Raised from the Depths: The Apple of Their Eyes [A Percy Jackson FanFiction]

Twenty-one: Mythology; The class that'll save your life

I stood in front of the giant pile of grains and beans, my hands shaking with fear and anticipation. I took a tentative step forward, then another, trying to relay the myth of Psyche in my head. I placed my fingers on my temples, racking my mind for the answers.

I sat in class, looking up at the Smart Board, watching it with a bored expression, though that was just my normal face. I was actually quite curious to see what we were learning, given mythology was my guilty pleasure.

Mrs. Mazaris stood in front of the class, an enthusiastic smile on her face. "Hello, my darling students. And Nick." She added, causing the majority of the class to laugh, and me to flash a smile. "Today, we'll be learning about the greatest love story of all time. Older than Romeo and Juliet, the original unapproving parent of all romances." She explained. "Open the book to page 56, the nature myth of Eros and Psyche."

After a quick 15 minutes, I put down the book, realizing I was a little ahead of the rest of the class. Fortunately, it only took around 5 minutes for the majority of the class to finish. "Okay, do we have any questions about the myth before I pass out the questions sheets?" Mrs. Mazaris questioned, her eyes scanning the class room, though she stopped before she reached my desk.

"Um, yeah, the entire story." Nick said from the front of the class room. I rolled my eyes.

Mrs. Marazis raised a brow, but nodded. "Okay, well, in long story short, Princess Psyche angered Aphrodite, since people often said Psyche was more beautiful than the goddess. Aphrodite sent Eros to poison Psyche's soul so no man would ever love her. But while sneaking up to Psyche, he cut himself with a love arrow while tripping, and fell in love with the princess. Angry at her son, Aphrodite cursed Psyche so that no man wanted to go near her. Psyche's parents became alarmed at the lack of bachelors, and went to the Oracle. The Oracle told them a higher being wanted to Psyche as his bride, and so they left Psyche on a mountain side. She was wed to a invisible deity, and Psyche had no idea what he looked like. She didn't care until her sisters came to visit and peaked her curiosity and fear. She snuck a peak at him at night, and discovered he was a god. In her shock, she spilled the hot lamp oil, waking Eros. He became angry and left Psyche alone.

"Psyche searched everywhere for Eros, searching for his forgiveness. She prayed to Aphrodite, and the love goddess, humored by the prayer, put Psyche through a series of impossible tests. She passed all of them, and Eros forgave her, marrying her and granting her immortality." Mrs. Mazaris finished, satisfied with the explanation.

"Well, wait, what where the tests?" Nick asked, his thick brows furrowed.

Mrs. Mazaris sighed. "First, Psyche had to sort a huge pile of grains and beans by sunset. To finish it, some ants helped her, and she finished early, winning Eros's favor."

I gasped. That was the answer; ants! I never thought I'd be so desperate for the little insects. I fell to my knees, feeling the ground. I swallowed nervously, scared that because we were in the air, there wouldn't be any ants in the ground. I took a deep breath, my stomach tying in knots. How could I summon ants? The myth never said how Psyche did it, so I'd have to wing it. But, I remembered the way I tamed Onyx, and if I could repeat that, I could succeed in time to make it to the next task.

I let the breath rush out of my lungs, digging my hands in the dirt. I put out a silent plea, a call for help, for anyone, when I stopped. This was ridiculous; I was probably the most desperate demigod that has ever existed. I was trying to talk to ants, for gods sake. I felt my heart break. It was over, it was finished before it even started. I stifled a sob, sitting up and covering my face with my hands. It was over, I was finished, and so was Mico.

As I cried, I felt my knees and legs begin to crawl, little movements brushing up against the fabric, moving it against my skin. I uncovered my face in confusion, and almost screamed in both fear and relief. Swarming in front of me, and partly on me, was what looked like an entire colony of huge, black, carpenter ants. I laughed, setting my hand down and picking up a hand full of the scrambling creatures. I could feel their every emotion; franticness, nervousness, the need to gather, survive, and serve. The word 'more' kept ringing in my ears like an echo, and I had to shake my head to rid myself of it.

"Hey, hey, settle down, ouch! Hey, missy, no biting!" I scolded, glaring at the ants. "Listen, I have a bargain for you. You see all that grain and beans there? If you all help me sort this food into separate piles, when we're done, you can have every last bit of it." I explained, and the hoard of ants seemed to roar in response. I giggled, my heart fluttering in excitement. "I'll take that as a yes." I cheered, standing.

I faced the pile of food once more, but this time, instead a nervous stature, my fists we're clenched, my back straight and erect, determination flowing through my veins.

"Let's do this."