Aphrodite sauntered through the rooms with brows drawn in a together on her forehead.
"You two don't want to leave because you promised some commoner you'd babysit her?"

Eros nodded.
"We like Agnes, Deedee."

"Even you, Adris?" Her tone taking a higher pitch of surprise and another.

"She's fun. You'll like her when you get to meet her."

She groaned at his response.
"Besides Deedee, you will just leave me alone at the foot of the mount, at least here I'd have something to do."

"Adris can stay but Eros, you have no choice. You're needed. We can come back for Adris after."

"Tell them you couldn't find me." Eros said and took a seat beside Adris.

"And give Hera and Athena ammunition to  belittle me? Forget it."

Eros kicked the air. "Adris should be a god already."
He should be a part of their family, but he wasn't. And times like this made him sorely aware of the fact of his position.

"Soon." Aphrodite promised both her companions.
Soon wasn't soon enough. Centuries had passed and he'd relied on special ambrosia to keep his mortality at bay.
Aphrodite's lips lingered on Adris', meeting his eyes in the proximity.
"Don't miss us too much." She smiled squeezing his thigh before she vanished with Eros in tow.

He was greeted by Agnes's mischief on arrival.
"Adris, wow! The sun dost shine upon thine face and I'm blinded by the beauty that must be from the stars."

"My heads telling me to get back on my chariot and run."

She wrapped her hands around his arm,
"Why would you want to do that o most helpful one? I have something fun we can do?"

He couldn't help his smile. Finally with a defeated sigh, he asked,
"What fun thing should we do?"

"Press the olives. You know, toiling the milling stones helps build muscle? Imagine how much more attracted be you'd be to the human race."

His index finger pushed her head back.
"Don't test your luck, maiden."

"Fine! My grandmother doesn't want me to idle my life away. So she had me pick wild olives at dawn."

Adris rolled the cloth aside, "We're doing what I want after this."

"Anything." She smiled as she got the station prepared for him then she went to boil the water and clean the basins.

"Isn't this fun?" She laughed adding more olives.
"You can't say you've ever done anything like this."

"Actually I can. A long time ago. My uncle was a great merchant he has my mother and I do odd jobs around the house for money."

"Oh." Her hands dropped the olives back in the basket.

"It's not as sad a memory any longer. Rather boring now."

"I like boing stories."

He rolled her eyes at her.

"I never mentioned that? Well I'm telling you now." With the basket between her legs she squated.
"Where was your father?"

"He was traveling. He couldn't care about my mother or me. My uncle actually helped us out even though we worked with the servants I still acknowledge the help."

"Like grandmother."

Adris paused his work.
"Not like your grandmother. My uncle wasn't verbally or physically abusive. Even then we still left when we had enough to build our own lives."

"But you had your mother. Both my parents are dead. I have no one but her."

Adris watched her eyes drift away and glisten with the unshed pain of her situation.

"The smell of olives is making me sick."
He took her hand and dragged her to the cage riot and the horses galloped like the wind. She held on to him for dear life her screams mingled with laughter them howls.

"Do you want to steer?" He yelled.

"Are you crazy? No!"
She gripped him tightly making him laugh harder as he slowed down.

Agnes jumped up breathless with wide eyes . "Can we do that again?"

Adris cocked his head as a slow smile crept on his mouth.
She had an adorable child-like side revealed in her breathlessness and wide-eyed glee.

"Unless you'll lead the steed." Adris offered the reins.

"I can't." She said. "I don't know how to lead or ride a horse."

Adris placed the reins in her hand and stood behind her.
"Look, we have something to do after all."

She snapped the reins and held her smaller hands in his and guided her.
She trembled in his arms.
"Don't worry, I got you."

She seemed to calm considerably.

"Now I'm going to let go." His hands left hers and she pressed her lips occasionally looking at him with shaking pupils.
"Eyes on the road. You're doing well."

Adris latched to the sides when she suddenly picked up the sped.

"Whoa." She successfully brought them to a gallop and then a complete halt.
She skipped out of the chariot laughing and applauding her accomplishments.

"Did you see that?"

Adris nodded, "you should enter the games."

"I don't think I'm that good. Maybe after more turns. Ah but the grandmother would have my head."

"Do what you want. Be selfish."

Her hands ran through her big tangled hair.
"Sometimes I want to so I dare to dream about another life. In a different place... sometimes a different skin."

"There's nothing wrong with how you look."

She passed him a unbelieving look.
"You're a good liar."

Adris frowned.
She wasn't ugly. She just wasn't ordinary.
He'd spoken the truth and he meant it.
Everything about her was unique and not as as he'd labeled it when he'd first seen her.
There was something about her that had him taking more than one look.

"I didn't lie."

Her throat worked and he could see her mind racing.
She didn't believe him. She wouldn't believe anyone who told her otherwise and that was her truth.
He got back on the chariot and helped her into it.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see when we get there."