First off- thanks for any of you who have reviewed and/or favorited :D you make my day! Everyday! or every other day... Secondly- Please, please, please don't kill me! I know it's been a millennia since I last updated, but things come and get in the way and junk happens... So, hope you enjoy this and put away your pitchforks and such before you get thrown in jail for murder...
"Will, can you hand me that sword?"
"Why don't you manipulate it to you?" His grin is teasing; rumors about my Grace had grown abundantly.
Two months later, it was now November and Carlos had been requested to leave (they still held a grudge against him because he was Egyptian). I knew I could go home too, because most of the campers had gone, but my mom was suspiciously eager for me to stay. Dion said it was probably for safety reasons (which made sense because I had never gotten that protective spell renewed), but I wasn't totally convinced.
I roll my eyes. "You know it doesn't work like that."
Since finding it, my Grace had shown me that not everything was possible and it didn't work every time I wanted it to. The only thing I could rely on to never fail was manipulating distance, and even then it always cost me. Chiron wanted to believe it would work in life and death instances, but I can't say I do. I think it's got a mind of its own and it doesn't care if I die.
I could be wrong, but I've never really been close to dying since I, well, almost died so I can't really judge.
He picks it up and tosses it to me. I catch it at the hilt and nod my thanks before running up a hill. I can tell he is oblivious to what I'm doing and knows I'm obviously crazy because I agree with him.
You know that feeling you get when you walk in a room and suddenly forget why you're there? Well it hit me right between the eyes when I got to the top of the hill.
I think I might have even winced.
Why was I up here, and why did I have a sword?
After struggling with this issue for some time, I finally shrug and sit down. It didn't really matter. I guess.
"Kyra," A silvery voice whispers on the wind making shivers go up my spine.
"Wha-what?" I answer, my voice shaking as I grip the sword, hoping I wouldn't have to use it. "Who-what-who's there?"
Okay so I couldn't decide if it was a "Who" or a "What", give me a break! It's a creepy voice coming from nowhere!
The voice laughs. "You know who I am. You do bear my mark after all."
Right now, my spine is definitely under attack of little electric charges and suddenly, a bright flash burns before my eyes and I'm left seeing stars and little black dots that I name Sally, Jellyband, Armand, Marguerite, Chauvelin, Suzanne, Antony, Andrew, Comtesse… whoa! Got off track for a second there. And into the land of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Just then, strange things came into my head.
Icicle.
Raspberry.
Yum.
Fluffy.
Green.
Black.
Cat?
Aah!
I scramble back when I realize that there is actually a cat/person thingy in front of my very eyes! It, well I guess it was a "she", seemed to be laughing, though I couldn't really tell because, well, cats don't really have emotional eyes.
Do they even have emotions?
"Uuuhhh… Hi? What are you doing here? Who are you? Should I kill you? Are you gonna kill me?"
She laughs, tilting her head to the side and her bright green eyes sparkled. Shaking her head, her chin-length black hair swung and shimmered.
Which was really weird.
But I'd have to say that her ears were, in fact, weirder. They were definitely cat ears; black and silky and twitching like she was picking out different sounds around her.
"My name is Bast."
Yeah. That clears up everything! Please note my sarcasm… waaiiiittt… it does clear up everything!
Carlos told me about this goddess! Bast was the cat goddess (hence the cat eyes and ears) of pleasure! And then I looked at my soul finger.
There it was!
Her sign!
Well… I also had a cat eye.
Was that hers too?
"Uh. Cool. Nice to meet you."
She smiles holding out her hand for me to take. "I want to talk to you about some things. But we can't do it here. I'm not welcome."
She lowers her eyes as she remembers that this isn't her home ground and waits as I stare slack-jawed at her.
*Enter preferred exclamation here*! She was so to-die-for gorgeous… whoa! Did I really just think that?
I'm not lesbian. Please believe me?
Finally I shut my mouth and take her hand. "Where are we going?"
She smiles again, and I think her eyes are laughing. "Just for a little trip through the Duat."
"What? Wait-!" I don't get to finish because I'm pulled through something odd and purplish and appear somewhere that I'm gonna guess wasn't too far away.
Central Park?
"So."
A smile twitched across her lips. "You know I have chosen you."
"Yeah. For what?"
"I picked you," She begins walking me around the park, "to be my priestess, just as your mother was."
"Huh?"
That silvery laugh comes again. "Your mother is my priestess, that's how she met Diego. So, if she hadn't have been, you wouldn't have any of them."
"I would have my mom."
"In a way. But not as she is now."
"Oh."
"She's Graced too, you know."
"No, I didn't know. But don't Gracelings have two different eyes?"
"She keeps her blue eye covered with mist at all times."
"Oh."
"You are taking this much better than I expected."
"Would you prefer if I was having a panic attack? Because I can arrange that," I reply sarcastically and she laughs again.
"I was wise to choose you, Kyra," Her eyes were twinkling. I think.
"Sooo, what does a priestess do?"
She shrugged. "Not that much, actually. You need to be trained in the art of the sword, which is why it's convenient for me to pick Greek half-bloods. And there are a few other things you must learn. Other than that, you just need to be ready if I call you into battle or to go on a mission for me."
"Oohkay, but don't Greek gods get upset when you take their daughters? I thought there was a feud or something…"
"Well, yes," She nods understandingly. "Some of them do get upset, but… I make sure it's beneficial for them too."
I'm almost scared to ask how.
"Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot! You'll have to be trained how to use your cat."
"My cat?"
She nods mischievously. "All in good time, Kyra."
We walk in silence for a while.
"So, uh, why did you choose me?"
"Because of your qualities. My priestess' must be beautiful enough to cause emperors to fall and wise enough to choose the correct one. Though you do not have all this knowledge yet, you have the capability to gain it all. All of them are Graced with special abilities, though for some it comes later in life and their fatal flaw is just like mine."
"Gods have fatal flaws?" I raise my eyebrows in disbelief.
"Of course! We couldn't relate to mortals if we didn't," She smiles knowingly.
"What's yours?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"You know when you say that you actually mean "late enough"," I complain and am rewarded by another laugh.
"Maybe so. I hadn't thought of it that way. But now, it's time to get you back."
And with that, we're thrown through more purple and wind up back on the hill.
"When will I see you again?" I ask, almost wistfully.
"Three days from now. We'll begin training then, so bring those two blades you found in September."
"Wha-?" But she disappeared before I could finish.
Okay?
...
"I hate her! Gods I hate her so much I could just- I could just-!" The beautiful blonde woman screams in frustration, flinging a vase across the room where it crashes into smaller pieces.
"Come on, Aphrodite, that was my favorite vase! You're getting me another one!"
"What makes you think that I care about your stupid vase?! This girl, this mutant, is ruining my life!"
Nemesis rolls her eyes, tiring of Aphrodite's endless ranting quickly. There was always another girl. Right then, colorful curses were flying from her mouth, making her appear (if it was possible) almost unattractive.
"Well? Go talk to Zeus. How many girls have you convinced him to kill for you? Millions right?"
"That's just it! Zeus loves this new demi!"
Nemesis just laughs. Aphrodite had never been the brightest. "Then you go to Hera!"
"Not like thaaaat," The goddess of love draws out, huffing. "Everyone thinks she's the greatest thing that's happened! And just because she can do a couple pretty tricks."
"Really?" The other goddess feigns interest.
"Yes! It's unbelievable! They even got a prophecy lined up for her."
"Aphrodite, prophecies don't work like that."
"Well. This one does!" She replies indignantly. "She's even got Apollo wrapped around her finger! And you know Apollo never stays with one girl for more than three days."
"Okay, I give in, who is this girl?"
"See for yourself," Aphrodite points in disgust to a shallow bowl filled with olive oil.
"You're spying on her?"
"Checking out the competition!" She defends herself quickly.
Nemesis shakes her head and looks into the bowl. The girl was quite beautiful. Not near as beautiful as Aphrodite thought she was, though. Then the goddess caught a glimpse of her dual-colored eyes.
"Kyra? You're jealous of Dionysus' daughter?" She couldn't help but laugh. "This has to be a first!"
"You don't understaaaand, Nemesis!" Aphrodite whined. "You haaave to help me!"
"What do you want me to do? Hang her?" Nemesis joked.
"Yes!"
The goddess of revenge immediately shook her head. "No. I won't do that. I have nothing against this girl!"
"But I do! Pleeeeaaase Nemesis! What would you do in my situation?"
"Well," She did love getting revenge on someone, even if the target had done nothing wrong, "what do you not like about her?"
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, everything! Well… She's too pretty."
"Should've known," Nemesis mutters under her breath. "You can't curse her. You can't kill her. You… make her eat! She loves to eat! She is Dionysus' daughter after all."
The other goddess' eyes brighten. "And then she'll get fat! Nemesis, you're brilliant!"
"I try," Aphrodite starts rushing out the door, but Nemesis has one more piece of advice. "Aphrodite, don't let her know you hate her. Keep her close."
"Got it!" Aphrodite flashes a charming smile. "Friends close, enemies closer. Honestly, I learned that, like, a millennia ago."
Nemesis chuckles as she sweeps out of the room once again cool and composed.
Revenge was fun!
