Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Prolog ~ Penelope and Aphrodite

A Lamur, Georgia, USA Novel

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Perseus, with Helen's help, find a way
to enter Aphrodite's presence and gain beauty for his mother?

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This prolog will encompass the beginning of Aphrodite creating another line of priestess who will endure for centuries in the future.

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Prolog ~ Penelope and Aphrodite

The Grecian plain glistened with the clinging droplets everywhere from the blessing that had been received from the heavens. A poor Grecian boy stood as a guest in the home of his friend, a poor Grecian girl. Perseus listened intently to Helen as she whispered to him about the field that Aphrodite visited each year close to the village.

“I discovered this myself and I have told no one till telling you now. Tomorrow is the day, Perseus!”

“My mother is so lonely. If only she could have the beauty that age and hard work have robbed from her then someone would fall in love with her and she would have all she needs. I know that she won’t ask for beauty for herself. She thinks of everyone but herself.”

"Only your mother or her daughter could petition Aphrodite for beauty. You don’t have any sisters,Perseus. You could be the daughter that asks Aphrodite for your mother.”

Helen dressed Perseus up as a girl. Perseus looked at the reflection in a mirror and admired Helen’s skill. Perseus could pass as a girl before anyone. The only exception was the Goddess herself who could see beyond the exterior to the soul.

"Would Aphrodite ignore this deception to see beyond to my motives for my mother?

"It's up to you. I feel that it would work."

“I think that Aphrodite would listen to a boy rather than one who tried to deceive her. Would you please go to the shrine to Aphrodite and give an offering for my mother and me? Thank you for your help. Seeing myself as a girl makes me wish I were my mother’s daughter. Nevertheless I go in truth and in love for my mother.”

"I had not thought of that Perseus. I even had a girl’s name picked out for you, Penelope. I will do as you ask and may you have favor with the Goddess.”

“Perhaps someday there will be a Penelope.”

Helen helped Perseus remove the disguise and he left dressed as he had entered.

Perseus ran to the field and spied a beautiful maiden in the field. Perseus thought, “This is the Goddess herself just as Helen had told me.”

He came and knelt at her feet. She touched him and told him,“Arise. Why do you come here to me? “

“Lady, I come here to bring a petition for my mother.”

“You did well to come before me in truth even though as a man you are not worthy to come before me. The girl, Helen, who thought that I could be deceived by her handiwork should be taught a lesson.”

“I beg mercy for her, Lady. Her judgment was clouded with her great desire to help me.”

“Mercy shall be granted to her. Come be with me this day and help me harvest the seeds and fluid from these plants. After the work is done I will answer your petition, Perseus.”

The Goddess handed Perseus a vial and pouch, identical to hers, to hold the fluid and seeds and after she showed him the method where no fluid would be lost and no seed missed.

The pair worked in the field thru the noonday. The Goddess told stories of women who had loved and in each story portrayed a different hue of a many colored love. When the Sun hung overhead past its full strength the two had finished the field. Perseus gave the Goddess the fluid filled vial and the pouch that contained the seeds.

“You have done well Perseus. Come eat supper with me.”

They both retired to a grassy spot underneath the shade of a tree with a pond just beyond. They dined sitting on a cover of fine linen partaking of delicacies only known on Olympus. Following the meal, Perseus was overcome with drowsiness.

He spoke, “Lady, I beg your forgiveness but I can scarce keep my eyes open.”

“Sleep now, Perseus. You have my blessing.”

Perseus surrendered and fell asleep, thankful for the Goddess’s understanding. About an hour later the child awoke to find the Goddess smiling at her. There was no mistaking that she was now a girl. Amazingly enough she wore the clothes of a handmaiden almost identical to the outfit that the Goddess herself had worn as she portrayed a girl in the field. Now Aphrodite was clothed in her Olympic splendor. Yet the Goddess had the same demeanor toward her as though she were destined to be in this form all along.

“Now you are worthy, dear Penelope. You have wondered why a Goddess would disguise herself as a maiden and labor herself to gather the fluid and seeds. The fluid is blessed by the Gods to bring beauty. To be exposed as much a mortal woman could not contain the beauty and any man would be transformed. You will find yourself precocious having matured as much as an 18 yr. old even though you are only twelve.”

She withdrew a fluid filled small vial and gave it to Penelope. She wondered more why she had awoken a girl which was the Goddess' gift rather than a tree, an animal or even dead. Perhaps Aphrodite had seen her heart when Helen had dressed her up and known that even though a boy had been on the outside, a girl was within trapped yearning to be released like a butterfly exits her cocoon. The Goddess was gracious to her as all this wonder passed over her in a moment leaving her in awe as she carefully held the precious gift of the vial in her hand.

“I will ask you to bring this vial to your mother later and have her use it as I show you to place 2 drops under her tongue.”

Aphrodite demonstrated by placing a drop under her tongue.

“When she does it that will give her back her beauty during the next time she sleeps. Both of you will need only one drop each year to renew your beauty. I’m also going to give you a few seeds and before the vial is exhausted you should be able to use the plants to refill it. I’m also going to give you a scroll that gives the dosage, effects and warns of the danger.”

Aphrodite gave to Penelope the vial, the pouch of seeds and the scroll, that she had promised. Penelope prostrated before her in a deep curtsey upon receiving all three gifts from the Goddess. She discovered that she now had a sweet feminine voice when she first spoke to Aphrodite.

“Thank you My Lady for granting my petition and my wish and for caring for me this day. Now that I may offer my own offering to you I will be faithful.”

Aphrodite gave her a hug and said, “Come, You will attend me as handmaiden as I bathe then I will send my gifts home with you to your mother. Bathe yourself so that you may serve me.”

Penelope joyfully when she reached the pond removed her new clothes, entered the pond and bathed herself. She then helped the goddess to undress and bathed her in the waters of the pond. When finished they turned back to the shore and robes and towels had been provided. Drying herself and the Goddess she helped Aphrodite dress in more elegant Olympian garb and found provided another clean, beautiful dress for her to wear.

“Thank you so much for the wonderful clothing, My Lady. Your blessing has surely been poured out on me.”

Aphrodite smiled and said, “You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample this sacred plain and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that I give you is mine only to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. Penelope, you will always remain a woman to reward your acts toward me this day. If your family betrays this trust I will take away these added gifts of my blessing to your mother for her and your family. Penelope, I have revealed your identity to the priestess in the village should any doubt your identity. I have a necklace to give you to show that you have been my handmaiden and are under my protection.”

Aphrodite placed a necklace terminating in a ruby stone on Penelope. She looked at the necklace which would show to all the favor that Aphrodite had given to her.

“Thank you, my lady for your grace toward me.”

Aphrodite sensed that Helen was nearing the plain in despair for the fate of Perseus whom she had expected back with an answer long ago and she feared something had happened to him.

“Helen is coming to the plain. Along with the joyous news of your blessing there is other news I must give Helen. Go meet her and bring her to me!"

“Yes, My Lady.”

Penelope ran to meet Helen. When she finally caught up she gave Helen a big hug.

“I am now Penelope but this morning I was Perseus. The Goddess granted my wish and now she commands me to bring you to her.”

Helen took her hand without a word and the two ran to meet the Goddess. Helen after questioning Penelope became convinced that she had been Perseus. She was truly struck with Penelope’s beauty and that she had passed from girlhood to womanhood while retaining the innocence of a child. When they arrived Helen knelt at the feet of Aphrodite.

“Arise, my child. You have done well in keeping the secret of this plain and the day of my visits till this day. This day you also planned to deceive me but you repented of it. You offered gifts to my shrine for Penelope and her mother and for you and your mother. You, by your self, have my mercy for your transgressions, Helen."

"Thank you, My Lady."

"I must bring you sad tidings, Helen. Your father has been killed. Lydia is no longer your Mother, she is priestess of my temple in Ephesus. Priscilla is no longer your sister for she is my acolyte of my temple in Ephesus. But Helen you shall not be an orphan. Daphne, Penelope's mother is now your mother and Penelope is now your sister. So have I decreed it and so shall it be to reward you for your keeping of the secret of the plain. Helen you will teach your new sister, Penelope all she needs to know about being a girl, and Penelope will teach you my ways concerning the gift I have given to her mother and to you now, her new sister. I know it is a sacrifice to lose your family but it is how you must serve your Goddess."

Helen replied, “Thank you My Lady and I will be faithful to your instructions that Penelope shall teach me and in serving you.”

“I must go now and so you both are free to return to your home. I know that you both will want to help but I ask you not to return here for it would mean your death to help in the harvest. I will always hear your petitions thru the shrine and will give you answers thru the priestess. If we do need to speak face to face I will come to you. I wish it were not so but all you can do by meeting me here in the future is to lead someone to the secret place. “

Penelope answered for the both of them, “We will do as you command.”

“Go now my children. Farewell till I come to you again.”

Each girl replied “Farewell, My Lady”

They both turned away and started their journey. Helen turned back to look at the plain and saw it empty. Aphrodite had returned to Olympus. Helen felt devastayed! She had lost almost everything. Her father dead and the Goddess had stolen her Mother and sister and divorced her from them. Her sins had found her out. How could she have thought that she could fool a Goddess? But her friend and now sister had interceded for her. She was still human and adopted into a family with the Goddess blessing. She'd have to be brave for now for Penelope's sake. Later she would grieve for all she had lost!

“Are you okay, Helen? This sure changes things for me and for you. Until today I thought that you would one day become my lover and wife, beloved.”

“Now we will be sisters for always, Penelope. I guess that makes both of us looking for boyfriends.”

“Just don’t rush me with the boys. I’m going to have to get used to being a girl.”

“With a body like that once they get beyond you having been a boy you are going to be rushed by them.”

“Then I’ll deal with it. Well sister, dear you will have to deal with it too since you too will receive the Goddess' gift!"

"How are we going to deal with our family with the gift?"

"Both you and our mother, will take it tonight then we will all be beautiful in the morning.”

“We all are so lucky.”

Helen and Penelope came to Penelope’s house. Helen could help explain the transformation. Daphne, Penelope’s mother met them at the door and greeted them, “Welcome, Helen. Who is your friend and where is my son?”

“This is Penelope who was your son, Perseus. Perseus found out from me where Aphrodite would be today and he asked the Goddess to grant you beauty so that you would find a husband and no longer be lonely. Perseus helped Aphrodite harvest the beauty fluid and after a nap was transformed to Penelope. I became an orphan but Aphrodite decreed that I should be your daughter and Penelope's sister, Mother”

“I can see that she is my daughter now and you are too!. Welcome home Penelope and Helen!”

Mother and daughters embraced. Penelope was overjoyed at the closeness she was feeling with her Mother and with her new sister, Helen. Helen was distracted from the grief with the overwhelming love outpoured from her new Mother and sister. Daphne wondered at the new bond of parental love she felt towards Helen as deep as for her new daughter, Penelope.

“Mother and Sister, I have a gift to you both from Aphrodite.”

Penelope took the vial and placed 2 drops under both Daphne's and Helen's tongues. Penelope handed the vial, seeds and scroll to Daphne. Helen would enjoy the beauty from the Goddess that her sister already had. Daphne would enjoy bringing a male back into her new family with beauty from the Goddess as her Husband and Penelope and Helen's new father.

“I will explain all to you both. But the most important is that these are to be secret and kept in the family. When you wake from your next sleep, Mother and Sister, the goddess’s blessing of beauty will have happened. “

"Thank you, beloved sister for giving to me Aphrodite's gift and to the Goddess for giving it to our family."

“Thanks be to Aphrodite! Penelope, how will we explain to the village that you are my daughter that used to be my son?”

“The priestess can tell them if we ask her to. Aphrodite revealed my transformation to her.”

“I’m going to place all of the blessing from Aphrodite in this box for safe keeping till we need them again.”

“We only need a drop each year on this day to keep the beauty fresh and new.”

Both Penelope and Daphne told her good night then they all went to their rooms to go to sleep. Penelope and Helen slept together in Perseus' old room. At last Helen could not contain her grief any longer and Penelope cradled her in her arms in bed. Eventually the loud sobs and flowing tears gave way to sighs as the two girls found sleep. As promised when Daphne awoke she became beautiful and young. Helen's sorrow had turned to joy when she saw her new beauty. And the three women welcomed in time a new husband and father but they zealously guarded even from him, the secret of the box containing the vial, pouch and scroll of Aphrodite's gift of beauty.

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The encounter of Perseus and Aphrodite was only the beginning. Erida who was threatened by this new line of followers of Aphrodite, declares war on all those who would worship Aphrodite. Working through hate and jealousy, Erida seeks to declare war on all those who would worship the Goddess of Love.

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