12th chapter- enjoy!
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That Awkward Moment
ARTEMIS'S POV
"How were you able to make a rainbow in here?" Apollo asked, settling on the couch with a cherry Coke in hand. He was always drinking that in the suite so I assumed it's his favorite drink. I wondered if he ever got tired of drinking the same thing, much like how I was exhausted of all the verbal abuse I've been put through, courtesy of Elise and her little minions. It would be nice to get a break from it and just say "Aaah!" in satisfaction.
"Science, brother dear," I replied, motioning to the rays of sunlight passing through the windows. The miniature rainbow started to crackle with static, and I turned to it expectantly. "Now hush. She's almost on."
"Who are you—"
"Lady Artemis, such a surprise to hear from you," a soft, kindly voice greeted us as the screen cleared to reveal the pale face of Hecate. "Is there anything I can do to be of help, assuming you are in some sort of trouble?"
Apollo's mouth popped open. "Her? You called her?"
"Is that a problem, Lord Apollo?" Hecate questioned, her eyebrows raised. "Unless I am disturbing your... ah, prank planning?"
"Oh, don't mind him," I advised. "He's just... he wasn't expecting it, that's all."
Apollo gulped in agreement.
"So I see," Hecate mumbled after moments of silence. "I wasn't expecting to get an Iris Message, either."
"Really?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Under the circumstances I'm at, yes," Hecate replied, her attention returning to me. "And to get a call from you is something surprising, especially with me helping Zeus carry out your punishment."
I stared at her. Hecate was a rather complicated goddess. For one thing, she's also a Titan, which explains our trust issues with her. Then during the Second Titan War she sided with Kronos, only to find out that her reason for doing so was that nobody respected her and her children enough. Now, from what I've heard, she already gave up her grudge against us Olympians, but was still in some sort of self-exile. Hecate has always been a lover of solitude, so it's hard for us to determine her true nature. Back in the day, I used to think of her as an enigma. She still is, actually.
"Well, you were just doing your job," I finally responded, ignoring the snickering sounds coming from Apollo. No use for Hecate to know how much I was annoyed with the potion she created that momentarily took our godly powers. "Speaking of which, I IM'ed you to ask about the potion you made for us."
"Are you experiencing side effects? Is your forehead hurting? How about your brother, does he also feel unwell?" Hecate asked, dark eyes wide with worry. If it was real or not, I could not tell.
I blinked. It was odd for her to be this frantic about our health. Maybe she thought if something happened to us, magic-wise, she'd be the one to blame. And nobody wants to see Zeus angry. "Uh, no. Not really. Why?"
"Oh, nothing at all," Hecate dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. "I was just assuming..." She shook her head, muttering unclear words. "Never mind. What were you saying?"
"Right." I shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to say my words without making myself sound like a desperate fool. "Well, you see, I was wondering if it's possible to be able create a potion to curse someone... for the lack of a better word."
Hecate scoffed, looking slightly hurt. "Being the goddess of magic that is the most ridiculous question I've heard in millennia! Of course, there was that one time when one of Clytius's idiotic comrades thought it would be a good idea to ask whether or not the fire in my torches was real. I took the pleasure of lighting him up to help him figure out if they were real or not." She chuckled at the memory, and I forced a weak smile. "Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I will be able to accomplish that in no time. Now what kind of curse are we talking about? Something akin to the arai? Or perhaps—"
"Not something that would kill!" I protested, blanching at the thought of Elise suffering a tragic death. As much as I despised the girl, I didn't want her to lose her life. I just wanted to teach her a lesson. "This is for a mortal. I'm hoping for something simpler and less deadly."
Realization slowly dawned on Hecate's face. "Oh. I thought it would be for Apollo. My apologies," I snorted a little and she shot me a strained grin. "You did say 'curse' so I guessed you meant something terrible."
"I was thinking more of like a pimple curse,"
"A pimple curse?" She almost choked on her words. "Tell me, is this for a classmate?"
"Yeah," I replied distractedly. What kind of curse would make Elise really freak out? "I think it's something she'd be scared of."
"Mortals are such odd beings," Hecate commented.
"Tell me about it."
"But I'll see what I can do," she assured me. "Something shallow and not deadly, correct?"
I nodded, slightly surprised. "You're actually going to help?"
"Why not?" Hecate lifted her shoulders into a delicate shrug. "Even if I don't know the circumstances that have forced you to ask for my need, it's something that would prove to be fun."
"Thank you," I breathed. I had been prepared to offer her some kind of amount—an amount I currently didn't have—for her to help. It was a relief she agreed willingly.
Hecate smirked. "I have this feeling someone insulted you greatly and her consequence will definitely be—"
A loud crash filled the screen with static, quickly followed by a panicked cluck.
"What the heck?" Apollo complained. When I turned, I saw him pressing the volume button of the remote as he stared intently at the TV screen. "Can you keep it down there?"
"Sorry," I called, returning to Hecate. "Is everything alright?"
"Di Immortales!" Hecate cursed, completely ignoring my question. Her back was facing me, too focused on the noise to respond. "Pedro, I told you to be careful! Gale and Hecuba are much more attentive than you!"
"You... You have a visitor?"
Hecate looked back at me, her lips set into a tight line. "Something similar to that." Moments later, a blur of red and orange-brown blocked my view and Hecate hastily pulled it back. I gaped at the rooster in front me. It was an unusually fat rooster with a mix of red, orange-brown, and cream. But what was really unusual were its eyes—or rather, its lack of two eyes.
"Artemis," she said wryly, "meet Pedro the Cyclops-turned-rooster. Pedro, Lady Artemis."
Pedro squawked wildly, desperately trying to peck the screen.
"Uh, hello. How come you were turned into a rooster?" This was directed to him, but I was looking at Hecate only.
The goddess finally released the rooster, and we both watched as he ran around in circles in the background before she explained, "Pedro came to me asking for a cure for his eyesight problem—"
"He was blind?" I interrupted, unsure whether to pity him or laugh at his misfortune.
"He still is," Hecate corrected. "Some demigod stumbled upon him and poked his eye. Anyway, I felt obliged to do because of his sad situation, but, ah, something went wrong with the procedure and now..." She sheepishly motioned to the rooster, who clucked back in response, his blind eye wide.
"Oh," was all I could say. After all, it was odd for a powerful goddess to admit her fault, especially to another goddess.
She nodded her head, narrowing her eyes into dangerous slits. "If a word of this ever gets out, I know who'd take the blame," she threatened.
"Of course." I glanced at Apollo to check if he was listening to our conversation. He was still focused on the TV.
"Good," the peaceful smile returned to her face. "I will contact you once I have an idea for your little curse," she added as if nothing happened.
"Same here," I replied. "Thank you again, Hecate."
"My pleasure,"
With that, she snapped her fingers and the rainbow dissolved into multi-colored glitter. I sighed irritably. Well, that's going to leave a mess.
Shaking the glitter out of my hair, I made my way over to my brother and lounged beside him on the couch. Now all I needed to do was wait.
"You done with Hecate?"
"Yeah. It went better than I expected,"
Apollo turned to look at me and started laughing. "Man, you look like you've been partying with Ke$ha!"
I rolled my eyes, wondering if it was too late to ask Hecate to make another curse for my brother.
oo00oo
APOLLO'S POV
I splashed my face with cold water, peering into the mirror. It was just the start of the day and it was already getting weird.
I had excused myself from class in order to go to the bathroom. Number one, I badly needed to pee. Seriously, how lame would it be if you peed in your pants? A middle school cliché at its finest. Number two, I've been getting uncomfortable stares from Elise.
As an expert flirt, I'm pretty sure I would know when a fellow flirt would be making moves on me. And those stares were something I had used myself back in the day (only in a less obvious, desperate way).
It didn't start from there, either. Even before classes begun, Elise was already clingy. I didn't know what incited her sudden interest with me, but I didn't reciprocate her feelings. If ever she really has one.
For all I care, this might be some sort of diabolical plot to lure me to the dark side. Only instead of cookies, there are five pretty girls waiting for me—namely, the Elites. Maybe it was a divide and conquer kind of thing? Perhaps Elise thought that if she convinced me to side with her, Artemis would lose it. I know Artemis, though. She'll be able to handle herself, especially against a mortal. And after that conversation she had with Hecate, she might have something up her sleeve.
Still. It was so awkward having Elise flirt with me. She and I aren't that close, but we were (sort of) friends. We talked. I tutored her in Science. But that was it.
I shook those thoughts out of my head. It won't do any good for my mental health if kept thinking about them. I swiped my bangs to the side and smiled at the mirror, making sure I looked presentable before I headed back to the classroom.
When I entered the room, I spotted my sister talking to our adviser. Once Artemis took a seat, I curiously twisted around my chair and asked, "What was that about?"
"We're having our ID picture taken tomorrow," she informed me.
"Uh-huh," I mumbled, uninterested. We'd be here for just a few months. What was the point of getting an ID?
After a quick goodbye from our teacher, I noticed Elise stand up from the corner of my eye. Already knowing what she was going to do, I pretended to take part of the conversation Rick was having with his friend.
"Hey," she said, tapping me lightly on the shoulder.
I heaved a sigh before turning to face her. "What's up?"
"You're still up for tutoring me, right?"
"Of course," I assured her. "But I might be a little late 'cause Alodia and I still have to get our pictures taken."
"Oh, no worries!" She exclaimed. "As long as you show up in the library, it's okay. And don't worry about your picture. I'm sure it'll turn out great." Elise shot me a sweet smile, glared over my shoulder, and then walked back to her chair.
From behind me, I could feel Artemis's stare burning my back. Inwardly groaning, I massaged my temples. For the first time ever, I didn't want to be the object of attention of two girls.
Was it just me or did anyone else think that Hecate was some kind of scary witch before Demigod Diaries came out? Also, I'll be editing the previous chapters of this story. I'm not changing anything major, I just thought that you guys might want to see the improvement once the next chapter gets out soon.
Any comments, suggestions, or violent reactions? If so, you know what to do.