And the Hours in their golden diadems
received her with joy,
clothed in her ambrosial garments,
and placed a well-wrought crown, beautiful and golden,
on her immortal head
and flowers of copper and precious gold
in the pierced lobes of her ears.
-Unknown

I was born in a most unusual way. When Cronus castrated his father Uranus, he threw his genitals down into the sea. As they hit the water, my existence became assured. I rose from the sea fully formed, soon after taking my rightful place in the pantheon of Greece. I have since been the goddess of beauty and love, two areas in which no other is my equal. I have spent my existence aiding those in love, and even those who did not realize that they were in love until my intervention. Being what I am, I must admit to having one small failing, if you wish to be so harsh as to call it that.. I find that I fall in love quite easily myself. I have fallen in love with both god and mortal, I find that attractive men are always catching my eye and attention. The most notable of these times was with my beloved Adonis, a mortal who caught Persephone’s eye as well. I loved him dearly, it was one of the most difficult times in my existence when he was gored by a boar and killed. I shall always treasure the anemone flower, for when my beloved died, his blood begat these precious flowers.

With one sharp-taken breath,
By sunlit branches and unshaken flower,
The immortal limbs flashed to the human lover,
And the immortal eyes to look on death.
-Unknown

There have been others, of course. Of my immortal lovers, Ares is the one to whom I have the closest bond. We have had many good times together, and share children. My husband is Hephaestus, to whom I was promised by Zeus. He chides me for my love for Ares, having discovered our secret one day. He fashioned a net to place above our bed and made as though he were leaving. As Ares and I began to fulfill our passion, the net fell upon us and we could not move. He would not release us until it was promised that Ares would be punished, which was finally agreed upon. I must admit to feeling more than a little put out by this. I must be who I am, and to tie me to one man is just not right.

Torches are made to light, jewels to wear,
Dainties to taste, fresh beauty for the use,
Herbs for their smell, and sappy plants to bear;
Things growing to themselves are growth’s abuse;
Seeds spring from seeds, and beauty breedeth beauty;
Thou wast begot; to get it is they duty.
-Unknown

But on to other topics. Although I’m quite sure that I could command the interest of most people with the stories that I could tell. But I am now going to switch to times that have come more recently. I have watched with great interest many of the happenings that have occurred. I have felt many things, from amusement to anger. There are those that have toyed with my area of power and this does not please me. I have proven myself to some during times in which I have been appealed, and I shall continue to do so. And it might just amuse me to do so without an appeal. I even went so far as to grant one of those very handsome princes from Tandraia immortality so that he could spend it with his vampiric wife. Those princes... ah, they really are very impressive. They share their father’s attractiveness, such a family is quite a blessing to the eyes of all who look upon them. There are so many very handsome men now to gaze upon in wonder. One in particular.. ah, but he is taken, and I cannot bring myself to interfere with such deep love. But he is a wonder to gaze upon. I should make sure to meet him personally someday soon. I am quite sure that in person he shall be even more awe inspiring. But to finish this, I merely want to say that I shall be taking a hand in this from now on when any attempt to interfere in my realms of power. I am not above forcing some emotion on a person who does not exhibit it to make a point. For you see, I have power over more than just love, I have power over emotions of all sorts. And I must admit, it can be very amusing to manipulate them. Although I would never do so unduly or with too great a frequency, such things can be misused and I will not allow myself to engage in such activities. But rest assured.. my point shall be made.

When she had passed, it seemed like the ceasing of exquisite music.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Under the depth of the wave,
Hearing their passionate numbers,
Piercing her innermost cave,
Waken her out of her slumbers,
Soothed with the sound of their strain,
Beautiful, merciful, mighty,
Back to the nations again
Comes Aphrodite.
-Grant Allen