Aphrodite by Kaitlin Bevis

and in top health. Way back when humanity had no clue how their bodies worked, much less the knowledge or resources to take care of themselves, it made a pretty notable difference. Now—” I shrugged. “Not so much. Of course you’d outpace me. You’re taller, you have a more muscular build, and you dedicate a ton of time keeping yourself in great shape. Plus, you’re a demigod. That gives you a boost anyway.”
    A smile played on Adonis’s lips. “Whatever. I outran a god today. I’m just gonna bask in that for a bit.”
    “Bask away.” I waved my hands, as though granting him permission.
    After we got cleaned up and ready, we made our way down to the conference rooms on the other side of the ship. Adonis kept up a steady stream of playful banter, but there was an undercurrent of aggravation to it. He didn’t want me here. I couldn’t blame him for not being thrilled with having a shadow at work. It couldn’t have been fun to be locked in his room all night, or facing down angry sea deities on my behalf. Whatever alcohol-induced warmth existed between us last night had fled in the harsh light of day. But at least he was making an effort to be civil rather than openly hostile. Two steps forward, one step back.
    As soon as he walked through the door of the conference room, a woman came at me with a make-up brush. “Oh, I don’t need makeup,” I said.
    She smiled in a way that looked decidedly unfriendly, her teeth glittering against her dark skin. “You’re the new girl, huh? The one added to the shoots after all the clothes and supplies were packed and loaded onto the ship, completely screwing up any semblance of order we might have experienced for the rest of the week?”
    I flashed my teeth at her, taking in the small mirrored room as another woman directed Adonis to a chair next to Elise. “That’s me.”
    At the sound of my voice, Elise opened her eyes. “Really?” she said, turning to Adonis. “Tell me you two aren’t here for the deodorant shot.”
    “Nah, clothing,” Adonis replied. “We’re in conference room C.”
    “Well, princess,” the makeup technician said, drawing my attention back to her, “you may not need makeup day-to-day, but if you don’t want to look like a bleached-out spirit dragging Adonis off to the netherworld, then you’re going to stand still and let us do our work.” She looked me up and down, her eyes narrowing in appraisal. “Let’s see what we’ve got in your size.”
    Over the next half hour, they poked, prodded, and painted me while I tried not to seethe at the insult.
    Worse, they completely ignored me. The makeup artists chatted over my head about the shift in the schedule as they curled my eyelashes and filed my fingernails.
    “I’m just saying, it’s not his call,” one said, spritzing my hair with something that smelled like citrus.
    The other looked up from filing my nails. “Might as well be. Have you ever heard anyone say no to that man?”
    “Are you talking about Narcissus?” I hadn’t sensed any power coming from the demigod, but their description sounded an awful lot like charm.
    “Don’t move, dear.” The stylist yanked at my hair, working the citrusy stuff into the curls.
    “Forget about Narcissus.” Elise studied me in the mirror. “Do you have any idea what you’re walking into?”
    “Adonis,” someone called from the other conference room. “We’re ready for you.”
    “You mean, am I ready to stand around and have my picture taken?” I craned my neck to keep Adonis in sight as they whisked him away.
    “Stay still. ” A woman with bobby pins sticking out of her mouth snapped, yanking my head back into place.
    The woman with the makeup brush tilted my head toward her and the two kept touching me, crowding me, nudging me this way and that. I gritted my teeth, swallowing hard as familiar feelings uncoiled in my chest.
    Anxiety. Fear. Panic.
    But these were just humans, and I was a goddess. Getting worked up over this