A/N I have chosen Saffron Burrows as the physical inspiration for Perseus.
Hello, my name is Perseus Genevieve Applewood. My first name sounds like per-say-us, you have no idea how many times I had to explain that to teachers. My mother is absolutely in love with all things ancient Greek and said that my name would have been spelled the same, if not pronounced the same way, even if I'd been a boy. Apparently the male version of the name sounds like per-see-us. My middle name is Genevieve after my father's mother who I never met. I am the youngest of five children and the only girl in the family, daddy likes to call me his little cupcake because he says I'm so sweet.
My dad's name is Robert but most people know him as Dr. Applewood. He works for the local hospital in our hometown, Alma, Michigan. I don't think he actually wanted this many kids but he's always let mom have her way. My mom, Angela, is an English teacher at Alma High School and she spends most of her time grading papers and saying things like 'my goodness, this paper lacks intelligence' or 'where has all the originality gone?'
My older brothers are all named after Greek mythology as well. There's the oldest, Poseidon. He's 32 and believe it or not, he works as a swim coach for the high school boys varsity swim team. Mom says she would have named him Zeus but she didn't want him to grow up arrogant and big-headed. I say he did that anyway. He married the volleyball coach, a short and kind of pudgy woman that always has her dark brown hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her name is Helen. Mom was excited because 'Helen of Troy' of course. Helen is 30. They have a five year old daughter that I like to call Daimona. Her real name is Mona but Daimonas means demon which fits the child perfectly.
The second oldest is Apollo. I would never admit this out loud but he's my favorite brother. He owns a bakery called Cloud 9 and his motto is 'one bite and you're on Cloud 9.' I think it's cheesy but most of his customers love it. He makes these amazing red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese filling and fabulously sweet icing to match and there's always one left for me when I need it. I can't figure out how he knows what days I'll come in but he's never failed in having one ready for me at the right time. He's 29 and mom keeps telling him he needs to hurry up and find a nice girl to settle down with and start his own family but I'm glad that I don't have to share him yet.
After Poseidon and Apollo, the twins were born, Hypnos and Thanatos. Sleep and death, as it should be. Hypnos usually goes by his middle name Raphael or 'Rafa' Applewood. Thanatos likes to be called Than so I call him Thana to irritate him. They're both 27 and they moved to New York City shortly after their high school graduation. Rafa studied Romance Languages at Marist College in Poughkeepsie and Than studied Human Development at Vassar College also in Poughkeepsie. Rafa has a very important job at the New York Public Library or so he likes to tell me. He's the Supervising Collections Care Conservator. I like to tell him that he is a babysitter for books. Than works as a social worker I think. I'm not really sure what company he works for but he goes and makes sure children are safe which is amazing to me.
Now that I've introduced you to my entire family I guess I should say a little something about me. I already told you my name but I didn't tell you that my 25th birthday is in one week. May 22nd. I'll be 25 years old, single, and hopefully living with my twin brothers in New York City soon. I always wanted to move to the big city but I never thought I'd stay in Alma this long. Mom's upset because her last little baby bird is leaving the nest and dad has been telling me survival techniques and ways to fight off an attacker because, of course, I'll be mugged at least twice a day. I already got a job as a junior event planner for Hollydaze; the company you need for a happy holiday and my brothers have offered me their spare bedroom until I save up enough money to get my own apartment.
So there you have it. This is me. The angel that never caused any trouble in school and sat in the front row of the First Church of God every Sunday morning. Don't forget the bible studies, prayer meetings and charity work so I could be the perfect girl that my parents expected me to be. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed doing the charity work! I love helping people, I'm not a total Scrooge but sometimes I just feel like this girl isn't me. I want to be perfect but I don't want to be perfect and that drives me crazy. I don't understand my thoughts sometimes, what I want or need, and maybe moving so far away from this town where I already have my routine as Perry the Perfect is the worst idea I've ever had.
Then my phone buzzes and I glance down to see that I have a new email from hollyhart at hollydaze.com. 'I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. We'll spend your first day setting up your office. You can't be an event planner without a well planned look. ~Holly<3' The words make me smile as I imagine spending the day with my new boss. She's got this stunning red hair and flawless skin and these eyes, um... She's pretty. At this thought the question that I can't even say in my head resurfaces and I hate it. Am I? No, I couldn't be.
A/N The plan is to have ten chapters, each chapter 1000 words long not including the author notes. Please comment and please vote if you like what you see so far and want me to continue. Tell me what you like, what you didn't like, or just what you feel. Message me if you want to, I'll always reply. Unless you message something vulgar then probably not.
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Don't Be a Baby
General FictionSure, society has unwritten rules but the punishment for breaking those isn't nearly as bad as the punishments we give ourselves when we break our own rules. Don't be this or people will think that, don't be this because it's wrong and you don't wan...