Post Chapter 1
All in all, Misha felt her adaptation to life on the Prytaneum campus had been going smoothly. Certainly, it had been easier for her to leave behind Philadelphia and her job there than for many of the others to pull up stakes. Many of her fellow Chosen seemed to have more defined occupations, though, proper careers. What did she have? A letters column which she could answer anywhere and a retail job in an admittedly adorable boutique store that kept her just below forty hours a week. Of course, she already missed some aspects of her previous life. Notices in her email inbox announced three separate auditions missed while fighting stupid metal birds in the Alps. Another email from a friend let her know about a killer party minus her presence so it could only have been mostly killer.
Chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, Misha rolled onto her stomach and looked around the room she had claimed. It was actually a very, very nice room - better than her college dorm had been even if it were as simple. A lovely queen-sized bed (she wondered how big the beds were in the other dorms or if the excessive-for-one bed was an Aphrodite Thing), a sturdy desk, a mini-fridge… A closet to die for, really. The shared bathroom even spoke of quality beyond a normal college dorm. The shower had a detachable head, for the love of Lush! With a massage setting!
She really hoped the amenities were not just an Aphrodite Thing. It felt unfair to the others.
On top of all of that, she only needed to share the bathroom with one other person. Of course, at the moment, no one lived in the other room. Misha twisted a bit to look towards the shared bathroom that separated her room from the other half of the suite. One side of the argument said that having the place to herself was delicious privacy, room to spread out and roam about and do as she liked without worrying about manners or propiety or consideration.
The other side fell more in line with acknowledging that Misha landed squarely in the “raging extrovert” category of life. Having no one around to share space and energy with on a regular basis was liable to leave here seeking people out on her own for interaction. Too much time alone left her restless and uneasy. Too much thinking, she joked but it was half true. She would have to seek out other Aphrodite Chosen before long, she resolved to herself. See if any of them wanted to be roomies.
She rolled onto her back and studied the ceiling. Who did she know that shared her Goddess? Sylvia. That was pretty much it. She had seen a couple of men briefly in the dorm but there had been no contact after that. She wondered where they went. Could someone be booted out of Prytaneum? If they failed to satisfy the God that Chose them, could someone find themselves un-Chosen? That was a sobering thought. Misha felt supremely secure in the qualities which had drawn Aphrodite to her in the first place but the idea of the future and building into a Hero role gave her pause.
Was pretty and vivacious and flirty enough when coupled with a part time job as a relationship advice columnist? Should she be considering branching out?
Misha wrinkled her nose. A major in theater did not really prepare you for this kind of thing. As it was, her column fell into her lap. Right place, right time, and a head of good sense and a talent for reading people. Plus an impressive catalog of relationship information and experience. She could only assume that was what caught Aphrodite’s eye.
That and her looks. Maybe that would be her calling? After all, she had done some local modelling back in Philadelphia. She had a half-decent portfolio of work and some downright perfect head-shots.
Laughing under her breath, Misha pushed herself upright and slid from her bed, moving to drop into her desk chair and tap a button to wake her computer up. If she was going to look at this as a new challenge, she had to check her toolbox. Or her arsenal. That was as good a word as any. A few clicks of her touch pad brought up the folder labeled Portfolio. Propping one elbow on the desk, she leaned into it and propped her chin in a cupped palm. Her free hand scrolled through pictures as she considered the variety. They were all almost a year old, though. She would need to get some updated before she shopped around for an agent.
If that was the direction she wanted to go, at least. Misha smiled a bit to herself and closed the folder. Then she adjusted her posture and brought up a browser screen. For some reason, in this moment of doubt, Misha felt a pull towards that old chat room, the one where Aphrodite first spoke to her. What were the chances that the Goddess would be hanging off and offering suggestions? Slim to none but why not?
She chuckled and started typing away. If nothing else, it was a way to stay awake, to keep out of her own head, to forget about snow and birds and choices she should never have had to make.
