Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) by Joan Holub Page A
Authors: Joan Holub
Tags: Fiction, General, Children's Books, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Social Issues, Love & Romance, Children: Grades 4-6, Girls & Women, Friendship, School & Education, love, Schools, Legends; Myths; Fables, Social Issues - Friendship, Legends; Myths; & Fables - Greek & Roman, Gods; Greek, Mythology; Greek, Greek & Roman, Beauty; Personal, Goddesses; Greek, Aphrodite (Greek deity), Atalanta (Greek mythology)
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treated other people's things was important. "Well, this won't wash out!" She pointed to the rip under the arm.
Athena squinted at the hole. "I'm sorry, but really, that hole is so tiny I didn't even notice it. No one else will either."
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"But I'll know it's there!" Aphrodite exclaimed. She wouldn't be able to wear the chiton again without worrying that someone would see the rip.
"I said I was sorry," Athena said with a frown. "Maybe you shouldn't have loaned me your chiton if you were so afraid I'd ruin it. It wasn't my idea to get dressed up and go to that party!"
"Oh, really?" Aphrodite huffed. "Well, you certainly seemed to enjoy yourself once you were there, with all those godboys hanging on your every word."
Athena blinked, looking shocked. "You're jealous? Of me? I thought you hated all the attention you get from those godboys."
"That's not the point!" Aphrodite snapped in confusion.
Athena rocked back in her chair. "Then what is?"
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"I--I don't know!" Aphrodite exclaimed. Suddenly, all the fight drained out of her. She sagged against the edge of Athena's desk. She didn't really care about the chiton--she had dozens of them. Athena was right, she was jealous, and it was time to set things straight.
"Listen." Aphrodite took a deep breath. "Back in the olive grove? I was telling the truth. I really didn't follow you. I was there before you--with someone."
"Oh," said Athena, her eyes round with surprise. "Hephaestus?" she guessed.
Aphrodite nodded. "When we heard someone coming, I made him leave. I wanted to be with Ares. But when I saw you'd come with him, I hid. I didn't mean to spy. It just happened."
"Ares doesn't like me, you know," Athena said quietly. "He never really did. It's like you said: Just
118
because a boy fusses over you, it doesn't mean he's in love with you."
Aphrodite blinked. She had said that, hadn't she? But it wasn't always true. "What do you mean? He's been ignoring me since the party. He only wants to talk to you!"
Athena shook her head. "He was never interested in me. He just heard about Athens and everything, and he wanted me to ask my dad to name a city on Earth after him ." She paused. "I honestly thought you knew. I thought maybe Ares had talked to you, and together you'd come up with a plan for how he could get me to do what he wanted."
Aphrodite drew in her breath. "I'd never do that to you," she said. "But that sounds like Ares, all right!"
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Now that she thought about it, she remembered him telling Athena that he wouldn't mind having a city named after him. Humpf . Ares hadn't been very nice to Athena. Or to her , for that matter. But had she treated Hephaestus any better? she wondered guiltily. In their own ways, she and Ares had both behaved badly. Why did relationships between godboys and goddessgirls have to be so complicated?
"You know," Athena said thoughtfully, "I was perfectly happy before the makeover. And I'm not really interested in having a boyfriend--at least not right now. I agreed to the makeover only because I thought I could learn something from it that would help me out in Beauty-ology." She looked down at her lap. "I'm not doing so well in that class."
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"Really?" Aphrodite put a hand on Athena's shoulder to comfort her. She almost sounded as if she were going to cry again.
"I got a B-plus on my project in Beauty-ology!" Athena blurted.
"Is that bad?" Aphrodite asked uncertainly.
"Are you kidding? It's my first B-plus ever!" Athena sounded devastated. "I've never even made as low as an A-minus before!"
"Oh," Aphrodite said, surprised. Then she remembered all the times she'd seen Athena studying the blue Beauty-ology scroll lately, and the questions she'd asked about different cosmetics, clothing, and hairstyles. Beauty-ology was second nature to Aphrodite. She'd aced it every semester since first grade. She'd never
121
considered that the class might be difficult for someone who wasn't as well versed in the subject as she was.
"Do
Athena squinted at the hole. "I'm sorry, but really, that hole is so tiny I didn't even notice it. No one else will either."
116
"But I'll know it's there!" Aphrodite exclaimed. She wouldn't be able to wear the chiton again without worrying that someone would see the rip.
"I said I was sorry," Athena said with a frown. "Maybe you shouldn't have loaned me your chiton if you were so afraid I'd ruin it. It wasn't my idea to get dressed up and go to that party!"
"Oh, really?" Aphrodite huffed. "Well, you certainly seemed to enjoy yourself once you were there, with all those godboys hanging on your every word."
Athena blinked, looking shocked. "You're jealous? Of me? I thought you hated all the attention you get from those godboys."
"That's not the point!" Aphrodite snapped in confusion.
Athena rocked back in her chair. "Then what is?"
117
"I--I don't know!" Aphrodite exclaimed. Suddenly, all the fight drained out of her. She sagged against the edge of Athena's desk. She didn't really care about the chiton--she had dozens of them. Athena was right, she was jealous, and it was time to set things straight.
"Listen." Aphrodite took a deep breath. "Back in the olive grove? I was telling the truth. I really didn't follow you. I was there before you--with someone."
"Oh," said Athena, her eyes round with surprise. "Hephaestus?" she guessed.
Aphrodite nodded. "When we heard someone coming, I made him leave. I wanted to be with Ares. But when I saw you'd come with him, I hid. I didn't mean to spy. It just happened."
"Ares doesn't like me, you know," Athena said quietly. "He never really did. It's like you said: Just
118
because a boy fusses over you, it doesn't mean he's in love with you."
Aphrodite blinked. She had said that, hadn't she? But it wasn't always true. "What do you mean? He's been ignoring me since the party. He only wants to talk to you!"
Athena shook her head. "He was never interested in me. He just heard about Athens and everything, and he wanted me to ask my dad to name a city on Earth after him ." She paused. "I honestly thought you knew. I thought maybe Ares had talked to you, and together you'd come up with a plan for how he could get me to do what he wanted."
Aphrodite drew in her breath. "I'd never do that to you," she said. "But that sounds like Ares, all right!"
119
Now that she thought about it, she remembered him telling Athena that he wouldn't mind having a city named after him. Humpf . Ares hadn't been very nice to Athena. Or to her , for that matter. But had she treated Hephaestus any better? she wondered guiltily. In their own ways, she and Ares had both behaved badly. Why did relationships between godboys and goddessgirls have to be so complicated?
"You know," Athena said thoughtfully, "I was perfectly happy before the makeover. And I'm not really interested in having a boyfriend--at least not right now. I agreed to the makeover only because I thought I could learn something from it that would help me out in Beauty-ology." She looked down at her lap. "I'm not doing so well in that class."
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"Really?" Aphrodite put a hand on Athena's shoulder to comfort her. She almost sounded as if she were going to cry again.
"I got a B-plus on my project in Beauty-ology!" Athena blurted.
"Is that bad?" Aphrodite asked uncertainly.
"Are you kidding? It's my first B-plus ever!" Athena sounded devastated. "I've never even made as low as an A-minus before!"
"Oh," Aphrodite said, surprised. Then she remembered all the times she'd seen Athena studying the blue Beauty-ology scroll lately, and the questions she'd asked about different cosmetics, clothing, and hairstyles. Beauty-ology was second nature to Aphrodite. She'd aced it every semester since first grade. She'd never
121
considered that the class might be difficult for someone who wasn't as well versed in the subject as she was.
"Do
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