by A Lonergan
A petite woman stood in the doorway when she saw my face, she gasped and dropped her first aid box. “My abilities aren’t good enough yet to fix this. I’m so sorry my dear.” She scrambled to pick the box up and took off down the hall as fast as her little legs could carry her.
I let out a sigh of relief, if it was too bad for the healer to mess with, then that meant that the wedding wouldn’t be as soon as I had hoped. Makeup wouldn’t be able to cover this damage. It made me anxious. It gave me enough time to formulate a good plan too.
I was too afraid to look at myself in the mirror. I had showered and redressed in the same, and I purposefully held my head down when I had brushed my teeth. If it made the healer react that way, there was no telling what it would do to me. I could just barely see out of my eye, and when my stomach grumbled, I knew I couldn’t stay hidden forever.
Apollo would be angry, but what more could he do to me? This was messing up his plans enough as it was. If he knew what was right for himself, he would keep his hands tucked at his sides.
My pendant warmed against my chest and reminded me of its presence. I felt an odd sense of comfort and thought of Prim, the little centauress that had it created for me. When I got out of all this mess, if I did, I hoped that I would be able to meet with her again. I prayed that she was the future of her people and that she would rule them with a just and mighty hand. She was soft enough, but also brave enough to do what needed to be done for her centaur kingdom.
I thought of Sibil then and smiled against the pain in my face. The fearless unicorn that had given me phenomenal counsel. I also hoped that I would see her again too. If I was fortunate enough to get married again, to someone I loved, I wanted them all to be there.
I held my head up high, holding onto the confidence the two monsters had instilled in me and exited my bedroom. I didn’t know what I was to face in the future, but I knew that I could do it because so many counted on me, so many believed in me.
Today the dining hall was arranged differently. Instead of the food already being on the table, it was set up buffet style along the wall. There weren’t many people in the dining area, so I hurried to load my plate up with pancakes, fruit, bacon, and yogurts. It had to have been orchestrated by magic because as soon as I scraped the bottom of a pan, it immediately refilled. This was much more efficient than the food waiting on the table. I kept my head down this time, not wanting any questions or prying eyes. Just because I was brave enough to get through this, didn’t mean that I wanted to cater to everyone else instead of eating the delicious food in front of me.
A plate and bowl were set down in front of me, and I looked up through my lashes, expecting to see Perseus. Aphrodite glided into her seat and began eating her oatmeal, though it looked like it had more berries than oats. It seemed delicious though. My stomach rumbled again, so I dug into my food quickly. If I waited too long, it would leave room for conversation and my body wasn’t having that. The only thing that mattered was food.
Aphrodite thought differently. “Are you okay?” I shoveled food into my mouth to keep her from talking more. It didn’t stop her, she continued on. “I haven’t seen Artemis around, and it’s not like her. She wouldn’t abandon you here, on your own like this. She knows you can handle your own, but still, it isn’t like her to just disappear like this.”
I scoffed around a mouthful of food. She obviously didn’t know Artemis that well. Artemis came and went as she pleased, it was evident.
“Do you think I’m comical?” She planted her delicate hands on either side of her food and tried to lean in closer to me to get a better look.
“Nope, just hungry,” I said, around another mouthful of food.
“You are acting funny too.” She said, as she stood up and walked around the insanely long table to get to me. She threw herself down in the seat on the left of me and grabbed my face in her hands. I let out a shriek of pain and pulled away from her quickly.
What was up with these gods and personal space?
I felt a tear slide down the side of my face. I hadn’t realized that it had hurt that bad and I swiped at my non-injured cheek, quickly. It was bad enough that my face was messed up, but now I was crying? The day had barely started, and it was already terrible.
She looked at me with alarm and scooted her chair back. It was the same look that Crawley had given me the night before, except he had been angry with it and Aphrodite was sad. Her eyes got wide and filled quickly. She got in closer to see more of it, and the tears started to spill over her cheeks. It only made sense that she was a beautiful cryer as well. It was almost sickening, but she was just too cute to be disgusted by her.
She opened her arms wide for a hug, and I very cautiously went into them. She whispered in my ear, and I realized that this was a front. “Apollo did this, didn’t he?”
I nodded my head against her ample chest.
She whispered again and loudly said, “Oh, honey, I was so worried. You have to be more careful. What did the healer say?”
“There isn’t much she can do.” I pulled away from her then.
She gave me a sympathetic smile and pushed my slightly damp hair behind my ear. “There is nothing to be afraid of, I have some makeup that will cover this right up. No need to be upset over the wedding.” She gave me a sad look and got up to go back to her breakfast.
She gave me hope that this would all be over very soon.
I shoved a slice of toast into my face next and tried to chew as quickly as possible. Aphrodite ate her food delicately. Next, to her, I was a caveman.
A chair next to mine was pulled out, and I almost groaned. If it was Perseus…
“Hello, beauty. Did you sleep well…” He trailed off. I imagined that he could see the nice bruising on my face. He kept his comment to himself and sat down beside me. Though he didn’t say anything, I still felt his eyes assessing me. “Don’t let Zeus see that,” he whispered under his breath.
I swallowed my last lump of food, picked up my plate and went to stand. Aphrodite snatched the dishes from my fingers and gave me a sympathetic smile before she said, “You heard Perseus.”
I didn’t waste another second. I grabbed a water bottle on my way out and kept my head low. I was astonished when I made it to my bedroom without being stopped.
I closed the door behind me and sunk to the floor. I could now fully see out of my eye, even though it still hurt. It just wasn’t as bad as it had been. A knock sounded on the door, and I pulled myself up and off the ground.
I didn’t expect Artemis to be standing on the other side of the door. Alarm was imminent on her face, but there was also knowing in her eyes. Crawley had probably told her.
She cupped my injured face in her hands before she pulled me close. Hugging a goddess was just as amazing as it sounded. She smelled phenomenal, she was warm and overly comforting. It was like everything I had wished for in my mother, growing up. She had been cold and distant after I had hit a certain age, knowing that she wasn’t going to be around much longer. She probably thought it would help with my pain when she was gone. Instead, all I felt was regret for her.
I wondered how she faired in the underworld and if she did regret it or she was living a happy life with my father like they had never left off.
Artemis cleared her throat and looked me over. “He didn’t come back and do anything else, right?”
I knew what she was insinuating, and as much as it was horrible, I didn’t blame her for asking. Before Apollo had hit me in the face, he probably would have forced himself on me, but I didn’t know for sure.
“He never tried with me. I would have gutted him. Growing up he always watched from afar until I went to live with the humans. I worried about his sanity after that. When he took my beloved from me, I feared for my own sanity, but found comfort in the arms of my child.” She wiped away tears that had collected under her lashes. “I know you know most of this from me sharing my story with you, but I want you to know that my love for you is the same.
Just because you aren’t directly my daughter, doesn’t mean that I don’t see you as one.”
I didn’t know why she was telling all of this to me now. I appreciated the honesty, but I also wondered if there was something sinister behind it.
“Crawley told me what happened though he didn’t tell me why,” She raised an eyebrow at me in question.
“I flirted with Perseus and Zeus.” I chewed on my lip while I thought on it.
“I always knew that jealousy would be the end of him,” She marched to leave, a woman on a mission.
“Artemis, you can’t go to him.” I didn’t know how I knew.
She crossed her arms over her chest, making her tank top riding up on her toned, bronzed stomach. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and challenge. “It’s about time my brother was dealt with. He has caused too much pain.”
She had been telling me goodbye when she had told me about her love. She didn’t want me to question why she was about to do what she thought she needed to.
“He will kill you.” I closed my eyes tight before I continued on. “He doesn’t need or want you anymore. You are nothing, and he will dispose of you like his unwanted trash.”
Artemis hung her head.
“He has an obsession that you can do nothing about. This is my mission. It is my turn to average your daughters and rewrite history.” I grabbed her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Just help me get the wedding in order. Talk to Zeus and make it perfect. If this is the only wedding I get, I want it to be worth it.”
She frowned. “What about Crawley?”
“Maybe if we were different people, in a different time. Maybe Fate would have chosen differently for us both, but I must accept what Fate is bringing my way now.” When she walked out, I knew I had broken her heart almost as much as I would have broken Crawley’s if I had said it to him.
Chapter 29
Crawley
Hestia tried to keep me calm each day, but nothing was helping. I couldn’t stop imagining Apollo’s hands-on Jessa. A new rage had started to burn inside of me, and I didn’t know how to put it out. I had been a walking disaster, and I didn’t know how to fix myself.
Hestia grabbed my arm and pulled me to walk with her as I was heading to grab dinner.
“What do you want, Hestia?” I growled.
“The wedding will be quickly approaching. I just wanted to make sure that you were ready for what is to come.” She patted my hand. Her blue nails twinkling in the moonlight.
“I’m ready to kill if that's what you mean.” I glared down at her. She didn’t even shrink back in fear like most would have.
“That and are you ready to see her? She is going to be unlike anything you have ever seen before.” Hestia tried to keep her voice from rising 5 octaves, but she failed miserably and let out an excited sound.
“I don’t know why it would make a difference.” I shrugged her off of me, feeling more grumpy than I had before. I hadn’t thought it remotely possible to fall deeper into my dark hole.
“Because that's what she will look like when you marry her.” Hestia shrugged her shoulders up and smiled so large that her eyes disappeared in her cheeks. I didn’t understand what had changed in her, but it was annoying and not wanted.
“What if she doesn’t make it out? What if they are bound together for eternity, and we can’t stop it in time….” I trailed off trying to figure out her plan of action. “We are going to try to stop it, right?”
Hestia gave me a sly glance and nodded her head. “Artemis and Shaskia can’t know what I have planned though. They think we are just going to say our final farewells.” She frowned. “Though I didn’t know Jessa, so I must just be going to look good.” Hestia had too much energy and excitement for me. She pulled on the straps of her overalls for good measure.
I wrinkled my nose at her. “As long as you don’t wear that.” Her outfit screamed hipster, and I hated every second of it. It was too eccentric for me. She had let down her black hair, and I could barely make out the purple strands wrapped around in it. I would have been lying to say that it wasn’t her, but that didn’t mean that I had to like it.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She let out an exasperated huff. “You don’t have to worry about this little number. I’ll be wearing something much more daring. I have to look the part.”
“What part?” My beast itched right under the surface of my skin, growing weary of the witches nonstop chatter.
“The part I’ll play as your date.”
I didn’t know why I was surprised. She had almost hinted that it didn’t make sense for her to go because she didn’t know the wedding party.
I just shook my head and walked back to my home. I needed rest if I was going to be putting up with Hestia in close proximity for an extended period of time. I had never planned on getting this acquainted with the woman, and I was starting to regret it with each passing moment.
I jerked awake to the sound of my front door opening quickly. I growled, low and menacing but whoever had come in wasn’t afraid or was very stupid. When I got the scent of herbs and burnt magic, I knew the answer immediately.
Stupid.
Hestia groaned. “That’s not very nice, grumpy gills.”
“And she can read minds, what else can she do?” I rolled over and smashed the pillow against my face, trying to block her and the sunlight out.
“I’m just here to help you pick a suit out. Judging by your closet, I’m ecstatic that I chose to be the one to do this.” I heard her rifling through the clothes, each hanger screeching along metal rack as she went. “You wouldn’t want your mom to pick out your clothes, now would you?”
“Have you met Cristoff?” I pressed the pillow closer to my face, praying the lack of oxygen would take me out enough to not hear her voice or my suits being messed with.
“Yes!” She squealed. The pillow was useless. I tossed it aside and heard a loud humph as it made contact with its intended target. “That wasn’t necessary.”
“Are you related to Cristoff by any chance?” I scratched my head, putting together their similarities. First starting off with how annoying they were and how much they both lacked the respect of personal space.
She turned around and glared at me, picking faux feathers out of her hair. “Would you prefer him?”
I nodded my head against the mattress, hoping that she could see my movement.
“A purple suit! A man after my own heart.” The hanger scraped against the rack hard then I heard it pop before it sailed through the air. The hanger landed on the floor with a thud. I peeked an eye open to find Hestia standing by my bed, grasping my suit tightly to her chest with a beaming smile on her face.
“I’m not wearing that.”
“Then why would you own it?” She made a huh, huh noise.
“My mother, I’m guessing. You were so quick to judge her and her sense of style.” I laughed at her shocked face but refused to move.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have to help you.”
“Where did all this personality come from, that's what I’m trying to figure out.” Her entire personality had taken a 360 too quickly for my liking.
“It’s easier to hide who you are when your life is in danger.” She gave me a sad smile. “I went a little wild letting it out, I’m sorry about that. I guess that's why most people deal with me in small spurts.” She shook her head. “I was very different from my mother and sister, a disappointment.”
“I don’t think its possible to only take you in small doses.” I let out a snort as I pulled myself from the comfy confines of my bed.
“I’m happy that we are back to being friends again.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You aren’t a morning person, I’ll have to remember that for next time.”
“Hestia, there will not be a next time.”
She winked at me before she left my home, singing, “Never say never!”
I had thought Cristoff was bad…
It w
as never good when a goddess disappears after she promises she won’t meddle. I could hear Shaskia screaming as I was leaving my house. I turned back to my door and started to retreat. There was no time for Shaskia’s rage.
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I almost flinched. I had known someone was there lurking, and they posed no threat, but I had hoped I would have gone unnoticed.
“Artemis is back in Olympus.” My mother said behind me.
“Wonderful,” I grumbled. Somehow this was going to be all my fault.
“This is all your fault.” There it was.
“How so?” I finally turned around to look her head on.
“You just had to see her! You just had to go back and break so many laws and rules with the gods.” She threw her hands up in the air, the movement causing her weird fluffy sleeves to slide down her arms.
“Do you blame me?” I pointed to her. “Who was it that made me get into my feelings in the first place?”
She rolled her green eyes and looked anywhere but at me. “I didn’t intend for you to meddle too!”
“I miss her.” I hung my head in defeat. She was the only one that would get to see this side of me. The only one that had ever seen every side of me and still loved me.
“I’m sure she misses you too.” She ran her hand down my arm affectionately.
“Did all of this blow up in your precious Prometheus’ face?” I looked up at her with a wicked smile on my face.
She gave me an exasperated look. “Not exactly. It definitely isn’t going the way he planned.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked toward the other homes in the village. “He was the key meddler in all of this.”
“That doesn’t make all of this okay!” She let out a shriek, much like the one Shaskia had let out moments before. “If you hadn’t gone over there, you would have never known that she was hurt and Artemis wouldn’t have flown to her rescue!”
