Venus Planet of Love

I Have an Unfortunate Interaction With a Daughter of Aphrodite

The evening was enveloped in a tranquil stillness as Amara found herself drawn to the mesmerizing presence of Silena Beauregard. With her long hair cascading like a waterfall of silk and her dark eyes shimmering like the depths of the night sky, Silena possessed a beauty that surpassed mortal comprehension. Yet, Amara couldn't help but be wary of her, for she knew all too well the vanity and self-obsession that often accompanied the children of Aphrodite.

   From her vantage point across the crackling campfire, Amara observed Silena, her knees drawn up to her chest, as she gazed into the flickering flames. The air was tinged with the scent of pine, adding a touch of earthy freshness to the ambiance. Silena seemed lost in her own thoughts, oblivious to Amara's watchful eyes. Amara had wondering why she was so deep in thought. Probably thinking of herself. She mused with a scoff, her own cynicism a shield against vulnerability.

   The sudden disturbance of noise made Silena look up. A hint of annoyance crossed Silena's soft features, and she spoke with a tinge of irritation, "I hadn't realized that you've been staring at me this whole time." Amara, ever defiant, lied, "I wasn't staring at you." Silena's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger as she stood up, her voice laced with tension, "Well, what have you been doing this whole time then?"

   Caught off guard by Silena's unexpected confrontation, Amara's defiance escalated, "It's none of your business. Why don't you just get over yourself?" A fleeting look of shock flashed across Silena's face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Goodnight, Amara," Silena muttered, her retreat accompanied by a trail of muttered profanities. Amara remained at the campfire, puzzled, as she watched the daughter of Aphrodite fade into the darkness.

Deciding to brush off the tense interaction, Amara made her way towards the Psyche cabin. While it may not boast the grandeur of Zeus' cabin or the size of the Hermes cabin, the Psyche cabin exuded a unique beauty all its own. Its interior was adorned in shades of deep blue, complemented by silver accents that lined the walls. Undoubtedly, it stood as one of the most visually pleasing cabins at camp, second only to the Aphrodite cabin.

   Walking past four occupied bunk beds, Amara couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at the counselors who had their own rooms. However, having her own bed within the cabin was a solace that she cherished.

   With a careful and silent approach, Amara settled into her bed, mindful not to disturb her brothers or sisters. As she closed her eyes, one singular thought lingered in her mind,

   Silena Beauregard.

              ___________________

   Waking to the sounds of her siblings getting themselves ready for another day at camp, pampering themselves and gossiping about the Hermes head counselor. Silena closed her eyes again, dreading the day. Today was the day that the majority of the summer campers arrived, soon the Aphrodite cabin would be filled with the addition of her other siblings.

   It wasn't like she disliked having more of her siblings around, there were just so many. Aphrodite being the ever fertile goddess.

   “Silena, are you awake?” Her younger brother said in a quite tone, at least he thought he was being quite. Silena peeked one eye open, “Nope.” She lied with a small smile forming on her face.

   Her brother, Aaron, a small boy with blonde hair, huffed in annoyance. “Come on Silena, you know that our siblings are arriving today.” Silena sighed in defeat. “Okay okay, I'm getting up.” Aaron looked at her suspiciously, “You better not lay back down once I leave.” Silenas smile grew, “I get it Aaron, now go get breakfast, you wouldn't want to miss breakfast now would you?” And with that he was gone.

   The Aphrodite cabin was just as you'd expect, from it's rosey pink walls and gold-lined headboards, to the chattering teenagers, Silena had learned to tune out the hormonal fueled conversations, the gossip, all of it. It wasn't as if she disliked the lively-hood of her siblings, she had just simply grown out of it being one of the older Aphrodite kids. Most didn't make it past the age of fourteen.

   She got ready mindlessly, putting on her pink variation of the Camp-Half Blood shirt, she refused to wear that god awful orange color, she accompanied it with a pair of light blue denim shorts and her white pair of converse, not forgetting to put on her favorite pair of pearly-white earrings that she saved for special occasions.

   She made her way down to the dining area, taking the same path as she did every other day, greeting the same Apollo kids, sitting at the same spot, eating the same meal, making the same offerings to her mother. Over her ten years of living at camp, she had developed a routine, one that all the other kids knew not to interfere with. “Hey! Get off of me man!” All except a certain Psyche kid.

   Everyone turned their heads to the interruption, Silena followed suite, acting as if she didn't know who exactly the annoyance was. And of course, Amara Stirling was standing there, with an expression that rivaled a child of Ares, perhaps that was due to the fact that the boy she had previously yelled at was an Ares kid.

   “Oh my Gods, I didn't even touch you!” Both now had matching expressions, bodies tense. “Micheal I swear on the River of Styx, next time you do something like that again, I will remove your soul from your body.” The kids at the Psyche table all giggled at the threat, they all knew that Amara couldn't take a soul from ones body without permission from Psyche herself, but Micheal didn't need to know that.

   Micheal was around Amara and I’s age, with his tan skin and striking green eyes, he was easily one of the most attractive half-bloods at camp, often getting compared to the older Aphrodite boys, much to their dislike.

   “Okay, settle down children,” Chiron was standing there, out of his wheel chair. “But sir,” Amara began. “That will be enough.” Chiron quickly interrupted, Amara was ever defiant but she knew better than to go against the camp director.

“As you all know, the summer campers will be arriving shortly, to celebrate their arrival, we will be upholding the tradition of capture the flag,” The dining all was now filled with applaud, the Ares kids whistling through their fingers. “quite down now children, as always, the Ares and Athena cabins will be leading the opposing teams, now remember no maiming or killing.”

  Soon the chatter died down as the dining hall started to empty out. Just as I was about to leave for my archery lessons, Chiron called out my name. “Silena, Amara, follow me please.” Amara and I both looked at each other, then back at Chiron, confused. “Don't worry my children, neither of you are in any trouble, I simply wish to speak with you.” That eased my nerves, presumably Amaras as well, seeing as her shoulders loosened. We trailed after Chiron as he made his way to the Main House.

   The Main House was this huge white building with twelve banners hanging near the entrance, each representing a different Olympian God. “Sit,” Chiron gesture to the earl grey loveseat across the coffee table from his matching chair. “I brought you two here today to talk about an important matter.” The nervousness began to settle back into the pit of my stomach.

   “Lady Aphrodite has sent out a quest."