CHAPTER EIGHT
As she sauntered to the food table, I kept one eye on my plate and one eye on her. Had I another eye, it should’ve been on Metis to make sure she didn’t catch my one bad eye.
After filling a plate with various seafood offerings, the girl approached us. She pulled a chair from nearby and sat directly at the head of our table. Everyone stopped eating mid-chew.
Hera stared icy daggers down the length of the table. Her berry-shaded lips pursed. “Who’s this?”
Shade chuckled. “Retract your claws this instant, young lady.”
The new girl stared down the length of the table at Hera. “I’m Aphrodite.” She smirked. “Likewise.”
Hera’s neck wiggled. Her face wrinkled. “Come again? What does likewise mean?”
“Technically, it means in a similar manner—”
“I know the meaning of the word. Duh,” Hera snapped. “I want to know why you said it.”
“Say what you mean, darlin’. It’s better for everyone.” Aphrodite sat back down. “I said likewise to absolve you of having to say, nice to meet you. Which, it obviously is. I just saved you the trip.”
Hera rose to her feet. “Someone hold my earrings …”
“Oooh, bruise easily?” Aphrodite dunked her bread into a small bowl of olive oil.
Shade stood quickly to move in front of Hera. He must’ve rethought that tactic as he returned to his seat. As he sat though, Shade’s gaze lingered just a moment too long on Aphrodite.
Poseidon and Amphitrite entered the room, making a shark’s line over to the food table. They piled their plates high and joined Metis and me at our table. Aphrodite glanced upward and smiled.
“Careful, girl,” Hera said in a measured tone. “I can read your thoughts.”
“Really?” Aphrodite shot back in a sing-songy tone. She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “All right. I’ll bite. What am I thinking right now?”
Hera gazed at the girl with curly puffs atop her head. “Are you sure you want me to betray your secrets?” After several moments of inactivity, Hera said, “Fine. You’re wondering what’s under Don’s tunic.”
Don nearly choked on his fig. “Wait … what? How did I get into this?” His cheeks displayed a warmer shade of red than normal.
Amphitrite’s head whipped toward Aphrodite so fast, the air displacement could’ve blown us out of our chairs.
Shade leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands together. “This is getting good.”
“Shut up, Shade,” Hera said.
Don and Phi moved to sit several seats down from Aphrodite, next to Shade, Tia, and Metis, who were fully enjoying the spectacle. Suddenly, Don turned his back to Phi and asked Aphrodite, “Can I get you more nectar?” He shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs … or undue influence.
Aphrodite leveled a heavy-lidded gaze at Don, her smile sure. “No. I’m fine. But thank you for asking.”
Phi elbowed Don in the ribs, hard enough to leave a mark, and then glared at the new girl. Well, newer, girl. She then turned back to Don, folded her arms, and cocked her head to the side.
A few long moments passed before Aphrodite returned her attention to Hera. “That’s a cute trick, reading people’s minds … Hera, is it?”
Hera nodded while chewing. “I told you. Don’t test me.”
A wry smile played at Aphrodite’s full lips. “If you’re so talented, tell me what I’m thinking now.”
Hera gazed down the length of the table. A rare shade of crimson invaded Hera’s cheeks.
“No way,” Tia said. “You made Hera blush? I like you already.”
Meter stood. “Like it or not, we’re all family here—”
“She’s not.” Hera pointed to Aphrodite. “By the way, Dite, can you turn off … this … this thing you do?” Hera’s hand twirled in a circle.
“What?” Aphrodite’s grayish blue eyes twinkled. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Seriously.” Hera moistened her lips and fingered the wooden bangles around her wrist. “Just make it stop. Pour some water on it, ok?”
Aphrodite laughed, almost seductively. “I promise … you can’t handle me in a wet tunic.”
“See, this is why I typically eat alone.” Hera left a half-eaten plate of food and swept toward the doorway of the Andron. “New girl, you’re overcompensating for something. And I’m gonna find out what it is.”
Aphrodite quipped, “Perhaps we could say the same for you.”
Tia walked over to Aphrodite. “Aphro … hmmm, I like that. Do you like that shortened version? Can I call you Aphro?”
Aphrodite nodded. “If you like. You can call me anything you wish. Aphro. Alpha.”
“That’s my name,” Hera said with finality as she reached the doorway to the Andron. “I’m the alpha.”
“Now there’s two, darlin’,” Aphro said.
“Good,” Tia said. “Aphro, don’t mind Hera. She was dropped on her head from the tallest mountain on Samos. Where’d you come from again?”
“Kithira,” she said between chews.
“Wait … Phi and I both went to Kithira.” Metis beamed. “I don’t remember you.” Metis turned to Amphitrite. “You remember her?”
Phi scowled and shook her head.
Aphro drank a bit of nectar and then responded. “I mostly kept to myself.”
“I bet you did. By the way,” Phi said, gesturing to Aphro’s gauzy chiton dress the color of seafoam. “You need to get in dress code.”
“You’re here from Othrys, aren’t you, Amphi?” Aphro asked.
“Yeah, so? And my shortened name is Phi. Just Phi, thank you.”
“Well,” Aphro began. “I read a file on each of you before the trip up here.”
Don stopped chewing. “You on some kind of espionage mission or something?”
The smile that reached Aphro’s greenish-bluish-gray eyes could’ve made a stone blush.
Ananke, our silver-haired guidance counselor, breezed into the room with an armful of rolled scrolls. She placed them on the table next to Rhea and then ambled to the food table. After filling a terra-cotta plate with food, she exited the room.
Once Rhea had cleaned her plate, she stood and clapped twice. “Pupils, when you’re finished eating …” She narrowed her eyes to slits. “Which should be quite sooner rather than not, I will see you in the headmistress’s quarters.” She chugged the remaining nectar in her goblet, clapped Pontus on the back and then exited the room.
Glances shot back and forth across our table. Then without a word, everyone dug into the remainder of their meals with renewed fervor. We all knew better than to keep Headmistress waiting. We might have survived Campe and Kronos last term … but we weren’t crazy.