Rachel P.O.V
The room was dimly lit with torches. Aqua blue, gold, and white curtains and hangings covered the walls.
Fake palm trees and Egyptian columns, sarcophagi and Anubis statues were scattered around the room.
The tables had aqua blue tablecloths with chair covers; the plates were gold and the napkins were aqua blue. A Nefertiti bust was placed in the center of each table.
At the end of each side of the room were two semicircles of golden columns, interlaced with red drapes. Oriental carpets were placed on the floor. In the center of each semicircle was a sofa laden with colorful silk cushions.
"There's the Queen of the Nile," Apollo called over to me.
He was sitting on one of the sofas with an impossibly handsome young man who at first I thought was a girl in a tuxedo. The boy fed Apollo dates stuffed with goat cheese while Apollo ran his fingers through his curls.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Phoebus," I answered.
"Hyacinthus, this is Miss Rachel Dare. Rachel, Hyacinthus, a friend of mine."
"Please to meet you," I said to Hyacinthus. He took my hand and kissed it.
"Charmed, I'm sure," he said.
Apollo held up a glass of champagne for Hyacinthus to drink from.
"So how is Cleopatra this evening?"
Apollo was referring to the outfit I was wearing: a beaded grey frock and Egyptian inspired headdress.
"She would like a drink," I replied.
Apollo flagged down a waiter and asked him what that night's special cocktails were.
"We have lavender gimlets," the waiter began, "South-sides and between the sheets."
"The lavender gimlet sounds good," I said.
"I'll have a south-side," said Hyacinthus.
"Make mine between the sheets," Apollo added with a wink towards me. I blushed.
As the three of us chatted, I learned that Hyacinthus was a soloist in the Metropolitan Ballet and was preparing to dance the role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.
"I tried to learn ballet when I was little," I said, "But I'm too clumsy to have ever been good at it."
"Nonsense," Apollo laughed, "You're a wonderful dancer."
"You flatter me too much."
"Dancing with you was the highlight of the Olympus Ball."
Apollo took my hand and kissed it. I felt flushed and dizzy like I was coming down with a fever.
The band began to play a tango and he extended a hand to me.
"Care to dance, Cleopatra."
I accepted the offer more eagerly than I would care to admit. The tango was a dance I was not very familiar with but Apollo helped me through the steps. He held me close in the tango hold and our eyes were locked together. Nothing else mattered but moving as one.
During the dance, Apollo brushed his lips against my hair, my cheek, and my neck. He made it to my mouth just as the music ended. If I had been feeling feverish when he kissed my hand, I felt like I was going to drop dead from happiness when he kissed my mouth.
I had only ever kissed one man before: I kissed Percy once during a drive by the beach to see how he felt about me. That was when I realized that he did not return the crush I had on him.
The kiss with Apollo also felt wrong but in a completely different way. Deep down, I knew it was wrong. Apollo was old enough to be my father and was my boss, and I had never intended for our relationship to be anything more than professional. He was known to chase after anything that looked good and had a pulse and I was probably just another conquest to him. Seducing your secretary was common practice for men like him. But I didn't care if it was wrong or right. I was Cleopatra and he was my Marc Anthony.
"Good morning, Cleopatra," Apollo said when we woke up.
"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"About nine or ten."
A maid had come in and opened the curtains and the light of day allowed me to see how beautiful Apollo's bedroom was.
The walls were painted mint green and the floors were made of white and dark chocolate brown marble. The bed we were sleeping on was on a raised dais flanked by white curtains and a nightstand with a lamp on either side. Behind the headboard was a mural of Prometheus bringing fire to mankind.
Apollo bent over to kiss my hair.
"Are you hungry, my dear girl? Should I have some breakfast sent up?"
"Actually, I think I should get going."
I got out of bed and put on my pink rayon tap pants and brassiere decorated with ecru lace.
I tried to be blasé about this whole situation as a modern woman of the world should be, but I still felt like what I was: a silly girl who had given away her virginity after a night of cocktails and tango dancing.
The bedroom had a beautiful art nouveau dresser.
I took out the blue hairbrush I kept in my handbag and smoothed my hair in front of the mirror.
"So what are your plans for today?" Apollo asked me.
"I'm going to have tea with my mother this afternoon," I replied, inwardly thanking the gods that I still had plenty of time to have a bath and prepare myself to face my mother. I imagined she would die of shock if she were to find out what I had been doing the night before.
When I was finished getting dress, I gave Apollo one last kiss before leaving. A woman of the world always leaves a man wanting more. Only silly girls are clingy.
Calypso P.O.V
I would never tell my mother this, but the Marinos Deli makes the best loukoumades in all of New York. Loukoumades are a fried, honey and cinnamon flavored Greek dumpling, something like a donut.
With a box of loukoumades and a mug of mint tea, I went and sat out on the fire escape to enjoy the beautiful morning. It had rained the night before, so the humidity had broken and the air was pleasantly cool. I was as content as could be until the telephone rang and I had to go back inside.
"Hello," I said into the telephone's receiver.
"Calypso," the voice on the other side said, "It's Zoë."
"Morning Zoë, how are you?"
"I tried calling you earlier but you didn't pick up."
"I'm sorry, I was still asleep."
"Honestly Calypso, you sleep the day away."
"Give me a break, I had to work until two in the morning."
"Anyway, have you read the news yet?"
"No, why?"
"I've called to tell you about Father. He was found dead in Quebec at the bottom of a cliff. There are signs of strangulation on his throat and it's believed that he was murdered. It's all over the news."
I stood there in silence for several moments, twirling the satin ribbon belt of my white silk nightgown around my finger.
My father had always seemed untouchable and the idea of someone putting an end to his reign of terror would be unimaginable the day before. I wondered what knight in shining armor what slain the dragon known as Atlas Titan.
"I can't say I'm surprised. He had a lot of enemies."
"They're sending the body back here to be buried. I'll try to think up something nice to say about him at the funeral."
"Keep me posted on the funeral plans."
"I will."
I could never be happy about someone's death, especially if that someone is my father, but I knew that my father would not be much missed.
After finishing up my breakfast, I went to make my bed. The low twin bed was painted slate blue and sage green like the rest of my furniture. It was spread with a ruffled white coverlet.
As I straightened up the sheets, pillow, and coverlet, I imagine how could have killed my father: a girl he wronged, someone he had cheated, or a rival gang member. My father had hurt so many people that it would have been anyone.
I hoped that the Olympians weren't involved because that would mean that Leo and his friends would be in danger.
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