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chapter eleven ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
011. Gossiping with the Goddess of Love
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Riding on a boar's back was not comfortable.
Think of it as riding a giant steel brush over a bed of gravel. Cassie was so thankful when they got off at sunset.
The ride to wherever they were was all a blur. Just miles and miles of dirt and flat, dry land. Definitely a desert. There were mountains in the distance at one point, but now they were nowhere to be found. No more grass or scrubs anywhere.
As night fell, the boar stopped by a creek bed to drink the murky water. He snorted and pulled a saguaro cactus from the ground for a little snack. Needles and all.
"This is as far as he'll go. We need to get off while he's eating." Grover stated.
Nobody complained. The five just slid off the boar and distanced themselves. Cassie was sore from the boar's uncomfortable back.
Speaking of the pig, it managed to down three cacti and another drink of dirty water, before it squealed and charged off back east.
"It likes the mountains better," Percy assumed.
"I can't blame it," Thalia agreed. "Look."
In front of them was a two-lane road basically buried in sand. On the other side was a gathering of stores, too small to be a town.
Cassie glanced at the buildings: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that was probably last opened before Zoë was even born, and a little white post office with a GILA CLAW, ARIZONA sign barely holding on above the door.
Then in the back, beyond the cluster were giant piles of junk. You could almost mistake them for hills. Enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal just thrown on top of each other.
And the junkyard that seemed to go on forever.
"What the—"
Cassie was interrupted by Percy's, "Woah."
"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia deadpanned.
She sassed Grover, "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"
The satyr smelled the wind apprehensively. He took his acorns, threw them in the sand, and began to play a tune with his pipes.
They rolled around into some strange pattern no one understood but Grover looked concerned.
"That's us. Those five nuts right there."
"I'm gonna go nuts." Cassie muttered, running a hand through her hair.
"Which one is me?" Percy questioned.
"The little deformed one," Zoë offered.
"Oh, shut up."
Both Thalia and Cassie shared an amused look.
"That cluster right there," Grover gestured to the left, "that's trouble."
"A monster?" Thalia inquired.
Grover was uncertain. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge..."
The satyr raised his finger and the group trailed their gaze to junkyard. In the dim dying sunlight, the metal hills looked like something from an alien movie.
"Ha. Fuck no."
Cassie swiveled on her feet and was about to head the other direction when Percy grabbed her arm.
"You're not going anywhere Casanova."
The daughter of Ares groaned but took the sleeping bag Zoë shoved into her arms.
"We'll deal with that in the morning." Zoë decided as she and Bianca shuffled through their backpacks and drew five more sleeping bags.
Percy didn't understand how that worked since the packs were way too small to hold that much but they must've been enchanted. Just like the Hunter's bows. There when needed and gone when not.
The night air got cold quickly. Percy and Grover were forced to take old boards from the ruined house which Thalia zapped to start a fire.
Pretty soon they were as comfy as they could be in this abandoned town.
"The stars are out," Zoë admired the sky.
Cassie opened her eyes to stare upwards. She had already snuggled into her sleeping bag and was about to slip into dreams.
Instead the daughter of Ares gazed at each individual star, deciding to count them for the fun of it.
"Amazing, I've never actually seen the Milky Way." Bianca gawked.
"This is nothing. In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution." Zoë said spitefully.
"You talk like you're not human," Percy told her.
Zoë raised an eyebrow. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"
"For you," Thalia corrected but there was no malice in her voice. "Not thee."
"But you use 'you' for the beginning of a sentence."
"And for the end. No thou. No thee. Just you"
Zoë raised her hands in frustration. "I hate this language. It changes too often!"
Grover sighed, still staring at the stars. Knowing him he was probably thinking about the light pollution problem. "If only Pan were here, he would set things right."
Zoë agreed solemnly.
"Maybe it was the coffee," Grover suggested hopefully. "I was drinking coffee, and the wind came. Maybe if I drank more coffee..."
Cassie didn't think it had anything to do with coffee. Percy had similar thoughts until he remembered the rubber rat and the little birds that were brought to life by the wind.
"Grover, do you really think that was Pan? I mean, I know you want it to be." Percy asked.
"He sent us help. I don't know how or why. But it was his presence. After this quest is done, I'm going back to New Mexico and drinking a lot of coffee. It's the best lead we've gotten in two thousand years. I was so close." Grover huffed.
No one replied.
Thalia changed the topic of the conversation, directing it to Bianca. "What I want to know, is how you destroyed one of the zombies. There are a lot more out there somewhere. We need to figure out how to fight them."
Bianca was just as unsure. "I don't know. I just stabbed it and it went up in flames."
"Maybe there's something special about your knife," Percy guessed.
"It is the same as mine. Celestial bronze, yes. But mine did not affect the warriors that way." Zoë put down that idea.
"Maybe you have to hit the skeleton in a certain spot,"
Percy tried again.
Bianca shifted uncomfortably from being the center of attention.
Zoë saved her by change the subject again. "Never mind. We will find the answer. In the meantime, we should plan our next move. When we get through this junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a road, we can hitchhike to the nearest city. I think that would be Las Vegas."
Cassie and Percy went to protest, remembering their bad experiences, but Bianca got to it first.
"No! Not there!"
Bianca looked so terrified that Cassie put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Zoë frowned in confusion. "Why?"
"I... I think we stayed there for a while. Nico and I. When we were traveling. And then, I can't remember..." She trailed off.
Percy's eyes widened, as an extremely bad thought occurred to him. Bianca had told him and Cassie about staying in a hotel for a bit.
The son of Poseidon locked eyes with Grover and Cassie looked down.
"Bianca, That hotel you stayed at. Was it possibly called the Lotus Hotel and Casino?" Percy asked hesitantly.
Bianca's eyes went wide. "How could you know that?"
"Oh, great," Percy muttered.
"Wait," Thalia said. "What is the Lotus Casino?"
"A couple of years ago, Grover, Annabeth, Cassie, and I got trapped there. It's designed so you never want to leave. We stayed for about an hour. When we came out, five days had passed. It makes time speed up." Percy explained.
"No," Bianca shook her head in denial. "No, that's not possible."
"You said somebody came and got you out," Cassie spoke up.
"Yes."
The son of Poseidon caught on. "What did he look like? What did he say?"
"I... I don't remember. Please, I really don't want to talk about this."
Zoë leaned forward unlike Cassie who was lying beside her with her hands behind her head. The lieutenant's eyes held concern. "You said that Washington, D.C., had changed when you went back last summer. You didn't remember the subway being there."
"Yes, but—"
"Bianca," Zoë asked gently, "can you tell me the name of the president of the United States right now?"
"Don't be silly," Bianca huffed, telling them the correct name.
"And who was the president before that?" Zoë continued.
Bianca thought for a while before saying. "Roosevelt."
Zoë swallowed the lump in her throat. "Theodore or Franklin?"
"Franklin, F.D.R."
"Like FDR Drive?" Percy questioned, that was about as much as he knew about F.D.R.
"Bianca, F.D.R. was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago." Zoë informed her.
"That's impossible. I... I'm not that old."
Banana checked her hands for wrinkles. Cassie ran a hand through her hair as Thalia stared at the di Angelo girl sadly. She knew what it felt like to be pulled out of time for a while.
"It's okay, Bianca. The important thing is you and Nico are safe. You made it out." The daughter of Zeus reassured.
"But how? We were only in there for an hour and we barely escaped. How could you have escaped after being there for so long?" Percy persisted.
"I told you." Bianca was on the verge of tears. "A man came and said it was time to leave. And—"
"But who? Why did he do it?"
Headlights flashed on them as a car came blazing out of no where. Percy hoped it was Apollo but the engine was way too quiet for that to be true. Also it was nighttime and the sun god was pretty lazy.
The group picked up their sleeping bags and hurriedly moved out of the limousine's way. It slid to a stop right in from of them.
The limo's back door swung open as a sword found its way to Percy's throat.
Bianca and Zoë drew their bows, but Cassie let out a groan of frustration. The sword's owner stepped from the car and backed Percy away.
A sinister grin was shot his way. "Not so fast now, are you, punk."
Cassie rolled her eyes at the man. He still had his black leather outfit and combat boots. The crew cut definitely fit.
Familiar flame sunglasses sat on his face and the brunette checked her head. She scowled.
"Dad."
Ares smiled smugly. "At ease, people." With a snap of his fingers the group's weapons clattered on the floor.
"This is a friendly meeting. Of course I'd like to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see Cassie. And she won't be as compliant if you're dead."
With a huff Cassie had her father's blade in her hand. "Then try not to threaten my friends."
"I never behead my enemies in front of a lady." Ares countered, opening his hand for his weapon back.
His daughter just flipped it before poof-ing it away. The god of war scowled. Percy noticed the similarities between Ares and Cassie's scowl.
"What lady?" Thalia questioned.
Ares glanced at her. "Well, well. I heard you were back."
He shoved Percy back and inspected the punk girl.
"Thalia, daughter of Zeus. You're not hanging out with very good company."
"Ouch." Ares placed the sunglasses back on Cassie's head with a pat. The girl cringed at her father's weird behavior.
"What's your business, Ares? Who's in the car?" Thalia demanded.
Ares bathed in the attention with a wider smile. "Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them." He gestured to the two hunters amongst them.
"Why don't you all go get some tacos while you wait? Only take Cassandra a few minutes."
"We will not leave her alone with thee, Lord Ares," Zoë argued.
"Besides," Grover reasoned, "the taco place is closed."
Cassie's father snapped again and the taqueria came to life. The CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN. "You were saying, goat boy?"
"Don't worry," Cassie waved them off. "Let me deal with it. Go get food."
"You heard her. She'll be fine. I'm her dad after all. Here to protect her." Ares snarked.
Her friends looked ready to protest, but a look from the brunette sent them on their way to the taco place. Cassie stared boredly at her father who smiled.
"It's been awhile."
"I'm surprised you didn't forget about me."
The god sighed, rolling his eyes. He opened the back door. "Get inside, Cassandra. Watch your mouth and try not to embarrass me. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."
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Cassie was star-struck. If she had ever once questioned her attraction to women, this was all the confirmation she needed.
When she saw her, the daughter of Ares felt everything leave her brain. All that was left was admiration and the urge to do anything the woman said.
The goddesses wore a red satin dress that fit perfectly. Her blonde hair fell in a mess of perfect curls and don't get Cassie started on her face.
Her makeup was spotless and those gray eyes. Holy shit. Cassandra Carter could die happy staring into those beautiful gray eyes. Ones that reminder her of someone she's dying to see.
And her smile. Perfect pearly white teeth that shone as bright as the moon. In the moment if you asked her to describe the woman, only one word came to Cassie's mind. Gorgeous.
The lady brought a whole new meaning to the word. She was ten times more beautiful than your favorite actress. Any hair color, eye color, whatever she would have it.
Cassie swore her she couldn't breathe when the woman flashed her a smile. A smile identical to the one of a certain blonde, who had disappeared. Annabeth Chase was the only person who could compare to her beauty.
"Ah, there you are, Cassie dear. I am Aphrodite." The goddess introduced.
The brunette got into the seat across from her and stammered. "You're stunning."
She offered a smile. "Aren't you sweet. Charm must run in the family. Hold this, please."
Aphrodite took out a polished mirror almost as large as a plate and placed it in Cassie's arms. She stared at her reflection, touching up her lipstick. The daughter of Ares avoided watching, with heated cheeks.
"Do you know why you're here?" the goddess asked.
Cassie opened her mouth to respond, but her words were all mush. What was wrong with her? This was only a lady. A really gorgeous lady. With beautiful eyes as gray as storm... What the heck.
The daughter of Ares pinched her arm, hard.
"I... uh... I don't know," Cassie stammered out.
"Oh, dear" Aphrodite observed pitifully. "Still in denial?"
Cassie could hear her father chuckling outside and had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
"About what? I'm not in denial!" She insisted.
"Well then, why are you on this quest?"
"Artemis has been captured and we really have to save her in time."
Aphrodite scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. Please. Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think?
"Uh—" Cassie hesitated. Artemis was beautiful in her own ways, of course no one could top Aphrodite.
"I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis.
Boring!" The goddess of love told her.
"But what about the monster she was after?" The brunette urged. "It seemed pretty dangerous. We have to find it."
Aphrodite put her hand on Cassie to lift the mirror. The daughter of Ares' face flushed. Somehow the goddess found a microscopic problem with her mascara and had to fix it.
"Always some monster. But my dear Cassie, that is why the others are on this quest. I'm more interested in you."
Cassie heart sped up in her chest, but she didn't know why. The brunette avoided Aphrodite's gaze but the moment she looked in her eyes the answer came out.
"I'm going to save Annabeth."
Aphrodite was ecstatic. "Exactly!"
"I have to," Cassie clarified. "She's been in these dreams I've had lately and—"
"Ah, you even dream about her! That's so cute!" the goddess was practically squealing.
"Wait, what? No. That's not what I meant at all."
She made a tsk-tsk sound, shaking her head is disapproval. "Cassie, I'm on your side dear. I'm the reason your friend Percy's here, after all. I knew you needed someone during a time like this."
Cassie blinked. "What?"
"The poisoned T-shirt the Stoll brothers gave Phoebe," she explained. "Did you think that was an accident? Sending Blackjack to find Percy? Helping him sneak out of the camp?"
"You did that?"
"Of course! Because really, how boring these Hunters are! A quest for some monster, blah blah blah. Saving Artemis. Let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love." Aphrodite grinned.
Cassie's eyes widened. "Huh? I never said—"
"Oh, my dear. You don't need to say it. You do know Annabeth was close to joining the Hunters, don't you?"
"I didn't know she—"
"She was about to throw her life away! And you, my dear, you can save her from that. It's so romantic!"
Cassie was starting to get redder if that was even physically possible. "Um... but—"
"Oh, put the mirror down. I look fine," Aphrodite snapped, her patience drawing low.
The brunette hadn't even noticed she still held the mirror, but the soreness in her arms was enough proof once she put it down.
"Cassandra darling. Don't start with that 'love' doesn't exist crap. I exist, do I not?"
"Well yeah but—"
"Hm, no 'buts'. It's okay to love hun. Just look at your father. Ares the god of war. He's found love."
Cassie quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah but you're
cheating—"
"Now listen, Cassie," Aphrodite said. "The Hunters are your enemies. Forget them and Artemis and the monster. That's not important. You just concentrate on finding and saving Annabeth."
"Where is she? You have to tell me!"
Aphrodite waved her off with a frown. "No, no. I leave the details to you. But it's been ages since we've had a good tragic love story." The goddess started picking at her nails.
"Ok, hold on. One I never said anything about love. And two, what do you mean tragic?" Cassie fiddled with her flannel, brows furrowed.
"Love conquers all," Aphrodite informed. "Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?"
"No but they did start the Trojan War and got thousands of innocent people killed." The daughter of Ares sassed.
"Pfft. That's not the point. Follow your heart."
Cassie frowned. "But... what if I don't know what it feels. What if..."
Aphrodite smiled sympathetically, even her lipstick the perfect shade. Her looks rivaled Annabeth's, they were so similar yet so different.
The goddess held beauty in her smile and her pretty face, but Annabeth. Annabeth was a whole other type of beautiful. Annabeth Chase managed to look perfect just scowling at Cassie.
While Aphrodite put on her makeup and touched it up to be stunning, Annabeth just effortlessly was. Sure her blonde curls didn't fall at the exact right spot on her shoulder, but they were gorgeous nonetheless.
Just like her eyes, her smile, her laugh, and her everything. For once Cassie considered that maybe her feelings weren't so friendly after all. Though that could be the goddess of love talking in her head.
Aphrodite believed in love so much, it seemed impossible to not be as giddy about it when she spoke.
"Not knowing is half the fun," the goddess laughed. "Exquisitely painful, isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It's so cute I'm going to cry."
"No, no," Cassie shook her head. "Don't cry, I'm no good with comforting people."
"And don't worry. I'm not going to let this be easy and boring for you. No, I have some wonderful surprises in store. Anguish. Indecision. Oh, you just wait." Aphrodite promised.
"That's... nice of you but there's not need to go through all that trouble." Cassie smiled innocently, as if trying to get the goddess to rethink her plans.
"You're so cute. I wish all my children could break the heart of a girl as nice as you." Aphrodite tried to blink away her tears. "Now, you'd better go. And do be careful in my husband's territory, Cassie. Don't take anything. He is awfully fussy about his trinkets and trash. And think about your true feelings for your 'friend' Annabeth."
"What feelings?" Cassie lied. "If anything I hate her."
"No, you don't, not really. She just makes you feel things that you claimed don't exist."
And with that the brunette was yanked out the car by her father. Back into the dry desert air.
Her time with the goddess of love was over.
"You're lucky, kid." Ares had his sword back. "Be grateful"
"For what?" Cassie snarked.
"That we're being so nice. If it was up to me I'd already taken these and your friend, well..." The god of war tapped Cassie's glasses.
"So why haven't you killed him yet?" The brunette asked, seeing her father wanted to brag,
Ares nodded happily, like they were on the same page.
"I'd love to kill him, seriously. But see, I got a situation. Word on Olympus is that he might start the biggest war in history. I can't risk messing that up."
"Uh huh."
"Besides, Aphrodite thinks you're some kinda soap-opera star, or something. So if I kill him, that'll anger you which makes me look bad with her. But don't worry. I haven't forgotten my promise. Someday soon, kid—real soon—he's going to raise his sword to fight, and he's going to remember the wrath of Ares."
"Even though he beat you once already? How's the ankle by the way?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.
He grinned crookedly. "Not bad, kiddo. But you got nothing on the master of taunts. I'll start the fight when I'm good and ready. Until then... take care of yourself Cassandra."
With a snap of his fingers the world spun in a cloud of red dust. Cassie barely managed to stay upright.
When the dust cleared, the limousine was no where to be found. Neither was the road, the taco restaurant, nor the whole town of Gila Claw.
Cassie and her friends were left in the middle of the junkyard. Mountains of scrap metal as far as the eye could see.
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ author's note
Double update as promised!! APHRODITE mll made a special appearance! and Ares... i LOVE writing him and Cassie oml
you have Dite to thank for starting Cassie's road to realization! this was a very important moment for Cassibeth ❤️
but i had to split this chapter in 2 so... we'll save the sad moment for next weekend!
also why r the chapters getting so long?? the plot is finally picking up but my gods i'll have to split a lot of chapters up smh
anyways thanks for reading as always! hope u liked it <3
—Just Another Overthinker