(Mis)-Adventures ✔️

9

Eventually I slowed down, sitting on the bed next to Astrea. "So how exactly do we break this curse?" I asked.

"Well it's kind of impossible," she replied, looking nervous.

"What if it wasn't impossible?" I persisted.

"Well Zeus has an effigy of me hidden somewhere in his palace on Mount Olympus. We need to find it and remove the cloth covering it, because that cloth has the curse embedded in it."

"Effigy?" I asked.

"A little wax figurine that's used to curse a person."

"Okay," I said. "So how exactly do we get into that big white palace in the clouds?"

"We don't," Astrea said. "It's impossible."

"Could we call a god down to us?" I asked. "Theoretically?"

"I guess," she replied. "It would be kind of diff-"

"Hey Cloud Daddy!" I screamed. "Lightning Guy! Zeusey-Pants! Come down here and face me you bearded dragon! Your mom was probably a troll!"

"No!" Astrea yelled over me. "That's really not a good idea!"

"Nah nah nah nah nah you can't get me!"
A loud crack of thunder echoed through the room, and smoke started pouring from the walls.

"Lukas! Look what you've done!" Astrea screamed, staring at a large figure as it appeared into the small room, already looming over us and sending a deadly vibe through the room. I regretted absolutely nothing at all.
"What do you want, lowly mortal?" Zeus' voice echoed through my small room, shaking the walls and making my spine quiver.

"I want you to release Astrea from her curse!" I yelled in response, jumping up onto the bed to look Zeus in the face. After I noticed the buoyancy beneath my feet, I jumped up a little more, and then started bouncing on the bed like it was a trampoline, trying to hit the ceiling with my hand.

Zeus' heavy eyebrows came together in a frown, staring at me as if I was something dissected on a lab table. Astrea face-palmed.
I stopped after another minute of bouncing, and the turned back to face the Greek God standing in my room.

"I demand that you release Astrea!"

"Why should I?" Zeus asked crossing his arms and still managing to look down on me.

"Because.... Ummm, she doesn't deserve it!" I said, scratching my chin and then running my hands through my hair.

Zeus snorted, and his white robe swished as he shifted onto his other foot. He shot Astrea an amused look that I didn't catch, I was too busy staring at the gold laurel crown that adorned Zeus' salt-and-pepper, shoulder-length hair. Man, that is really girly. I thought to myself.

"You didn't tell him?" Zeus snorted again and leaned back on his heels, his head almost brushing the ceiling.

"Wait-" Astrea said, reaching a hand out as if she could stop him from the other side of the bed.

"Astrea's not a she," Zeus said, eyes twinkling like this was the most amusing thing he had ever seen. "He has other parts that make him a bit more masculine," he trailed off, smirking.

Astrea sagged, looking as if some pro-wrestler had just sucker punched her (him?) in the gut.
"Hold up a second, you're a guy?" I asked in disbelief. Astrea took a deep breath, bracing herself against the wall, letting his long blond hair cover his face.

"Yeah," Astrea said. That explained the gravelly voice.

"Then," I said, talking slowly and dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed, "am I gay?" I asked in horror, staring down at my palms, expecting rainbows to shoot out and light up the room. "How did I not know this before?"
Astrea rolled his eyes, staring at Zeus as if he was waiting for something.

Zeus looked at me, humor in his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Well this has all been a party, but Lukas, it's time to go!"

"To your palace to break the curse?'' I asked hopefully, rainbows forgotten.

"Sure," he replied, shrugging.

"Yay!" I yelled, jumping up and grabbing his extremely muscled arm. "Do you work out?"

"No, wait! He's innocent! Leave him alo-"
Astrea's frantic voice cut off as the world started spinning and my vision faded to black.