Chapter 4:

Helios

My Lovely Deity


"Good morning, Aphrodite!" the unknown god called to me, waving enthusiastically with a bright grin on his face. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

I waved back, acting as though I knew who he was. 'Why couldn't you have at least told me the names of the people you interact with, Aphrodite? They'll surely figure out who I am soon!' I thought in a panic.

(That's what I'm for,) an unfamiliar voice replied in my mind. Then suddenly, the stranger disappeared along with the walls of my room, whisking me around to a heavenly plane away from reality. Standing in front of me was me, but my old body.

"Aphrodite? I thought when we swapped lives, you lost your powers. How are you here?" I asked.

"I'm not Aphrodite, dear. I'm the physical manifestation of the book Aphrodite gave you before she descended to the Mortal Realm. Remember?"

My memories wandered to the time when Aphrodite gave me a bundle of materials to help me carry out duties as the goddess of love, and a lightbulb appeared just as I recalled the large book. "I didn't know you could communicate like this."

"Well, it would be weird if you pulled out a book to read every time something was unfamiliar to you. Don't worry, I'll be here whenever you need help."

"But won't that god realize I'm gone?"

"You're not gone in the traditional sense, Yingyue. Time is frozen. And that god is Helios, the deity of the sun. The only person who would be able to break through the time barrier is Cronus and he's locked away in Tartarus."

Helios. So that was his name. "Is he friends with Aphrodite?"

"The gods of Olympus aren't really close friends in the mortal sense, but they are amicable with one another. Helios greets Aphrodite every morning after he finishes guiding the sun across the Mortal Realm. You don't have anything to worry about though. He's a friendly god."

It was a relief because Helios seemed like a nice person. No one had ever greeted me so brightly before. Anyone who met me always glared at me with disgust or disappointment. My heart warmed, thinking I found my first potential friend.

"If that's all you needed to know, I'll be returning you to reality now. We should keep these meetings short so as not to affect the flow of time. The Fates may become suspicious. And we can't have my Lady's mission be foiled before it begins!"

"Wait! How should I talk to him?"

The book frowned, it was strange seeing my own face contort into a scowl. "What do you mean? You talk to him as you would any normal human. Now, that's enough! Back you go!"

With a wave of her hand, I was sent back to my reality and time resumed. Helios began walking towards me, planning to speak more. My heart raced as I struggle to come up with things I could talk about to keep up the facade that I was Aphrodite.

My Lovely Deity


Wera Niyom
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