“Don’t ask,” said Aphrodite. With a quick, somewhat awkward good-bye to Isis, Aphrodite loaded her friends and their bags into the cart. Then they all headed north toward MOA. On the way home, the four goddessgirls shared all that had happened while they’d been apart. Aphrodite told her friends about the competition and what Pyg had said and done. But she still held back from telling them why winning the competition mattered so much, about her D, and her extra credit deal with Mr. Cyclops. In turn, her friends told her about the pyramids and how Hathor had tricked them so that they couldn’t return to Greece in time to help her.
Aphrodite was disappointed to hear about Hathor’s trickery. Had Isis been in on it? Surely not. Even though she and Isis were in competition, sometimes it seemed that they were becoming friends.
But as they neared MOA, her thoughts began to focus on other troubles. Up ahead, dark gray storm clouds hung low and thick over the entire school. Zeus was obviously still in a bad mood. A mood that was even worse than before, judging by those clouds! Had he heard what had happened with Pyg?
9
Boom! Zap! Crash!
AS THEY FLEW CLOSER TO MOA, THEY HEARD a fierce thunderclap.
“Sounds like Zeus is still grumpy,” said Artemis, covering her ears.
Then a flash of lightning zigzagged across the sky. “Looks like it too,” said Athena. She sounded as concerned as Aphrodite felt.
“I wonder why?” said Persephone. “He’s been acting even gloomier than Hades did when we first met.”
They all watched the storm, silent for a few moments. Her friends looked so worried that Aphrodite’s guilt for her part in all this grew. She was just about to confess that her mess-up in Hero-ology had likely caused Zeus’s anger, when she noticed the tears in Athena’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, touching her arm.
“Are you crying?” Persephone asked her in surprise.
“No,” said Athena, turning her head away and blinking. “The wind blew something in my eyes. That’s all.”
The other three goddessgirls looked at one another other, certain she wasn’t telling the truth. Something was really wrong!
“You’ve seemed sad for a while now,” Aphrodite said, trying to coax her to talk.
“Yeah,” added Artemis.
“Can’t you tell us what’s bothering you?” Persephone asked.
After a few seconds, Athena turned toward them, her face pink. She’d bottled up some kind of emotion and now she looked ready to explode with it. Finally words burst from her in a rush, “If you must know—my mom has left my dad!”
Aphrodite was shocked. “Metis left Zeus?”
“You mean, left-left? As in forever?” asked Artemis.
Athena nodded and then let out a sob.
“Oh, Athena, I’m so sorry,” Persephone said, gently rubbing her back. “What happened?”
“What happened is . . . well, you know how my mom is a fly?” Athena said. They all nodded. “A few weeks ago, she said she just got tired of living inside my dad’s head. So she buzzed off to be with her other fly friends. She said only they could understand what it’s like to have compound eyes and sticky feet.”
Athena brushed away tears, but they kept flowing. Persephone reached into her travel case for a tissue. Athena blew her nose, then shrugged. “Mom and Dad never did get along all that well, but I never thought this would happen!” She let out another sob, and the other goddessgirls wrapped her in a group hug.
Quickly, Aphrodite murmured instructions to the swans so that the cart began to circle MOA instead of landing during the storm. It wasn’t easy, but she refrained from asking all the questions she was dying to ask, sensing that Athena just needed to talk.
“Since my mom left, she’s come back to visit twice,” Athena told them between sniffles. “But it’s just not the same as when she was in dad’s head. She’s too buzzy—I mean busy—with her new life. That’s all she can talk about.”
“Well, this explains why Zeus has been in such a bad mood,” said Persephone.
“Yeah, and it looks like his mood is growing even worse,” said Artemis, “Look!” She pointed toward the school courtyard below.
The girls looked over the sides of the cart. Red-faced and shaking his fists, Zeus was yelling at Mr. Cyclops. “Watch where you’re going, you big one-eyed lummox!” he roared, as rain dripped from them both. “You almost mowed me down just now!” Students stared from the school windows, watching the whole thing.
“Oh, no,” Athena moaned.
Aphrodite took Athena’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Sometimes unhappiness makes people lash out at others. Zeus is probably just lonely since your mom left him.”
Athena’s tears stopped as she stared at her in surprise. “I’ve been so sad and embarrassed over this that I’ve only been thinking about my own feelings,” she said slowly. “But you’re right. I guess he must be lonely. I mean, one minute my mom is talking nonstop inside his head, and the next—silence.”
Persephone nodded thoughtfully. “It’ll probably take some time for him to get used to it.”
Down below, Zeus stomped off and the storm went with him. As it moved away, the last of its wild gushing winds unsettled the cart. It was all Aphrodite could do to steady it. “Hang on!” she told them as she took them lower. “This storm is passing, but there are new thunderbolt holes all over the place down there.”
It was a bumpy landing and the cart skidded sideways across the rain-slick marble tiles of the courtyard. They came to a jolting halt only when the cart banged against a giant thunderbolt stuck in the tile. Overhead the skies were already turning light gray, then blue as the storm blew over.
“Good thing my dad went for another walk,” said Athena.
“Just in time,” Artemis agreed.
As the others grabbed their bags and left the cart, taking the steps up to the Academy’s front doors, Aphrodite stashed the shrunken cart in her handbag, and then joined them. When they opened the bronze doors, they were astonished to see Artemis’s dogs running up and down the halls. And Mr. Cyclops was there, yelling at Hades, “Get these mutts out of here!”
When their teacher noticed them, his eye narrowed.
“Artemis! Get over here, young lady!”
Sensing she was in trouble, Artemis hunched her shoulders. “Uh-oh.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Persephone, sounding worried. The two girls trudged toward Mr. Cyclops with the air of prisoners condemned to execution. Meanwhile, Hades tried unsuccessfully to catch the dogs. After two days of separation they were so happy to see Artemis that they became even giddier, bounding back and forth across the hall.
Suez jumped up and put his paws on Mr. Cyclops’s back, almost knocking him over. As he caught his balance, he glared at Artemis and Hades in turn and yelled, “If someone doesn’t get these dogs under control, I’ll have them thrown out of MOA!”
“Suez, Amby, Nectar—come!” Artemis shouted, chasing after them. But they were too excited to obey. Amby grabbed Persephone’s travel case with his teeth. Before she could stop him, he ripped the side of it open and pulled her clothes out. Then he and Nectar began tossing them in the air with playful jerks of their heads, as if it were all a game. Suez circled them, wagging his tail and barking.
Anger was as contagious as the flu, and it looked like Mr. Cyclops had caught Zeus’s anger and was passing it on to Artemis, who was now yelling at her dogs.
Aphrodite wasn’t sure anymore how much of the blame for Zeus’s bad mood should fall on her, but surely some of it was her fault. After all, she’d started the ball rolling with the Trojan incident that had made mortals so mad.
Suddenly, Athena grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the stairs. “Can we talk for a minute?” she asked urgently.
Aphrodite went with her, still watching the wild scene before them. There wasn’t much they could do here anyway, and Athena obviously needed to talk.
“Let’s go up to my room,” Aph
rodite suggested. She practically had to shout to make herself heard over all the yelling and barking.
“Mine’s closer. We can talk there if Pandora’s out,” Athena told her once they reached their hall. Not waiting for Aphrodite’s reply, she peeked into her room. Since it was empty, they went in.
Athena tossed her bag onto her desktop and sat on her bed beside it. Almost immediately words poured out of her. “I want to talk to you about my mom and dad.”
Aphrodite shut the door, then sat on Pandora’s bed opposite Athena’s. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait for Persephone if you’re looking for advice? I don’t have any experience with parents.”
“But you do know about love,” said Athena, leaning forward eagerly. “And I’m hoping you can help my dad.”
Aphrodite’s brows rose. “Me? Help Zeus?” The idea that the King of the Gods and Ruler of the Heavens could ever require anyone’s help was a new and strange one.
“Yes. I think you’re right about him being lonely. And since you have a Lonely Hearts Club, I’m wondering if you know someone my dad might like to hang out with.” Athena paused for a moment. “You know, like a companion—a goddess his own age. Someone who doesn’t mind his moods and . . . and the occasional thunderbolt hole.”
“You want me to find someone to mend Principal Zeus’s broken heart?” asked Aphrodite. Yikes, she thought. This was not a job she wanted. Everyone at MOA was a little afraid of the principal, including her.
“Exactly. So will you do it?” Athena asked.
“Well . . . ,” Aphrodite began. Athena was obviously rocked by her parents’ split. Who wouldn’t be? Still, the idea of putting herself directly in Zeus’s path—especially now—was just plain frightening. What if he started taking his bad mood out on her? What if he decided to smite her or threw her out of school for interfering?
Athena reached to a shelf behind her and picked up the toy horse she’d brought with her from home when she’d first come to MOA earlier in the year. The very one she’d used as a Trojan horse in the Hero-ology game. “You know what the worst thing is?” she asked, hugging the toy to her chest and resting her chin on its mane.
“What?”
“When my mom was in Zeus’s head I used to pretend that she looked like a regular goddess instead of a fly. But when she buzzed out of his ear and I saw she was a real fly, I was so disappointed. And I feel bad about that. I mean, she can’t help it.”
“And you can’t help your feelings, either,” Aphrodite said gently.
“So will you help me? Help my dad?”
Though she was inwardly shuddering at the notion, Aphrodite nodded. Athena needed her and she would not let her down. Though she still wanted to win the contest and improve her grade, those things weren’t as important as helping her friend. “Okay. But first, I’ve got to get something. Wait for me.” Dashing down the hall to her room, she picked up a copy of her matchmaking quiz. Hurrying back to Athena’s room, she handed it to her. “It’s a quiz,” she explained. “To help me find a match for your dad. I need you to get him to fill it out.”
“Let me see it.” Since Athena’s bag was on her desk, she unrolled the quiz on Pandora’s desk, glancing over the questions. Then, she looked at Aphrodite.
“How am I supposed to get him to answer these questions?” she asked. “It’s not like I can just tell him to. He doesn’t like anyone telling him what to do.”
“Tuck the quiz into one of those Temple Digest scrollazines he’s always reading in his office,” Aphrodite suggested. “No one can resist a quiz. Once he sees it, he’s bound to take it, even if he’s in a bad mood.”
Athena brightened. “I know what you mean. I always answer those quizzes in Teen Scrollazine. It’s like they’re hypnotizing me: You will fill me ouuut.” As she let go of the quizscroll, it magically rolled itself up.
Beneath it, Pandora’s desk was covered with homework. Aphrodite couldn’t help noticing the cartoon doodles she’d made on the edges of her notescrolls. One was of two linked hearts, with a P in each. Ps for Pandora and Poseidon, no doubt.
“Well, I’d better get going and let you unpack,” said Aphrodite, suddenly remembering all the things she had to do. She still hoped to match Pyg, and she didn’t want to let down Pandora, either. And she’d help Medusa, because in her heart she knew it was the right thing to do. But that didn’t mean she had to like her. Plus, now she had to match Zeus. And that could turn out to be a full-time job in itself!
Athena jumped up, looking excited. “I’m going to sneak into Dad’s office now, while he’s gone, and slip this inside one of his scrollazines. Thanks.” She gave Aphrodite a quick hug, then they both went their separate ways.
On her way back to her room, Aphrodite hummed a popular love song written by Apollo’s band. Athena looked a lot perkier now that they had the beginnings of a plan to help her dad. The new challenge had lifted her own spirits too. Medusa was right. Even when things were in a mess, she could always find something that made her happy!
Back in her room, she remembered to check her mailbox. At first she thought it was empty, but then she felt the buzz of magic brush her fingertips. She’d gotten a letterscroll from an immortal. This one read:
YOU HAVE WOUNDED MY HEART
WITH EROS’S DART.
~ FROM GUESS WHO LIKES YOU?
Godness! A second riddlescroll? She did not have time for this on top of everything else. She was going to find out who had sent it. Right now! Stomping downstairs, she sought out Hephaestus. When she found him, he was working in his forge. Aglaia, the girl Aphrodite had encouraged him to hang out with, was helping him.
“See, you hold it in the fire with the tongs, then pull it out to cool,” he was saying.
Aglaia laughed. “This is fun!” As she turned the tongs, Aphrodite noticed that a bracelet sparkled on her wrist. When Hephaestus had tried to get Aphrodite to wear it, she remembered suggesting that he give it to someone special. And it seemed he had. The pair looked like they were getting along just fine.
But she wanted to be sure. So before either of them noticed her, Aphrodite hid behind a cabinet of ironworking tools. Then she summoned a bird, and sent it fluttering to rest upon Aglaia’s shoulder with a message asking her to meet one of her friends in the cafeteria. When Aglaia left, Aphrodite came out from her hiding place and joined Hephaestus.
His face lit up when he saw her. “Aphrodite! What brings you here? Need another golden apple for a race?” She smiled, shaking her head, knowing he was referring to the golden apples he’d once forged for her so she could help a mortal named Hippomenes find love.
Hephaestus was one of the nicest godboys she knew, but he was only a friend. She hoped he thought the same way about her. “No, this time I was wondering if you could help me with something that’s not about metalworking.”
“Sure, anything,” he said, still working his tongs in the fire. “What is it?”
“Well, I’m writing a poem and I need a word that rhymes with ‘sad,’” she told him. “Any suggestions?”
He tilted his head, his eyes going upward as he thought hard. Then he looked at her again. “’Unhappy’?” he suggested. “Oh, wait, that’s a synonym, not a rhyme. Well, how about ‘cat’ or ‘gab’?”
“Hmm. Good options,” she said, smiling at him again. He was superb at metalworking, but he obviously couldn’t handle rhyme. Definitely not the riddle-sender. “Well, gotta run. Thanks again!”
As she left the forge, she tapped her chin with one end of the riddlescroll, thinking. If Hephaestus hadn’t written those rhyming notes, who had? She eyed various godboys she passed as she crossed the courtyard, considering each of them in turn. They all perked up when they saw her looking their way. Could one of them have sent the note? There were just too many possibilities!
She sighed. There were other more important things to worry about right now besides who was sending her riddles. While she awaited Zeus’s quizscroll answers, she needed to get to work on Pygma
lion’s situation. And then there was the Pandora-Medusa-Poseidon love triangle. She only hoped that didn’t turn out as disastrously as the King Menelaus-Paris-Helen love triangle she’d foolishly created in Hero-ology!
As for Pyg—this time, she wasn’t going to take actual girls to visit him. That hadn’t worked out before, so now she would try something different. She’d take sketches of the new girls. Quickly, she shape-shifted into a lovebird and flew down to Athens. After returning to her true goddessgirl form again, she visited three other girls she’d interviewed the day before in the agora.
Now that she had a better idea of what Pyg did not want in a girlfriend, she hoped to make better choices. She wouldn’t select girls who were sculptors or painters this time since he didn’t seem to care if they were artists themselves. She’d only pick those who appreciated creativity—and seemed likely to be able to put up with a perfectionistic artist like him!
She informed each girl she visited that she’d been selected as a candidate for Pyg after all. Luckily, her new choices were enthusiastic to be in the second round. Then she asked each one to write a brief poem about herself, encouraging her to add humor and emotion.
After that, she went to the shop of a skillful artist and commissioned him to visit the homes of those three girls and create faithful likenesses of them on sheets of papyrus. She would return for both the likenesses and the girls’ poems the next morning.
By the time she got back to MOA, Aphrodite was starving. And no wonder. She hadn’t had any lunch and it was late afternoon by now! On her way to the cafeteria, she ran into Athena, who was holding a slightly scorched and rumpled quizscroll.
“Is that what I think it is?” Aphrodite asked, knowing it had to be Zeus’s quiz.
Athena nodded, following her as she went to get a tray of food. “I tucked it into the latest edition of Temple Digest as you suggested, and it must have caught his interest because . . . voila! Here it is, all filled in.”
“Hey!” called a voice. The two girls glanced up to see Persephone and Artemis entering the cafeteria. “We came for a snack,” said Artemis, her dogs trailing her. “Grab our table, and we’ll join you in a few.”
Aphrodite the Diva (Goddess Girls) Page 9
