Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) (5 page)

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orangey-red one, she said, "This one will go best with your skin tone."

"You're the boss," said Athena, giving her a teasing smile.

"Well, Beauty-ology
is
my best subject," Aphrodite agreed. "Hey, isn't that a new clerk?"

Both goddessgirls stared at the lady behind the counter. Her purple hair was piled high on top of her head and her three eyes--two in the usual places and one in the middle of her forehead--were beautifully made up. She smiled warmly at the girls as they brought up their purchases. "Did you find everything you need?" she asked, slipping the items into a small papyrus bag, then handing it to Athena.

"Yes, thank you," said Athena.

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Aphrodite nodded. Then on an impulse she asked the clerk, "Are you married?"

The eye in the middle of the woman's forehead blinked. "Well, no," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"There's this teacher at MOA, Mr. Cyclops. He's not married either, and I bet you'd be perfect for--"

The clerk just looked at her, blink, blink, blinking.

"Never mind her," interrupted Athena. "She's always trying to match people up. Since she's the goddessgirl of love, she can't really help it." Grabbing Aphrodite's arm, she tugged her out of the shop. "Please tell me you didn't think that clerk would be perfect for Mr. Cyclops just because she has three eyes and Mr. Cyclops has only one," Athena said after they were safely out of the shop.

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Aphrodite grinned sheepishly. "Well, I admit it was the first thing I thought of. Also, she has lots of hair and Mr. Cyclops is bald."

"So?" said Athena.

"So opposites attract," said Aphrodite. That wasn't strictly true, of course. At least not always. Still, she'd have to remember to mention the clerk to Mr. Cyclops.

Athena rolled her eyes, but Aphrodite ignored her and changed the subject. "You'll never guess what happened after I got back to my room last night." She hadn't had time to tell Artemis the story, and now she was itching share it with a girlfriend.

"Tell me," said Athena.

But just then Aphrodite spotted Ares and Poseidon coming out of Arts of Warfare, a store that specialized in spears, tridents, and thunderbolts. Casually, she steered

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Athena toward the boys, while at the same time pretending not to notice them. "Well, this mortal named Hippomenes sent me a message, and--"

"Hey, over here!" Ares called out when he saw them.

Both girls looked his way, and a little thrill zipped through Aphrodite as Ares drew near. But to pay him back for last night's treachery, she decided to ignore him. "Hi there, Poseidon," she said. Smiling disarmingly at him, she said the first thing that popped into her head. "I've been meaning to ask--could you tell me more about the waterworks park you designed for our last big project in Hero-ology?"

"Sure," said Poseidon, looking pleased. But as he launched into a description of all its fabulous features, Aphrodite only half listened. To her distress, Ares didn't even seem to care that he was being ignored.

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Instead, he struck up a conversation with Athena.

"I like your chiton," Aphrodite heard him say. "Is it new?" How like him not to remember it was the same one Athena had worn last night.

"Thanks," Athena replied. She didn't mention that he'd already seen it on her. "It's Aphrodite's. She's letting me borrow it."

"Well, don't tell her I said so," said Ares, in a voice plenty loud enough for Aphrodite to hear, "but I bet it looks better on you than on her."

"No it doesn't!" Athena glanced hastily toward Aphrodite.

It was nice of her friend to stick up for her, but that didn't stop a lump from rising in Aphrodite's throat. How could Ares say such a hurtful thing? Pretending she hadn't overheard, she kept talking to Poseidon. But after

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a minute she turned to Athena and said, "You know? I think I'm all shopped out. Mind if we head home?"

"Not at all," said Athena. She seemed to sense Aphrodite's distress.

They bid the boys a hasty good-bye. Grabbing Athena's hand, Aphrodite pulled her away.

"See ya, Theeny," Ares called after them.

"Ares is a creep," Athena announced, as they exited the Marketplace. But Aphrodite said nothing as they bent to loosen the ties on their sandals to free their silver wings. Athena glanced at her. "I know you heard what he said, but it's not true."

Aphrodite managed a small shrug. "It doesn't matter," she lied. She was on the verge of tears and just wanted to get home to her room so she could have a good cry. The ties twined around their ankles again

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and the wings at their heels began to flap. They were quiet as their sandals whisked them to the top of Mount Olympus.

"I've been thinking," said Athena when they skidded to a stop before the bronze doors of the Academy. "Ares was probably just trying to make you jealous. You know how much he likes to stir up trouble."

Of course!
thought Aphrodite in relief. She should have thought of that too. "Maybe you're right." It would be just like Ares to try and beat her at her own game. He'd ignored her and pretended to be interested in Athena, just as she'd ignored him and spoken to Poseidon instead.

Slipping off their sandals, the girls walked across the main hall and up the marble stairs to the fourth floor. The marble felt cool and smooth against Aphrodite's

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bare feet. As the girls dropped their sandals in the fourth-floor basket, Athena pointed down the hall to a huge bouquet of pink roses sitting right outside one of the doors. "Look! Aren't those in front of your room?"

"Yeah!" said Aphrodite, feeling a surge of excitement. Had Ares sent her flowers? Maybe he'd ordered them as an apology earlier this morning, or just now as soon as the girls had left the mall.

They raced to Aphrodite's door. The beautiful roses were arranged in a pottery vase painted with a black silhouette of a man in a winged chariot, the symbol for Hermes's Floral Delivery. Eagerly, Aphrodite unrolled the small piece of papyrus attached by a ribbon to one of the blooms.

"Who're they from?" Athena asked, sounding excited for her.

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Aphrodite's smile faded. "Hephaestus," she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. She'd so hoped they were from Ares.

"Oh," said Athena. She hesitated. "That's nice."

Aphrodite nodded, but without enthusiasm.

"Hey, do you want to finish telling me about that message you got from a mortal last night?" Athena asked. "What was that all about?"

"Later," Aphrodite said, her shoulders slumping.

"Oh, okay," said Athena, finally seeming to sense her need to be alone. "Guess I'll go study then. See you later."

"Okay." Aphrodite carried the roses into her room and set them on her desk. She had to admit they were beautiful and smelled sweet. There was no real reason not to enjoy them, regardless of who had sent them. Only

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now she'd have to figure out how to deal with Hephaestus. She didn't want to be his crush! He was a nice godboy, just not her type. She hoped she could let him down gently.

Ares was another matter.

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6 Gossip

APHRODITE HOLED UP IN HER ROOM ALL day Sunday. By staying inside, she avoided seeing Hephaestus and Ares and so avoided having to do anything about them. Instead, she sat at her desk with her red feather pen and a stack of pink papyrus and brainstormed ways to help Hippomenes. The race was the day after tomorrow!

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She could slip him a pair of winged sandals, she thought, jotting down the idea. No matter how fast Atalanta was, there was no way she could win against an opponent wearing those. But the sandals' wings would be obvious to everyone. Besides, he'd have to be holding an immortal's hand to make them work properly. She doubted the king would allow anyone to race with such an advantage.

Sighing, Aphrodite crossed out the sandal idea. Maybe Hippomenes should forget about the race and just
elope
with Atalanta, she thought. If she liked him as much as Aphrodite suspected she did, she might agree. They could leave at night and be far away from the palace before the king even noticed they were missing.

But then Aphrodite remembered how she'd suggested

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the same strategy to Paris and Helen and caused a war! She crossed out that idea, too. She worked for several hours, but every idea she came up with seemed fatally flawed. In the end, all she had to show for her efforts was a stack of paper with crossed-out sentences.

As Aphrodite entered Hero-ology class the next morning students were buzzing about something. They stopped talking as she took her seat though, eyeing her curiously. Weird. She was used to the stares of godboys, but today the goddessgirls were studying her too. There was something in their looks she couldn't quite interpret, and it made her a little nervous.

She glanced across the aisle at Athena, but as usual her nose was buried in a textscroll. Aphrodite had knocked on her door yesterday evening, intending to tell

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her about Hippomenes and to ask for help with ideas, but Athena had been out. Artemis too, probably walking her dogs.

Pheme coughed, as if trying to get someone's attention. When Aphrodite turned to look at her, she ducked her spiky orange head. Had she been spreading gossip again? It was to be expected, of course. She
was
the goddess of gossip and rumor after all.

Hmm
, thought Aphrodite,
maybe Pheme and the herald would be a good match.
Although it was true that opposites often did attract, it was good to have
some
similar interests. And weren't Pheme and the herald both in the business of announcing things? She took out her red feather pen to make a note of the idea, but then paused with her pen in midair. What had Pheme been announcing, she suddenly wondered?
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Could it be that the gossip had been about
her
? Aphrodite's throat tightened.

Medusa's snaky head writhed and hissed as she leaned across the aisle. "Interesting weekend, Bubbles?" she asked with a smirk.

Faking a calm she didn't feel, but which had nothing to do with the snakes, Aphrodite said, "Yes, I heard you got a bit wet."

"And I heard you got a new boyfriend," Medusa shot back.

Aphrodite's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Medusa smirked again as several snakes twined loosely around her neck to form a thick, live green necklace. "Pink roses?"

Aphrodite felt her cheeks grow warm.

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On the other side of Medusa, Pheme giggled nervously. So that's what she'd been gossiping about. Had
she
told Medusa about the flowers? But how could Pheme have known about them unless ... Aphrodite glanced at Athena, who was staring at Pheme with a frown on her face.

No, Athena would never tell. She was no gossip! "Sure, I got some roses. From a friend. What of it?" Aphrodite told Medusa in what she desperately hoped was a casual tone.

Medusa raised a dark green eyebrow. "Boys don't usually give roses to girls who are just friends."

"Is that right?" Aphrodite eyed her coolly. "And how would you know?"

Flicking their tongues, the snakes darted toward her as Medusa shot her a look. Good thing she wasn't mortal.

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She would've turned to stone at once. Fortunately, Mr. Cyclops chose that moment to begin class.

When class was finally over, Athena disappeared down the hall before Aphrodite could question her. But that wasn't unusual. She was always in a hurry to get to her classes early. There was nothing she liked more than learning.

While piecing together a mosaic of the Minotaur during her next class, Craft-ology, Aphrodite's stomach churned as she pondered what Medusa had said. Had Athena gossiped? Of course, Aphrodite hadn't
asked
her to keep the roses a secret. But a true friend wouldn't need to be told! Distracted, Aphrodite glued several ceramic tiles in the wrong places, so that the Minotaur wound up with a horn in the middle of

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his chest.

When she noticed the error, she grumpily pried up the tiles and started over. She couldn't keep her mind from wandering, however. The idea of having her name romantically linked to anyone--especially Hephaestus--was just so embarrassing. How dare he give her flowers, she thought, slapping a new tile into place. He should've known the rumors they'd cause! And how could Athena betray her confidence when she'd done so much to help her?

As the morning wore on, Aphrodite grew more and more annoyed. Paranoid, too. Whenever she heard someone whispering, she worried it might be about her and Hephaestus. At lunchtime she growled at the first godboy who offered her a place in line in the cafeteria.