'I know there's more potential in you than you know there is,' he said eventually.
There was that fucking word again. I hated it. Potential. Always so much potential, but never, ever fulfilled.
'I thought you were here to offer comedic relief,' I sighed. 'Not deep and meaningful pep talks.'
'Your wish is my command. Did I tell you about the time Dionysus tricked Poseidon into having sex with a tree?'
The rest of the day with Hedone flew by. The ball was starting at eight, and she'd packed the day with last-minute preparations. To my delight, she had decided to celebrate my human, mortal heritage by serving a feast of food from my own world, specifically New York. Hot-dogs, pastrami sandwiches, smoked salmon bagels, cinnamon rolls, powdered donuts, and more were on the menu, and for the first time I actually began to look forward to the party a little bit.
That was until I had to start practicing how to greet people. Hedone had persuaded Morpheus to assist, and he entered the grand doors of an empty dining hall over and over again for an hour, looking surprised and delighted to see me each time. My acting skills were no match for his though, and my awkward hand shakes and uneasy smiles were not up to Hedone's standards at all.
'Watch me do it, darling,' she told me patiently. Morpheus left the room, then re-entered, a cocky look on his handsome face.
'Morpheus, it's such a pleasure to see you,' enthused Hedone, stepping towards him and holding out her hand. He took it gracefully, bending and kissing it.
'I'm honored to have been invited,' he said.
'But of course you were! And may I say, you look magnificent. How are your family?' She managed to keep her voice sincere and sultry, and her eyes were fixed on his the whole time.
She turned to me. 'You see, Persephone? Don't sound bored, don't sound over-excited. Just try to be elegant, and regal. Don't shake hands, hold yours out to be kissed, like you're more important than they are.'
I frowned. This was so not my thing. Like not even close. But it was one evening, then it would be over. I could do it.
'Right,' I said.
'Always ask about their family, and never forget that flattery will get you absolutely everywhere in Olympus. Try to pick out something specific to compliment your guests on.'
'OK,' I nodded. 'Let me try again.'
Eventually Hedone decided she was satisfied with my level of 'enthusiasm and sophistication'. I felt like a total fake, but she said my carefully plastered on smile was acceptable, and I was willing to accept that she knew best. We ate a brief lunch, consisting mostly of fruit, 'so that we had room for the feast', then we went through table etiquette again, followed by socially acceptable levels of swearing. Apparently the Olympians were entirely exempt from these rules, but the rest of us were expected to abide by them.
'There is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about,' Hedone said to me as we walked back to my room.
'Sure,' I said.
'It's about... well it's about sex.' I stumbled slightly as I looked at her in alarm.
'I'm not expected to-' I started, but she waved her hands quickly.
'No, no, of course not. But you should be aware, when lots of beings with powers get dressed up and drunk together, sex is pretty inevitable. And I don't believe attitudes to it here are quite the same as you'll be used to.'
'Please tell me I'm not attending an orgy,' I groaned. Hedone gave a tinkling laugh.
'No, although they're pretty frequent too. But gods, and demigods for that matter, are very good at disappearing for a short while, then reappearing later.'
'So you're saying that if someone vanishes, they're probably at it somewhere?'
'Yes. Part of the game at these parties is watching for who disappears at the same time.'
'It sounds like bad reality TV,' I muttered. Hedone gave me a small frown, then continued.
'Zeus and Apollo are probably the worst for it, and if Hera is present it can cause sparks to fly. One of your jobs as hostess is to cover for people who have irate or worried partners.'
My mouth fell open.
'I have to cover for folk cheating on their partners? No!'
'It's all part of the politics, I'm afraid. And when Aphrodite does her thing, nobody is really to blame anyway.'
I thought about how Zeus had affected me the previous day, the desire my traitorous body had felt. Did Aphrodite do the same thing?
'Can the gods make someone have sex with them, even if they don't want to?' I asked, aware that my voice was betraying my fear. That was seriously not OK.
'Technically, yes, but it is strictly forbidden.' Some relief washed though me. 'You must remember that gods have enormous egos. Most will try to win you over. There is no satisfaction in taking something they haven't won.'
'What did you mean by Aphrodite doing her thing?'
'Ah, she would never make anyone do anything against their will,' Hedone smiled at me. 'Quite the opposite. Her presence tends to exaggerate all desires. A tiny crush or curiosity becomes heightened. Hence an increase in wandering eyes and hands.'
That sounded dodgy as hell to me, but I said nothing.
'You'll get used to our ways, I'm sure,' Hedone said as we reached my door. 'Try not to worry, and if you can, try to enjoy it.' She laid a hand on my shoulder and I felt a surge of gratitude towards her.
'Thank you so much, for all your help. You really didn't need to give me so much of your time,' I said. An oddly bitter look flitted across the beautiful woman's face.
'Time is a funny thing,' she said quietly. 'Good luck, Persephone. I'll see you tonight.'
Nineteen
'You can do this,' I breathed, brushing my hands down my skirt for the hundredth time. I was standing before an enormous stone archway sealed with deep purple drapes, and I was starting to struggle with my nerves. The memory of me clinging to the bridge, sobbing and shaking, kept interrupting my confidence, and the longer I waited the more I just wanted the big entrance part to be over and done with.
The main counter to my last public failure, and the reason I wasn't already a quivering wreck, was my absolutely unbelievable outfit. Hedone had freaking excelled herself, and I was positive that I'd never looked so good. To be honest, I probably never would again, and I was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. The dress was another fitted halterneck but this time with no plunging neckline, rather it tied around my throat. There was no back to the top of the dress at all though, the fabric of the skirt resting perfectly across the small of my bare back, then falling to the floor. The skirt itself was made up of hundreds of flowing ribbons of chiffon, all overlapping and slightly transparent, and they parted tantalizingly when I walked, showing flashes of skin and making my legs feel a million miles long. But my favorite thing about it was the color. Every ribbon making up the skirt was a different shade of green. The deepest reminded me of evergreens and Christmas, and the lightest was a powdery teal. When I moved the colors blended and merged, making it look as though the dress were alive. The bodice was white, and tiny green flowers snaked up and around my ribs, accentuating the shape of my breasts. Long, ridiculously soft white gloves covered my arms, reaching well past my elbow and making me feel Marilyn Monroe levels of glamorous.