Talking To The Moon Book 1

4

"Thank you, Luminita," I smiled as the maid bowed to us. "We'll be sure to have a maid clean up when we leave."

"Enjoy your meeting," Luminita smiled before leaving us.

Alcina smirked and lifted her glass to her lips. "Where are you from?"

"Greece."

"I thought so," Alcina chuckled. "You have that Mediterranean look."

I hummed and rested my elbow on the table, resting my chin in my palm. "Do I? So I look good?"

"That's an understatement."

I laughed. "You mentioned wanting kids at the lake. How long have you wanted that?"

Alcina sighed after sipping her wine, a sad smile resting on her face. "Most of my life. Such a shame that I can't have kids."

"...Why not?"

"...It's a long story."

I nodded, gently taking her hand with mine. "I understand. We don't have to talk about it, especially right now."

"Tell me about yourself," Alcina whispered, holding my hand. "About your past."

"...I...Are you into older women?"

Alcina raised an eyebrow, disbelief in her eyes. "How old are you? You look to be in your mid-twenties."

"Well, I'm not human."

She pulled her hand away as if I had burned her, making me immediately look down. "Excuse me?!"

I shifted and cleared my throat. "I figured that if we were going to have an actual date, then I should tell you the truth from the start."

"...What are you?"

"A forest goddess," I sighed. "I was a nature spirit. Pan is a satyr; I was a dryad-"

"Were you two...?"

"Fates, no!" I laughed. "He's more like a nephew! Pan's the god of nature. You could say that he took over my job, and I became a forest goddess specifically. I'm glad he took over, otherwise I'd be too busy trying to save nature to have met you."

"I had sex with a goddess," Alcina scoffed in shock, her eyes trailing over my body. "...Why me?"

"I'm into women?"

"You know what I mean! Why a human instead of a goddess?"

"You sparked something in me," I shrugged, leaning back to start eating, smirking at her as I lifted a fork full of food to my lips. "Something I haven't felt in a long time. I want to hold onto that for as long as I can."

A blush spread across Alcina's cheeks, painting them a nice shade of pink as she giggled and started eating. "What a flirt."

"It's true!" I laughed after swallowing my first bite. "...You're not scared?"

"No," Alcina hummed after finishing her first bite. "When you first said you weren't human, I thought you meant something else, but a goddess is fine."

"What would be a dealbreaker?"

"Something where you aren't humanoid," Alcina shrugged. "I like the way you look, so maybe I'm a bit biased."

I giggled and shook my head at her. "Might I ask why you wanted to skinny dip with me?"

"You're an attractive woman," Alcina stated matter-of-factly. "Why wouldn't I want to see you naked?"

"Fair enough," I laughed. "You know, I could invest in your band."

"...You don't have to do that."

"What if I want to? Do you like your manager?"

Alcina's eyes widened when she realized I was serious, a faint smile spreading across her face. "I don't date my managers, so you don't want that position."

"You're saying this could progress into something more if I play my cards correctly?"

"Maybe," Alcina smirked, taking another bite of her food.

'What an odd human,' I smiled at the noblewoman. 'Especially for a noblewoman.'

"What?"

"Nothing," I chuckled, focusing on my food. "You're just so free for a noblewoman."

"I won't be able to for much longer," Alcina sighed. "Once I take over the family business, I have to give up my musical career..."

"...Do you want to hear about the human aliases some of us gods have? And what our 'jobs' in Greece are?"

"Absolutely," Alcina giggled, getting over her sour mood immediately.

21:00 (9:00 pm)

"My Lady!?" A nervous squeak left Vanda as she rushed into the Opera Hall. "Your parents headed home early! They'll be here any minute!"

"You have to go," Alcina rushed, standing from her seat and taking her plate. "I'll..."

"We can head to the dining hall," I suggested, standing and picking up my plate. "Everyone believes I'm an investor, so I'll play the role. Our date will have to be postponed."

Vanda nodded with a smile. "How about on my next day off? You can have your date at my place! I'll make the meal and everything."

"Thank you, Vanda," Alcina sighed, leading me to the door before muttering to me. "I wanted to talk about the note you left me..."

"Just do it," I giggled. "It's the easiest way to contact me without Zeus finding out. I don't want too many gods to know about you, especially so early."

"...So, wait, Persephone is...?"

"Yup!" I laughed as we entered the dining hall. "The real one!"

"Wow," Alcina breathed in shock as she took her seat. "So talking to the moon will make sure you hear me?"

"Mhm! Artemis or Selene writes down what's said and gives it to me in the morning if I don't join them."

"How often do you join them?"

"It might be more often now," I shrugged, giggling with Alcina.

"Ah, I see you've already started dinner with your investor!" A woman's voice chimed as the door opened, making me thankful we weren't still giggling when it opened.

"She doesn't look very rich," A man gruffed, earning a light smack from the woman.

"Be nice!"

"I was never one for fancy dressing," I admitted before sipping my wine. "My Father's a politician in our homeland. My Mother's a veterinarian."

"Oh!" The man grinned and took his seat at the head of the table. "My apologies! What do you do other than invest in musicians?"

"I'm an artist, and I rescue animals," I smiled. "Politics was never for me, and my Father understood that. He helps me rescue animals while my Mother treats them. We have a sanctuary. I have a cousin who helps as well."

After the dinner ended, I said goodbye to Alcina and her family, making sure my eyes didn't linger on the green-eyed woman. 'It was fun until her family showed up.' Once I was far enough from the castle, I called out to Persephone, grinning when she held up a journal.

"I copied everything about Mother Miranda in the castle into this journal," Persephone smiled as I created a portal back to Olympus. "Who were the people with Alcina that walked you out?"

"Her parents," I sighed. "So our date was cut off."

"...Does she know how to speak to you?"

"Yeah, I left a note after we had sex," I snorted as we walked onto Olympus. "I just hope she does it."