by Kristie Cook
Therese perked up with renewed hope. She felt a new respect for Than’s father, and, in her mind, she prayed to him, “Thank you, Hades. That was an awesome speech.”
As he took his seat upon his throne, Hades met her eyes and gave her a subtle nod.
Zeus cleared his throat. “Poseidon?”
All eyes turned to the god of the sea who now stood before his throne. “I have nothing to add. I defer my turn to my cohort, Ares.” Poseidon sat back down.
Ares stood and said, “I see the merit in Hades’s speech.”
Therese’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She looked up into Than’s eyes, but he seemed wary.
Ares continued. “Hades agreed to make the girl a god, and his condition was that she should avenge the death of her parents. But I ask you, would that be accomplished by allowing her to simply walk up to him, imprisoned, and slit his throat? Haven’t the Furies already done the hardest part of the avenging? They have worked day and night tracking his whereabouts, and they have taken him captive. What role has the girl played in any of that? And so she walks up and cuts his throat and that merits her to be here among us gods? Any pathetic wight could do the same.”
“What do you propose?” Zeus asked.
Therese’s face fell. She looked again at Than and met his worried eyes. This was not going well at all.
“I propose,” Ares started, “that we place the two of them in a contained arena with invisible walls far from civilizations; that we allow them each the same weapons—a sword and shield—equitable in all ways; that the gods may watch and make suggestions, but not intervene; and that these two humans fight to the death. The victor lives and is set free; the loser goes straight to the Underworld, a soul among the dead.”
“That’s barbaric!” Aphrodite cried.
“Unfathomable!” Apollo shouted.
“Fair!” Hades said. “But I say let the girl choose between these three: first, set them both free to live and find their fates without interference from the gods; or, second, have me take both souls to the Underworld, neither made a god nor given his just punishment; or, last, fight the battle to the death, as Ares has suggested. If the girl chooses the latter and wins, she becomes a god.”
“Agreed!” Ares snapped, eagerly it seemed to Therese.
Than gave Therese a hint of a smile, but she could not return it. Maybe he assumed she would choose the first and live a safe, and perhaps long, life. But it would be a life without him, for her chances of finding McAdams and killing him on her own were so remote as to be insignificant. Maybe he assumed she would choose the second and go peacefully with him to the Underworld a dead, unfree, soul. She doubted he thought she would choose the third.
“What?” he whispered.
She shook her head.
Zeus then said, “So, Therese, which do you choose?”
She walked to the center of the hall and looked around at each of the gods, settling her gaze on Ares. “If I choose the third—”
“What?” Than shouted. He ran to her side. “Don’t even consider it! Therese! Listen to me. McAdams will kill you. He’s small, but stronger than you. You might suffer abominable—”
“Let the girl speak,” Ares said.
Therese bit her lip. “If I choose the third, to fight McAdams to the death, which I have a feeling is the choice you most prefer, will you swear on the river Styx to protect my aunt and all my loved ones until they die their natural deaths?”
“You have my word,” Ares said with obvious satisfaction.
She met Than’s pleading eyes. “No, Therese,” he begged. “Don’t do this. Choose the first. I’ll find a way to come back for you.”
If she chose the first, McAdams would be forever hunting her and her aunt. She didn’t want to live a life in fear. Plus, there would be little hope of killing McAdams without the Furies’ help, which meant life without Than.
If she chose the second, she would die a painless death and join her parents in the Underworld, but there would be no chance of a happily-ever-after with Than since her personality and freedom would be gone.
If she were to choose the third and die at McAdams’s hand, she would join her parents in the Underworld. And if she were to succeed in killing him, she would become a god and be with Than forever. Plus Ares would guarantee the safety of her loved ones regardless of the outcome. With the third choice, she couldn’t lose.
Her heart hammered in her chest. “I choose the third,” she said. “I choose to fight.”
Artemis and Athena lifted their fists simultaneously and shouted, with smiling faces, “Yes!”
Aphrodite covered her face with her hands and wept.
Ares smiled triumphantly.
The others looked wary, even afraid.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: More Gifts
“Then let us proceed,” Zeus commanded, lifting his arms.
“Wait!” Than objected. “Permission to speak, Lord Zeus.”
“Permission granted.”
“Both of the prisoners are exhausted and hungry. Ares will see a better fight if he permits them one more meal and night of rest.” He looked at the other gods and then back at Therese, unable to believe that it had come to this.
“Hear, hear!” several shouted all at once.
“Agreed!” Ares said. “The battle should begin in twelve hours. That will give Hephaestus plenty of time to wield two equal weapons and two equal shields all made from the same metal.”
“But before we adjourn,” Hades said, “I need clarification. Ares said the gods may watch and make suggestions but not intervene. Specifics, please.”
Everyone turned to Ares. “Yes. We need specifics,” Ares agreed. “We shall be an audience like that in the Roman coliseum of old. We can watch from our thrones and shout our suggestions and encouragement. But no gifts shall we give them! No magic help at all! We may encourage and offer guidance, but the humans must fight without magic. Are all agreed? Are these rules specific enough?”
“Hear, hear!” several exclaimed.
“Agreed!” Hades said above them all. “Now remove the net from your prisoner!”
As soon as the golden net vanished, Therese flung her arms around Than. “I’m so sorry!”
He held her tight and dipped his head to kiss her shoulder, feeling that this would be the last, the very last chance he would have to hold her as she truly was, as a full and complete being. He felt tears stinging his eyes and desperation gripping his heart. He had come so close to finding love and happiness for all eternity. So close. He would have been better to never have met her. Then he wouldn’t now be possessed by such pain and anguish.
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who got you into this disaster!” He held her more tightly. “You chose to fight to be with me. If gods could die, I would die right now of grief.”
“You have a lot of confidence in me,” Therese said.
Aphrodite’s weeping continued to sound throughout the hall.
“I’m sorry,” Than replied. “I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Of course you have a chance of winning.”
“It’s slim, but it’s there,” she murmured.
Others had gathered around them, so she lifted her face from Than’s and separated her body from his. He felt he would cry.
Poseidon spoke first. “You may sleep in my chambers, Therese. I prefer my palace beneath the sea.” He gave her a friendly smile and touched her shoulder in a fatherly way.
“That’s so nice of you,” she said meekly.
“And I will weave you fresh sheets from silk,” Athena said. “They will help you sleep.” Athena fingered the locket around Therese’s neck. “Like this gift, they are not magical, only comfortable and soothing. I will have them ready in an hour.”
It brought Than great pleasure to see the goddess’s support of Therese.
“I’m so grateful,” Therese said.
“And I will serve you a delicious, filling meal,” Hestia said, with eyes that were pools of chocolate. “Just
come to the banquet hall when you are ready to eat.”
“Thank you,” Therese said to Hestia, whose red hair reminded Than of Therese’s.
To Than, she said, without speaking, “I’m so sorry. She’s so lovely.”
“And you shall use my pillow,” Artemis offered to Therese. “It is made of the softest goose feathers.” Artemis’s evergreen eyes against her fair skin stood out like the first leaves do in the melting spring snow.
“That sounds lovely,” Therese said. “Thanks so much.”
To Than’s mind, Artemis communicated, “She is strong. Stay hopeful.”
“And I will play my lyre in my chamber beside yours,” Apollo said to Therese. “You will hear the soft lullaby through the walls.”
Than was overwhelmed by the support of so many. Apollo was a great ally, and Than would remember this.
“That would be comforting,” Therese said in her sweet voice.
Apollo’s mind was full of sympathy for Than, “Hold her while you can.”
“And I shall harmonize on my pipe,” Hermes said, “from the chamber on the other side.”
Hermes winked at her, like a kind uncle, and Than felt himself moved by his generosity.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “I’m truly grateful.”
Aphrodite wiped her beautiful eyes and said, “And I will lend you my silk eye mask. It will keep light away and soothe your tired eyes.”
Therese said, “Oh, I will definitely need that. Thank you.”
To Than, Aphrodite silently communicated, “I am full of the greatest sorrow.”
“And before you sleep,” Persephone said to Therese, “my mother and I shall bathe you in warm mineral water to relax your tired bones.”
Both mother and daughter, with their long hair of corn and their deep chestnut eyes, put a hand on Therese’s shoulders, and Than saw the family they might have made.
“That sounds so nice. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Hades took his wife in his arms and kissed her cheek. “Lovely idea, my love.”
Persephone gave her husband a smile.
Demeter asked Therese, “Would you prefer to bathe before or after you eat?”
“After, please. I have a feeling I will want to go immediately to bed after such a treat, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat.”
McAdams stood alone except for Ares, who spoke to him in quiet tones, and Than noticed Therese was looking at him with astonishingly kind eyes.
“You don’t feel sorry for the murderer, do you?” he asked softly.
“Of course not. But this doesn’t seem fair, the gods giving me attention. When I kill him, I don’t want Ares to have any room to contest my win.”
Hades put a hand on Therese’s shoulder. “The prisoner reaps the harvest of the evil character he has sown. If none help him but Ares, McAdams can only blame himself. He has free will. Ares never forced him to do his evil deeds.”
Therese nodded.
“I must return to my kingdom,” Hades said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
“I must go as well,” Poseidon said. “But I, too, will return tomorrow.”
“Goodbye and thanks again.”
Than stood with her in the great hall as the gods made their exit. He was grateful for a little more time, but the anguish was almost unbearable. He took her face in his hands and gently put his lips to hers as tears welled in his eyes and fell down his cheeks.
Chapter Forty: The Last Supper
Than led Therese into the banquet hall where an oblong table of gold with twelve matching ornate chairs stretched the expanse of the room. Unlike the assembly hall, this room did not open to the sky, and the white ceiling was trimmed in golden crown molding on which was painted a continuous grapevine. In the center of the ceiling hung an enormous gold and crystal chandelier, with five gradated layers of circular curtains made of teardrop crystals. Than pulled out a chair for Therese, and they sat together on the farthest end of the table, where Hestia now entered from another door to bring them plates of food.
“Mortals are not allowed to eat the food of gods,” Hestia said, “but I hope you will find this meal of vegetables and rice the next best thing.” Hestia laid out the food along with a basket of rolls and a cup of butter as Therese thanked her over and over. Hestia returned with cups of wine. “This will help you sleep.”
Therese ate even though she wasn’t hungry. She knew she needed to keep her strength. She was so nervous that she couldn’t really taste the food. The wine, though, tasted strong and she couldn’t decide if she liked it, but she forced the entire glass down. She wanted to sleep.
As she ate with one hand, she held Than’s hand with the other. She couldn’t touch him enough. This might be their last night together. As a soul in the Underworld without freedom and personality, she would no longer be attractive to him, and, because of the River of Forgetfulness, she would likely no longer appreciate him. Although she was frightened, she ate for strength, and she tried to savor every bite, every moment of this last meal, this final night.
“I will be there watching over you,” Than said. “I will be the one shouting the loudest.”
She gave him a brave smile. “Just think, tomorrow I may be a god like you, and we can begin our life of eternity together.”
He smiled back. “You’re right to think positive.” He stroked her hair and kissed the hand he held with his.
Therese frowned.
“What?” Than touched the lines on her forehead. “What happened to your positive thoughts?”
“I’m worried about my aunt. I wish I could get a message to her. She’ll be wondering where I am, freaking out, probably assuming the bad guys have captured me.”
“I’ve already thought of that.” He gave her a wry smile.
“What? What did you do?”
“I called Jen and asked her to call your aunt and tell her you were spending the night with her. I told Jen that you and I wanted to spend as much time together as possible before I leave. Jen was glad to do it.”
“Jen thinks I’m staying with you at the Melner cabin?”
He nodded.
“She probably thinks we’re, I mean, I bet she suspects we …”
“What?” He gave her a flirtatious smile.
Therese’s appetite returned, and she popped part of a roll into her mouth.
Before they had finished their meal, Zeus entered the banquet hall and approached the end of the table where the two of them sat. Therese worried she was sitting in his seat and started to get up from her chair, but Than, holding her hand, kept her down.
Zeus wore a robe of gold silk, and a golden crown adorned his head. His brown hair was cropped short, but, despite his beauty, his beard appeared unruly, reminding her of a brown version of the beard of Santa Clause. “I have a gift for you, too,” he said. “You are a brave mortal, one of the bravest to cross my path. If you wish, once you have eaten your fill, it would be my pleasure if Thanatos would accompany you on a ride of my most treasured steed, Pegasus.”
Therese squealed with delight. “Oh my God! That would be so awesome! Really? We can ride Pegasus? Oh, Than, let’s go! I can’t eat another bite!”
Zeus’s laughter thundered through the room as Hestia came in to clear the plates and glasses. Therese thanked Hestia once again, and then she and Than followed Zeus to the stables.
Pegasus’s coat was so white that it glowed like the headlight of a car, and Therese couldn’t look directly at it. Squinting, she reached her hand to stroke his flanks.
“Unlike the other gods, he can’t shift into a form that would benefit your eyes. His brightness, though, isn’t as bright as ours, so you can handle it, right?”
“Yes, if I squint.” She stroked his mane.
“He’s saying how good that feels,” Than translated. “Apparently he hasn’t been petted in a while.”
This made Therese that much more determined to give him a good b
rushing. She asked for a brush, and, to her surprise, Cupid appeared with a golden one. She took it, thanked him, and he disappeared.
“He’s practically purring,” Than said as she brushed Pegasus. “But don’t exhaust yourself. You have a big day tomorrow.”
“Such a kind and giving heart,” Zeus muttered. “It’s too bad. Well, I’m off. See you tomorrow. Thanatos, I trust you to bring Pegasus back in one piece.”
“Yes, sir,” Than replied.
As soon as they were alone, Than took Therese in his arms and pressed his warm lips to hers, then to her cheeks, and then her neck. A sigh escaped her, and then a moan, as desire swept through her. But Than stopped and looked at her. “I know how badly you want to take this ride on Pegasus, so finish brushing, and let’s go. But hurry. I’m jealous of the pleasure you’re giving him.”
Therese giggled and arched one of her brows.
Because Pegasus wore no saddle and tack, Than helped Therese mount his white bare back just behind his wings. Than then climbed behind her and asked Pegasus to give them a tour of the skies above the mountain range. Although Therese was excited, she recalled what happened the last time she rode a horse, and she filled with anxiety. This is different, she told herself. Pegasus is immortal and he knows what to do. I don’t have to control him.