Wow, it's been like 3 months since I've written a chapter for this story. And APPARENTLY I had a deadline for this chapter. Anyway, I give you Katie, goddess of dancing in the rain and corny jokes. This chapter could have turned out really bad, but thanks to the goddess herself, I think it's OK. Some of it is rather awkward, cause Katie has some odd ideas, but what ever. Not such a funny chapter, more of a story. Oh and the corny jokes are just plain bad
Narcissus: a very vain man. He was cursed to fall in love with himself because he was rude to Echo.
Charon: ferrier of the dead across the river styx.
Hippocrates: the legendary doctor of Ancient Greece.
The Minotaur: bastard son of Poseidon. He lived in the Labyrinth on the island of Crete.
Cassandra: prophesier who was cursed by Apollo. She knew the future but no one believed her. I've twisted her myth a bit.
All of the names in Tartarus are souls that are condemned for different reasons. I'll tell more later.
Ok, that's it for now. I'll go into detail later, but I'm rushed.
On any other morning, the sun would be rising at this moment. But, considering there was absolutely nothing special about today, Helios decided to sleep in a little bit. This gave Selene a little more time to leisurely fly across the night sky. So she decided to stop for a moment and oil her new bow and arrow set that Artemis had given her. Once the pale birch was gleaming like a pearl, Selene figured that it wouldn't hurt to test it out. Aiming for the brightest star she could see, the young moon goddess let a silvery arrow fly. A few seconds passed, and a loud scream was heard. "Oops" Selene thought to herself. Spurring her horses on, she quickly began her descent to earth and to allow Helios to begin his journey.
The star that had been shot at was none other than the new goddess complex. Katie's room had been exceptionally bright that morning, because her sprites were flashing alarming colors of pure white and blazing yellow, which meant they were dying. The arrow had flown in through the window, shattering the pixie's jar, and awakening Katie. She looked up sleepily and saw all of her new pets lying on the cedar nightstand, pale and cold. "MY PIXIES!" she screamed, rushing forward. But it was too late for the little imps.
"My poor pets." Sobbed the goddess. "You went the way of my goldfish. Stuck in a jar." Lifting her chin in a martyr-like fashion, Katie gathered up their bodies and flung them out the window, blowing them a kiss as they went. Of course, since Katie was a goddess, her kisses held special power. Suddenly the sprites all sprang up, their vitality restored. Screeching at the blonde goddess in front of them they returned her hospitality with many rude gestures before taking wing and disappearing into the slowly rising sun. Katie stood, stunned at this odd occurrence, but the sounds of sleepy immortals rising from their beds snapped her out of the trance. Actually it really was Megan yodeling at the top of her lungs and Aubrey screaming at her to shut up that brought her back to reality. Rolling her eyes slightly, Katie switched into her day clothes and glided down to breakfast.
Something was happening the dining area. Katie could feel it even before she entered. Maybe it was the increased room temperature that cued her in, or perhaps the heavy silence of the room, but Katie strolled in, smacked a five on the table and announced her bet.
"I'm pulling for Jason."
Indeed, it seemed that Jason and Liz were locked in a duel to the death on the table. Liz's earlier problem with hitting Jason seemed to evaporate as she shot pink stuffed cabbages and yellow paperclips at the god. Jason snapped his fingers, melting Liz's weaponry and sent thin ribbons of gold and iron to entangle the spiky-haired goddess. She managed to evade them well enough, but then Jason got nasty. As Liz was conjuring up her army of undead rodents, the earth suddenly began to rumble. A gigantic volcano emerged from the ground, enveloping Liz. The room then became quiet, save for a rather hot and lavaish belch from the volcano. Then Liz's voice could be heard; muffled and ticked. "OK Jason, you win."
Katie smiled with content and snatched her five off the table. Then she proceeded to get breakfast. Everyone who had been watching the fight followed suit, along with Jason and Liz who had managed to break her way out of the volcano. Brushing herself off, the goddess smiled slightly and fell in line to eat.
"Jason, are you going to move your volcano?" Katie asked accusingly. Indeed, the large landmass just seemed to sit on the table, belching out magma every once in a while. Jason shrugged and sat down on a cushion far away from his creation. "Ugh, you are impossible." Katie sighed. With a roll of her eyes she sat down right next the volcano, warming her butt. The goddesses filed in, placing themselves here and there sporadically. Soon everyone was settled, eating and talking. "So I still say that the Athenians need a life." Katie argued with Sonomi. "I mean, they just spend all of their time worshipping one goddess. Variety please!"
The rest of breakfast passed by peacefully like this, and the goddesses were almost in jeopardy of being late for morning lessons. Fortunately the peace and quiet was cut short by a massive rumbling noise. Everyone dropped their plates, which disappeared when they hit the floor, and clung to the side of their seats fearfully. Jason fell to the ground yelling "She's gonna blow!!!!!" Soon enough, the volcano that Katie was sitting by gave a massive shudder and erupted. Large amounts of lava spewed from the top as goddesses cowered under chairs and screamed. Katie felt herself being lifted upward as the eruption grew more and more violent. Suddenly, she was thrown through the roof of the complex and sent sailing through the air with a shriek. Luckily the ground came up to greet her in a soft cloudy embrace, which was unfortunately not so soft.
"Ugghhh" groaned the humorous goddess, rubbing her backside. Standing up and dusting herself free of any cloud residue, Katie picked up her skirts and began walking to her first lesson. About five second later she remembered that she didn't need to be bothered by this petty thing known as foot transportation. The goddess snapped her fingers and reached out in front of her. As the air gave a small shimmer, Katie pulled out an umbrella. It was made of the sheerest green silk, covered by a layer of soft glittering fishnet that gave the apparatus the appearance of dew-covered leaves. As she opened it, the umbrella gave a soft jangle, the sapphire raindrops on each prong tinkling softly. Giving a shrill whistle, Katie stood ready to receive the next wind that came her way. Soon a warm eastern breeze flew in and caught up Katie's umbrella, slowly escorting the goddess to her lesson.
Within no time the blonde goddess reached her destination: Dionysus' home. Well, it was more like a garden; The Hanging Garden's of Babylon to be exact. Katie landing softly and proceeded over to the wall of hanging jasmine marked "Enter". Looking around to make sure no one was watching her, she tapped the flowers in the order she had been instructed. The plant curtain gave a little shake and then parted. Katie stepped inside, trying to stifle her small involuntary sigh of bliss. It was always so peaceful here. The sun coated everything in a warm bath of rays, while the wind blew by softly, mixing the sweet scents of the various flowers that grew everywhere. Katie walked along the marble path carefully, avoiding the delicate petals of the plants and the luscious greenery that surrounded her. Every so often she would stop to run her fingers against the velvety green leaves and sniff the heady fragrances of the jeweled flowers that hung along the stone walls. Exotic birds dripping with color glided about gracefully, filling the air with sweet melodies. Katie let herself a smile, feeling all of her stress melt away, like warm chocolate in a mug.
Presently the path widened and met with a large courtyard. A large fountain stood in the center; cascades of deep blue water splashed about it like large sapphires. Sitting under the leafy canopy of a large tree was Katie's mentor, fast asleep. The goddess tiptoed quietly over to the slumbering god, unsure of how to wake him. She didn't have to wonder long however, because suddenly her foot became caught on a loose tile. Stumbling, Katie grabbed at the rim of the fountain, only to have it come loose and topple off the pedestal, spraying water and taking Katie with it. The blonde let out a yelp as she landed on the ground for the second time today. This awoke Dionysus from his slumber, and he jumped up, looking frightened. All was quiet in the garden for a second, with the wine god blinking sleepily and Katie turning a magnificent scarlet red. Fortunately her mentor, knowing Katie gave a soft laugh, strode over and offered her a hand.
"Nice trip, see you next fall."
Katie couldn't help cracking a grin at this: that had been one of her better jokes. Grabbing Dionysus's hand, the goddess hauled herself off the ground. "So what are we doing today?" she asked. Hopefully they would do something fun like yesterday, when Katie caused Epimetheus to dance the tango with his wife, Pandora. She felt that they needed to be more intimate, though her friendly interference caused a catastrophic flood that wiped out almost all of Greece. But all had been restored in an hour, and Katie had fun sculpting little clay animals and watching Dionysus bring them to life. Now because of her, squirrels had been discovered in Greece and resided in treetops. Just the thought of it all made Katie smile wistfully.
Dionysus caught the goddess's grin and shook his head. "Gaea was ticked at you yesterday. I had to sacrifice two herds of cattle and one of Hera's peacocks to appease her. We're doing something less dangerous and more educational today." He said. Katie stifled a moan. Another educational lesson with her mentor: what fun. Sure enough, as tiles began shifting on the courtyard, the goddess could tell that Dionysus had something in mind. She watched as a small platform rose from the ground, surrounded by a small ditch. Confused, Katie turned to her teacher for more details. "Climb up." The god said pleasantly as a set of stairs grew from the side of the platform. Katie obeyed, and then watched the stairs melt away, trapping her up on the rock. Slightly panicked, she listened as her teacher gave instructions.
"Today we'll practice your concentration and accuracy. When I say go, start using your powers. You must stay on the platform and keep your rain cloud within its boundaries as well. The platform will continue to rise and shrink, but you must not fall or let your cloud get out of control. Water that falls into the moat will only cause your platform to shrink and rise faster. Keep dancing until I say stop. OK?"
Katie just stared at him, wondering if he'd lost his mind. "I can't do that." She whispered nervously. Dionysus gave her a small encouraging grin and clapped his hands. Katie opened her mouth to protest again, but it was no use.
"Go!"
Katie bit her lip and nervously struck a pose. As the sky darkened above her, she started dancing. I can do this. She thought stubbornly. Flinging her arms wide, the goddess started dancing as huge raindrops fell from the sky. So far so good, she hadn't spilled any water. Katie allowed herself a small giggle of relief and flung her arms wide as she danced. Suddenly the goddess tripped over her own foot. She managed to stay upright, but rainwater sloshed over the side of the platform and into the moat below. On cue the rock she was standing on shot up and shrank. Katie gave a wail of despair but continued to move her feet in a rhythmic fashion. Her toes were beginning to hurt and her breathing was becoming labored.
Shit, I can't do this
Taking a shaky breath, the goddess closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Ignoring the growing pains in her body, she tried to visualize strings attaching her arms to the cloud above her. Her feet were tied loosely to the platform as well. Willing her racing heart to slow down, Katie slowly opened her eyes again, determined to make this work. As she moved her body faster, the goddess could feel her power growing, but being contained, controlled. She laughed: She could do this! As the platform rose slowly, she quickened her steps, feeling the rhythm of her power pulsating through her blood.
By the time Dionysus told Katie that she could stop dancing, not a single drop more of water had fallen into the moat, Katie was covered in sweat, and the platform was the size of a dime. As the tired goddess melted off the platform in exhaustion, her mentor smiled. "Good job!" he remarked with pride. Katie glowed as she stripped off her dress and wrung it out, watering two small bushes and a flower patch. Praise from Dionysus was pretty easy to come by, but rarely was he so sincere about it. Pulling her dress back on over her head, the goddess straightened her hair and turned to her mentor.
"Can we do something FUN now?"
Dionysus smiled at this and nodded. Katie gave a squeal and clapped her hands. As her umbrella materialized in the air, she waited impatiently for Dionysus to tell her what to do. The god thought for a moment and shrugged. "Whatever." He said. Katie grinned and shot off into the air, looking for some fun. Dionysus followed.
The sun climbed high in the cloudless sky, warming Katie nicely as she drifted along. Below her, small dots moved back and forth frantically. Deciding to test her newly enhanced powers; Katie focused on one small dot. Suddenly a small storm cloud came out of nowhere and planted itself above the helpless individual. The mortal gave a small yelp of surprise as he started dancing around frantically. Soon all of the other little dots had run away from their friend, scared because of his seemingly possessed state. Katie laughed, amazed at her new abilities. Never had she been able to affect someone that far away. Suddenly an idea struck her. Turning to face Mt. Olympus, she pointed a finger and muttered her curse.
"Zeus"
Nothing happened. She was probably out of range. Katie shrugged and hovered for a moment to wait for her mentor. As he came gliding along in his carriage pulled by flying dolphins, the goddess motioned to land. Soon the two immortals were in the middle of a field, surrounded by forest on all sides. Katie looked around content and headed to the woods. "There's bound to be some interesting creatures in here." She said decidedly. Brandishing her umbrella like a machete she ploughed through.
As it turned out, Katie was very right. While some of the more human-like creatures were fleeing the woods as news of an evil immortal arriving hit their ears, most of the other creatures were just going about their daily lives. This provided Katie a perfect opportunity to flex her goddess muscle and have some fun.
Katie's first victims were a troupe of loud drunken centaurs. The creatures were singing merrily when suddenly a hot immortal stepped into their midst, smiling smugly. Of course being centaurs, and drunk, the creatures started making rude gestures and comments; one even made a bold pass at snatching her ass. Katie glared slightly. "I've heard a cold shower helps with soberness." She said dangerously. The centaurs didn't quite pick up on the hint until it was too late. Suddenly, a gushing downpour of icy cold water began falling on the drunken creatures. They gave a yell and tried to run away, only to find that their hooves would not obey them. Katie watched in satisfaction as the frightened centaurs began to dance, all the while shivering and cursing. "Guess it works." She said walking away.
After the centaur incident, which Dionysus approved of whole-heartedly, Katie continued to wreak havoc until lunchtime. Of course, not all of her victims were ungrateful. The goddess managed to help a group of nyads restore their lake and make it bigger too. The water nymphs were so grateful that they gave Katie a fish for a pet, guaranteed not to "drown, suffocate, or jump out of his tank in an act of desperation." The blonde goddess liked this a lot, and promised to visit the nyads whenever she had a chance. But for now, there was more destruction to cause.
By the time Helios arrived at his noonday palace in the sky, Katie had practically flooded the entire forest and caused every creature within it to hate the idea of polka, meringue, and all other dance moves. Katie waved goodbye to all the angry creatures in the forest, especially the little colony of ants she had doing the conga line up and down the trees. Opening her umbrella up, the goddess flew off to get lunch, saying good bye to Dionysus as he grew smaller and smaller. Soon all that Katie could see was blue sky all around. The goddess took a deep whiff of the fresh clear air, but another scent wafted to her nose, causing her to gag. Having damp galoshes on all morning was beginning to seem like a bad idea.
"I need to see someone about these feet." She coughed.
Katie landed in front of Apollo's castle right as Nicole was getting out of her lesson. "Hey Katie!" the brunette said cheerfully, "Whatcha doing here?" Katie grimaced and pointed at her feet, which were beginning to turn her shoes an ugly green. Nicole looked slightly ill and motioned to Apollo's door. "I'll wait for you out here." She said faintly. Katie nodded, understanding, and went to go look for the god of medicine.
A few minutes later, Katie was sitting on a golden stool as Apollo rummaged through some shelves, looking for foot ointment. Finally, after a box and a jar fell on his head, he managed to find something. "Got it!" the god exclaimed triumphantly, seating himself next to Katie. "Now let's see what's going on here." He said, starting to pull of his patient's galoshes. Katie squirmed slightly as the smell got worse.
"You might not want to do that."
But it was too late. The shoe came off, the smell erupted into the air, and Apollo fell over backwards, clutching his throat and his eyeballs. Katie glanced down at her foot and felt her eyes smart slightly as well. "Gross." She commented dully. Indeed, it seemed that her foot had turned an odd yellow color, and was growing little white mushrooms all over it. The purple curly hairs and the extra toe did not add to the sight, but the smell was coming from what looked like a small colony of fleas having a bonfire and smoking the shrooms. Katie gave a disgusted sigh and washed the fleas off of her foot using her powers. Then she grabbed the foot ointment from Apollo's stiff hand and ran out of the room yelling "Thank you!" behind her shoulder.
Once outside, Katie gave an apologetic smile to Nicole as she opened her umbrella. "I think I killed your mentor." She said sadly. Then she took off before Nicole could scream in fury.
It was still quite early in the lunchtime when Katie arrived at the new goddess complex. A few people were there already; Megan was complaining to Jason and Colleen about getting probation for her cloud because she had been chasing cherubs with it, Liz was talking to Lindsay via her rubber ducky staff, and Lauren was shoveling food down her throat. Katie decided to go talk to her fellow blonde goddess, and strike up a deal. Or a threat. The goddess of corny jokes laid out an evil plan in her brain, and strode over to Lauren, replaying it over and over in her mind, waiting for Lauren to read her thoughts. The goddess stopped chewing, spat out her food, and with a fearful glance at Katie, started scribbling frantically on a napkin.
"Ok, so here's the list of your blind dates." Lauren said nervously. "Now you'll promise not to kill Ares with your feet right?" Katie stuffed the list into her pocket with a smirk. Thanking Lauren politely, the goddess strode out of the room and headed for the local pub where she would meet some new guys today. Life was so boring when was an immortal and had no one to talk to.
13131313
"…So then I turn around, and this chick is STILL following me! I mean I know I'm gorgeous, but I'm not for sale!"
Katie forced a smile and mentally smacked her head against the table. How long would Narcissus keep talking about himself?! The goddess took out her list and crossed out another name as she clapped her hands to call for the guards. They escorted Narcissus out of the pub, leaving Katie a few moments to rub her temples in frustration. So far her dates with Hippocrates, Charon and Narcissus had not gone well. At least Hippocrates had been able to heal her feet, but the lunch was proving unsuccessful. Only one more blind date left. Katie fished into her pocket once more to check the name, but didn't need to. Suddenly a large shadow descended upon the goddess's table. Turning around, the blond goddess paled at what she saw.
"Is this seat taken?"
131313
Katie stormed into the new goddess complex, ready to use her umbrella like an axe. The building was deserted, as all the goddesses had decided to go outside and enjoy the warm sunshine in the garden (A/N: It's cold than frick here in Michigan). So Katie stormed out over to the garden. As the immortals were just ending a game of horseshoes that involved real horseshoe crabs, she appeared, still holding her umbrella threateningly.
"LAUREN!!!"
The blonde goddess, sensing that trouble was in the air, quickly made a dash for the nearest tree and scaled up it. Katie let out an exasperated sigh and walked over to her. "Lauren, why?" she asked. There was no answer. "Honestly," the goddess continued, "You set me up with the Minotaur? I know I'm not the goddess of the year or anything, but don't you think I deserve a little class? DON'T YOU?!" she yelled, giving the tree a good shake. A small squeal was heard, but Lauren wasn't coming down. Disgusted, Katie left to go to her lesson.
Katie landed softly next to Hermes's castle, ready for something interesting. Shading her eyes from the blinding glare of all those diamonds, the blonde goddess strode over and let herself in. Hermes was already there, and Katie had to mentally tell herself to stop blushing. He was just so damn cute!
"I heard you caused quite a problem today. Apollo's not out of his coma yet." Hermes said coyly. Katie hung her head slightly, but shrugged with an air of "whatever". Hermes grinned. "I've sent Liz to go work with his mentor for the afternoon, so we have an entire lesson all to ourselves. Ready to go?" Katie smiled and grabbed her umbrella out of the air. Field trip lessons with Hermes were always fun.
Soon the two immortals were speeding along in the warm air, Katie holding her umbrella, and Hermes zipping by in his silver shoes. Presently they came upon the city of Troy itself. Surprisingly enough, there was no battle going on today, or it wasn't happening on Trojan soil. Katie and Hermes landed softly on the roof of Troy's fortress and quickly scaled down to an open window. Someone was singing inside. "That's Cassandra." Whispered Hermes. "She was given a gift of prophecy by Apollo when she was born. The Trojans have been using her to get information about the Greeks. I think it's time we payed her a little visit." Katie nodded and slipped quietly into the room below her.
Sitting in front of a large vanity was a thin, raven-haired girl of about 17 years. She wore a silvery dress embedded intricately with pearls, and upon her head sat a small thin crown of the thinnest silver. Katie gave a small cough and the girl turned. Her icy blue eyes held not a single bit of alarm or surprise. Instead she regarded the goddess with boredom.
"I knew you were coming."
Katie smiled. This Cassandra was good. Dropping down into a curtsy, Katie introduced herself. "I am Katie, goddess of dancing in the rain and corny jokes-" Before she could get any farther however, Cassandra interrupted her in a hollow voice.
"Look out for the rug."
Katie straightened, confused, and immediately snagged her shoe on the edge of the rug beneath her. Letting out a small yell, the goddess fell to the floor in a jumbled heap for the third time today. Cassandra watched on, amused. "Looks like Mt. Olympus is just accepting anyone now." She said rudely. Katie narrowed her eyes and stood up, throwing back her shoulders regally.
"I've come to find out why you are helping the Trojans in this war."
Cassandra's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists. "Why shouldn't I?" she hissed, her monotone voice striking up with anger. "It wasn't the Trojan's fault that Aphrodite gave Helen to Paris. It wasn't the Trojan's fault that Greece launched a thousand ships to get her back. And what's a puny little wanna-be Olympian like you gonna do about anyway?"
Katie stiffened at these accusations. "First," she said through clenched teeth, "Paris stole Helen from Sparta. I've talked to Aphrodite, and she was thinking of someone else for Paris, because in her opinion, Helen isn't all that." Cassandra gasped at this blasphemy but Katie wasn't through. "Second, we all know that the Greeks brought a thousand ships, merely because the Trojans bet them that they didn't even have that many. And third-" the goddess said angrily, "I don't like your attitude."
Cassandra smirked and started to reply. Unfortunately she had angered Katie too much and had paid the price. Suddenly out of now where, Cassandra started spewing out jokes: horrid, corny and just plain bad jokes.
"How did the girl find her lost rabbit? She made sounds like a carrot."
"Where does the colonel keep his armies? Up his sleevies."
What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk."
What do you call 4 bullfighters in quicksand? Cuatro sinko."
The young prophet looked at Katie in horror as Hermes, who had just entered the scene, fell to floor in fits of laughter. Katie just looked on smugly. "I guess I'm not such a wanna-be." She retorted. Cassandra gave her a look of pure horror and ran out of the room. She didn't stop running until she got to the balcony of the Trojan fortress. As she flung her body dangerously close to the side, Cassandra had meant to warn the Trojan soldier about a Greek spy in the castle. Instead, all that came out was screaming gibberish.
"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROJAN WEDDING AND A TROJAN FUNERAL? ONE LESS DRUNK!!!!"
As more odd riddles came streaming out of her mouth, the people of Troy just stared at their princess in confusion and amusement. Cassandra gave a small wail of frustration and ran back into the castle where she fell onto her bed. Katie watched her tear apart small pillows with her teeth for a minute. "You're impossible." She said disdainfully. Gathering up her skirts, the blonde goddess took hold of her umbrella and jumped out the window, followed by Hermes
"Man, that was awesome!" Hermes said as they flew along. "She had no right to insult us like that, and you sure put her in her place." He said chuckling. Katie giggled slightly at his praise and looked down at the sparkling blue water that they were passing over. She waved at a few friendly dolphins that were swimming beneath her. They responded with a few marine quips of their own
"What did the fish say when he hit a wall? Dam"
"Why did the crab get arrested? He was always pinching things."
"What do whales eat for lunch? Peanut butter and jellyfish."
Katie laughed and mentally added these new weapons to her arsenal of bad jokes. Then she turned to Hermes. "What are we doing for the rest of today?" she asked. Hermes furrowed his brow in thought. Then he gave a small smile.
"What say we go down and try to cheer up some souls in Tartarus?"
And so, after a few minutes of wheedling Hades, Katie spent the rest of the afternoon cheering up people like Tantalus, Ixion and Sisyphus with her really bad jokes and dancing in the rain. Of course, poor Tantalus enjoyed the rain most of all, as it gave him a chance to drink. Katie, being the kind soul she was, let him satisfy his thirst, and then went on to the next condemned soul.
Katie had just done a lively comedy routine for the fifty daughters of Danaus, causing them once again to spill their water from laughing so hard, when a gray pigeon came into Tartarus to signal meditation. Actually the bird sort of fell from the sky, coughed twice and lay still, save for the random twitching every-so-often. Katie then said good bye to Hermes and a scowling Hades and started off to meditation. Something caught her eye however as she was leaving. It was a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and a sweet scent seemed to float out from under it. Shrugging, Katie went over and pushed the door ajar slightly, hoping the sweet fragrance would help this dreary place. (Becca…)
Katie had just arrived at Hestia's villa when she heard a rustling in the bushes next to it and some soft giggling. Holding her breath, she tiptoed over and parted the shrub with her umbrella. Then she jumped back with a wail of disgust. Sitting there on the ground was Lauren and Ares. Actually, Lauren was sitting on Ares and the war god had his hand up her dress. Katie rolled her eyes. "Honestly Lauren," she sneered. "Wait until after lessons." Lauren shrugged and after giving her man one last kiss stood up and headed to meditation. Katie's watched her go and then turned to Ares, who was struggling to stand. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked dangerously.
A few second later Katie walked into the villa. Megan, Colleen and Aubrey were already there as well, with Colleen complaining about how her mentor just disappeared as she was learning how to create little "Eep" creatures. Katie smirked. "Ares is outside, dancing in snow." She said. Lauren gave a loud "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!' but at that moment Nicole, Sonomi, Liz, Katie and Jason walked in, so she couldn't go out and save her love.
Soon all the immortals and Hestia were seated in a circle. All that is except one. Lindsay!!!! Everyone screamed. There was a slight mental jolt, as if she had just woken up, and slowly the redhead materialized; looking rather peeved.
"What do you want." She growled. Then "Oh." as realization dawned on her. Lindsay then sat quietly as Hestia began instructions.
"You all have been working as a team for the last few days, and excelling at it. Today you will test your own strength and resilience." The hearth goddess said, clapping her hands. Suddenly darkness enveloped all of the immortals. They each found themselves in a dark room, with only a small candle in front of them for light. Katie studied her candle for a moment; it was blue, covered in small raindrops and little comedy faces. Confused, the blonde goddess sat back and let Hestia explain.
You will each be confronted with your darkest fears based on your powers. You must keep a level head and overcome these fears. If you give into them, your candle goes out. The longer you resist, the stronger the flame will be. Good luck!
As soon as Hestia's voice disappeared, cries of anguish were heard among the goddesses and god. OH MY GOD!!! THE GUYS AREN'T BRANDABLE!!!!! Screamed Megan. Colleen started laughing at her, then started eeping. Wailing, she desperately tried to fend off the hundreds of invisible hands that were attacking her. None of the other goddesses were faring any better.
No…cute…guys… sputtered Lauren.
Katie soon found herself stuck in the middle of a desert, surrounded by a crowd of people. "Hello," she said nervously. Then she cleared her throat.
"A man was draining the old gasoline from his lawn mower. A dog came along and started
lapping it up. The dog ran down the street and fell over............ The dog ran out of gas!!!!"
Silence followed her joke. Then slowly, the crowd started booing. "You suck!!!!!" they screamed. Katie cringed and cowered under their wrath. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out her candle, growing dimmer and dimmer. As she struggled to stand, the sun seemed to grow hotter and hotter. "If only there was a cloud or something" she croaked to herself. But the air was bone-dry and dusty; no moisture could be found anywhere.
A few more minutes passed, and Katie somehow managed to hold back the crowd of nasty people. But she was getting weary, and she could feel herself getting dehydrated. Suddenly an idea struck the suffering goddess. Scanning her bleak horizon, Katie's gaze fell on a lone cactus a few feet away from her. The goddess hobbled over to it and using her umbrella, cut a gash in it. Instantly water came flowing out of the side. Katie laughed and began forming rain clouds galore. Soon all of the people in the crowd were dancing as water began to fall, turning the desert into a field of grass and flowers. The crowd's defenses were down as well, so Katie was able to subdue them into a giggling stupor as she charmed them with her corny jokes.
"How do you get Holy water? You boil the Hell out of it."
"What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work? A stick."
"What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck."
As the crowd of booers collapsed into fits of laughter, Hestia's voice could be heard. Good work! she called encouragingly. Katie smiled and continued on her verbal conquest. Next to her the candle burned brightly.
All too soon meditation was over. Everyone had managed to keep their candles lit. "I had to resort to the old-fashioned method." Said Megan chuckling, "but it was twice as fun." Everyone began discussing their dark fears, with the exception of Lindsay, who had disappeared. But they all suspected it would have something to do with people or Demeter.
Soon Helios came gliding across the sky in a brilliant purple and orange tunic that lit up the sky in a glorious sunset. Jason said good-bye to them all and went off to his volcano. Katie smiled sadly as she watched Nicole, Colleen, and Lauren take a walk blissfully with their crushes. Oh well, Hermes wasn't ever going to acknowledge her anyway. Then Megan came out of the new goddess complex carrying chocolate and ambrosia. "The Amazons make awesome food." She said. So the single goddesses all sat under the stars peacefully, eating delicious Amazonian chocolate and talking to the constellations.
Katie had just finished singing a song with Orion, and judging from the way the other goddesses were clutching their ears, she had better go in. Waving goodnight to her duet partner, the blonde goddess staggered to bed.
Once cozy in her soft aquamarine bed, Katie blew a goodnight kiss to her new fish. Then she turned over and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of many things.
And now we say goodbye to the new goddess complex for a while, to visit Jason, substitute god of fire and smithery. Expect the usual here; Ares and Lauren PDAing, and Megan branding guys, and all that good stuff. And I will credit the website where I got a lot of those jokes from later.