~Hidden In Plain Sight~
“Dude, I’m telling you, you’re gonna love this place!”
Seth was walking backward to face me as we strolled down the city streets, almost stumbling over an uneven slab of pavement. I roll my eyes.
“Man, you know I’m not into the bar hopping scene. I have to coach tomorrow morning, as well.”
“Look, one drink, and if you’re not enjoying it, we can dip. Ok?”
I let out a long, arduous sigh. I know he won’t let up. I give a short nod and he claps his hands, picking up the pace.
It isn’t long before we arrive: an annoyingly bright purple and pink neon sign displaying the name: Mount Olympus. I roll my eyes at the naming.
We step in, and I immediately notice an air of… sleaziness to the bar. Red velvet seating, dim lights, slow, melodic jazz. I take a seat beside Seth. The bartender is facing away from us, mixing up a drink into a cocktail shaker with deft precision.
“Welcome travellers, won’t be but a moment, friends.”
His voice is warm, inviting… familiar. I squint, eyeing the bartender closely… it can’t be…
He whips around, and I nearly fall out of my chair – his full, defined cheekbones, olive skin, tussled hair, supernaturally purple eyes. Dionysus. My half-brother.
He seems to recognise me too, as his shock causes the shaker in his hands to fly backwards, reverberating against the metal shelf it hit in midair.
We stare for a moment, Seth slowly raising an eyebrow.
“Woah, Aurora… you two… know each other?”
“Nope!” We both say in unison.
Seth looks unconvinced.
“Right. Well, I’m heading to the bathroom, be back in a sec.”
As soon as he leaves, we lean in close to each other.
“What the hell are you doing here, Brother?! bartending among the mortals?!” I seethed.
He squints at me, gritting his teeth.
“Firstly, it’s half-brother, and secondly, I could say the same thing! Does father know you’re hanging out with mortals, Artemis?”
I lean back, running a hand through my swept back, dirty blonde hair.
“No. And he doesn’t need to. We’re both adults here, let’s just… forget about the others. Oh, and by the way, really creative with the name.”
Dionysus cracked a smirk, standing back upright.
“Father may be the king up there, but within the walls of this mount olympus, I have final say.”
I cross my arms, mustering the strength to avoid rolling my eyes at his clearly rehearsed speech.
~
It’s later now, the crowd has thinned, even Seth went home. I’m playing with the straw of my drink, chuckling at a comment Dionysus made.
“Wait, so you’re actually smuggling ambrosia off the mountains and adding it to these cocktails? Man, no wonder this place is popular. Haven’t had a good drink since I came down here.” I reply, my speech slurred somewhat as I sway from the intoxication. Not much could get a god like us drunk – but ambrosia certainly does so.
“Dad forbids the use of our magic down here, but he never forbade the use of magic drinks.” He replies, polishing the final glass and loading it into the dishwasher.
“It also helps my clientele. The moment they take a sip their stress is gone, they’re happy and giddy. I don’t allow negativity in here.” He adds, exiting the bar to join me on the stools.
“I must admit, the idea is pretty ingenious. Maybe we don’t give you enough credit, Dion.”
He smiles, his perfect teeth glinting in the ambient glow of the bar.
It soon falters as we feel a hand on our shoulders. We slowly turn.
“Having fun, you two? Sorry to put a damper on things, but father would like a word…”
The menacing smile of our half-brother, Ares, cuts through our good mood like a knife through butter. We both sigh. It was fun while it lasted.