νεκρός || Annabeth Chase x Fem!OC

Vol. 2-18: Aphrodite triggers my PTSD

TEMPEST

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When I saw her, my jaw dropped.

I forgot my name. I forgot where I was. I forgot how to speak in complete sentences.

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

If I'd been alive, my heart would be rushing, I'd be struggling to breathe, my face would be on fire, and I'd be trembling [shut up, Annabeth, you don't get it]. She had tan skin like she'd spent a long time in the sun, and freckles splashed her face. Her curly blonde hair gleamed and flowed like the morning sun on water, reminding me so much of my old home in the mornings, and I noticed her body was athletic, like she could easily kill me, and she was tall, too, though a little shorter than me. It was hard to tell, since she was sitting down, but I suspected she was somewhere around Annabeth's height. The most startling thing about her were her eyes.

Grey. Exactly like Anne's.

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

I sat in the seat across from her, struggling to move. My long legs nearly touched her, and I felt like it'd be bad if that happened; like she'd find me tainted. I said, "Uh- gah, um..."

I had this sudden feeling of inferiority, but not because of my personality like it usually was. I felt ugly, I realized. I was too tall, too bony, I didn't have the right features. My nose wasn't cute and didn't curve in. My eyes were unusual and not big and round like everyone wanted. My skin was too pale, my hair was a mess, I didn't carry myself with grace and elegance and beauty. The list seemed endless, and just ran on and on in my head as I stared at Living Beauty.

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

She handed me a polished mirror the size of a dinner plate and had me hold it up for her. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick, though I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

"Do you know why you're here?" she asked.

I wanted to respond. Why couldn't I form a complete sentence? She was only a woman. A seriously beautiful woman. With eyes like an evening storm coming in...

I forced myself to focus. "I... I don't know."

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

Outside the car, I could hear Ares chuckling. I had a feeling he could hear every word we said. But that didn't bother me as much as the part about denial.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I choked out, panicked thoughts clouding my mind.

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

Don't satisfy her. "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. Bo-ring!" She flicked her hand and smirked at me. "And besides, darling, we both know you don't really care about saving Artemis."