AN: OH MY GAWSH! I'm so so so so so so SO sorry I haven't updated in forever! I've been really busy with other stories, and school, and people drama, and dealing with Writer's Block, and musical rehearsals, and a bunch of other stuff that's really boring and time-consuming. ANYWAYS, I have today and tomorrow off from school, so I am DETERMINED to get at least three new chapters written and published for this story to make up for the time you've all spent waiting. One down, two to go! Thank you all SO SO SO SO much for the encouraging reviews! Read on!

Chapter 2

"Is this how you felt when I came here?" I called out from the closet, where I was currently in the process of tying the impossible web of sashes that held my maid uniform together.

"If you're feeling anxious, hopeful, and exhausted, then yes." Came the reply. A minute later, Ella appeared in my doorway. She gave my person an appraising glance before her eyes honed in on my sashes. Immediately she moved to fix them, her mechanical arm swatting my hands away as she began to work on the knot I had made.

"I was thinking more along the lines of how ridiculous I look in this outfit." I said, flinching slightly when she pulled a little too tight on one of the ties.

"Ridiculous?" She scoffed. "Bah! I love this fashion, and so should you. It's elegant, refined…"

"Which is why you should be wearing it." I said. "Are you sure you can't help out with this?"

"I'm sorry, Kate. I have to attend to my other responsibilities." As the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, Ella was one of the more popular gods among mortals. That popularity also meant more work, as she was often called upon for aide and guidance. "Plus, what mortal would have an arm like this?" She said, brandishing her metal limb in front of my face as if to emphasize her point.

Ella's arm had been lost during one of the many battles the Council fought against Cronus. After the war, Nicholas, God of Metal Smithing and Forging, had fashioned for her an arm out of magically enhanced metal. The arm was made in such a way that it connected with the rest of Ella's body, responding to her movements and neural impulses just like a real arm would. The result: A prosthetic arm that didn't act prosthetic at all. Anyone who saw it would instantly realize that the mechanics behind it were far beyond the capability of mortals.

"Shoot," I grumbled. "You're right. But Ella," I whined, "If you aren't going to be helping out with this, why do I have to wear this deathtrap?"

"Because I said so, that's why." She replied with a huff. "It doesn't matter if I'm helping out or not; I'm clearly the expert around here when it comes to fashion-"

"You mean torture," I interjected. That earned me an extra tight lace around my ribcage.

Ella smirked as I gasped for air. "I'm sorry, Kate, did you say something? I didn't quite catch that." She continued tying the sashes until the entire uniform was tighter than a vice. "There." She said triumphantly.

I took a shallow breath and turned to face her. "You are truly evil, Ella." I said.

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the closet. She gestured to the chair in front of my vanity, and I hesitantly crossed the room and took a seat. Instantly she began running a brush through the dark mess that was my hair. I winced as the brush tore roughly through my messy locks, and nearly cried when she began pinning it up. The pull on my hair seemed even tighter than that of the sashes of my uniform.

Ella swatted my shoulder. "Stop being such a child. I'm almost done." She slid the final pin into place and stepped back to admire her work. "There. Now you look like a respectable attendant."

I nodded and gave her a shaky smile as I tried to get comfortable in the constricting attire. "How am I supposed to do all of this tomorrow?" I asked her, smiling at the realization that she wouldn't be here to force me into the suffocation suit again.

Ella merely gave me a frightening smile. "Oh, don't worry about that. Just because I can't help out with the test doesn't mean that I can't take twenty minutes out of my day to come and help you get dressed."

I gave a defeated sigh and nodded. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" I asked half-heartedly.

"Nope," Ella said with a delightedly evil chuckle. "Now, I have to go soon. I'll be back here tomorrow at about seven o' clock to help you get ready."

"Seven o' clock? As in seven o' clock in the morning? That's way too early!" I protested.

"Hey, welcome to the life of a maid. I had to do this every morning for you when you were being tested," Ella said with a shrug. "You get used to it after awhile. See you tomorrow, bright and early." And with that, she turned and strode out of the room.

I turned to the mirror and gave myself a final appearance check. Not a hair out of place. Not a wrinkle or stain anywhere on my uniform. My shoes were polished and new, and my stockings were run-free.

Ella may have had the most twisted and ruthless sense of fashion, but dang, could she make it look good.

"Kate." I turned to see Henry in the doorway. "You look wonderful." He said, crossing the room to stand by me.

I rolled my eyes and laughed, which was quite a feat considering the restrictions of the uniform's tight laces. "Oh yes, I hear the 'suffocation' look is all the rage these days." I said. At Henry's raised eyebrow, I explained. "Ella seems to be determined to strangle me with these laces."

"I see. Well," he said, moving behind me, "I don't see why you should have to suffer unnecessarily." With that, he pulled the ribbon of the main sash, loosening the ties on the entire uniform.

"That's much better." I said, taking in a grateful gulp of air. "But if Ella finds out…"

"Finds out what? I know nothing." Henry said. His face remained passive, but in his eyes I could see a devious twinkle that said it all: I won't tell if you won't.

"Ahh… I get it." I said, giving him a wink and a kiss. "You're amazing, did you know that? You're always coming to my rescue when I need you the most."

Henry gave a small smile at that and laced his fingers through mine. "I always will," he promised.

Suddenly, a single chime rang through the castle, signaling that someone was coming in the front gates of the manor.

"That'll be Eros." I told Henry. He nodded and we made our way to the front of the manor, stopping at the portal to the Underworld.

Henry and I had agreed that Henry would attend to our duties in the Underworld while the test was being conducted. After the absence of a ruler during my own test and the Council's war against Cronus, it didn't feel right to leave our realm ruler-less again.

"I will check on you every day," Henry promised.

"I don't doubt that." I said. "I'll be waiting." Henry moved to embrace me, and I leaned into his arms. I looked up into his swirling silver eyes. "I love you, Henry. See you soon." I said.

"I love you, Kate." Henry said. And, with a kiss, he was gone.

I tried not to dwell on Henry's absence too much. I decided to focus my thoughts on the test. Steeling myself for what was to come, I moved to the front doors and opened them just as Eros pulled up in his car.

I saw Eros step out and cross over to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door and held out his hand to the person inside. I watched as he helped the individual out of the vehicle, and led her up to the front door.

"Kate," Eros said with a nod to me, then a gesture to the woman beside him, "I would like you to meet Marcella."

AN: AHHH! Don't kill me! I know it's a short chapter, but it didn't feel right to keep going from here. The next chapter will hopefully be written and posted by later today. Please R&R! If you should find any spelling, grammar, or typing mistakes, I will love you forever if you point them out to me! Also, should you find any OOCness, please please PLEASE let me know! I don't want to be one of "Those Authors" (*Shudder*) who think they can go all OOC and their readers will be okay with it. I don't like OOCness. In the next chapter, we'll FINALLY meet the new girl! Who is she? What's she like? How will Kate conduct the tests? Will other Gods and Goddesses help Kate out in her testing? Why am I asking so many questions? Find out next time in The Goddess Search. Stay tuned!