The Pear

In a grove, just outside the Holy Monastery of Ano Xenia, grew a pear tree. Besides a pear tree growing that no one planted, it seemed unremarkable. That was until it grew fruit that first year. The monks thanked their god as they collected the few, delicious, pears that grew that first year. And they did this every year after.

The fruit seemed to double every year, regardless of the size of the tree. And the monks continued to thank their god as they harvested the pears. With so much fruit they learned new recipes. They truly saw this tree as a godsend. That was until letters started to become visible on the trunk of the tree. The monks roped off the area and stopped collecting the fruit as soon as the first letter, T, appeared.

The monks kept a watchful eye on the tree as it grew. After several years of watching, and waiting, the message became clear. "TO THE FAIREST" was written, in English, on the trunk of the pear tree. The monks no longer thought this was a gift from their god and built walls on the perimeter of the grove. There was no way in and no way out, except there was no roof. They did not want people to access the area, but they also did not want to harm the tree, just in case there was a punishment from whatever forced the tree to grow.

Over the decades the story of the tree reached the gods on Mount Olympus. Hermes, the herald of the gods, was sent to investigate these "silly rumors of mortals". He returned with the news that the rumors were true. The pear tree did, in fact, say "TO THE FAIREST" and it was not carved into the trunk. There were no signs a human had done this and "how" was now circling between the immortals.

Hera, Queen of the gods, was the next to venture down to earth. Once she saw the message she believed her husband, Zues, had placed this pear tree there for her. She grabbed a pear, but before it could reach her mouth she was interrupted.

"What are you doing with my pear?" A silky voice drifted out of the shadow of the tree.

"You are mistaken, Aphrodite. This tree belongs to me." Hera responded with an air of superiority.

"I am clearly the fairest," Aphrodite replied with a laugh, "I am the goddess of love, after all."

"Zues grew this tree for me!" Hera almost yelled.

"If my father thought you were the fairest, why does he bed mortal women?" A calm voice came from behind Hera.

"You and I both know he is a pig." Hera narrowed her bright brown eyes at Athena.

"And a swan!" Aphrodite laughed with a knowing look at Athena, who was smiling.

"Both of you, shut your mouths! I am your queen and mother. You will show me respect." Hera yelled at them.

"I have no mother. And as for queen, don't make me laugh," Athena said as she positioned herself between the other goddesses, "You are merely my fathers wife. What do they call those down here?"

"I believe they call them … stepped ones?" Aphrodite answered.

"Yes, you are nothing but my stepped one," Athena shot at Hera, "I am clearly the fairest. Not only am I beautiful, but I am also intelligent."

"Not to mention modest." Hera said, getting an uproarious laugh out of Aphrodite.

"I can also best both of you in battle!" Athena declared as she pulled her sword.

"You dare threaten me?" Hera's eyes began to glow.

"I am not threatening you. I am merely …"

"Pulling a sword is threatening her." Aphrodite Interjected.

"I pulled it for emphasis," Athena replied with an exasperated look, "I, unlike the two of you, possess a strategic mind."

"I don't understand why either of you think you are fairer than I, the FREAKING GODDESS OF LOVE!" Aphrodite started soft and ended in a yell.

"Just because you use love spells to enchant husbands, and filthy mortals, to sleep with you, does not make you the fairest." Hera preached as her eyes dimmed to their natural color, amber.

"How dare you, 'Queen mother'!" Aphrodite mocked, "I, unlike you, do not need to enchant people. I am irresistible to men and women, gods and humans!"

"Whether you use magic, or not, you still disrespect Hephaestus," Hera's eyes began glowing again, "My son! You disrespect my lovely boy with your infidelity!"

"Your 'lovely' boy is a far cry from reality, 'mother'." Aphrodite mocked the Queen of the Gods, yet again.

Hera responded with a strong slap across Aphrodite's face. Aphrodite replied with a punch to the "Queen's" face. Hera's body, like her eye's, began to glow a pure white and she lunged at Aphrodite. They collided and fell to the ground. Hera was on top, punching Aphrodite in the face. Then Aphrodite flipped the Queen over her head and followed, placing her on top. She started to glow a bright pink and began punching Hera in the face. They continued this, flipping and punching each other, while Athena watched, with a smile across her face.

Athena grabbed one of the pears that hung close to her head and bit into it. It was deliciously juicy. She got caught up in the pear, so much so, that she never saw the glowing goddesses rolling towards her. She was abruptly brought to the ground. Her sword and shield clattered on the ground as she was rolled into the goddess ball.

Fists were flying, here and there, and all three of the goddesses were now in a free for all. Aphrodite would punch Hera, who would then punch Athena. Athena, being skilled in battle, would punch both of them every time she could. The goddess ball continued to roll around the tree.

That was until they rolled back to where Athena's sword laid. Hera was the first to notice it. She grabbed the handle, but couldn't get the sheath off. She stopped trying to unsheathe the weapon and started using it like a club. After the first few swipes hit Aphrodite, Athena made a grab for her weapon.

Athena grabbed the sheath and forced the handle back into Hera's stomach. Hera gasped for air and let go of the weapon. Athena rolled off the ball and stood. She then took a fighting stance, weapon now free of the sheath, and began to glow a bright blue.

"You will not win this engagement, mother!" Athena said the last word with as much venom as possible.

"You ungrateful swine," Hera said as she kicked off Aphrodite and got to her feet, "You millennials have no respect!"

"I give respect to those that have earned it," Athena replied as she stretched her arm out towards her shield. When it flew into her left hand she ended with, "And you have not earned my respect!"

Trying to take advantage of their attention on each other, Aphrodite took a pear from the tree. Before it reached her mouth a small knife embedded itself up to the hilt. Aphrodite turned her head and noticed Athena with her right arm stretched out towards her.

"Are you crazy? You could have hit me, you …"

Before she could finish her sentence Athena interrupted with, "If I had wished to hit you, I would have, sister!"

Aphrodite then threw the pear at her, still glowing, sister. Without flinching Athena allowed the fruit to hit her breastplate. She then wiped the juice off with her hand. The three of them stood there, Athena still in her fighting pose, staring at each other. None of them wanted to fight, but their pride seemed to be inching them towards one.

Hera made the first move and threw a bolt of lightning at Athena with the quip, "A gift from your father." Athena blocked it with her shield, Aegis, just in time. She used her shield to ricochet the bolt towards Aphrodite.

"Look alive, sister!" Athena taunted her pink glowing sister, with a wide grin.

This resulted in Aphrodite's pink glow to flare as pink flames flooded out of her outstretched arms. Athena, once again, bounced the attack off her shield. This time, however, the flames hit Hera and engulfed her. A loud shriek echoed in the small walled area and Hera turned towards the pink goddess.

Through the flames came another bolt of lightning. It struck Aphrodite in the shoulder, causing her to fall backwards. She smacked the ground hard, but quickly got up. She was holding her right shoulder with her left hand, and used her right to send a ball of dark pink at Hera. Hera barely dodged the ball and threw another bolt of lightning.

Aphrodite disappeared in a puff of pink smoke and re-emerged behind the queen, with another puff of smoke. A new ball of pink flew out of the dissipating smoke and hit Hera in the back, forcing her to the ground. Hera didn't spring up. Instead she slowly got to her feet, turned around and with a loud battle cry started throwing bolts.

The blue lightning barrage started to tear through the pink goddess. When Aphrodite hit her knees, Athena made a decisive strike on Hera. Athena's sword crossed over a wrist and her opponent lost a hand. Then Athena swirled down, while her blade rose into the Queen's stomach.

Hera stared down at Athena. They locked eyes as the long blade retreated from the Queen's body. Hera raised her hand and back handed Athena, causing her to collapse into an indented hole. Aphrodite quietly and unnoticed got to her feet. She pulled a large ebony blade that sparkled from pink magic out of nowhere and dashed towards the other two glowing goddesses. In an unseen gesture, the Queen stopped the giant sword with a mere two fingers.

"My son may have made you an extremely powerful sword," the Queen started with a grin, "But there is a reason I am the Queen!"

Hera threw the goddess of love, and her massive blade, a few feet away with just a flick of her wrist. She then brought her handless limb to her face and watched as her hand rematerialized. Her aura wasn't as bright as before, but it still flared. She grabbed Athena by the throat and summoned a weapon of her own. Hera tried to stab through Athena's stomach, but was blocked by Aegis. Athena yelled "FLASH" and the Medusa head on her shield came to life. The serpent haired head lunged at the Queen, turning her to stone.

"Do you forfeit, sister?" Athena asked as she brushed some dirt from her shoulder.

"You … you, did it?" Aphrodite stuttered as she turned towards the shield wielding, dark blue glowing goddess, "How did that work?"

A bright white light blinded everyone before Athena could answer. The stone Queen began to tremble.

"It didn't work, fools! You think some gator trash Gorgon head can kill me?" the snide remarks swiftly followed behind the flying debris, "How many times do I have to say it? I am Queen for a reason!"

The last word echoed through the small area. Hera's aura flared and instantly enveloped the other two goddesses. They both clutched their throats and gasped for breath. Both of the 'lesser' goddesses started to glow even brighter.

"I allowed you to enter this world," the Queen screamed at them, "And I will take you out, just as easily."

Aphrodite started to glow a darker pink and stood up, screamed and threw her hands in front of herself. The gesture caused her aura to build and then burst out as a wave towards the Queen. Once the pink pushed back the white Athena began gasping for air. The aura's struggled against each other for just a moment before the pink surged forward. Both of the goddesses, white and pink, started screaming. They were trying to force their auras to the other. Soon Athena regained her composure and joined her sister in pushing back Hera's white aura.

Hera realized she was losing and disappeared. She then reappeared behind the girls and threw a bolt of lightning at both of them. Athena was able to easily dodge the bolt, but Aphrodite could not. The Goddess of Love was hit square in the back and fell to the ground. Athena rolled to her left and shot out two small daggers with quick succession towards the Queen.

The little daggers embedded themselves into the Queen's stomach and began to glow. With a smile Hera grabbed the hilts of both blades she tried to pull them out, but they were planted firmly. The hilts started to glow brighter and Hera started to panic. The blades began to burn the longer they were buried. Her screams then erupted out her mouth.

"You can't win! I'm the Queen mother of all the ones that reside on Olympus!" Hera yelled as her stomach began glowing.

Hera's words quickly turned into random sounds and a bright glowing substance filled her mouth. She fell to her knees and her stomach turned into lava and poured out of her, sliding and dripping, down her royal dress. When the glowing liquid fell to the ground it began to hiss. Hera followed the lava as she landed on her knees. She soon doubled all the way over and "How" was the last word from Hera, Queen of the Gods.

"Sister," Aphrodite called from the ground.

Athena turned towards the sound and was shocked to see her sister, sitting in a pink suit of armor, holding an equally pink sword. The identical pieces had a slight gold tinge to them and the wings, that Athena just noticed, were a pink metal with a gold light projected out of the long wing pieces, like layered feathers. The pink sword was massive but seemed to be weightless in the Love Goddess's hands. From a crouching position Aphrodite pointed the tip towards her sister and launched forward. Athena's reflexes caught the sword with ease, but the pink clad sea foam birthed goddess received a quick kick to her chest Aphrodite. She flew several meters backward.

"Yield, sister," Athena bellowed as she turned her battle ready stance towards Aphrodite, "I don't want to hurt you!"

"You won't get me as easily as you did her, sister!" Aphrodite yelled while jumping to her feet.

Aphrodite swung her massive sword at Athena. The glow on the sword traveled to the tip and shot out, flying directly at Athena. Athena merely sidestepped the narrow beam and threw daggers in response. The daggers bounced off of the pink metal and dropped to the ground with heavy crashes. Athena made an annoyed sound just before pulling a thin and pure blue light blade from nowhere.

"So, you choose death," Athena sighed, "So be it!"

Athena let out a war cry and rushed towards the pink clad warrior. She also threw a pair of throwing stars at her face, but she just raised her hand and the small metal stars bounced away harmlessly. Their blades soon collided, in front of their faces, causing sparks to dance between the metals. Several swings later and Athena was able to catch her sister off guard with another hard kick to her chest. They turned towards each other and paused for a second. Both jumped at the other, swinging their swords. Each sliced through the stomach of the other, but they remained standing. Another pause and then the glowing sisters lost their shine. The blue and pink auras died when the women fell to their knees. The life in their eyes died once the similar attacks proved to have sliced them clearly through the torso. When the upper part of the goddesses fell away all that was left was a bubbling cavity of lava on top of the severed legs.

The small wooded area soon became quiet. A few minutes passed by and the tree started to shake. Out of the shadow stepped a short green clad brunette. Eris walked from body to body taking anything she could salvage. After taking everything she stood there, staring..

"Not what I was going for," Eris, the Goddess of Discord, laughed before grabbing a pear and taking out a bite, "but I will take it."