The Gorgon Bride

by Galen Sulak-Ramsey

  Alex shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. You can’t walk around with that thing in front of your face all day. Too much can go wrong, and it looks stupid.”

  “Well what’s so special about you then? How come you won’t turn to stone?”

  “Already been killed. Perks of getting squashed.”

  “Enough. I’ll take care of it,” Phorcys said after a heavy sigh laced with annoyance. “Aphrodite should’ve already done all this if she was going to bring you here.”

  “Do what?” asked Alex.

  “Protect her from my daughter,” he replied.

  Phorcys shut his eyes and a deep crevasse formed in his brow. His body shrank, and in the span of two breaths, he once again looked like a hundred-year-old human, small and frail. He grabbed an empty goblet from across the table, filled it with a small amount of wine, and then swirled it with an index finger, all the while chanting something Alex couldn’t follow. The water glowed yellow and wisps of acrid smoke rose from the surface. He passed the concoction to Jessica and said, “Drink.”

  Jessica brought the goblet to her lips, wrinkled her nose at the smell, and then quickly shut her eyes and tossed the drink back like she was doing a shot. A coughing fit took hold of her—one that prompted Alex to whack her on the back—but when it was done, the goblet was empty and not a drop had been wasted. “There. That wasn’t so bad,” she said. “She won’t hurt me now?”

  “For a week’s time, yes,” The Old Man replied. “That will be more than enough for you to participate in the festivities. Once they’re done, I suggest you return to your own land.”

  “Awesome sauce,” she said. “Speaking of, when is the wedding?”

  Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. Soon?”

  “Whenever Zeus is ready,” The Old Man replied.

  “I’m ready. I’m ready,” said Zeus as he finished his own wine and set his goblet aside. “I suppose we should let you take your vows now and put on your yoke of eternal servitude.”

  Alex glanced around the hall, and when he noted his bride was still nowhere to be seen, he asked, “Shouldn’t Euryale be here?”

  “Not for the ekdosis. You’ll see her once you’re wed.”

  “This doesn’t sound like any wedding I’ve been to. What do I do?”

  “Say ‘I do’ when you’re supposed to and we’ll be done. Is that simple enough?”

  Alex nodded.

  The Old Man, after Zeus gave him a short wave, took to his feet and cleared his throat. “Alex, I give you my daughter, Euryale, into the bonds of marriage, so that she may bring you offspring as numerous as the creatures in the sea. Do you accept?”

  “I do,” said Alex.

  Phorcys nodded and continued. “I also give you a dowry in the form a pledge. I pledge before the Fates and Zeus that I shall not tear your body to pieces, nor allow Athena to chain you to the slab of Prometheus, for as long as you remain in wedlock to my daughter and love her as you should. Do you accept?”

  “I do,” Alex said, quicker and more forceful than before.

  “Congratulations,” Zeus said, ending the exchange. “You’re married for all of eternity now, waking to the same girl day in and day out. Try not to let the nagging and questions get to you—and if you need to slip away for a few days, provided you offer me a proper sacrifice, we can find a few maidens to ease our minds.”

  Alex, uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond, gave a sheepish grin.

  Phorcys, on the other hand, scowled.

  Zeus, noting the reaction by The Old Man, leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Fret not, Phorcys,” he said taking to his feet. “I’ll merely use Alex to look out for my cow of a wife. I wouldn’t dream of enticing Alex to stray from your daughter, let alone share any of my mistresses with him. They are far too lovely for the likes of him.”

  Phorcys held his glare as Zeus left. Once he was gone, The Old Man stood and motioned for Alex and Jessica to follow. “Come. It’s time you received the rest of your gifts before going to meet your wife.”

  They left the banquet hall, and now that it was all finished, Alex realized he felt cheated from the whole ordeal. For such a momentous, life-changing event, he would have liked to actually have a ceremony he’d remember, one where he’d see his bride come down the aisle wearing a gown tailored by the gods and looking more radiant than the sun. He wanted a ceremony where even the groomsmen would cry, and at the end, he’d plant such a kiss on her lips that all in attendance would have their collective breath sucked away. But no. What he’d received was little more than the pushing of a legal contract.

  Maybe the gifts would be better. If not, he decided, he’d have to spend some extra alone time with Euryale to make the day a memorable one.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alex found himself alongside Jessica at the base of Apollo’s temple, watching a pair of large palomino horses stand idly by. They looked happy enough, even if they were yoked to a heavy chariot made of bronze and purfled with gold. The nearest one gave a brief glance as Alex extended his hand. It nickered, snorted, and then turned away.

  “Stupid horse,” Alex said as he dropped his hand to his side. “It’s a wonder cars weren’t invented sooner. I bet all you do is eat and poop.”

  “It’s a horse,” Jessica said. “What did you expect?”

  “Around here? Anything. Everything.”

  “Get closer to it and pretend you like it anyway,” she said, raising her camera. “The lighting here is outstanding.”

  “Alex, my good man,” called out a young, beardless and muscular man as he bounded down the temple stairs. Though Alex had never seen him before, a quick whisper from Phorcys told him that this was none other than Apollo, God of the Sun and Giver of Prophecy. The god stopped and put a hand over his chest as he sucked in a sharp breath of air. “And you, Jessica, so nice to finally cast eyes upon your lovely self, at least, literally. Seeing your future is not the same as seeing your present, yes?”

  “If only I could!” she said.

  “But then where would the fun be in all of life’s surprises?” he replied. “You wouldn’t want to ruin that, I assure you. Stay in the moment and enjoy your life here and now. Relish the sun’s rays against your skin and enjoy the fresh air that abounds. What more could one want?”

  “Being by my wife’s side might be nice,” Alex replied with a smile.

  “Ah, love. The ultimate want!” Apollo added, patting Alex on the shoulders with both hands. “My heart soars knowing you’ve found it.” The god stopped when his eyes met with Alex’s. “It seems I may have misspoken,” Apollo said once his scrutiny was over. “Not love, no. Not yet at least.”

  Phorcys let a low growl slip, but said nothing.

  “Fear not, either of you,” the sun god went on. “Love can still easily grow from this infantile infatuation you and Euryale have now. I tell you the truth, Alex, there’s no stopping what has begun and what the Fates have in store. Your wife will be the center of your heart before you know it.”

  “What’s in store for me?” Jessica said, face full of excitement. “Love, too? A new house? A lifetime supply of pumpkin spice lattes?”

  Apollo stepped in front of her and lifted her chin with a single finger. His eyes seemed to study every facet of her face. When he started, his mouth held a half grin, but by the time he finished, it was twisted and his eyes looked strained. “Strange,” he said looking between her and Alex a few times. “You two are entwined yet again, but for how long, I can’t say. Nor can I in regards to how it relates to Euryale, only that the three of you will be in conflict.”

  “With someone else or each other?” Alex asked.

  “Both, I think,” Apollo replied. “The Fates have hidden much from my eyes.”

  “Maybe it’s something silly,” Alex offered, knowing full well he was tricking himself into believing such a thing. But one good feeling did come of Apollo’s talk. A pit grew in his stomach, one that had him lon
g to be at Euryale’s side, and thoughts of her put a smile on his face. “Is there at least a happily ever after for everyone?”

  “That will depend on you,” Apollo said, taking him by the arm and walking him slowly around his chariot. “I know you’re eager to rejoin your wife, so I shall move things along, but remember, you’ve all of eternity to spend with her. Life is not meant to be so narrowly focused. Even with her absence, there is much to see, do, and enjoy.”

  “Like enjoying horses that eat and poop?”

  “Yes, my dear man!” Apollo’s face beamed, and Alex found himself shielding his eyes for the moment. “They’re Akhal-Tekes, by the way, and a source of joy for all those that get to know them. They love sharing music and poetry, if you happen to have some good bits of either, and they’ll never tell a lie. I think I like that the best about them.”

  “They can talk?”

  “Well of course they can talk,” Apollo replied, giving the nearest horse a good scratching behind the ear. “How depressing would it be if they couldn’t? They would have all sorts of fine things to say to the world but be completely unable to get it out for us to enjoy.”

  “Well the last thing we would want is a bunch of depressed, non-speaking horses,” Alex said with a grin. “I mean, what would the world do with those kinds of beasts?”

  “See? You still jest,” Apollo said with a playful punch to Alex’s shoulder. He then reached into a small pouch at his side and pulled forth a pair of sugar cubes. “Here,” he said, placing one of the cubes in Alex’s hands. “If I am to teach you to drive a chariot, it is important that you first give our good friends here a little snack. These Akhal-Tekes are a good breed, but their loyalties are tied to their stomachs, I’m afraid. It’s something I’ve complained about to Poseidon, but he cares not to remedy the problem. Do you know how long it takes to pull the Sun across the sky when all they want to do is graze nonstop?”

  Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Ten, twelve hours maybe?”

  “Ten or twelve hours?” Apollo repeated with a laugh. “My boy, not only are you handsome, but you are as clever as the sphinx. But back to these obstinate equines, it really depends on the time of year. In the winter, when the cold nips at their backs and the foliage is scarce, the day’s work goes by much faster.”

  “Ah, and here I thought it was due to the tilt of the Earth,” Alex said. The two’s eyes met and held each other’s gaze but for a moment before Alex looked down and shifted about. Though he was growing accustomed to hobnobbing with the Greek gods, he was now particularly uncomfortable. In the short time he had spent in the god’s presence, this was now the second time he felt as if he had been mentally undressed by the deity. “You were saying about me learning to drive a chariot?”

  “There are many things I could teach you, should I suit your fancy,” Apollo said, adopting a more serious tone. “But I suspect your wife would be jealous and frown upon such things.”

  “That’s, um, very nice of you,” Alex said, feeling his skin, or whatever the spiritual version was called, crawl. “But I think it’s best we stick to the horses for now.”

  “Relax, my good man,” Apollo said as he stepped into the chariot and then helped Alex in. “You’ve nothing to fear with me. Besides, do you know how many Greeks and Romans would kill to be in your sandals right now? To be taught the finer points of chariot racing by Apollo himself?”

  Alex gave a knowing smile. “None, if they knew they’d be seeing a gorgon shortly after.”

  “I would wager you’re right,” Apollo said with a nod. “Perhaps you can teach Hades a thing or two about humor. I loathe seeing such a depressing individual, always going on about death and dying, but we must, I’m afraid, to pick up the last of your gifts. And to do all of that, we’ll want my chariot. Afterwards I was thinking we could take in a play, or an opera. Jessica could join us when we get back, too, if she likes. It would be a fine place to introduce her to your wife.”

  Jessica, who had wandered off a few paces and was talking to The Old Man, perked at the mention of her name and turned around. “What’s that?”

  “Apollo wants to know if you’d like to join us after we make a run to Hades.”

  “After?” she said. “I don’t get to go?”

  Apollo shook his head. “The Underworld is not a place for the living. I have no domain there, and I’d fear for your safety.”

  “Right,” Jessica said. “Then I guess I’ll catch up to you when you get back. Maybe Phorcys would be kind enough to show me some of the secrets of the deep sea?”

  “I’d be happy to take you to places that will leave you in awe for the rest of your life,” The Old Man replied.

  “Then I am but your humble follower,” she said with a curtsey.

  “I guess that’s that,” Alex said. “What are we getting in Hades, anyway?”

  Apollo smiled. “Your new body, of course. Hades said he would fashion you one, and it will help you greatly in the upcoming games, you know. Not to mention your wife ought to appreciate it as well.”

  “Oh, of course,” Alex said. Before he could add another word, Apollo took the reins, gave a sharp tug, and the chariot bolted into the sky.

  For two hours, Apollo drove the chariot above the clouds. Occasionally he gave Alex the reins along with instruction, but more than once he snatched them back when Alex would inadvertently plummet them toward the ground. Eventually, Apollo dove to the waters that covered the Earth. There they skimmed along the sea for another half hour before Alex spied a tiny peninsula on the horizon.

  “Is that where we’re stopping?” Alex asked.

  “No, my good man,” said Apollo, spurring the horses on. “But it is our last waypoint before we go under.”

  Alex gripped the body of the chariot as the God of Prophecy and Sun snapped the reins once more, driving the horses ever faster. It wasn’t so much the extra speed that made Alex nervous, for watching the dark waters below speed past was exciting, but rather the fact that the chariot streaked toward one of the many pitch black water caves along the peninsula’s coastline with no indications of slowing or changing course.

  “Fear not,” Apollo said, glancing toward Alex. “I could fly this route with my eyes closed.”

  “Oh good,” Alex replied with a nervous laugh. “Because you might as well.”

  And with that, the chariot drove into the cave’s inky black.

  * * *

  “If you think I’m getting near that, you’re sorely mistaken,” Alex said as he pointed a shaky finger at the most monstrous of dogs.

  “What? Why?” replied Apollo, jumping off the chariot and striding across the cavern floor. “Cerberus only keeps the dead inside. He won’t bother you in the least.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that,” said Alex.

  “Alex, trust me. He only hunts down the dead, not those married to the divine. And if you ever wanted something of him, I’m sure a little bribe would go a long way. You know, scratch behind the ears or a nice severed limb to chew on.”

  Regardless of Apollo’s reassurances, given that the dog’s three heads had yet to take their combined six eyes off of Alex, he had no intentions of leaving the relative safety of the chariot, let alone giving the dog a friendly pat. And his feelings about those three heads didn’t even include the creature’s mane full of snakes, nor the serpentine tail.

  “How about I wait here, and you open them instead,” Alex said, referring to the wrought iron gates on the other side the dog.

  “I could do that, but if you’re going to come and go from this land, you must get over this irrational fear of yours.”

  “I’m not being irrational,” Alex replied. Then a curious thought dawned on him. “How often do you think I’m going to be making this trip?”

  Apollo gave a wry smile. “More than once, I’m sure. Cheer up. It could be worse.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You could be here without any light at all,” said Ap
ollo. The god winked, snapped his fingers, and the ball of light that had been with them both since they’d first entered the cave disappeared.

  Alex tightened his grip on the chariot and held his breath. He couldn’t see anything other than darkness, even when he waved his hand in front of his face. While Alex’s vision had gone, however, his hearing had not. He could hear Cerberus panting a few yards away. The sounds of the dog taking to its feet followed, and Alex heard the repeated clack of approaching claws on the limestone floor. Within moments, hot breath assaulted the back of his neck.

  “Get away!” he yelled.

  The light reappeared, hovering a few feet from Apollo. To Alex’s embarrassment, Cerberus hadn’t moved from his spot at the gates, though now the canine (if it could be called such a thing) was sprawled out on its side, its tongues hanging out of its mouths, and tail smacking the ground in slow, rhythmic thumps.

  “Go on,” Apollo said, pointing to the gates. “Open them and conquer your fear.”

  “You said he hunts the dead,” said Alex.

  “Quite well,” Apollo replied. “You might say he has a nose for it, or three.”

  “And he won’t think I’m dead because…?”

  “Because at best you’re not quite dead, yet,” answered Apollo with a wink.

  Against every fiber of his being, Alex eased off the chariot, half expecting Cerberus to rip out his throat. But when he didn’t, Alex sucked in a breath, tip-toed past the dog, and pulled the gates open.

  Apollo gave an approving nod and carefully drove the chariot through, being mindful not to run over Cerberus’ tail. “Worry not, good Alex,” he said, smiling. “I know much of your story, despite what the Fates have hidden. I promise it does not end here.”

  Alex exhaled with relief. He stepped back in the chariot as the iron gates swung closed. A snap of the reins by Apollo sent them moving once more. Faster and faster they raced through the tunnel before they burst out into an open land of gently rolling fields and asphodel flowers.