Okay, I'm going to NYC on Sunday, so I probably, maybe won't update until after that. Maybe I'll be able to update once. Hopefully :)

Also, thank you to everyone who favorited or alerted :)

And for DemiGodLover, I added a monster attack. I was almost about to end it sooner, but I added one. It's probably not goo, but I decided what the heck, ill add it!

SLCTFREAK, thank you for reviewing my other story, that really made my day :)

Chapter 4

A Goddess's Whim

JT POV

It was fun being on a Pegasus. Ashlynn had died the wind down so we flew without a sound. Michelle had fallen asleep against her Pegasus's neck.

I fiddled with my watch, accidently slowing down time. Monica shot me an annoyed glance, and I resisted the urge to laugh. She would definitely hear, and I really didn't need an annoyed daughter of Iris on my case. Believe me, that sucked.

Jessie was looking paler than usual, as if he were about to blow chunks. I urged my Pegasus away from him, because I really did not want to see that.

My eyes closed against my will. I blinked them open. Monica flew over with a pat on her Pegasus.

"You can get some rest." She told me, smiling. I nodded back, already half-asleep. My eyes drifted closed again.

When they opened again, I was staring into Monica's concerned face on solid ground. Blue sky surrounded her head like a halo. My head throbbed. My hand encountered a large bruise on the back.

"Ugh-what happened?" I croaked, my mouth parched.

"The Pegasi started to go down, even though me and Ashlynn hadn't told them so." She explained, giving me a bit of ambrosia. "When we landed, you fell off."

"Yep. Who could've told the Pegasi to land?" I asked, my head beginning to feel better. That sounded like me, falling off a flying horse when it had already landed.

"I did." A honey-sweet voice said. I turned to see a stunning woman standing in the clearing. For a moment, she had straight black hair and warm iridescent eyes. Then, she changed to a fair-skinned woman with wavy brown hair and clear blue eyes. My heart ached; she looked like Lani would've if she had lived to 19.

"Aphrodite." I spoke bitterly. It wasn't her fault Lani died.

"Yes." She said simply. Her face frowned; she looked years older than she was. Well, she was immortal, but still.

"Why are you here?" Monica asked as the rest of us watched with mixed looks of disgust, confusion, and boredom.

"I need your help." The goddess confessed desperately.

"With what?" Ashlynn asked. Her eyes gleamed with suspicion. I'd heard about what happened to her mother, how she fell in love with two gods at first and then an abusive man, who beat her and Astra. I really didn't think she would be thanking Aphrodite anytime soon.

"Actually, I need to help you. This quest is more important than you realize. Those apples are what make ambrosia and nectar. They essentially make the gods immortal." Aphrodite described, sitting on a patch of grass.

"I thought they just moved with the Western civilization." Jessie acknowledged, finally looking interested in the conversation.

"Yes, but they need the golden apples. The apples symbolize peace and prosperity, something that is rapidly diminishing in mortal society. They essentially give the gods their powers. Even mine."

"What would happen if we didn't recover the apples?" I asked. She sighed, looking miserable. It just didn't look right on her face, being so depressed. Her wavy hair fluttered in the wind.

"The gods would lose their powers. The Earth wouldn't end, but mortals would be thrown into ruin. The very fabric of balance between the sanity of humans would be torn to shreds. It would be a living nightmare. No one could die, because Hades would be gone. No one could live either. Essentially, all humans would be thrown into limbo until their body starves to death for water. And then their souls would be lost to Chaos forever." Aphrodite said quietly.

We were stunned into silence for a moment. It was too horrible to imagine, and I had a feeling Aphrodite hadn't told us all of it.

"What do you mean by gone?" Michelle asked, sounding horrified. She looked as dismayed as I felt.

"I mean that they would be incinerated by their very beings, so in pain that they burn up. Their powers would fade with them. You know that burning, sort of feverish feeling you demigods get if you eat too much ambrosia?" Aphrodite asked, almost nonchalantly.

We nodded for her to go on, shuddering with the memory of the last kid who ate too much, Nate Archer, a son of Apollo. He literally burned up from the inside, screaming with agony. Not pleasant to listen to.

"That's what the gods feel if they don't eat ambrosia. Or drink nectar."

"So that's what my dream meant." Michelle looked like she'd had a breakthrough.

"What dream?" Ian asked, so upset over what would happen if we didn't finish our quest that he forgot to add a derisive edge to his voice.

"In my dream, it was black. Then, I had a vision of a golden apple. A voice started to laugh as I grabbed it, as if it had planned for it or it just knew that it was too late. A crown fell down, and there were people screaming. As if being burned alive." She ended with a frightened tone.

Monica and Ashlynn comforted her as Aphrodite sat in thoughtful silence. She coiled a lock of her hair around her finger.

"Well, I don't know what that means." She finally said. "But I'm still here to help you."

"Lady Aphrodite, if this isn't one of your love missions, why did you come?" Ian asked, a bit of a sarcastic tone back to his voice.

"I came because I'm the last child of Uranus." She replied, looking a bit peeved at the love mission thing. "Therefore, I'm stronger than the other Olympians. But, I'm still vulnerable. I cannot come back to you in the mortal world, except for dire emergencies."

"What do you want to help us with?" Monica asked.

"I'm here to give you advice and as much help as I and the other Olympians can. But you need to do something for me first."

"Why?" Jessie asked, looking exasperated rather than bored. It was a start.

"To prove you're worthy, of course. What's a quest without doing something for a goddess?" She beamed, suddenly transforming to a peppy and mischievous goddess instead of the tired and helpless one.

"Fine, what is it?" Monica asked as we all looked at her.

"You need to go to the Underworld. All of this almost being incinerated risk is making me exhausted. So, go to the Underworld and fetch me some of Persephone's beauty." Aphrodite exclaimed impishly.

We sat in astonished silence. My day was just getting better and better. Well night, since night had fallen by this time.

"Fine." Monica grumbled after meeting all of our eyes. "Will you be able to get it once we return to the mortal world?"

"Yep." The goddess nodded enthusiastically.

"Wait." Ian said. "Why can't you get it yourself?"

"It takes too much energy that we can't spare to travel to or from the Underworld. Well, good luck!" With that, she disappeared in a cloud of wispy, pale pink smoke.

I sat in surprise and grief. Lani was gone again. And Aphrodite wanted us to go to the Underworld and get her beauty? Was she serious?

"We need the advice and help." Monica said after a while. She spoke grudgingly.

The rest of us nodded. We didn't want to go to the Underworld, least of all for Aphrodite's narcissism. But we really couldn't ignore the deteriorated gods' wills.

"Let's go." I groaned, getting to my feet.

A growl interrupted us as we mounted our Pegasi. Four freaking massive hellhounds stalked out of the woods, curling back their lips to show yellowed canines as long as my arm.

"Chaos must being fueling them." Monica looked shaken as the oversized hounds crept our way. They snarled, white frothing at their mouth like they had rabies.

"Split up." I advised. Ashlynn and Michelle went for one and Jessie and Ian attacked the other. Monica and I went solo.

I pulled out my sword and slashed at its neck. The hellhound moved out of the way, faster than a snake striking, and tried to bite my arm. I sidestepped and sliced my sword down the hound's side. It howled in pain and tried to maul me again. I slid along its back and carved down its other side, slowing down time as it twisted to rake its claws at me.

The hound whined and melted into shadow. I sheathed my sword, breathing heavily, as Monica pushed me to my Pegasus.

"Hurry, we have to hurry." She muttered, glancing over her shoulder as she mounted her own Pegasus, which bucked into the air. Her blue t-shirt was ripped, and her skin was bleeding. She crammed a square of ambrosia into her mouth. The skin healed back over.

"Chaos is making the monsters stronger." Jessie said as Ashlynn started slowing the wind. We flew rapidly west.

"We need Aphrodite's help." Monica said reluctantly, brushing her hot pink bangs out of her face. They were a result of her insulting the Aphrodite cabin.

"We could go to the Door of Orpheus." Michelle advised, pointing toward north.

"Fine." Monica agreed, resting her head on her Pegasus's neck.

The wind whistled without sound, blowing our hair and torn clothes. Stars twinkled above us, closer than the dangerous ground.

Yay, it's done! i think this is my longest chapter. tell me how it's going! :) this was more of a filler chapter so we didn't see much of JT's personality, so sorry :( if you hadn't noticed, i like making smilies...and frownies, but hopefully not as often

Review! Right down there! The pretty blue button!

~Queen~