Indigo Eyes

Chapter 55

When he saw her, his jaw dropped.

He forgot his name, who he was and how to function properly - something that had happened before whenever Cressida made a flirty comment or kissed his cheek, frankly it happened the first time she happened to smile at him- it was not a feeling he was unfamiliar with.

She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was the most beautiful he'd ever seen: perfect makeup, dazzling eyes, a smile that would've lit up the dark side of the moon.

But her image seemed to keep changing. For a second he thought it was an actress he had a crush on in fifth grade, and then he thought...it jarred him, when the woman's eyes turned purple and her hair black and she looked like Cressida before it changed again as fast as it appeared.

"Ah, there you are, Percy," the goddess said. "I am Aphrodite."

Percy made an unintelligible sound that made him sound like a Neanderthal.

She smiled. "Aren't you sweet. Hold this, please."

She handed him a polished mirror the size of a dinner plate and had him hold it up for her. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick, though nothing appeared wrong with it. "Do you know why you're here?" she asked, and Percy pinched his arm, hard.

"I... I don't know," he managed.

"Oh, dear," Aphrodite said. "Still in denial?"

Outside the car, Ares laughed. Percy had a feeling that he could hear every word he said and the idea of that and of him being outside, alone with Cressida made Percy rather angry which was good because it helped clear his head. He glanced at the window, unable to see Ares from where he was probably leaning on the limo, but he could see Cressida. She'd taken his advice and put in her earphones, but just one, keeping the other out in order to be vigilant. She seemed angry, her eyes darker than normal, but that was probably a given seeing as she was with Ares. But with her long hair blowing in the wind, she looked as if she was back on Circe's island...in fact, she looked even more beautiful than she had back then because this time, she looked more like herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said quickly, returning his eyes to the goddess.

"Well then, why are you on this quest?"

"Artemis has been captured!"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. Please. Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bor-ring!"

"But she was chasing a monster," he protested. "A really, really bad monster. We have to find it!"

"Always some monster. But, my dear Percy, that is why the others are on this quest. I'm more interested in you," Aphrodite said as she made him lift the mirror a little higher so she could dab at her mascara.

"Annabeth is in trouble," Percy said.

"Closer, but no," Aphrodite replied, still staring into the mirror.

"But she's in trouble! I've been having these dreams! And Cressida's lines of the prophecy-"

"Exactly!" Aphrodite beamed and Percy was even more confused than before as she gestured for him to keep going.

"She's going to get hurt and I won't let her and -"

"Oh, what a gentleman. That's so cute!" she swooned and Percy grew even more nervous as his heart began to pound.

"No! I mean... that's not what I meant."

She made a tsk tsk sound. "Percy, I'm on your side. I'm the reason you're here, after all."