City of Denver, the night had come for the capital of one of the sixty-four counties of Colorado.
People were doing their own things, walking around to have fun with groups of friends, returning home from work, or even going to work in some cases. Each one was following their mundane life.
Ikki, who had teleported to this place a few minutes ago and was on the terrace of a building, watched as mortals went about their business. His eyes had an indescribable shine, although the lives of these people were short, and just one breath from him would be enough to kill them. He realized that in the future, often, their happiness was something he would not have.
It would be much better to live a normal life...
But in his eyes, a simple and carefree mortal life, where he would have his own trivialities, where he would marry, have a wife and children, where he would live monotonously until the day of his death... would be boring and totally dull! A life he didn't want at all!
Ironically, it was the life he wished for in his past life full of tragedies, but in this life, he didn't only want that. It was what he had realized after experiencing and continuing in this supernatural world.
He wanted to reach the pinnacle of this world, not only to protect those who mattered to him but also for his own selfishness.
The Apex...
This was the meaning he gave to this life!
To seek the apex of existence and become eternal; he certainly had a lofty goal, however, he was not afraid of death or failure. He calmly accepted death and failure. Whether he would reach the Apex or not, there was no evidence to prove it.
He found his meaning and felt that this life was quite interesting, although he had never told anyone this; it was the desire he had deep down in his heart.
Ikki let out a sigh and felt that his friends were on the train coming toward the city with his senses expanded, which soon retracted to about a 100-meter radius with him at the center. Knowing that they would take a while to arrive, he vanished from the roof where he was and appeared in an empty apartment he found in the city.
After taking a shower and putting on new clothes, he sat on the couch and relaxed. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss taking a shower in a hot stream without worrying about anything.
The last time was at his home and his mother's in New York; because of his appearance, he didn't have this kind of freedom at the half-blood camp... At least he was doing a very heroic action; after all, he was preventing a chaotic war from happening every time he took a shower without anyone spying.
He spent the night understanding the [Nameless Manual].
The next morning, he went to the nearest park as he felt the train bringing his friends nearing the city.
Ikki decided to sit on a bench and wait.
When his friends arrived, he didn't go to meet them immediately; it was because he felt a powerful presence coming his way...
He looked ahead, and a woman entered the park.
...
..
.
Percy let out a sigh as he left the diner. He was nearly about to punch the God of War in the face; he was so annoying and unpleasant.
Something expected from Clarisse's father.
"Percy, are you crazy? Being so disrespectful to a God!" Annabeth scolded him, her critical air in full swing.
"Nobody asked him to be so annoying." Percy said, frowning.
Grover simply chewed on a can nervously. He let out a sigh and looked back at the diner they had just left.
As soon as they arrived in the city, the three wandered through downtown until they found a place to use the Iris Message.
Luke contacted the three and informed them about the state of his friend. They discovered that Ikki had defeated Hercules in battle and caused a huge uproar on Olympus, something that made Dionysus very upset to the point that he grumbled and they heard about it.
Thinking it was something they should know, he immediately contacted them.
Imagine the joy of the three; they literally almost cried tears of joy and were relieved that their friend was well.
They ended the call on a high note, went to a diner to eat, and had an unexpected encounter with the God of War.
After a discussion, they had to perform a favor for Ares. Percy didn't want to, but... as the God of War said that if he did what he asked, he would tell him something about his mother, in addition to providing a means of transportation for the three since they had no money. He agreed to do it.
And here they were now.
"Well, we have to fetch Ares' shield..." Annabeth said, deciding not to argue with Percy about it anymore; he was too stubborn. She quickly added, "Let's go…"
The three then headed to the water park, which was a mile and a half to the west on Delancy. They had to recover the God of War's shield; apparently, he was on a date with his lover there and forgot his shield.
...
..
.
Meanwhile, a few hours earlier, Ikki looked in the direction of the woman coming toward him.
She was a woman around twenty-three years old. With extreme beauty, her silky blonde hair cascaded down to her hips, stunning blue eyes like pools of mineral water, and her face was extremely beautiful. A frown, a smile, a glance was enough to enchant all human souls with her seductive beauty.
She had a slight smile gracing her luscious red lips, which would have illuminated the dark side of the moon.
Her body was even more fascinating; it was enough to turn his spirit and soul upside down. She had an incredible figure; a little slimmer would be too thin; a little rounder would be too heavy. Both her features and her figure could be considered divine. She wore a pair of jeans and a snowy white top, highlighting her divine figure even more.
Ikki gazed at the supreme beauty approaching; he activated the [Domain of the Monarch] to cool his mind, which almost fell into hormonal lust upon seeing such beauty walking toward him with a smile on her face. Her beauty exuded sensuality and elegance, would invoke desire in the hearts of men and drown them in a volcano of lust. Just one look was enough for him to guess her identity; it was Aphrodite.
As the personification of beauty, Aphrodite's true appearance is, in fact, unknown, as she would appear to others as their personal epitome of physical attraction.
Ikki looked at Aphrodite; even seeing her extremely beautiful appearance capable of invoking men's desire and lust and envy in women, he remained calm and serene with the help of the [Domain of the Monarch]. The Goddess of Love was extremely beautiful, indeed, but it was not enough for him to become a man driven by lust, thinking with his lower head or someone timid enough to become a stammering mess.
Of course, he still appreciated and was slightly attracted to her beauty. But it was the purest appreciation, without ulterior motives or hints of lust. Aphrodite was a beautiful woman; there was no reason for a straight guy like him not to admire her lovely appearance.
While he had his own thoughts about this, Aphrodite, who felt his gaze the moment she arrived in the park, looked in his direction and was stunned.
The Goddess of Love never thought she would encounter the main subject of her thoughts in recent days in this place.
Ever since she used the Iris message to observe the boy who was proclaimed King of Heroes after the emergency meeting, no one could blame her for her curiosity, could they? Anyway, she was stunned; in person, Ikki was even more handsome, something she thought was impossible.
Her heart raced, and at the same time, she became intoxicated by his perfection. As soon as she glanced at him for a brief moment, her body felt like a volcano of lust, heating up, and she became excited. In fact, she almost drooled; she didn't do it because she was right in front of him – that would be very strange.
As soon as the mission he was leading ended, the Goddess of Love already had plans and ideas to pursue Ikki. If everything went as planned, she would have him in her bed in no time.
But things like plans will forever remain merely plans. When it comes to what will really happen when the time comes, no one can predict.
Meeting him ahead of schedule was a beautiful surprise for the Goddess of Love.
Aphrodite looked at the perfect specimen of a man before her; he was wearing black pants and a white hoodie. She looked him up and down, nearly drooling in the process.
They exchanged glances; the Goddess of Love was surprised when she saw no sign of lust in Ikki's blue eyes, which were like two flawless agates surrounded by electricity when he looked at her. Aphrodite saw only a bit of appreciation, but that was all; his gaze, instead of wandering over her body, focused on her eyes as if he wanted to see her soul.
For a brief moment, she got lost in the depth of Ikki's eyes; his pair of eyes was like an abyss capable of swallowing the world. Their blue color shone like an ocean with infinite depth, capable of engulfing anyone looking into it with various good feelings, like peace, tranquility, and happiness.
Looking into Ikki's extremely charming eyes, which were calm and serene with no emotional fluctuation, except for a bit of intrigue, Aphrodite blushed and felt slightly shocked in her mind, along with a strange sensation of defeat in her heart.
The Goddess of Love had total confidence in her charm. In her opinion, "many" would not be able to escape her temptation, including the Gods. She was not the Goddess of Beauty for nothing.
No man would resist her appearance, and now her beauty, which she was very proud of, had no significant effect on the boy before her.
She felt a bit upset and slightly amused; still, she would not give up on a perfect specimen of a man. Besides, she had a few tricks up her sleeve, and from the look of appreciation in his eyes, he found her beautiful but was not as captivated as she desired. It would be easier to get him into bed if he were like other men, but it was something.
Aphrodite smiled slightly and approached him, still looking him up and down as if appreciating every detail of him.
Such an action could be considered extremely rude and frivolously perverted. But Aphrodite didn't care; she was just admiring her own perfection in human form, while her mind was infested with perverted thoughts about him.
Seeing Aphrodite approach, Ikki continued to look calmly into her eyes.
The goddess before him had cloudy eyes full of lust and desire, as if she were about to devour him the next second. Her blue eyes scanned every inch of his body as if appreciating a work of art.
Honestly, it was uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable because Ikki had never seen such intense lust and desire directed at him before; he forgot to manipulate his presence and make it seem ordinary to people again.
As for the almost obsessive desire of the woman in front of him, he wasn't too surprised. The woman in front of him was Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, who had slept with countless men and women and possessed millennia of experience in sex; her sexual desire was insatiable.
In his mind, he sighed at his bad luck; this unexpected encounter would be complicated.
As soon as Aphrodite reached him, Ikki casually and calmly greeted her, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Aphrodite..."
Aphrodite was a bit surprised that he recognized her. Did her beautiful appearance give her away? She thought while smiling slightly and saying, "No need to be so formal, Ikki. You can just call me Aphrodite or Dite; it's a cute nickname in my opinion..."
Her voice was beautiful and bright, capable of captivating many men and bringing envy to women.
Ikki nodded and said, "Alright then... Aphrodite."
The Goddess of Love made an adorable pout when he didn't call her by the cute nickname; her cute pout would make all men want to embrace her.
"Call me Dite; it's more intimate!"
"Okay, Dite then..." Ikki said, letting out a sigh.
She was pleased and, looking at him, couldn't help but compliment, "You know, I think you're so handsome that even Adonis looks like a pig in comparison to you."
"Thanks, I guess..." Ikki said, scratching his cheek lightly, a bit embarrassed.
He had received many compliments, especially from Aphrodite's campers who tried to seduce him during his stay at camp, and from some campers in general, which were many women and men; he always felt embarrassed or bored.
Aphrodite's compliment was at least new; he had grown tired of hearing cliché lines like, "I feel so flustered next to you because you're so beautiful," or "Your beauty fascinates me, and I can't stop admiring you."
Yes, he had to endure that practically every day at camp half-blood; if it weren't for Silena helping contain his brothers and sisters, it would have been much worse. That's why Ikki was very grateful; she saved him from listening to endless cheesy pick-up lines.
"So, Dite, can I help you with something?" he asked the goddess in front of him.
"Actually, I was hoping you would invite me to sit next to you so we could chat about very important matters..." Aphrodite said with the best serious expression she could muster.
Ikki, who could sense the emotions of other living beings through his sensitive senses, knew she was lying or at least hiding something, but he didn't see a problem in talking to the goddess in front of him.
"Well, why not? You can sit here..." Ikki said calmly.
"Wow, what a gentleman..." she said seductively, with a playful tone in her beautiful voice.
Aphrodite elegantly sat down next to him, and the moment she did, she felt a kind of joy in her heart from being so close to him, which was the reason for all her thoughts in recent days...
She smiled at Ikki, a sparkle in her pupils, while asking, "Satisfy my curiosity; what are you doing alone in this park? Shouldn't you be on a mission with your friends?"
Ikki looked at Aphrodite; at that moment, she leaned her head closer to him, looking at him without blinking. When she leaned closer, she was within his reach. Her bare neck accentuated her beautiful, silky blonde hair, carrying an elegant fragrance that made hearts beat faster. From so close, her particularly well-rounded breasts were subtly revealed, overwhelming people with emotions.
Ikki looked into Aphrodite's blue eyes and said succinctly, "Well, I was looking for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. I decided to take a break; this empty park was my choice. And you?"
" I was bored and decided to take a walk. Then, I found you here, and my day just got better. I really wanted to meet the famous King of Heroes, the man who easily defeated Hercules." Aphrodite said, her eyes sparkling with a light pink hue. She had a sensual smile on her red lips.
In reality, she was on a date with her lover; the God of War. As soon as it ended and Ares said he was going for a walk, she did the same.
The Goddess of Love wandered through the city trying to find a handsome specimen to have fun with; she liked to believe that Fate brought her to this park.
"I see..." Ikki nodded, looking ahead before speaking. "Can I ask a question?"
"Of course..." Aphrodite sang, then said with a sensual smile. "But in return, I want to know some things about you too..."
He nodded. "We have a deal..."
Aphrodite's smile couldn't be bigger; her eyes shone in a pink tone.
She said in a suggestive tone, "So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead; I promise I will answer any kind of question..."
"Actually, my question is something simple..." Ikki said, looking directly into Aphrodite's blue eyes with a hint of pink. He asked, "I have a friend at Camp Half-Blood; she's one of your daughters. Her name is Silena. She told me that your children have to break someone's heart as a rite of passage..."
"Since then, I've been curious, I wanted to know why you allow that? As the Goddess of Love, isn't that contradictory to your domain?"
As he asked his question, an indescribable light passed through her pupils.
A broken heart was not something pleasant. It was one of the worst things that could happen when someone experienced love; he remembered that very well, as he had gone through it in his past life. It was for this reason that he was so against the idea of loving someone again...
Aphrodite was internally surprised that he was friends with her favorite daughter and a little amused by his question. Her smile widened. "That's easy. Well, for the Drama, of course. It's so delicious! So exciting!"
Hearing the Goddess of Love's response, Ikki took one last look into the emotional eyes of the Goddess and broke eye contact. He shook his head softly in disagreement; Aphrodite's view on Love was ironic and unpleasant.
He wasn't an expert in love, but in his eyes, sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of someone you love is by far the purest kind of love.
That was how he felt about his family and friends.
In his opinion, human emotions were complicated; he didn't quite understand them. And he thought he didn't need to understand, all he needed to do was "feel." Feelings and emotions are what make someone human. Feeling emotions is what makes life rich, what makes everything interesting, the charm of living.
He did not agree with Aphrodite's distorted view of love. Honestly, he expected that kind of response, so he wasn't very surprised, just disappointed that the Goddess of Love seemed more interested in the drama of romantic relationships than something as unexplainable as love.
But he couldn't be too judgmental about it; after all, he had given up on that wonderful emotion in his past life after being rejected by his fiancée.
He gently clenched his fists as he remembered that—his past life... He always kept it buried in the back of his mind while enjoying this new life, simply because his past was tragedy after tragedy, and his end came by his own hands. So he didn't want to focus on it at all, but Aphrodite's words and her beliefs made him touch upon that taboo...
He wanted to teach a lesson to this Goddess...
Aphrodite's smile faded when she saw Ikki breaking eye contact with her and shaking his head negatively at her answer. She melodiously stated, "The drama in love is the most fun and interesting part of the emotion. It's something that stirs the flames of a relationship! It makes it interesting, don't you agree?..."
Ikki simply let out a soft sigh, without looking at the Goddess of Love. He slowly said, "No, I do not agree..."
Hearing his words, Aphrodite fell silent for a few moments. She had an indescribable glow in her blue eyes that had a hint of pink. After a brief silence, she asked, "Are you telling me that I... the Goddess of Love, am wrong about Love?"