The cult of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, has thrived in Cyprus for over two thousand years. The cult is enshrined in three places: Aphrodite’s temple, birthplace, and bath. Aphrodite’s Bath (Fontana Amorosa) is a spring in the landscape of Akamas northwest of Cyprus. It was there that Aphrodite met her lover, Adonis. The spring is mythical because of Aphrodite’s orchid and its pollinator, Psyche’s butterfly or Paphos Blue. When the orchid flowers, those who drink the spring water will fall in love; so, the myth says. Two young botanists study the orchid’s effect. An Arabic prince on board a luxury yacht interested in aphrodisiacs sent an agent to Denmark to liquidate a scientist. A Danish pharmacological company involves the government and intelligence agencies. One of the country’s best agents, a professor and a colonel are dispatched to find stolen scientific documents. A young orchid scientist is abducted by the prince’s agent and the pharmacological CEO. The abducted scientist is liberated heroically by a guardian of Aphrodite. In his desperation to find and isolate a pheromone, the prince ordered the CEO and his agent to collect orchids for him to consume. One orchid species arouses the prince, and another induces bursts of uncontrollable laughter. Aphrodite’s pilgrims wander to Aphrodite’s bath, where the secret is revealed. The colonel, the Danish agent and others become the victims of Aphrodite’s magical power and fall in love. The happy ending is confirmed at the annual meeting of the Aphrodite Society of Cyprus.
