Caitlin Goddess of Peace

by Debbie Behan

  Time Forgotten

  Caitlin woke and pulled the curtains back to show a pleasant spring morning. The glass felt warm from the morning sun so she unlatched and opened the window. Seeing the men, she called out, ‘What are you guys doing up and about so early?’

  Calyx and Jett were walking towards the house. They had stayed in the chalet on the far side of the grounds and were quite rowdy until well into the night. Caitlin hardly slept due to her impending wedding and was glad when they switched the NAVbeams off and went to bed. It was only then when it became pitch black and quiet that she enjoyed some uninterrupted slumber.

  ‘We want to steal Aurek for the day to set up the buck’s night with us.’

  ‘Really.’ She frowned, stretching out and looking below her at Aurek who was waiting to discuss it with them.

  ‘Hang on, I’m coming down.’ She closed the window and left her room. Sitting on the staircase bannister, she slid down. Jett had come to meet her and only just made it in time to catch her at the bottom.

  ‘I told her not to do that,’ Aurek scolded, arriving seconds after.

  ‘Phewie!’ Her nose went up in the air, as she still rested in Jett’s arms. ‘Knew one of you would get here in time. And that person now gets a wish for saving me.’

  ‘Thanks Glow. I can take your ex–boyfriend then.’ He put her on her feet.

  ‘Sure! If that’s your wish?’ The light in her eyes gave away how happy she was.

  ‘It is.’ He grinned. ‘Will you be okay?’

  ‘I have Bree and Lisha coming. Actually, they will be here any minute. We intend to have a spa morning.’

  Aurek folded his arms. ‘I know when I’m not wanted.’

  ‘Sorry, but this is girls only.’ She chuckled at his look, turned and darted back up the steps. At the top of the stairs, she had a thought and leant over the balcony at the men who were about to leave. In a cheeky voice, she called to them, ‘By the way, if you have to have strippers, please make them fat and ugly.’ Their laughter cut short as Jett transported them out.

  * * * *

  Once Caitlin had the place to herself she put on bathers and went out by the pool. With guards all around her, she threw a towel out on the ground and sat beside the water’s edge to work on a suntan. A medium tan would be nice. Her hands worked sunscreen over her skin while enjoying the warmth on her back. Lathered up, she lay back on the towel and closed her eyes.

  A shadow disturbed her light. She put a hand up to shade the sun from her eyes. ‘Woody!’ She hadn’t been expecting him to come for a visit.

  ‘Hi Red.’ Woody stood in the middle of Bree and Lisha. Bree knelt down beside her and gave Caitlin a hug.

  ’You have no idea how much we’ve missed you, Cait. Jett’s family have been at war against Mercury, and it’s been so tough out there without you.’

  Lisha ruffled Caitlin’s hair. ‘I even missed your annoying chatter. I just wish I had your talent as I would have blown them all up weeks ago.’

  Bree huffed at Lisha. ‘Thank goodness you don’t. There’d be no planets left for us to look after.’

  Caitlin chuckled. ‘So you two still haven’t changed.’

  ‘Well, we sort of have.’ Bree smiled. ‘I actually like her now. She even listens to my opinions instead of blowing me off.’

  Caitlin eyed Lisha. ‘Really.’ It had taken Lisha time to adjust to her brother’s relationship with Bree. They had been inseparable, and when his attention suddenly switched to his new girlfriend, it left Lisha feeling on the outer. Bree had worn the anger she should have directed at Rory.

  ‘Bree’s okay– I guess. But hurry up and come home, will you. I only have so much girliness in me, and then I’m like, far out, where are the boys, give me a beer and let’s watch some footy.’

  Caitlin and Bree cracked up laughing. Lisha hadn’t changed at all.

  Caitlin stood. ‘So, Woody, what have I done to warrant this visit? I feel fine, power’s all good and I’m more than ready to start back at work once the wedding’s over.’

  ‘How about you ladies go settle in and give Caitlin and me some alone time to talk?’

  ‘Of course.’ Lisha snatched up Bree’s hand, snapping her fingers at the hired help to direct them to their room.

  ‘Let us know when you’re finished, Woodsta,’ Bree called out. ‘I want her too you know.’

  Woody put up his hand in a gesture for her to leave them. ‘Go! Baby Bree.’ He turned back to Caitlin. ‘She is such a sook when you’re not about.’

  ‘Been around them a bit?’

  ‘Had to; it’s been crazy up there over the past few months while you’ve been tied up. Caitlin, you have no idea what it’s been like out there. It’s a wonder Axon has held it together. Has needed your help and blew us all away with how patient he has been with all the nonsense surrounding these spoilt gods and Rulers and their demands of your time. He missed you a lot you know.’

  ‘And I him, but honest, this is the first I’ve heard anything about the war with Mercury. I guess I’ve been a bit busy.’

  ‘Not sure what’s happened but right now it’s gone quiet. This the reason I was able to come here too. There hasn’t even been chatter over the NAVnet. Axon thinks it has something to do with what went down between you and Calyx.’

  ‘This is the reason for your visit?’

  ‘Yes. Axon has asked me to have a chat with you and see if you might share it with me considering you know I can be trusted. Maybe I can help you through any hardships you may have faced and not wanted to discuss with anyone else just yet.’

  Woody used a large amount of magic to loosen Caitlin enough to share her experience. Finally, Caitlin gave in. She knew Woody could be trusted, and didn’t need his magic, but maybe without that she might have not told him about the kiss. With legs crossed and back straight, she opened up about the good and bad of her time with Calyx. How they battled, and she had won. With his magic it opened the door to the kiss they shared and how he manipulated the event to make her think she had dreamt it. That the kiss was actually shared with Axon not him.

  Woody shook his head at her confession. ‘Calyx thought his magic was strong enough to hide what he did, but the goddess side of you exposed it. I wonder why?’

  Caitlin couldn’t answer him. She was only able to tell him she felt the kiss was a small price to pay for the memories of the world he had shown her, and, for the freedom of life he now gave unselfishly. ‘All I know is from this day forward, I never need hide or feel the wrath of the gods again. It’s over and what remains is a strong friendship that I believe will last for all time.

  After talking for a while, Woody brought up the subject of the hidden gift she had been given for her alone.

  ‘Do you recall the conversation?’ He jogged her memory.

  ‘You said I had a one-off power to erase a link to a moment in time. The only problem is that you warned it might erase my entire memory that surrounds it.’

  ‘Cait, this might be why it was given to you. What Calyx did to you was wrong on so many levels. He forced you to go with him using magic and attempted to kill you. Only it failed and all he achieved was to chase off the goddess who was teaching you. In the end, strength learned in your youth made you the stronger deity. But even then he persisted in trying to win you over and after wooing you, he stole a kiss.’

  He took a breath and continued. Hoped she took his warning serious. ‘What’s done in the line of duty is nobody else’s business unless you want it to be. What is our business is when you spend time with someone as powerful as Zeus. Then it is our duty to warn you of something neither of you may be aware of. In the event of even an innocent kiss, someone as powerful as Zeus might have left something inside you. It could eventually eat away and diminish your magic, or he may have the power to lock in on you, control you if need be.’

  ‘You’re ki
dding, right.’

  ‘Sorry, but I have to give it to you straight up. I never joke when it comes to these matters.’

  Her eyes were wide. ‘Calyx would never do that. I only see devotion and love for me in his eyes now. I swear I would pick up deceit if it were there.’ She didn’t like what she was hearing but had to seriously consider this to be true of Calyx. He was the god of all gods and what if he had played to win and hadn’t given up? She didn’t blame Woody for now wanting to interfere, this was major, and she couldn’t just dismiss something that could affect her future as a Rider.

  Woody knew this was hard for her to hear but felt it was important to give her some much-needed advice. ‘Either way, it is risky to do nothing when you have the power to do something about it. Break the link you both share. You are pure, and he has an evil that could fester and take control of your innocence.’

  ‘I will lose everything.’

  ‘To do nothing, you risk the purity of your powers and maybe your position as a peacekeeper. If nothing happened then you would be okay, but if it did and he takes control of you on a mission, can the team ever trust you again?’

  She heard a voice. ‘What’s this about trust?’ Axon gazed at her.

  Woody was angry that Calyx had put her in this position. ‘The rotten swine kissed her,’ he growled while staring at Axon.

  ‘Yes, I know, he came and told me a little while ago. That’s why I’m here,’ Axon replied with sadness.

  ‘I’m so sorry Axon!’ Tears sprang to her eyes.

  ‘We have no idea what that might do, Axon. She has the power to erase it, and I believe she should use it,’ Woody insisted.

  ‘But it was only a silly kiss!’ she cried out. ‘My trip, it was so enjoyable, so memorable.’

  Axon sat the other side of her and using his thumbs, gently wiped away her tears. ‘Let me replace the memories, Cait. Let me be the man to fill your life with happiness, and when we kiss, it will be real and never will you need to feel ashamed – pick me, Caitlin.’

  ‘I do, Axon. I swear it’s you I’m in love with. I’m yours, always have been… if you still want me?’

  ‘Until death do us part! Cait, honey.’ He already knew the swine used magic and she would not have kissed him freely otherwise. But deal with him later he would. For this moment was about the woman he was in love with and to hear she still wanted him made him the happiest man ever. She chose me over a god. He thanked the heavens.

  Tears ran down her cheeks. ‘Let me try to access this gift, but you both better stand back in case it gets crazy.’ She closed her eyes and built up her power. Carefully she went in search and found the firm link between her and Calyx and snapped it. With a terrifying scream of anguish she watched. Floating from her were memories of their few days together; spinning and entwined they began to rise. For her eyes only, picturesque scenery, laughter and fun turned around in front of her. She wanted them back and put out a hand to hold them dear to her, but a hole appeared, taking away the swirl of whispers, laughter, places and the kiss that intermingled into nothingness, and with a sharp clap, the portal snapped shut, and her eyes blinked with the glare. She slumped, her mind exhausted from the magic. The man who held her became the centre of her thoughts, his hands, and his muscles that flexed in worry as he wrapped her in his arms. This was where she now wanted to be, not just today, but always. Her eyes opened to Axon, his smile loving and grateful she had done this for him.

  Woody’s voice broke her trance.

  Did I faint?

  ‘Do you remember where you have been the last few days?’

  She suddenly felt tired, emotional. What has worn me out? I don’t want to talk, just wish everyone would leave me and Axon alone. ‘Here with Aurek. Why?’ she snapped, her eyebrows furrowed with the strange question.

  ‘I need you to answer very carefully. When was the last time you saw Calyx?’ Woody persisted. He figured it would have been a powerful spell and she’d been exhausted for the next twenty-four hours. But it had to be done, and he needed to find out if it worked before leaving.

  ‘That’s a strange question, but okay, I’ll play along. On the beach at Dolphin Island, when I was with Jett. He was a woman, but the rest is fuzzy, why?’

  ‘Now apart from right now, when was the last time you saw Axon?’ he asked.

  ‘Last night at dinner,’ she said, confused. ‘He was there with Jett, Rory and Aurek.’

  ‘Think carefully, was there anyone else at the table?’ he pressed.

  She looked at Axon. ‘I don’t understand, it was only us, or I would remember.’

  Axon smiled. ‘You did the right thing honey, you’re quite correct, it was just us. He was just testing your memory.’

  She jerked upright with renewed vigour. ‘I feel great!’

  ‘Careful, Cait, you may need a minute,’ Woody warned.

  ‘A minute? I can’t wait one more minute.’ She wrapped her arms around Axon. ‘Marry me tonight! Let’s take off now and go find a little oasis somewhere to tie the knot. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. I need you now, and for always.’ She sobbed into his arms. ‘I don’t want to be away from you ever again.’

  He rocked her and calmed her down. ‘I would love that too, honey. But if we elope, our friends will be so disappointed. They have put such a significant effort into planning a beautiful wedding for us. Are you sure you want to let them down?’

  She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffed. ‘Suppose not.’

  ‘I think you might have what they call wedding jitters.’ He smiled. ‘Look, I’ve still got a few hours before I have to leave for the buck’s night, so how about I spend it with you here, relaxing?’ He saw her puffy eyes and worried for how sad and confused she seemed.

  ‘Will you come back here after the buck’s party then?’

  Woody intervened, seeing that Axon was close to folding and giving the whole night a miss for her. ‘You shouldn’t see the bride the night before the wedding.’

  His tone snapped Axon out of the decision he was just about to make. He glanced up at Woody with a shrug and helpless twinge in his eyes. ‘You sure we can’t make an exception?’

  ‘Trust me, Axon, you don’t want to promise her something us boys will not allow.’ Woody confirmed his thoughts on how it would go down if he cancelled the traditional buck’s night.

  Axon’s shoulders slumped as he held his bride-to-be, her tears like a heavy weight on his mind. ‘Please don’t cry, honey, I’ll try to work something out.’

  Caitlin clung to him until he was ready to go and cried in his arms before he left. Then she clung to Bree, fretting terribly for the man she loved. With calm now in the universe, it allowed her time for herself, and it hit her hard how much in love she was. Her head swam with their time together, before the madness, when just a touch from Axon filled her body with an almost uncontrollable passion. She had hidden it in the back of her mind while working, but now, today, it rushed at her like a freight train, her emotions unable to prevent the tears of joy he was going to be hers for always, and at the same time sadness that she couldn’t have him now. Her impatience for waiting to give herself to the man she loved overwhelmed her.

  ‘I don’t want to be anywhere else but in his arms and in his life.’ Her heartache was real as she spoke to her friends while using the last of the second box of tissues. The hen’s night was not going well while she sat so distraught.

  Her ache for Axon and the hurt carried across the miles to Jett, and her unhappiness was so disturbing he gave in and made the call to combine the two parties. A godly entrance had them all aghast as he lifted Caitlin into his arms and encircled every lady there in his bright light, transporting them all to Pluto.

  Tense at first, the party kicked off when Caitlin finally smiled, now comforted by her man.

  Axon held her possessively, lovingly, and sent out a s
pecial request into the universe; his wish was to have her want him this way always. That forever more she was happy and content to stay by his side.

  Now united, both watched their friends enjoy the night from the warmth of the cabin, encircled in each other’s arms.

  Only once did Axon leave her side, happy to sit up at the table when a carrier arrived with important papers to sign. It was here on the eve of his wedding when all his dreams were now realised that he witnessed Jett and Calyx sign a treaty declaring war on the offending planets was over. His girl had not only put herself out there to prevent a catastrophic event but had come back to his arms. She had picked him; preferred him to gods, and his heart couldn’t have swelled with more pride.

  ‘Caitlin, can you join us?’ Calyx asked.

  Keeping the fur wrapped around her for warmth, she sat with them.

  Calyx got up and made sure she was comfortable before sitting opposite. ‘Caitlin gave me this idea, so I want her to be a part of this when I announce it publicly.’

  ‘Did I?’ She gave Calyx a look of uncertainty but kept quiet. Axon being near was all she could think of as she breathed in his expensive fragrant aftershave that she loved and had missed. Her ears pricked up, and Caitlin jumped up and hugged Jett when Calyx informed them that the Congress of the Heavens had approved his motion to make Hades the King of the Dwarf Planets. Although she couldn’t remember saying so to Calyx, she shrugged at her confusion. She might have said it, just couldn’t remember. In fact, she didn’t care, it was a brilliant idea, and that was all that mattered.

  Axon pulled Caitlin on his lap, not allowing her time with any other man tonight. She was his, and he wanted to make it perfectly clear to the two men with him that he had won. Or had he? He pondered, still ticked off they were so determined to have Caitlin still in their lives, that they insisted that she be a portion of the terms of the treaty. Now sworn in, their part played in Axon’s ever growing team were guardians to Caitlin. If she were out and about, one or the other, or both, were to be at her side whenever he or Rory couldn’t. He knew how important she was to the universe and understood Zoren approving this, but he didn’t have to like it. He eyed the two men who looked adoringly at his woman. Zoren had got it right. Who better to protect his jewel but two so powerful? Zeus, King of the Gods and, Hades, with his new title, King of the Dwarf Planets. She trusted them both with her life, even though she didn’t remember that connection with Calyx. Yet looking at his determined set jaw to keep her in his life, Axon figured it wouldn’t take him long to gain back that trust.