Aphrodite and Hephaestus

Before Persephone and Hades, there was . . .

APHRODITE AND HEPHAESTUS

THE GODDESS OF BEAUTY

The moment I come into existence, I'm a new toy in a mountain of bored gods. The god of war marks me as a conquest; others see me as theirs to use and touch. I have a purpose: to spread beauty and love to the mortals we watch over. But how can I do that when I'm cursed to be the ultimate prize?

So I run. Straight into him.

The only god who hasn't claimed me. The only one I want to.

THE GOD OF CRAFTSMANSHIP

My siblings destroy anything new. I will not let them touch her.

This goddess makes it too easy to forget that my family was right to ostracize me to the darkness of my forge. Even though someone as perfect as her shouldn't love a beast like me, she is beauty, and I am skill, and our collision is inevitable.

Together, we do the impossible: create love in this mountain of greed.

But anything new on Olympus is a target.

And now, we aren't just gods.

We are a threat.