Chapter Two
Normalcy

I did try to spend the rest of my day as I normally did, cooped up in my room with a good book and pointedly hiding from my sisters.  The latter was easier said than done, unfortunately, although I wasn’t sure if they were making a point to disturb me by being loud, or if they genuinely didn’t realize their cat fights were that loud.  Despite the way they were, I actually suspected the latter, mostly because I didn’t say anything about it enough for them to realize they did disturb me beyond their mere presence in the house.  But you can bet your last dollar that if they did know, they would go out of their way to be that loud more often than they were now.  At least Penny would.  And that would actually be a rather impressive feat. 

The problem wasn’t really the noise, since I was slowly becoming accustomed to it.  Yes, I knew they were there, and that usually shot my concentration for anything, since as soon as it got quiet enough for me to hear my own thoughts, I worried about what sort of embarrassing endeavor my sisters had dreamed up.  I honestly wouldn’t put it past Penny to actually get that intimate in front of the camera, if only because it wasn’t something any of the other reality show stars had done just yet.  All things considered, Penny nor Phoebe were actually that memorable, and Penny at least tended to go out of her way to distinguish herself from any of the other Kardashian-wannabes out there.  The show hadn’t even beyond airing yet, and I wondered just how many people were willing to watch yet another rich socialite make a mockery of living, especially when she didn’t do much beyond hanging out at her father’s place.

I think I ruined her schtick, to be honest.  She was going to distinguish herself and her show by making it solely about tormenting me.  Most of the reality sisters at least got along in some degree, mostly because sisters usually stuck together, but she thought I was so dull and boring and that so many other people would hate me that they’d be interested in watching Penny belittle me week after week.  Of course, the joke was on her, since I’m sure people would be outraged at watching her treat the only Karalis that acted like a normal, functioning member of society horribly.

And keep tuning it to continue to watch the train wreck, because they didn’t want to seem out of the loop.

Now, though, Penny had nothing but her antics, and she knew it.  The only reason she remained in the house on a near daily basis was because she knew it annoyed me so much.  Otherwise, she’d be more out and about, wrecking havoc wherever she went.  I could tell she was running out of ideas of what to do in a single location, but she didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of freedom.  That’s what annoyed her most of me leaving over the weekend, that  I had figured out a way to escape her, her show, and her moronic cronies who had no original thoughts on their head, and merely laughed at me because that’s what Penny wanted them to do.

Little did she know that that little pipe dream was far from reality now, but it wasn’t like I was going to tell her that.  She might catch onto me when I don’t go for several weeks, which I’d be able to explain away to my parents as shuttering at the thought of spending time with Felipe again.  I knew Penny thought Felipe was a loser – she’s always thought that we were perfect for each other – but I liked the thought of watching her squirm thinking I actually had some place to go.

But the problem this time had nothing to do with Penny, Phoebe, or the way the two of them seemed to be shrieking at each other (Penny evidently was becoming fed up that the show’s schtick was slowly becoming Pheobe’s wedding preparations).  No, my thoughts kept shifting to Aphrodite, the trials I had to face, and Eros, wondering exactly how I had hurt him.  Was it merely physical, something he could recover from, eventually, or had I scarred him emotionally again?  Even the former scared the living shit out of me.  I wasn’t sure how the hell I was supposed to act normal with that floating into my head from time to time.

Even if I had just hurt him physically, the idea that I hurt him at all made me sick to my stomach.  It wasn’t a normal nauseous feeling, being disgusted with myself for hurting another human being.  It was because I hurt the man I loved, and that annoyed me more than anything when I was given time to actually think about it.

I mean, I knew I was the reincarnation of the Psyche from the myth and all, and that my feelings for Eros just stemmed from my love for him millennia ago, but it still didn’t exactly sit right with me.  Especially knowing that all the other incarnations despised Eros enough to be absolutely repulsed by him.  There was something different about me, I knew, judging from both Eros and Zephyrus’ reactions to me.  So it made me wonder just how much my feelings for him came from an ancient love, and how much actually came from me.  And since it seemed that Psyche might not have actually loved Eros, it disgusted me to think I was actually one of those girls who fell in love with the first guy who showed interest in her, and became a little obsessive about it.

Although I prided myself in knowing that I was about to control myself.  I had seen to bad sorts of girls who tended to get a little insane concerning the guy they happened to be crushing on at the time, and I knew I wasn’t nearly as bad as them.  Sure, Eros seemed to be taking up more of my thoughts than I’d like to admit, but I was still able to function without him.  I mean, my disgust with myself came from hurting him, and that seemed like a noble reason to be disgusted. 

It was still annoying, though, trying to immerse myself in a fantasy world in order to escape my reality, only to find myself staring at the same word for twenty minutes because my brain was racking over my situation.  I finally gave up, dropping my head into my book.  I picked up the Cupid plush sitting beside me.  “Why do you have to make things so difficult?” I asked of it, annoyed.  “Why does love even have to exist in this world?  It just complicates things so much!”

He continued to smile at me, looking entirely too happy for a baby with wings.  I was tempted to toss him across the room in annoyance, but I knew all that would accomplish was losing him, and I did need this one to help me fall asleep.  Instead, I sort of growled at it in annoyance before tossing it under my covers so I didn’t to look at his damn happy face anymore.

I didn’t want to, but my room felt a little suffocating at the moment, so I eventually snuck out to see if I could interrupt my parents.  I knew they were probably attempting to enjoy a little alone time together, since it wasn’t like they got much of it thanks to Papa’s weird work hours.  I felt a little bad doing so, since I knew they were taking advantage of the fact that I was in hiding, but I also knew that Papa would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with me, even if I was interrupting a moment with Mom.  And Mom was too much of a mother to care, either.

I snuck pass the upstairs sitting room, where the show had situated for the time being, although no one was really paying attention to the hallways.  I managed to catch a glimpse of Penny with her tongue done her friend Melissa’s throat, a hand under her shirt, and I realized that Penny was perhaps way more into it than she’d be willing to admit.  I never understood the sex appeal of two women making out, to be honest, and it disgusted me when two straight girls had at it with each other.  Because I knew they were only doing it because guys perceived it to be ‘sexy’, and not because it was something they were actually interested in doing.

I didn’t want it to, but the thought of wondering if Eros or Zephyrus would be into that sort of thing just sort of popped into my head as I spotted it, but I shook it out of my head the moment it appeared.  It didn’t matter what they were into, so long as Eros didn’t force me to do the same to indulge a sick fantasy of his.  He didn’t really strike me as the sort, anyway, and Zephyrus was probably more into two guys making out, unfortunately.  Sure, he had been married to Iris (his sister, none the less), but there was that whole Hyacinth issue…

But even if it disturbed me, I was sort of glad Penny was too caught up to notice that her precious baby sister was out and about, because it meant that she was too preoccupied to think of anything terrible to do to me at the moment.

I was a little surprised to find Mom and Papa hiding out in the basement in our theater room, since they were hiding in the kitchen the last time I had seen them.  But neither of them were taking advantage of the darkness and the theater setting, which I was grateful for.  I knew they loved each other and all, but I could only really handle them giving each other small kisses to each other, not full blown make-out sessions.  I mean, good Lord, they were my parents.  As it was, Papa seemed content to just have his arm around Mom, and she was leaning against him happily.

At least until they realized that I had walked in.  Then they both turned to me in surprise.  “Sorry,” I muttered, feeling bad for interrupting their little date.  Although I wasn’t sure if it were a date it if was in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday.  “I was bored.”

“Your sisters weren’t bothering you, were they?” Papa asked, since I suppose the idea of me being bored reading was out of the realm of possibility.

I moved to sit beside him.  “Not more than usual,” I admitted.  “I guess the excitement of the weekend just got to me, and I can’t seem to stay focused on anything.  I’m not…interrupting anything, am I?”

They both sort of shrugged.  “Not really,” Papa said.  “We were a little bored as well, and realized that we haven’t sat down for a movie in a long time.  Your sisters seem to hate the basement, so it seemed like a good idea.”

“So this is like a date or anything?”

“Even if it were, you wouldn’t be interrupting, dear,” Mom told me.  “We always have time for our daughters.  You know that.  We don’t mind you joining us.  In fact, considering how we don’t see you as much as we’d like, we’d actually prefer it.”

“Yeah, well…I haven’t exactly been given a reason to want to be home now, you know?”

“Psyche, dear, you’re eighteen years old now,” Mom said a little dryly.  “We don’t really expect you to be home as often anymore.  I mean, when your sisters turned eighteen, they started to view the house as a hotel more than anything else.  It was a place to store their things, and that’s about it.  I knew you’re not like your sisters in that regard, but it wasn’t like we expect you to stay with us your entire life.  Besides, once your sisters came back, it was something we expected.”

“In fact, you’re actually home more than we expected,” Papa teased.  I gave him a dry look.

“Well, that’s only because someone won’t let me go live in the dorms.”

“I can’t imagine why you’d want to, dear,” Mom said, shuttering.  “I mean, they’re so tiny and dirty, and you have to share a bathroom with someone, and it sounds like a terrible experience all around.”

“Yeah, but it’s one of those things that I wanted to experience, since it’s something a normal college student does, that’s all.”

“You and your ‘normal people’,” Mom said, rolling her eyes slightly.  “I don’t understand it at all.  You’re privileged, Psyche.  You don’t have to go through the horrible experiences of the lower class.”

“That’s just it, Mom.  Most people don’t have the option of opting out of an experience because they have money.  And I feel bad because I can’t relate to them.  I want to have these experiences because I want to know what they go through, and I want us to have something in common.”

“I still don’t understand it,” Mom muttered.

“I think it makes perfect sense,” Papa said.  “Psyche has never really been like any of the other girls who grew up in a similar circumstance.  I mean, look at how different she is compared to her sisters, and they grew up exactly the same!  She doesn’t want to be better than anyone else; she wants to be on equal footing.  You might not understand it, Helen, but the best thing to do is support it.”

“Then why am I living at home rather than in the dorms?”

He laughed.  “Well, it’s mostly because I knew that Maddie would end up in the dorms, and you’d get to experience them somewhat through her.  But it’s also because of you celebrity status.  You wouldn’t really have any privacy if you were in the dorms, Psyche.  Here, at least, you know how to hide from your sisters.  There, there’d be no real place to hide.”

“Than what about an apartment?”

“Now Psyche, you’re the one who says you want to have a normal college experience,” he teased.  “It’s not normal for a freshmen, or even really a sophomore, to have their own apartment.”

“What about a junior?”

“We’ll certainly talk then,” he said, winking at me. 

“Seriously, that was your plan all along?  Keep me at home two years, and then get me an apartment for the last two years?  You could have mentioned something, you know.  I might not have fought it so hard.”

He chuckled.  “Yeah, but honestly I just wanted to see your reaction once I told you I had bought an apartment for you and Maddie before you went into your junior year.  But then again, I hadn’t accounted for Penny and Phoebe actually returning to the house at the time, so I didn’t think you’d be as miserable herein those two years.”

“You’re horrible, Papa,” I said, shaking my head.  One thing that never really got out in the media was how much Papa liked to troll people, setting them up so he could surprise them.  The general public viewed him as a jovial billionaire philanthropist who went out of his way to do right by people.  What they didn’t know was that he was actually a trickster, and I sort of liked having that secret side of him not coming out.  It made things more entertaining when he went out of his way to do the same for someone within his company.

“Of course, it might be all moot if things continue to progress with Felipe,” Mom said suggestively.

“Mom, seriously, ew,” I said, my heart sinking a little at the turn of conversation.

“Yes, Helen, ew,” Papa said seriously.  “I refuse to allow my koritsáki to shack up with any guy she doesn’t have any remote interest in.”

“So it’s all right for her to just use the poor boy to get something she wants,” Mom asked, putting her hands on her hips the best she could in the theater seat.

He shrugged.  “As long as Felipe doesn’t mind, and I happened to have it on good authority that he’s not the sort of guy who’d mind just taking a girl back and forth to his little island.  If Psyche likes it so much other there, I don’t see the problem.”

“Honestly, Nik, this is our daughter we’re talking about.  Too much time spent with her’ll certainly make him fall for her.”

“Actually, Mom, I think Penny was sort of right when she said Felipe’s batting for the other team,” I admitted.  “That’s sort of why he doesn’t really have any interest in me other than a strong acquaintance.  It’s not like he won’t fall in love with me, but that he actually can’t.”

“Oh,” Mom said, looking a little disappointed.  “Well, that does make a lot of sense.  The boy always seemed a little not right in the head, but if he were gay, a lot of what he does would make sense.  Good for him.”

It was hard to tell, really, considering he hasn’t made it public or anything.  But it did explain a lot of what he did, as well as the way he was nonchalant in my rejection of him, while still maintaining a passive friendship with me.  He really wouldn’t mind me using him as a ferry to his island.

You know, if that were actually something I was doing.

Still, I realized that talking about Felipe was just going to make me feel guilty about lying to my parents, as well as make me think of Eros.  And I sort of didn’t want to think about him at the moment.  Not because I didn’t want him consuming my thoughts, but because I didn’t want to really depress myself.  But, of course, I couldn’t really steer the conversation away from the topic, not without raising several questions.  So I just sort of let them tease me about him, and I tried to keep my focus on the conversation rather than my guilt.

But I didn’t feel right escaping the thing I was escaping to, after all.

Eventually, though, the movie distracted all of us enough that the conversation came to a standstill.  I realized they were watching a movie I had adored as a child, and my focus remained on that until it was over.  I did have to escape at that point, since all I could think about was why couldn’t I have a fairy tale romance?  No, instead I injure someone when I was having my first kiss.  Typical.

I ended up doing as I normally did on weekends, hiding in my room until dinnertime, and retreating against once it was safe for me to.  Penny kept shooting me annoyed looks through the meal, which she sat in just because she wanted an opportunity to torment me, as though she were annoyed with me that I managed to escape for the entire weekend.  Little did she know that I would have preferred to have me home for once.  Then maybe I wouldn’t have hurt Eros.

Suffice to say, although I had slept fine while in Maddie’s dorm, I didn’t really sleep all that well that night.  Maybe it was because I was alone with my thoughts, because at least I had Maddie’s support the previous night, or something to that effect.  But the entire night was plagued by nightmares about what Aphrodite was going to do with me, as well as Eros utterly rejecting me.  And in-between were memories of my past life rejecting Eros, and watching him slowly seep into depression, life after life, and never recognizing the fact until now.

I know I had no control over my past, but I think those dreams were the worst, and what kept me up most of the night.

I knew if I wasn’t careful, I’d fall apart somehow.  It had only been two days thus far, but I felt like I was barely maintaining my composure.  I told myself that it was fear that was causing me to feel this way, not guilt.  Fear over what Aphrodite had in store for me, because I could tell she was a vengeful goddess, especially when it came to her son.  She wasn’t going to hold back just because I was a mortal.  But it was the entire situation weighting down on me.  I knew about the gods now, and I wondered from time to time if that was something I should know or not.

Yes, I was a reincarnation of a mythical figure, but I was still born mortal.  And as far as I could tell, mortals in this time weren’t supposed to know of their existence.  I had broken the rules, even if I had no control over it, and I wondered if perhaps other gods would punish me for that fact as well.  The ones I knew didn’t seem to mind, but they had all known Psyche, and were excited to have one of her incarnations know what they were.  Others, particularly someone like Hera or even Zeus, might not be so kind.

But then again, Psyche was somehow obscure in myth, dealing with only a handful of gods, so maybe my knowledge would be inconsequential to most gods.  One mortal out of many shouldn’t mean too much, and I doubted I was the first reincarnated mortal goddess who had knowledge.  Persephone didn’t outright say it, but I got the impression that the gods got to choose if they forgot their past lives or not.  Naturally, Psyche would opt for a clean slate.

Although considering my dreams, apparently she didn’t have as clean a slate as she thought.  But then again, most of my dreams involved lives after she was reincarnated, and nothing of her life with Eros, so maybe there was something to forgetting.

Because that, of course, was the time I actually wanted to remember, but I couldn’t.  I wanted to know why Psyche left Eros, and why she did in fact remain with him if she didn’t love him.  He was the God of Love – it didn’t seem right for him to have a wife that didn’t love him in return, and I wanted to know if she did love him, or she just felt forced to stay with him because he was a god and she was pregnant with his child.

I still had so many questions on the matter, and I doubted I could get any of them answered.

I still thought it was a little sad that I found school to be an escape, but it was a place I could focus on something other than what was going on in my life.  My classes were a constant, predictable even as we were learning new things.  I had assignments to turn in, notes to take, and people to avoid.  Plus, I could get away from the house and Penny and Phoebe, even if only for a few hours.

Phoebe wanted me to skip classes so I could be more involved in the wedding planning, since I was going to be a bridesmaid (whether I liked it or not, but I figured since I was her sister, it was required of me to be in her wedding.  At least she wasn’t going out of her way to make me look like a fool in the process.  I just have to not look prettier than her, and she’d be happy), but I think even she knew the answer to that.  She had made the comment, turned to me, and her face fell.

“What’s the matter?” she surprised me by asking.

I blinked at her.  “What do you mean?”

“You look depressed.  What’s going on?”

“What does it matter to you?” I shot back at her on reflex.

“Psyche, I’m your big sister.  If something’s bothering you that much that it’s making you depressed, than it’s a concern of mine.  Especially if it has something to do with a boy.  No boy’s allowed to break my baby sister’s heart.”

“Are you feeling okay, Phebes?”

She grinned at me.  “Of course.  I’m getting married soon, Psyche!  But I can’t have you depressed at my wedding.  It’ll bring down the whole mood.”

“Of course.  You’re not concerned about me; you’re concerned about me ruining your wedding.  You have nothing to worry about, Phoebe.  I’m good at playing invisible, remember?  All focus will be on you, anyway.”

She shook her head.  “That’s not what I mean at all.  I know we don’t usually get along, but if you ever need to talk to me about anything, I’ll be there for you.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.  “Seriously?  You’re usually trying to ruin my life, not try to help me.”

She let out a sigh before sitting beside me at the table.  “Doing this show, I’ve come to realize what terrible sisters we actually are.  I mean, it was fun making you, the black sheep, uncomfortable, but spending time with our friends in a more personal context…well, I’m hearing stories about how they always have their sisters backs, even if they don’t like each other too much.  And I got to thinking: why do we treat you like we do?  I mean, you’re our sister, our flesh and blood, our family.  It shouldn’t matter how different we are; when it comes to important things, like boy troubles or sticking up for you, we should be there for each other.”

I continued to stare at her.  “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”

She giggled slightly.  “I used to idolize Penny because she was my older sister, and I thought she was wiser and smarter than me because of it.  And she liked me because I thought like she did.  But I’ve always thought her to be unnecessarily cruel to, well, everyone, not just you.  And I just assumed that’s what you were supposed to do to people you perceived as lesser than you.  But…I don’t know; Nate’s been getting annoyed at her, and Nate means more to me than anyone else in the world.  And if he thinks its wrong, then it’s clearly wrong.”

“Good Lord, Phebes, couldn’t you have figured that out sooner?  If you don’t like how she’s treating people, you should have said something to her.”

She blinked at me.  “Why on earth would I do that?  She’s Penny; you don’t talk back to Penny.”

I shook my head, completely unnerved by the conversation.  Phoebe was being nice to me?  And pretending like she was developing a mind of her own?  Too weird for me.  “Seriously, though, there’s nothing wrong.  You should know by now that I don’t have boy problems.”

She pouted.  “Well, why not?  You’re a Karalis, Psyche, not to mention you take after Mom in looks, so you’re not at all ugly.  You can have any boy you want.  So why don’t you?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t want any boy.  I want someone who’s actually interested in me.  You could have any boy as well, but you chose Nate.  Why would you do that?”

“Because I love him…oh,” she said, deflating.  “You’re one of those girls looking for love, not mistakes.  But that’s not fun, Psyche?  How would you know if you love a guy if you don’t take a chance?”

I shrugged.  “I plan on making mistakes, but I’m only eighteen, and I’m just starting out in life.”

“Mom was eighteen when she married Daddy,” she pointed out.  “She’s always told us that age doesn’t matter when you know you love someone.”  She paused.  “Except when it comes to Penny and Don.  Like, ew, right?  The guy is gross.”

I laughed.  “Understatement.  But I’m not like you and Penny, and I never will be.  So stop comparing me to you.”

She laughed.  “Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her perfectly manicured hands to fend me off.  “But seriously, if you ever have a guy break your heart, let me know.  I might know a guy or two who’ll help you get revenge.”

I shook my head at her.  “I’ll do just that,” I said, although I sincerely doubted I would.  I wasn’t really the sort to think in terms of revenge.

Besides, I doubted the guy that would break my head couldn’t take on a few professional football players.

I couldn’t escape fast enough that day, needing to get away from Phoebe and her weird behavior.  It was a nice change of pace, certainly, but I couldn’t help but wonder what she and Penny were setting me up for.  Sure, she wasn’t that good of an actor that she could pass off as genuine as she did just then, but…this was Phoebe that we were talking about!  Sure, she’s always been nicer to me, but never that nice!

It was nice thinking that perhaps my sister had finally figured out what a bitch Penny was and wanted to get away from her, but I knew it was just a pipe dream, and not to get my hopes up.

Of course, the problem with classes was that, for whatever reason, I suddenly found myself sort of expecting that paranoid feeling that told me that Eros was watching over me.  I found myself tense the entire time I was on campus, waiting for that sign, even though I told myself to stop being ridiculous about it.  He wasn’t going to come and see me anytime soon.  I hurt him, one way or another, and he needed time to heal.  And besides which, I highly doubted his mother would allow him.  Yes, he was trying to be defiant of her, but there’s not much someone could do when they were right there preventing you from going.  And I had little doubt that Aphrodite was hovering around Eros’ house, keeping him there and not around me.

You know, provided he wanted to see me at all in the first place.

“Ugh, I have a headache,” I told Maddie when I met her for lunch.  Normally I didn’t bother eating on campus, but since I was spending more time there so I could avoid my sisters, Maddie and I started a new tradition.  “I’m thinking too much.”

“I would tell you to stop thinking about it, then, but I know that’s easier said than done,” Maddie said sympathetically.  “Still worrying what his mother’s going to do to you?”

“Yeah,” I said, struggling to remember the lie I had fed her.  “It’s kind of weird, you know?  I didn’t think my first relationship was going to involve an overprotective mother out to get me.  I wonder if it’s really worth it, but then I go…yeah, it is.”

“Only problem with it is being stuck with a monster-is-law,” Maddie agreed.  “If you can look past that, then yeah, it’s worth it.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think I’d have to worry too much about that.  Eros is something of a Momma’s Boy, certainly, but he’s just as annoyed with his mother, so even if we did get married or anything, I probably wouldn’t see her all that often.  Not if he has anything to say about it.”

“Good for him.  But if he’s a Momma’s Boy, can he really keep her away?”

I thought of the rules the gods had about popping onto each other’s property.  As far as I could tell, Eros did a pretty damn good job of keeping his mother away, considering he was still living alone.  “Well, he does live on a secluded island.  It makes it difficult for her, at least.”

“Then there’s that,” she said, grinning.  “I’m sorry there’s not much I can do to help you, Psyche.  I hate that your suffering because of this.  But as long as you feel it’s worth it, I’ll support you.”

“No, I’m sorry I’m putting all this on you,” I realized.  “You shouldn’t have to worry about me like this.  It’s my problem.”

She put her hand over mine.  “Then it’s my problem as well,” she insisted.  “I’ll help you through this in any way I can, even if it’s just as a good listener as you vent.  I want you to be happy, Psyche.  And if he makes you happy, even though you seem depressed now, then…it’s what’s best for you.”

“I hate to say it, but I hope I don’t have to go through this with you,” I said, shaking my head.  “You don’t deserve to feel the same sort of crap I am right now.  You’re too awesome.”

“God, I hope I don’t as well.  I mean, sure, the best things in life are worth fighting for, but good Lord, Psyche!  All this for a boy?  You make me almost not want to fall in love at all!”

“Ha, it has its perks,” I said, although I couldn’t think of any at the moment.  “I mean, look at our parents.  They seem happy, right?  And I know Mom went through a lot to get to Papa.  So I’m hoping it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

“Psyche, it will be.  The problem is that it’s just started.  You need to get to the end before you’re happy.”

“No,” I admitted, “the problem is not knowing how long it’ll take me to get to that end.”  I sighed.  “But I suppose having a friend like you around the whole time’ll help.  I am sorry you’re involved, but I’m glad you’re there.”

“Anytime, Psyche,” she said, grinning.  “That’s what BFF’s are for, right?”

I grinned back, since I knew she was right.  Once this was all over, I was going to have to find a way to pay her back, preferably without her feeling the same sort of guilt, worry, and pain that I was experiencing now.  I sort of wanted this to get started just so I knew what to expect, but I also knew that it might be a while before Aphrodite thought of anything.

Until then, I was going to have to buck up and act normal, and hope that Aphrodite didn’t throw anything at me when I got to complacent.  But knowing her, that’s exactly what was going to happen.

Chapter One

The Trials of Psyche Chapter Two

Chapter Three