ASTRA

I

"Bianca, why don't you teach the lesson for me?" 

I sighed, rolling my eyes, glancing up from my phone to stare into Mr Bailey's cold, blue eyes.

"Why would I wanna do that?" I challenged, swinging back in my chair and placing both my feet on the table for effect and also because it pissed him off every time. His nostrils flared as all around us students stopped their work to pay attention to our usual face off.

"Well maybe teaching the lesson is the only way I'll be able to make you pay attention. Take your feet off the table." He answered and I laughed, leaning over to take a random chair and placing my feet on it instead.

"It's off the table." I replied. He sighed, as he always did, going back to teaching his lesson.

"You know every once in a while you can drop your little tough girl façade."

I turned to the voice, giving him a small smile.

"And every once in a while, you can shut up and stop getting in my business." I curtly replied. Luke Bailey, dimpled curly haired Harry Styles wannabe, captain of the basketball team, and the number one reason for all my problems. He returned my smile, both dimples peeking out.

"What's gotten you so angry goddess?

"You tell your father to stop trying to make me participate and I'll tell you all my problems, deal?" I replied and he laughed, glancing at Mr Bailey and the blackboard with the words 'GREEK MYTHOLOGY' written on it.

"What, you're not interested in mythology?"

"It has the word 'myth' in the name. I'm not a believer."

"No? Then why are you here?"

"I needed to choose one more subject, it was either this or maths."

"So why not maths? I heard you're amazing at maths." He stated and I raised my eyebrow, my interest peaking as Mr Bailey wrote "women" on the blackboard.

"I'm not denying being amazing, I just don't like it. Now shush, this may be the only part of your dad's lesson I might ever like."

"Ancient Greek mythology had powerful women, women who sometimes literally took life in their own hands and set out to make their own destiny. An example of this is Athena, who was the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilisation, law and justice, mathematics, strength, war strategy, the arts, crafts and skills. Athena chose to remain celibate and Hephaestus attempted to rape her, but she eluded him. His semen fell into earth and enriched the soil, producing a baby whom Athena fostered and then later entrusted to the care of three sisters." I raised my hand up for the first time since my time in the class and I almost laughed at Mr Bailey's perplexed expression.

"Yes Bianca?" he asked, a little wary.

"I don't understand why she'd foster a child that was produced as a result of her almost being raped?"

"Well I think it all comes down to the fact that she was a goddess of wisdom and civilisation you know, she thought rationally I suppose." He replied.

"So the child?"

"Actually, the child is a bit of a mystery, some believe it was a male, some believe it was a female. We don't know exactly."

"Would she have inherited, like any traits from Athena or Hephaestus? Like powers and stuff?"

"I suppose she would have inherited some traits from Hephaestus. As for Athena, I am not sure. She doesn't directly come from Athena, so it's highly unlikely." He answered as the bell rang, cutting me from asking the last question.