Chapter One
Encounter of the Goddess kind...
Psyche had an interesting life, as a princess she had spent most her time going for long walks admiring the life style or just hanging out with her sisters in the castle. They had fun going to parties and just being typical princess’. It wasn’t until Psyche had reached her late teens she realised she was getting much more attention than usual over her sisters and she didn’t know why. She got offerings left at her door and
among other luxuries that only a Goddess would receive, not a princess offerings but Goddess’ offerings, her father had often assured her it was just suitors basically trying to suck up to marry her.
Psyche had tried to tell them she wasn’t interested and just wanted to live her life, but nothing seemed to work, they kept coming back and even began to worship her and ask her for love advice. Her, what did she know about love? She knew it wasn’t her department, it was Aphrodite’s department. Psyche had respect for the Goddess and knew all the stories behind her and her numerous affairs with most of the other male Gods, Psyche had noted Aphrodite had kept the hell away from Hades. Psyche didn’t blame her, that blue flaming hair, sharp pointy teeth and yellow eyes were enough to scare anyone away Goddess or not. Psyche hadn’t thought much on the Gods at all she
held them in respect but so long as they kept their meddling hands out o f her life, she paid them their annual respects at the temples.
But something was different this year, When Psyche went to leave the castle, she found flowers, love heart shaped rocks and everything you would find in Aphrodite’s temple stacked up against the gate, Psyche looked round to find the source, was she being set up? She knew the Goddess would be mad at loosing all her offerings.
Psyche never acknowledged her true beauty, people had told her she was as beautiful as a Goddess, some even dared to say more, but she never paid it any attention, and lately, where ever she went she gained attention even from the most faithfulest of men
to her as she passed by, it was very uncomforting and the women hated her for it, but couldn’t help but admire her. But her sister’s loved it they told her to flaunt what she got, Psyche had done so once and from that day onwards she had been treated as a Goddess. Looking at all these offering Psyche knew nothing good could come of it, she would have to make them realise she was not a Goddess, she was mortal like they
were and she had to do it soon, before Aphrodite realised she had lost most her offerings to her. But where to start Psyche wasn’t good at that, she looked at the offerings and she sighed heavily. Maybe if she borrowed a wagon and took all this to Aphrodite’s temple before the Goddess realised then everything would be okay, then Psyche could have a year to let everyone know she wasn’t a Goddess... it seemed like
a plan but was it a good one?
“Beauty can be a curse.” She mumbled as she loaded the wagon up with all the offerings, she then drove the cart towards Aphrodite’s temple but having to go
through town she knew she’d attract more attention. And sure enough as she passed through the township, even the women were looking at her. Psyche hurried up and made it to the temple he began unloading the contents of the cart in to the temple.
Once she had finished she sighed. and she took a small love heart brooch her mother had given her for her sixteenth birthday and she placed the brooch on the altar at the bottom of a giant statue. Psyche then took her leave hurriedly.
The statue then swirled to life with spirals of love hearts appearing giving out the well known Goddess tune, much like a hostess of a game show...
“Aphrodiiiite, Aphrodiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess ooooooof loooooooove.”
Aphrodite picked up the love heart shaped brooch, and she looked out the door. “Oh how cute.” She clipped the brooch on to her own dress and looked at it admiring the bright colors. “I might have to thank this mortal.” Aphrodite nodded to herself.
and then in the sing song voice that introduced her she transformed back to a statue.
"Aphrodiiiite, Aphrodiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess of love..."
Psyche made her way back in to her home and she looked at her sisters sitting at the table. They were whispering among themselves and looked up as Psyche walked in.
Psyche raises a questioning eyebrow, she was the youngest of thee and sometimes wondered why they often included her out of their conversations, for part of it Psyche knew they were gossiping about the latest hunk who had come to their door in order to see the mortal competition of Aphrodite’s beauty, and probably ask for her hand in marriage. This time Psyche’s eyes caught sitting on the table a large bouquet of
flowers. She looked at it, then at her sisters.
“So who’s that for?” She asked knowing quite well the answer, her older sister rolled her eyes and looked at her.
“The mortal Aphrodite who else, read the card.” She remarked.
Psyche wasn’t sure if she picked up a hint of jealousy in her sister’s voice or not, but neither the less she walked over and read the card, She growled annoyed at the title she had been given.
“To the MORTAL APHRODITE?!?!?!” She exclaimed, in fury she threw the flowers out the windows in anger.
Her sisters looked at her. “But you should of seen him, tall dark handsome, he’d give Hercules a run for his money.” The younger one replied.
“Boys! Is that all you think about?” She remarked angrily.
The sisters giggled.
Psyche ran out of the castle in anger she speed past the guards and stopped dead to see a large statue that looked just like her staring at her, in the mist of a fountain.
“Where did that come from?” She remarked.
Yet again there was a card attached, Psyche walked over and took it in her hand fearful to read it. But she did and she sighed.
“To our mortal love Goddess...” It read. Psyche looked in to the water at her reflection, she looked nothing like a Goddess.
“Who are you people?!?!?!” She exclaimed shouting it out. “I’m not Aphrodite!!! Leave me be!!!”
Psyche fell to her knees crying. At first it had been flattering to receive gift after gift and offering after offering, but when the poor women had come
to her offering all they had for her advice on love, Psyche couldn’t take it. She had no advice for them and most of them had used up most their money to travel to see her.
Psyche had all pointed them to Aphrodite’s temple, but they didn’t want to de al with her, “A Goddess as arrogant as that doesn’t acknowledge us, we want advice form a living version.” Most of them had replied that, or round about the same thing.
This had been going on for two years now, Psyche was surprised Aphrodite hadn’t caught on otherwise, she would be in for something serious. Psyche hadn’t known
love at all, how was she suppose do this. Psyche sat at the base of the fountain and she looked at the other offerings that had appeared since she had last gone. The fountain would of taken ages to get there, but how they actually got the water to go was one
thing, but how come she didn’t notice it until she was back outside was another.
Aphrodite suddenly appeared in front of the young girl. Wearing the brooch Psyche had left for her, Psyche immediately leapt to her feet.
“Aphrodiiiiite, Aphrodiiiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess of love....” magickal voices sung.
Aphrodite waved her hand around knocking one of the hearts away.
“Alright alright... like cute that out.” The heart went flying and smacked up against a tree, Psyche blinked and looks at the heart as it slide down the tree in a moan.
“Boy problems?” Aphrodite asked, “Oh and I just like love this brooch where’d you get it?” She added.
Psyche smiled nervously. “Um it was a present from my mother for my sixteenth.”
“That’s a personal gift, how lovely but I just can’t accept it.” Aphrodite goes to take it off, Psyche shook her head.
“No keep it please.” Psyche remarked.
Aphrodite looked at her. “Oh um... like thanks... anywho you seem bugged by something like um anything I can do to help?”
Psyche looked at Aphrodite. “Well yeah actually can you stop guys from bugging me and leaving me gifts. I’m the youngest of three, my father is king here, rightfully my sister’s should be married before me.” Psyche remarked keeping off the real topic of
her problems she would mention it but not right away.
Aphrodite looked up at the castle and she had a look of pure concentration on her face like she was thinking.
Psyche looked at Aphrodite, suddenly Aphrodite stopped and looked at her.
“Ummm... Okay.” Was all she replied.
Psyche suddenly noticed the two of them were getting looked at by all the guards.
Aphrodite smiled waved and blew them a kiss. The guards fell over in pure shock that she had acknowledged them.
“So you want no more botherings? What are like these guys hideously ugly, cause like um if they are even they deserve some type of love.” Aphrodite finally spoke up.
Psyche shook her head. “No it’s just they think I’m you.”
Aphrodite looked at Psyche and blinked. “They like think you’re me? How? Like look at you? You like look, nothing like me.” Aphrodite replied.
Psyche shrugged. “I don’t know but I left you that brooch because I put the offerings I got in your temple, if you read the scrolls you’ll see.” She explained with a sigh, hoping that Aphrodite wouldn’t be angry with her. Aphrodite stood in silence for a moment and Psyche was almost overwhelm with fear,
Aphrodite herself had these tempers, little fits that caused mortal to panic, Psyche herself had heard they made some of the their Gods drool.
Psyche opened her mouth to speak but Aphrodite stopped her by putting her hand up.
“A hedge!” Aphrodite exclaimed.
“A what?” Psyche asked totally confused by the spontaneous remark.
“You like need a hedge, plus I think it’ll like look really good. Add a few flowers here and archway there, and it’ll be like really pretty.” Aphrodite remarked.
Psyche looked to the fence where faces were peering in and others leaving offerings.
Psyche looked at Aphrodite and she looked at the people then a Aphrodite again.
Aphrodite nodded agreeing with her self and waved a hand, suddenly a hedge grew and covered the fence stopping the faces from peering in, Aphrodite nodded again.
“Like there we go like now you’ll get no more unwanted visitors, in fact I like think I kinda over did it.” Aphrodite looks at the hedge which had grown bigger than the fence and over the gate.
“You like um, probably won’t get any visitors now. Sorry ‘bout that. But hey you like asked for it, and I’m like glad I could help, now I’ve like got to go, like um... other mortals need me.” And with that in pink spiral, hearts and sing-song voices she disappeared....
“Aphrodiiiite, Aphrodiiiiiite, Aphrodite... Goddess of love...”
Psyche looked at the hedge and she blinked and she shook her head and she walked back in to the castle shaking her head at her brief encounter with the Goddess of love.
Psyche’s father wasn’t to impressed with the hedge, he said it made him feel isolated from the people so he sent Psyche out the next day to find a gardener to trim the hedge, since all the guards for some reason were wandering round in a haze.
Psyche took a horse and she road in to town to find a gardener, once she reached the town she got of the horse and with a lead rope walked it in to the town where suddenly to her surprised rose petals were thrown at her feet, Psyche looked round at the people who threw them at her feet as she walked past them, she looked at the horse who just shrugged to the best ability that a horse could shrug.
“Please stop this I just want a gardener, don’t ruin your flowers for me.” She said.
The rose petals still came and Psyche sighed and hurriedly quickly to the garners. She tied her horse up outside and rushed in and shut the door hurriedly and she looked at the gardener. He looked at her and immediately went to bow thinking she was a Goddess but Psyche pulled him up angrily.
“Quit it would you?!” She snapped and gardener looked at her.
“Oh I’m sorry my mortal Aphrodite.” He remarked.
Psyche frowned and looked at him.
“The name’s Psyche and my father needs you to trim a hedge at our castle so he doesn’t feel so isolated from his people can you do that?” she asked.
The gardener bowed again this time it was more of a royal bow than one to a Goddess. He nodded.
“Anything for my king the father of such a beautiful woman
such as yourself.” He replied.
Psyche sighed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, look can you have it done before nightfall?”
“Of course princess Psyche.” He replied.
“Good.” Psyche replied and quickly left and untied her horse jumped on it’s back and rode out of town in a hurry as she past the town’s people more rose petal flew at her in worship, Psyche rode faster and finally reached the castle and rode inside the gate and gave the horse to a servant to take car of she walked in to the castle itself.
Aphrodite stood watching up from her cloud and she blinked in amazement. “What? How could those people like worship her? She’s just a princess, I’m a Goddess, I like deserve more credit.” Aphrodite remarked annoyed.
Aphrodite scowled annoyed, she wasn’t one to get angry and once she was, love was usually lost and it effected the people ruined marriages and broke-up relationships.
“Fine then like you don’t want anyone, I curse you Psyche, you like shall never find love within a mortal man!” Aphrodite announced. It instantly placed that curse upon the beautiful young woman’s shoulders.
To Be Continued...