Curse Of The Gods

Chapter 1

Aphrodite was the goddess of love. Her roman derived name Venus, Aphrodite lived on Mount Olympus with the other supreme deities and was married to the homely craftsman-god, Hephaestus. She was said to have been born from the foam of the sea and possessed immense powers of charm and beauty...

"Kate?"

I jumped, pulling my attention away from my book to the person in front of me. Marjory the old librarian, my only company when I did my shifts at the library, looked at me worriedly as I tried to grasp what she had said.

"I'm sorry Marj. I guess I was caught up in another book," I gave her a sheepish smile and flashed the cover. I watched as her gentle features slowly contorted into an expression of delight.

"I understand that dear. Lord knows I get carried away with a good book or two," At that she shot me a small smile, but it wasn't long until she let the concern frame every inch of her face.

"I'm a bit concerned about how you're reading. I know for a fact you said it was only slight interest, but Kate I see you reading these books all the time. I know you're interested but you just zone out like that," To demonstrate she snapped her finger in front of my face, making me scuttle back. She was on a roll. "I would imagine reading those kinds of books over and over would have you feeling bored. What if you try something different, maybe a classic?" Her eyes shone hopefully.

"Marj," I sighed heavily, closing my book in front of me. "I've read every classic in this library. Plus I don't think that they would interest me as much." I finished what I had to say with as much conviction, and looked up at her.

"I know how much you like these books dear," She gave me one of her soothing smiles then suddenly smiled brightly and picked up the book. "I mean, you even went as far as learning the language! Now that's dedication." She chuckled.

What?

I cocked my head in confusion as I looked at her. She was still staring at me with a brilliant smile on her face, but I was oblivious to what she was talking about.

"I'm-I'm not quite sure what you mean?"  Her smile slowly evaporated into one of confusion as she searched my face. But I had no clue what she was searching for.

"Katheryn Mira, all these books you've been reading for the past month were all in Greek," Her voice was hesitant, as she tried to gauge my reaction. I could only image what my face looked like, something between incredulity and confusion.

"No, they're not. They are all in English."

Marj looked down at the book in her hand and handed it to me. I was sure of myself and to prove it I opened a random page within the book.

I was completely shocked at what I saw.

Hundreds of Greek words were printed across the pages in never ending form. They created beautifully worded sentences in my head which I could understand easily. And that shocked me.

Apparently my astonishment was so evident on my face, because Marj leaned over the desk and murmured to me.

"You sure about that?"

Later that evening, I had managed to forget about my bi-lingual ability Marj had suddenly picked up on. I hadn't even picked up one of my books to read in between breaks, and I didn't feel the need to.

"You nearly finished dear?" Marj strode up to the issue desk and rested her elbows on the counter. I had just finished returning the last book of a never ending pile and let out a puff.

"I swear I've listed at least 50 over dues. Are you kidding me! Do people have any idea what a deadline is? I swear I just-" I looked up and stopped my little rant. Marj was looking at me with a little smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She walked around the desk and picked up my bag, simultaneously shooing me away.