Page 73 of The Wild Zone

Silena seemed to notice this at the same time. She snatched the glue and rhinestones away from Olympia and then looked at Harper. “You’re right, of course. Love is all about consent. But I’m pretty sure Shane does like you for you, Harper. And the more you talk to him, the less awkward you’ll feel around him.”

He smiled tightly at her. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don’t have time for romance.” He glanced up and finally seemed to notice me standing in the doorway. “I’m too busy helping my friend Katie!” He beckoned me over. “Katie, thank the gods. How can we help? Join us, please.”

All the Aphrodite kids sized me up, which made me feel even more self-conscious. They all looked like supermodels with their flawless hair and makeup—except Olympia, who was struggling to open her right eye. She’d apparently gone a little too thick with the glue.

I stood a little straighter. “Uh…hi. So I hear Aphrodite’s kids are good at charms and glamours and illusions.” I held up my scythe. “I was hoping you could show me how to make this look like Celestial bronze?”

Silena cocked her head. “You want us to make your weapon look fancier?”

I blushed. “I guess I just want to look good on the battlefield.”

The Aphrodite kids let loose a collective Awwww, like this was the cutest thing they’d ever heard.

Harper sucked in his breath. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” I asked.

Then every other Aphrodite kid was in motion. They fluttered around me, examining my clothes, tugging at my hair, checking my pores….

I thoroughly regretted my choice of words.

“We’ll start with a skin-tightening charcoal mask.”

“We want our enemies to be scared of our power, not our eyebrows.”

“I’m thinking French braid!”

“Ooh, if we’re doing a charcoal mask, we might as well do sooty eyeshadow!”

An ear-piercing whistle halted all conversation. Everyone stepped away from me. I thought maybe Silena had called them off, but she and Harper were still sitting in their places, wearing matching looks of amusement. I pleaded silently for help, but Silena shrugged and smiled apologetically as if to say You did ask for this.

Then Olympia stepped forward. The crowd parted for her like she was the ultimate authority on…Oh, gods. Surely the girl with the rhinestone eyelids wasn’t the cabin’s expert on makeovers?

She looked me up and down, both of her eyes now wide open. From a Gucci bag slung across her body, she pulled a small jar.

“Lavender-and-ambrosia mask for perpetual healing during a fight,” she pronounced, handing me the jar. “The bushy eyebrows stay—they block debris from the eye.”

I glanced upward. “I mean, they’re not that bushy.”

Olympia circled me. “Dutch braids have both elegance and a structure that allows for concealment of bigger weapons.” She reached into her bag again and pulled out a card-size plastic case filled with miniature darts, which, again, she handed to me.

“You want me to throw hair darts at people?” I asked.

“I tipped them with manticore venom.” She blinked at me, flashing her eyelid bling. “Rumor has it you have excellent throwing skills. What part of that stumps you?”

I opened my mouth, and Olympia tapped it shut.

“No sooty eyeshadow,” she said. “It would block glare from the sun, but it doesn’t create glare, and that’s what you need in combat, to blind your enemies.” She held out a hand toward Silena. “I’d like my prototypes back, please.”

Silena sighed and slid her the box of rhinestones and glue.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I backed away. “I just saw you accidentally glue your own eye shut!”

Olympia smiled. “I did use too much starch in the hydrolyzation process, but after I tweak my formula, it should work perfectly.” She slipped the packet of rhinestones into my free hand. “Just hold on to them for now. I’ll bring you the better glue later,” she promised. “As for your scythe…” She reached into her bag one last time and pulled out a compact.

I took it from her and read the label on the back. “Celestial bronzer?”

“A thin coat on the weapon should do it,” Olympia said. “Just don’t use too much, or it’ll look gauche.”