Research

You’re sitting cross-legged on your bed, the worn comforter bunched beneath you as you scroll through your phone. The evening light filters in through the half-drawn blinds, casting a soft glow over the room. Liam sits at his desk, hunched over his laptop, typing furiously. Both of you are trying to come up with some kind of plan, any plan, to make this trial work.

Your outfit is very comfortable—an oversized sweater that drapes off one shoulder, showing the delicate strap of a bra underneath, paired with a pair of pajamas that hangs loosely on the curves you’re still getting used to. The snug fit reminds you of your changing body every time you move, and the ever-present feeling of the A-cup breasts you now have makes the thin fabric of the bra more of a necessity than a choice. Even the pajams feel different now, making you hyperaware of the body you're inhabiting. It’s been four weeks since this curse started, and yet every day, you’re still figuring out how to dress this new version of yourself.

Liam glances up from his laptop, breaking the silence. “Okay, let’s just go over this one more time,” he says, sounding as frustrated as you feel. “We need to get Marcus Chase off of Victoria Worthington, which is a pretty tall order considering they’ve been spotted together everywhere recently.”

You nod, rubbing a hand over your face, feeling the soft skin beneath your fingertips. Marcus Chase. The A-list celebrity. The guy every girl wanted. And Victoria? She’s practically untouchable. Gorgeous, rich, and always two steps ahead of anyone trying to compete with her.

“How the hell are we supposed to pull that off in one night?” you ask, half to yourself, half to Liam. “He’s already all over her. I mean, it’s Victoria Worthington. The guy has a type, and it’s not me—” You cut yourself off, shaking your head. “I mean, not us.”

Liam leans back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, clearly just as lost as you are. “I don’t know. Maybe we don’t have to make him completely ditch her in one night. Maybe we just need to distract him long enough to make him notice you. Get his attention somehow, plant the seed, and then—”

“Then what?” you interrupt, tossing your phone onto the bed beside you. “He magically forgets about Victoria because I bat my eyelashes at him? It’s not going to work like that.”

Liam sighs. “You’re right. It’s too vague. We need something more concrete. Something that’ll make him actually want to be around you, something she can’t offer.”

“Which is what exactly? Because Victoria has literally everything.” You pause, then gesture down at yourself. “And look at me! I’m still trying to figure out how to walk in heels without breaking my ankle. How am I supposed to compete with someone like her?”

Liam shrugs, clearly just as lost. “I mean, there’s gotta be something Marcus wants that Victoria doesn’t give him. Maybe we find some dirt on him? Something we can use to make him feel like you’re offering something different. Something exciting.”

You shake your head, reaching for your phone again and typing Marcus’s name into a search bar, scrolling through articles and interviews. “There’s nothing,” you mutter. “No scandals, no dirt. The guy’s clean. He’s always been this squeaky-clean Hollywood heartthrob. The worst thing anyone’s said about him is that he’s too nice.”

Liam groans, leaning forward to rub his temples. “Okay, okay. So maybe we go a different route. Instead of trying to take him away from Victoria, we find a way to make him want to leave her for you. We make him curious about you—mysterious, unattainable. Play hard to get or something.”

You glance at him, raising an eyebrow. “You want me to play hard to get with Marcus Chase?”

Liam winces. “Yeah, okay, maybe that’s not the best idea. But we need to figure out something. If we go into this without a plan, it’s going to be a disaster. And Aphrodite was pretty clear that the trials are only going to get harder from here.”

You both fall silent for a moment, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the air. You try to think, sifting through every interaction you’ve seen between Marcus and Victoria, every rumor and headline. But nothing stands out. They’re perfect together—too perfect.

“Maybe…” Liam starts, then trails off, clearly trying to think of something.

“Maybe what?” you ask, **** for any kind of direction.

“Well, it’s a long shot, but what if we find a way to get you close to him before the party? Like, maybe we cross paths with him accidentally or something. Make it look like fate or whatever. Then you’ll already be on his radar at the party, and we’ll have a head start.”

You nod slowly. “Okay… but how do we ‘accidentally’ run into Marcus Chase? He’s not exactly hanging around our campus, is he?”

Liam bites his lip. “Yeah, that’s the tricky part. But we could figure out where he hangs out before the party. Maybe there’s a way to stage something.”

“Or maybe there isn’t.” You sigh, flopping back onto the bed. “We’ve got nothing, Liam. No solid plan, no resources, and no idea how to pull this off. All we know is that I need better clothes and some kind of miracle to make this happen.”

You both sit there in silence for a few moments, the reality sinking in. You’re going into this blind, with nothing but a vague idea and the hope that somehow, things will work out. But deep down, you know that without a concrete plan, this trial could be a disaster.

After some silence and frustration, Liam finally leans back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. “Wait,” he says, a sudden spark lighting his eyes. “Isn’t this a party thrown by Dionysus?”

You glance up from your phone, where you’d been mindlessly scrolling through celebrity gossip in a half-hearted attempt to find anything useful. “Yeah, so? I mean, I guess, but... what does that even mean for us?”

Liam’s face lights up with excitement as he starts to explain. “Dionysus is the god of wine, right? But he’s also the god of other stuff too, like parties, probably.”

You raise an eyebrow, still not following. “Okay… and?”

“Well, think about it,” Liam continues. “This is his party. Even if nobody knows he’s a god, the whole atmosphere is going to be centered around what he stands for. People are going to be drunk, high, probably doing all sorts of crazy stuff. We might be able to use that chaos to our advantage.”

You sit up, a flicker of hope stirring in your chest. “Okay, that’s something. But how? I still don’t see how we’re going to get Marcus away from Victoria just because people are drunk.”

Liam grins, clearly having thought ahead. “We need to look into Dionysus a bit more. There’s gotta be something in mythology about how people act under his influence. If we can figure that out, maybe we can manipulate the situation at the party to our benefit.”

You nod slowly. “Alright, let’s do some research. Can’t hurt.”

The next hour is spent poring over mythology sites and articles, neither of you exactly experts in Greek mythology. But as you dig deeper into the lore surrounding Dionysus, things start to fall into place. Dionysus wasn’t just about partying—he was about transformation, both physical and emotional. Under his influence, people often lost their inhibitions, gave in to desires they normally wouldn’t act on, and even saw the world in a different light. There were ancient stories of people becoming completely different versions of themselves at his festivals, letting go of who they were to embrace who they secretly wanted to be.

“Wait, this is perfect,” you say, sitting up straighter as you scan through one of the stories about Dionysian festivals. “If we can create an atmosphere where Marcus starts to question what he wants—who he wants—then maybe we don’t need to **** him to break up with Victoria. Maybe we just need to plant the seed that he could want something more, something different.”

Liam’s eyes widen. “Exactly! If we can push Marcus just far enough that he starts seeing you as more than just a random girl at the party, it could shift his focus away from Victoria. It doesn’t have to be immediate—it just has to start that night.”

“And Victoria?” you ask, still thinking through the logistics. “She’s not just going to let Marcus slip away that easily. We need to distract her too.”

Liam pauses, clearly deep in thought. “Right. Maybe… maybe I can distract her? Not, like, distract her, but keep her busy enough that she’s not all over Marcus the whole night. I could talk to her, get her attention. Maybe even make her jealous.”

You frown. “How are you going to do that without making it obvious?”

Liam shrugs, but there’s a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I’ve got my ways. Besides, from what I’ve seen, Victoria’s the type who always wants to be the center of attention. If I can make her think she’s got another admirer, she might focus on me for a while and leave Marcus alone.”

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “Okay, so the plan is to use the chaos of the party to subtly get Marcus interested in me, while you keep Victoria distracted. We’ll have to play it cool, make it seem like everything’s just happening naturally.”

Liam grins. “Exactly. We need to blend in, make it look like we’re just part of the crowd, and let the party do half the work for us. Dionysus will take care of the rest.”

You nod, finally feeling like this might actually work. “Alright. We’ll need to get Marcus’s attention early in the night, though. Maybe play a little hard to get, but not too much. Just enough to make him curious.”

Liam taps his chin, thinking. “Yeah, and we should try to separate them as early as possible, before things get too intense. If they stay attached at the hip the whole night, it’s going to be impossible.”

You agree, already picturing how the night might go. You’d need to look your best, of course. You’d need to be confident, flirtatious, but not over the top. You’d have to make Marcus notice you, make him want to be around you, without seeming like you’re trying too hard.

“Alright,” Liam says, breaking your thoughts. “Let’s just make sure we have some backup plans. If things start to fall apart, we need to be able to pivot. If Marcus gets too drunk, we steer him somewhere quieter where we can talk. If Victoria gets suspicious, I’ll find a way to distract her even more. We need to be adaptable.”

You nod. “And if Marcus doesn’t fall for me right away?”

Liam gives you a wry smile. “Then we do what we do best: improvise.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “Yeah, well, let’s hope we don’t need to rely on that.”

You both sit in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of the upcoming trial hanging in the air, but for the first time, it feels like you have a real shot at succeeding.

The plan was simple enough: use the chaotic atmosphere of Dionysus’s party to create a space where Marcus might reconsider his relationship with Victoria. Play the part, look the part, and hope that the gods—and Dionysus—would do the rest.

But no matter how much you prepared, you knew one thing for certain: the trial was only going to get harder from here.