Chapter 36: BEAUTY
Athos followed the apparition to the middle of the park near the tall, twelve-foot bronze statue of Christopher Columbus. It floated up and gave out a bright blaze of white light making Athos cover his eyes. When he managed to open them again, the glow faded. Was all this flare and drama really needed? A few seconds later, he'd got his answer.
Yes.
Yes, it was.
The moment he regained his vision, he was met with the most gorgeous sight that ever graced his eyes. A breathtakingly beautiful woman stood in front of him with a playful smile on her pretty face. Well, her face was hard to describe as it shifted from one enchanting movie star to another as her eyes-sometimes blue or amber or dark, chocolatey brown, sparkled with a mischievous twinkle. Her hair changed from straight, black to curly blonde.
She wore a pink dress embroidered with a white design while tall, white silk gloves covered her dainty fingers. She even held a similarly coloured, pink and white fan to her bountiful chest. Everything about her seemed to be carefully calculated to make Athos feel entranced and well, she succeded. She felt...otherworldly. She would be the belle wherever she went and her feminine charm was to such an extent that Athos had to switch to the blue, half-mask to prevent himself from falling to her feet.
Once his thoughts cleared, he glared at the woman in front of him but tried his best not to show his displeasure. If he did, she could ruin his life with a flick of her finger, making him fall in love with an electric pole or some other inanimate object. After all, she was THE femme fatale, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Desire and Pleasure, Lust and Sexuality. She was known by many names, Aphrodite Urania by the Greeks and Venus by the Romans, but everybody called her drop-dead gorgeous.
"Aphrodite?", Athos asked, with no enthusiasm. If Aphrodite seeked you out, you were in trouble.
"Athos!", she spread her arms wide, as though asking for a hug.
He didn't know whether he was a fool to refuse such a beauteous woman, but he did not oblige. He knew better than to touch Aphrodite, as he'd have Ares and Hephaestus breathing down his neck. No, scratch that, make it every single male god.
"I'm so glad you're here! Oh! and could you remove that ugly mask? Why would you hide when you've got a face like that~", she said, giving a small twirl, thankfully not bothered by his unwillingness to share skinship.
"We've got sooo~ much to talk about and a very special person to meet. Come with me!"
***
Aphrodite lead him to a fancy table set underneath the large Statue of Christopher Columbus that had his chest out, a long flowing cape and an odd sense of fashion. All those factors made Athos think of superman.
"Oh, that was a son of Poseidon I'd love to meet", Aphrodite sighed when Athos sat down before handing him a cup of tea with an ever-changing fragrance.
"Columbus was a demigod?!", he exclaimed.
"Yup! What a charmer he was! Scored with a mermaid and discovered the heart of the western civilisation. He made seaweed beard real proud,", Aphrodite said, the cheeky grin never leaving her face.
"You're no different. You do have good taste in clothes, better than him. I'm fond of you already! But now, there's a person who's quite eager to meet you!", She continued before snapping her fingers. The grass rustled behind her before rising up and forming a figure of a woman, or a goddess to be more precise.
Athos' eyes widened, and this wasn't due to Aphrodite's divinity. She had long blond hair, the colour of ripe wheat, and her amber eyes gleamed. A bright green sleeveless dress hugged her perfect body, while a dark cape hung off her shoulders, giving her the appearance of fresh plant shoots breaking through the fertile earth. A crown of woven corn leaves comfortably sat on her head and adornments of poppies hung at her waist. A long, curved imperial gold sword, resembling a scythe, floated to her right.
She exuded a charm that Aphrodite, with all her beauty, could not emulate, and cut a surprisingly war-like figure, her lithe body brimming with as much power as the beauty it boasted. She was Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest and Sacred Law, Fertility and Nourishment, Food and Seasons.
"Do I have to make this dramatic entrance every time we meet?", she sighed, glaring at Aphrodite who merely nodded with a playful grin that would drive any guy crazy.
"What is the point of having so much power if we don't use it? Athos here gets it. Just look at him! Doesn't he just scream 'Look at me! I'm so cool!'. Wish all demigods were like him~", Aphrodite chuckled, popping a biscuit in a mouth.
Demeter sighed once again before turning her amber eyes onto Athos who'd never been more glad to be wearing the Oni mask. He was having trouble keeping a straight face. He'd discovered that his 12-year-old body wasn't built to be in close proximity to goddesses, especially not ones such as Aphrodite and Demeter. Zeus being his grandfather didn't help either. No amount of mortal blood could dilute that libido.
"Athos, hmmm. Hephaestus was right. You are different. Different is good. But being different in these troubled times will bring nothing but misfortune. You know of this, do you not?", She spoke, her gaze lingering on his mask.
He tilted his head in confusion.
'Troubled times?'
Had Gaea made her move already? This was not good.
"You do not understand, do you? No matter. This is not why I have come. I have come for that", Demeter said, pointing at his watch.
"What?! But Hephaestus told me it was quite common?", He frowned, covering his watch protectively. He did not want to lose his magical inventory. It was too useful. Or was she talking about the cornucopia? If so, there would be an even bigger problem.
"Not that piece of junk! That mechanic told me you were smart", she huffed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I was vague. I meant the cornucopia. It's my symbol, and I can't have just anybody wielding its power"
Athos' brows furrowed. This was also different from the books. Piper had wielded the horn, no problem, thus, either Aphrodite had done something then, or Demeter was too busy fighting her Roman personality to care. But whatever it may be, he had gone into way too much trouble to get the horn and it was his only way to achieve his goals. There was no way he was parting with it.
"I'm sorry. I can't give it to you"
***
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Marine0IQ Hey There! Sorry for the delay! A cyclone hit my city and i didn't have power for a loooong while. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chap!!!
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