Paul was very proud of him, and so were Hailee, Lukas and Melissa, and even Hermes, holding on to little Edward, who looked at John, when all the others waited what Hera would say.
Hera spoke: 'I choose to live. Please save us.'
The ringing voice said in their heads: 'And so you win, John. May you rule wisely, but also have a lot of fun. We will miss you, though.'
And Zeus said: 'Well said, my son. I hope I still have a chance to become one of your friends. When will you come back?'
'We will come with you straight away, for one week, to save what needs to be saved. Then we go back one week to say goodbyes and arrange for seeds to be sent over, and pick dates for visits.'
Then his face fell and he started to weep openly, embracing all his friends, and saying: 'I don't want to leave you, I love you all so much. Can I give little Edward just one more kiss? I can't wait a whole week. And I'll miss my bicycle so much!'
Chapter 37
Paul understood that John needed to go back immediately, his people needed him now, not in a week. As Hailee went upstairs to the apartment to pack some necessary items, Paul went into the kitchen to make a packet of tea and of coffee to take along.
Meanwhile, Zeus wanted to meet his great-grandson, who was still very pleased to be with his grandfather. The powerful old man and the month old baby exchanged some looks, and Edward let himself be kissed, even by Hera, who had no claim on him at all, and had caused all the others to keep their distance from her with a certain unpleasant feeling.
Of course a baby could not know the things she had done, but still it did not seem as if Edward was oblivious of what was going on, it seemed more like he was giving her something by letting her kiss his innocent chubby face.
It was quite a profound moment, and it added to Melissa's feeling that there was more to their boy than they thought.
Both Zeus and Hera had the discretion to not stick around when John got his moment with Edward, as Hermes handed the baby over and John sat down with him and just held him close. John forgot everything else for a few moments, holding the trusting child in his arms, his dark eyes giving John confidence that he could do this, that all would be well.
Then Edward smiled, his face lighting up, the resemblance to Lukas undeniable, that broad smile as powerful already. John had to cuddle him, and kiss him, and let Edward pull his longish hair. He sighed: 'I'm going to miss you, Edward. Will you visit with your parents? Please?'
Of course Edward didn't speak, but he looked as if he approved.
Then John handed him back to Melissa reluctantly, and hugged both of them together. Paul got an intimate hug, too, and said: 'Let us know how things work out, please, don't leave us guessing.'
Then Hailee returned, and they were ready to go.
Lukas was in tears of course, and John pleaded: 'Will you watch me get my powers back? Through the portal? That will be my last vulnerable
moment, think of the power all those people will give me. I will be able to keep both myself and Hailee perfectly safe. See you in a week.'
In front of the portal they kissed Hailee, and said goodbye once more to John, and everyone went through it, Hermes just before John, to make sure he would be safe on the other side. Paul said to Lukas: 'You watch him, he's your old friend, and you can help him if he needs it.'
And so Lukas saw John kneeling on the mosaic for what seemed a long time, lighting up ever more with the healthy power of tens of thousands of worshippers.
Hailee stood watch over him, as well as Hermes, until John finally rose, his posture proud, his face glad, and he kissed Hailee, then moved towards the portal and kissed Lukas one last time, for now.
But John was not ready to move from the room just yet, he was buried in supplications, prayers and offerings, and he did not stir from that room until he had answered every single one of them.
Hera and Zeus soon left through the teleport, but Hermes remained and brought Hailee and John food and drink.
After some time, Lukas left, it was bedtime in England, but John was still there, blessing wine, and children, giving good advice on caring for vines, until he was totally worn out but literally glowing with power.
With Hailee's consent, Hermes carried him to one of the chambers of the villa, there would be a lot of organizing to be done once he was back in his palace, he would get more rest tonight in the lonely villa. But for now, his own worshippers were aware their god was back, in excellent spirits, and more attentive to their needs than ever.
And other gods' worshippers also knew he was back amongst the gods, and some decided to change allegiance to the only god who really answered their prayers in person, and some went back to worshipping their usual god, improving the health of most Greek gods, but they would pray to Dionysus again, every time they threw a party or drank a superb wine, for somehow both improved so much with his attention.
And as Hailee settled in his arms, delighted to be warm again, and to lie in the arms of the man she had wanted so much, she felt truly happy, not afraid at all to find Hera hunting for them, or plotting against them.
John was now the god he was meant to be, and she was convinced all would be well. Except: 'John, will you able to handle being called Dionysus
again? I don't think your following will like changing your name to simple, English 'John'.'
His smile set her heart racing, he was so incredibly sweet and good, his people would be stunned to meet the new him, and he said: 'I didn't make up John, you know. It started with the London people shortening my name to Dion. I suppose if you call me Dion in public, most people will adopt it, they wouldn't dare shorten their god's name, but if his wife starts they'll certainly follow. Much easier, a shorter name.'
He was tired, had worked so hard tonight he could not for the life of him find the energy to make love to his dearest wife.
So he asked Hermes to bring him up to speed on the situation in his palace and on his grounds, until he was ready to drop with exhaustion.
Hermes then went to his own chamber, and within minutes, John had fallen asleep beneath the loving hands of his lady.
She stayed awake a little longer, relishing the warm night, and the warm body beside her, his face peaceful in deep sleep. She went over her memories of her beloved, starting with the moment when she first entered his service as an awe-struck innocent girl. How she had feared her first night with the huge and loud god who had taken a fancy to her, for she knew his reputation as a superb lover and his love for beautiful girls, but not what she would be expected to do with him in his bedchamber.
She had been a virgin, and though she felt honoured to be chosen by him, and admired and loved him as one was supposed to love one's god, she was very much afraid as well. He was so overwhelming, with his large body, his noisy habits, and his overpowering smell. Then their first night had come.
He had dismissed his other girls before calling her into his presence, and as she prostrated herself before him he had spoken to her very softly, calming her nerves, and encouraging her to get up and sit with him in his arms. Of course she had done so, feeling more than a little anxious.
He had not touched any part of her that was private, he had just held her and asked her about her childhood, and her hopes for the future. He had always encouraged her to think further than just pleasing him, helped her to get educated, and form an opinion on important subjects.
But that first night, he had been especially gentle, taking his time to get to know her, making her feel comfortable.
And then he had wakened her passion, still very gently, until she touched him freely, and he could touch her, too, without frightening her. He had given
her the choice to leave it at that, let her go to her own chambers still a maiden, until she would come to him of her own accord.
But once her heat had been stirred, it did not recede by itself, she found she really wanted to know what would happen next, and she convinced him that she was ready to take the next step immediately.
And then he had stirred her passion even more, had skilfully led her towards her first high ever, and when she wanted nothing more than have the burning feeling between her legs relieved, he had moved his imposing body on top of her, taking care to support most of his weight on his arms, and he had gently entered her for the very first time.
Such was his skill, and his gentle care, that the feelings he evoked overcame any hurt she might have felt, and she just lost herself completely in his kind attention to her passion. To Hailee, it was as if her body had been sanctified by him, and she felt such adulation for her master, that it would take a long time for her to start to see him as a man as well.
After this first experience with making love, they talked about it, had snuggled, stroked and kissed each other, and after that, he had done it all again, and now her body knew what was coming, and it welcomed his touch.
For nearly a year she just worshipped him, wanted him to choose her every night to grace his bed, had no desire but to please him, to accept whatever he saw fit to give her, with intense love and admiration.
But her master had not been pleased with her thoughtless obeisance, and he had taught her how to think for herself, and broaden her mind in general, as well as tell him what pleased her, what she liked to have him do with her in bed.
Slowly, her mind grew, and she started to see him less as an infallible god, and more as a normal man, with doubts and fears.
And as she developed this side of her character, he started to single her out more and more, not just for loving, but also for talking, and discussing.
Her devotion for him changed into real love, the love that realizes its object is fallible, but loves it even more because of that.
Then she got competition in the shape of a lush, foreign woman, who sat with her master for hours, talking to him, making love with him but in a disturbing way. He'd often sport bruises, or whip-cuts, or a tender spot in a very sensitive place.
Worrying, Hailee asked what was going on, and at first Dionysus had just
told her how his new lady had given him sensual experiences beyond the physical limits of his body.
Hailee had kept her own council, and had cleaned the open wounds so they wouldn't infect, and soothed the other marks with a loving touch and herbal remedies which Dionysus still made by himself from herbs, kept in a miniature apothecary in his palace.
But later, he had described some of the acts she had performed on him, and had taught him to perform on her, and he confessed his new woman wanted him to perform those deeds on his girls, too.
But Dionysus just couldn't bring himself to hurting his girls, not even to have them experience the exquisite feeling the pain evoked when done the right way. It hurt him even to think of it, and he braved the displeasure this caused the woman, and no doubt suffered some more exquisite pain as a result.
That was when Hailee had finally spoken up and pleaded him to send the woman away. When he couldn't even seem to think of that anymore, she had yelled at him in anger and frustration. He had born it almost submissively, his spirit already partly broken.
All this time, Lykos had lived in the palace as well, and Hailee had shared love with him regularly, whenever the master had another favourite, or when Lykos seemed to need it, he needed a lot of love and felt very lonely and inferior, because he had been take away from the little family he loved and he had no Gift.
But he was such a skilled and spirited lover, and such a generous and competent character, that Hailee would have loved him even more dearly, if her feelings hadn't been totally her master's already.
Lykos loved the master too, as much as Hailee did, but Dionysus didn't share love with him and Lykos didn't dare to ask. And when the frightening foreign woman got hold of the master, Hailee had sought comfort with Lykos, though not confiding in him.
She knew the master loved Lykos above what he felt for his other servants except herself, but she could also see the woman had an interest in Lykos, the bitch watched him often, and tried to involve him in her games, and Dionysus once confessed to Hailee that the foreign woman wanted Dionysus to try her painful lovemaking on Lykos.
But Dionysus refused, and was not going to budge. He started to become more and more closed, telling Hailee ever less and only summoning her to
dress his wounds, or soothe his fears, or make love to her very, very tenderly, always sending her away immediately afterwards.
Finally, he put distance between them, and almost never summoned her anymore. Then Lykos went on a mission to his father's palace, and disappeared, without leaving a trace. The evening that the news reached Dionysus' palace, the master summoned Hailee to him and he was in a bad state, he had clearly been thrashed.
Hailee had treated his wounds, but he hadn't been in any condition to make love, and the master had urged her to visit her family for a week, and he seemed concerned for her health as well. She heeded his advice, though she found it hard to leave him behind in the clutches of the monster who had done this to him.
When she came back, the foreign woman was gone from court, and the master seemed a little less tense, though he mourned Lykos' loss very obviously. Hailee was often summoned by herself, or asked to stay the night when the other girls were dismissed.
Hailee was also sad about Lykos, but she was glad to be with the master so often, and to see him no longer the victim of the nasty foreign woman.
Their bond tightened for another six months, and then came that fateful evening when she was sharing his bed with two other girls, and he recoiled in pain suddenly, losing consciousness for as much as ten minutes. When he came to, he was distraught, and very frightened. He fled to his hiding place, and soon after that, Hermes and Lykos turned up.
Lykos' plea convinced Hailee to give him up, something in her knew the master was indeed responsible for the misdeed Lykos mentioned, and she couldn't say no to his frantic plea. Lykos had always been above scheming and pettiness, and he was now a god, and Hailee respected him and Hermes.
But she felt really bad for her beloved master, afraid things would go bad for him, and so they did, worse than she could ever have imagined. She also felt guilty for having given him up to Lykos and Hermes, as if she had betrayed him, and that guilt made her look for him even more diligently than just the love she felt for him.
It was a miracle he had survived, and though he had suffered immensely, he had also grown immensely, and Hailee was certain his people would be the gainers. And Hailee herself, she would give her life for this man, who was also a god.
And with that thought, she snuggled against his warm, sleeping body, and
gave herself up to a deep, dreamless sleep.
When she woke, she was alone. Alarmed, she ran outside, and saw her beloved on the terrace with Hermes, talking away intimately, like the brothers they were. Hailee quietly withdrew into the bedroom, and dressed.
Then she joined them, and was greeted by a radiant John, who held his arms out to her and took her in a heartfelt embrace, kissing her as if she had been away from him for weeks instead of half an hour. Hermes looked at the scene with approval, and when they had their attention back on the world, he said: 'Good morning, Hailee. I trust you slept well?'
'I did, thank you Master,' she answered, 'thank you for your kind hospitality.'
The beautiful god smiled at her and said: 'I would appreciate it, Hailee, if you would just call me Hermes. I know you are a mortal, but you're a good friend as well, and married to the most powerful god of our beloved country.
To me, we are equals.'
She bowed in acknowledgement and assured him: 'I will, Hermes, I'm glad you consider us to be good friends. I hope you will introduce me to your family, I have heard much good of them from Lykos. Will you come with us to the palace?'
'As soon as you are settled I will bring Ophelie and Katarina and Galan to meet you. They will want to hear the news from their English friends as well.
But for now, I have duties to attend to, and you
two have a huge task before you.'
Hermes was obviously very glad to have John back, and he the duties he mentioned were clearly not unpleasant ones, for he seemed eager to get to them. He gave John the spell to activate the teleport to his palace, and also back to the villa, and John was surprised: 'You have connected my teleport to the villa?'
'I did, I hope you don't mind, when I delegated the running of your palace and estate to Petros, I dropped in on him once in a while to see how he was doing. I was very pleased with his performance.'
John replied: 'I don't mind at all, I'm glad you took such an interest in my people's well-being, and I only wondered why you'd go via the villa.'
'I went through the villa because few people can come here, making it a little safer. I always hoped you'd come back, and I wanted you to come back to a well-organized situation. Paul taught me how to delegate, and I tested my
ability on your staff. It worked above expectation.
Had you refused to come back, I would have offered to take up your divine duties and leave the business part to Petros.'
John seemed very pleased to hear this, and he said: 'That is very good to hear, for I was planning to follow Paul's life-style here: work all mornings, play in the afternoons. I know I'll get supplications at all times, but I will answer them from my vineyard.
Isn't it strange how much of an impact mortals can have on one's life? I know you and the rest of the family are glad they live in another world, but I will keep my best guest-chamber for their sole use.'
Hermes made a hopeless gesture, and said: 'I'm their worst victim, a virtual slave to their logical minds and their kind hearts. I can only hope you'll do a better job than I in getting them to visit, if you get Frances to visit here I'm sure she'll take George.'
John seemed to grow a few hands, radiating confidence, and with a broad smile he stated: 'I may not drink myself into a stupor every night anymore, and I may eat moderately and exercise, but I still know how to throw a party!'
Past Lives Page 64