Chapter Four
Flight

It was actually rather hilarious to watch my sisters get excited about this trip, since they hadn’t gotten really and truly excited about going to Greece since before they learned to be socialites.  It was hard to believe there was a time when they were actually normal little girls, and we had video of Penny actually being nice to me when I was born.  Phoebe was as well, but she’s always been a copycat of my sister, so it wasn’t all that surprising.  But that was also the year Penny started kindergarten, and started to realize that she was better that everyone else because she had money and access to anything she could possibly want.  And while Mom and Papa had been more nervous at her reaction when they had Phoebe, they hadn’t been worried at all because she had actually reacted positively to both pregnancies, and was even eager to get to know her new sister better.

So at first, she wasn’t at all jealous of the attention I took away from her.  Both Mom and Papa made a point to spend time with Penny and Phoebe as much as they could, all things considered.  She didn’t start to officially hate me until I was about one or two, I forget which, and it was because I, unlike Phoebe, wasn’t willing to be at her beck and call, despite the fact that wouldn’t know any better.  For whatever reason, her child logic allowed that, since I was mobile, I would be able to do her bidding.  And since I had no clue what the hell she wanted, she started to loath me.

And since Penny hated me, that mean Phoebe immediately started to hate me as well.  They were subtle about it, of course – they were sweet to me whenever Mom and Papa were around because they suspected that they might get punished for treating me badly.  And while that should have sent red flags to the both of them – if they were doing something that would get them in trouble with Mom and Papa, it was probably a good idea not to do it – Penny had already developed her massive ego at that point, and couldn’t really care less.  So to my family, we were all loving sisters who never had a fight in our short lives.

It was amazing I turned out as well as I did considering the fact that my childhood was wrought with confusion.

Still, it wasn’t until Penny was about ten or eleven that she started to have problems with her Greek family, and as a consequence, so did Phoebe.  Penny was able to keep the two sides separate – she had her home life, where she was already starting to amass minions that were at her beck and call, and she had her Greek life, which was where she went to be spoiled by Nona.  We went every summer for about a month by the point I was born, simply because we could, and I was always amazed at the difference in Penny, and subsequently Phoebe.

No, the problem came about when Penny ‘discovered’ boys.  At eleven, she was still far too young to know what romantic love was, but it was the ‘thing’ to be into when she entered the sixth grade.  She was in junior high now, and she was practically an adult!  So while her friends were hunting left and right for suitable boyfriends, Penny was just confused, because she actually had no interest in boys at that point.  But she had to have the best boyfriend of her friends, and what better boyfriend then a twenty year old Greek hottie?

I was still a little grossed out at the idea that some twenty year old boy would want to be with a ten year old girl, but Penny had it in her head that he wanted her, and that was the point where she discovered dressing trashy.  She was trying to make an impression, but it was making the wrong one on Nona.

So naturally, being the outspoken grandmother she was, Nona sat Penny down and had a forceful talk with her, while off us cousins eavesdropped.  Penny was pissed beyond reason that her own grandmother would be against her plans, and that was pretty much it between the two of them.  Phoebe faired a little better – she lasted about two years before Nona cut her off as well for being too much like Penny.  And I could tell she was simply waiting for me to start acting up as well, but the only problem she ever had with me was the fact that I tended to hide if given the chance.

All things considered, I think she preferred the hiding granddaughter to the ones she had to watch to make sure they didn’t do anything stupid.  At least with me, she knew all she has to do is drag me out with the temptation of boyhood stories of my father, and that I was there to visit her and her family, and not just to pick up boys like Penny and Phoebe.

Of course, falling out with Nona pretty much meant that they had a falling out with the entire Karalis family, and it was fairly obvious that the only reason Penny and Phoebe enjoyed going to Greece was because they were, well, going to Greece.  Even in our wealth, it was still a huge deal to be able to go to a foreign country every year and spend so much time there.  Not all of it was fun for them, of course, but they got to act like it was.  Especially as they got older and the twenty year old Greek hotties did start to notice them.

I always got the ‘rejects’, the ones that were hot by standard definition, but were far too nice to be able to hang out with my sisters.  The ones that didn’t want be to be caught up in that mess.  I would try to remain invisible whenever I was forced out onto the beach, but somehow they always sought me out.  And while I was never after anything more than friendship, it was nice to have someone to sort of laugh at my sisters with.

Especially considering, to them, Karalis was merely the name of a kind old lady and her husband in town.  Sure, they were just as well known in their village as we were in American, but for much nobler reasons.

Of course, the only reason why Penny, and subsequently Phoebe, was excited about going was because of that damn reality show.  It gave them an excuse to act trashy while out of country, and I knew Papa was going to get an earful from his mother about allowing his daughters to act like that.  But he does have a point – one of them was married and the other engaged, and he really didn’t have any say in their lives anymore.  All his daughters were adults now, and he was giving up the reigns to our lives so we could direct them now.

My decision was to give Papa back some control over my life, since I didn’t quite feel that ready to take on that responsibility.  It was so strange to think that when Mom was my age, she was already in Greece meeting the man of her dreams, and preparing to get married to him.  I wasn’t ready for that sort of life yet, and Mom didn’t seem that insulted when I told her that.  “Psyche, dear, we’re too different people.  I had no prospects in my life.  I was expected to marry young and start a family, and I was prepared to do just that.  You’re prepared to make something of your life.”

“You’ve made something of your life,” I said, hoping to make her feel better.  “I mean, Papa wouldn’t have been able to create his empire without you at his side.”

She smiled at little at this.  “No, he would have done it regardless of my help; Dad’s money just gave him a running start.  And I would like to believe that I have done something worthwhile in my life by raising you girls right.”

We both glanced at the living room, where Penny and Phoebe were hanging out.  She gave me a meek smile.  “Well, one out of the three isn’t bad, Psyche.  I’ll live vicariously through your accomplishments.  Whenever you achieve one of your goals, it’ll be because your father and I were right there, supporting you in any way we can the entire time.”

“Isn’t living vicariously through your daughter what beauty pageant mothers do?  I’m pretty sure you were more ‘Miss Whatevers’ than any of us were.”

She shrugged.  “That’s one way to do it, and it’s just sad that none of you girls continued on that course.  But then again, you were the only one who won anything, and you cared little for it to begin with.  Penny got frustrated that she never won, but that was mostly because her talent wasn’t all that impressive.”

“Oh yeah, sexy dancing’s sort of strange for a eight year old, isn’t it?”

She laughed.  “Apparently not.  But no; I won’t force you to live out my dreams.  I’m happiest when you’re happy, and the same goes for your father.  We never want you to be anything less than yourself.”

“What about Penny and Phoebe?”

She considered that.  “Well, I suppose they could stand to be a little less of themselves sometimes,” she agreed.

The day of our departure had Mom scrambling about as she always did, making sure that last minute details were taken care of.  “You have Psyche’s flight taken care of?” she asked Papa for what seemed like the thousandth time.

He was reading the morning paper as he was eating breakfast as he always did.  It gave the image that he cared for the news and the business world, but I happened to know that all he read was the comics.  He didn’t want to start the day with anything too serious.  “Yes, of course,” he said calmly without missing a beat.  “Relax; if there’s one thing you don’t have to worry about, it’s Psyche getting there.”

“Yeah, that’s my job, Mom,” I teased as Papa winked at me.

She flopped down next to me.  “I’m sorry; I know I worry too much.  It’s just, well, in this case, I don’t want you to be left behind, Psyche dear.”

I gave her a confident grin.  One side effect of me being in college was that my parents decided that I would miss the minimum amount of classes for this.  I had cleared a week away with my professors – none of them had any problem with it because I was a good student, and I had promised to e-mail them my assignments while I was away – expect I had an exam in one of them that I couldn’t get out of.  So instead, Papa arranged for me to fly in later rather than have all of us wait.

Apparently Mom was supposed to help with the wedding preparations or something, and needed to get in earlier.  He had considered just sending her and my sisters ahead and he wait for me, but Mom never really got over that flight by herself to Greece to go be with him, and Papa knew she needed the support for such a long flight.  Besides, I had insisted that I would be fine flying by myself.  I had flown to and from Greece at least once a year my entire life, and I was used to it at that point.

The truth of the matter was that I was terrified of the thought of flying overseas by myself, but I figured Mom needed Papa more.  I was an adult now, and I could handle myself, and I think I was just out to prove that.  After all, this could be something I would be doing frequently in the upcoming years.

Of course, I was really glad of the fact I was flying alone once I learned that the film crew was required to come with us.  Papa did own a company plane that he was able to use for personal reasons as well, like flying his family to Greece to visit his parents, so they didn’t have to worry about booking a flight.  I, on the other hand, had to go through a more public means, although Papa hadn’t revealed to me yet if it was a normal flight, or a chartered flight.

It could be either, really, since I was sure he knew I opposed chartered flights, but he could also think that I didn’t want to be crammed like a sardine with hundreds of strangers for several hours.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about either one.  On the one hand, even first class on a regular flight would allow me to feel like a normal citizen.  On the other, he had a point about being packed in like sardines.

I also think he just wanted to surprise me, because Papa was all about the surprises.

“Have you got everything packed, Psyche?” Mom asked as I was heading upstairs to prepare for my day.

“Not yet, but I laid everything out so you can check to make sure I have everything,” I told her, which was our usual routine,  Normally, I’d have time to shove everything in my luggage once Mom okayed it, but today, I was going to have our maid do it for me.  She didn’t seem to mind, although I felt bad for making her do something I should, and I vowed to myself that I’d get her a nice little trinket in Greece to make up for the fact.

“And you’re sure you’ll be okay?” she asked without missing a beat as I came down as I was leaving.

“Mom, yes.  I’ve done this dozens of times.  I’ll be fine, and you’ll see me again once I land in Greece.”

She looked nervous.  “Yes, but this is the first time you’re flying alone.  It’s scary, dear.”

“Mom, if you could do it when you were my age, than so can I.  Stop worrying so much.  I’ll call you when I get home, okay?”

That didn’t seem to comfort her that much, but she did make a show of relaxing a little.  “Okay.  Good luck on your exam today, Psyche!”

I gave her a slight wave as I was walking out the door, hoping she wouldn’t make herself sick with worry.

My exam, of course, went about as well as any exam could go.  I wasn’t too terrible a test taker, such that I got nervous or I sucked at tests or whatever.  I tended to finish about the middle of the pack, and I generally got good grades.  About the only thing I felt about the whole process was mentally exhausted afterwards, and I was sort of glad that I got to escape for the rest of the day.

“It sucks that you’re going to be gone all week,” Maddie said as she walked me to my car.  “I wish I could go with you.  How many friends are Penny and Phebes taking?”

“Well, they’re under contract to take at least five with them, but it’s more like eight or so,” I admitted.  “I tried talking Papa into allowing you to go, but he said it was way too late to make plans for you to come with.  Sorry.”

“Nah, at least you tried,” she said, grinning at me.  “It’s always so weird when you leave.”

“It’s only for a week this time,” I reassured her.  “And come on; you’ve come with us plenty of times now.  It shouldn’t be weird.”

“I’ve only been a handful of times, but that’s what makes it weird.  I’m not used to you being gone without me.”

“I’ll bring you back something pretty,” I reassured her.  “And I’ll try to Skype you every night.”

She shook her head at me.  “You’re getting as bad as all the others,” she told me.  “Buying me things to make me feel better.  Skyping’ll be enough, Psy.”

“I can’t help it,” I laughed.  “I know I always liked it when Papa would bring me back a little something from his business trips when he had to leave us behind.  I suppose I tend to think other people would like it as well.  I as mostly thinking another post card for your collection, and maybe some candies from the reception.”

“Well, as long as they’re a small something.”

I raised my hand as I shoved my key into the car door.  “Anything else I buy you will merely be because I know it’s something that you’d have to have.  Like a cute dress or something.”

She shook her head again.  “Only because you’re my best friend will I be okay with that.  You be careful, okay?  I want to be kept in the loop.”

“Of course.  Mom’s first, and then I’ll call you immediately after.  It’s only fair; you’re mildly curious.  Mom’s flipping out about this.”

She gave me a quick best friend hug before allowing me into my car, waving at me as I pulled out of my space and out of the parking lot.  I really did wish I could take her with me.  All my best times were usually spent with her.  And my father’s side of the family absolutely adored her, so it wasn’t like she wouldn’t be welcome if she came.

The house was eerily and blissfully quiet when I walked in, and for a brief moment, I thought of how nice it would be to just decide not to go and take advantage of the fact that I was alone.  No cameras, no sisters bugging me every five minutes.  The house felt entirely too big without anyone there, but I suppose that was just a slight disadvantage.  Hell, Papa had even given the help the week off, so I’d be completely fending for myself. 

But as appealing as that sounded, I knew everyone was expecting me to show up, and Mom would have an absolute cow if I didn’t.  We had minimum staff at the moment – mostly just our driver who would also help me bring down my bags.  He was sitting in the living room, enjoying our big screen TV, and pretty much hopping off the couch like he was in trouble when I walked in.  I waved him down – what did I care if he was enjoying the amenities that he lacked due to money?  Was I to expect him to just stand there while I was at school?

I found my bags completely packed when I checked my room, with enough room for me to stuff in a few stowaways that Mom didn’t really approve of me taking.  She thought it was odd that I was eighteen years old, and still insisted on traveling with at least one stuffed animal, but I just liked having something with me, for some reason.  And there were the handful of books I always took with me that Nona never approved of me reading.  Reading meant less time spent with family.  So I gave Mom an easy out; she didn’t know that I had them on me, so Nona couldn’t get mad at her for me having them.

Once I was completely finished packing, I suppose I made enough noise attempting to carry my bags down myself that the driver suspected something.  He grabbed most of my bags before I could say anything, and proceeded to drag them out to the car for me.  Normally, I hated being driven around, but it had its advantages when I needed to be dropped off somewhere. 

I was on the phone as we were walking out the door.  Mom picked up on the third ring.  “We’re walking to the car now,” I informed her.  “House still seems to be in one piece, and I know I have everything packed.”

“You have all your books to do your homework?” she asked me nervously.

“Of course,” I said, although I could only fit a few into my bag without breaking my back.  But only two classes actually had homework out the book.  The others basically had questions from the lecture or outline work, so I knew I was safe.  And I think any professor from a class that usually did would understand if I tell them I didn’t pack their book due to weight or something.

“Okay.  I know you don’t want to get behind right now.  You call when you get to the airport, okay?”

“Okay, Mom,” I laughed slightly.  It was to be expected.  The airport was about a two hour drive from our house, which, considering we were flying internationally, wasn’t entirely too horrible.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t really anything closer that could take us overseas, and normally, being stuck in the car with Penny and Phoebe for two hours was literally torture.  But today, I was looking forward to it.

I quickly learned that being driven by myself was rather boring, especially when I didn’t know the driver well enough to strike up a conversation with him.  He was concentrating on driving, anyway, and I figured I’d let him do his job.  I mostly just tested Maddie the entire time, since I knew she was out of class, as well as settle down with one of the books I packed.  Before I knew it, we were in the city, and my attention was diverted to the buildings and the pedestrians that we passed.

I always loved New York City, since it was an escape from my everyday life.  There, it was all about wide open space and putting as few people as possible in that space.  In the city, it was all about cramming as much as they possibly could in that same space.  You had people from all walks of life mingling, from the wealthy to the homeless.  And it was interesting. 

The driver, though, hated it, since it was constant stop and go traffic, with people pulling out on you and randomly stopping to let people out.  And I could understand his frustration.  But I couldn’t help staring out the window as we passed slowly by the sights.  I could also tell that the driver was very happy when we arrived at the airport, even if his relief was relatively short lived, since he had to drive back through the city in order to return the car home.

He carefully helped me pull out my bags.  Normally, I’d be able to bring as many as I wanted, since using the private plane meant we didn’t have to worry about baggage fees.  But if I was flying commercial, that meant I could only really bring so many bags with me.  I was only spending a week out there, thankfully, so I didn’t have too much, but it seemed like it all weighed a ton.

“Do you need any help going in, Miss Psyche?” he asked anxiously.

I glanced at my things, which he had arranged for me to be able to tow it easily.  “No, I’m good,” I decided.  “I just dump this all at the ticket booth, anyway.”

I knew Papa gave him instructions to take me to the ticket counter himself, but he also knew I wouldn’t rat him out since I was the one reassuring him that I’d be fine.  He nodded as he handed me my tickets.  “Have a safe flight, Miss Psyche.  I look forward to you and your family’s return.”

I thanked him, nodding as I did so, and proceeded to drag my things into the lobby.  I wasn’t the only one burdened with bags, thankfully, so I didn’t look that out of place.

I realized as I was walking to the ticket counter that I didn’t know which airline Papa had set me up with, and it was when I was about to check that I noticed him.  I shook my head, since I wasn’t at all surprised that Papa would decide to go ahead and charter a flight to Greece for me.  I was his favorite, after all, and he’d go out of his way to make me comfortable.

He was standing off to one side, looking a little bored, holding a sign that simply read Psyche.  Considering I doubted many Psyche’s lived in the area, I knew it was for me.  I was just surprised he didn’t reveal my last name, but I suppose Papa knew that would create a scene if people knew a Karalis was flying out.  I quickly diverted my route to meet him.

He looked a little strange, to be honest, although not in a bad way.  He was obviously Greek, having the same dark olive skin tone that I was used to seeing within Papa’s family.  His hair looked almost black in the unnatural lighting of the lobby.  He was young, probably in his lower twenties, and not at all bad on the eyes.  In fact, I’m sure he was the sort of guy that Penny and Phoebe (mainly Penny now) would be all over if they saw him. 

But it was his eyes that caught my attention.  I knew Greeks could sometimes have blue eyes, but his were an unnatural pale blue that I doubted even Caucasian people had.  To see that color on a Greek was just…amazing.  I couldn’t help but stare, but he wasn’t paying attention to me.

“Hey,” I said once I realized this fact.  “I’m Psyche.”

He looked a little startled at being addressed.  He gave me a precursory look.  “Indeed,” he said, looking amused.  This wasn’t actually that surprising of a reaction, considering I did look nothing like my more famous sisters.  Some people simply knew my name, and were rather surprised at what I looked like.  My hair was more of a chocolate brown than the darker brown of Penny’s hair, and neither of them had Mom’s blue eyes.  Add in the fact that my hair was wavy, and I liked to braid a little piece of hair somewhere as my signature, and the fact that I somehow had freckles, and I knew it was a little confusing. 

But why the way he was looking, it wasn’t because of any of that that he was amused.

“I’m gathering you’ve been hired by my father?” I asked as I adjusted the strap to my computer bag.

He looked confused for one brief moment.  “Ah, right.  Psyche Karalis, daughter of Nikodemus Karalis,” he said, which confused me further.  I couldn’t quite place his accent, since I’ve heard native Greeks speak English, but it wasn’t quite as well formed as most American’s.  “Yes, yes, I was hired by your father.”

I suppose warning bells should have sounded at that, but I didn’t think much about it.  I just let him be a gentleman and take my bags for me, and we started on our way.  Being chartered, I didn’t have to worry about security.  If I was going to blow up the plane, then I wouldn’t kill hundreds of people while doing so.

“I really wish Papa wouldn’t do this,” I said to.  “I know he means well, but this is just too much.”

He shrugged, a noncommittal sign.  “Probably, but really, I just do what I’m told, unfortunately.”

“Oh yeah; I’m sorry.  I don’t mean it like that.  I know you’re just doing your job.  What’s your name, by the way?

He looked surprised that I asked that.  “Er, Zephyr Ross,” he admitted.

I snorted, unable to help myself.  “Seriously?” I asked.  “Ross?  That’s not really that Greek, you know.”

“Is it?” he asked, still looking amused at something.  “Nothing I can really help, Miss Karalis.”

“Please, call me Psyche,” I insisted.  It took me forever to convince our help to drop the surname, since I felt it was too formal.  I felt lucky I got Miss Psyche out of them.

He shrugged again.  “If you insist,” he said.

We didn’t really say much as he led me to the plane.  It wasn’t anything remarkable, but I knew it’d do its job in getting me to where I needed to be.  I wasn’t looking for luxury.  I was looking for peace and quiet, and that’s exactly what I was going to get.

He took me inside, which looked a lot like my father’s plane.  I couldn’t think of a time I’ve been in a normal plane, although I knew what the inside of one of those looked like thanks to TV.  This I was used to, though, although it was going to be strange to have all this space to myself for several hours going to Greece.  He placed my bag on one of the seats, since we didn’t really have to worry about stowing it, and headed for the cockpit.

“Wait, you’re the pilot?” I asked, surprised.

He paused.  “Um, yeah.  Is that surprising?”

“Er, well, no, I guess it’s not,” I said, grinning slightly.  He wasn’t really dressed as a pilot.  He was dressed better than most of the college boys I had seen, but there was still a sense of casualness of what he was wearing, and I was used to seeing pilots in uniform. 

He nodded at me as he moved to prepare for the flight, allowing me to settle into where I decided to sit.  I could sit anywhere, really, but I just sort of sat somewhere. 

I glanced around the cabin, getting accustomed to the sights.  The plane wasn’t quite as high scale as Papa’s plane, but it was still nice.  I certainly wasn’t going to complain.

I did sit by one of the windows so I could watch the preparations.  The plane had been fueling when we boarded, and I watched them finish the task before someone from the airport came out to guide the plane once Zephyr had clearance to take off.  I realized that no one else was going to be on the flight with us, which seemed a little odd, since I thought Zephyr would at least need a copilot or something.  Maybe a stewardess to wait on me.  That’s what Papa’s plane had.

But then again, this wasn’t Papa’s plane, and he was just carting one person overseas, so maybe just one person was needed.  I didn’t know.  I didn’t know how these things worked.  I just shrugged, and leaned back, watching as Zephyr carefully backed the plane up and moved it to the runway.  I still remembered when this used to terrify me, back before I had done this entirely too many times.  Now, it felt like nothing at all to take off, speeding along the runway to be able to lift off the ground.

The brief moment of weightlessness was always an interesting feeling, and I continued to stare at the window at the city below as we climbed higher and higher until we reached a point where all I could see were clouds and ocean.

At that point, I turned my attention to finding something to do.  The table in front of me actually had a few magazines sitting on it, each geared to different interests.  Nothing really caught mine – there was something detailing Diomedes Kalonimos, the CEO of Zeus Enterprises, something about some philanthropist work that Olympic archer Diana Ephesus was doing, and some homemakers’ magazine with Isidore Kalonimos on the front cover, looking domestic as ever. People my father tended to obsess over because of their heritage or something, but also people I could care less about.

I flipped through whatever the monitor at the front of the cabin had to offer, but the most exciting thing there was a map showing where we were going.  And considering all we were flying over at the moment was ocean, that was rather boring as well.  I left it up just for the hell of it while I dug into my bag and pulled out the book I was currently reading.  At least I could get some of that done before I got to Greece, so I had less of a temptation to hide and get in trouble.

I kicked off my shoes and stretched out on the couch I was sitting on alongside the side of the plane.  Despite the vibrations of flight, it was easy to get comfortable there, especially without anyone around to distract me.  It had been nice at home for a while, back when Penny first got married and Phoebe got engaged and agreed to move in with Nate.  That was when we all thought they were out of the house for good, and before they got bored bossing new help around.  It was utter bliss to have my parents to myself, and to not live in fear of them trying to interrupt me every five minutes because they knew it annoyed the crap out of me.

Seeing as I never traveled alone before, those hours spent in flight were always agonizing.  There was no place to hid from my sisters in such a small space, although I sincerely tried.  One flight I tried to stay in the lavatory the entire time, but Mom got scared that I’d hurt myself somehow, and convinced me to come out.  But I’m sure even she was loathed to force me out.

And I couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrible the flight this time was for my parents.  It was one thing putting up with Penny and Phoebe’s antics.  This time, they had to put up with cameras, their friends, and their desire to be ‘entertaining’ somehow.  I wouldn’t be too surprised if Papa found reason to shove them all out of the plane and into the ocean.

And then they could have a new reality show as they all try to survive on a deserted island or something.

I wasn’t sure how long I just sat there and read, but it was only inevitable on such a long flight that I’d eventually start to fall asleep.  My last thought before I lost consciousness was a realization that I had forgotten to call Mom when I got to the airport, and reassure her that I had met with the pilot of my chartered flight.

Chapter Three

Modern Day Cupid Chapter Four

Chapter Five