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?What I think is beautiful is very different from what even my
twin would think is beautiful because we?re all turned on by different
things,? Ariadne explained bluntly for her.
?That?s right,? Cassandra said.
?But why a girdle?? Helen persisted.
?You have to remember, a few thousand years ago girdles were
considered very attractive, but they were also a form of protection
for the wearer. Some even had bone or bronze plates in them, like
lightweight armor,? Castor explained. He looked remote, though,
not his good-natured self. ?But there were two parts to the cestus.
The girdle itself, and its adornments. It was the adornments that
made the goddess irresistible to whomever she wanted to seduce,
and they had the power to change to suit the tastes of whoever was
looking at them. Time passed and girdles fell out of fashion, but
the transformative magic of the cestus is still the same. It can become
whatever you need it to be to make yourself more attractive,
Helen. And all these years you?ve only needed it to be a simple
necklace.?
?I?ve always loved it,? Lucas admitted softly. ?The way it falls into
that place.? He touched the dent at the bottom of her throat for the
briefest of moments. ?I think it?s perfect.?
Helen could see a hot flush wash across his cheekbones, but he
kept his eyes down, conscious of the fact that everyone was staring
at them with worried frowns. Castor especially looked so stricken
he could have been at a funeral.
?What I don?t understand is why are we all noticing it now? It?s
like it just got charged with love mojo in the past few days or
something,? Jason mused to no one in particular. Then a thought
occurred to him and he looked from Helen to Lucas, then away.