkai quite plain to me. I had no reason to believe I could change Hera's mind." Glancing over his shoulder, he watched the woman for a moment, wondering what yet another goddess could possibly want with him.

Aphrodite turned to him, blinking. "I beg your pardon?"

Sesshoumaru paused, contemplating his words. "What, exactly, do you need me to clarify?"

Aphrodite frowned thoughtfully. What in the name of Hades did Hera tell him? "You hoped to change Hera's mind?"

Suddenly suspicious, Sesshoumaru eyed the goddess. "Are you unaware of the reason for my visit?"

"I'm all too aware of the reason behind your visit," she replied, somewhat impatiently. "I just don't know what Hera told you."

Frostily, he replied, "She called my heir a mongrel and my mate vermin and ordered me to leave -- in summation, she would not reverse the spell." Sesshoumaru's hand curled into a fist; he suddenly felt the absence of his arm keenly. Swallowing he folded his arm in his sleeves, waiting for the goddess' reaction.

Aphrodite stared at the demon, her face completely devoid of expression. "She... she told you, then, that she refused to restore Teles."

"She was more insulting about it, but yes," he said coolly.

Gray eyes softened as the goddess shook her head slowly. "Lord Sesshoumaru, it is not that she will not restore Teles. Hera cannot restore Teles. None of us can. That ritual... once it is done, it cannot be undone."

The words hit Sesshoumaru like a physical blow; his arm fell uselessly to his side. His stomach dropped violently as his cool facade cracked, his eyes first showing shock, then horror, grief... "She..." his normally confident voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "She cannot be restored? By any means?" It had been bad enough when the possibility had existed -- when Hera had simply refused to reverse the ritual. But this... This was beyond Sesshoumaru's worst fears.

Seeing the grief writ large on his face, Aphrodite sighed softly. "It is the gods' most severe punishment. It is not meant to be toyed with in such a manner. Usually it is bestowed only after exhaustive consultation. I'm sorry, but it is... irreversible."

There was a movement in Sesshoumaru's throat. "I... believe I need to sit down." Aphrodite nodded, gesturing to the plush cushions on the floor. Sesshoumaru knelt on one of them, the stricken expression still on his face.

Aphrodite lowered herself to one of the other cushions, resting on her left hip. "Hera conducted the ritual more or less in secrecy. There were rumors, of course -- there are always rumors. No one thought she would have followed through with it. I myself warned her against such a foolish action." She looked down, her gray eyes melancholy. "She refused to listen to me."

Sesshoumaru found that all he could do was nod. "I do not know why you would appeal on Teles' behalf, but I thank you for your effort."

She brought her gaze up to his face. "Her father has forsaken her. Her mother can do no such thing."

The news took him a moment to comprehend. He stared at her in silence, his eyes searching her face for any trace of the former goddess. "You? Are her mother?" Their coloring was different, but there was something... something around the eyes and mouth. The realization took him by surprise; as soon as she looked at him he could see it -- the faint half-smile, the maddening lift of the eyebrow, the shape of her eyes. He did not understand why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

"I am."

"She never told me of you," he murmured. "She was... incredibly hesitant to tell me anything of her early years, as a matter of fact."
Aphrodite sighed and shifted on the pillow. "No, I suppose she wouldn't have told you about me. I left Teles with Poseidon before she was born -- in one of his sacred pearls." She looked at her hands. "I knew what her aspect would be, and I knew she would have no place in my world. I wanted her to flourish -- to be somewhere she could be content." She sighed. "Teles would not have been happy in my world."

"Somewhere she could be content?" An ironic bark of laughter escaped him. "That plan worked quite well." As soon as the words were out, Sesshoumaru's mouth snapped shut suddenly. He sighed before excusing himself. "Forgive me. I've had... a difficult few days."

"Yes, I suppose you have." The goddess was silent for a few moments, watching him. "I tried to prevent it, but... the gods of this realm are not... open to new ideas." Her shoulders sagged as she thought of her last conversation with Poseidon.

The youkai lord nodded, his mind turning to more somber thoughts. From what he was beginning to understand, the entire pantheon of gods had not turned against Teles. No, instead this was the work of one jealous goddess so determined that not even another goddess could intervene. He cleared his throat softly. "My lady... why did you wish to speak to me?"

She leaned back, bracing her weight with her arms as she met his eyes. "I was curious," she explained. "My daughter paired herself with one not of her own kind. While I have observed you both from afar for quite some time now, I wished to meet in person the creature with whom my daughter is so taken."

Sesshoumaru's mouth twitched. "You are not, perhaps, seeing me at my most charming."

She shrugged. "These are not the best circumstances." The goddess' lips turned up in a small, fleeting smile. "Sesshoumaru, while you are not who I would have chosen for Teles, she has chosen you -- charming or not."

Suddenly tired, he looked down. Yes, she chose me. But would she have chosen me if I had not pressed the issue? Sighing and rubbing at his forehead, he said, "I would have spared her this. I tried to tell her..."

An unreadable look crossed the goddess' face. "Love does not listen to reason, I'm afraid," she murmured softly.

A grand understatement, if ever there was one. Sesshoumaru thought back to his many early dealings with Teles. "She did not listen to reason even before she loved me," he responded dryly.

Smothering a smile, Aphrodite looked down. A thick lock of coppery hair fell, obscuring her face. "I fear she may have inherited that trait from me."

"Ah. Now I know on whom I should place the blame."

"Indeed." ; She looked back up at him, her eyebrows drawing together as she watched the demon. He only returned her gaze with an inquisitive one of his own. After a few seconds of silence, she expelled a soft breath. "There is more, actually."

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. "More?"

Nodding, Aphrodite took a deep breath and expelled it. "I have heard a great many things about your kind, Sesshoumaru -- and a few things about you specifically."

"Oh?" The goddess nodded once, shifting forward on the thick cushion as she tilted her head. Sesshoumaru felt her eyes on him and suddenly felt uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. He knew well the difference between looking and seeing.

After an eternity of silence, Aphrodite finally spoke. "I have heard that you harbor no love for humans." When Sesshoumaru's expression froze, she tilted her head. "Have I been misinformed?"

He swallowed. "No." When the goddess nodded to herself contemplatively, Sesshoumaru cursed silently. Damn it.

When she spoke again, the kindness had not left her eyes, but her expression was solemn. "Tell me now," she began, her voice low and smooth, "because now I have the power to make it happen -- I can bring her back to Greece where she may live her life as a mortal, among my temples, under my protection."

The words echoed through him and Sesshoumaru was not sure he'd heard her correctly. "Tell you what?" he asked coldly.

Her expression did not change. "Tell me whether I should take her under my protection, or leave her under yours," she explained reasonably.

The words washed over Sesshoumaru, leaving nothing but hurt and anger in their wake. He stood suddenly, his movement fluid. "By no means, for no reason, will I ever surrender my mate," he snapped, narrowing his eyes. He watched as a slow smile formed at the goddess' mouth, only serving to fan his anger. His teeth ground painfully as he glared down at her, but she continued to smile, undeterred. After several moments of this, he tilted his chin upwards. "Are you quite finished questioning my dedication to your daughter?"

Aphrodite only blinked, refusing to react to the youkai's anger. "Teles has lived as an immortal for thousands of years. She has no concept of what it means to be mortal -- no idea what things await her. She requires a dedicated mate because she will need the protection from one so dedicated." There was a short beat of silence. Aphrodite stood and approached Sesshoumaru slowly. "Can you protect her?"

His eyes flicked to an area on one of the walls beyond the goddess as he sighed silently, his anger ebbing. "I hope so," he replied. Looking once again at the gray eyes, he said, "I want to."

The perfectly shaped, red eyebrow arched delicately and for a split second, Aphrodite struck an eerie resemblance to her daughter. "Hoping and wanting are all well and good, but I would think you'd have more confidence. Can you protect her? Are you willing to protect her?" She narrowed her eyes. "What I want to know is this: would you die for her, demon?"

The question sliced through him, awakening new pain in his heart as his chest tightened. He closed his eyes against the sensation. "Yes."

The goddess raised a hand to his left shoulder. "Yes?"

Despite everything... despite the fact that she is human... despite the fact that she will never be the same.... She is mine. "Yes."

"And will this... imperfection in form hinder you?" she asked, her fingers lightly touching his shoulder.

Startled at the contact, his eyes flew open as he jerked away. Sesshoumaru stared at the goddess for a moment. "I have always managed to find adequate replacements when necessary," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. He was torn; part of him wished her to get away from him, to cease touching his arm. Another part of him noted how strange her touch felt. Not pleasant or unpleasant -- strange.

"I see," she murmured. After a few seconds, she slid her hand up Sesshoumaru's sleeve, gently running her fingers over the abused flesh. She slowly massaged the rough, scarred stump.

Sesshoumaru tried to pull back again, but the goddess did not relinquish her hold -- she didn't even look at him. He cleared his throat and grey eyes went to his face. "If you do not mind my asking, what are you doing?"

Turning her attention back to his arm and frowning in concentration, she replied, "Giving you a gift."

He blinked. The goddess' hand had grown warm -- at first the warmth was relaxing, though it began to grow in intensity, slowly becoming uncomfortable. "A... gift?" he managed as a tingling sensation spread up through his shoulder and into his chest.

She glanced at him again. "The better for you to protect my daughter..." Her grip on his arm tightened. "Sesshoumaru, I will not deceive you -- this is going to hurt." Aphrodite's right hand grew almost unbearably hot as it held on tightly to his upper arm. A soft light began to emanate from his shoulder, and was growing brighter.

He stared at the goddess, somehow managing to find sarcasm in the midst of the display. "I managed to survive its initial removal." He grit his teeth suddenly as the tingling sensation intensified, feeling as if hundreds -- thousands -- of tiny knives were moving through him.

"Be that as it may," she murmured, bringing her left hand to his chest, hovering over his heart for a moment, locating his life force, "in this case, nothing worth having is ever easy. Cutting flesh off is one thing. Growing back bone, skin, and muscle is another thing all together." A faint white light started to glow from her left hand as tiny sparks leapt from the youkai's chest to the goddess' hand and back again.

Sesshoumaru found that he could only nod, wrapped up in the sensation. Her touch had grown incredibly hot, the heat radiating inside him as well as over his skin. Heat tore through his body, clutching at his lungs, making each breath an effort.

The light grew brighter and, without a word of warning, Aphrodite shoved her hand into Sesshoumaru's chest as she gripped the stump as tightly as possible. For Sesshoumaru, the pain was instant and excruciating, making anything he had felt up until that point seem like mere discomfort. Instinct demanded he back away, but his legs had begun to buckle, unable to support his weight while withstanding this kind of torture. His head tilted back and, baring his teeth, he let out a hoarse howl of a scream until the tendons stood out on his neck. The light in the room grew to blinding proportions, but the youkai was unaware of anything beyond the agony he was undergoing.

He didn't realize the light had faded until Aphrodite had pulled away. Lightheaded and exhausted, he gaped at her. The goddess appeared somewhat pale and drawn, and a faint sheen had broken out on her brow. Once she had backed away from him, he sat suddenly and stared at her in disbelief as she gingerly lowered herself to a cushion, breathing heavily. After a few seconds, he looked down, sensing a strange presence in his lap.

It was a left hand. A left hand that was a perfect match to the right one, attached to an arm, which was attached to his body. It was warm and alive -- it was his. He flexed his fingers experimentally.

Aphrodite inhaled shakily. "Protect her well."

"I will," he answered, his voice soft. "Thank you," he said gravely.

"You are quite welcome," she said. After a few seconds, she got to her feet again. The color had already started to return to her features and she seemed slightly less wobbly. She glanced down at the youkai who was still kneeling on the cushion, watching her intently. "Yes?"

Sesshoumaru stood carefully, unable to ignore the strange familiarity of an arm that was his own and not a dead replacement. "When I see your daughter again, is there something you'd like me to tell her?"

The goddess looked away for a second. "Tell her that what I did, I did for her benefit. And though Poseidon has behaved foolishly, I will not abandon her so. Not again."

He nodded. "I will tell her." There was a beat of silence during which Sesshoumaru reached out and grasped the goddess' hand with his own, new one. "Again, thank you." He held the hand, bowing over it.

Aphrodite nodded slowly. "Again, you are welcome." She gave the hand a gentle squeeze. "I will return you to your companion. He's surely worried about you."

Sesshoumaru stood and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Certainly."

"Rest assured, he has not come to any harm in these lands. My creatures may be somewhat frivolous, but they are not mean-spirited."

A small smile flickered across his features. "I am familiar with creatures of that nature." He allowed the goddess to link her arm through his, guiding him through the labyrinthine corridors. They paused a moment before an expansive veranda that overlooked a polished, gleaming world of columned, white marble buildings. Everything appeared to have a soft glow about it from the green grass to the azure sky -- the colors seemed too vibrant to be real.

She nodded in the direction of the world beyond the window. "Olympus," she stated simply. "Most gods would say there is nothing so beautiful as this world."

"It is lovely, but... I find I prefer my own lands," he replied. The sight was most certainly lovely, but Sesshoumaru found that it was lacking.

"That is understandable," she murmured. "You know, I do not believe Teles ever truly desired to return here."

The youkai lord glanced at her. "I do not know what she desired." The truth of his own words surprised him. He truly did not know what she had desired, only that she was in his lands and that she was his -- no one else's. If that meant she belonged in his lands, then so be it. But he never thought about the world she'd been cast from, the world she had sacrificed for him. He looked at it again and tried to imagine her here -- calling this world home. Strangely, he couldn't.

Aphrodite gave a dry chuckle. "You don't? It seems to me that, of all people, you would."

He sighed a bit. "It all happened very quickly."

"Yes, I know." She kept her eyes on the buildings of Olympus, not looking at Sesshoumaru. "You must realize, it will not be an easy task. Progress will be slow, and it will be painful, and it will at times seem like more trouble than it is worth."

"I do not know how to cope with humans. My only exposure is to a child."

Aphrodite turned to face him, glancing down at the new appendage. "I warned you that it would be painful, did I not?"

Dawning comprehension slid down his spine. "Ah, yes. I believe I understand."

She nodded. "The pain will not be limited to the physical, and it will not be exclusively yours or hers. You must decide for yourself whether this venture will be worth the pain it causes."

His response was spoken quietly. "She's my mate. She carries my child."

"Then any pain will be worth enduring."

"I hope so."

Smiling suddenly, Aphrodite patted his hand reassuringly. "She will adjust. And after she has adjusted, she will see that the life she's been given does not pale in comparison to the life she once lived." The demon nodded wordlessly. A knowing smile curled her lips. "Whatever you may fear, she will not leave you, Demon Lord Sesshoumaru. You may trust my authority on that." She saw the relief on his features as he closed his eyes for a moment. Ah, youkai, you have a long way to go still. You needn't relax yet. She slowly turned him about and led him back to the portico.

They strolled through the glade, back to where Sesshoumaru had left Jaken earlier. The half-dressed beings had not abandoned their amorous pursuits at all during their absence. Sesshoumaru glanced at the goddess, who took no notice of the activity. He shook his head in bemusement.

Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Aphrodite asked, "Is there a problem?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I find this disporting to be rather... unnerving."

"Ah," she said, suppressing a smile. "They are some of my favored devotees."

"I prefer privacy," he replied, somewhat stiffly.

"Yes, I know."

He stopped suddenly, looking at her with an expression of pure, unadulterated horror.

The goddess noted his expression and stared at him blandly. "Sesshoumaru, there is very little about love and all its sport that I don't know about." He looked away, staring straight ahead, his features scarlet. Aphrodite glanced up at him again. "I fear I've embarrassed you..."

"I am simply not in the habit of discussing my private life."

She cleared her throat and looked away, hiding her grin. "Yes, of course..." Her steps slowed and finally stopped. "Beyond the glade is a copse of trees. If you go through there, you'll exit this world and return to where you started." Her attention drifted to the far edge of the glade where two centaurs were galloping madly around Jaken, tossing his staff between them. The short youkai waved his arms in frustration, trying to retrieve the staff from the two larger, faster creatures.

Sesshoumaru sighed at the sight. "I leave you then. My vassal... requires my assistance." He paused for a second. "Thank you, lady. I..." he hesitated. "I do not know if I will ever see you again."

"You are more than welcome, Lord Sesshoumaru. As for seeing me again..." she trailed off, shrugging. "You might. I would not rule out the possibility completely."

He nodded once. "Farewell then."

"Good luck." You'll need it.