Her Quest

Chapter two

Penelope sat on her bed and sobbed in the dark. She didn't like the effect Alex had on her and honestly, she hated herself for wanting him. Didn't like how he annoyed her so easily or how he was so open about what happened between them that night.
Penelope cursed him for telling everyone about it. The same morning after they had had sex, he'd bragged about bedding the one girl that no one else could. It wasn't like there were no hot guys that were after her, there were, but Penelope always seemed to lose interest in them. A soft knock was heard at the door.

"Come in" She said after wiping away the moistness from underneath her eyes. "Seriously Pen? You're wasting away your tears on a jerk like him?" Iaso said sounding slightly annoyed.
"I...I'm not...It's just...". "Huh-uh woman, I am your friend, I can see it in your eyes" She said and sat down beside her. Penelope sighed heavily.
"There's something seriously wrong with me, Iaso. I don't know why I keep feeling this way about him. It's absolutely horrible. Every time I think that I'm over the way I feel about him, something happens that makes me second guess my feelings towards him. Gods, it's so frustrating!".

"Wow. Ok, look, do you like him? Is that what this is?". "I don't know, ok? I just don't know". "Whatever it is, Penny, it's not healthy. Maybe you just like the idea of being with him, or maybe you think that he is what you deserve, which by the way he isn't, and deep down you know that for a fact, honey". Thoughts were swarming through Penelope's mind. She was almost sure that she wasn't in love with Alex, but then why did she feel a certain type of way when he was around? What was so special about him, that made Penelope's heart race and face flush?

"Penny? Don't think about it too much. Why don't you get that idiot out of your head and focus on your quest instead? What did the oracle say anyway?"

"Daughter of the God of forethought; thief of the flame, shall free the beloved of beauty. With rightful honour, take to His throne with claim, as if fulfilling a queen's duty. Beware the heavy price of fame, emanates the succumb of astutely."

"Honestly I don't know what half the shit means. Besides the beginning that is. And it took me three whole days in that dusty old library to figure out that the dumb oracle was talking about Adonis being the beloved of Aphrodite" Penelope said with a slight sigh after quoting the Spirit of Delphi.

"Yeah, she sure got around. And whose throne did she mean? One of the big three?".
"I guess since Adonis is in the Underworld, it would be Hade's throne? Not sure what the queen and duty part means though".

"I think we can positively say that fame will come after completion of the quest itself, when you become a household name after saving the once most beautiful man the world could offer" Iaso said and shifted her seating on Penelope's bed.
"Once most beautiful? What do you mean?" Penelope asked. "You didn't hear the story of his death?" Iaso asked and waited till Penelope was done shaking her head. "Wow, going on a quest to save a guy you have no idea of, that's surely a first. You do at least know the story of his birth though, right?" Iaso asked with raised eyebrows. "Uh...No, no, I don't"