I’m lying on a chair in front of the resort’s crystal-clear heated pool. The view is relaxing. You can see the whole coastline and the beach beyond the pool. For me, Greece has always had an air of antiquity, of history, that gives you a strange feeling but in a good way.
My grandpa is lying next to me, and Claudia is standing next to him, picking up his medicines from a table under an umbrella. She’s wearing a red bathing dress that matches her hair and a see-through dress that barely covers her.
“I think I’ve had enough,” Grandpa says, grunting and starting to get up. Claudia and I move to help him, but Grandpa gently loosens my grip on his arm.
“Ares, son, I can still walk alone,” he tells me.
I raise my hands in the air.
“I got it.” I watch them cross to the glass doors, and the sound of a text notification catches my attention. I grab my phone, but there’s nothing. I haven’t heard from Raquel in hours. And shit, I’m so out of focus.
I called her to wish her happy New Year when midnight arrived in Greece, but after that I haven’t heard from her, not even when midnight arrived in North Carolina. I’ve sent her messages and I’ve called her, but there’s no answer. Is she still asleep? Even though it’s already three o’clock in the afternoon here, it’s still early in the morning there.
Another notification sounds, but my cell phone is in my hand, so I know it’s not mine. It’s Apolo’s phone on the chair next to me. He’s in the pool swimming, which has always been his thing since he was little. I stare at his phone screen, amazed at the number of notifications he’s received from Facebook. He’s never been very active on it, but the notifications aren’t stopping. I walk to the edge of the pool with a towel and his cell phone, bending down to pass them to Apolo as he emerges from the water, shaking out his hair.
“Your cell phone is going to explode,” I say. Apolo gives me a confused look.
“My cell phone?”
“Since when have you been so active on Facebook?”
“I’m not.” Apolo sits on the edge of the pool, puts the towel around his shoulders, and shakes the water off his hand before grabbing his phone. I sit next to him because I have nothing better to do now that the witch is ignoring me. Apolo moves his finger over the screen of his phone, and I see his expression of confusion growing.
“Oh shit.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask. As if my cell phone wanted to respond, the bombardment of notifications starts on mine as well. I’m about to check when Artemis materializes beside us. He doesn’t look at all cheerful, hovering over us, and he’s holding his cell phone in his hand.
“Apolo.” Artemis grunts, and I see my younger brother lower his head. “Why did you upload that picture without permission?”
I stare at both of them. “Which photo?”
“I didn’t think this would happen. I only have acquaintances on my Facebook,” Apolo explains, but I still don’t understand.
“Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”
Artemis bends and puts his phone screen in front of my face, showing me the picture we took that morning of the three of us by the pool in shorts and sunglasses, all of us shirtless. That we’re related is obvious, and I’m not ashamed to say we look great.
“Someone stole Apolo’s Facebook photo and posted it on a Facebook page called ‘Hot Guys,’” Artemis explains.
“The photo went viral and has a ton of likes,” Apolo says, sounding genuinely surprised. “And the comments are still—”
“In the comments all those women planned to find us,” Artemis interjects, giving Apolo a murderous look. “Somehow they did because I have over two thousand friend requests and counting.”
Checking my phone, I realize that I have a lot of friend requests and private messages from strangers too.
“Relax, Artemis,” I say, trying to calm him down. “It’s a nuisance, but look on the bright side, free publicity for the Hidalgo Company.”
Artemis gives us one last glare before going to lie on his chair. He still doesn’t look happy, but, well, happy has never been his strong suit either.
“Did you read the comments?” Apolo asks, absorbed by his cell phone. Filled with curiosity, I open the post and start scrolling. I have to stop because the comments are getting dirtier and dirtier. Wow, it’s amazing what people can say without even knowing us.
I feel myself being stared at, so I look up and meet a pair of very pretty gray eyes across the pool. A black-haired girl and her blond friend have just stepped into the water on the other side. It’s not the first time I’ve seen them since we arrived at the resort two weeks ago. Apolo follows my gaze.