by Dee King
“Well, excuse me, I do have a job, you know.” Now Chloe is upset, turning her back to him.
“It's okay, you guys, really. I just wanted you two to be here for this, and I knew Selene would. No worries, and maybe the next time we will come see you guys in Paris.” I try to soothe things over.
“Really?” Chloe and Selene both ask me in unison.
“Yes, really.” I smile at the two of them. I didn't promise them, I just said that we would try the next time we could. I have no idea when that actually may be, but hey, it wasn't a lie.
“Alright, well, I guess we need a ride to the damn airport.” Chris stands to his feet. He isn't happy about the situation at all, but I believe he understands, and his love for Chloe pushes his anger to the wayside.
“No problem, I can take you guys.” Colin offers them the ride.
Selene's eyes say that she doesn't want them to leave, but I know that it's her own fears of having to leave tomorrow that is causing the tears to flow down her cheeks. She tells the both of them she loves them, and she will see them soon. Chris and her hug one another for what seems to be an eternity, but Chloe lingers the longest. They both have witnessed someone they love getting engaged. They don't even have the time to enjoy it. None of us did. I hug the both of them, and tell Chris that I promised to take
good care of his sister. He tells me he knows I will, and I can see in his face that he means that. Having his approval is probably one of the most important things for me. Chris and Selene have an unbreakable bond, and if he didn't like me, she may have said no, whether she wanted to or not. I
don't know what it feels like to have a sibling, but if I did, I would have hoped that we would be as close as they are. Colin and Cali leave to take them to the airport, and I hold Selene in my arms as the tears roll down her cheeks onto the red dress. Hopefully, this night was special for her.
“Thank you.” She whispers.
“For what?” She turns around in my arms.
“For all of this. For them coming, for tonight, for this.” She places her hand over my heart, showing off the ring, gazing at its beauty.
“Nothing is too much for you.” I hold her tighter in my arms, as she lays her head on my chest.
We stand outside holding one another for what seems to be a very short time, when we both hear the waves starting to crash hard on the shore. She looks at me turning towards the ocean, and takes off running down the
stairs of the balcony to the beach. She is becoming very in tuned with her goddess senses, and I assume it's her father who needs her at the moment.
I follow her down, taking two steps at a time.
“Well?” I ask her.
“Nothing? I got nothing.” She begins walking the beach, looking out into the ocean. I sense it before she does.
“Get back!” I grab her, pulling her back hard.
“What the...” She is not looking at me, but watching the Pegasus land in front of her.
“Hello, again.” I let go of her, as she rubs her hand across his back. The Pegasus rubs his head to her, letting her pet him. His wings flare out, and an envelope falls to the ground. As she picks it up, I place my hand on his
face, rubbing between his eyes.
“It's got to be from my father.” She holds the envelope in her hand.
“See you tomorrow.” I move around to the back side of this magnificent creature tapping him on the back, and his wings begin to flutter.
We both step back, as he soars through the air, out of sight before we could blink.
“Let's go inside.” I offer.
She nods yes, holding the envelope in one hand, taking my hand with her other one. Now, the fear of what the letter states is running through my mind. My palms begin to get a little warm. Sweat is beginning to build along my forehead. Tomorrow would be the day we went home, so why a letter just before we leave. We walk into the house, and I sit down on the red couch facing the fireplace. She opens it slowly, and glances up at me one more time before she reads it. I search her face for what the letter
reads, but her face stays still as stone. Then she hands it to me.
Tomorrow you will arrive, and your place is by my side.
Don't linger on earthly things, come prepared to see what your life is truly
to be like. I shall see you tomorrow.
Your Father, Poseidon
“What the hell does this mean?” Selene is rubbing her head.
“It means he will see you tomorrow. I think he is just saying don't worry about packing, and saying goodbye to Chris and Chloe. Honestly, he sounds like he was just trying to make you feel better.” I stand to my feet.
“Whatever. I won't be standing by his side.” She mutters.
The pain of not knowing her father seems to be her driving force of anger. She takes the letter in her hands, ripping it to shreds. She will one day see that her father does love her, but I don't think bringing that bit of
information up at this time would be of any help.
“What's it going to be like?” She says to me.
“What?”
“What will it be like there? Am I going to have to do what he says, or what?” So she does have fears.
“No, not like that. His home is where you can stay, Colin will stay there, or you can stay with me if you want?”
“In the underworld?” Her voice shakes as she asks me.
I will have to take her there at one point, and I hope that she sees it's not what she perceives it to look like, but that will have to be after we are married. That's one of my dad's rules.
“No. I have a home on the mount, too. We all do, it just depends on where you are on the ladder.”
“On the ladder?”
“Sorry, let me explain it like this. Your father, my father, and Zeus have the biggest homes. Other gods and goddesses have homes there, too, just not to the extent of our homes. Zeus obviously has the largest, your father
and mine are equal, and everyone else falls in on where they rank on the ladder. The ladder being where the gods rank. Like Ian's dad's is not near as big as mine or yours, but big because he is the God of War. You will see
when we get there, but let me tell you, what you call mansions here, are nothing compared to what you’re going to see there.” I try to make it sound as wonderful as I remember.
“It sounds kinda like heaven, or may be like the rich people get the best and the poor get stepped on as they are down the ladder.” She folds her arms over her chest. She doesn't like the analogy I used.
“Okay, I'm not explaining this well. It's not like that. Look, I promise tomorrow will be great, okay?”
“I hope so...” She looks away from me.
“Selene...”
“Yea.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I take her hand with the ring on it.
“Huh? Oh, yes. I don't know if being married so young is what I had planned, but yes, I want this.” She looks down at the ring.
“Because it's not too late, ya know.” I don't want her to say she doesn't want to marry me, but I also don't want to force something she may not truly want.
“Sebastian, I would marry you regardless of what Zeus wanted. Plus, like you said, he doesn't want us to really get married, and all I know is that I want to be with you.” She takes my hand in hers, holding it to her breast.
“I want you. I want this. I promise.” She lets her lips make a perfect smile, and my heart skips a beat.
“You were happy tonight...” I take my other arm, reaching around her.
“And you looked... you look... wow...” I can't help myself, I have to hold her closer.
“Thank you, and you look, wow too.” She laughs leaning her head back, with her hair falling behind her shoulders.
“Oh, I got something to show you.” I back up, taking the other box out of my suit pocket.
“Whoa. When did you get that done?” She points to the anchor and roses that I had sewn into the pocket.
“Today.” I smile at her.
“I like it.” Her smile is contagious.
I take the box out, handing it to her. She glances up at me, as I tell her to open it. Inside she finds the two gold bands, that I had bought at the jewelry store. Only one thing was missing. I take each ring out, and hold them in my hand. Squeezing them tight, making sure that I concentrated.
Opening my hand slowly, I show her.
Inside of the bands is the anchor and the roses engraved. This would be our crest. What would fly on our flags when we became one. This was the emblem of the Athans Andreas, God and Goddess family. Trying to explain that as she admires the bands.
“You really do think of everything. But there is one thing about it I don't like.” She tells me frowning.
“What?” I take one of the rings in my hand looking at it.
“This looks like it just represents me, not the both of us. It needs something, you, ya know?” She keeps looking at it.
“I know. Let me see your ring.” I hand it back to her. She closes her eyes, and I watch as her knuckles turn white from holding them.
“There. That's better.” She opens her hand, and inside is flames engulfed with the anchor.
“I didn’t...” She has left me speechless.
“I know things too ya know.” She winks at me.
“Do you like them?” I ask her, handing her both rings back.
“Of course, Sebastian. I love them, because I love you.” She steps up on her toes kissing me softly.
“Good.” Watching her place, the rings back in the box, then proceeding to put them back in my suit pocket. Her hand slightly grazing my shirt.
“Is there anything else I can tell you or answer for you before we leave tomorrow?” I ask her trying to not focus on where her hands had just touched me.
“Yes, actually.” She takes a seat on the red couch not facing the fireplace. I decide to sit across from her. Stretching my body out, and taking the suit coat off.
“Shoot.” I lay the suit coat beside me, and begin to untie my tie.
“I heard... I mean... I overheard something.” Her face is turning shades of red. This is going to be good. I cross one of my legs over the other. I can tell I make her nervous at times, and I do like that feeling.
“You heard?”
“I heard that we will look different.” She is staring down at her feet.
“That's true. Where did you hear that?” I ask her.
“Um.. that's not important, but does that mean, I won't look like, me?” She still won't make eye contact.
I lean forward to her, moving my legs to where they face her.
“Selene, you will look even more stunning than you do now.”
“Will you look like, well, will you look like the devil?”
I burst into laughter. That's what her biggest fear was, that was I going to grow horns and have a tail. She doesn't laugh, but I can't help myself.
“No. No one looks like that. We are gods, not mortals’ foolish ideas of the
devil. There is no devil. I still find that so damn funny. I'm sorry.” I keep laughing because I now know what she believed I would look like.
“It's not funny. I know there isn't a devil, but remember, half mortal here, so I don't have a clue as to what you could turn in to.” She's being serious.
“I apologize. No, I won't look like that. I will be in my god form, and hopefully you still like me when you see me.” I'm not allowed to tell her how I will change, and for how she will look, I have no idea.
“Will you still look like you?” She whispers.
“Yes, just a better version, I guess you could say.” I try to put her mind at ease.
“Oh gods. You will be better looking than you are now?” Her voice cracks and a gulping sound comes from her throat.
“I have heard that, but I don't know. I will let you be the judge. Everyone will look a little different.” I lean my elbows on my knees.
“It won't be about looks there; it will go off of what's inside here.” Making a fist, I place my hand over my heart.
“Then I have nothing to fear, except for the drooling on myself part.” We both laugh at one another, making this night unforgettable. In her own way she just told me she thought I was gorgeous, and I was beaming with pride.
Chapter Five
Leaving for Mount Olympus
Waking up beside Selene will always be the best part of my morning. She holds such grace and beauty in her sleepy face. Admiring her, I was afraid to move, to wake her, but that backfired. She awoke with a startle, as if she
had bad dream. I held her for a moment, consoling her, telling her everything would be okay. She nestled her face into my chest, and that quieted my heart for the moment. We have fallen asleep together since the night I asked her to marry me. We talk till we just can't anymore.
“Hmm...” She yawns, stretching out her arms over her head.
“Hmm?”
“This is it.” She refers to this being the day we leave for the Mount.
“Yes, it is.” I move off the bed.
“I guess I should shower, don't want to meet his majesty, smelling.” She rolls off the bed, giggling.
I begin to laugh with her, but in all seriousness, she was right. Not about his majesty, but the smelling. Gods have a thing, let's call it that, with being clean. Maybe she shouldn't and make it seem she doesn't care, but
then he may not care as long as she were with Alex, and we need this to work. We need him to know, he won't win. A smile creeps across my face just thinking about how he will react when we finally say I do.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“What are you smiling about?” She is getting her clothes from her bag.
“Nothing. Just thinking about today.”
“Keep your pants on, it's not that exciting.” She playfully throws my jeans I had laid out for the day at me.
“I can keep them off if you would like?” Standing in my boxers, I turn to her, to see different shades of red growing across her face.
“Knock it off.” She laughs, then runs out of my room.
I like it that she gets embarrassed easily at times, and that I can manage to make her blush. She was right we needed to get ready. With her in the main shower, I take my time in the bathroom. Preparing to go home. Seeing my dad was getting to me, seeing my old house, and seeing Ian
again was making me smile like a dork. Then the smile wiped away as I began to think of how this will affect Selene. Hopefully, the transition isn't too much for her, but I know I will do everything in my power to make
sure she remains happy and safe. Safety will be the main priority. No one knows what Alex or his father have planned, but whatever it is, I will be prepared. Finishing getting dressed a noise startles me and I run out of the
bathroom in just my jeans. I see someone I don't recognize. Running, I tackle the intruder down to the ground. I'm about to take the first blow to whoever it is, when I hear the word “don't”. I move to the side, holding the person by their shirt with my fist.
“Don't. It's me.”
I turn the person over with ease, still gripping him by the neck, slamming his body back down on the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I was... I was trying to help you get your stuff ready and out the door.” I release my hand, standing up.
“Don't ever do that again. I don't care if you are her brother, I will not allow anyone to get past me to get to her. You should know better.” Colin slowly stands to his feet moving quickly in front of me tugging at his
collar, and straightening his shirt out.
“You think I won't do that for her? What the hell, Sebastian?”
“I don't know... I'm sorry, I'm just on edge today.” I stand back from him.
“I want you to know, I love Selene. She is my sister. I am on your side. Damn, man.”
“Yea, okay. Sorry.” Patting him on the back, I turn t
o finish getting ready, when I hear the door open to the other bathroom.
“What's going on?” Selene is standing in front of the two of us, wrapped in an oversized white towel.
“Your fiancé thought I was going to hurt you two or something.”
“I see...” A slight smile is showing her perfect white teeth.
“It was an accident, but he startled me.” I try to tell her my side of the incident.
“You didn't recognize him?” Now she is laughing.