Accidental Beauty

Chapter Nineteen

♡ C a t ♡

I was asleep, that fact was certain, however, I was still awake. I was standing in the middle of a green pasture with the sun sparkling down on my shoulders. The air smelt of honeysuckles. A slight breeze cooled the temperature to one of pure comfort.

To my right was my sister. She was staring straight ahead, dazed. I suppose I looked the same. I had no clue where I was, yet I somehow didn't mind. All was peaceful and well.

A woman bathed in a silver essence approached. As her bare feet pressed into the grass, flowers sprung up in full bloom. Her curled, blonde hair blew behind her shoulders. She was wearing a pure white dress that complimented her blue eyes. Her skin was slightly sun kissed, her cheekbones prominent.

Immediately, I knew. Aphrodite.

My mother.

Her previously blonde hair flickered to brown then scarlet. Her facial structure did the same, although no matter what face she wore, she was certainly beautiful. I felt hatred uncoil within me. How could my father be so absentminded to fall for the goddess of love?

"My children." Aphrodite breathed, coming to a stop a few feet in front of Kate and I. The pasture had morphed into a meadow, flowers continuing to fan out around Aphrodite.

Her voice was silky, clearly meant to manipulate. I tightly clenched my fists, knowing she used the same tone on my father. I don't suppose all this resentment just took up residence in my gut. Its always been there, brewing. Just the sight of seeing my mother caused it to foam over the edge.

"We aren't your children." Kate spat.

Aphrodite only smiled, revealing two rows of perfect teeth, "But you are, no matter how unfortunate the timing was. Unfortunate it is, indeed, the fate my daughters are cursed to receive. Tragic, even." Her beam didn't falter, yet I saw her now green eyes soften. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks. After a few seconds, they disappeared.

"What?" I shortly asked. Aphrodite shifted her gaze to me. I suddenly felt conscious of my messy braid and complexion as she gave me a thorough once over, her eyes judging me inside and out.

"There are dangers ahead," she continued, completely ignoring my question, "especially in the Underworld. What you do there will set off a chain of events, all detrimental to the peace of Olympus. One of you will lead to the inevitable fall of the gods. The other will either rise to the occasion or aid in the destruction your sister will induce. I mustn't manipulate fate's course, but I can warn you. There are powers, not all evil, working against you."

"Why are you telling us about this?" Kate demanded.

Our mother has been an unanswered question in our lives for the past sixteen years. No one could fill the position only a mother could uphold, not even Kate and I's father. He tried so hard to perform all the maternal tasks that needed to be done; braiding hair, making lunches, buying clothes, dealing with boy dilemmas, friend drama, the works. However, his efforts were futile, because his presence just wasn't the same.

Kate and I were branded as the freaks who weren't good enough to make their mother stay. Everyone constantly threw us looks of sympathy. When even the word 'mom' was mentioned in a class discussion, everyone would turn to gauge our reactions and remain like that for an agonizingly silent few seconds. No one voiced our situation, but the apologetic stares told what they wanted to say.

We would arrive home from school to fend for ourselves. Dinners consisted of anything microwaveable and was eaten on the floor in front of an ancient television whose projection of color was seemingly broken, the program's picture either too dark or too bright and always staticky.