Thanks again for joining me. This is a companion story to "The Ultimate Sacrifice." I make references to things explained in that series. It will help to read it first.
Here's how "Hector -- Part 01" ended:
She saw the hesitation in my eyes, "Please? I want to be with you. No one has forced me to do this. I saw you when you first appeared and killed the invader who tried to strike you down. Then I watched you destroy the men who attacked my village without touching them. I watched as you ascended to the sky. I thought I'd never see you again. When Badian sent word the he and the others were with you, I asked to be given to you as a gift."
I swallowed, staring into her gorgeous eyes. "Sikie, I can't accept you as a gift. Its not my custom."
Her head dropped again. I could see her eyes begin to water.
"However, I can welcome your friendship and company."
She looked up at me, "You're not sending me away?"
"No, I'm not." I picked up her night shirt and gently slipped it over her head.
We talked for a long time. She told me a great deal about her life on Endo. She sat close to me and evidently fell asleep with her head on my lap. I gently carried her to my bed. I decided to leave the night shirt on. Then I removed my shirt and thought about laying next to her. I decided against that and instead, made myself comfortable on the sofa
That was the best night's sleep I'd had since Josephine died. When I woke, Sikie was still sleeping soundly. She looked so sexy and inviting. I wondered if I was an idiot for not accepting what she was offering. By now it had been some time since I had been intimate with anyone and it was starting to affect me.
I needed to figure that out quick, before I did something stupid.
I looked over again at Sikie, she was looking back at me. "Good morning Sikie, I hope you slept well."
She responded, "I did, but you didn't sleep with me?"
I smiled, "As beautiful as your are, I didn't want to tempt myself. But I did enjoy your company immensely. Thank you."
She smiled shyly. I got up and put my shirt on, "Let's see what delicious breakfast the others have fixed this morning." I helped her out of bed and escorted her out to the morning sun. By now everyone seemed very comfortable with me. We were greeted with smiles and warm conversation. I watched Sikie as she ate breakfast and conversed with the others. I could sense her stature had been elevated because of the time she spent with me.
Finally it was time for me to leave. I said goodbye, but I would come back to visit. In that week, I had made many friends. The next time I would travel to Endo would be strictly for pleasure.
I disappeared and reappeared back on the Olympus, just outside Aphrodite's villa. I adjusted my height to the Olympian eight feet (something I rarely do) and knocked on her door. Moments later Aphrodite answered, surprised to see me at eye level. Without saying a word, I took her into my arms and passionately kissed her, transmitting all the feelings I had pinned up inside me.
When I finally released my kiss, I said softly, "Now tell me why you said you loved me."
Chapter five -- Aphrodite
Aphrodite leaned in and kissed me passionately. It was a kiss that communicated "I love you" not "I want to make love to you." Then she took my hand and led me into her villa. We sat down on her couch. She sat contemplating what to say next. I got the sense she wasn't sure how much she wanted to share with me. I wasn't going to rush her, or read her mind.
After a few moments, she started, "When I came up with this crazy idea to create a body that had the potential to be the most powerful being in the universe, your name was the only one ever mentioned to bring it to life. Zeus was the one who first suggested it. In fact he insisted. The biggest questions at the time were if Hades could identify your soul in time for you to help us with the Annunnaki... and if you would even help us at all. When Hades found you, he only had knowledge about two of your lives. That wasn't a tremendous amount of information to study; your life as Prince Hector and the other as Bob Davis. But I had to work with what was available. I started doing a deep dive into your past."
"My memories of you, at Troy, were very conflicted. I was focused more on Helen and Paris. You never wanted war with Greece and was furious when Paris smuggled Helen out of Sparta. You tried to convince Paris to send her back. When Paris refused, you even tried to petition your father, King Priam, to force her back. Your actions drove a wedge between you and your brother, but you were more concerned with the safety of Troy. You knew, Helen's abduction would give King Agamemnon the excuse he was looking for to attack Troy."
"When all your efforts failed, your wife, Andromache, begged you to flee Troy. But you couldn't...wouldn't abandon your people. You could have saved your life and your immediate family's, but you couldn't ignore your moral responsibility. Decisions have consequences and you paid a very high price... your life. That's the moment Zeus started paying attention. He watched your actions, closely, from that moment until Achilles drove his sword through your heart. Every action you took and every decision you made was to protect the people of Troy, even Paris and Helen. Zeus had never witnessed such a selfless human before or since."
"You were the great Hector, a Royal Prince, who felt not one iota of entitlement. I was determined to expose you for the fraud I thought you had to be. I even tried to seduce you. I came to you one night and offered you anything you wanted. You asked me if I could immediately end the war. That, I could not do. Then you told me I didn't have anything you were interested in. No human had ever rejected me before. I was blinded with hate by your rejection and couldn't see the noble, selfless human you were. When you were slayed, Zeus publicly mourned your death. I'm ashamed to say, I quietly celebrated."
"But you were as noble and selfless as Zeus said. Zeus saw it then. I didn't see it until I evaluated your soul for my little science project. What did you call me? Oh yes, Dr. Frankenstein."
That brought a smile to my face.
"You were right except my motivation was different than Mary Shelly's mad scientist. I wanted to create a being to save Earth and my people. I at least had enough self awareness to know bonding with the wrong soul would have a devastating impact on the universe."
"Then I studied your life as Bob Davis. You exhibited the same qualities as when you were Hector. You were a successful athlete and accomplished student in high school, yet you protected those who were weaker than you. In college you wouldn't think twice about risking your own personal safety for someone in distress. Your heroism in the military and the police department made you highly respected among your peers."
I was getting a little uncomfortable with this discussion. "What does my past have to do with you saying you love me?"