“Why can’t I just leave the things I won’t wear here,” I wanted to know.

  “You can but that’d mean you’d have to crossover all the more often. It’s not a big problem, but with a boatload of bad luck someone might just realise. Not worth the risk. Once a week is enough. We can spend two days every week in here to get you started on the runes. Which means your weekends will consist of four days from now on. Get used to it. Oh, right, sleep. You’ll probably sleep quite a lot in the coming week. Afterwards it’ll be more of a luxury rather than a necessity. I don’t think you’ll even realise, life long habits are hard to break, but you don’t have to sleep anymore. You should, though. It’s quite healthy. To be honest you slept almost twelve hours a day before… you know.”

  “My life must’ve been incredibly demanding,” I mumbled as I read the description of a gown. Resistant to spells and nigh indestructible. Can mimicking the appearance of anyone you’ve touched while wearing it. Interesting.

  “Well, lolling around in bed is sort of your job description,” she chuckled. “But I get your point. It might have been a bit… misleading,” she added with a heavy inflection that made me perk up. Was she trying to tell me something she wasn’t supposed to? Oh bother, even if she was, she wouldn’t explicate. “Anyways, if you don’t need me I’ll return.”

  “Return? Return to where,” I murmured distractedly as I skimmed over another piece. A set of rings that could be used like shackles, even suppressing most mages.

  “The core of your power, your heart if you so will. I’m bound to it. Once you’ve advanced further we can go there but for now that’s just a pipe dream. If you need me, say your name. The old one. I’ll hear you.” I looked up from the screen, even though there was no one to focus on.

  “Why would you even want to go back? I don’t get it. Can’t you just stay with me?” She took a while to reply. Was she embarrassed?

  “I’d like that, but it’s an unnecessary risk. I can stay until Artemis arrives but I’d rather not be around when you meet her. She’s the hunter. She might…I don’t know, pick up my scent? You can call me once you’re back home or she’s gone. You know how.” Her words barely registered as I skimmed over an extensive collection of lacy lingerie, the effects ranging from the already mentioned invisibility to a dimensional storage. I whistled softly, the sheer number of matching bras and panties was astounding, but then I stumbled over a pretty peculiar detail.

  “That looks like a Victoria’s Secret collection… and those are jeans. I’m sitting at a PC. Aphrodite, even if I’m a goddess, how could I create something that hasn’t existed 100 years ago? That no one had ever thought of?”

  “You didn’t,” she explained, “the spells are your doing, the artefact Hephaistos’. It’s not really a computer, that’s just a feature. The thing is synchronising with you constantly and picks quite a few details from your mind, making it easier to use. If you were to open the cases below the desk they’d be filled with bronze wires which are connected to an Archimedes’ sphere. That’s the actual artefact.”

  “And the chair,” I blabbered and swivelled around to emphasis my point.

  “Similar idea different implementation. In reality it’s the interface that connects you to the sphere. As soon as you get up the machines will power down. As for the clothes, they’re just what you think of as stylish. There should also be a classical section somewhere but I guess you won’t have a need for a chiton anytime soon.”

  “I see,” I mumbled while I pressed print all. Why look at a picture when you can touch the real thing? Behind a silk screen to my right, depicting a blooming rose, a faint clacking noise, accompanied by a pink flash of light, resounded, followed by the thuds of soft, light objects hitting the floor in rapid succession. Printing an entire wardrobe had taken about as long as thinking about it.

  Apples, I thought as a faint, sweet smell tickled my nose. I shrugged out of my blanket and peeked around the screen, the corners of my mouth raised in an expectant grin. Jesus Christ, even my mom’s wardrobe paled in comparison. Mulberry-Silk panties, Cervelt coats, Vicuna dresses, Guanaco jackets, baby cashmere trousers, spider silk shirts, brocade gloves… the list went on. But Evee, you paragon of fashion sense, I hear you ask, didn’t you just wear a blanket of woven light? And you’d be correct, but that one I had picked from a pile, those had just appeared out of thin air. Plus, aside from lingerie I highly doubted that I’d get away with something as conspicuous as a jeans made of sapphires or a jacket woven from water. These on the other hand… maybe not everything was as bad as it seemed.

  “Oh my, judging from your grin you haven’t changed that much,” Aphrodite chuckled. “You can store the bunch in… ah, you’ve figured it out. Get dressed, then. If you still want to meet Sparkles we should get going.” I nodded absentmindedly as I pulled the softest sweater I had ever worn over my head. It even smelled a bit different, mystical, ethereal, like a sunrise over the Aegean Sea. And it came with a hood. Grinning, I put on dark silk pants over a black thong and made the rest vanish into my multifunctional underwear. Comfortable, sexy and useful. I could even feel the clothes I had stored away and the enchantments placed on them. I only needed to concentrate and the corresponding piece would directly appear, either in my hand or on my body. My new job definitely came with a few perks. If it ever came down to it it’d become the world’s best smuggler.

  For now I was equipped with something I proudly named seven miles socks, a lacy storage thong, a bra that allowed me to hover, black camouflage pants and a cream coloured sweater that made kevlar seem like plasticine. There was also a set of soft, high heeled leather boots, which, as far as I could tell, simply looked good and gave me another few centimetres of height.

  My loquacious, imaginary friend wolf whistled when I spun on the spot, my heels clacking loudly on the rocky floor. “You look great, but you should really stop hiding your figure. It doesn’t suit you. Now then, that’s more than enough for one morning, don’t you think? Later today we should have a close look at google maps and I’ll tell you where you’re never going to go again, maybe even why, but for now you should return home… and talk to your sister.”

  “What about Sparkles,” I immediately interrupted.

  “Are you stalling? Is the mighty goddess afraid of being eaten? Don’t be, it’s fun.” I rolled my eyes, a gesture that demanded much more confidence than I had felt in hours.

  “I’m still hoping that the other half of people looking after me has a better sense of humour.”

  “Touché. I wasn’t joking, though. Your call. He’s probably asleep. You can wake him up now or wait for the next time.” Inadvertently I stuck my tongue out and grinned.

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  “Waking him up sounds good. And well deserved.” She snorted.

  “I’m curious how enthusiastic you’ll be once you’ve seen him. Dragon, remember? Size of a train? He makes Smaug look like a cutie pie. But sure, go ahead. The other door. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She fell into an expectant silence and I… I was starting to brim with curiosity.

  Once I had taken the first tentative step towards accepting this lunacy as my new life I had felt a bubble of excitement slowly grow in the pit of my stomach. By now I was feeling less like a frightened victim of chance and more like a child whose mother had just told them that tomorrow they’d be visiting Disneyland for the very first time. Worse. To stay within the metaphor, once I straightened and marched towards the exit, pocketing a single, ancient Drachme on the way just for the hell of it, it seemed like mum had just parked the car near the bustling entrance and the wonders of a fairytale like world were slowly appearing before me.

  A smile spread inexorably across my face as my addled brain boiled down the last hour of insanity into three simple facts. The two smartest, prettiest and toughest girls I knew were in love with me, the world was chock full of magic and I had every opportunity to explore it for years to come. Fine, on the other hand I was a freak who might or might not get killed by her ovaries, but, on the whole, living through a ramped up version of puberty for the rest of my life seemed like a pretty paltry price to pay in comparison. Heck, even if I had had the choice, I probably wouldn’t have turned down the life of a goddess. Despite the gruesome fate that was destined to befall every mortal who strove for eternity. I was too old to believe in every legend I had ever heard anyways… sweet irony. Luckily, if the legends were true, I wouldn’t have to worry at all.

  The heavy door opened silently and I quickly pushed through the atrium, my eyes darting to my statue for half a heartbeat. “Don’t expect a prayer,” I grumbled under my breath. “I’m not that narcissistic. But thanks, I guess. In comparison to most stories I’ve read I got off easy.”

  “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched,” Aphrodite taunted, “let’s revisit this topic in a week or so.” I barely felt the fabric of my clothes move against my skin when I turned, my heels surprisingly quiet on the polished marble.

  “Can’t be too hard to keep my virginity, can it? I’ve managed…”

  “Doesn’t count. Like I said, you were a dry alcoholic. Now you’ve had a taste. Just a taste. Can I interest you in a wager?” I cocked an eyebrow even though I wasn’t sure if she could see me.

  “What kind?”

  “It’s Thursday morning. I bet you won’t make it through the weekend without bedding one or both of them. Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose yourself, but, unless the two of them are much more in control than they have any right to be, you’ll need me before the end of the week. Here’s the deal: if you manage to not have shared a bed with either come Monday, I’ll let you choose the spells I’m going to teach you for a year. If you fail, you’ll let me make the decisions when it comes to any other relationship, but those two. How about it?” I was practically giddy by now and felt somewhat… coquettish. Funny, that. In a way it was as if someone had flipped a switch. The longer Aphrodite’s preposterous revelations had had to stew, the more… wondrous, the more rapturing it all seemed to me. Through a soft laugh I replied:

  “Hmm, what’s that saying again? Quid pro quo? I’m fine with my stakes, but yours seem kind of lame. But that you willingly offer to let me run down any path, even the wrong one, tells me how likely it is that I’ll succeed. In case I surprise you I want something of equal value. In case I win I’m going to decide our relationship. Whether we’re friends, student and mentor, or something more.”

  “We already are,” she chuckled. “I know you must feel really confident right know, at least if that spark in your eye is any indication, but I think I’ll have to douse these newfound flames. Two things. One, I’m a spell, your spell. Take your arrogant aspirations of grandeur and shove them up your arse. They’ll be more useful there. Two… Mathew. That was his name. Or have you forgotten how you’ve ended up here? Evee… you might start feeling like a goddess, especially with another night of sleep, but you really aren’t. You’re a child. An endangered, hunted child and I’m your lifeline. I’m all for you having as much fun as you can, I want you to enjoy, to love life, but never, under any circumstances, should you take me lightly. I’m… so much more than a mentor or a friend, even without you making it weird.”

  “A simple no would have sufficed,” I huffed, but I already knew that she was right. Paradoxically I didn’t feel ashamed, not even embarrassed, which was a first for me. Additionally I heard myself say without ever realising that I had opened my mouth: “still, now you can gain something from it. Sooner or later, it’ll be my choice anyways.” I clasped my hands over my mouth instantly. Not because I was actually perturbed by what I had said, but rather because my sluggish mind was finally catching up. A kid had died. A kid my age had been killed. And I was flirting. I was fawning over magic and clothes. What was wrong with me? Stupid question… again.

  “That’s the spirit,” Aphrodite mocked. “A bit more and you might eventually convince yourself. Until then I think we’ll stick with me making fun of you, you’ll only embarrass yourself if you try to switch it up.” I nodded self consciously, my mood somewhere between the former bouts of exuberance and plain fear. Oh boy, my emotions were turning into a rollercoaster. “You’ve ruined it,” she continued, “but I’m still willing to make that wager. No changes, though. Are you in or out?”

  “Monday morning? What if I simply lock myself in my room for a few days?”

  “You’re very welcome to try, but it won’t matter. Who do you think will look after you?”

  “Are you that afraid that I might fall for someone else immediately? Besides, what makes you think I’d listen to you, even if I lost?”

  “I have my ways. Stop stalling. Yes or no?” I had meant to agree from the very beginning, but not for the prize. I actually meant to lose. Having someone else control the brakes seemed like a pretty solid idea over all. And Aphrodite was many things, but a nun she was not. If she didn’t want me to engage with someone, there’d be a very good reason. Not to mention that the thought of having to deal with two girls, when I had never before had even the chance to worry about one, was more than enough. From my point of view she was actually doing me a favour.

  I nodded: “sure. Monday morning.” A peculiar sensation, almost as if an idea had struck that I couldn’t quite grasp, came over me, followed by her muffled reply:

  “You’re going to do everything in your power to turn me into a sleep deprived zombie before the week ends, aren’t you?”

  “If I can. You said it yourself, you’ll keep me safe and now it’s time to pay the piper.” A smile of triumph tugged on the corners of my mouth as I came to a halt in front of my former bedroom door. I took a deep breath and placed my slender fingers on the applewood handle. With the gentlest push it opened and revealed a gargantuan, antique boudoir, complete with a massive four poster bed and heavy, pink curtains. On the silken covers a behemoth of a man lay naked, snoring in all his archaic glory. If he had stood, he’d have towered above me by more than a head and I was already pretty tall. Not to mention that his arms were about as wide as my thighs, the muscles underneath his pitch black skin gleaming in the soft candlelight.

  My gaze roamed over his bare, massive, tattooed chest and down his inked abdomen, but then I froze. My muscles contracted as an ugly snarl split my face, my hands balled into fists, and a surge of heat thundered from my heart and into my veins. From a distance, muffled as if underwater, I heard Aphrodite’s frantic screams, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My gaze was glued to his enormous, erect sex and a single, irresistible thought drowned my mind: fight or flight. Otherwise that thing would hurt me. A warm breeze wafted through the chamber, amethyst light dripped from my eyes like water and then the hulking giant of a man blinked sleepily.

  Anger, fear and desperation flooded through me in rapid succession and I just about managed to stop myself from gagging. Instead I raised my hand, my fingers curled into a claw. A deep, dangerous hum filled the room, but then something changed. From far I heard the howl of a wolf and the smell of the forest enveloped me. Silvery light danced across my skin as a warm presence pushed against my mind. The next second everything went black.