Where Is The Love

[Isolde]

OOC: This is a spin off of the thread that LavaGoddess is doing. I liked playing Aphrodite so much that my RL adopted (not leagally but who cares) brother agreed to enter his role as Hercules so that I could do a thread about her. Love Ya, Neale.

Also, if anyone wants to find a Herc char from the series and play they are more than welcome.

IC: Sweat was pouring down Hercule's sculpted figure. His tunic was torn and almost hanging off his body and blood welled from a couple of cuts on his chest. The sweat pouring into those cuts did nothing to ease Herc's discomfort.

The monster before him was a large toad like thing that had a tongue with a razor like edge and that was what had made the gashes. The creature's webbed and sticky feet clung to the rocks and bones that littered the ground in front of the cave as he lunged toward the demi god and then back into the shelter of the cave.

Goo hung from the giant mouth and his skin shone bright and slimy each time he came into the sun. Large crusty sores oozed puss and slime from them and the mixture sizzled upon the ground whereever it landed causing the earth to blacken and smoke.

As if this was not enough for the champion to worry about, the insistant droning behind him distracted him from his chore.

"Anyway, there Ares was raising a stink because of all his poor soldiers who would rather become lovers than fighters and really going on and on about that small war he had lost because of it. And Hades chips in because now he had a new influx of dead that he wasnt prepared for and they are all placing the blame on me when everyone knows that they started it by their stupid fight ruining my festival and....Herc, are you even listening?"

A giagantic sigh came from the heroe's lips as he tried to concentrate on the monster's next attack but Aphrodite's chatter had done it's damage. In a moment of distraction, Herc suddenly felt a slimy, sticky ooze splatter him from head to toe plastering his hair and clothes to his body and slithering up his nose and into his mouth as he tried to breathe. Fortunately the ooze came from the large creature's mouth instead of the poisonous sores on it's body so the only damage was to his comfort.

"Ewwwwww," Came the comment from behind him as his half-sister reeled futher back from the fight,"Herc! You got some of that stuff on my dress!"

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules had heard of some of the denizens of Hades had escaped in the recent mess. It hadn't taken much searching before he heard villagers crying for help. He ran up, and saw the giant frog-monster pulling a man to it with its huge tongue. Hercules threw a large stone at the frog's mouth, causing it to release its intended meal.

The frog, enraged, chased Hercules, who lead it away from the village, in to the woods. Soon, the battle commenced, the heroic strength of the son of Zeus pitted against the demonic strength of the frog-fiend from Hell. The battle raged, and Hercules was sorely pressed.

His best friend and comrade in arms, Iolaus, was off, visting family, and Hercules really missed having his help in battle. The monster was just as strong as he was, and Hercules truly wished he could get some help, just some sort of aid, to tip the closely matched contest in his favor.

"Anyway, there Ares was raising a stink because of all his poor soldiers who would rather become lovers than fighters and really going on and on about that small war he had lost because of it. And Hades chips in because now he had a new influx of dead that he wasnt prepared for and they are all placing the blame on me when everyone knows that they started it by their stupid fight ruining my festival and....Herc, are you even listening?"

The mighty hero groaned, and realized anew just how perverse the Fates really were. His beloved but somewhat flighty, sister, Aphrodite, goddess of love, had arrived.

A gigantic sigh came from the hero's lips as he tried to concentrate on the monster's next attack but Aphrodite's chatter had done it's damage. In a moment of distraction, Herc suddenly felt a slimy, sticky ooze splatter him from head to toe plastering his hair and clothes to his body and slithering up his nose and into his mouth as he tried to breathe. Fortunately the ooze came from the large creature's mouth instead of the poisonous sores on its body so the only damage was to his comfort.

"Ewwwwww," Came the comment from behind him as his half-sister reeled futher back from the fight, "Herc! You got some of that stuff on my dress!"

Hercules grunted with the strain, and gripped the creature's tongue. "Aphrodite," he called, his voice cracking with the strain, "Get. Back!" With a mighty heave, he ripped the creature's tongue right out of its head, hurling it through the air to land nearby Aphrodite, narrowly missing spattering her with gore.

http://www.epguides.com/Hercules/cast.jpg
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/s/e/sek135/cams/photopages/SkimpyAphro.html

 

[Guest]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite jumped back just in time as the huge tounge landed beside her with a sound of annoyance.

"Really, Herc," She said as she the monster squealed and lashed about in pain from its large muscle being ripped from it's mouth,"I am in a crisis here. Cant I have your attention for just a moment? You can fight monsters any day. It's not like you dont have plenty of them on your resume. I really need your help here!"

At that moment the creature's webbed foot shot out and caught Hercules hurling him up and some distance away.

"Herc!," Aphrodite yelled to him,"Dont you dare leave while I'm talking to you!"

Turning to look at the thrashing creature, Aphrodite shook her head. "It looks like if I am going to get his attention I am going to have to distract the distraction."

With a small wave of her hand, a shower of lights and sparkles covered the beast and flew into the cave behind him. Suddenly loud noises came from the cave and shook the earth around it. The huge monster answered as best he could with no tongue in his mouth and soon another toad beast...although smaller in size...appeared from the cave and begin to nuzzle at the first one.

A sound of roaring filled the area where Aphrodite and Hercules watched and, at a signal from the smaller and obvious female creature, they both entered the cave again, their bellowings shaking the rocks above the cave and threatening to make them crash to the ground.

Aphrodited watched as the couple disappeared and then turned to her half brother with a smile on her face and her arms outstreatched.

"Awww...isnt love wonderful, little bro," She said with obvious pride on her face,"Even creature love is enough to bring tears to your eyes! So, now can we talk?"

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules just stared at Aphrodite. "Why. Why? Why didn't you do that when you first got here, sis? Do you think I enjoy fighting giant frogs and getting covered in frog spit?!" He paused to wipe some of the aforementioned spit off on a nearby bush. "So... I'm happy to see you, but I have to wonder... why? What can I do for you, Aphrodite?"

He made to hug her in welcome, but backed off before her shudder of disgust. "Oh, lets walk over to that pond over there. I need to get cleaned up."

They made their way to the pond in silence, as Aphrodite framed her thoughts. Once there, Aphrodite was momentarily taken aback, as Hercules stripped down to jump in. He stood before her, a moment before jumping in, and she thought that she had never seen a finer physical specimen of manhood.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite walked a little ways away from Hercules, grateful to get away from the slimy hug that was offered. As she stood looking at him before he took his plunge, she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Say, little bro, you wouldnt mind posing nude for a statue at my temple would you? Naw, nevermind, my followers wouldnt notice it next to my statue."

Sitting down gracefully on a large boulder by the pond as her brother swam and cleaned in it, she begin.

"I didnt do the love thing before because you weren't ignoring me before. Sheesh, do I have to spell it out for you? Besides its nowhere near mating time for those two, I am afraid that Hades is going to have an overpopulation of frog creatures this year."

Bringing up Hades brought Aphrodite back to the subject at hand. "Really, Herc," She said in, for Aphrodite, a worried tone of voice," Zeus is really mad this time. He has had it with the sibling rilvary and he threatened before this even happened to make an example out of the next kid who got out of hand and everyone is trying to point the finger at me. Me. I mean, do I look like a trouble maker? Ares is the black sheep. I've always been daddy's girl."

Her eyes fell onto Hercules mucked up clothing and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. With a wave of her hand, the heap of ruined clothing disappeared just as Hercules decided to emerge from the cleansing waters. Looking around for his clothes, he couldnt find them.

"Keep your shirt on, little bro," Aphrodite said with a giggle,"Oh, thats right, you cant." Noticing his look of irritation, she said,"Okay, okay. I couldnt let you get back into those could I?" And, with another wave of her hand, Hercules was dressed but not in his regular clothing. She had dressed him instead in black pants that hugged his legs and everything else from his waist down, black boots that came up to his knees and a white, long sleeved, billowy shirt that was open to reveal his chest down to his navel.

"There you go, little bro, all clean and a fashion statement as well. Dont say I didnt do you any favors. That ensemble you were wearing went out of style eons ago."

Hercules gave her a stern look and, in a voice that said he was using up what patience he had, he said,"That may well be, sis, but I happen to like that 'ensemble' and it happens to be a bit more practical than what I am wearing for what I do on a daily basis. So, if you please...."

Aphrodite made a clicking sound of disapproval and waved her hand once again and the fancy clothes disappeared and Hercules was once again naked.

Prompted by the look in his eyes, Aphrodite waved a hand lazily back over him to redress him in a version of his old clothes....except that nothing happened. She tried it again and still nothing happened. A third time did not prove to be the charm and at the end of fifteen minutes Hercules was still naked before her.

"Aphrodite," He said in a dark tone,"This is not funny anymore. Quit joking around and bring back my clothes."

"Ohhh, Herc," Aphrodite said, biting a finger nail as she looked at him,"I'm not joking. I really cant do it! Something is wrong with my powers. They're not working!"


http://members.spree.com/sip/-peyton-/aphrodite/Aph07.gif

 

[Neale]

Hercules

"Aphrodite..." Hercules said, growing irritation plain in his voice. "If this is some joke, cut it out!" The breeze was rapidly chilling portions of his anatomy not normally so... exposed. He wasn't exactly shy about his body, but he was definitely not going to run around without any clothes on at all.

The look on Aphrodite's face made it plain that she was, in fact, not joking. "Great. Just great. You've lost your powers, and I've lost my clothes." Looking towards Mt. Olympus, Hercules called out in a loud voice, "GREAT TIMING, FATHER!"

Hercules walked up to the frightened former goddess of love and put his arm around her shoulder. "It'll be alright, sis. Greece really can't be Greece without love, so we'll just have to get your powers back somehow. But, first, we have to find me some clothes." He smiled at her, and squeezed her to him, his boundless optimism cheering her up a little. "Think of it as an adventure!"

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite was feeling better until her brother mentioned 'adventure'. Looking up at him, she shook her head and stepped away as if by getting away from the mere suggestion of it, it would not happen.

"Uh uh, no way, little bro," She said, her head shaking the whole time,"I dont do adventure. Thats your department, remember. Ares starts wars, Hades makes nice with a bunch of dead people, Artemis makes sure the people with the bows and arrows go home happy from the hunt and I guide the love lives of all creatures on and off the earth. YOU take care of the adventures in this family. I will simply wait for you here until you return."

Walking over to sit down, again, on the boulder by the pond, she looked over to where Hercules still stood looking at her.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Shoo...go...adventure and then come back. I have some business I have to attend to at one of my temples before sunset. That should give you plenty of time."

 

[Neale]

Hercules

The naked hero sighed, counted to 10... counted back to 1... then spoke, "Aphrodite... sis, how were you planning on getting to your temple? Walking? When is the last time you walked more than a couple of minutes at a time?" Hercules knew that, as goddess of love, Aphrodite tended to ignore anything not pertaining to her or love. This included any ideas of what kind of creatures and men lurked in the areas between cities in Greece.

"Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight until you get your powers back. Greece can be a very dangerous place, sis.. Those 'adventures' of mine generally involve protecting innocent people from real dangers."

He was beginning to feel pretty ridiculous, arguing with her while naked. Thankfully, the warm sun had dried him, but he still wanted to find some sort of clothing.

Just then, he heard rustling in the bushes, and a group of armed men on horseback came out. The obvious leader of the group, a well armored man, bald and scarred, laughed loudly, "Looks like we interrupted him before he could figure out how to get his girly's clothes off!" Another of his rough crew called back, "Not to worry, Scar! We'll show him how!"

 

[Isolde]

Before Aphrodite could reply to Hercules and tell him that she figured he would have her powers restored by that time, a bunch of smelly, unwashed and ugly men stepped into the clearing.

Aphrodite's head came up and her chin set as she stood glaring at them, hands on hips.

"I'll have you know that this is Hercules. THE Hercules and I am Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. I assure you that this in not the affair of mortals such as yourself. So, now you can leave and go about your petty business while we get on with the important things."

Aphrodite turned and smiled at Hercules, kind of proud that she had shown her brother that she could take care of herself, when she felt her arm being grabbed and jerked toward the group of men.

One of the men, easily the smelliest, had grabbed her and pulled her to him, wrapping an arm about her waist and pinning her down to his grimy chest.

"Aphrodite, eh?," He said with a laugh as the former goddess struggled against him,"Well, well, we will just have to see how well the Goddess of Love knows her business."

This caused a round of laughter through the group along with some back slapping and winks.

Another man looked over at Herc and said in a snide voice,"And look here, we even have Hercules come to this party. Wow....we should be really honored shouldnt we, boys. I guess we will have to show Zeus' baby boy a proper welcome, wont we?"

Taking the cue, the men begin to circle Hercules, weapons raised and smiles of confidence on their faces. You could tell they thought this was going to be easy pickings.

 

[Neale]

Hercules

The situation had rapidly gone from bad to much, much worse... Aphrodite was just as good at getting him into trouble without the use of her powers as she was at full strength. Hercules stood his ground as the bandit group charged him, then ducked under the lead horse as it neared him. A quick grab and heave sent the horse and its rider sailing through the air to splash into the pond.

"You get 'em, bro!" Aphrodite cheered.

The other bandits paused, realizing that this really was Hercules, but the leader called out to them, "Get him, you cowards! He's only part god, and he's damn sure unarmed!" Heartened by their chief, they did try to charge Hercules, but they were no match for his prowess and strength. Soon, the various members of the band were strewn about the clearing in various states of consciousness, tending toward the 'un'-side of it.

Hercules, having just soundly trounced the entire band, save the leader, was tired, hot, and sweaty all over again.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite stood in the clearing looking around at the havoc her little brother had wrecked and smoothing down her dress which had gotten crumpled during the fray and her hair which had fallen out of place.

Glancing down at the bandit lying on the ground beside her, she lifted her foot to kick him, thought better on it since it might dirty up her slipper and gave him a glare instead.

"That ought to teach you the proper respect for a goddess, you oaf," She said before turning to the head bandit.

"As for you," She said, her tone haughty,"I bet you think you have my brother tired out. Hah. For your information, he could take on ten times that and not even be breathing hard. You picked the wrong woman to pick on this time. I bet you feel pretty foolish. I dare you to try and take him on one on one. I bet you havent got what it takes."

She was so much into her gloating, that she didnt hear Hercule's quiet,"Aphrodite," said through clenched teeth.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Prove you're a man. Try and take him out! I dare you."

"Aphrodite," Came Hercules warning voice again but this time with a little more strain. Still she paid no attention.

"Hah! I knew it. You can talk the talk but when it comes to walking the walk you are just sooo not there. Being mortal is too good for you."

"Aphrodite," Hercule's voice cut through the air,'Will you please stop....." He didnt have time to finish as the last comment had goaded the man into attacking Hercules with his sword swinging.

Just as the man attacked, Aphrodite caught sight of a large bruise beginning on her wrist where the one bandit had grabbed her.

"Ouchie, Herc, that guy hurt me, he actually hurt me," Aphrodite said, totally absorbed with the thought that bruising was totally ugly and should not happen to her as Hercules was once more engaged in battle.

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules was really, really tired of fighting just then, and had hoped the last bandit would take the hint and run for it. Fighting with your anatomy all swinging in the breeze was just not a lot of fun! To make matters worse, this last man, the leader, obviously knew how to use his sword.

"Ouchie, Herc, that guy hurt me, he actually hurt me," Aphrodite said, nicely distracting him as the bandit attacked. Hercules turned his head towards his sister, and immediately regretted it when the bandit hit him in the back of his head with the pommel of his sword. Hercules saw stars and his head swum with pain. He reached out, blindly, and barely missed grabbing the bandit, getting sand flung into his eyes in the attempt. This thoroughly blinded Hercules, who could only attempt to avoid his foe's swings.

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Just then a small but powerful body came flying through the air to land on the leader's back before doing a tuck and roll onto the ground and turning to meet his opponent.

Grinning, Hercule's pal Iolaus had entered the scene with a bang. Letting the man get his breath back just enough to lift his head, Iolaus used a kick and spin move to snap the bandit's head up and back and then land on the guy's chest with one foot on him and one planted firmly on the ground.

Before the guy could recover from having the wind knocked out of him the second time, Iolaus reached down and twisted the wrist holding the sword until the man underneath him had no choice but to let go as his fingers went numb .

Reaching down to pick up the dropped sword, the small man then used the pommel to knock the bandit completely out. After which, he took a good look around the area and whistled appreciatively.

"Wow, seems like you started the party without me, buddy," He said with a chuckle. "You could have saved more than one for me though. I barely broke a sweat."

Reaching down and grabbing Hercules by the wrist, he helped him to his feet and guided him to the water so the hero could wash the sand from his eyes.

"I finished with the family reunion early. Mainly due to self preservation. And decided to come looking for you. The village was full of tales of a huge toad and some maniac who distracted him. I figured it must be you. When I came across the tongue on the path out there I knew I was right and then I heard the sounds of fighting coming from here. That is always a signal you're nearby so I decided to check it out. Sure enough, you were in need of my help-like always and so here I am."

Letting a long pause linger between his statements, he added,"However, finding you like this," He looked at Hercule's state of undress with a smile,"is not usual and, quite frankly, something I could do without." Looking over at Aphrodite who was looking at her wrist, he shook his head.

"And seeing who you are with I can guess the trouble you're in somehow involves the gods. Not that much of the trouble you get in doesnt but let me ask you a question, Herc, old buddy. Why can I see Aphrodite? Not that I am complaining, mind you, but I am a mere mortal and shouldnt be able to unless she is letting me see her. And from the way she is distracted, I would say thats not the case."


http://www.addagirl.com/Hercules/io2pic.gif

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Gratefully taking Iolaus' hand, Hercules pulled himself off the ground. "Thanks, buddy. Glad you made it back in time." Hercules stood and wiped the grit from his eyes. "Aphrodite has lost her powers, Iolaus. At the moment, she is as mortal as you are, as far as we can tell." They both heard the former goddess in question clear her throat, impatiently, and turned to her. Herc whispered to Iolaus, "And I could really use some clothes... she managed to get rid of mine just before it happened."

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus' face broke out into a grin as he said,"That part is very...obvious. If easily fixed."

Searching out and stripping the bandit that looked closest to Hercules' size and height, Iolaus picked up the clothing with thumb and forefinger and handed them over to his pal.

"As long as you keep downwind you should be fine," He said, trying to keep the laughter from his voice and failing very, very badly.

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite had been busy wrapping one of her scarfs around her bruised wrist to try and hide the ugly thing. Once she was satisified with the results, she stood, tapping her toe impatiently and clearing her throat to let the men know that she was not happy with the delays.

"So, whats the plan?," She asked looking around. The horses the attackers had ridden looked not only unable to go anywhere at this point but totally unsuitable for a goddess. Still, she didnt plan on staying here with this smelly bunch. The association alone would be enough to ruin her rep not to mention the fact that the smell was starting to gag her.

"And how long do you think this whole 'getting my powers back' gig is going to take you? I do have places to go and people to see, ya know. I cant wait for you two forever."

Wrinkling her nose at the clothes Iolaus was handing Hercules, she said,"You know, I hate to say it, little bro, but frog goop looks really good right about now."

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules, holding his nose, took the offered 'clothing.' "Uh, thanks." He looked at it closely and sighed loudly, "There are things moving in there!" The clothes, so kindly offered by the unconscious bandit seemed to have not been clean since the day they were made, if, in fact, they weren't made from dirty rags to begin with.

Hercules took them to the lake, and dipped them in the water. The shirt immediately disintegrated from this unaccustomed treatment, but the leather of the pants survived the wash. Unfortunately, so did the smell... "What kind of leather is this, anyway? Skunk?" His face a grimace of distaste, the demigod donned the pants, which clung to him like a second skin, albeit a very smelly one.

Aphrodite spoke up after bandaging her arm, "So, whats the plan?And how long do you think this whole 'getting my powers back' gig is going to take you? I do have places to go and people to see, ya know. I cant wait for you two forever."

Hercules looked at Iolaus, who did not seem ready to say anything at all... Inwardly rolling his eyes, he turned to his sister, "Aphrodite, I'd like you to come with us. Greece just isn't safe right now, not with Ares' men running around stirring up trouble. I'd feel awful if anything happened to you while we were off finding Tantalus." A thought came, unbidden, to Hercules, "Not to mention you happening to Greece!"

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus pretended to be observing the cloud formations as Hercules answered his sister. This is until he heard Hercule's plan.

"Um, Herc," He said putting his hand on his neck and swallowing really hard,"When you say Tantalus you are talking about an old guy you met in a bar in some nearby village right? You arent actually talking about the guy with the grapes." He pointed upward. "And the water." He pointed down to his feet.

"The one that stole the ambrosia from the gods and now is in the underworld. Hades domain. The place we just left. And came back with our skins intact. Barely."

"You're not talking about him, right? 'Cause I might remind you that Hades is not really too happy with us at this moment and is liable to sic that really,really big dog of his on us if we show up there again. Not that I am nervous about it, mind you. I just never saw my life's ambition as a chew toy for a thirty foot canine."

 

[Guest]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite looked up sharply at Hercules when he mentioned where he was going.

"Hey, little bro," She said,"Lets think this thing through a bit, okay. You know how I feel about visiting Hades at home in the best of circumstances. But right now he kinda blames me for this whole thing with the extra dead and everything. He is not just going to open the doors to welcome us with open arms, like that ever happens anyway."

"Then there is this Tantalus thing. I mean, come on, bro. You dont think this is going to be that easy. He has been teased with that food and drink for awhile now. I dont see him wanting to help. The man has a major dislike going for the gods here. Not that we're too fond of him, either."

"There has to be another way. I'm sure you and the little studmuffin could come up with something that doesnt include me tramping through a place where even Hade's bride takes a vacation from half the year," She flashed Iolaus an encouraging smile.

 

[Isolde]

That was me^

 

[Neale]

Hercules

Hercules discreetly scratched at the leather pants they'd 'liberated' from the bandit, then looked to his sister. "The only other chance I can think of to get ambrosia would be to go out past the Wandering Rocks... I was out that way with Jason, and was lucky to escape then. If you both think that way is better, I'm willing to talk to Jason, and try again, but it would take 3 months, minimum."

"Maybe if we asked Persephone to help us?"

 

[Teague]

Iolaus

Iolaus sighed deeply.

"Let me get this straight. We can either spend three months with a seasick Aphrodite and then go back through all those wonderful adventures we had with Jason in the first place. Or we can go back to the underworld and relive all those wonderful adventures."

"Boy, Herc, you really know how to give a guy a choice, dont you?"

Iolaus looked over at the used to be Goddess of Love and shook his head.

"Tartarus it is then. And I think the Persephone angle is a good one. If we can get her to cooperate. She really does like the guy, you know and I dont know if she would be willing to do this for us."

 

[Isolde]

Aphrodite

Aphrodite looked from one man to the next. The options she had been given were not appealing to her. She knew too, with this coming from Zeus, none of the other gods would dare interfere to help her. It almost made a goddess want to turn her back on them all and not even try to join back with them...almost.

The thought of being mortal appealed to her less than either a sea journey or going to the underworld. And that is the only reason she nodded her head in agreement with going with Hercules.

"Talk about a bummer," She said, hands on hips,"A cruise does not appeal to me at the moment. Especially since Posiedon is bound to be taking daddykin's side anyway." Her lip came out in a pout as she tried to think of another way around all this but she didnt think an 'I'm Sorry' and a smile at Zeus was going to get her out of it this time.

"Okay, where do we find Persephone? And can we do it quickly? I think our uninvited guests are waking up and I dont see them being too happy with the hangovers they are going to be feeling."

Indeed, the men strewn around on the ground were all groaning and slowly coming back to consciousness. It was a good time to put plan A into effect.

 

[Neale]

Hercules

"I doubt you keep up much with the festivals honoring other goddesses, Aphrodite, but it so happens that Persephone is having one in her honor today. The main events are taking place about an hour's walk from here. I was planning on stopping by and saying hello to her, anyway, so she is expecting me. Hopefully, she'll be willing and able to help us, without upsetting Demeter too much." Hercules adjusted his 'new' pants, and the trio strode off towards Pseudopolis, leaving the bandits to wake up without their quarry. They all knew that Ares would likely deal with that sorry crew himself, as he truly despised failure.

The day was very warm and sunny, so, soon, they were all covered in sweat from the heat. Hercules and Iolaus took it in stride, scarcely noticing as the sheen of perspiration made their well-muscled bodies gleam in the sun, but Aphrodite was quite another matter...

 

[Guest]

Aphrodite

"Ohhh," Aprodite said in frustration as she stumbled over yet another rock/root/twig in her torturous walk behind Hercules and Iolaus.

"Ewww, Herc, look at me! Come on! I know a lady is supposed to glow a little but this is ridiculous! This is SWEAT! I am soaked in it! I desperately need a bath....and a change of clothing....I am only a goddess, you know. I am not used to this torture," She said, having the feeling more and more that she was talking to herself but making sure both men heard,"Making me walk for hours on end through blazing heat. Hasnt anyone here ever hear of calling a cab? A small one with velvet seats and one horse. I dont ask for much you know."

Wincing as she felt a sharp rock through her delicate slipper, she whimpered. "This is not fun anymore, little bro. I've had fun before and this rates extremely low on my 'What Aphrodite Wants To Kill Time Doing' list. Like it isnt even on there! Herc! Are you listening to me?"

Just then, stumbled and caught herself on a nearby tree trunk. Feeling a sharp pain in her finger and hearing, what to her was, a snap she looked down. Her face contorted in horror and she let out a screetch that could be heard through the countryside.

As Iolaus and Hercules were standing there stunned, trying to get the ringing out of their ears, she frantically waved the injured hand in their direction.

"Look! LOOK! I broke a nail! Now are you satisfied? How much more agony are you going to make me suffer through?"