Greek Times for a Future Girl

The Tiff on Olympus

Hercules' POV

Icarus and I were still pretty shaken up about what we found out about Aria on Saturday. It was hard to swallow the fact that Aria had been working for Hades the entire time we've known her, but something didn't add up. Usually when people want to work for Hades, they're willing to sell their soul to him if they just want something important done or if they'd get out of something they didn't really want, like how Cassandra tried selling her soul to Hades to get out of kissing Icarus. But the way Aria looked at us when we found out the truth, I could tell that she didn't have any choice to sell her soul to him. I could see it in her eyes. There was more to her than we thought.

When we got to school the following Monday, Aria kept herself far away from me in our classes and during passing periods. As if she didn't want to talk to me about what had happened or was scared of what I would say to her. And while I wanted to get those answers while still respecting Aria's space, Icarus was still mad about her deceit.

"I just still don't believe that our friend, Aria, the one we could tell all our problems to, and she'll help fix them in many ways possible, was actually a deceitful scorpion who's working for Hades!" Icarus yelled as we were on our way to Phys Ed.

"Icarus, don't say that." I told him. "I'm sure Aria had a good reason to work for him. We just don't know the whole story."

"Herc, she works for the evilest person in the cosmos. What excuse is there?" Icarus said dramatically. "I rue the day I trusted such a she-devil."

"Don't be like that." I scolded him. "We're still her friends. We should at least ask her why she wanted to work for Hades."

I looked up for a brief moment and saw Aria standing just ahead of us. Looking really upset, but I couldn't blame her. She had a lot on her shoulders.

"There she is!" I pointed out, but just before I could run up and talk to her, Aria looked at me in horror and ran away. 

I stopped in my tracks when I saw what had happened. Knowing that what happened Saturday really did a number on Aria. She never ran away from me before. I guess she couldn't really face us after we found out her secret.

Aria's POV

I ran as fast as I could away from Hercules, making sure he wouldn't follow me. I got lucky when I hid behind the Home Greconomics classroom and he ran by, not noticing me hiding there. But I didn't want him to see me. I didn't want anyone to see what I was going to do right then and there after hearing my former friends say such hurtful -yet truthful things about me: Break down in tears behind the Home Greconomics building.

I ruined everything. All I wanted while I started this stupid quest was to have an adventure and make friends. I never asked to be stuck working for Hades or having to lie about everything or to find some stupid secret about my stupid dad. At that moment, I just wanted to go home. I wanted to leave this mess behind and never come back. I was done being some chosen person in a prophecy.

"Aria? Are you okay?"

I looked up with watery eyes and saw Helen standing next to me with a worried look on her face. I didn't know how she found me, but nonetheless, I started crying again.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." she cooed as she sat next to me.

"Helen, I... I did something terrible." I sobbed.

She gently put her arms around me for a soft hug. "Tell me everything."

I didn't know if it was because I was already so guilty or if I just needed to get it off my chest, but Helen's kindness towards me caused me to spill out what had happened. And not just what happened in Briarius' valley, but everything that I ever did while stuck in Ancient Greece. But the way Helen listened to my story, she didn't look at me in horror or hatred, she just looked at me with the same kindness as before. I said it before about her, and I'll say it again: She was the kindest popular girl I'd ever known, and she was a good friend.