"hello Aphrodite, finally decided to come out of your whore house?" I said as the woman came into my garden. It wasn't an insult, just playful banter between us.

"I was barely able to pull myself out. Weren't you in there yesterday cleaning the chamber pots?" She nodded to herself. "That's right, you said you needed more fetilizer. I hope you got enough."

I looked at her with a fake hurt look, and then we both stared laughing at each other's attempt at a put down.

"So how is your champion doing?" I asked her, although I had a feeling I knew.

"Horrible. He only took one curse: 'Slow healer', and then spent his blessing points on starting wealth, and an artifact." I could tell she was displeased

"Mine took more of an agresive stance. They took three lesser curses, then used the points to set themselves up to be a nice Zeonist." I didn't want to reveal the gender of mine like she did. She might use that to try and get her hero to chase Tasha.

"So Ares got to him too huh?" I already knew Ares recommended it just because her hero selected it. "Unless he is playing both sides of this little bet."

"Knowing him, he is playing both sides and throwing his own plans together." She looked pensive when she said it, but we had both been on the wrong side of Ares' plans before.

"Your bet is temporarily canceled." And then there is Hermes.

"Why do you say that?" Aphrodite said as she stood.

"Hades just confirmed, A Necromancy cult has successfully collected everything needed to open Mundus." Hermes seemed to be sweating at saying this.

Aphrodite replied with what was on my mind, but once she started talking I realized the problem.

"We open Mundus every three years, so?"

"Aphrodite, we unseal it every three years, but the lid stays on. Also, what reason do necromancers need to open the domain of Hades?" I tried to make her think for a moment.

"You don't think those stupid mortals would try and aim for the vault?"

"They don't need to, if they open Mundus, they won't need to tap into the Soul Flow. They will be standing on the edge of the largest body of souls, all of them ripe to be destroyed, or perverted." I turned from her, to Hermes. "Can we maintain the rule that we can't directly or indirectly communicate with our opponents champion?"

"Yes, Athena said you might ask this. She also said that Aphrodite might use this to kill off her hero, so she could try to summon another one; Zeus, Hera, and Athena all agreed on the ruling: if only one Champion dies, that goddess forfeits, if one's actions results in the death of the other, that goddess forfeits." He looked straight at Aphrodite. "In other words, the only way for you to not loose is to stay completely honest to your champion, and I would send them to opposite fronts, and strive to maintain the seperation."

"Well it's not Ares' war that we agreed on, but we can use this one." Aphrodite grinned.

"How did you recruit yours?" I asked her. "

He was easy, I promised him a Harem. I never told him he wouldn't get it until his next life, after his memory of the request was wiped. He is too much of an ass to let him have one now. You?"

"Convinced them they were about to die a horrible and painful death, and I saved them from it." I told her truthfully.

"And?" Damn, she knew.

"I erased their memory of the horrible and painful death. I didn't break any rules. I just didn't tell them everything. If I remember right, their consent statement was something like 'die tonight, or die in a few years, I'm in'. I might be wrong though. But at least I do t have to make a harem, I didn't promise anything." I grinned.

"When did they die?" Hermes asked.

"Back when this rock was still called earth." I laughed.

"No wonder it took so long, you dug deep into Mundus to find that one." Aphrodite quipped.

"Babe, it's been fun, but when even Hades is worried about Mundus, we have to help." I looked at Hermes. "We can contact them outside of the temples until this is cleared up right?" I attempted to confirm.

"The interference, blessing, and curse rules are the only ones in play until Mundus' artifacts are retrieved." Hermes confirmed.