Daylight || Harry Potter

Chapter Thirty-Six

another meme by rat. i promise this will make sense later on in this chapter lmao

The plane ride was tense. We tried to discuss strategy on the way to California, but it was hard because we were emotionally and physically exhausted. The pilot, who was one of Aphrodite's demigod children that owed a favor to her mother, assured us we'd be safe if we all slept. Oakley immediately leaned his seat back as far as it could go and passed out. Luke followed shortly. I couldn't sleep, my mind racing about Aphrodite's final words to me before Luke dragged me away.

"Hear me now, Aisling McKeon: by the end of this quest, you will know nothing but despair. You will be blinded by the very act you set out to do, your companions will be turned against you, and when you cry out wondering what you've done to deserve such a fate, you will remember your foolish arrogance and disrespect!"

"I'm stupid," I mumbled. Why did I think Aphrodite would listen, much less feel bad for me and apologize? She enjoyed others' pain and suffering. In the stories, she was more ruthless than her lover, Ares. She punished Hippolytus because he worshipped Artemis and didn't want to fall in love with anyone. She hounded Psyche because mortals started worship her for her beauty (despite her never asking for it) instead of Aphrodite and sent Eros to make her fall in love with a monster. Aphrodite wasn't a patron of lovey-dovey girly girls who only cared about makeup and boys. She was a prideful, vengeful goddess who demanded respect and worship and punished people who rejected the idea of love.

So now what? Now that Oakley and Luke were supposed to turn against me, like Aphrodite had said, what was I supposed to do? Give up and go back to camp? What was the point of me being here anymore?

I sighed, raking a hand through my hair, and winced at how greasy it felt. I decided I'd worry about the quest later and focus on freshening up now. I headed to the bathroom at the rear of the plane and discovered a shower and bathtub.

"Oh," I muttered, pleasantly surprised. I didn't even know planes could have showers.

I figured I probably wouldn't have time to wash my clothes, so I hung them on the shower curtain rod to let them soak in the steam before getting in. I tried to be quick since there was probably limited water, but after days on the road, it felt nice to stand in the nice, warm shower and let all the dirt, sweat, and dead skin cells wash away. When I stepped out of the shower, I took my time drying off, putting on lotion that smelled like berries and vanilla, and meticulously braiding my hair so that my bangs, which had grown out quite a bit, were no longer in my face. Then, feeling refreshed, I decided it was time to return to my depressing imminent future.

I opened the door and immediately faceplanted into another vision.

"Damn it, that's way too much rouge. Now I look like a clown."

"Cynthia, don't be ridiculous. You always look like a clown."

"Oh, can it, Randall."

My mother was in someone's bedroom, putting on make up and chatting with two people, probably siblings, based on their similar appearances. They both had dark eyes, sharp features, and curved noses, but the sister had dark brown hair and the brother had lighter, strawberry-blonde hair. They both spoke with American accents, making my mother's British one seem out of place.

"You're making Aileen nervous," the brother, Randall, said.

"I'm not nervous," My mom said. "Okay, maybe a bit, but I'm mostly excited. I've never been to a disco before. Mother always said disco music is obnoxious, repetitive garbage." She put on a sophisticated air, mimicking Grandma'am for that last part.