by Jeny Heckman
Raven threw on some spandex, shoes, and threaded her hair into a ponytail before grabbing a water, scribbling a note to Jason, and running out the door. She felt like a naughty truant and grinned. Walking a little less than a mile, she approached Shipwreck Beach before hearing someone call out her name. Raven jumped and turned toward the speaker.
“Oh, Mrs. Taylor, I didn’t see you there.”
“What am I, an old lady? I told you, call me Dee. I’m sorry for sneaking up on you like that. I just saw you there and was about to take my own walk. Care to join me?”
“Ah.”
She wasn’t sure about joining Finn’s grandmother because she knew thinking about, rather than hearing about him, was what she needed to do. However, Raven liked Dee, separate from Finn, and that was what prevailed.
“Sure, I’d love to. How far do you go?”
“Oh, as far as the wind takes me or until I have to pee.” Dee leaned toward her and giggled, causing Raven to burst out laughing.
“Okay, show me the way, sensai.”
They walked in silence for a short time as they climbed up the trail and onto the cliffs. Raven waited for her to start matchmaking when the older woman surprised her.
“Do you know anything about Greek mythology?”
“Greek mythology?” Raven furrowed her brow. “Wow. Well, not since I took it in high school or middle school. Why?”
“Well, it’s kind of intrigued me lately, and I’ve been trying to learn more about it. There’s so many connections and people though, it’s pretty confusing.”
“Oh, well, I’d probably be able to remember some. Strangely enough, when I took the class, I got a little obsessive about it myself. The stories are pretty fun.”
“Right, that’s what I say,” Dee confirmed. “I know about the different generations, or at least I know some of the connections. What I don’t understand or one of the things I don’t understand, is their hell.”
“Their hell?”
“Yeah, there’s like levels or something, right? And Hades is the devil.”
“Oh no, Hades wasn’t the devil. He wasn’t any worse or better than any other god.” Having fun, Raven explained. “So, Hades just ruled over the Underworld and made sure no one left. He got a bad rap because people were as scared of death then, as they are now, I suppose. All that unknown.”
“Aren’t there levels in the hell or the underworld or whatever?”
“Well, I think there were separate rivers or something down there and then once you’re in you get judged by the Fates.”
“Right,” Dee said, excited. “Those are the Moirai, right?”
“Um, I can’t quite remember. That could be right. The professor just called them the Fates. And the professor said their only weakness was dreams.”
“Dreams?” Dee queried. “Why dreams?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I remember the dreamers, maybe the possibilities from dreaming, were like catnip for the Fates. It was their one and only weakness.” She looked over at Dee and smiled. “But to answer your question, the Tartarus is the level beneath everything. Where they sent the original Titans.”
Dee’s eyes sparkled like she had just confirmed something in her mind.
“Then there are levels above that, but I don’t remember all the names. One was for like ordinary people, one was for people who wasted their life, and then there was the Elysium.” Raven laughed. “The only way I remember that one is because of that beer that sounds like it. When it first came out, I instantly connected the two. “She looked back to see how Dee was doing. “Are you okay back there?”
“Oh yes, I’m doing great. It’s all so fascinating. So, the Elysium…”
“Okay, well, the Elysium was kind of the rock star place where the people that served the gods or were righteous were sent. You got to decide to stay there or be reborn, but if you chose to be reborn, your memory was wiped clean. If you achieved the Elysium a certain amount of times, you went to a special island. I can’t remember the name, but it was for the, like, one percenters of heroes or gods. Eternal paradise, like heaven. Oh wow, this is so incredibly beautiful!”
The red cliffs were like jagged pieces of stained glass. Looking down, she could see the rings of time layer them, as the waves pounded below, each spraying their mist high into the air.
“Yes.” Dee smiled. “It’s the most beautiful spot on earth.” She looked down and exclaimed, “Oh no.”
“What?”
“Someone lost a pair of glasses. Expensive, by the looks of them.” She held up a pair of light, rimless trifocals distractedly. Raven just watched her in her floppy hat and distinct muumuu and smiled.
“Didn’t you ever want to leave here, Dee?”
“How could I?” She encompassed her surroundings with her arms extended. “Like I told you before, I have it all. The sun, rain, flowers, sand, water, nourishment, and Finn.”
“Yes… Finn.” Raven continued to stare out to sea, not sure if she’d ever felt so confused or lonely.
Dee patted her hand like she understood the inner turmoil. Raven, feeling like she’d revealed too much, was relieved when the older woman didn’t question her further.
“So, do you know about the individual gods too?”
“Oh, only the main ones, and then only some. Zeus ruled everyone. Hades, the Underworld. Aphrodite was the beauty. Um, let’s see, Hera was marriage. Hermes was like the little messenger guy. Athena, wisdom. Dionysus, wine. Ares kicked ass. Artemis, hunting. I think there were some or one, that traded spots with Dionysus. One was for the hearth, and the other was agriculture.”
“Hestia and Demeter.”
“Right, then there was Poseidon of the sea, and who am I missing?” She frowned as Dee’s gaze bored into hers. The tension in the air seemed to ripple as she tried to remember. “Zeus, Hera, Hades, Hermes, Hestia.” She counted on her fingers, “Poseidon, Demeter, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Artemis—and—oh, Apollo, her twin.” Raven’s medallion heated and she felt a little charge in her fingers, so unconsciously she shook them out.
“And what did Apollo do?”
“He was music,” Raven said without hesitation.
“Music…like you?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” She giggled. “Maybe he was my million times great-grandfather or something and…” She stopped. Dee stopped too, watching her.
“And what?”
“Oh, nothing.” She laughed. “It’s just I love music, and I have a twin too. Isn’t that weird? Maybe we’re long lost cousins.”
****
Jason had been sitting at Raven’s dining table for forty-five minutes, irritated. He’d arrived at ten to find the door unlocked and a note on the counter. The message said she was taking some time, but he thought she'd stepped out and would return quickly. Walking in, he set down his briefcase, before trying her cell phone. It had been turned off, and for a brief moment he wondered if she was with Finn but thought better of it. Their night had ended rather well, and she seemed more responsive than before. In fact, he’d blown it up in his mind so thoroughly that he envisioned her as a willing participant when he stroked himself the night before. He smiled just thinking about it, then heard a knock on the door.
“Have your hands full, do you?” he asked, thinking maybe she had groceries, but when he opened the door, his smile fell.
“What do you want, Finn?” He sneered, with no attempt at civility.
“Raven.”
“Well, sorry to be the one to tell you that you can’t have her.”
He closed the door in Finn’s face with satisfaction and walked back to the table. When the door snapped back open with a bang, he jumped in surprise and yelped, instantly irritated at himself for appearing weak.
“Where is she?”
“Out.”
“Out where?”
“Look,” Jason evaded, “as much as I’d like to play twenty questions with you, I…”
“It’s one question. Where is she?�
��
“Why?”
“None of your fucking business, Dell.”
“Okay, Finn.” Jason held up his hands. “Let’s have a truce.”
“I’m not at war with you.”
“Oh, the hell you aren’t.” He placed both palms on the table to support his weight.
“Look, I know you think you have an easy mark here with her, but I’m telling you to walk away, Finn,” Jason said vehemently. “I know what you’re trying to do, but Raven and I have history. We have a career together, and you’re distracting her from her work.”
“Yeah.” Finn grinned. “It was a pretty incredible distraction at that.” He crossed his arms. “Is that what’s yanking your chain, that we fucked?”
Jason winced, then melted into a smile.
“The fact that you honestly think there’s something there, beyond a troubled woman’s rebound, is funny, yet also pitiful. That you think she’s just going to walk away from everything that makes her who she is.” He sipped from his coffee mug. “She’s a star, she’s loyal, and she likes her life or will once we define the parameters in this new normal we’re in.”
“New normal?”
“Her husband destroyed and humiliated her. And instead of hiding, we’re going to re-enter the realm as a new and improved version.”
“And you’re going to be the one that decides that, huh?”
“I understand her and this business.” He met Finn’s eyes. “I’m the one that makes this thing work. I find the gigs, and I handle the money. I manage her. And despite what you may believe, she wasn’t thinking about you last night when we were kissing.”
Jason noticed Finn’s temper flame—his hands balled into fists, and his jaw clenched. He grinned in the satisfaction that maybe, just maybe he was hitting a nerve.
“I doubt it.”
“That’s because you’re an idiot. If there’s anything I know about Raven, it’s that her music is her entire life. It’s everything she is. And if you don’t understand that, then you’ll never understand her.” When Finn rolled his eyes, Jason smiled. “Finn, you’ve already lost, and you’re too stupid to know it.” He gestured toward the door with his head. “Now, I believe you know the way out.”
Finn clenched and unclenched his jaw. He walked to the door and started to open the screen.
“Dell, ever notice how she just sends you home every night? Then maybe ask yourself one more important question. When you kissed her, did she actually kiss you back?”
Before Jason could answer, Finn walked out, letting the screen door slam.
****
The women hiked all the way to Kawailoa Bay, toed off their shoes, and sat down in the sand. Both looked out to the water, comfortable in her own thoughts. Finally, Raven broke the silence.
“So, Dee, what Greek god would you want to be?”
“Oh, I’m from Demeter, without a doubt.”
“Why Demeter?” Raven asked smiling, missing the inference. “Because you go by Dee?”
“No, because I love everything living. I can grow anything. I’m good at it, and that can be a gift. And I love that boy to death. Persephone he ain’t, but I love him as fiercely.”
“Persephone? Oh yes, Hades’ wife. That was pretty devious the way he stole her and wouldn’t let her come back.”
“Yep and her mama got so mad she stopped growing things.”
“That’s right—winter.”
“Zeus made Hades give up his wife for a little while every year in repayment.”
“Spring.”
“When all new things grow again.”
“Hmm.” Raven smiled and closed her eyes. “That’s pretty nice.” She appeared to think for a moment then asked, “So, Finn’s Persephone then? I guessed when I thought of a descendant, I just assumed they’d be the same sex, but I guess they don’t have to be.” Dee began to chuckle.
“You think Finn would come from Persephone?” She laughed harder, inciting Raven to laugh too. “Now come dear, let’s think a little harder on that one.”
Raven did for a second and seemed to realize her blunder.
“No, I guess you’re right. He would have to be from Poseidon, wouldn’t he? That was just dumb.”
“Poseidon is probably a good choice. Moody, intelligent, and loves all the little sea things.”
“Has he been that way all his life?”
“Ever since he was little. Always had that temper too, but I think it’s because he likes to be in control of his surroundings and when he cares about something, he’s passionate about taking care of it. When things don’t make sense, it makes him nervous. He needs to figure out how to make it work in his life and control it.”
“Hmm, well, I don’t know him very well, but blanket control never did anyone any good.”
“Ain’t that the truth! Well now, what about you? I feel like I chatter away and I don’t know very much about you at all. You said you have a twin. Is it a brother or a sister?”
“A brother. Wyatt. I have a sister too, but not by blood. Her name is Que, and she has a little girl named Abby. She’s my god-daughter. That’s my family back home.”
“And you miss them?”
“I do, but I’m not quite ready to go home yet.”
“Where’s home?”
“Seattle. Washington.”
"Oh, Seattle, where it’s rainy.”
“Yes.” Raven laughed. It was always everyone’s go to comment about her home city. “It can be rainy, but I heard somewhere that Kaua’i gets like the most rain on the face of the planet?”
“It can, up there on Wai’ale’ale. But Hawai’i, in general, only rains for about ten minutes at a time, and after the rain, the sun always follows.”
“Well, I can’t argue that. For us, it can last days.”
“How did you begin to sing?”
“It was instruments first. It’s one of my first memories I have with my mom and dad. Playing his guitar at a campfire, it just sorta came to me. Then in middle school, one of my friends had a violin, and I thought it was so cool. I asked her if I could try it and she laughed at me, saying it was incredibly difficult to learn. I picked it up, and, I don’t know. It just came easily too.”
“Is your brother musical too?”
“Wyatt?” Raven laughed. “Oh God no. He’s a rugged man’s man kind of guy. He hunts and fishes and stuff. He’s a forest ranger and survival expert.”
“A forest ranger.”
Dee felt another piece of the puzzle drop into shape and tried to see how it looked in the big picture.
“Your parents must be so proud of all your success. Did you go to a special school for music?” Dee asked.
“No.” Raven’s vision darkened like shutters levering closed. “My parents died when I was young. My brother and I were raised by foster parents that went on to adopt us.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry about your folks. How wonderful you found another family, even if it probably wasn’t the one you wanted. So, your adopted parents kept you in music?”
“No, there wasn’t a lot of extra time or money for things like that. Well,” she said, glancing around in discomfort, then standing up. “We have a little trek ahead of us, do you want to head back?”
The older woman accepted the subject was effectively closed. After all, she understood the pain of losing someone you loved the most and decided to allow Raven her privacy.
“Absolutely. And Raven?” The young woman turned to look at her. “I’m so glad you recognize music as a gift. I want to hear you play sometime. Live and in person, I mean.”
“I can sing you something right now if you sing it with me.”
Dizzy with joy, Dee grabbed her hand, and they began to sing about dreamers imagining a world in peace.
****
By the time Raven returned home, the evening had settled into darkness. She and Dee spent the entire day talking about music and gardening. They spoke about Finn as a little boy and her time on Kaua’i. Raven connec
ted with her in a way she might with her own mother or grandmother if she’d had one. The singer talked about her family, even giving their emergency contact numbers at the older woman’s insistence, should something happen to her while on the island. And they talked about Greek mythology.
After parting ways, Raven walked home, fearful she would find someone on her porch. When she didn’t, she sighed with relief and turned on her phone. Several messages were from Jason, and one was from Finn. She listened to Finn’s first.
“I came by your place today. I thought maybe we should talk at some point. I hope you’re out enjoying the island. Give me a call when you want.”
Simple, direct and to the point, where every call from Jason seemed more and more frantic and angry. She texted him back.
I needed to do my own thing today and think some things through. Hope you can understand. Talk more tomorrow. Going to bed. Night.
Turning her phone off immediately, in case he called back, she decided not to respond to Finn at all. She hadn’t the slightest idea what to say.
Chapter 19
Jason stayed almost a week longer before returning to Seattle to put the finishing touches on Donovan’s benefit being held at the Tacoma arena. Raven drove him to the airport and turned her cheek as he moved to kiss her goodbye.
“See you in about a month?”
“Yeah.” When he smiled at her, looking like he expected more, she simply said, “Have a safe flight, Jason. Give me a call when you land.”
“I will. Let’s finish up this recuperating and moping and get back to work.”
He turned without even waiting for a response, picked up his suitcase, and walked into the airport. She stared after him, mouth slightly open, then turned to look straight out the front window with the same expression, feeling like a scolded child. She put her tongue in her cheek and narrowed her eyes, as a flicker of irritation sparked. Just a little spark, but it ignited.
On the drive home, she stopped for a latte and poppy seed muffin, but when she walked through her front door, her eyes fell on the piano. Dropping her breakfast and purse on the table to be forgotten, she sat down at it and began to play, compose, and sing.