FLIGHT ✔P.M. ₂

chapter five

THE ROOM ROBIN LOCKED HIMSELF IN WAS nothing more than a storage room. Boxes of random nothings were stacked up everywhere, containing anything from old costumes to Christmas decorations. Robin kept tripping over boxes that weren't piled up to the ceiling. He refused to turn on the light, though. He couldn't risk giving himself away. Not with her in the building. While he knew she was nothing like her male counterpart - whom he had encountered back in Rome with a couple friends of his, a meeting he hated with a burning passion - he still had a good reason to fear her.

She was a powerful woman, that much he knew. While quite a few *idiotic* people thought she was just some pretty girl, most knew she was not to be messed with. Perhaps hiding from her was a terrible idea, on Robin's part. She could do many things - including find him. The son of Zeus was sure she wouldn't need to do much - she could easily convince Tony to get his AI to tell her where he was. He was not ready for that to happen. Not that that was what she needing to do to locate him.

He didn't have any time to prepare himself. Less than two minutes later, the doorknob rattled, proving that someone was trying to open it. Robin held his breath, crouched down in the dark room. Footsteps faded out, and Robin took this as a sign he was safe for the moment. He was wrong.

"Hello Robin," Said a smooth voice from behind him.

Robin jumped up with a yelp of surprise. He crashed into a tower of boxes. What an idiot he had been, thinking he could find a way out of this encounter. The light above him turned on, and he stood back up and turned around to face the woman. She looked just as she had when he had first seen her - effortlessly beautiful without even trying, the kind of girl you'd dream about. She looked like a model. Nay, a goddess. Which is exactly what she was.

"Uh, Aphrodite," Robin greeted nervously. "What are, what are you doing here?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

The goddess of love shrugged. "In this storage closet, you mean?" She scoffed in amusement. "Funny you would think I would come here on purpose, my dear." She put a hand on his cheek. "I'm here to see you."

The son of Zeus flinched away from her touch. "Right," He said uncertainly. He took a few steps to the side and crossed his arms. "You aren't here to kill me, are you?" He then asked.

Aphrodite chuckled, finding the boy amusing. "Oh, of course not. I've just noticed a few changes with you, Robin," She replied.

Robin didn't like the way she said that. He glanced at her warily. "Thanatos once said that love and death aren't so different," He stated, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Are you sure I won't die today?"

She approached him, a smile gracing her features. "I have noticed your attraction to a certain boy who happens to be in this very tower," She said, ignoring his question.

"What's it to you?" He demanded, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not here to cause anything, my dear boy," She assured him.

He was not going to trust her. He wasn't sure it was possible for him to trust anyone, never mind a goddess. With the exception of Hestia. She seemed to be the only one with any brain cells and empathy, just don't tell anyone else he said that. He might end up dead.

"What do you want, then?" He asked skeptically, leaning away from her when she got near.

"Just to talk," She replied in a sickly-sweet tone. He raised an eyebrow. She stopped right in front of him. "I wanted to let you know that there's still hope for you, to not be alone forever," She said, a wide smile on her face.

Robin scowled at her. "Thanks for the reassurance," He said sarcastically.

The goddess ignored him. "The two of you would be cute together, I really think so," She started. "Alas, I threw a girl into the mix. I think he really likes her. She, maybe not as much," She said, smiling at her work.

"You mean that girl he met today that he can't stop talking about?" He inquired, hating to admit he was interested in her plan. It included him, he had the right to be curious.

"Was that today?" Aphrodite asked rhetorically. "Time is a tricky concept, isn't it?"

"No," The demigod deadpanned.

She tried not to show how peeved she was becoming. Ignoring the annoyance bubbling up inside of her, she continued to speak. "I do look forward to seeing how you work things out."

He scoffed. "Right. Free entertainment for you, isn't it?"

She grit her teeth, but otherwise didn't react. "I assure you, my boy, this isn't my favourite hobby."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Sure it isn't," He said sarcastically. "Going around meeting eligible bachelors is."

"Good luck and goodnight, my dear," She said through her annoyance, and left, making a show of leaving the building.

Robin, annoyed himself, made his way up to the kitchen instead of returning to the rest of the group. He wanted a nap, really. Even though he knew he probably wouldn't sleep. His next best option was eating all of Thor's poptarts, but he also didn't want a hammer on his chest.

Instead of doing either of the things he wanted to do, he made himself some cereal. Despite the fact that it was already dark outside. He hadn't realized how long he was locked in the room for. Mouth full of cereal, which of course he poured the milk in after, he asked FRIDAY what he missed.

After a quick summary of what happened, he sighed. He missed his friends speculating who Aphrodite was to him - obviously not knowing that she was a goddess - Tony deciding to let the Guardians stay in the Tower until their ship is fixed, Pietro being in the phone for hours and, possibly the only he was disappointed to have missed, an insult battle between Rocket and Tony.

After finishing his meal, he finally decided to go try and get some sleep, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to.