Greek Times for a Future Girl

The Big Kiss

"You okay?"

I blinked when I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. "Hmm?" 

I looked and saw Hercules standing behind me with a worried look.

"You seem mad." he pointed out.

I guess I was still pretty upset with Hades from the night before, so I didn't even notice that I still bore the look of anger on my face for the entire time I was at school. Had Herc not pointed it out, I probably wouldn't even notice until later. Although now that I think about it, a bunch of the other students had been avoiding me all day with looks of fear, so that probably explains that.

"I just had a fight with my uncle last night, that's all." I explained.

"What was the argument about?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's not important." I shrugged it off with a lie while the two of us then entered the cafeterium for our daily school meal.

"Well, maybe you'll feel better about the Pyanepsion tonight." Hercules suggested as he handed me a lunch try.

I blinked in confusion upon accepting the tray. "The what?"

"The harvest festival tonight?" he reminded me in a tone that was curious as to how I should've known what that meant.

"Oh! That! I knew that." I lied as I grabbed myself some fruit and a chicken leg.

"So, do you plan on going to the festival tonight?" Hercules asked as he got his food.

I paused to think for a moment. "Yeah, I don't think my uncle has any plans for me."

"Great! Maybe I'll see you there." Herc smiled.

"I like it." I smiled back as we sat down at a table.

"So... Hercmeister, Ari-girl, you guys goin' to the big Pyanepsion tonight?" Icarus asked as he joined Hercules and I for lunch.

"Oh, you bet! I love harvest festivals!" Herc nodded.

"Yeah, ditto for me!" I said, and no that wasn't a lie. 

Back home, my mom and I used to make homemade apple cider for my school's annual Harvest Day Celebration, and I always had fun memories of those, even if most of them involved me being bullied by my classmates with their vicious practical jokes.

"Well, you ain't seen a Pyanepsion till you've seen a big-town, Athens-style Pyanepsion!" Icarus told us excitedly.

"Sounds awesome." I added as I popped a grape into my mouth.

"Hercules! Aria! We have to talk!" the -shockingly- worried tone of Cassandra's voice called out as she walked towards our table.

"Oh, lovey-kins!" Icarus greeted Cassandra with a smile. "Ya ever see a guy bring up a whole-fig smoothie through his nose? Please, watch."

Because I care about you all, I'll spare you the details of him snorting up his smoothie up his nose because -yeah, it was pretty gross and I definitely looked away, but I don't know if it was that that was scaring Cassandra or something worse because she kept staring at him in utter horror.

"Cassandra, you're white as marble. What's up?" Herc asked upon noticing Cass' terrified look.

"Yeah, it looks like you're gonna throw up." I said, equally as concerned.

"I can't tell you. Not here." she whispered to Hercules and I as she took us away from the lunch table. 

Before we left, Cassandra turned back to Icarus. "Icarus, will you excuse us?"