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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things?"
Aphrodite smiled at her. Poor Athena. She'd never really had a boyfriend. Just wait until she experienced her first crush. She'd think differently then. "If the maiden feels that way, then perhaps it's only because she hasn't yet found the right youth," Aphrodite said kindly.
"But not all youths marry," Athena pointed out. "So why should all maidens?"
Poseidon thrust his trident into the air. As always, water dripped from it and him to puddle beneath his chair. "That's because many youths prefer the life of a soldier," he declared.
"That's right!" exclaimed another godboy. "War trumps marriage any day."
7
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? And which do you think contributes more to the survival of the human race?"
Mr. Cyclops beamed at her. "Good point."
Just then the school intercom crackled to life. "Attention, godboys and goddessgirls!" thundered Principal Zeus in a deafeningly loud voice. Everyone, including Mr. Cyclops, automatically reached up to cover their ears. "A special assembly on chariot safety starts in ten minutes. Please make your way to the auditorium."
Looking somewhat annoyed, Mr. Cyclops muttered something about unwarranted interruptions to class time. But then, with a sigh, he said, "All right, everyone. Please line up at the door."
Normally, Aphrodite would have welcomed a chance to get out of class, but not today. Not when
8
the topic of discussion was such an interesting one. Besides, the chariot safety assembly was repeated every year, and it was deadly dull. Who among them didn't know that racing into a turn could cause a chariot to tip over? Duh. Or that you shouldn't ever fly directly into the sun?
After the assembly, which Zeus had livened up with a real demonstration of racing chariots for a change, it was time for lunch. Aphrodite was starved. As she stood in the cafeteria line with Athena and their other two best friends, dark-haired Artemis and pale-skinned Persephone, her stomach began to rumble like a volcano about to erupt.
Her friends laughed. " Somebody's hungry," said Artemis.
Aphrodite blushed. "Yes, very." She didn't say it
9
loudly, but considering the response, she might just as well have shouted it. A dozen godboys in line ahead of her whipped around at the sound of her voice, eager to get her attention.
"You can have my spot, Aphrodite!" yelled Poseidon from ten spaces up the line.
He took a step toward her, dripping water onto another godboy's sandal-clad feet. Ares, who was the cutest godboy in school in Aphrodite's opinion, glowered at him. "Watch where you're dripping, Fishface!" Droplets of water flew as he shook one foot and then the other. Poseidon glowered back, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's.
Ignoring him, Ares turned toward Aphrodite. "Take my place," he said with a charming smile. "I insist."
Aphrodite hesitated. Ares could be a bit of a bully
10
at times, but she had to admit there was something about him she found ... well, irresistible . He was just so muscular, so blond, and so blue eyed. Smiling uncertainly, she took a step in his direction.
Athena grabbed Aphrodite's elbow. "Surely you're not going to take him up on that," she said in a low voice that Ares couldn't hear. "It wouldn't be fair to the other goddessgirls in line ahead of us."
"Oh. I guess you're right," said Aphrodite. She'd just stepped back in line when a godboy named Atlas called out. "Hey, Aphrodite! Come stand by me!" Flexing his bulging biceps, he picked up the scrawny godboy next to him and held him over his head. "You can have Hephaestus's place."
Squirming this way and that, Hephaestus protested. "Put me down, you big ox."
11
Aphrodite sighed. "For the love of Zeus! Leave him alone, Atlas."
Atlas shrugged. "If you say so." He set Hephaestus down, but not before a fight broke out between Poseidon and Ares.
"Godness!" exclaimed Persephone, anxiously twisting a red curl around her index finger. "Someone's going to get hurt!"
Frowning,
Aphrodite smiled at her. Poor Athena. She'd never really had a boyfriend. Just wait until she experienced her first crush. She'd think differently then. "If the maiden feels that way, then perhaps it's only because she hasn't yet found the right youth," Aphrodite said kindly.
"But not all youths marry," Athena pointed out. "So why should all maidens?"
Poseidon thrust his trident into the air. As always, water dripped from it and him to puddle beneath his chair. "That's because many youths prefer the life of a soldier," he declared.
"That's right!" exclaimed another godboy. "War trumps marriage any day."
7
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? And which do you think contributes more to the survival of the human race?"
Mr. Cyclops beamed at her. "Good point."
Just then the school intercom crackled to life. "Attention, godboys and goddessgirls!" thundered Principal Zeus in a deafeningly loud voice. Everyone, including Mr. Cyclops, automatically reached up to cover their ears. "A special assembly on chariot safety starts in ten minutes. Please make your way to the auditorium."
Looking somewhat annoyed, Mr. Cyclops muttered something about unwarranted interruptions to class time. But then, with a sigh, he said, "All right, everyone. Please line up at the door."
Normally, Aphrodite would have welcomed a chance to get out of class, but not today. Not when
8
the topic of discussion was such an interesting one. Besides, the chariot safety assembly was repeated every year, and it was deadly dull. Who among them didn't know that racing into a turn could cause a chariot to tip over? Duh. Or that you shouldn't ever fly directly into the sun?
After the assembly, which Zeus had livened up with a real demonstration of racing chariots for a change, it was time for lunch. Aphrodite was starved. As she stood in the cafeteria line with Athena and their other two best friends, dark-haired Artemis and pale-skinned Persephone, her stomach began to rumble like a volcano about to erupt.
Her friends laughed. " Somebody's hungry," said Artemis.
Aphrodite blushed. "Yes, very." She didn't say it
9
loudly, but considering the response, she might just as well have shouted it. A dozen godboys in line ahead of her whipped around at the sound of her voice, eager to get her attention.
"You can have my spot, Aphrodite!" yelled Poseidon from ten spaces up the line.
He took a step toward her, dripping water onto another godboy's sandal-clad feet. Ares, who was the cutest godboy in school in Aphrodite's opinion, glowered at him. "Watch where you're dripping, Fishface!" Droplets of water flew as he shook one foot and then the other. Poseidon glowered back, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's.
Ignoring him, Ares turned toward Aphrodite. "Take my place," he said with a charming smile. "I insist."
Aphrodite hesitated. Ares could be a bit of a bully
10
at times, but she had to admit there was something about him she found ... well, irresistible . He was just so muscular, so blond, and so blue eyed. Smiling uncertainly, she took a step in his direction.
Athena grabbed Aphrodite's elbow. "Surely you're not going to take him up on that," she said in a low voice that Ares couldn't hear. "It wouldn't be fair to the other goddessgirls in line ahead of us."
"Oh. I guess you're right," said Aphrodite. She'd just stepped back in line when a godboy named Atlas called out. "Hey, Aphrodite! Come stand by me!" Flexing his bulging biceps, he picked up the scrawny godboy next to him and held him over his head. "You can have Hephaestus's place."
Squirming this way and that, Hephaestus protested. "Put me down, you big ox."
11
Aphrodite sighed. "For the love of Zeus! Leave him alone, Atlas."
Atlas shrugged. "If you say so." He set Hephaestus down, but not before a fight broke out between Poseidon and Ares.
"Godness!" exclaimed Persephone, anxiously twisting a red curl around her index finger. "Someone's going to get hurt!"
Frowning,
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