I tossed and turned, my thoughts shifting from the dream to the frightening goddess I had just met. They came to rest on the three pomegranate seeds.
Silently, I got out of bed and crossed the room. My eyes were accustomed to the dark after hours of wakefulness, and I didn’t need a light to locate the blood-red seeds. I held them in my hand and stared hard at them, wondering.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Aphrodite’s voice rang out sharply. I turned to face my patron.
“Why not?”
“Things will not work quite the way you are thinking.”
I closed my fingers around the seeds, but made no move to set them down. “How are things working now?”
“No other god or goddess can harm you. You are under my protection. And I am going to help you learn how to manage your power.”
“That sounds great. But why haven’t you done anything yet?” Maybe it was unreasonable to expect, well, magic, but I was irritated that all she’d shown me was the glamour. To be fair, I reminded myself, she hasn’t been my patron for very long, but before I could apologize, Aphrodite loomed in front of me, doing her larger-than-life trick again.
Her cheeks were tinted red with anger. “How dare you call my patronage nothing?”
I should have been frightened, but I thought about what Kali had said and stood my ground. “You saved me from that trucker. And you taught me the art of glamour. But what else have you done?” I felt frustration bubbling up inside my chest, and I started speaking faster, not waiting for a response. “Did you protect my parents when Hecate brainwashed them? Have you shown me any useful magic? It’s no wonder Helen screwed up, with a patron as helpful as you.”
She slapped me with an open palm, and I stepped back, stunned. With a gesture, she used air to seal my jaw and I stared at her, helpless.
“You will not speak to me in such a way again. It would be within my rights to call down a brutal punishment on you. Did you not vow to me that you would follow me with devotion and obedience?” The goddess smoothed her robes, her hands lingering over her hips. “However”—she smiled sweetly—“I am in the mood to be magnanimous. Consider this your last chance. You will not cross me again.”
She turned away from me. I tried to open my mouth, but found I was still bound by her spell. I stood, mute, waiting for her to decide what to do with me.
“You are so eager to learn to do things. Fine. We will begin the real work tomorrow.”
She vanished, but my jaw was still locked. If it hadn’t been, I probably would have eaten the pomegranate right then just to piss Aphrodite off. But I guess she knew that and wasn’t taking any chances. I only hoped my parents wouldn’t notice my silence.
Luckily, Mom was in such a rush that morning that she barely noticed how quiet I was. As she flew out the door, she called over her shoulder, “Have a great day at school, sweetie!”
I smiled and waved, but my stomach churned. How much longer could I keep my parents blissfully ignorant of the situation? Telling them once had been hard enough; I couldn’t imagine telling them a second time.
I cleaned up the kitchen in silence, waiting for Aphrodite to reappear. When all the dishes were washed and she still hadn’t put in an appearance, I went upstairs. Xerxes raced ahead of me, determined to trip me up on the stairs.
Distracted, I knelt down and scratched him behind the ears for a minute. When I opened the door to my bedroom, I wasn’t surprised to see Aphrodite standing there.
I tried to speak, but to my chagrin I found that I was still bound by her spell. I narrowed my eyes at her, and dipped my head in a slight bow. She smiled humorlessly.
“I’ve said it before; subservience is not a trait I like to see in Reds.” She waved her hand carelessly, and I felt a popping in my jaw. I tried to speak again.
“I’m ready for my lesson.”
She glared at me. “Didn’t you learn anything last night? It’s not up to you to call the shots. You will wait until I decide to teach you.” She stopped, eyeing me for an immeasurable stretch of time. “I have decided to teach you how to work love magic.”
My doubt must have shown on my face, because she shook her head in exasperation. “It’s time for a field trip, Darlena.”
With those words, the room swirled around me and everything went dark. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but even before I could make out my surroundings, I could smell stale popcorn. I shifted my feet, annoyed at the squelching sound they made on the sticky floor. When my eyes adjusted enough that I could see the screen, I realized we must be at a movie theater.
“Why are we here?”
“Sit back, watch, and learn.”
Advertisements were scrolling on the screen, but I didn’t think Aphrodite wanted me to learn about the hottest new soft drink. I glanced around the theater at the other patrons. There was a spattering of women older than my mom, some in groups and some alone, and here and there I glimpsed some girls who were a little younger than me. They were probably skipping school, but I didn’t think the giggling girls were who Aphrodite wanted me to watch. Then I spotted them.
The couple was obviously still in school, because the girl kept looking around nervously. I wondered if she’d ever cut school before. The boy wasn’t that cute, but he seemed confident, sitting there next to his date. I stared at them intently.
“Good. You aren’t as dumb as you act. They are who we will practice on.” Aphrodite’s voice was a soft whisper beside me.
“What do we do?” I tried to whisper back, but I felt loud and conspicuous sitting at the back of the movie theater with a goddess.
“First, feel the situation. What do you know about them?”
“Are you crazy? We just sat down; how am I supposed to know anything about them?” Even as I argued with her, I realized she was right. I did know things about the young couple. I took a deep breath and struggled to put my strange knowledge into words.
“They’re skipping class to be here this morning.” She nodded encouragingly, so I went on. “She’s never been on a date before, and she’s never done anything that would get her in trouble, so she’s doubly nervous.” I paused, staring intently at the young couple. “He’s not as confident as he looks, because even though he cuts class all the time, there’s something about this girl that he really likes. He wants to impress her, but he doesn’t know how. Skipping was his idea.”
I glanced at Aphrodite and she smiled. “Very good. For your first time, you’re very in tune with the energy and vibrations in the air.” She rubbed her hands together like some kind of super villain. “Now, Darlena, what would you do with your magic?”
I sat very still, thinking. I knew I could make the boy fall head over heels in love with his date, if I wanted. I could also make him try to cop a feel, which would make the girl dump her popcorn over his head. I shifted uncomfortably. I didn’t really like either option: they both felt so intrusive, so unfair. What right did I have to manipulate people in that manner?
I finally spoke. “I could do a lot of things. But what would I do? I think I would just use magic to bless this date, making sure they each have a great time. I don’t want to do any more than that.”
Aphrodite looked disappointed. “I had hoped you would have higher ambitions, child. I had hoped you would do something interesting. But,” she continued, “as this is your first lesson, you have my permission to practice in any way you want.”