The three descended near the outskirts of Epithmia, in Roma, the city of love. Since the Mors’s influence stretched far and wide across Epithmia, the city became the dejalls territory. Although the deities in Olypias held great influence, they could not have it stretch into Epithmia’s borders. Thus, descending upon the immoral city was impossible. Roma on the other hand was situated not far from Epithmia, and due to the illustrious happenings of the town it was not hard to understand why they were so close beside each other. Although Roma did not fall to the power of Mors, it was still known to house several of the dejalls followers. Roma could not fall into the hand of Mors due to it being the domain of Venus, the goddess of love, affection, and beauty. Venus stood as the pillar of worship with a tight grasp upon the city of illustrious desires.

Anahit, Tir, and Aries passed through the lively city, walking through swarms of people going about their day. Anahit had opted for a duller appearance, wearing her long white and gold robes, allowing for her hair to freely flow. A set of marble white arrows and bow was hanging across her back. Tir seemed in the appearance of a scholar, adorned with a teal flowing robe and a band stretching across the length of his forehead. His hair was tied back in a neat bun, concealing most of his wild curls. A lyre hung at his hips, swaying with him as he maneuvered the busy street. Aries was the only one remaining threatening in his appearance. As they passed many onlookers gazed upon his domineering frame in awe. Several ladies that they passed seemed to blush and look away from him.

The deities turned into the part of the city where many bustling shops thrived, Anahit remained on high alert. While Aries held a very close relationship with the goddess, Anahit found herself at odds with Venus every time they spoke. While her friendship with Aries was strictly one born of interest in discussing war strategies and historical reigns of terror, Anahit still found herself a target of Venus’s jealousy. It also did not help that Anahit ruled over and fulfilled prayers for fertility, which was closely tied to the lovesick prayers Venus handled.

As they passed one of the stalls a woman fit and pretty wearing a velvety blush pink robe stopped them. She bent over her stall in an alluring manner, fluttering her long eyelashes as she did it. “I say my items are the highest quality. There are many potions and oils I am willing to sell to you all for a lower price. Would you like to try them?”

Aries seemed to stop in his tracks gazing at the woman. After taking her in he sauntered over, leaning on the table. “Oh? And what does a beautiful woman such as yourself have to offer? Any specific oils I should be trying?”

Anahit gazed at the woman behind the stall and couldn’t help but feel like she recognized her. She’s rather gorgeous. The woman had flowing blonde hair; a trend in this area due to Venus’s appearance, and a thin waist. Too pretty! How is someone like this here selling products? Anahit pondered.

“Well, I have a range of remedies for any ills. The most popular oils I have here are the scent of lavender and cardamom. Would you like to try?” Her voice was sweet to the ears. With one swell swoop she brought two of the oils out and motioned for Aries arm. Grasping it delicately she dribbled some of each on his arm.

Aries was leaning further over, making eye contact with the woman as he did. With a mischievous grin he asked, “Is my lady not going to rub it in for me?” The woman smiled back and went ahead and rubbed in the oils. They were well made. The scent of the two wafted in the air, enveloping those close by.

“And how is it?” The woman asked.

“I rather like it.” Aries stated, not breaking eye contact.

Anahit felt like she was about to puke. The sight of the two exchanging flirtations was nauseating. With an eye role she interjected. “Are you going to buy something? Might I remind you that we are somewhat on a tight schedule.”

Aries waved his hand at her and continued charming the lady. “And what are these over here?” he asked, picking up a faint indigo vial.

“Ah, that is our special aphrodisiac, blessed by Venus herself,” the woman said with a wink.

“Oh? Well, I would buy it if I could put it to good use…” Implications were behind every word. Anahit lowered her head to her hand, embarrassed to even look at the two. Shameless! Utterly shameless! We’ve barely made our way through Roma and you’re already flirting! It’s Venus’s territory! No wonder she has jealousy issues…

“My, my, my is my lord flirting with me?”

Anahit looked up from her hand. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but that phrase reminded her of only one person. She quickly glanced at Tir who was now clenching his jaw. “My lord? Why how assuming,” she stated, walking over to the woman.

“Hm? Did I say that? I don’t recall suddenly?” The woman countered mischievously.

Anahit ignored this and pressed on. “And is there any way my lady would sell me a vial too?” Aries was alarmed at this, looking over at the goddess.

“Oh? Why would I not. I sell to many.”

The woman said looking towards Anahit, fluttering her long eyelashes. “Hmm…” Anahit was enjoying herself. It seemed that Aries of course did not recognize the person in front of them, so she played along with their schemes. “If that is so then I also find myself in a predicament.” Taking the woman’s hair in her hands, Anahit twirled it slightly. “What do you say?”

Aries was absolutely startled. Not only was his friend, a goddess known to practice celibacy flirting in front of him, snubbing him of his target, but she was flirting with another woman! He could barely make sentences at this point. Although he had heard of such partnerships, he never thought it would happen in front of him with the woman he was attempting to woo at that! Anahit could barely hold it in. She thought she would collapse in a fit of laughter.

The woman chuckled lightly. “How did Ana know it was me?” The voice of the woman was now lower and that of a young man’s voice. “I even spent extra time on this disguise.” He pouted at Anahit.

Anahit laughed gleefully. “You almost had me fooled Eros if you weren’t so obvious with ‘my lord’.”

The woman before them changed ever so slightly. The blonde hair remained but only shank, going from long flowing hair to a short cut at the ears, curly at the ends. The features of the woman’s became those of a man, though still soft and pretty in appearance. Every time Anahit looked upon Eros she found herself wondering how someone masculine could appear so beautiful. Eros’s eyes looked like his mother, Venus’s, a deep blue, the same as a raging ocean. His body shifted too. With strong shoulders and a taller frame, he now stood above Anahit in height. The person before Anahit, Aries, and Tir now transformed into the demi-god Eros.

“You!” Aries said. His face shifted from pale to a blanched red, back to pale in matter of seconds. “Y-Y-Y-You… What do you think you’re doing!” He said, covering his chest with his hands.

“Having fun? What else does it look like?” Eros raised their eyebrow at Aries grinning widely. “What did you think I was trying to do?” Eros shook their head, looking Aries up and down briefly. “Disappointed?”

Aries was angry. The corners of his eyes were reddened, and a look of anger now took up his face. “Of course not! I knew it was you… I was just playing along.”

The demigod snickered at this and leaned forward towards Aries. “Is that being you call ‘playing along’? It looked to me that you wanted to do more to me than just buy my products-”

“Enough.” Tir said roughly. Seeing that Tir was present Eros straightened his back, shifting his eyes to the floor. “We need to keep moving before nightfall.” Tir was beginning to walk away from the group. Aries quickly followed, not wanting to make further eye contact with Eros.

Anahit turned to Eros asking, “How did you know we were here in Roma?”

Eros shrugged while answering, “Why would I not? Mercury informed Venus and I since we did not attend the meeting.”

The goddess now recalled not seeing the two of them earlier. Not waiting for her to ask further questions, Eros continued. “Venus and I were tending to Typhoeus for the last four days. We just came back only to be hurdled with the dealings in Epithmia.”

“Typhoeus?!”

Eros nodded. “The beast had been raging in the rivers of Syria causing the locals to not fish for weeks. It had created a vast water vortex in multiple locations in the river. No one could fish lest they get swallowed whole. We had received orders from Nane to destroy it.”

“How did it go?”

“As you know our abilities are not anything like the war gods, let alone other gods who wield weapons.” He quickly glanced in Tir’s direction, who seemed to be completely unbothered by the tale. “We turned ourselves into fish, leading the beast out of Syria and entrapping it. Venus put Typhoeus under a spell. Now it remains undestroyed but in a subdued slumber.” Eros shook his head, seeming disappointed. “We were unable to do anything… only put it to sleep.”

Tir now seemed to perk up letting out a snort. “It’s not the first time you were unsuccessful at an assignment.” Eros’s body went stiff, and his eyes and ears seemed to redden in embarrassment.

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Anahit looked startled at this comment. The event with Daphne was more than 1000 years ago and yet Tir still found himself upset at Eros. Anahit could never understand why exactly Tir still hated Eros, it is not like Eros had any control over his assignments. He is completely at the whim of his mother Venus.

Eros awkwardly turned to Anahit. Raising their arm to the back of their forehead, they scratched absentmindedly. “I am glad to see Ana again though. I have missed you these past weeks. I just kept on thinking of how you would react to Typhoeus.”

Aries turned at this and resolutely snorted. “She would destroy it in one swell sweep. Honestly, I don’t understand Nane sometimes. Sending you two to deal with that monster. Venus and you have always been the ones to deal with politics.”

Tir gave a brief “hmph” at this comment.

“Hmm well Venus and I have fought in many of wars too you know… Our methods just differ from yours or Anahit’s. They are more…” Eros seemed to be searching for a word when Tir interjected.

“Meddlesome.”

Eros wanted to counter Tir’s comment but did not want to be at odds with the god. Anahit on the other hand seized the chance. “And you Tir, you were never meddlesome? I seem to recall you did a lot of scheming with Pythia back in the day.”

Tir did not look back at his sister and only shrugged at her comment. “The fates were all meddlesome, how was I any special with my lessons with Pythia.”

Although Anahit could not see his face, she had felt that he was glowering. “See, See! Ignore my brother Eros. He can be so insincere at times.” Tir did not respond but Anahit felt her twin role his eyes at her comment.

The four walked down the busy streets of Roma. Even at Anahit’s insistent protests the four decided to drop by and visit Venus. The temple that stood before them was grand. Marble was carved out expertly to make an arch at the entrance. On either side of the entrance were potted ferns, giving the temple a classic look. As they came to the steps of a huge temple a figure emerged from behind one of the pillars.

“I take it my lords enjoyed the livelihood of Roma?”

Aries muttered profanities at this comment. Although Anahit could not make out all that he said she could briefly guess that it had something to do with Eros’s disguise.

“Very much so. We are thankful to be witnesses to such a grand city, Mercury.”

Mercury stepped out in a confident manner. His face was bright, with a hint of arrogance. “Well, I am glad to hear it. I had debriefed Venus and Eros of the meetings details-- of course, I had assumed you all would be making an appearance since Roma is so close to Epithmia.”

The four followed Mercury into a grand hall of the temple. Elegantly cascading tapestries depicting the birth of Venus, as she rose from the sea foam in the waters of Cyprus, lined the walls. The long elegant blonde curls weaved onto every crevice of her perfectly carved out body. Her hands stood palm out while her face looked to the heavens. As the four deities walked down the long hall of the temple each of the tapestries shifted. As Anahit admired each of them, she noted the details sown into the fabric; the vibrant colors that jumped out of these drapes. The last tapestry showed Venus, risen out the waters of Cyprus, stepping foot on the island. The people of the island kneeling out in awe and amazement at her commanding figure.

Anahit recalled the original origins of the goddess of love, as she was a poor merchant’s daughter in the city of Cyprus. Her lower-class background had apparently earned her a lot of disdain and derision in the upper and lower courts of Olypias. A king from a neighboring kingdom had visited Cyprus and beheld her beauty. She became a part of his harem and had lived a year fulfilling such a role. Rumors and whispers spread that her disdain for the king grew over the year due to her being much younger than her lord. Other rumors spun the tail that she had fallen in love with the king’s son. Either tale had the same ending, she betrayed the kingdom, slit of king’s throat, and sailed back to Cyprus. As she crossed the borders of Cyprus her vessel got a leak. Although she attempted to flee from the ship she was still too far from the coast of the island. Thus, Venus had drowned right there amidst the raging water of Cyprus, inches away from her freedom. It was further stated that Nane took pity on Venus at that moment. In Venus’s last breath Nane had spilt a drop of her immortal blood into the depths of the waves. The gold blood trinkled down the depths of the water, dancing along the ripples in the ocean creating an abnormal mountain of sea foam. So, Venus sunk into the depths of the deep and arose as a goddess.

The gods came to the end of the great hall. Grand doors embellished in specks of gold seemed to call them into the room beyond it. As Anahit entered the room before her, her nose was attacked by the strong scents of cardamom and lavender, of lilies and poppies. These scents seemed to paint the room around them, overwhelmingly alluring to the deities. Anahit and the others crossed the threshold of the entrance and beheld a woman, draped in velvety robes of gold and purple, spread across a long recliner, her arm laying lazily across her hips. Her golden locks cascaded past her nape and flowed like a river onto the chair. Venus. Anahit thought with anticipation.

“I welcome my highnesses,” Venus said with her soft, tempting voice. “Roma is beautiful is it not? I had Eros peruse the streets for you. It looks like he succeeded.” Venus then gestured to the servants in the room, motioning for them to bring in an assortment of food. Around the goddess was a selection of cushions and seats, velvety and silky to the touch. “Come, sit. It would be quite rude to have you all stand before me. The deities and demigod went to take a seat, Aries being the one closest to Venus. “I have a wide variety of foods. Please, eat. The servants worked diligently to provide such a feast for my highnesses to energize them on their journey.” The servants who had previously been sent to grab the feast were now laying out a platter of grapes, olives, various cheeses, chicken, and bread on a table stationed neatly at the center of them.

“Venus is too kind.” Aries said, lowering his head towards the goddess.

“It is nothing.” Venus waved away the gesture and then took Aries hand. “But I have to say I am hurt Aries.”

Anahit, Tir, and Eros awkwardly looked at each other. Is it that she already knows what took place only moments before between Eros and Aries? Anahit thought. Impossible. The goddess doesn’t have eyes all throughout Roma, does she?

Aries shifted in his seat, visibly uncomfortable. “Whatever do you mean amor? What has your Aries done?”

Venus sighed and took the hand that was holding Aries to her forehead and leaned back. “I have been so awfully bored. You did not visit me after my trials with Typhoeus. That pained me a great deal.”

Aries seemed to let out an audible sigh and leaned towards the goddess. Reaching for her he said in a low voice, “I am sorry Venus. I had meant to but the dealings in my home country took precedence. Although, my thoughts of you never ceased for a second. The thoughts of you in my arms brought me great comfort, even with the stresses of war.”

Anahit thought she would vomit. They were in their own bubble, completely unaware of the others there. As she took in the room around her, she noticed that Mercury had vanished. Typical. She thought to herself. He was only the messenger after all. She then turned to the plate of food before her and reached for the wine.

“Ah I see you have good taste Anahit.” Venus said, finally breaking away from the flirtations of Aries. “That in Cadus Vinum, brewed right here from my gardens. Very popular here in Roma. It pairs well with panis quadratus.” Venus then got up from her seat and walked towards the table. Reaching for the bread she broke a piece off and gave it to Anahit.

“Your highness, I could have gotten it myself.” Anahit said, flustered.

“Nonsense, you are my guest Anahit.” The goddess took her seat once again. “Your journey, it will be tasking. We’ve had our disagreements, but Epithmia and that vile beast has been pest for me and my people for far too long. I am glad to see finally that Nane is doing something about it.”

“I’m sure it has been quite annoying to share territories which Mors.” Anahit replied. “But is it not also beneficial? You do get a transit of people constantly throughout Roma.”

Venus scrunched up her nose at this comment. “Nonsense, Roma remains to be a place for such people but that does not mean they aren’t distasteful. Ruffians, criminals, beggars, and the like, addicts, and gamblers. Those are all that travel from Epithmia into my domain. Retched, pathetic things, just like their “god.” She huffed out a disdainful sigh. “I would be lying if I said that business wasn’t booming without the help of Scarlet Death and her citizens, but it still is distasteful. It seems that more crime has spread in my streets because of the dejalls followers. Even my sweet Eros got harmed by one.”

Eros, who seemed to be snuggled up against a cushion rolled his eyes at his mother. “It was nothing really, just a mere scuffle with a drunkard.”

Venus tutted at her son’s comment. “And yet you ended up with a bruise across your cheek.” She then turned back to the party. “I had ordered Mercury to go to Epithmia a while back to try and work out a treaty between Mors and I, but it came to no avail.”

Tir shifted next to Anahit and quickly interjected. “I’d hate to interrupt your highness but there is still daylight. It would be wise to wrap this up quickly. We still must make the journey into Epithmia. It would be unwise, especially with the knowledge of Mors’ followers being so violent to avoid travel in the city in the dark.”

A stone statue, completely impassable. Anahit thought. “Of course, my brother Tir also means to add that we are greatly appreciative of the hospitality provided by Venus. It has been a pleasure to experience Roma.”

Venus smiled slightly, appearing amused. “Of course, I did not mean to keep you all too long. Oh, and Eros?” The goddess stood as she said all this. “Why not be a dear and accompany them. Show them the route I showed you a while back. There is less of a chance of encountering anything going that way.”

“That is unnecessary.” Tir said, standing up, sitting himself closer to the door.

“I agree!” Eros stated, not daring to look in Tir’s direction. “There is still work to be done here Venus. I have no reason to leave now.”

Tir’s placid expression briefly glanced over Eros before continuing. “Nane specifically sent us three to journey to Epithmia. Having Eros would just hinder us.”

Anahit stood awkwardly and gazed at Eros who was fidgeting in his seat. She noticed that the word “hinder” had caused his eyebrow to slightly twitch. She was about to interject when Venus cut her off. “I think it would be beneficial to have Eros as your guide, in fact I have already cleared it with Nane earlier. Mercury is so swift on his feet is he not?” Venus appeared smug with this statement. Now standing with her arms crossed, she stared down Tir. “Besides, you all do not know the area or Roma and Epithmia like Eros. Especially given that you already drew attention to yourselves when you entered my city attests to that fact.”

Anahit perked up with this statement. She knew about Aries flirting with Eros. How terrifying. Venus continued. “Eros is the perfect tool. He can go in and out of places completely undetected and distract those in sticky situations when necessary. I am quite shocked Tir, given your intelligence and wisdom, I thought you would have found the idea agreeable to begin with, especially given you two and your history.” A sinister smirk appeared on her face.

“Mother!” Eros said. Sitting straight up he was now clenching the cushion beside him, slightly shaking. Venus waved him off and continued to stare daggers at Tir.

Anahit could see the situation was quickly going downhill and interjected. “It would be wonderful for Eros to show us the way into Epithmia. We have never been and given Eros’s people skills he would be a great help to us, right Tir.” Anahit glared in her stubborn brother’s direction.

His fist clenched and unclenched as he replied to Venus. “I suppose it would be fine, especially if Nane gave her blessings. We are in your care Eros.” He turned to the door and excused himself from the room. Anahit noticed her brother seemed to struggle with that last line.

The deities said their goodbyes to the goddess and quickly caught up to the steaming god Tir. As they passed by the great hall and back into the glimmering streets of Roma, Anahit glanced down at her hand. In her palm lay a vial of shimmering liquid. Despite their disdain for one another, Venus had gifted her the vial. Freshly brewed, strongly made lethagus, the very sleeping drug used on Typheous. She glanced at the vial once more before stuffing it into her robe pocket.