Aphrodite

Aphrodite Plot Summary

Introduction

Rain slashed against the cruise ship windows as Aphrodite slammed into the bathroom door, desperate to escape the nightmare that had jolted her awake. Her skin burned with phantom sensations of Zeus's touch, of being controlled, hollow, nothing but a puppet. She clawed at her arms, desperate to scrub away the memory. The scalding shower couldn't wash away what Zeus had done to her - created her to be beautiful, obedient, perfect. Even with Zeus dead, she couldn't escape his shadow. Outside the bathroom, Adonis pounded on the door. The golden-skinned demigod had been her roommate for three days on this cruise investigating missing demigods. Three days of thinly veiled contempt, of strange symptoms, of weakness growing inside her. Aphrodite didn't know the betrayal that awaited, didn't understand that every sip of water Adonis offered was slowly killing her, stripping away her divinity. Soon, she would discover the terrifying truth: in a world where gods could be poisoned and demigods could rebel, nothing was certain – not even immortality.

Chapter 1: Goddess Among Mortals: Aphrodite's Dangerous Assignment

Poseidon's waves crashed against the ship as Aphrodite stared at the demigods gathered around the beach campfire. They glowed golden in the firelight – Adonis, Tantalus, Elise, all children of Zeus in their way. All potential targets for whoever was making demigods disappear on Poseidon's cruise ships. That's why Aphrodite was here, after all. When Persephone couldn't investigate the disappearances herself, Aphrodite had volunteered. "Fantasy Cruises," Poseidon had explained during their meeting. "They leave with more passengers than they return home with. No one seems to notice." Charm. That had to be it. Someone with enough charm could make passengers forget a person had ever existed. And charm was Aphrodite's specialty. She was barely three years old as goddesses went – Zeus had created her, molded her to his specifications, made her perfect and obedient. Until she'd fought back. Until Zeus died. Now she played model, sharing a suite with Adonis, who scowled every time she mentioned being a goddess. "You're not subtle when you want to kiss someone," he'd told her during their photo shoot. Adonis had been her savior once, had helped her break free of Zeus. But now he treated her with barely concealed contempt. "Something's wrong with me," Aphrodite whispered to Ares when they found a moment alone. Her powers were harder to access, using them caused pain, and panic attacks gripped her without warning. "It hurts when I try to use my powers." Ares slipped his leather jacket around her shoulders. "My token. Use it until we figure this out." Warmth spread through her from the jacket, a conduit to her home realm. She didn't know yet that she needed more than a token. She didn't know that something was poisoning her from within, that enemies were circling, that the missing demigods weren't missing at all. They were rebelling.

Chapter 2: Trust and Treachery: The Poisoned Waters of Connection

"Truth or drink," Tantalus announced around the beach bonfire, his golden eyes glinting with challenge. Adonis tensed beside Aphrodite as questions flew around the circle, becoming increasingly personal. "Clap three times," Tantalus commanded Aphrodite, his charm flowing into her. She didn't clap. Something was wrong - she should be immune to charm. All gods were. Yet she felt the pull of his commands. Later, when Tantalus led her away from the bonfire, his charm overwhelming her weakened defenses, Aphrodite found herself trapped. His commands became her will, his desires her only focus. Ares and Persephone arrived just in time, breaking his hold on her. "What happened?" Persephone demanded. Aphrodite gasped, "I couldn't resist his charm." She clutched Ares's jacket around her trembling shoulders. "Something's happening to me." Back in their suite, Aphrodite woke drenched in sweat, the room spinning around her. Reaching for water on the nightstand, she noticed something glittering in the bottle - tiny silver flakes catching the moonlight. Her vision swam as realization dawned. "Don't drink that," Adonis said from the doorway, guilt written across his face. "What have you done?" Aphrodite whispered, the bottle slipping from her grasp. Adonis swallowed hard. "They told me it wouldn't hurt you." The room tilted as Aphrodite pieced together what had been happening. Every water bottle Adonis had offered, every sip she'd taken - poison. Not just any poison, but something made from Olympian Steele, the only metal that could kill gods. "The demigods aren't missing," Adonis confessed. "We're being recruited. The DAMNED - Demigods Against Major Nymphs, Elementals, and Deities. They swore the compound would only strip your powers temporarily, not hurt you." Aphrodite stared at him, horror and betrayal washing over her. "You poisoned me." The man who had once saved her from Zeus had now tried to unmake her. All those symptoms - her failing powers, the panic attacks, the pain - they weren't realm sickness. They were her body slowly dying. "I'm sorry," Adonis whispered, reaching for her. Aphrodite fled the room, stumbling down the corridor, desperate to warn the others. The demigods were armed. They had a plan. And she was running out of time.

Chapter 3: Powerless Divinity: When Immortality Begins to Fade

The ship rocked in darkness, all power lost. Aphrodite pressed her bleeding palm over the railing, watching droplets fall to the still ocean below. "Poseidon," she whispered, pouring what little power she had left into the summons. Nothing happened. Her body burned with fever, each breath a struggle. The compound was winning, stripping away her divinity bit by bit. She couldn't access her powers, couldn't heal, couldn't even summon the simplest shield without blood pouring from her nose. Mortal fragility wrapped around her like chains. "They can't be dead," she muttered, trying to summon Persephone, Ares, anyone. No response came. Panic clawed at her throat as she staggered down darkened hallways, searching for Artemis or Ares, who had glamoured themselves as demigods Elise and Tantalus. When she knocked on Tantalus's door, the real Tantalus answered. "Ares!" she exclaimed, relieved to find him safe. But something was wrong. His eyes glinted with malice. "Clap three times," he commanded. Aphrodite closed her eyes, refusing to look at him. She knew now that the poison had stripped away her immunity to charm. She fought blindly, scrambling for escape, but Tantalus caught her, slamming her against the wall. "Look at me, you stupid slut!" he demanded. The door burst open. "Stop!" Adonis shouted, pulling Tantalus away. "She legit just tried to slit my throat," Tantalus snarled. "You had one job, Donnie. Keep her out of the way." Tantalus looked at Aphrodite, who couldn't tear her gaze away from him. "Drop dead," he commanded. Aphrodite's heart stopped beating. Adonis screamed, his face contorting in horror as she crumpled to the floor. The last thing she saw was Tantalus's triumphant smile. Darkness swallowed her, but death didn't claim her. Somewhere distant, she felt hands pushing on her chest, breath filling her lungs. Voices argued above her. "Come on!" Ares shouted, performing CPR. "Breathe!" Her eyes fluttered open to metal walls, barred doors. A prison cell. Ares cradled her in his arms, his face etched with relief. "I thought you were dead," he whispered. "Where are we?" she croaked, taking in Artemis and a battered Adonis in the corner. "Trapped," Artemis replied, pacing the cell. "The demigods have us caged somewhere even Poseidon can't trace." Aphrodite struggled to sit up, her body screaming in protest. "They call themselves the DAMNED," she explained. "They're using some compound made from Olympian Steele to neutralize our powers." Ares nodded grimly. "That explains why none of us can teleport or break through these bars." "Or heal," Artemis added, glancing at Adonis's bloody face. The trap had sprung. Gods imprisoned by demigods. Divine beings made mortal. And somewhere beyond their cell, an army was gathering.

Chapter 4: Unveiled Conspiracy: The DAMNED and Their Retribution

"The DAMNED," Adonis explained, blood matting his golden hair. "Demigods Against Major Nymphs, Elementals, and Deities. They've been recruiting for years." Artemis paced their cell, searching for weaknesses. "But why now? Why risk attacking gods directly?" "Zeus," Aphrodite whispered, the pieces falling into place. "He hunted demigods. Killed them for their powers." Adonis nodded. "Tantalus, Jason, and Narcissus started DAMNED to protect demigods from Zeus. But after Zeus died, they realized they could do more than just hide." He winced, holding his side. "They wanted revenge. Wanted to make sure gods could never hurt them again." "So they developed a poison," Ares concluded, his arm around Aphrodite. "Something that would neutralize our powers without killing us outright." "A highly effective lipid soluble solution," Aphrodite recalled Tantalus saying. "It breaks us down from the inside, forces our powers to focus on healing rather than anything else." The ship swayed beneath them, reminding them they were still at sea, still in Poseidon's realm. But even the sea god couldn't find them. "Our scientists discovered your powers always prioritize keeping you alive," Adonis recited. "It's involuntary, like a heartbeat." Aphrodite's mind raced. If her powers were merely diverted, not destroyed, perhaps there was still hope. She leaned against Ares's jacket, drawing strength from the token of her realm. "Tantalus isn't just any demigod," Adonis continued. "He's THE Tantalus. From mythology. Zeus countered his immortality curse in exchange for access to his daughter Niobe. That's how this all started - Zeus breeding with generation after generation of demigods to create stronger offspring." "Breeding his own army," Artemis said grimly. "Or lab rats," Aphrodite added, remembering how Zeus had created her. "He was experimenting with demigods the same way he experimented with me." A door slammed in the distance. Footsteps approached. "They're coming," Ares whispered, shifting to shield Aphrodite. Tantalus appeared, carrying an ancient spear. "Now that you're all up," he announced, "we can get started." He passed the weapon through the bars. "I promised the scientists a cadaver." A firecracker popped, distracting them with a flash of light. When Ares looked up, Tantalus caught his gaze with charm. "Kill whichever one of them you want to live the most." Ares's body went rigid, his eyes wide with horror as the charm took hold. The spear trembled in his hands as he fought against the compulsion. "Ares, please," Aphrodite begged as he advanced toward her, spear raised. "This isn't you." Adonis lunged between them just as Ares thrust the spear forward. Metal pierced flesh - through Adonis's middle and into Aphrodite's side. The charm snapped. Ares twisted, hurling the spear through the bars into Tantalus's chest. Blood pooled beneath Aphrodite and Adonis, mingling on the cell floor. "Divine death," Aphrodite gasped, clutching Adonis to her. If he died by a god's hand, Persephone would come. "Persephone will find us." But as darkness crept into her vision, Aphrodite realized there might be another way. A desperate gamble that could save them both.

Chapter 5: Chains of Charm: Captivity and Confrontation

"You're a monster," Aphrodite had screamed at Adonis when she discovered his betrayal. Now, as blood flowed from both their wounds, those words hung between them. "Don't," Adonis whispered, lifting a trembling hand to her cheek. His blood bubbled from his lips, bright red against his golden skin. "After what I—" His eyes fluttered closed. "You don't get to do this," Aphrodite sobbed, clutching him tighter. "You don't get to die for me." Ares and Artemis had broken through the cell bars, pursuing Tantalus and other potential threats. She was alone with the dying demigod, the man who had poisoned her, who had saved her from Zeus, who had just taken a spear meant for her. Her mind raced. Apotheosis - the transformation of a demigod into a god - had only been accomplished once before, with Hercules. It required a spark to activate the ichor in a demigod's blood, but that spark came at great cost to the deity performing it. "I should be able to heal you," she whispered, her own blood mixing with his on the floor. In that moment, clarity struck. The compound wasn't destroying her powers - it was diverting them to healing. But gods didn't have truly involuntary reflexes. Powers weren't the only difference between god and man. They differed on a physiological level. And so did demigods. Dipping her fingers in her own blood, Aphrodite flicked droplets into Adonis's wound. "You're not dying today," she murmured, focusing what little power she had left. She connected the ichor in their blood back to the Before - to a time of darkness, chaos, and power. That void, that insanity, was her birthright as a daughter of Zeus and the blood of Chaos. And no one could take that from her. Adonis's blood glittered, red flickering to molten gold. Light blazed from his wound, enveloping them both. His torn tissues reconnected, sliced arteries zipped closed with golden shimmer. The light moved outward, healing everything in its wake until finally his skin knit together. The pigment leached from his skin and hair, turning sheet white. When his eyes fluttered open, they were pale silver. "What?" he gasped, sitting up. "How?" "You're a god," Aphrodite managed to say before slumping against him, consciousness fleeing. "I saved you." For a moment, their minds intertwined. She felt his regret, his pain, his desperate need to make things right. He felt her anger, her hurt, her determination to survive. I had no choice, looped through his mind. So I opened my mind and for one second let him feel exactly what it was like to have no choice, she thought. There was a world of difference between being conflicted and being forced. When Ares returned, carrying a first-aid kit, he stared at the transformed Adonis for a long moment. "Did she—?" Artemis asked. "Brilliant," Ares said, kneeling beside Aphrodite. "If her powers are in him, they've got nothing to attack." "So long as he stays alive, anyway," Artemis added. A flash of light announced Persephone's arrival with Poseidon. "Oh my gods!" she cried, rushing to Aphrodite's side. "Ship approaching," Poseidon warned. "For all we know, it's full of armed demigods immune to everything we can throw at them." "We have to get them out of here," Persephone agreed, looking from Aphrodite to the newly divine Adonis. Ares's features shifted into Adonis's former appearance. "She needs help," he said. "I'll stay with her, make them think we're Adonis and Elise. You take the others to safety." "I'll make sure she gets help," he promised Persephone. "And I'll collect as much information as I safely can." As Persephone's glamour settled over Aphrodite, making her appear to be Elise, darkness claimed her once more.

Chapter 6: Blood of Gods: The Ultimate Sacrifice and Transformation

Blood splattered across the cell floor, divine crimson mixing with mortal red. Aphrodite's vision swam, consciousness flickering like a faulty light. She could feel her life ebbing away, the poison in her system working against every effort to heal. Yet in that moment of extremity, an ancient truth revealed itself. The compound wasn't destroying her powers - it was diverting them, forcing them to focus entirely on keeping her alive. But gods didn't have truly involuntary reflexes. Powers weren't the only difference between god and man. "You're not dying today," she whispered to Adonis, whose blood pooled beneath him from the spear wound meant for her. Dipping trembling fingers into her own wound, Aphrodite smeared her blood across Adonis's torn flesh. The ichor in their veins recognized each other - both carried Zeus's divine signature. This was her gamble: apotheosis, the transformation of demigod to god. She connected the ichor in their blood back to the Before - to a time of darkness and chaos and power. That void, that insanity, was her birthright because she was more than a daughter of Zeus. The blood of Chaos ran through her veins, the raw power of the primordial deities. And no one could take that from her. Adonis's blood glittered, red flickering to molten gold. Bright light blazed from his wound, enveloping both of them. Her hair floated in the light, and, for a moment, time seemed to suspend. Then the gold light sucked into his wound. The pigment leached from his skin, drawn inward to heal the damage within him, completing the transformation. "What?" he gasped, sitting up. "How?" "You're a god," she managed to say before collapsing. For precious seconds, their minds fused. She glimpsed his shame, his regret, his desperate justifications: I had no choice, the thought looped through his mind. So I opened my mind and for one second let him feel exactly what it was like to have no choice, she thought. There was a world of difference between being conflicted and being forced. Ares returned, carrying a first-aid kit. "Brilliant," he said, recognizing what Aphrodite had done. "The stuff he gave her attacks her powers. If hers are in him..." "They've got nothing to attack," Artemis finished. A flash of light announced Persephone's arrival with Poseidon. "Ship approaching," Poseidon warned. "For all we know, it's full of armed demigods." "We have to get them out of here," Persephone agreed. Ares's features shifted into Adonis's former appearance. "I'll stay with her, make them think we're Adonis and Elise. You take the others to safety." As darkness claimed Aphrodite again, she felt Persephone's glamour settle over her, making her appear to be someone else. Escape might be possible, but at what cost? The war between gods and demigods was just beginning, and they'd all been forever changed by blood, betrayal, and transformation.

Chapter 7: Escape's Gambit: Trading Identities in the Face of Death

"I'll stay with her," Ares promised, his features already shifting to mimic Adonis's golden appearance. "Make them think we're Adonis and Elise." The plan took shape with desperate urgency. Persephone would cast a glamour over Aphrodite, making her appear to be Elise. Ares would pretend to be Adonis. Together, they would face whatever demigod force was approaching on the ship, gather intelligence, and find a way back to safety. "I swear fealty to you," Ares told Persephone, ensuring she could maintain his glamour over distance. Poseidon and Persephone would take Artemis and the newly divine Adonis to safety. One quick teleportation, then they'd regroup and plan their next move. The DAMNED's conspiracy ran deeper than any of them had imagined - demigods armed with weapons that could kill gods, a compound that could neutralize divine powers, an organization spanning who knew how many countries. "They're coming," Poseidon warned. Through a haze of pain and blood loss, Aphrodite struggled to object. Being left behind meant facing the very people who had imprisoned and poisoned her. But consciousness was slipping away, and the decision had been made. As Persephone's glamour settled over her, Aphrodite drifted into darkness. Her last sensation was Ares's arms lifting her gently, his whispered promise: "I'll keep you safe." When she woke, she would face a world where the line between god and mortal had blurred. Where demigods rebelled against their divine parents. Where immortality itself could be poisoned away. But she would not face it alone. Somewhere in the distance, footsteps approached. Voices spoke in hushed, urgent tones. Ares, glamoured as Adonis, held Aphrodite close as the door to their prison opened. "What happened here?" demanded a stern voice. "Tantalus lost it," Ares replied in Adonis's voice. "She needs help." A pause. "Get them both to medical. The others?" "Gone. Teleported out." Aphrodite felt herself being lifted onto a stretcher. Through half-closed eyes, she saw men and women with golden skin surrounding them. More demigods. More of the DAMNED. "And the compound?" the voice asked. "It works," Ares answered, his hand never leaving Aphrodite's. "But we'll need to perfect the dosage." They were escaping into the heart of enemy territory, wolves in sheep's clothing. Gods among rebels. The gamble had only just begun.

Summary

Aphrodite's journey from powerful goddess to poisoned prisoner reveals the fragility that exists even in immortality. Created by Zeus to be beautiful and obedient, she found herself betrayed by Adonis, the very demigod who once helped free her from Zeus's control. The water he offered slowly poisoned her divinity, leaving her vulnerable to the charm she should have been immune to. Yet in her weakest moment, facing death in a prison cell, she found the strength to transform Adonis into a god, saving them both while permanently altering the balance between divine and mortal. The war between gods and demigods has only just begun. The DAMNED - Demigods Against Major Nymphs, Elementals, and Deities - armed with weapons that can kill gods and compounds that can neutralize divine powers, represent a threat unlike any the pantheon has faced before. Aphrodite and Ares remain in enemy territory, disguised and vulnerable, while Persephone and the others retreat to safety. In a world where gods can be poisoned, where demigods can rebel, where immortality itself can be stripped away, nothing is certain except the bonds forged in blood and sacrifice. Divine fragility has never been more evident, nor more dangerous.

About Author

Loading

Kaitlin Bevis

Bevis investigates the intersection of mythology and contemporary narratives, crafting stories that empower female characters with depth and resilience. Her work, particularly the Daughters of Zeus series, reimagines Greek mythology through modern sensibilities, offering readers fresh perspectives on ancient tales. This thematic focus on strong sisterhood and feminist undertones enriches her storytelling, making her narratives resonate with readers seeking multifaceted characters. Meanwhile, her writing is a cornerstone of her well-being, as she finds personal balance and happiness in maintaining a consistent daily writing practice.\n\nBeyond novels, Bevis contributes to other publications, bringing her unique voice to platforms like truuconfessions.com and Athens Parent Magazine. Her writing philosophy is shaped by influences such as Kelley Armstrong, whose approach to paranormal romance inspired Bevis’s own series structure. Readers benefit from her intentional character development, as Bevis avoids one-dimensional representations, offering protagonists with distinct strengths and complexities. Her best-selling book, Persephone, exemplifies her ability to captivate audiences and solidify her position in the contemporary fantasy genre. By engaging with the Athens Writers' Group, she further connects with the literary community, fostering an environment of creative exchange and support.

Read more