"If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die."
-William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring upon ourselves."
Federico Garcia Lorca, Blood Wedding and Yerma
It's hard to watch them… so hard. It's hard to see the way that he does sweet things for her. Really, you can't possibly hate her… and you hate yourself for that. She's never done anything against you. She smiles at you, she doesn't and can't possibly understand your feelings for him… or maybe she does. Maybe her smiles are gloating… maybe her laughs are victorious, but that's so not like her, and you know it. You're just the other girl; you're just the one who will be seen as the loser in the war, the blonde who doesn't get the guy. The funny part is; she's the one who's blonde. You read a book once; it was called "Lilly's Ghosts." The heroine was a redhead, who was in love with a guy with Greek ancestry, and who thought the guy she liked was going to end up with his blonde best friend… that's not what happened. For a long time, you thought it would be like that, you thought that your life would be like that book.
But, sweet, sweet girl, this is a different series; one where the author sticks with the couple he starts writing first. You don't need to have small glimpses of the future to see that, of course, it's not the book part you see, it's the result of that that hits a chord in your heart and spins you around painfully until you feel like you're going to throw up. Really darling, it's me who's edging you on; you're just another pawn in my game of love. Except instead of me playing against anyone, I'm playing against myself, so what I want to happen does. Don't worry, I have plans for you too, ones that involve eternal maidenhood, which is something I usually despise, but I can sacrifice one soul for my favorite couple, and who knows? Maybe Apollo will fall for you and….. What? You have no idea what I'm talking about you say? Of course you don't know, but there always has to be that other girl, and it just so happens to be you this time.
Believe me, I know your pain. Sure, I haven't felt it, but I see it in my husband's eyes every time he catches me cheating on him. You don't have a god forcing you to marry him, in fact, you should pity the heroine, who actually has me edging on her every move, causing her indecision and all that fluff. Really, you'll know when you kiss him, that's when you'll know he's not for you. Whoa, don't get too excited there, it's only one kiss, and you'll look back on it with hate, you'll look back on it with disgust, you'll try to block it from your memory. How about we put a positive spin on this instead; instead of thinking that you're the other girl, see him as the guy who's just one broken heart away from your destiny. What that may be, I honestly have no idea, that's up to Apollo. You could end up like Cassandra, you could be the next Pythia, and you could even become part of Gaea's master plan.
Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself again, point is darling, even though this little conversation won't effect your life that much, take my word, your life will go down in history, just not the way you pictured it. Speaking of that, here's your first prophecy: No one else, especially the people this entire conversation is about, is going to have the fate that everyone thinks. What? Only Apollo can give his future oracle visions? I believe you're supposed to speak the words of the gods which is plural, which means that I can tell you things too. Right? Believe me, in the future, you'll thank me for just placing you as the other girl from the start instead of leaving it up to you. Someday, you'll see a love triangle more complicated then yours could ever have been, and you'll thank me. You'll throw some barbeque into the sacrificial fire for me as well as Apollo.
Believe me, it won't end up like the blonde and Hera, you will actually thank me, because you can see yourself doing it right now, can't you. So, what things do you know now from what I've told you? Do you know that you have a future with Apollo, and whether it is romantic or not is completely up to fate? Do you know that the guy is not going to work out with you? Do you know that you're thankful to me? Because really, you should be thankful to me. You have a counterpart you know, but I'm not going to go into that. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, but everyone does at some point. What do you think about it? Do you want to continue living in this life of gods and monsters, because I can get rid of it for you? I'm sure you don't want me to though, and someday, you and Thalia Grace are going to watch over the hero and the heroine's children together, and then you'll thank me yet again for making them so adorable.
Now, don't worry, I'll make you have to fight to keep yourself in this world, because, according to Apollo, if you break your oracle oath, you're going to forget everything. You know that academy your dad wants you to go to? Well, I'm sure you'll like it more than you think. After all, it's easier to stay chaste at an all girls' school. Who knows? You might like it more than you think. Oh look, I've scared you now.
Well, I suppose you'd have found out anyway. Your year at Goode will be pure ignorant bliss, completely going against everything I've told you. I suppose it's a perk of being beautiful that I'm a gossip, of course, that's just a stereotype created by the fact of who you see me as. You don't see me as your mother do you? Or that girl at Goode who everyone says is the prettiest? No, you don't even see me as a more beautified version of yourself like so many other girls your age do, and that's what breaks my heart and ruins my mascara by making me cry. The person you see me as doesn't even wear mascara, so of course, that comment was probably redundant. I'll give you three hints since you're obviously in denial. The person you see me as, you seem to hate right now. The person you see me as has been brought up in this conversation. The person you see me as has never worn makeup in her life, while you painted yourself gold. The person you see me as is Annabeth Chase.
Don't fret, the only reason that you see me like that is because you're jealous. Jealousy is something that can warp your sense of beauty. Before you were introduced to this world, the one time you saw me on Madison Avenue, you saw me as a woman with auburn hair, green eyes, and paint splattered jeans that was cruising the makeup aisles for reasons you could not pinpoint. In a couple of years, you will see me differently, so don't worry, and don't fret. Just go back to having that nightmare about the labyrinth again and everything will be fine, but just remember, you will thank me. Oh, and one more thing, I don't hate you. I think since you see me as Annabeth, that will make you believe it more. She doesn't really hate you, she's just protective, and has a lot of pride, and has said a lot of things that she didn't mean. So goodbye Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and until we meet again, I have tons of surprises in store for you.
Never thought we'd have a last kiss
Never imagined we'd end like this
Your name forever the name on my lips
Just like our last kiss
-Taylor Swift Last Kiss
In case you didn't get it, this is Aphrodite talking to Rachel about being the "other girl." Don't tell me that none of you have been there before. This was inspired by my sister who's basically going through the same thing. I can't believe the hate that all the "other girls" get in books and movies. "Lilly's Ghosts" is actually a book that I got mad at because it was so stereotypical; the heroine gets the guy instead of the blonde. Of course, I'd already read Percy Jackson and the Olympians by then, so I knew it wasn't always like that in books.
How'd you like it? I might do one for someone else if you guys want. But you're going to have to review first.
Smiles,
Readingqueen811