Free Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) by Joan Holub Page A

worried look on his face.
    Some of the students in the crowd dashed after them, wanting to see what else would happen. The rest left
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    in groups, busily discussing the merits and drawbacks of this surprising new romance. Aphrodite sighed with pleasure. "I don't think I've ever made a more deserving match." Feeling more lighthearted than she had in days, she bent to pet Artemis's dogs and didn't even mind when Suez slobbered on her hand.
    Later, the four friends walked past the sports fields at the edge of campus, down to the Supernatural Market, where they bought some snacks to share. On the way back they wove silly spells together and made candies and chips dance in the air. The hounds were delighted, especially Amby. Ears flapping, he leaped to snatch the treats and quickly gobbled them down.
    "Anyone want to race?" Artemis asked as they came even with the track field.
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    Persephone giggled. "Not without my winged sandals."
    "Have you ever seen anyone who could run as fast as Atalanta?" Athena asked.
    "Well, Ares is pretty fast," said Aphrodite.
    The other girls looked at her, as if surprised she could still say something nice about him. She shrugged. "It doesn't mean I'm still crushing on him. But you know he's won the footraces in every Olympic games since first grade."
    Artemis nodded. "True. But do you think he could beat Atalanta?"
    "Maybe," Aphrodite said. Then she grinned. "Especially if Medusa was chasing him."
    Laughing, the goddessgirls reached the courtyard. As
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    they passed a group of godboys at the base of the granite stairs, all heads turned to look at Aphrodite. "Hey!" yelled the centaur from Mr. Cyclops's class, the godboy she'd made blush only a few days ago. "Will you dance with me at the school party this weekend?"
    "Hold on! I was going to ask her!" Poseidon chimed in. "Me too," said another godboy.
    Artemis rolled her eyes. "Looks like things are pretty much back to normal," she whispered.
    "One of these days you'll find out what it's like to crush on someone," Persephone teased.
    Athena nodded, grinning. "I'd like to see that!"
    "Hey!" said Artemis, looking a little worried. "Aphrodite doesn't need any more matchmaking ideas."
    Aphrodite cocked her head. "Sure I do." Then she smiled over at the hopeful centaur. Yes, boys could be
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    annoying, but some of them were also sweet. "I'll dance with you," she said. "Are you any good?"
    The godboy grinned. "I think so." He stamped his hooves.
    "Don't believe him!" Poseidon yelled. "Can't you see he's got two left feet?" The boys started laughing and began good-naturedly tussling on the ground.
    Athena shook her head at their silliness. "Godboys will be godboys," she said dryly.
    "You can say that again," Artemis agreed.
    Persephone grinned. "You can't take the boy out of the godboy that's for sure."
    "And would we really want to if we could?" asked Aphrodite. Then she called out, "See you at the dance, guys!" Her smile dazzled the entire group, leaving them all rooted to the spot with their mouths hanging open.
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    "Like I said, looks like things are back to normal," Artemis teased. Persephone and Athena grinned.
    Aphrodite laughed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." Linking arms with her friends, the four of them climbed the steps to the academy's front doors.
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    ON SILVER-WINGED MAGIC SANDALS, ARTEMIS zoomed through the Forest of the Beasts, her feet gliding just inches above the mossy forest floor. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," she singsonged under her breath.
    Dodging tree trunks and ducking under low-hanging vines, she listened carefully for any unusual sounds. Her keen dark eyes searched the dense woods. Her favorite bow--its limbs made of curved, polished olive wood--was at the ready. A tooled leather quiver of arrows was
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    slung across her back. She could pull one out and have it nocked and aimed in a split second, as soon as it was needed. Behind her, Artemis heard Athena whizzing along in winged sandals