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Ch. 17 - How To Be A Goddess

    I was walking on starlight, my eboney hair adorned with silver novas, my dress was the very one Aphrodite had sent me off with. As I wandered among the stars, I looked down to see my feet were bare and below me - a great, wide ocean spread out to catch me if I fell.

    "So," A sweet voice murmured around in my mind, causing me to glance up and gaze upon the woman standing boldly in front of me, fiery red hair splayed around her in velvet waves. "This, this is what you dream about."

    Her hazel-green eyes crinkled around the edges, her hands shook a little and she sat down on a throne of marble that had propped out of the sky. Elegantly, she crossed her ankles and gave me a smirk. "Aphrodite?"

    Her eyes flashed from my mother's hazel green to Percy's sea green as she sighed and let out a low chuckle. "I was incognito - I thought I was doing rather well, too." Waving her palm up into the air, a marble pillar rose up across from her and she motioned towards it. "Sit down, Oliviae. We need to talk."

    "My mother was never one for fancy dresses." I motioned towards her golden dress that pronounced all of Aphrodite's features. Pushing my hair behind my shoulder, I gently placed myself down onto the chair she had provided. "Not to be rude, or anything, but why have you called me here?"

    Aphrodite sighed and rested her head atop her dainty hands. "I've come to teach you how to be a goddess."

    Raising a brow, I cocked my head to the side and gave her a questioning glance. "Why?" 

    Aphrodite chuckled, obviously a little annoyed by my relentless questions, but she answered none-the-less. "Because you seem to be uneducated in everything you have acquired in your new form, plus Hera demanded I show you what you will be losing if you decide to chose love over life."

    "I don't really think that is necessary." I chewed the inside of my lip, then intertwined my fingers together nervously. "How have I been doing?" I paused, then corrected myself. "I-I mean, I haven't angered Zeus in any way - right?" 

    Aphrodite chuckled a little and shook her head at me. "Sweetheart, do you see him throwing a fit? I don't think so." She waved her hands and pulled a small frown onto her pretty face. "You see - Hera and I have the situation concerning you covered. You may not be aware of this, but I am the oldest Olympian..." She paused, seemingly considering something. "Well - if you count Hestia - but no one really does." 

    I didn't know this, so it came as a small shock - yet it made sense to me; Zeus would only agree to keep me alive if a powerful person was backing me. "Alright, so that makes sense. But.. about the whole 'goddess' thing, should it really matter?"

    As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt as if I needed to wake up - or something to escape the wrath of an angered Aphrodite. Her face darkened a little and her eyes gleamed madly. "Yes. It is very important - these may be the difference between life and death!" She hissed, making me recoil slightly.

    The sea below me churned uneasily - as if angered by the rough was Aphrodite was talking to me. It gave me a small sense of reassurance, but I straightened myself out and gave her a relaxed smile. "Right, M'lady, I forget the importance of the godly affairs." 

    For a moment, I was right beck where I had started. I was once more one of their pawns. Over the small amount of time I had been away from the Olympians' influence, I had regained small bits of myself back - but if they kept visiting me, I feared all of my humanity would be stripped away for good.

     Aphrodite sighed and pushed some red hair behind her ear with a soft smile. "As a god, you have already learned about your quick healing - it is enhanced do to your genetics. Apollo is you Father so you have the gift of healing." She nodded then her full lips turned down for a moment. "As for your...Grandfather, Ares, you can manipulate light and flames. It's not very powerful for you, but it has been been enhanced due to your transformation."

      "Like at the bonfire."

      "Indeed, so you must keep your temper under control." She dropped her eyes. "Please understand, you are much powerful now - the powers of a goddess vary greatly from the powers of a demi-god, even a dodransgod like you."

      The night sky was beginning to grow slightly lighter, hinting that the dawn was quickly approaching. "Another thing," Aphrodite smiled softly. "That's a ghastly coat." Waving a hand towards me, the wind-breaker Percy had let me borrow suddenly hung over my shoulders. 

      Blushing a little, I brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, finger brushing against a nova in the process. "Percy lent it to me, it was a spoil of war."

      "Why? That is his spoil, Oliviae. You do not need the protection it grants. See that you return it back to Perseus Jackson." 

      Cocking a confused glance, I trailed my hands down the side of the tan leather. "I don't have any spare clothes. The Nemeon Lion had shredded my shirt."

      Aphrodite chuckled and stepped up from the marble throne she had been sitting upon. Walking towards me on the stars, her appearance changed from one similar to my mother, to one similar to a strawberry blonde with a skin tight leather jacket and dark wash skinny jeans. "It's as easy for you to summon clothes as it is for me to change myself."

      Pausing, I thought this through. "So, because I am a goddess, I can change my appearance?" 

      Chuckling, Aphrodite nodded. "Now - I'm not quite sure about the full appearance, but you will be able to get some suitable clothes. Changing your entire being, however, is more advanced. You need to remember what is truly important. The mission."

    The golden light of morning begun to fill my dream, and, the more the sky lightened, the less I could see the stars. "How do I do it?" I reached out, stepping from my chair as I saw Aphrodite begin to fade from my sight.

    Aphrodite smiled a cherry lipped grin, twirling a strand of blonde hair between her fingers. "It's all in your mind. Just will it to be, and it shall, sweetheart."

    Then, she disappeared in a bright beam of sunlight. The bright, morning light was just dawning over the sea. And, as the last night star blinked out, I lost my footing and plummeted down, down, down, into the awaiting waves below.

    "Olive, you alright?" Percy's calm eyes were the first thing I viewed as I jolted out of the confusing dream.

    Spreading a small smile onto my face, I pushed some loose hair behind my ear and sat up in the car, cracking my sore joints in the process. "Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

    Percy opened the car door and stepped out, I followed in a small haze - Aphrodite's words still lingering in my mind. "The train's stopped, it's time to un-board." Percy nodded as Thalia gave us a small side look of disdain. 

Gathering everyone up, and waking the uncompliant Grover, we hopped off the freight car and into a snow blasted town with a large sign that read, "Welcome to Cloudcroft, New Mexico." I read out loud, the question clear to everyone. "That was quick."

    "Well, I guess we are going to have to make our way from here, huh?" Bianca sighed a little, and took a small gaze around at where we were. "Where are we?"

    Percy frowned and rubbed his exposed arms, I was still wearing the coat he had lent me. "I think this is a ski lodge." I nodded in agreement; the air was thin and cold even though the morning was a bright, sunny one. Shedding the Nemeon coat, I handed it back to Percy, shivering as I was exposed to the cold air.

    "Olive?" Thalia rose a brow, not sure about what I was going - neither was Percy, but he gingerly took the coat into his arms anyway.

    Slipping my eyes shut, I thought about Aphrodite's words and imagined new clothes for me to wear, a long sleeved thermos and leather jacket with jeans and hiking boots. Slowly, the cold was blocked away from my exposed skin, and as I cracked open an eye, I grinned down at the new outfit that was nonchalantly hanging on my frame. 

    "Nice." Thalia nodded in approval, motioning towards the leather jacket and hiking boots with a smirk. "Good to know that you can produce clothes." She chuckled, making me guess about whether she was being sarcastic or not.

    Shrugging around in the tight-fitting leather jacket, I frowned a little and nodded towards the snow covered town. "Let's get a look around; see if there's any way out of here?" There was an unanimous agreement amongst the group and we trekked towards the village center. 

    The town was fairly small, but it had the bare necessities like a school, a grocery store, and ski rental shops. However, there didn't seem to be a transportation station. 

    "Great, just fantastic." Thalia moaned, rubbing her hands up and down the sides of her arms to keep warm. "No bus, no train. Not even a taxi." 

    Grover glanced around as a large grin broke out onto his face. "There's a coffee shop!"

    "Yes," Zoë spoke up, surprising me a small amount. "Coffee is good." Grover nodded happily and rambled on about good things, like pasties and wax paper, making a mini smile spread over my lips. 

    Thalia rolled her eyes, making me wonder if she was always this grumpy or if our talk last night had caused it. "Fine - you two go get the food and some coffee. Percy, Bianca, Olivia, and I will check the grocery store. Maybe they can point us in the right direction." Thalia nodded towards the three of us and began walking in the direction of the store.

    Furrowing a brow, I gave them an apologetic smile and motioned over to Grover and Zoë. "Actually, if it's alright with you lot... I think I'll help out Zoë and Grover. So, it'll be equal groups in case anything happens."

    "You sure?" Percy double-checked with me, while backwards walking over to the grocery store. 

    Chuckling, I waved him off. "Totally. Should I get you a hot chocolate?" I guessed, remembering slightly how Percy didn't like coffee. He nodded with a smile, and Bianca asked for one as well.

    Zoë stepped forward and gave everyone a serious look. "Let's all meet right here in... Fifteen minutes. Okay?" She was staring directly into Thalia's eyes, showing how little she trusted the resolve of Thalia. 

    "Fine." Thalia spat, then stalked away, not sparing a second glance in our direction what-so-ever. 

    Splitting up, I sifted through my jean pockets, finding that they were hiding a wad of cash. Curiously, I pulled the money out and stared at in shock while Grover just gaped at it in awe. "Woah!" He scoffed. "W-Where'd you get that?"

    "I-I don't know, it was just in my pockets." I chuckled ecstatically, counting up the money with a small feeling of delight. Zoë watched me in amusement and some-what motherly admiration.

    "Thou hasn't been a goddess for long, have thou?" She asked politely, grabbing six styrofoam cups from a box and putting them under a dispenser, keeping a curious eye onto me.

    Shaking my head, I put the cash back into my pocket. "You know why it's there? The money?" I prodded, grabbing tops for the drinks and a couple straws while Grover grabbed at least ten packs of powdered doughnuts. 

    "Well, you are a goddess. And Earthly money is free gain for them to acquire. As for drachmas, though. That's Hades's domain." Grover piped up, adding a pack of fruit snacks into his pile. He'd acquired a large mound of snacks and it made me slightly question whether he was planning on eating that himself, or sharing.

    I helped Zoë carry the filled cups to the store clerk's counter to ring everything up; Grover had to be drug away from the candy isle to pay for the snacks. Quickly paying the man, I grabbed the duffel bag Zoë had been carrying around and motioned for Grover to toss the snacks in. Knowing him, they would all be devoured with in the minute.

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Hey! So so sorry this is so short! (And a filler) I was going to put more, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any more D: 

Thank you all for being so supportive of me! In the mean time (while waiting for a new chapter) How about you check out a short story I made? It's called ' 12:59 ' and it will mess with your head a little? I wrote it at 2 am, so don't judge me Dx

I'll have the next update out soon, promise! xxJess