As mentioned before, as manifestations of the laws themselves, a god's original personality usually aligns closely with their divine domain.
For example, the god of thunder would be majestic and tempestuous, the god of craftsmanship meticulous and focused, the god of wine indulgent and fond of drink.
The god of war brash and battle-hungry, while the god of wisdom would delight in solving problems through intellect.
As for the gods of art… naturally, they were much like romantic young artists.
Of course, a god's personality wasn't entirely immutable. Once they gained a personal will, they became more than just the embodiment of rules.
With the passage of time and their experiences, they could also grow.
Yet, as immortals and divine beings, their nature could never be as mercurial as a human's, changes usually only occurred within a narrow range.
After all, even war could vary between the crude, bloody brutality of primitive conflict and the precise, grand scope of modern warfare.
Even among craftsmen, there could be the earnest and forthright traditional artisan, or the obsessive and frenzied inventor.
And the goddess of love and beauty? Naturally, she was brimming with emotion, fond of all things beautiful, ever in pursuit of romance and passion.
Fiery ardor and playful flirtation were both part of her nature. A goddess like that would hardly be as stern and aloof as a god of war, a thunder god, or a god of judgment.
As a mortal, Alaric could exchange a little light, ambiguous banter with her without issue.
Incidentally, love itself came in many forms, steadfast and pure devotion, whimsical and ever-changing romance, and even the plunge into pure carnal desire born of darkness.
Knowing this, Alaric found it easy to deal with the Aphrodite before him.
Of course, the key point was, Alaric was handsome.
The goddess of love and beauty, like the gods of art, cared deeply about appearances, utterly face-conscious.
If Alaric hadn't possessed the sort of looks that, across several worlds, could effortlessly win over countless women, Aphrodite wouldn't have been so willing to speak with him.
In fact, if Alaric were even a little less attractive, this goddess might never have approached him at all.
Sure enough, his words turned the goddess's annoyance into delight. She even gave his hand a lightly teasing pat, her touch carrying a trace of ambiguity.
"You're terrible. Why make such jokes?"
Her coquettish tone nearly broke Alaric's composure.
Startled, he quickly cast a Mechanized Mind spell on himself, regaining his calm.
Truly worthy of being the goddess of love and beauty, one careless moment and a man could easily become her devoted lapdog.
Suppressing his urge to continue teasing her, Alaric shifted the conversation to what he truly wanted to ask.
"Then, may I ask, Your Highness, how you managed to find us?"
His tone carried genuine puzzlement. "You know, with my concealment methods, even the King of the Gods shouldn't be able to locate us."
This question mattered to him greatly.
His boldness in meddling behind the gods' backs, even daring to stand on equal footing with them one day, was founded on the belief that these gods were not omnipotent.
He had the ability to hide in the shadows until he was strong enough to face them openly.
But if his concealment wasn't as reliable as he believed, if it had been Zeus, not Aphrodite, who had found him, his plans might have been ruined.
In that case, he might have had no choice but to take Pandora and retreat to the Moon, to see if the giant god Attila possessed any means to oppose the gods.
Yet even if Attila did have such means, relying on her to secure a foothold on Earth wasn't ideal.
After all, Attila had once nearly destroyed Earth's civilization and the gods themselves, becoming a sworn enemy of both.
She was seen as a threat by the gods and Earth's own Counter Force alike.
If Alaric harnessed that predatory star-born power, even if neither the gods nor the Counter Force could stop him, he would be forever marked as an enemy.
Any further development here would become impossible.
Thus, Alaric needed to know, was it carelessness on his part, Aphrodite's exceptional skill, or had he truly underestimated the gods?
"You're right," Aphrodite said, nodding approvingly at the man before her.
"Even I must admit, your methods are impressive. It's perfectly normal that Zeus, that old lecher, couldn't find you. How did you do it?"
Looking at the goddess's intrigued expression, Alaric smirked faintly.
"Before asking someone a question, it's only polite to answer theirs first. Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?"
"Quite so," Aphrodite agreed with a nod, before abruptly changing tack. "But I refuse. I want you to answer first."
"That's hardly reasonable." Alaric rolled his eyes.
"Of course not," she replied smugly. "Goddesses aren't supposed to be reasonable!~"
Now that was a goddess-worthy excuse.
Helpless, Alaric said, "Then forgive me, but I can't reveal my hiding methods. That's my secret."
"Why not?" Aphrodite planted her hands on her hips, her expression radiating mock outrage. "You'd keep secrets even from me, your goddess? Not tell me of all people?"
Her charmingly pitiful look, laced with just the right amount of coyness, might have broken his resolve, were it not for the effects of Mechanized Mind.
Quickly, Alaric layered on another Mental Barrier spell, just in case she unleashed her full divine power and he lost control.
The flicker of magic light caught the goddess's eye.
"A way to shield your heart like that…" She winked at him playfully. "Now I'm even more curious about your secrets."
"No chance," Alaric replied without mercy. "Don't you think? A secret makes a man more of a man. If you want to know mine, bring something of equal value to trade."
"A secret makes a man a man… then you could also say a secret makes a goddess a goddess," Aphrodite mused, savoring his words before her eyes lit up.
"You really do understand. I approve~ Fine, I'll tell you how I found you."
Tilting her head adorably, she said, "It's actually simple. I may be the goddess of love and beauty, but on the surface, all I see are men.
There's no love at all, at least, none that isn't twisted. I have no idea what the fool who made humans was thinking."
At that, Alaric nearly laughed at her expression, which looked as though she'd swallowed a fly.
Athena and Prometheus had certainly been dragged into this for no reason. But… did that mean there was already that sort of affection around back then?
Shoving those impure thoughts aside, Alaric listened as the goddess continued.
"But you two are different. As the goddess of love, all love is within my sensing range.
I can't exactly eavesdrop through walls, but among all humans, only between you two does the love and desire between a man and a woman exist.
Especially the woman's love for the man, it's so obvious that not noticing it would be strange."
At her explanation, Alaric understood instantly.
Indeed, before humanity was remade, aside from Pandora, there were no other women on Earth.
That meant there was only one pair capable of male–female love. For the goddess of love, it was like spotting a blazing white spotlight in the middle of the night.
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