the while they were making love. He got out a bronze hunting-net and attached to theposts and sides of the bed. He told Aphrodite that he was to a short holiday trip toLemnos. Aphrodite did not offer to go with him. When Hephaestus left, she senthurriedly for Ares and the two immediately went to sleep together. When they went tobed, they got tangled in the net.8At dawn, Hephaestus returned from his trip. He summoned all of the godstogether so they could see what Aphrodite and Ares did. Hephaestus thought that, byZeus seeing how Aphrodite deceived him, Zeus would return all of the marriage gifts. Instead, Zeus told Hephaestus that this should handled by him and Aphrodite instead ofbeing made a public affair, therefore Zeus did not return the marriage gifts.9MYTHS OF OTHER LOVERS OF APHRODITEHermesAfter Aphrodite had been publicly humiliated, she returned to Paphos and renewedher virginity to the sea. Soon afterwards, Hermes confessed his love for her, and she sleptwith him. She eventually bore a double-sexed child name Hermaphroditus.Poseidon Poseidon, like Hermes, also confessed his love for her, and she bore him two sonsnamed Rhodus and Herophilus. Later Aphrodite also slept with Dionysus in which shebore a deformed son by him. The deformity was caused by Hera; she did this indisapproval of Aphrodite's permiscuity.10AnchisesLater, Zeus wanted to humiliate Aphrodite by making her fall in love with a mortalnamed Anchises. He was a handsome man, and he was the King of the Dardanians. Onenight Aphrodite visited him without him knowing who she was. When they Parted at dawn, she revealed her identity and told him not to tell anyone that they had slepttogether.Anchises was terrified when he learned that he had uncovered the nakedness of agoddess, and he begged her to kill him. She told him that he had nothing to worry aboutand that their son would become famous.11A few days later, Anchises was drinking with one of his friends....
