Beauty Divine, Pain Be Thine CH.37

Over the next week, Aphrodite pushed herself more than she ever had, training and working her body hard. Thanks to Ky- or, as Tristan liked to call him, Drill Sergeant Hardass- the group barely got any time together in a private setting. The most they could get was a few minutes every night to check in with each other before heading off to shower and rest. Even gods got worn out. She felt sorry for the boys, who were training just as hard as the demigods that surrounded them. On the upside, she could already feel herself getting stronger, better, faster. She hadn't felt so agile in thousands of years. It was Friday night, and Aphrodite could not wait until Sunday, the one day every week she would have to rest, seeing as the "Drill Sergeant" had added an extra day a week on to her training, in which he would personally pummel her. She was lucky that the bruises only lasted about two days before completely disappearing.

All of that was fine with Aphrodite, but she had had a small knot in her stomach all week. Even more unsettling, every time she had felt it get tight, she would catch the eyes of Keegan, who would quickly look away. The knot she was feeling was suspicion, and it got a little stronger every day. Why she was suspicious of this boy, she didn't know. Maybe it was the fact that his broad face and upturned nose always looked mean, even if he was laughing with his friends. Either way, whenever she looked at him, she felt her stomach grip uncomfortably.

Lost in thought, she barely registered the knock at her door, only looking up when it opened. Dom, in his perfection, gave her a caring smile when he walked in and sat next to her on the bed. "Distracted?" he inquired.

"Sorry," Aphrodite responded. "Just lost in thought. It's been a busy week, I've barely had a moment to think."

"I know the feeling," he said, gently stroking her arm.

She sighed. "That feels nice."

Dom chuckled and pulled her over so that her head was resting on his chest, his arm wrapping around her back, his fingers gliding up and down her arm as he kissed the top of her head. Aphrodite loved that he was so gentle with her. She felt valued, cared for. She fell into a dreamless sleep in his embrace... only to be shocked awake by an unimpressed looking Ky, who tugged on one of her feet.

"My lady, if you wish for my help, you must obey my rules. They're quite simple. Your relationship is to be private, separate, and in your free time. Not on my time."

Aphrodite groaned, looked over at the clock, and gasped. She was supposed to meet Ky in his office almost an hour ago to leave for training. She cursed under her breath, rolled out of Dom's grip, and stood. "I am so sorry, Ky. He just came in to talk, and we were so tired that we fell asleep," she said, her face burning in shame and embarrassment.

"Get dressed and meet me outside, please. We will train before going to grab food supplies this week."

As soon as he left the room, she smacked her forehead. "Gods, I'm such an idiot." She crossed back over to Dom and gently shook him awake, "I have to go. I'm late. I'll see you when I get back, and we'll spend some time together then," she promised, quickly kissing his cheek. He nodded and gave her a sleepy smile while she grabbed the clothes she needed and headed out.

Standing barefoot in the sand, she faced Ky. "I'm sorry again," she said awkwardly. "I won't be late again. It was my mistake."

Ky sighed, shrugging. "I don't care what you do on your off-time, my lady-"

"Call me Ally, please," She interrupted. "If people overhear you calling me that, I could be found out."

"Ally, then," Ky conceded. "You only have a small amount of time with me. I must teach you as quickly as possible, to prepare you for the fight of your life. I cannot prepare you for the riddles and puzzles in the Labyrinth, but I can prepare you for the combat against the minotaur, and against Hera. I do not care if you choose to carry on with a young mortal, but you must use your training time to focus on the tasks that are set to you. Now, let us begin."

Aphrodite nodded, widening her stance, sicking lower, and raising her fists. "Let's do this."