WE STILL HAD days to wait before we had to meet with Eris and Talon, and the next morning I awoke feeling fabulous. Demarco was still asleep, so I did a little exploring of his body until he woke up and attacked me. We played around until hunger forced us out of bed and into the house, where Tweety already had coffee brewing and the last of the eggs and sausage cooking.
The griffin took one look at Demarco and me, and a knowing smile stretched across his face. “It’s about time,” he said, handing us each a coffee cup.
Warmth crept to my cheeks, but Demarco didn’t seem to be affected. He pulled me against him and kissed my forehead.
After we ate, the three of us dusted off Demarco’s sofa and loveseat and carried them into his shop so we could work more comfortably. Then we spent long hours poring over The Lowly Pawn’s Comprehensive Guide for Surviving Amongst Gods.
Although there was plenty of information on Eris, all we found on her many spawns was the meanings behind each of their Greek names. Basically, we’d be dealing with arguments, fighting, murder, combat, manslaughter, lies, disputes, pain and illness, perjury, labor and toil, starvation, lawlessness, and ruin. They sounded like one hell of a fun lot.
Ares, on the other hand, was pretty cut and dried. The god of war had also managed to make a name for himself as both the god of courage and the god of cowardice. We found several mentions of battles where he turned tail and ran rather than being caught or killed. Well, as much as a god could be killed. Temporarily displaced was probably a better term.
“So Athena’s the goddess of war and Ares is the god of war?” Demarco asked.
“No.” Tweety shook his head. He was currently perched on the arm of Demarco’s loveseat and I foresaw the blacksmith’s furniture coming to the same untimely end as my last set. I wasn’t sure about weight displacement between his griffin and human forms, but I’d tried to pick up Tweety the man before and just about broke my back. Demarco’s poor couch didn’t have a chance.
I thought about recommending that Tweety sit on the cushions to preserve the life of the furniture, but mentally threw my hands up and said “screw it” instead. It wasn’t my couch, and I was sick of playing mom and telling the griffin what to do. Especially after he’d called me bossy.
“Athena’s like the brains of war—think military strategy—and Ares is more like the brute force and violent acts,” Tweety continued. “Ares is um… not intelligent.”
“And he’s only courageous until it looks like he might lose,” I added.
“So we just have to out-think and out-courage the god of war,” Demarco said, rubbing at the whiskers of his chin.
He was seated on the sofa beside me, and I kept leaning against him. His warmth was comforting and I liked touching him.
“Piece of cake,” Demarco droned.
Giggling, I nudged him with my leg and Tweety caught my eye and grinned at me. Apparently my sudden inability to keep my hands off the blacksmith hadn’t escaped the griffin’s notice. Great. I rolled my eyes at him and pulled away from Demarco, leaning against the opposite armrest.
Demarco seemed oblivious to Tweety’s waggling eyebrows or my response. He remained hunched over, reading from the book on the coffee table. “Why isn’t there anything on Talon in here?”
Feeling suddenly restless, I stood and poured myself another cup of coffee. We were on our third or fourth pot for the day and my hands shook as I stirred cream in.
“He’s too young,” I replied. “So are you and I. You won’t find any of us in there. I don’t know when the book was written. There’s no copyright information anywhere on it… trust me, I’ve searched. It would be nice if information magically appeared when new demigods were born, but unfortunately the information is static.”
“We should update the book,” Tweety suggested. He shifted his weight and the arm of the loveseat cracked. He bolted about three feet in the air before landing on the cement floor.
We all turned to stare at Demarco’s poor loveseat, the arm of which now dipped almost to the floor. Tweety’s expression was mortified and Demarco’s was confused, and the two of them gawking at the broken couch was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. I lost it. I laughed so hard coffee sloshed out of my cup and I had to set it down on the coffee table.
“It’s not funny, Romi,” Tweety snapped. “D, I’m so sorry, man.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, I wiped them away and tried to regain control of myself.
Demarco appeared to be in shock. “You’re not even that big. How did you manage to…” He pointed at the sofa. “I’ve sat on the arm hundreds of times and I weigh a hell of a lot more than you do.”
Tweety’s expression turned sheepish. “No. I still weigh the same in this form as I do normally, I just take up less room.”
I finally got a handle on myself and clapped Demarco on the back. “Sorry about your loveseat, but if you could have seen your face…” I had to force back more giggles. “Seriously, you have no idea how much furniture I’ve lost to this overstuffed bird. We’ll have to find you an extra-heavy-duty set like my last couches.”
“Sorry,” Tweety repeated.
“Not a big deal. Just surprised me is all.”
I tried to pick my coffee cup back up, but my hands were still shaking too much.
“I think it’s time to dump out that tar and break for food,” Demarco said, watching me struggle with the cup. “Want me to cook?”
Since Demarco was no longer using his wish list, and had two extra mouths to feed, his food supplies were dwindling. We’d have to go grocery shopping soon if we intended to keep cooking. Although I was too jittery and distracted to even think of jumping that hurdle.
“I think we need to get out of here for a while,” I said. “Maybe a restaurant. A break and a change of scenery might do us some good.”
“No argument here,” Tweety said, sliding his feet into his sandals. “I’m ready. What are we waiting for?”
* * *
Traveling through the realm of Erebus was complicated. The shadows were predatory, and they lived to screw with me. I had to constantly remind them I was bigger and stronger than they were, and could force them to comply with my will and take me wherever I wanted to go. Which meant I had to have a clear picture of my destination fixed firmly in my mind. If I hadn’t physically been to the location, I had to memorize a recent picture to focus on.
Thankfully, Shade had taken me to thousands of different locations for training and jobs, leaving me a plethora of options. There were numerous restaurants I could have taken us to, but we needed more than a meal. We need rejuvenation, and a full healing experience. It had been almost two decades since I’d visited the gods’ equivalent of a health spa, and it was beyond time for me to go again. Almost buzzing with excitement, I dropped us off in the middle of an enchanted forest.
It had rained recently, leaving a layer of dew on the ground and a clean, fresh scent mingling with the pine and juniper of the woods. I breathed deeply and released my hold on the guys. We were safe here. This was neutral ground and Shade was no longer allowed here.
“Is this one of those restaurants where you catch your own food?” Tweety asked, eyeing a pair of chipmunks as they raced across the ground before disappearing behind a tree.
“Nope.” I gently shoved him. “You leave the wildlife alone. We’re gonna be well taken care of. Fed, massaged, mud-bathed, the whole nine yards.”
“Massaged?” Tweety said, his ears perking up.
“Mud-bathed?” Demarco sounded less than thrilled.
“Ohmigods, yes, it’s going to be so great!”
“If you say so.” Despite his attitude, a smile tugged at Demarco’s lips as he watched me.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve never seen you this happy before. It’s… nice.”
Goo. The man was going to turn me to goo. “I’m excited! These are the nicest people in the world and I’ve been kept from them for a long time. Come on.” It felt like I was
floating as I gestured for them to follow. I hurried to the tree the chipmunks had disappeared behind, and then came to a screeching halt. “Wait. Neither of you two are afraid of snakes, right?”
They both shook their heads.
“Good.”
I grabbed their hands. We stepped around the tree and the wards protecting the Asclepieion pressed against my skin. Since I was welcome here, I wasn’t breaking a ward—merely passing through it—so it wasn’t painful like it had been when I’d stolen the Harpē. A moment of intense pressure preceded a pop, then we emerged on the other side.
“What was that?” Demarco asked, looking back the way we came.
I tugged his arm and he turned to stare at the scene in front of us.
“This is incredible,” Tweety breathed.
I nodded in agreement. Even though I’d been to the Asclepieion before, the dramatic change in scenery from the human forest still took my breath away. This forest was far greener and more alive. Nestled between the trees stood a collection of huts, overgrown with vegetation and covered in colorful flowers. Even the air smelled healing and relaxing. I took a deep breath and released my companions.
“Where are we?” Demarco asked, sounding rightfully awed.
“The Asclepieion,” I replied, but knew my answer wouldn’t satisfy his curiosity. I leaned closer, lowered my voice, and gave him the full story. “Once upon a time, Apollo knocked up a human woman who fell in love with a human man while she was pregnant. When Apollo found out, he was furious and sent his sister, Artemis—you know, the archer currently taking care of our kid—to kill his baby-momma and their unborn child. Artemis built a pyre and was burning the woman alive when Apollo finally found his conscience. He felt bad for the baby, so he swooped down and performed the first ever c-section to remove the infant. This infant grew up to become legendary for his medical skills.”
“And the mom died?” Demarco asked.
“Yes, but the infant became a truly remarkable demigod. Just wait until you meet him.”
“You’re talking about Asclepius?” Tweety asked. “We’re going to meet Asclepius?”
I nodded, now so excited I could hardly stand still. “This renowned healer married Epione (the goddess who soothes pain) and the two of them had three sons and five daughters. The family now runs this little retreat where gods, demigods, and even the occasional human can come and get healed.”
“Healed?” Demarco asked. “But there’s nothing wrong with us.”
“Their healing is more than physical, although they do that as well. It’s said Asclepius has even brought back the dead, which made him pretty unpopular with Hades and stirred up all sorts of drama. Zeus threatened to zap Asclepius with a lightning bolt if he didn’t stop raising the dead. Now their family focuses on… less dramatic healings, as well as full relaxation and rejuvenation of the mind, body, and spirit. Trust me, we’re in for a treat.”
Before I could say more, a silver-haired man wearing a white robe and walking with a cane stepped out of the nearest shack and looked us over. A snake twisted down his cane, stopped, and then slithered its way back up. The old man’s brow furrowed until his gaze locked on me. Eyes widening with recognition, a genuine smile stretched across his weathered face.
“Child, as I live and breathe. You grew up.” He held his hands out to me, and tears instantly welled up in my eyes. I ran straight into his open arms, just like I’d done at least a couple dozen times when I was little.
He still smelled of sage and some sort of medicinal ointment I couldn’t place. I breathed him in deeply and let my tears moisten the shoulder of his robe. I knew he wouldn’t care, because I’d cried on his shoulder before – the last time we said good-bye, when I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.
After we hugged, he wiped away the last of my tears and we turned so I could introduce him to the guys.
“Asclepius, these are my friends Demarco and Tweety. Guys, meet the man who I wish could have raised me.”
“YOU HONOR ME, child,” Asclepius said, squeezing me tight and kissing my temple. He released me long enough to address the guys. “Any friends of Romi’s are welcome here. Come now, hungry, weary travelers.” He draped his arm over my shoulder. “We’ll catch up over a meal.”
Asclepius led us into one of the huts. A large wooden table surrounded by a dozen chairs had been stuffed into the small space, but somehow managed to look cozy and inviting rather than crowded. The table was set, and dishes of roasted squash, stuffed mushrooms, black beans in spicy couscous, sweet potatoes baked with pecans, salads, and mixed fruit made my mouth water and my stomach growl.
“How…” I gestured at the food. “Did you know we were coming?”
“Your return was inevitable, child.”
All righty, then. No doubt old physician was wise, but I didn’t remember him being prescient. Judging by the spread in front of us, he’d predicted the exact date and time of my inevitable return. Still, never look a gift horse in the mouth, and all that. “This looks amazing, Asclepius, thank you,” I said.
“Of course.” He selected a bottle of wine from the large rack on the wall and carried it to the table.
“Romi? Is that really you?”
I turned to find Asclepius’s wife, Epione, standing in the doorway. With wild flowers woven into silver hair that hung down to the waist of her rough hemp dress, she looked exactly like I remembered. Bright blue eyes welcomed the sight of me as a warm smile lit up her face. “As I live and breathe, it is you,” she whispered. “Well come on, get over here and give me a hug.”
More stupid tears leaked from my eyes as I rushed into her embrace.
She patted my back. “Dear girl, it’s been so long..”
“I wanted to return sooner,” I sniffled. “But Shade… he forbade it.”
“Your timing is exactly as it should be.” She brushed back the hair from my face and kissed my cheek before holding me at arm’s length and studying me. “Look at you. All grown up and every bit as beautiful as I knew you’d be. The bravest little girl I’ve ever met has grown into a fearless woman. I couldn’t be more proud.”
More tears, more feelings, so many emotions crashed into me. “Thank you,” I muttered, taking a shaky breath. “I missed you both so much.”
“Your sire…” Epione tilted her head forward, studying me further. “He no longer controls you. You’re free of him?”
I nodded and sobbed.
“For good?”
“Yes. I broke the contract.”
“Excellent news.” She didn’t sound surprised, though. “Why is your aura so troubled?” she asked.
Asclepius cleared his throat. “Dear Epione, in our haste to reconnect with Romi, I fear we’re being quite rude to her companions,” he chided, wrapping his arm around her waist as he turned her toward the guys. “Allow me to introduce my beautiful bride, Epione. Epione, meet Romi’s friends, Demarco and Tweety.”
Once introductions were made, we sat around the table and filled our plates.
“This is excellent,” Tweety said, pointing to the roasted squash with his fork. “Very flavorful.”
“Thank you,” Epione replied. “We eat only what we grow in the garden.”
“No meat?” Tweety asked.
I swallowed down a bite of the delicious sweet potatoes. My childhood favorite tasted every bit as good as I remembered. “Asclepius, Epione, and their children are healers. Nothing dies here.”
“And your garden is okay right now?” Demarco asked.
Epione smiled. “Demeter has no power here. She cannot stop our plants from bearing fruit any more than she can turn back time and keep Persephone from eating those seeds.”
Asclepius poured himself another glass of wine before tilting it toward Tweety. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a griffin. You mind telling us a little about where you’re from?”
Tweety obligingly talked their ears off about the forest he remembered hatching in. While the griffin recounted his ta
le, darkness fell and the air grew chilly. Asclepius built a cozy fire in the hearth and opened another bottle of wine. A helper came and cleared away plates.
Then our hosts turned their attention to Demarco. “And where do you hail from?” Epione asked.
The blacksmith fell quiet and the room grew tense.
“Please do not feel pressured to answer,” Epione finally said. “But this is a safe place and healing doesn’t come without dialog. We will be ready to listen whenever you wish to speak.”
Demarco nodded, but kept his mouth closed.
Epione moved from her seat at the foot of the table to sit beside me. She again brushed hair away from my face and looked into my eyes. “Sweet girl, your aura is so full of pain and longing. I can wash it away.” She moved her hands over my head and I grabbed them.
“Please don’t take it.”
“No need to keep your suffering, Romi,” Asclepius said. “The gods have had enough martyrs.”
I smiled at his familiar saying before lowering Epione’s hands to my stomach. The pain served as a reminder that Doreán was waiting for me. Even during laughter and joy it lingered in the back of my mind and the center of my heart, keeping me focused on getting him back. I needed it to keep driving me forward.
Her eyes grew wide and her smile returned. “A baby. Our dear girl’s had a child, Asclepius. A boy!” Then she read my expression and her smile fell. “Oh, Romi, what’s happened to your child?”
Asclepius picked up the open bottle of wine and walked over to stand behind me. He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder and filled my glass. Then he lingered there. And with him at my back, Demarco and Epione beside me, and Tweety across the table, I gave them the abridged accounting of my deal with Hades and Poseidon. I kept the details vague, making it sound like I’d exchanged the Harpē, rather than my breath of luck.
“You’re the one who gave them the weapon to destroy Zeus?” Asclepius asked. “Romi…”
“I know, I know.” I held my hands in the air. “But destroy is a strong word since he doesn’t actually die. Athena and Artemis are now holding Doreán captive until I steal back the five essences of Zeus from the rebels.”
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