The jolt awoke her.

She’d managed to drift off into a lovely, peaceful sleep, even though chaos was unfolding around her.

She was sprawled across the back of the chariot, resplendent in her finery, save for a greasy mark down her front and hair that really was unbecoming for a Goddess of her stature.

She stretched, and realised she was alone in the chariot.

Her travelling companions had deserted her and the four white horses in the middle of…

Aphrodite looked around.

She had been left stranded in the middle of a car park.

A crowd had gathered around her. Children were petting the horses, which were far larger than the horses they were used to. Adults were taking photographs of the chariot, and, Aphrodite noticed, her.

Her attention was brought to the stain on her chiton; people were pointing. She looked down, and noticed she was completely naked from the waist up. Her chiton had slipped off.

She brought one hand across her chest, so her arm covered the majority of what the bystanders were looking at, and she instantly adopted the classic Goddess pose.

“Who does she think she is?” Scoffed one of the crowd.

“She looks like one of them Roman statues!” shouted another.

“I must get a garden gnome!” shouted a third.

Aphrodite frowned.

The cry of “I want her!” removed the frown from Aphrodite’s brow. The crowd rushed towards her, chanting “Get her… Get her!”

A hand grabbed her arm, but Aphrodite realised nobody was that close to her just yet. Another hand grabbed her other arm. She started shaking.

The heavens opened, and a torrential downpour of rain caused the gathered mob to flee, yet Aphrodite was still being shook.

All around her lightning was crashing to the ground, sending mounds of earth and rocks high into the air.

“Wake up!” She heard. It was Athena. Hera was steering the chariot.

Aphrodite opened her eyes, and looked down immediately. She was fully clothed, although the dreadful stain was still on her front. She was getting wet, the storm had gotten worse.

Athena had climbed into the back, and was now sat next to Aphrodite.

“Don’t think you’re sleeping while we’re going through all of this!” Athena said as she pointed all around.

Aphrodite sighed. “Couldn’t possibly…” she said, with an air of relief. “Are we there yet?”

This is the next part in my Legendary Circles storyline. The previous part can be found here.