“Not the entire campus,” Arjun corrects. “The amphitheater and a few other key buildings stay the same to give you something to navigate off of.”
“Who cares?” Fifi rolls her eyes. “The point is everything else is going to be in a different place every day. Isn’t that fun, Ellie?”
Everything changing every day with nothing consistent to count on? “Fun” is definitely not the word that jumps to my mind.
Terrifying, maybe.
Torture, definitely.
But fun? No, not really. Especially when I think back to how I almost had my coin today, and then the whole wing of the museum moved and I ended up in the middle of the forest. Again.
I don’t say that to them, though. Considering the way they’re grinning, they won’t hear me anyway—at least not until it happens to them. I do, however, gently remind Fifi, “My name’s not Ellie. It’s Penelope.”
“I don’t think so.” She purses her lips as she thinks about it for a few seconds. “No, Ellie suits youmuchbetter.”
“But that’s not—” I break off as hoots and hollers come from the older kids as they make it to the top of this giant hill/mountain we’re climbing.
Where Aphrodite Hall must be waiting.
Knowing we’re almost there must give everyone the extra shot of adrenaline we need, because suddenly we’re all hauling butt up the hill. Even Fifi, with her three suitcases and two backpacks, is laying on the speed.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she gasps out as we close in on the top of the hill. “I mean, I’ve seen pics from Charlie and Levi, but—”
Apparently, whatever is up there has the power to render her speechless—who knew that was possible?
And then it’s my turn, and as Aphrodite Hall finally comes into view, I can absolutely see why even Fifi ran out of words. It’s the most bizarrely beautiful and fantastical looking building I haveeverseen.
17.What in the Wind???
THE ENTIRE PLACE IS Afull-frontal assault on the senses, and I have absolutely no idea where to look first.
At the massive rose garden that surrounds Aphrodite Hall like an ancient moat—complete with every color rose imaginable, including ones I’m pretty sure don’t exist anywhere but here?
At the seven-story-high building whose walls and windows and different levels of roof ebb and flow like waves in the ocean?
At the wildly patterned tiles that cover the entire exterior in varying shades of red and pink and gold and black and white?
At the elaborate ironwork that makes up balcony railings and roof guards and window boxes blooming with even more roses?
Maybe I should start with the half dozen star-shaped towers spaced out like sentinels along the roof of the wavy, M-shaped building? Or the delicate wind chimes that hang from nearly every window frame?
Or thegiant, tie-dyed, hollowed-out applethat connects the two different sides of the rose-garden moat and that everybody has to pass through in order to reach Aphrodite Hall?
If someone had asked me to picture a building made up of nothing but imagination that is both beautiful and completely impractical, I still don’t think I would have come up with anything likethis.
I mean, how could I when I never imagined a place like this existed outside of fairy tales?
I glance at Fifi and Arjun, and they both look as shocked as I feel—though Fifi also looks like she’s dying to dive into the place. And to be honest, I’m right there with her! Just because my whole life has been grounded in Athena practicality doesn’t mean I can’t be totally mesmerized by the bizarre beauty that is Aphrodite Hall.
In fact, I can’t imagine anyonenotbeing mesmerized by it.
“I can’t wait to see our floor!” Fifi takes off running—or as close to running as all her bags will let her.
Arjun and I race after her, along with the other first years. As we do, every gust of wind brings the scent of flowers and the sound of chimes tinkling.
By the time we hit the edge of the very elaborate rose garden, Dr. Dione, Levi, and several other upperclassers havepositioned themselves behind the four long tables in the courtyard.
“First years, please check in at each of the tables,” Elysia calls through a megaphone as she paces in front of the table in a bright pink Aphrodite hoodie. “Everyone else should already have their room assignments. The welcome party commences at five o’clock on the rooftop.”
