Disclaimer: I own nada. None of the characters, cities, countries, anything I mention.

A/N: Hello my little pineapples! BAM! You are all officially pineapples. Embrace your new life as a fruit. Anyways! If some things seem unclear/confusing, just know that I'm abiding my time. All in due time, I promise. I love Apollo and Hermes. They are my little snugglemonkeys

EDIT: OMG GUUUUYYYSS! I didn't save this draft for some reason (YOU HAD ONE JOB COMPUTER!) so I had to manually delete all the coding in between the words of the chapter. I was just trying to correct one error. Technology man!

A few days later...

Adjusting to a "normal life" wasn't exactly a walk in the park. They were currently staying at the modestly large apartment of Aphrodite's "friend". Nobody wanted to know what that meant. He apparently owed her a favor.

Hermes decided that he would put his talents to good use.

He stole a car.

Artemis was annoyed.

Hera was horrified.

Apollo hugged him.

Celebrating the theft was the good part. As always, Athena had her logical thoughts. "What if someone recognizes the car? And how are we going to pay for the gas? How about the plates?"

Hermes looked crestfallen. "Well, I thought to myself 'Steal now, think later.' And we can ask Hephy to alter the plates. I bet there are over a hundred cars like this in California alone. Relax!"

Athena crossed her arms.

"Relax? Relax? We need to-." She was interrupted as there was a shake under the ground. It wasn't strong enough to harm anyone, or cause destruction of any kind, but it was noticeable.

Poseidon frowned. "That was an earthquake. That's strange."

Hades looked at his brother. "This is California. There are always earthquakes. I live in LA, remember?"

"Yes, I know you live here. That's the main reason why I always sent earthquakes here. But, if you haven't noticed, this time it was definitely not me!" Poseidon looked agitated.

Hestia looked worried. "Maybe it's those new enemies that we have to find. Now we know that we're in the right city."

Meanwhile a certain Sun God was looking sulky. He apparently saw an ad for "back to school" and it supposedly depressed him.

"I don't want to go to school! Remember the spring of '89?"

"1989?" Zeus asked.

Apollo shook his head.

"Nope. 1489. I went to that university. Oxford! I learned something. You try for things, you're just hurting yourself."

Athena looked at him. "Everything might not work out to begin with, but you have to always try. When I don't get something the first time, which rarely happens, I keep trying. You know why?"

"You're a slow learner?" Apollo guessed. A scream was heard as Athena was about to answer.

Aphrodite ran out of the bathroom, soap suds still in her hair, a towel wrapped around her. She was rubbing at her eyes, and screaming hysterically. "It's in my eyes! It's in my eyes! I'm blind! I'll never see again!" Ares tried to comfort her, but she slapped his hands away. Artemis just dragged her back to the bathroom. They heard the water running, and a few minutes later both girls walked out, Aphrodite hugging Artemis and saying "My savior!", and Artemis unsuccessfully trying to push her away. Apollo looked back at Athena as if nothing happened.

"How are we supposed to pay for college anyway?" He said.

Hermes agreed.

"Yeah. Tuition is so expensive, it's ridiculous. Especially in California."

Dionysus pouted. "Why couldn't we be stuck in another country, like Finland or something. They have a free tuition, I've heard."

"Everywhere in Europe, and mostly everywhere else, including Canada, has a free tuition." Hestia said.

Demeter frowned. "Why didn't we go to Canada? I like Canadians. That's it. After this whole...thing, I'm leaving the US for at least a year."

"But we're stuck here. And we have to investigate. The whole point of this quest is to test if we're capable of doing things ourselves. We had to get jobs, find a home, and now we need to get into a college. Nyx wouldn't have given us something easy to do." Hades reasoned.

Hemes thought for a minute.

"We could ask for financial aid." He pointed out. "We're poor now, remember?"

Aphrodite looked like she was deciding whether to hit someone or cry. "Stop saying that word in my presence. It upsets me..."

Athena was quiet. Suddenly she snapped her fingers, and waited a second before saying.

"I've got an idea." She looked at Hermes and Apollo.

"What is it?" Poseidon asked, a little scared of the expression on Athena's face.

She ignored him and looked at Apollo. "Apollo. How good are you with methods of distraction?"

He huffed indignantly. "Are you questioning my abilities?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Athena then looked at Hermes.

"And you. You're good at hacking, right?" Hermes puffed up his chest and nodded proudly.

"Honey, I invented the internet."

"Good." Was all she said, before leaving the room. Everyone looked at each other. This couldn't be good.

Entering the room again, Athena put on a hat and pair of sunglasses.

"We're paying our new school a little visit..."

Apollo and Artemis were the 'distraction' part of the plan. Meanwhile, Athena and Hermes snuck in the back room and went through files. Hermes was in charge of sending all the sealed files of UCLA in the directory to Hephaestus who was in the cyber-cafe nearby.

Ares was standing guard outside.

Artemis looked determined, but a bit hesitant. "Are you sure that this will work?" She asked her brother. He just nodded easily.

"Hell yeah. I'm a delicious piece of man meat, my dear little sis. Don't question my sexiness." He said briskly.

She snorted, muttering "What sexiness?"

Entering, they went up to the main desk. There was a short woman with mousy brown hair and glasses who looked like she was in her mid to late 20's. She was writing something in a notebook, and occasionally clicked on the computer's mouse.

Apollo and Artemis looked at each other. Apollo winked at his sister.

"Follow my lead." He put on his sunglasses, his expression changing into a smirk, and he swaggered up to the desk.

Artemis rolled her eyes and followed.

"Excuse me, mate," he said with a fake accent that sounded Australian. The girl was staring at him, practically drooling, much the annoyance of Artemis.

"Yes, we're new." Artemis said, copying his accent as she internally groaned, but went with it. Apollo nodded.

"We're actually celebrities." He whisper loudly, looking around, as if he was afraid of paparazzi popping out of nowhere.

The girl looked at him curiously, and nodded.

"I think I've seen your face before."

"Yes. We're models. I've been on the cover of GQ a few times. You know, 'Sexiest Man' and all that. All in a day's work, I suppose." Apollo said smugly.

Artemis gritted her teeth, but put on a fake smile. "Mhmm. We just moved here from Australia."

Apollo smiled. "Exactly. From Queensland. Such a beautiful...land...made for queens..." He sighed dreamily.

The woman gasped. "My brother is there now, he's studying abroad. What a small world! Which city are you from?"

Apollo's smile faltered.

"Oh, you know! Around..." He waved his hand dismissively.

Artemis cut in before they were asked more questions that they wouldn't be able to answer.

"So, we were wondering if we could sign up for the new school year. We already sent in our applications and the tuition money through our account. Could you be a dear and double check?" The girl nodded and began typing on her laptop.

Artemis caught Athena's eye. Athena looked at Hermes for confirmation, before nodding. Artemis quickly looked to Apollo and gave a slight cough as a signal.

"I see a...Kellis. Dayton Kellis?"

Apollo gave a thumbs up.

"And a...Selene?"

Artemis internally shook her head at the unoriginal name. Way to go.

Realizing that the woman was staring at her, she quickly said yes.

"If you could hold on, I'll get the papers in the back room. It'll take just a few minutes."

Apollo's eyes widened and whipped his head around to look at Artemis, who was trying to look calm.

She quickly looked at Athena and brought her hand up to her neck in a "code red" motion. Athena quickly took the initiative to shake Hermes and grab some papers.

Just as the girl was about to turn around, Apollo cleared his throat.

"So! What's your name, babe?" He leaned in close, giving a toothy grin. She paused, blushing before answering him.

"I'm Julia. I'm working here part-time."

Apollo continued his flirting, distracting Julia for enough time to let Athena and Hermes to sneak out of the room.

"What's over there?!" Artemis yelled, pointing to the left side of the room.

Julia, surprised, wildly turned her head to the left.

Athena and Hermes hurried and rushed out of the door.

Julia turned back to the two of them.

Artemis played dumb. "I thought I saw-...Nevermind. Oh, would you look at the time! We should get going." She grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him with her through the doors.

She looked around until she spotted Ares, Athena, and Hermes trying and failing to look nonchalant.

Hermes was sweating considerably.

"Wow. That was some Inspector Gadget type shit. My hands were shaking! But did you see me? I was like a pro!"

"I felt like Erin Brockovich." Apollo said dramatically.

Artemis turned to him.

"Why did you choose Australian?" She asked.

"Lots of models are from Australia. It's on the other side of the world. Plus, the cool accent gives me more sex appeal." He replied, numbering off the reasons on his fingers.

"Not that I'm lacking in the sex appeal department." He added quickly.

Artemis and Athena shared look. Artemis smiled at her brother, obviously forced.

"You're a special kind of moron."

"I'm having a bad day today. The sooner we get this over with, the happier I'll be." Athena said, running her hand through her hair in an annoyed way.

Poseidon looked at Athena in disbelief. "So when you have a good day, you want to have morals. When you have a bad day you want to illegally hack into the database of one of the most popular universities in the United States. What happens when you have an okay day? Oh, I wanna get a hamster!"

Apollo burst out laughing."Oh, zing!" He put up his hand. "Slap it high, Uncle P!" Athena pursed her lips before grinning evilly. "Aren't you going to be late for your new job? Remember that you're joining the normal ranks now, so you should make punctuality part of your schedule." She said seriously.

Apollo yawned carelessly before replying. "Pu-leaze, sweetie. My shift starts at 2 in the afternoon. It's only..." He checked the clock and his eyes widened comically in panic. "1:45! Shit! I'm gonna be late!"

He practically ran to the room and changed in record time. Muttering curses as he grabbed the keys to the "new ride", he yelled at everyone that he was taking the car. "I'll be home in a few hours, try not to miss me too much!"

He could practically hear the eyes rolling. "Oh, I'll be counting the seconds." Hades deadpanned.

"Yes," Artemis added dryly. "I'll try to keep my tears at bay."

"You're late!" Beatrice's patronizing tone rang out not even a second after he stepped foot in the store. A few customers looked over to them, but Apollo just looked at the clock near the register. It read: 2:02.

"I'm two minutes late!" He cried in disbelief. Eric, the boy that he met last time, stood next to him, making a 'cut it out' gesture. "It only gets worse from here. Just walk away." He said quietly to Apollo. The latter nodded and faked an expression of hurt.

"I apologize for my tardiness. My sister's dog...Orion...passed away. It was tragic." He said regretfully. Beatrice just turned away and marched into her office. "I get the feeling that she doesn't like me." He said to no one in particular.

Eric widened his eyes sarcastically. "Oh, you just get the feeling?"

Apollo shook his head in wonder. "It's strange. Everybody likes me! I'm me!" He cried. Eric nodded solemnly. "She's in denial. Sometimes...I get the feeling she doesn't like me. But it's just how Bea is." Apollo smiled brightly again.

"So why were you late?" Eric busied himself folding shirts on the shelf. Some people couldn't refold a damn t-shirt.

Shrugging, Apollo joined him, separating the colors. "I was on a secret mission. Real secretive CIA type shenanigans. I guess in the midst of saving humanity, my watch bailed on me." He sighed dramatically.

Eric, bless his heart, didn't seem to mind the theatrics of his new coworker. "And that 'dog' of your 'sister'?"

Apollo's eyes darkened for a split second. "I actually do have a sister; her name is Ar- Selene. And that dog is gone now...so all is good." He said, waving it off.

Eric nodded, and let it go, getting the feeling that it might be a touchy topic. "We had a new shipment arrive. I need you to organize the boxes in the closet." Apollo was led to the back room and Eric went to help a customer, leaving Apollo alone.

"What was I supposed to do again? Organize...the boxes." His eyes flickered to the numerous shelves with countless boxes piled on top of each other. Some had FRAGILE stamped in red on them while others were slightly open and overflowing with bubble wrap.

"Piece of cherry pie." He shrugged, cracking his knuckles. "I'm Apollo. I can handle moving boxes. Bow before your conqueror you puny pieces of cardboard!"

The boxes didn't move. Thankfully.

He started with carrying each box to the side with a wheeled dolly, but that took too much time. Apollo stopped and began pushing the boxes roughly to the corner with his feet.
"There we go. Simplifying life." He said, proud that he found a shortcut.

"Fucking wasting my time with this dolly bullshit." One kick was particularly strong, and the box ended up toppling over, the contents inside spilling to the ground. He heard something similar to the sound of glass breaking. Whipping his head around to see if anyone was around, he quickly rushed to the box.
"Goddamn it! Fuck!" He hissed. Finding a broom in the corner, he swept the shards of glass that fell on the ground. "I need tape. Where is the-" He found some duct tape on the shelf and grabbed it before shakily closing off the box, making it look like nothing happened. He sighed in relief, and almost jumped as he heard a voice behind him.

"Looks good so far. How are you holding up." Eric was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed. "Sorry if I scared you, dude." He added, not looking at all apologetic as he saw Apollo clutch his heart. Apollo closed his eyes for a second, thanking whoever was listening that it wasn't Beatrice.

"Yeah. I'm totally fine. Just peachy! I'm practically Georgia. Yup yup yup. nothing to see here. Let's get some water." He laughed nervously, pushing Eric out of the room, and heading in a random direction.

Eric looked confused. "I thought you said you wanted to get some water?" Apollo hummed absentmindedly in response. "This is the way to the restrooms." Pausing, Apollo brushed it off with a smile.

"I knew that! I just need to...wash my hands! Yes. Wash my hands. My hands need to be washed." Blinking, Eric accepted that as an answer, mouthing 'Alright then' Trying to change the topic, Apollo decided to initiate small talk.

"So...Eric, pal, how long have you been working here?" He inquired. Eric looked lost in thought before shaking it off.

"It's been a little over a year. I moved here with my family from Arizona a few years ago. I got a job to pay for my apartment. I got a scholarship to UCLA." Apollo nodded before his eyes widened in surprise. "UCLA? You got there?"

Eric chuckled. "It's the only university in the neighborhood. Of course I go there. I'm a majoring in sociology and philosophy, and a freshman. How about you? Since you moved here I'm guessing that you'll attend UCLA?"

"Uh huh. I'm majoring in...music history and literature. I just love music." Apollo smiled. As Eric was about to answer, a girl who was a few years younger than the two came up to Eric. She looked bored beyond belief.

"Eric. I'm taking my break now. Make sure to text me if you don't see me in half an hour, okay? Either I'm asleep, running away, or I've been kidnapped by aliens." Eric nodded before looking at Apollo.

"Dayton, this is my friend Elizabeth." He said, pointing to the girl. She had layered black hair with pink and blue dyed strands in it. Her green eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner, and she had red lipstick on. She also had a nose piercing. Overall, she had the 'fuck with me and I put you six feet under' look down pat, even though she was short.

She smiled sweetly before punching Eric's arm. "Call me that again and the punch will be lower." She whispered fiercely.

Gulping audibly, Apollo tried his charm on the obviously intimidating elf. "Pleased to meet you, Lizzie." She raised one eyebrow, looking unimpressed. Eric wasn't even trying to hold in his laughter.

"She doesn't really like men." He explained "You wouldn't understand."

Thinking about a certain auburn haired sister, Apollo looked at them both.
"Oh, trust me, mi amigos. I totally do."

Aphrodite was practically running through the mall. Her shift started in 5 minutes. She completely forgot about her new...job.
'I guess working at a beauty store isn't the worst thing in the world' She thought to herself.

"Finally, the familiar black and white pattern was visible. She sighed in relief, composing herself before entering with a large smile.

"The store was full of people, but she managed to dodge the masses in order to go to the closet to change into the "Sephora" t-shirt that showed she worked there. "Isabella!" Darla's voice was loud, but full of kindness. Aphrodite turned to look at her. "Darla. Sorry that I'm late! I had a...family emergency." She said. Darla waved if off. "You're not late. Come, I'll show you around."

After showing Aphrodite all the sections of the store, in case anyone asked her where something was, Darla left. Walking around, Aphrodite glanced wistfully at all the expensive makeup. There were perks about working here. She had an employee's discount for everything in the store. But 20 dollars off a 100 dollar lipstick was hardly a bargain. She huffed, suddenly annoyed. Since when was everything so damn expensive? Since her idiot father decided to plunge them into a pool of mortality and poverty. Her train of thought stopped as she heard voices, one she recognized unfortunately. It was the unmistakable nasally voice of that girl, Jessica. The other voice was younger and sounded shy. Peeking, she saw a young girl, maybe 10 or 11 years old.

"I'm sure your mom will appreciate the thoughtful gift. These products may be more expensive, but you can't put a price on your mother's happiness." Jessica smiled fakely.

Oh no she did not.

This was low, even for a bitch like Jessica.

"Hey there Jess!" Aphrodite put in as much enthusiasm in her voice as she could. The mentioned woman turned around and her face turned darkened momentarily.

"I know it's your first day here Bella," the emphasis on her nickname was laced with venom, "but I have a client here." She faked an apologetic expression.

Geez. Was there anything about this girl that wasn't fake? Certainly not her boobs…

Crossing her arms, Aphrodite feigned an innocent face. "Darla wants to see you."

Immediately Jessica brightened up. "Probably for a promotion." She bragged. As if being promoted in a department store was a thing to brag about. She sashayed away, as if she were on a catwalk.

The goddess smiled happily as she looked at the woman leave, before turning her attention on the girl in front of her. "Why hello young lady! What's your name?"

The girl blushed, shyly avoiding eye contact. "My name is Cassie." She looked up, meeting Aphrodite's bright smile.

"Good afternoon Cassie! I'm Bella." She winked. "Is there something I can help you with?" In Cassie's hands were several high-end makeup products that were very pricey. "No offense but aren't you a little young for Dior?"

Cassie shook her head. "It's for my mom. Her birthday is soon and I want the best for her. That lady," she pointed to the direction Jessica took off in, "told me that these products would be thoughtful and show that I care." She looked nervous nd confused.

Oh Jessica you twit.

Aphrodite put on her best smile. "Oh honey! Your mom won't care how much it costs! A thoughtful gift means you put a lot of thought into it, not money." She shook her head and gently put out her hand to take back the ridiculously expensive products that even she couln't afford. "So what does your mother like?"

Lost in thought, Cassie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, she's always talking about lipsticks. But my little sister ruined one last week." She admitted. "And she's obsessed with natural products!"

Nodding, Aphrodite told Cassie to wait two minutes for her to find something. Returning, she gave Cassie a few lipsticks and face masks that were both affordable and made with all natural ingredients. Cassie seemed so happy that she hugged Aphrodite, although she seemed embarrassed afterwards. Aphrodite wrapped the items in beautiful paper and sprayed perfume, adding several free samples.

"Have a great day!" She waved to the girl who skipped out of the store, smiling widely.

Aphrodite turned around only to face a nasty ogre.

Well, close. It was Jessica.

"What was that?" Jessica asked, voice sweet like sugar. Aphrodite wasn't fooled. She heard the subtle threat.

"I was just helping a lost little girl." She responded, pushing past her scowling coworker. Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, keep rolling those eyes. You might find a brain back there." Aphrodite smirked.

Aphrodite-2 Jessica-0

Back at the apartment, Hera was attempting to make a cake, trying to prove to herself her maternal abilities. She was sitting at the dining table, open cookbooks strewn across the table, dirty bowls and utensils on the counter. Flour and powder was was on the table, dirtying the cookbooks. The milk and sugar were open on a chair.

Hera was tiredly looking down at the recipes, her brown hair tied in a messy ponytail. She had flour on her hands and forehead.

Zeus walked in, taking in the state of the room. He looked at her. "Are you baking?" He asked, surprised. She looked up and hummed in response and looked back down.

"Are you finished?" He asked, looking around, expecting something that she made.

"No, I'm not finished yet." She said moodily.

Zeus looked around. "Really? Because it...looks like you finished."

Hera suddenly stood up. "I can't do it! Each time I try to mix something, it becomes a clumpy mess! And all these so-called professional recipes all cancel out one another. One says to put in the wet ingredients before, and one says after!" She looked exasperated.

"And how in Hades do you fold an egg? That's not possible! It's...it's sorcery!" She cried out.

Zeus put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. He would never admit it out loud, but she looked adorable. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in frustration, and her cheeks were flushed.

"Why don't we take a look at this again?" He grabbed the book, wiping off the flour that spilt on it.

After choosing a simple pie, they started mixing the ingredients. Zeus shook out a napkin that had powder on it, and it accidentally went all over Hera. She stared at him, and he widened his eyes.

"I'm very sorry! I thought-" He was cut off as Hera grabbed a handful of flour and threw it at him, covering him and making him close his eyes.

He looked at her in shock for a few seconds before smirking evilly.

"Oh, it's on!" He yelled before grabbing the bowl of sugar and took cover behind a chair.

A/N: THIS. TOOK. FOREVER. TO. REWRITE. I swear I am never trusting my computer again. With the help of Chinese food and "Despacito", I was typing like a pro. Jobs are tough! And so is school. I will be going to college next year so I'm not speaking from experience, but I've heard stories! Oh, the expenses! Oh, the homework! I'll do research I promise! Sorry for the coding. I rewrote some of the parts because I lost them. It was like a jigsaw! Trying to find all the missing parts was confusing. I had to dig through my email. I found some old photos and music. Cringe! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!