Chapter Ten.
Luna invited Elysia and Raina to her house to go over the biology homework. Elysia and Raina were happy that Luna was finally talking to them and hanging out with them again. They decided that they would confront Luna about her odd behavior today when they were alone. Luna prepared glasses of milk and chocolate chip cookies. She also called for Nisha and she landed on the windowsill. Nisha tilted her head as if to ask why she was there. Luna spoke, "It's good to see you again Nisha. Sorry if I woke you up. I need you here because we need to find out who the other two virgin goddesses are. Apparently Athena is a fan of owls. So I thought you should meet my friends. And Hestia is apparently repulsed by anything that has to do with cows. Would you like to meet Raina and Elysia?" Nisha bowed her head in agreement and hopped onto Luna's shoulder. Luna chuckled to herself and headed upstairs with the milk and cookies and Nisha on her shoulder.
Elysia and Raina were spread out in Luna's room, their heads ducked in their textbooks. They didn't notice the owl that was currently perched on Luna's shoulder, so the surprise was greater than expected. When Luna set down the plate, it made a slight sound and at that moment, her friends looked up at her. Confusion was etched into their face, but was quickly replaced by astonishment. "Uh, Luna. What's with the owl? Feeling like Harry Potter today?" Raina asked.
"Not only that, what is with the milk and cookies? You never give us snacks when we come over. You tell us that we need to control our mooching when we come over," Elysia spoke next.
"Guys, this is my friend, Nisha. She visits me often. And as for the snacks, I thought you guys would like some. I already had a tray ready to cook and I had my mom put it in before she left to go out with my dad. I was in the mood for cookies, but hey if you want me to hog all the cookies, I'll happily do so." Although that last part was a lie, her friends seemed to be convinced by her explanation.
"So, how did you two meet?"
"Nisha has been sleeping by my window lately and one night I decided to confront her about it. She turned out to be nice and a great friend."
"Weren't you afraid you'd get rabies, Luna?"
"Nah. She always gave me a look as if she understood everything I did and said."
"Can we meet her?" At this question, Nisha hopped off Luna's shoulder and made her way to Raina. Nisha hopped onto Raina's shoulder and starting nuzzling her cheek. A hoot of contentment came out of Nisha. Raina smiled, happy to receive Nisha's acceptance so soon. Nisha remained on Raina's shoulder and soon enough, she fell asleep. "I guess she likes me," Raina said after a few moments of silence went by. She never took her eyes off of Nisha and they remained on Nisha's sleeping body.
"Maybe we should start studying. We wouldn't want my parents to come home and see us just sitting here being unproductive."
"Yeah, you're right. But first I want one of those cookies." Raina reached for a cookie and a glass of milk and dipped the cookie in the white liquid. Luna mimicked Raina's actions. Elysia watched the two drink their milk eagerly. "What's the matter, Elysia? Don't you want some? They are good…" Elysia grabbed a cookie and enjoyed its flavor. She left the remaining glass of milk on the tray. Luna took note of that and she knew she would have another long conversation with Cyrus and Calliope. Luna decided to find out more information so she asked Elysia,
"Don't you want your milk? It tastes even better with milk." Elysia cringed at the mention of milk and Luna's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I don't really like milk." Luna didn't push the matter further and they proceeded to study.
That night after Elysia and Raina left, Calliope appeared with Cyrus by her side. They were in a heated discussion about their next moves. Nisha watched intently from the new owl house Luna had bought for her. "But you don't know if Raina is truly Athena! You only noticed that Nisha and Raina got along! There is no way to extrapolate from that information that she is one of the virgin goddesses. Nisha is a friendly owl and so I feel as though she could bewitch anyone and they would become her friend instantly."
"My love, you must calm down. Give Luna a chance to explain herself. You mustn't get so worked over this matter."
"You're right. I'm sorry, sister. Please go on."
"As I was saying, I think that Elysia is Hestia. When I offered her a glass of milk, she cringed as if I was offering her goat's blood. I didn't push the matter further because I knew she was uncomfortable with the situation."
"I do believe that Elysia is Hestia. She has some power within her that is waiting to be released. We must act quickly. Tomorrow, you are to invite Elysia over and explain to her the situation and what she must do. When I am needed, summon me. I will bring Cyrus with me as well. I will try to work on Raina. I will befriend her and become one of her closest friends; we have similar interests so it shouldn't be hard. For now, Elysia is your top priority, do not share any information with Raina as we need confirmation that she is really Athena. Do you understand these instructions?"
"Yes, Calliope. Tomorrow I shall talk with Elysia."
"Very good. Now, we must go. Cyrus' parents will be home soon and he needs to make it look like he has been home this whole time. Remember the objective, Luna." With that, Calliope and Cyrus dissipated before her eyes and she was left alone with Nisha. She curled up in bed, said goodnight to Nisha and fell into a dreamless sleep with Nisha watching her closely.