Echo: The Girl That Time Forgot

Hottie Alert

Life is good. Good is life. My life is going pretty ok right now. It's been about 5 months since Hera and the party, and since then we have become fast friends.

Ayana has taken up lute playing and has actually gotten quite good at it, and Aika is still shamelessly herself.

As for me, I have been spending a lot of time with Hera and instead of just telling stories, I drag her off to parties and social events. Zeus has allowed me to take a few week-long vacations to see Artemis. But other than that my life is pretty busy.

It's one of my off days right now and I'm sitting with Ayana in a pavilion in a quaint little town by Phoenicia, when Aika walks up with cord like things that have sharp barbs on them woven through her hair.

"Whoa. What is in your hair?" I asked.

"Hephaestus made it for me. It doesn't have a name yet, but I'm thinking about calling it agon-haima (struggle and blood)."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course it had to be something dramatic. But what are they?"

"Let me show you. Ayana, touch the sharp metal bit."

"No," Ayana said. "Why the hell would I do that?"

Aika rolled her eyes, "Fine, just trying to include you, sheesh. Echo, touch the sharp metal bit."

"Ok," I said questioningly. I reached out my hand and grabbed the sharp metal shard in her hair. But for some reason it wouldn't cut me. "It doesn't hurt." I said confused.

"It's Adamantine," Aika said looking proud.

"But isn't that stuff like super expensive, and for that matter how the heck did you get Hephaestus to make something for you, his waiting list is backed up for years and that still doesn't explain why it isn't cutting me." I said.

"I have my ways," Aika said looking smug. "Do I really have to give you guys a lesson in our own history? Adamantine is harmless to immortals like us, it can only cut mortal skin."

"Well then it's kind of a pointless weapon, it can only hurt mortals, we spend 95% of our lives with immortals."

"Amoibe," she whispered. "Touch it now."

I reached out and touched the glimmering metal. I gasped in pain and I drew back my hand to see it was red with blood! "What? How is that possible?!"

"He made it to change from Adamantine to Adamantite, a metal that can cut immortals."

"Ok even I'll admit that's kind of awesome," Ayana said, her interest piqued.

"Yeah it is," I said still staring down at my hand where blood seeped from the cut.

Aika winced, "Sorry Echo, I probably should've warned you."

"You don't say," I said going back to my magazine.

I spent a few minutes in peace before Aika interrupted it again.

"Ooooooh hottie alert," Aika said.

I glance up from my Hephaestus' weekly magazine: how to catch your cheating wife, because when Aika says hottie alert, it means that there is a perfect ten out of ten walking by.

"Right there," Aika says, pointing him out in the crowd.

I drop my magazine, "That's Narcissus!"

"Ooooh, Echo knows the hottie?" Aika said. "Maybe she can set you up," she said, elbowing Ayana. "He can be your rebound, after the satyr you were flirting with at the party wasn't interested."