Our… 'first date'…. started off quite well, if I do say so myself. We talked about Greek mythology, which he seemed eager to do so. It felt nice to finally be able to share my interest with someone who understood and knew just as much. In fact, not once did Aiden look or sounded bored of the subject. I could tell that he really wanted to talk about it more and keep the conversation going.

We discussed about the Greek heroes, mused about how a golden apple and a girl known as Helen of Troy could lead to a ten-year war, shared our mutual hatred for modern interpretations of Greek mythology, and even discussed more about the Greek gods. Most especially about Hades and Persephone and the Underworld.

"How do you think the Underworld was like?" I asked him curiously as I played with the straw of my second cup of ice-blended passion fruit juice. "A lot of people think it's just like Hell."

He sipped his third cup of espresso before he replied, "I don't think so. Only Tartarus would be like Hell. Elysian Fields; obviously like Heaven. And Asphodel Plains; maybe like Limbo?"

"Okay… but what about Hades' palace? Do you think it's all 'doom and gloom'? Or…" I trailed off.

"Hades wasn't only the God of the Dead, Spring. He was also the God of Riches," he pointed out to me. "Maybe his palace had everything a palace should have; gold, jewels, exquisite furniture, etc, etc…"

I nodded my head thoughtfully and drank my juice once more. I thought of something else to say. He seemed to always be waiting for me to ask him a question. And amazingly, he would always provide a good answer.

"Have you heard of Minthe, Adonis and Leuce?"

I see him purse his lips as he drummed his fingers softly on the table. "Yes."

"What did you think about them?"

Aiden moved his eyes to look out the window as he asked me, "What did you think about them?"

I tap my finger against my bottom lip as I thought of the words that I could use to answer him.

"Well… when I read about Minthe… I don't know why, but I always feel kind of pissed. It's as though I was in Persephone's shoes, and know exactly how she felt. I always get angry just at the mention of that… stupid nymph. I think I would have done the same too if I had powers and a husband who attempted to cheat on me with someone that's of a lower position. Maybe I would do worse."

He seemed to be soaking in whatever I told him. "And what about Leuce?"

"I don't know what to think about her," she shrugged. "I don't know if Hades did anything with her. Or if she did anything with him. I don't know."

And then, I cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. Why did he seem so anxious when he asked me about Hades' (might be) lovers?

"What do you think of Adonis?" I asked him in return. If he quizzed me about my views on Hades' (might be) lovers, so might as well I quiz him on Persephone's (might be) lover.

"I don't believe it," he simply said. "I don't believe it one single bit. And also, I want to say something about Minthe and Leuce. What if, it was Minthe who was the one who tried to seduce Hades? And what if Hades had known Leuce long before he met Persephone, but he didn't actually do anything other than be friends with her?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as I studied his expression. He seemed… a little jumpy. And a tiny bit defensive. As though he was being wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit, and he was trying hard to plead his innocence.

And I was intrigued by his personal belief about Minthe and Leuce. He must have spent a lot of time thinking about the subject. He must be more devoted to it than I give credit for.

"What makes you say that?" I asked him quizzically.

I figured he probably realized how he had acted, because he immediately pulled back and straightened up in his seat, clearing his throat and tugging the collar of his dark green polo shirt, which, I had to confess, really showed off how lean and muscular his torso was. I tried hard to avert my eyes and my attentions from it.

"No reason," he muttered, staring at his black coffee. "Just voicing my own personal beliefs." And then, he looked up at me and smiled. "You know, it's really nice talking to someone who shares my interest. It's as if I found someone who talks the same language as me while being surrounded by people who talk in some sort of alien tongue."

I giggled and nodded my head. "I can agree with you on that. I didn't think I would ever find another person who would actually be interested in Greek myth. What's got you so hooked up on it?"

"I have a lot of free time," he answered nonchalantly. "And you?"

I smiled to myself as I remembered the very first minute I started to fall in love with Greek myth.

"It's a pretty unexpected habit. One day, about two years ago, I was cleaning out my attic. I picked up an old box and then, a book fell out. I didn't think about it so much at first, but I thought it could be one of my mother's books on gardening. So I blew off the dust on the cover and looked at it. The title was 'Homeric Hymns to the Greek Gods'. And thus, came the beginning of my unhealthy obsession of everything Greek."

He chuckled slightly. "It's not unhealthy if you gain knowledge from it. Didn't your mother ever tell you that the more you read, the more you learn? Who knows, you could go to college and major in classical Greek, and you would ace every class."

I snorted. "I would if I had enough cash. If you must know, I'm kind of poor."

He frowned and then muttered, "Who knows? It could happen one day."

Then he looked at me again and, with a small smile, he said, "It's been a nice two hours of chatting."

Immediately, my heart stopped.

TWO HOURS?

Mom's going to kill me! And to add fuel to the fire, it was nearly the shop's closing time!

I jumped out of my seat in a panic, grabbing my bag with me. He jumped at my abruptness and eyed me shockingly.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know two hours already went by. I have to go back to the flower shop now," I babbled, checking through my bag and the table to see if I was missing anything.

"Can I at least…" he hesitated, and then asked, "Have your number?"

I suddenly stopped rushing like a maniac and looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "What?" I asked, not sure whether I heard it right.

He smirked, and said, "I asked if I can have your number. And if I can ask you out on a date for Saturday."

I think I'm going mad now. Other than the fact that he asked me for my number, did he really just ask me out on a date?

"Please?" he asked me, looking at me very hopefully.

I felt a smile broke out on my face as I answered, "Sure."

We then exchanged our phones – coincidentally, both of us had BlackBerries, though his was the latest model – and I keyed in my number to his while he keyed in his to mine. When we returned each other's phones, I asked him, "So where do we go on Saturday?"

"I'll text you on the day itself," he explained. "But right now, you better get back to the flower shop."

I suddenly remembered and immediately dashed to the door, but not before looking behind at him. He was smiling and waving goodbye, and I returned the gesture.

When I stepped outside the cafe and immediately rushed back to the flower shop (I was praying with all my heart that mom hadn't left yet), I looked at the number on my phone screen and smiled. I saved it under the name 'Aiden'. Amazingly, it would be the first name on my contact list.

I was practically running back to the flower shop, and when I saw it, I saw the 'We're Open!' sign still hanging on the glass of the door, and I sighed in relief.

But my relief suddenly became to guilt when I stepped through the doors.

My mother sat behind the counter, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she frowns at me angrily.

"Care to explain?" she asked, her voice steel-edged.

I gulped and muttered meekly, "I bumped into a friend and we decided to chat. I lost track of time."

She raised an eyebrow dangerously. "'Lost track of time' doesn't even describe the absurdity of your tardiness."

I sighed, "Mom, I…"

"No, no, no. It's alright. You're off the hook for now. Just don't do it again," she said in a disapproving sighed before getting off her stool and moving to the back room. I stood there, confused. I had expected her to scold me, but I didn't expect her to simply state her disapproval and let me off the hook.

When she emerged, her handbag was slung on her shoulder. She shut and locked the door of the back room, saying, "Let's go home now. We're having braised chicken for dinner."

I flipped the sign on the door to 'We're Closed' before I followed her outside the shop and waited until she had locked the door before we moved off. It was still quiet between us.

"Mom, I'm sorry I'm late," I murmured.

She sighed again and gave me a one-armed hug. "You're a grown woman now, Spring. You don't expect me to keep on scolding you, do you?" she asked with a smirk.

I smiled and returned the hug. Suddenly, I said, "Mom? About this friend… I kind of planned to go out with… her. On Saturday. Is it alright?"

There was absolutely no way would I ever tell her the actual truth.

Her olive green eyes assessed my face for a few seconds before she said, "Alright. Just as long as you call me when you're done."

I nodded, and secretly sighed in relief and beamed in joy.

Author's Note:

Okay, this was kind of like another filler chapter. But I promise that tomorrow would change.

As of now, I'm kind of worried 'cause holidays are nearly over here in Singapore and I have to go back to school on Monday. That means that it could cause a problem to my daily duty of writing a new chapter. I hope I can make it alive...

Muse of Fanfiction