Greek Blood

Chapter VI: The Choice of a Titan

"Because you are slowly turning into a goddess" Persephone answers easily, taking the chair in front of me and sitting down in a flurry of skirts. She stares at me with her dark brown eyes, long eyelashes fluttering up and down every time she blinks. She leans forward and grabs and apple, bouncing it hard against the table. "The blood in your body is recognizing you as half Titan and is turning the rest of you into a titan. Titans don’t need to eat. Soon you will be able to go places without that bracelet, and your power, we suspect, will be slowing down time since your father is Cronus. And soon, you'll only need a bath to relax. Your body will stop sweating, it won't grease up or get oily, and it will repel dirt. Yes, you will still get sweaty and muddy, but it will all go away given time, without a shower. Now answer my question, please. Why did you ask for time with me?"

"Because I always wanted to hear your side of the story on what happened with you and Hades" I answer, giving the fruit one last wistful glance before looking up at her. No more eating. I wonder how weird that’s going to be. "So what really happened with that?"

Persephone drops the apple back into the basket and scoffs, leaning back hard in her chair. "Well, a lot happened. As you know, I am the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and Hades and Poseidon didn't like Zeus having another child, especially with Demeter. So Zeus offered me to one of the gods. I was in love with Poseidon, supposed to be his, but he was already married. Hades was jealous that Zeus thought to give me to his brother first, and he asked me to come visit him down in the underworld. I went, because I was still innocent to the gods’ wrath at that time. And Hades kept me down there. I had no idea how many days passed, or what was happening. I didn't even know my mother was looking for me. And I enjoyed it. Little did I know that he was fooling me. When I found out, I already had eaten the seeds, and Hades came up with this ridiculous story that since I did, I had to stay with him. I had to marry him. But my mother wanted me up in Olympus with her, so my time was cut in half. Thank god." She rolls her eyes again, disgust covering her face, and looks at me. "Don't be stupid enough to fall for a god, Dana. You’re the only human we've had up here in a while, and they always fall for the gods. I think you have better common sense though."

I nod, looking away and trying vainly not to blush as I remember last night, Apollo’s wounded gaze. "I guess. So you don't hate me?"

"Oh, I don't hate you. I just don't envy you for what you have to do, the choices you have to make. The sacrifices. I wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure" she utters, narrowing her eyes on me and leaning over the table. Anger flushes her cheeks red as she taps the back of my hand with a nail. "Wait. I can see it in your eyes. Which of the gods is it?"

"Don’t worry about it. I already know I am not choosing him" I spit, lowering my eyes to the table in front of me. He’s too messed up, too bright, too real. He hurts me too much.

"I know you won't. I have faith in you. I may be a goddess, but I know a strong willed girl when I see one. Just like I know that you’re not planning on choosing a cheater, which eliminates most of us, unless they understand why cheating is wrong, and that still eliminates most of us because most of us don’t care. The way I see it, you have a few choices: Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Athena, Artemis, and Hephaestus." Persephone gives me her first real smile, but it disappears quickly. "I just don't know which one you are going to choose."

I give her a wry smile and push my chair back, pulling myself up and stretching. "I guess we’ll all find out tonight. Anyways, when should this change be done?"

Persephone gets up, following my lead. She gestures towards the doors of the hall, smile back in place on her childlike face. "Indeed we will. All you have to worry about is which god you trust to help create other gods when the rest of us are gone. The Cronus problem, well, any god will work against that. As you know, when you choose your god tonight, the rest of us will name you our successor. That should be around the time that the change should be done. That's why we chose that time for you to choose. That, and Cronus is almost done reforming."