Yeah, I suck at writing, but I like to make you feel bad. That's why this story is dedicated to myself and food. Go food!!

Anyways, this story is going to stay short.

Chapter 2

Join the Club

After lunch with Poseidon, I set out to visit all the teahouses on Mount Olympus, from the small, farmhouse style Turquoise Teapot, to Angelica, the most chic and modern place on the mountain.

As I snacked on small, bite sized scones with clotted cream and jam, I watched fellow patrons as they sipped the delicate herbal teas in the blue china cups that gave the Turquoise Teapot its name.

A Rhine maiden, a courtier of Poseidon, took the seat opposite me. Her greenish blonde hair rippled down her back. "So, Lady Hera, I hear you're to be going after big game." She fluttered her eyelashes, taking a mocha iced éclair off my shiny silver cake stand.

"Yes, I am." I winked, taking a small bite out of a soft crumpet. "If you like, you and your sisters can join me, there's sure to be some great fun."

"I'll spread the word." She got up, taking a warm buttered croissant, crossing the room. She bent down, cupping her hands around the ears of one of her friends. They giggled, and the friend got up and left.

The Rhine maiden went to the cash register, and leaned over the counter, chattering with the girl who took the orders. They were obviously very good friends, and the maiden pointed at me. Several silvery laughs filled the air.

I smiled. This plan was going well. Exceptionally well, in fact. I stood up, placing a few golden drachmas on my empty cake stand. And when I pushed the door open with a wave of farewell, I could here the tinkles of the bell mounted on the top of the door and all the laughs of all the guests in the Turquoise Teapot.

As I entered the Angelica, the warm dimness greeted me. There were colored shawls draped over lamps, and low L-shaped couches with matching ottomans in the corner. There was a giant, cylinder shaped aquarium in the middle of the room, and two semi circle shaped sofas were set around it.

"Would you like anything, Lady Hera?" a woman in a white gown asked, holding a tray of drinks set in crystal flutes. "I have some nectarinis here, if you'd like some. If you go to the bar, we have some more food."

I took the proffered glass, sipping it, and rolling the warm honeyed flavors in my mouth. There was a delicious touch of peach in this drink, probably from some fermented spirits mixed in with the Olympus grade nectar.

I walked to the bar, and whispered started spreading through the tea house. "Lady Hera is here," they whispered, and then people started crowding around the table as a robust chef with in a white dress started making pancakes.

No, they weren't pancakes, they were the delicious mortal food things called crepes. Fried thin and crispy, but this kind had a layer of caramelized sugar on top.

"For Lady Hera, for good luck when she goes 'hunting'!" The chef poured the contents of the bottle on the crepes, which she had placed on a spotless white plate. I saw that the bottle was made of a dark glass, with a wrinkled old wrapper that said 'Hades' Spirits'.

Then the plate was set alight, the flickering blue flames whooshing into the air and filling the room with the smell of fresh pomegranates. As I took bites of the delicious pancakes, a rough hand nudged my elbow.

A rough voice whispered, "Hey, Stepmom, I heard you were doing some big game hunting!"

I turned. There was a man in the shadows, with close cropped hair and a sharp toothed grin plastered on his face. "Ares? What are you doing here? This is a tea house!"

He pulled back his lips in a menacing smile. "I want to get in on some action. Daddy's always been a bit demanding, always 'you can't have that girl, and all that'. But Daddy's always been a hypocrite. Shame on him. Yeah, he should be re-educated." He smacked his lips.

And then he was gone, leaving a faint whiff of sulfur. I coughed, waving my hands over my nose.

The chef walked over to me, wiping her hands on her dress. "Enjoying the meal? It's on the house, thanks for doing us a favor here. My lord Zeus is always bothering the girls, so it'd be a nice thing to do for all of us. Oh, and one of the waitresses says that her friend, who works at the post office says that a package is ready and being shipped."

I nodded, dabbing at my lips with a linen napkin. "Very well, thank you for the meal, and I'll collect the package."

I left, leaving people speculating in my wake, and others were making pets or gossiping about what would happen. The door swung closed with a jingle, and I stepped out into the bright, blinding sunlight.

I walked back to my palace of marble and gold, and when I got inside, I slipped off my sandals with a sigh.

The doorbell rang.

And I opened it, peering out. "Who is it?"

"Hermes' Delivery, at your service, Milady!" A man in a tunic and soft leather shoes stood in front of me, appearing from thin air. He held a large, brown paper wrapped package out in front of him. "This is from Hephaestus, and to Lady Hera. There's a note attached." He winked at me.

I pulled off the note, my eyes scanning the thick linen rich paper.

Use this well, and now we're even.

"So…" ventured Hermes, swinging a staff that he pulled from nowhere. "I heard that you were planning on having a bit of fun…As a matter of fact, I haven't had a spot of mischief, I mean, helping a dear friend, in a long while now. So if you would let me, I'd like to join the hunt."

I nodded, smirking. It seemed that every god wanted to have a "bit of fun".

Hermes turned and left, giving me a sardonic salute. I waved back, slamming the door shut.

I went to bed when the sun set, turning off the last lamp. I heard the bedroom door squeak, and I knew it was my husband, Zeus. I couldn't help it, I just started laughing like a rabid hyena.

"What's so funny?" He asked, flicking on the lights. He had bright red cheeks, and I knew he had been drinking. "Gods, everyone's been acting strange today. A lot of people have been burst out into fits of laughter, and then there's the people that stop talking and stare at me when I enter a bar."

That just made me laugh even harder. "You have no idea," I managed to choke out, "You really don't."

Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter is as boring as hell. And I don't see why I get so many reviews for crap, when the stories I actually worked on for hours don't get a fig. It's just the weird ways here.

Like getting TONS of reviews for any crap fic with Percy and Annabeth romance. Icky.