holding the apple, she glowed.”
“So we go get it,” Alcie said.
But Pandy hesitated.
Suddenly a cry went up from Thetis. Pandy couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying, but she was gesturing to the departing crowd, Hephaestus hammering away, and the three goddesses racing all over the hall. She fell sobbing into Peleus’s shoulder.
“ENOUGH!”
Those guests still in the hall stood stock-still.
Zeus was off his throne and walking toward Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
“This has gone on long enough!” he bellowed. “Everyone . . . attend!”
In an instant, all the guests who had managed to escape were back in the hall, including Ocean, dripping wet.
“This was mildly amusing for about two ticks of a sundial. Now the three of you are displaying as much selfishness and self-centeredness as I could stomach for the rest of eternity. Aphrodite . . . well, never mind.”
Aphrodite only smiled.
Then Zeus turned on Hera.
“You, wife. I expected better of you. But then, I always do and I am always disappointed.”
“Oh!” Hera sniffed.
“But Athena. You of whom I am most proud. What has become of my daughter? To be reduced to this . . . begging for favor, scrabbling about, threatening your family?”
“I don’t know,” Athena said slowly, kicking at the floor. “I just want it. Is that so wrong?”
“It is when you ruin everything around you,” Zeus said, glowering. Pandy flashed back to the first time she saw that glower, when it was directed right at her as she stood facing Zeus for the first time.
“Let me put it this way . . . and I’ll use a term that will gain popularity many centuries from now: ‘You’re bringing down the room.’ ”
Many immortals looked suspiciously at the ceiling.
“I mean ,” Zeus said with exasperation, “that you are spoiling the festivities. Destroying everyone’s good time. Forcing friends and family to make a decision that is impossible. You are all three the fairest in your own way, and your lack of confidence astounds me. Especially you, Athena . . . and you, Aphrodite. Hera . . . all right . . . not so much. But don’t the three of you think it’s odd that this apple appeared after Eris was banned from attending? Perhaps this might have something to do with her? A trick of some sort, a bit of cold revenge. Did that not occur to you , at least, Athena?”
“Maybe,” she mumbled, “but I don’t care.”
She glanced sideways at Hera, who, somehow, had gained possession of the apple, and whacked Hera’s bottom with her sword, sending the blue-robed goddess sprawling with a yelp onto the tiles. Immediately Aphrodite was on top of Hera, grappling for the shiny piece of fruit. Then Athena jumped onto Aphrodite, creating a goddess dog pile. Almost instantly they began to roll around the floor in a screeching ball of fabric and flying limbs, scratching, clawing, biting, and kicking.
“THAT’S IT !” yelled Zeus, and now a little dust did fall from the ceiling as some of the timbers and stones began to loosen slightly.
At the sound of his voice, the three goddesses found themselves at opposite points in the room, guests scattering away from them.
“I had hoped that reason and good sense would prevail, or at the very least, good manners. That whatever enchantment of desire Eris has put on this foul thing . . .”
And at this point, attempting to disguise it as a display of disgust, Zeus shifted his gaze ever so slightly in Pandy’s direction.
“I get it,” Pandy thought.
“. . . might not affect you, as immortals, as shamefully and revoltingly as it has. But I can see that I was wrong.”
Zeus strode to the middle of the room and gazed at each goddess in turn.
“You will, together, leave this place at once. I am giving you one day from this moment to prepare yourselves as you will. Don your finest robes; adorn yourselves with your costliest jewels. Hera, my little swan, you might want to moisturize. Since this inane contest is so
“So we go get it,” Alcie said.
But Pandy hesitated.
Suddenly a cry went up from Thetis. Pandy couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying, but she was gesturing to the departing crowd, Hephaestus hammering away, and the three goddesses racing all over the hall. She fell sobbing into Peleus’s shoulder.
“ENOUGH!”
Those guests still in the hall stood stock-still.
Zeus was off his throne and walking toward Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
“This has gone on long enough!” he bellowed. “Everyone . . . attend!”
In an instant, all the guests who had managed to escape were back in the hall, including Ocean, dripping wet.
“This was mildly amusing for about two ticks of a sundial. Now the three of you are displaying as much selfishness and self-centeredness as I could stomach for the rest of eternity. Aphrodite . . . well, never mind.”
Aphrodite only smiled.
Then Zeus turned on Hera.
“You, wife. I expected better of you. But then, I always do and I am always disappointed.”
“Oh!” Hera sniffed.
“But Athena. You of whom I am most proud. What has become of my daughter? To be reduced to this . . . begging for favor, scrabbling about, threatening your family?”
“I don’t know,” Athena said slowly, kicking at the floor. “I just want it. Is that so wrong?”
“It is when you ruin everything around you,” Zeus said, glowering. Pandy flashed back to the first time she saw that glower, when it was directed right at her as she stood facing Zeus for the first time.
“Let me put it this way . . . and I’ll use a term that will gain popularity many centuries from now: ‘You’re bringing down the room.’ ”
Many immortals looked suspiciously at the ceiling.
“I mean ,” Zeus said with exasperation, “that you are spoiling the festivities. Destroying everyone’s good time. Forcing friends and family to make a decision that is impossible. You are all three the fairest in your own way, and your lack of confidence astounds me. Especially you, Athena . . . and you, Aphrodite. Hera . . . all right . . . not so much. But don’t the three of you think it’s odd that this apple appeared after Eris was banned from attending? Perhaps this might have something to do with her? A trick of some sort, a bit of cold revenge. Did that not occur to you , at least, Athena?”
“Maybe,” she mumbled, “but I don’t care.”
She glanced sideways at Hera, who, somehow, had gained possession of the apple, and whacked Hera’s bottom with her sword, sending the blue-robed goddess sprawling with a yelp onto the tiles. Immediately Aphrodite was on top of Hera, grappling for the shiny piece of fruit. Then Athena jumped onto Aphrodite, creating a goddess dog pile. Almost instantly they began to roll around the floor in a screeching ball of fabric and flying limbs, scratching, clawing, biting, and kicking.
“THAT’S IT !” yelled Zeus, and now a little dust did fall from the ceiling as some of the timbers and stones began to loosen slightly.
At the sound of his voice, the three goddesses found themselves at opposite points in the room, guests scattering away from them.
“I had hoped that reason and good sense would prevail, or at the very least, good manners. That whatever enchantment of desire Eris has put on this foul thing . . .”
And at this point, attempting to disguise it as a display of disgust, Zeus shifted his gaze ever so slightly in Pandy’s direction.
“I get it,” Pandy thought.
“. . . might not affect you, as immortals, as shamefully and revoltingly as it has. But I can see that I was wrong.”
Zeus strode to the middle of the room and gazed at each goddess in turn.
“You will, together, leave this place at once. I am giving you one day from this moment to prepare yourselves as you will. Don your finest robes; adorn yourselves with your costliest jewels. Hera, my little swan, you might want to moisturize. Since this inane contest is so
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