It seemed like my prayer would be answered sooner rather than later.
As Artemis and I had done earlier, Hera and Aphrodite made a big deal about wheeling me through Olympus rather than teleporting us to Aphrodite's palace. I knew something was up as the goddesses continued their idle chit-chat. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd seen them talk this long before threatening to rip out each other's throats.
Gods help us if they had a scheme in mind.
My heart crawled into my throat as Apollo's palace came into view.
We came to a halt in the courtyard. The air smelled of hyacinths and dandelions. The sunset framed Apollo's home of polished white marble in a golden, buttery light. The sky looked like something out of an artist's dreams – brilliant strokes of pinks, oranges, and purples – a true testament to the Hesperides' talent.
"Why are we here?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Hush a moment," Hera said. She scanned our surroundings, waiting for something to leap from the shadows. "This can't be right."
"I don't sense anything," Aphrodite added. She, too, glanced around. "Maybe we should've roped Hephaestus into this. After everything Andy did for his son, he owes her a great debt."
I picked at the edges of Hestia's shawl. Despite my efforts, it seems like some things haven't changed. The gods tended to forget that doing good and being kind could be done free of charge. Hephaestus owed me nothing for how I tried to protect Leo or the friendships I'd made with his other children.
"If you're looking for traps," I said, interrupting the goddesses, "there's a trip wire between those two statues right ahead. There are also a few pressure plates under the pavers by the fountain. As for magical traps?" I shrugged. "Can't use my powers at the moment, so I'll leave that to you."
"Conniving, son of a..." Hera exhaled sharply. "Your talents never cease to amaze, Andy."
"Hey, once you've spent enough time around Hephaestus and his children, you pick up a thing or two about traps." I zeroed in on the black semicircles embedded above the door and the corners of the roof. "Smile, guys. We're on camera."
"Not for much longer," Aphrodite crooned. "Though it's such a shame that whoever's watching has to miss out on all this." She gestured to herself and the pink chiffon dress that hugged her curves and flared out at the hips in a traditional trumpet silhouette. Her hair and makeup were perfect, like always. She winked at the cameras and gave them a flirtatious wave.
She then produced a handful of pink blush from God knows where and blew it in the direction of the palace. The camera's circuits fried the moment the powder landed on them, lighting up with tiny blue arcs.
Note to self: makeup can be deadly.
After some well-placed teleportation and the weakening of certain wards, we made it inside.
My stomach churned the moment we materialized. I could feel the migraine forming behind my temples, the dull ache rapidly intensifying. Spots danced in my vision.
Zeus had done too good a job at turning this place into a prison. Repulsion wards slammed against us, punishing our trespassing without mercy. We weren't supposed to be here; the palace knew as much.
Before I could empty my stomach of its contents onto the pristine marble floors, Hera laid a hand on my shoulders.
I slumped back in my chair, sighing in relief. It seemed like she and Aphrodite didn't feel a thing if their worried expressions were anything to go by.
"Are you alright?" Hera asked.
"Do you feel that?" I asked.
"Feel what?"
YOU ARE READING
Changing the Future
Fanfiction"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood..." With one sentence, her life would be changed forever. Andy Collins could never have expected how her love of reading turned into something right out of her favorite series, plunging her into a world where...
