'Top table,' said Hecate, as I moved my head side-to-side, trying to work out how they knew where to sit. 'You're on the top table.' She pointed to an oblong shaped table in the middle of the room.
'Where are you sitting?' I asked her.
'With you,' she grinned at me. 'Perks of being the boss's favorite employee.'
'Thank the gods for that,' I breathed. Having a familiar face nearby would definitely boost my confidence.
'Well done, you said gods!' Hecate clinked her glass against mine with a grin. 'We're making progress.'
'Speaking of the gods... Will they be sat at the top table with us?'
'No, they don't eat with us inferior folk. Feasting with the gods is the highest mark of respect a citizen can be given.'
'What about lunch with a god?' I asked quickly, thinking of my donuts on Zeus's mountain-top. There was no way he'd have been showing me respect, surely? Hecate laughed, presumably at the confused expression I must have had on my face.
'Don't worry, a god trying to get into your pants over a little light refreshment isn't the same. I'm talking feasting, like this, with all of them.'
'So where do they eat?' I asked as we made our way to our table.
'Who knows? Or cares?' she shrugged, pointing to a chair. I saw a prettily inscribed name card on the onyx colored plate. Persephone. Hecate moved to the other side of the table, and sat down but I remained standing, as I had been taught. I needed to greet all of my table guests.
'Persephone, it's a pleasure to meet you,' said a man, reaching for my hand. My lips parted and I felt heat rush to my face as my fingers touched his. He was gorgeous. And not mysteriously good looking like Morpheus, or pretty-boy good looking like Zeus, but panty-dropping, mouth-drooling, dizzy-making gorgeous. He was built like a football player, a white shirt emphasizing his broad shoulders, and low slung pants drawing my eyes inexorably to his hips. I dragged my attention back to his face, where his dusty blonde hair curled around his ears and his eyes shone blue.
'H-hello,' I stammered. 'Thank you for coming.'
'Wouldn't miss it for the world,' he beamed, and I swear my knees wobbled. His full lips were mesmerizing. He started to move towards a chair, but I stopped him.
'I didn't catch your name,' I said quickly.
'Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to tell you.' He gave me an apologetic smile.
'Why not?'
He shrugged.
'Hate the game, not the players,' he said with a wink. My initial captivation with him vanished, and I suppressed a growl. Now what were those bastards up to? Was this part of the test?
One by one people came up to me, kissing my hand or curtsying politely, and none of them would tell me their name. The only one of the five I recognized was the woman who was wearing the mask with the blue feather and white lace on it. I cast about for her name, but there had been so many introductions that evening that I couldn't remember it.
'Let the feast begin!' rang out a voice, and a colorful assortment of fruit suddenly appeared on all the plates. I sat down on my chair, picked the correct fork from the array available, and took a breath. I wasn't going to let my guard down for a second - something was definitely going on here.
Twenty-Three
'So,' I said, as cheerfully as I could. 'Where are you from?' I turned to the woman sitting on my right. She was pretty, like everyone at the ball, with tight silver ringlets falling about her shoulders and a flush of freckles across her full cheeks.
'Leo,' she smiled at me. Leo. That was Zeus's realm.
'Are you a goddess?' I asked.
'Everyone here is a god. Except you.' I looked across at the woman who had spoken. She was sitting next to Hecate, who was glaring at her. Her mask was black and red, bold lines breaking up the colors, and I couldn't help thinking of Mexican wrestling masks. She had a mountain of black curly hair piled high on her head, and she was wearing a ball gown that had a perfectly fitted corset to accentuate her massive breasts. It took a serious effort not to stare at them.
'What are you the goddess of?' I asked her with a forced smile.
'Can't tell you that,' she shrugged, and stabbed at a piece of salmon. We'd moved on from the fruit course. 'What is this? Is it from your crappy world?'
I felt my eye twitch, but kept the smile on my face.
'It's smoked salmon. And yes, it's quite popular in the mortal world.'
'Well, it tastes like shit,' she said.
I inhaled slowly through my nose, and turned to the only other man at the table, who had yet to say a word. He was the most unassuming person I'd seen at the ball yet. He was a normal size, was wearing a traditional style toga that didn't show too much of his chest, had close cropped brown hair and a simple silver mask with no feather or adornments. He wore an impassive expression on a forgettable face.
'Hello. Where are you from?' I asked him. He looked up at me from his food, and fire leapt to life inside me. Screams penetrated my skull, distant at first, then louder, as flames licked around my vision. Then as quickly as they'd started, the thoughts receded, leaving me with a white knuckled grip on my cutlery, and no idea what he'd just said to me. 'I'm-I'm sorry, could you repeat that?' I said, blinking, my pulse racing. Had Hades just got angry with someone somewhere? Why would that affect me if he wasn't even here?
'I'm from a place you are as yet unaware of,' the guy said, his expression still neutral but his brown eyes swirling with something seriously other-worldly. Something dark. Had he just caused that?
'Oh,' I said, unsure what else to say.
'Gods, you sound so dramatic,' the big-boobed lady said to him, rolling her eyes. The man gave a her a small smile, and carried on eating his salmon. She let out an exaggerated sigh. 'I'll level with you, Persephone, I'm a bit disappointed.'
'I'm sorry to hear that,' I said, trying not to grit my teeth. 'How can I improve your evening?'
'Well, I had hoped Oceanus would be here. There's a big gathering next week, and the rumors are that he's at the center of it all. I wanted to get some inside info.' Her eyes shone amber behind her mask, and the more I looked at them, the more annoyed with her I got.
'I would have liked Oceanus to be here too, but I'm afraid I can't control the Titans.'
'Well you seem pretty friendly with this one,' she said, jerking her thumb at Hecate.
'Wait, what?' I stared at Hecate as she swallowed her mouthful of food and shrugged. 'You're a Titan?'
The big-boobed woman snorted.
'She's one of the most powerful beings in this room, of course she is.'
'Why didn't you tell me?' I asked her. I wasn't sure why it mattered, but somehow it did. I felt betrayed, even though she had no reason to have mentioned her heritage. But the Titans were all supposed to be in a pit of torture weren't they?
'Erm, you never asked? Why does it matter?'
'Oh Hecate, even pathetic mortals from the human world know that Titans are losers,' said big-boobs. I glared at her, but Hecate coughed, and gave me a look.
'I'm descended from Titans, yes. Hades gives a lot of Titans jobs. Let's move on to something else shall we? How's your mother?' She turned to the beautiful man, who was beaming at the hot-dog that had just appeared on his plate.