i. APHRODITE sighs, drunk on the ashes of her last cigarette
ARES is laughing in the back seats of the bar doing shots out of his nose while ERIS lets out shrieks of laughter in the distance

ii. ‘are you hungry?’ a voice calls her, and she flutters her eyes open to dismiss the newcomer
and oh, she’s met with red lips and tight leather pants that stretch over hourglass curved hips 

iii. PEITHO is this new girl’s name and she is sin and desire walking on scarlet-soled heels
this seductress, this siren, runs a nail up APHRODITE’S arm like she’s trailing the veins to reach for APHRODITE’S quickening heart and planning to tear it apart in lust

iv. ‘are you hungry?’ PEITHO asks again, her voice dropping lower to a sultry whisper that jazz sirens croon over battered gramaphones
and APHRODITE can only stare at this creature from the red light districts in silence before ARES yells for her again

v. PEITHO utters APHRODITE’S name like a prayer
when they drink from each others’ lips desperately for the first time
and kneels in front of her like a priestess awaiting her call
so APHRODITE snatches the worship from PEITHO’S mouth
and bestows a necklace of crimson lipstick across her neck for all to see