She didn’t look convinced.
I’d woken up at three o’clock, again for the fifth day in a row. I had a feeling I was having bad dreams, but I couldn’t remember them when I woke. All that lingered was a feeling of ominous dread. So, it proved difficult to get back to sleep after waking. Some mornings I would just lie there in bed, staring at the ceiling, so I didn’t wake Georgina. Other times, I walked the dark hallways of the academy, and made it a game of not getting caught by the hall monitors. Pandora had almost busted me the other morning, but I’d managed to duck into the girls’ shower room before she could spot me. I figured I was improving my stealth skills.
It was my first time in the Hall of Aphrodite, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’d heard a few of the first years, like Revana and Lucian, had been invited for a private dinner party a week ago by Eros and Psyche to the hall. It bothered me that even here, money and power and good looks gave you advantages the rest of us didn’t have. After reading about Aphrodite over the years and overhearing some of the other recruits talking about it, I expected splendor. The reality of the hall far surpassed anything I could ever imagine.
The floor was a labyrinth of gold and red and black tile, producing an optical illusion of boxes stacked on top of one another. It was polished to a shine, and I could see my reflection in it as clear as a mirror. The arched ceiling was embossed with gold and painted with frescos done in red and gold and of Aphrodite and her various companions like Eros, her son, and the three Graces—Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Everywhere you looked, there were carved pillars holding up the ceiling, also gold embossed, and the walls were wallpapered in red velvet. I’d never seen anything so gauche; it nearly hurt my eyes.
As a group, we entered the adjacent room to the lavish front entrance of the hall, which I assumed was the classroom. Thankfully, it wasn’t as opulently decorated. I didn’t think I could’ve handled all that gold and red for two hours. Fifty high-backed chairs were arranged around a raised pulpit. It reminded me of a church. The Church of Aphrodite.
While we all got seated—Jasmine, Georgina, and I sat together as usual—the door at the back of the room opened, and Aphrodite walked in, head high, breasts jutted, hips swaying. She was accompanied by three other women, two of them carried the train on her lavish gold gown, and the other carried a large, black leather case.
Everyone was transfixed as she stepped up onto the pulpit, especially the boys. I didn’t blame them; she was stunning up close. It was almost difficult to look upon her, like looking into the hottest part of the sun. She was too bright.
She waited until she had everyone’s rapt attention before she spoke. “Transformation. It is the act of changing into something else. A caterpillar into a butterfly.” Her gaze swept the audience. “A tadpole into a frog. I will teach you how to change your look, your shape, so you can turn into someone else. It is a masterful skill to have in order to deceive your enemies or to even hide among them.” She looked right at me.
For the next two hours, Aphrodite showed us how to alter the shape of our faces, which was the first step to transformation. At first I couldn’t believe it was even possible, but after she demonstrated by changing her appearance into that of an old, withered hunchback hag, I became a true believer.
With the help of her assistants, who ended up being the three Graces, Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, we each took turns either plumping up our faces or thinning them down. Georgina, Jasmine, and I couldn’t stop giggling, as Georgina ended up fattening her face so much she looked like a tomato, especially with her red hair. By the end of the class, it was obvious she had a knack for changing. Jasmine and I didn’t latch onto it as well. I think all I managed to do was to make my nose long and thin like Pinocchio, which made everyone around us laugh hysterically. Lucian included.
At the end of class, I was leaving with my friends when Aphrodite called me back.
“Melany, why don’t you stay a minute?”
Both Georgina and Jasmine gave me funny looks. I shrugged and then walked back to where the Goddess stood waiting. “Did I do something wrong?”
She gave me an indulgent smile, but it didn’t make me feel warm. A shiver actually rushed down my back. “On the contrary, I’ve only heard great things about you.”
I grimaced. “Really?”
“Oh yes, you have made quite a stir around the academy.”
She was probably referring to the incident in elemental class when I’d gotten electrocuted. Despite that, I was still surprised Aphrodite even knew my name. She didn’t seem like the sort of person who even bothered with that trivial information.
“My husband talks quite fondly of you.”
Now, I really did give her a look. There was no way Hephaistos said anything complimentary about me to his wife. He wouldn’t say anything nice like that to anyone. Maybe she heard from her lover, Ares, about what a pain the ass I was.
“And because of that, I want you know, that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me.” Her gaze scrutinized me from toe to head. “I can imagine it must be hard for you here, considering you’re… so different from everyone else.”
I wondered if she meant my strange aura, or if she meant that I had blue hair, piercings, and tattoos, and didn’t look as pampered and polished as everyone else, especially Revana and her crew.
“I, ah, appreciate that.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. As if I would confide in her, knowing full well that she was conspiring with Ares about something. Although she was breathtaking, there was something utterly deceptive about her. Maybe it was the fact that she could transform into anyone. If that wasn’t the ultimate trickery, I didn’t know what was.
She set her hand on my arm, and I felt a prickle of heat along my skin. “I was very concerned when I heard what had transpired in your elemental training. Zeus’s lightning is very dangerous. I’ve told him time and time again that he shouldn’t be teaching that so soon in a young one’s training. Disastrous accidents can happen. Obviously.” Her hand stayed on my arm, and my head started to feel a bit floaty. Like I’d drunk too much wine. “Do you remember anything about how you survived? Did someone help you?”
I frowned. “Zeus brought me back.”
“That’s not how I understand it. He said he tried to bring you back, but it didn’t work.”
I wanted to pull away from her. My face was flushed, and too much heat circulated in my body. I felt drunk. But not just on alcohol—on her. She smelled like wild flowers, and her hair was so shiny and soft looking, I wanted to reach out and twirl a tendril of it on my finger, like spinning gold.
“Can you remember who brought you back? Did someone whisper to you?”
I shook my head, trying to clear it. Her words were like a lullaby in my ears, lulling me into a daze. Seducing me into submission.
Fight her.
I heard the voice in my head. It was like the whispers I’d heard before. From the shadows. In my dreams.
Her hand tightened on my arm, like a snake. Constricting me. “Tell me what you know. Tell me—”
With everything I had, I pushed her away, both physically and mentally. I stumbled backwards and nearly fell onto my ass. I expected anger from her for assaulting her. But she just smiled, as if nothing had happened.
“You should run along my dear. Your friends will be missing you.” Her grin widened. It almost appeared as if her teeth had sharpened, but that could’ve been my imagination. “Won’t they?”