The funeral was a quiet affair - I won’t write about it here because I don’t want to start crying again. Suffice to say, after it was over Anteros followed us without saying anything. Her face stayed the same throughout the trip back - on the way into the driveway at Fowl Manor I realized it resembled one of the granite statues guarding the gate.

She made a point of ignoring me as Butler unloaded her bags from the back of the Bentley. Butler looked at me and glanced at the one bag left on the ground, then at An. I took the hint and the bag, and followed them up.

Her room was right next to mine. On one hand, I would know where she was most of the time. On the other hand, she could sneak into my room in the middle of the night really easily. I made a mental note to lock my door tonight.

Helping out by bringing up her bag didn’t really do much as far as putting me in her good books. She ignored me as thoroughly as she ignored everybody else in the house, except for murmuring a quiet “Thank you” to Artemis before sitting on the windowsill in her room for three hours.

Three Hours Later

“An!” I called up the stairs.

“What?”

“Dinner!”

She reappeared out of her room and descended the stairs gracefully. Now, why can’t I ever do that?

Dinner was an interesting affair. Artemis and Minerva asked An the usual questions about school, hobbies, allergies, and grades. I sat next to her, totally ignored and loving it. Butler had cooked some special form of chicken – all I knew was that it was chicken and it was fried. I loved it.

Eventually, Martimas (as I had decided to call them) decided we wanted some alone time to talk to each other about “whatever it is girls talk about these days” (Minerva’s words, not mine). And so, they excused themselves and took dessert into the Middle Parlor.

“So…” An started slowly, picking at her food.

I waited for her to finish, knowing anything I said could and would be used against me later.

“…do you like it here?” she finished, not looking up.

I waited again, to see if she was really asking or just making conversation and didn’t really want to know.

“It seems very nice,” she stated, her eyes wandering around the ornately carved woodwork. I waited again – this was becoming a very one-sided conversation.

This time she didn’t say anything. I said, hesitantly, “It is very large,” preparing myself for the venomous glare she then threw at me.

“Sweet Diana got a nice large mansion, aren’t we all happy.” She said, her voice mocking and yet humorless.

“That’s not what I said.” I told her, trying to keep my voice steady, and very nearly failing.

She ignored me. “Diana, goddess of wisdom! And, what do you know, the daughter of Minerva, and Artemis, both other goddesses of wisdom!” I could practically hear Artemis wincing in the other room.

“And then there’s me. God of rejected love. Why, we’re just a giant royal frickin’ family, aren’t we? Except, I’m not part of the family, right, Di? I’m the dog that gets offered the bone, then has it snatched away and given to the dog I thought was my friend!”

“None of this is my fault, An.”

“No. Of course it’s not your fault. Let’s see… ‘Oh An, you look just like them!’ ‘Oh An, I’ll really miss you when you’re gone!’” Her voice became sarcastic, “’Oh An, it’s me they want! So sorry, try again next time!’”

“I never said that.”

“It’s not like that matters, is it? You stay in the background, cheering me on, then stab me in the back and waltz right into what was supposed to be my life!”

At this I stood up, knocking my chair over backwards. “Goddamnit, An! Do you think I actually wanted this? Right now I’m the idiotic daughter of two geniuses, and no one in school talks to me cause they think I’m a spoiled little brat! I get nagged on about my grades, I can’t wear anything that doesn’t have a collar or is made of denim, and the only people in this house that actually care what I think are the manservant and two dogs! So just stop your little An pity party, cause it’s not going that far with me!”

An stood up too, matching me glare for glare. “You hypocrite! You tell me all about your petty problems, then tell me not to worry about mine cause yours are more important! Isn’t that just classic Diana!”

“And what are your problems? You didn’t get your dream life? Is that it?”

“My mother just fucking died, Diana.”

…

Oh, God of the awkward turtles.

I sat down. So did she.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I—”

“Forgot?” she sneered. “Is that it? You forgot?”

I didn’t say anything, just stared at my food. An angrily scrubbed at her eyes, but tears came down anyway. I felt horrible.

“Let me know when I’m wanted, Highness,” she told me, using the nickname she made up years ago, for when I was ordering her around or she was mad. “Your servant will be awaiting your command.”

Tossing her black hair over her shoulder, she left the room with her head held high. As soon as the door closed behind her I could hear her footsteps running up the stairs, and the sound of a slamming door.

Butler came in holding a tray of desserts. I was the only one left at the table. He looked around, looked at me, put two pieces of cake on the table, then brought the tray out to Artemis and Minerva.

I looked at the cake, sighed, and started the long journey to An’s room. It seemed like I had to do a lot to get back in her good books. Of course, the fact that I kept offending her probably figured into that as well…

 

Some other stories by Salali:

• Goodbye
• Enemy of Old
• 100 Years
• The Daughter of a Legend
• The Fisherman's Tale

Skip to chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4,