Chapter 22 - Royal Blush
Uncle Joe had decided it was for the best to close the Kitchen for the next week due to 'ongoing repairs'. In all honesty, the repairs had turned into replacements, and while uncle Joe hadn't mentioned the cost, I could tell by the smug look on Ugliano's face that the repairman had gotten the better deal - especially since he'd taken the old, broken appliances as part of a price reduction deal on the used ones he'd foisted on us. We probably could have opened up business the next day, but 'Smelly' Gabe Ugliano's stench had lingered long after he had left. Even Ari had had trouble clearing the malaria as she'd called it. Not wanting to risk a health inspector call on top of everything else, uncle Joe had decided to let the place air out and take the time as a way to recover from jet lag.
"So, how was your sister?" I asked, trying not to choke on the diffusing smell of sweaty eggs wafting from downstairs. "Was everything okay?"
"Sì, sì," uncle Joe nodded. "She was just fine. Her granddaughter... fell unexpectedly pregnant."
"How do you fall pregnant unexpectedly? I'd think you'd know." I asked, frowning as he started laughing. "What?"
"Nothing, nipote," he said, waving a hand and coughing slightly. Guess he got a taste of the bad air with that laugh. "Given that I have some experience in these matters, Rosa asked that I check in to make sure everything was okay. My grandniece is doing just fine, and will most likely give birth to a very large baby given the size of her. She looks like she swallowed a small moon!"
He held his hands out wide for emphasis, and I wrinkled my nose, "That's bigger than I am now!" I tried to imagine myself huge with a baby and quickly shook my head to clear the mental image. Nope, no way. Never gonna happen.
Uncle Joe laughed again, then started up another coughing fit as a stray breeze wafted the aroma of sun-baked dumpster curry through the window. How did that man's stench continue to get worse even in his absence!?
"I think maybe we should go for a walk," he said, once he'd caught his breath. "Get some real fresh air. Maybe Jersey Shore would smell better, hey?"
Getting to Central Park with uncle Joe and Ari had taken nearly three times longer than if I had gone by myself, but I didn't mind. The air was cool and, while nowhere as clean as the mountain air, cleaner smelling at least than the Funk of Ugliano. In any case, I really was grateful to Brit for showing me how to transform the saffron colored chiton into a winter parka like the hunters wore, and more than a little put off with Zoë for never mentioning it had multiple forms. Though, I suppose a parka and no pants would have been quite the fashion statement.
Ari had enjoyed breezing around passersby on the street, delighting in knocking off hats or loose scarves along the way. Of course, we could have taken a cab, but that might have taken even longer and I really didn't want to be cramped up in a car. Even with the windows rolled down, I'd probably turn the backseat into an oven.
At the park, we walked around the trails, catching up on what the other had been doing. I told them all about my encounter with the werewolf necromancer, and uncle Joe pressed me for every detail no matter how small. In return, he told me more about his family. Apparently in addition to a sister, he also had a brother who hadn't married and several cuginos and nipotes. They were a large family, but they also cared for each other greatly - something that was apparently uncommon for most demigods, but less uncommon for children of Aphrodite. I guess the goddess of love would have no problems picking out suitors from such backgrounds.
After nearly an hour on the trails, we decided to stop at one of the playgrounds to rest. The weather looked close to breaking over us, so I decided to stick under a large tree just in case while Ari and uncle Joe went to grab some hot dogs from one of the carts. I stretched out, content to be home again, and felt my eyes getting heavy. The moment they closed, I found myself falling into a deep, dark pit filled with the most evil laughter I'd ever heard outside of a Disney movie. Heart racing, my eyes flew open as I jolted upright. I cried out, more in surprise than pain as I found my head bouncing backward off someone that had been standing just over me.
Blinking rapidly against the sting in my head, I looked up to see what must have been a goddess in disguise standing over me. She looked to be my age with pale skin, long, very curly dark hair and the most striking purple eyes. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the chill in the air and she was looking at me with naked concern. Her lips moved, and sound came out, but I missed what she'd said.
"Huh?" I asked, willing myself not to blink.
"I said 'Are you okay?'," she repeated, slowly. Her voice was like a song that I wanted to listen to on repeat.
"Yeah, I'm gay," I replied before my brain could catch up. She raised an eyebrow, maybe unsure if she'd heard me correctly. I blushed and tried to course correct; "I mean good. Okay. Yes, fine, thanks!"
"You're weird," she said, her lips quirking with slight amusement. I wondered what her laughter sounded like. My eyes watered from the sting of not blinking. They closed. They opened. She was still there.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name's Andromeda," she said.
"Like the Princ-mmph?" I was startled when she suddenly interrupted my question by slapping her hand over my mouth. Her skin was so soft!
"I am not a Princess," she hissed, her violet eyes suddenly hard, like chipped amethyst, boring into my own. "I am not a damsel in distress that needs to be rescued by some boy, either!"
She waited until I nodded before she let go and moved back.
"Are you a goddess?" I asked, shooting a glance around to make sure none of the passing mortals were paying attention. They weren't.
"What?" Andromeda asked, genuinely surprised by the question. "No, of course not! I'm a demigod."
"Oh, yeah? Me too." I grinned.
"I've never seen you at the camp," she said.
"Camp?" It took me a minute, then it clicked. "Oh! You mean the camp in Long Island? Yeah, I don't go there. You do?"
"Mostly just during the Summer," Andromeda nodded, her curly hair bouncing with the motion. I felt a sudden urge to touch it, but restrained myself. Barely. "Do you know who your...?"
"Who my what?"
"Do you know your godly parent?" She asked.
"Oh," I said, frowning slightly. "No, not yet. The other girls and I had a few conversations about who it might not be, though."
"The other girls... In the hunt?" Andromeda asked.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Mostly we just figured that it's not Apollo or Heca-mmph!"
Her hand clamped over my mouth for the second time, "Be careful with those names. The gods might not always be paying attention, but that is an almost guaranteed way to get it," she pulled back again. "Sometimes not having it is for the best."
"What about you?" I asked.
"What about me, what?"
"You go to the camp," I said. "Do you know who your godly parent is?"
"No," she said, frowning. Her eyes darkening as if a cloud had passed in front of the sun, before she suddenly smiled. "But, that might change in a couple days!"
"Oh? That's great!" I said, smiling. "What's happening in a couple days?"
"You really don't know? The Winter Solstice meeting on Olympus?"
"Oh, right. I heard something about that happening," I said. "What about it?"
"Well, each Winter Solstice, the gods have their meeting. Chiron, the activity director at camp, has arranged for us to go up there this year."
"You're going?" I asked. "To Olympus. Like... Mount Olympus?"
"Olympus, yes. Mount Olympus? No." I must have looked particularly confused, because she giggled. The sound was as magical as I had imagined. "Mount Olympus is in Greece. It used to be where the gods lived, but they moved - following the heart of Western civilization. Currently, that's here in America."
"So, Olympus is...?"
"Currently floating seven thousand three hundred and fifty feet above our heads," she said, grinning. "Give or take."
I looked up. The sky overhead was thick with dark clouds. If there really was a flying mountain up there, I couldn't see it.
"Right," I said, slowly. "So why is this meeting such a big deal?"
"It's going to be a chance to be in the same room as the gods, and maybe give them a reminder that we exist. A lot of us are hoping to get officially claimed."
Just then, a commotion broke out in the playground. My time with the hunt had helped hone my instincts, and with a single fluid movement I was on my feet with my knife drawn and scanning for the danger. My jaw dropped as I saw a girl with similarly dark and curly hair like Andromeda, only much shorter, do a standing flip like Xena, warrior princess right over the head and shoulders of a boy that was trying to hit her. As the girl landed, she turned and quickly struck out with a punch to the back of her would-be attacker's head. He dropped to the ground like a bag of sand.
"Wow," I said.
"Andros!" Andromeda shouted, and the girl turned to face us. No, not a girl. Without sparing a glance back at me, Andromeda stormed off toward who I could only assume was her twin brother, berating him about fighting with mortals.
"Huh," I said, tilting my head to one side as I watched her run off.
Figuring since she wasn't an actual goddess, and it was probably safe, I activated my Sight. The colors of the world faded away leaving Andromeda and the now-named Andros in stark contrast to their grayscale surroundings. Andromeda stood almost completely black as pitch with glitters of gold like stars in the void. Looking closer, I noticed threads of purple light glowing faintly winding around her body like a walking nervous system. Andros was the same, except his purple threads were woven with a pale white that seemed to diffuse the light.
"Whatchya lookin' at?" I jumped.
Ari and uncle Joe had come back carrying a couple of park hot dogs, complete with 'the works'. My stomach growled and I blushed. Uncle Joe handed me my dog, his eyes following my gaze and he let out a soft chuckle. I pointedly looked away, taking a bite of my food and trying not to blush harder. It wasn't my fault. Why did other girls have to be so pretty? It wasn't fair!