by Helen Scott
The other women standing around the edge were all laughing and singing. The music came from one woman holding what looked like the ancestor of the harp, but miniature, like a handheld version. A woman next to her picked up a flute and joined her in an accompanying piece. The urge to move to the music had been growing as she got closer, and now Aster couldn’t help but dance.
Her body felt like a symphony of movement, the music propelling her steps as she twirled and tumbled. She spun and jumped, stretching her arms and legs out into points as she flew through the air.
“Aster!” The sharp sound of her name being called stopped the music and her dance in one fell swoop.
As she pushed some of her blonde locks out of her face and gained her bearings, she saw Dem striding toward her like an oncoming storm, one she didn’t want to weather. The music and movement had been in perfect harmony, and he had ruined it. A spark of anger flared inside her at the thought. Why couldn’t she just enjoy one nice thing?
“Child, who are you?” The voice came from behind her, beautiful and melodic.
Aster turned to find the owner of the voice. The woman slowly walked around her. She was stunning. Chocolate-brown hair that curled in perfect ringlets was partially pulled up on the crown of her head, while the majority of it cascaded down her back, reminding Aster of the waterfall in the building. Her cream dress was draped around her in a way that flattered her body without showing off. The woman’s eyes matched her hair, and as they made eye contact, she was about to respond when Dem responded for her.
“My lady,” he said, bowing slightly, “I apologize for the interruption. We did not intend to disturb you or your sisters. Please excuse us.”
“Siren, answer my question. Who is she?” The softness that had been in the woman’s face a moment ago was now gone, clearly displeased. Aster hoped it wasn’t because she hadn’t answered. It would be just her luck to piss off the first god she met in Olympus.
“This is Aster. She is here in my care while we try to find some information about her parentage.”
“I see.” She turned to Aster. “You have beautiful form. The music truly connected with you. I’m Terpsichore, the muse of dance.” She smiled.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” Aster said, bowing her head. She didn’t know how to curtsy, so she hoped that was sufficient.
“Who are you here to find?” She addressed the question directly to Aster.
“I’ve been told to speak with Hermes’ children. I was recently given this blanket that has his symbols on it and advised that it was given to me by my birth mother,” she said, gesturing to the box that sat at her feet.
“Ah, I understand. The last time I saw any of the people you seek was on the Island of Fortune.”
“That was where we were heading, my lady,” Dem chimed in, earning a glare from Terpsichore.
If Aster didn’t know better, she could swear the muse was angry at him for interrupting either their conversation or quite possibly her dancing. After all, she’d never felt so connected to a piece of music, as though she could see every move that she should make to every note so it perfectly matched the intention of the song.
Turning to Aster once more, Terpsichore said, “It is two bridges ahead and one to the right.”
“Thank you!” Aster grinned. The muse liked her better than Dem, which made her want to poke her tongue out at him.
“Please be careful as you travel. If you would like to come and dance with us some time, we would enjoy that very much. Have the siren bring you back.” She glanced over her shoulder to the other women, who all nodded and smiled.
Aster hadn’t realized they had been watching the whole time. It made sense, though, now that she thought about it. “Thank you, Lady Terpsichore.” She bowed her head again, and when she raised it, the muse had returned to the lake and was picking up her instrument once more.
“Come on. If we’re still here when she starts playing, then I’ll never get you out of here.”
Aster reached down and scooped up the box containing the blanket as Dem took her hand. The joy that was bubbling up inside her only increased. The muse of dancing had just told her she had good form. It was the greatest compliment she’d ever received.
They were far enough away by the time the music started up that she didn’t feel compelled to move to it, but Dem’s grip on her hand was vice-like as they moved forward. He clearly wasn’t about to let her go and dance again. They followed the path that Terpsichore had set them on and wound up on a floating island surrounded by a cluster of smaller islands, to the point that it would have been claustrophobic being there had the center island not been the highest.
For a moment, Aster thought that they might have found their way to the center of Olympus, to the giant mountain of an island she’d seen in the distance when they’d first arrived, but as she looked around, she could still see it towering over the buildings on their current island. It was still a good ways away. They were nowhere near it, which she was grateful for, if she was honest with herself.
The idea of running into Zeus or Hera or someone like Aphrodite was just too much. She’d probably faint, and wouldn’t that embarrass Dem. A small smile spread over her face at the thought. While the idea might be entertaining, she’d never allow it to happen. Being unconscious in front of someone as powerful as Zeus was not acceptable to her.
The other islands that surrounded the Island of Fortune all seemed to be straining up toward the island they were now standing on. The center of the island had a series of buildings and alleyways that Dem led them through, to the very center, which opened up into a pool of epic proportions. At the far end was a fountain with a thick stone base that fed into the pool. A series of cabana-type structures were around it, but the one at the end by the fountain was the biggest. The elegant bolts of material waved gently in a breeze Aster couldn’t feel.
As they approached, she could hear chatter coming from the cabana, followed by a peal of feminine laughter. The wind blew the fabric away from the posts of the structure, and suddenly they were face to face with three people, two women and a man. The women looked like mirror images of each other, except one had red hair and the other blonde, while the man more resembled a pirate.
“Hello, siren. Done licking your wounds?” the blonde asked while she plucked a grape from the bowl on the table and bit it in two, the juice almost falling down her full lip before she ran her tongue over it, catching every last drop. “Did you finally give up on your mortal? Or did you just find a new one?”
Dem’s hands clenched behind his back. He was hurt and furious, and from the little he had told her, she understood why.
He took a breath before he spoke. “My lady Tyche, forgive our interruption, but we seek your guidance.” Dem bowed, pointedly ignoring the question about Isa.
Aster dipped her head, trying to show respect, but she felt like an outsider. The blonde and redhead both watched Dem, while the pirate watched her. Everything about the situation made her uncomfortable.
“Guidance from Fortuna? Isn’t that what everyone wants?” the redhead asked.
“My lady Angelia, it is not to gain fortune that we seek guidance. More that we seek your knowledge as Hermes’ children.”
“What has Daddy done now?” the redhead asked, clearly not impressed with her father’s antics.
The women leaned back against the luxurious couch, the white pillows bunching slightly under their combined weight. The blonde crossed her legs, the sparkly, green dress she wore splitting and pooling around her thighs, showing off shapely legs. As Aster watched them, she couldn’t help but notice their assessing eyes. They found Dem attractive.
A spike of jealousy ran through her. It occurred to her that they were much better suited to be with Dem than she was, but they didn’t know him like she did.
Her arms were empty.
She had been holding the box that contained her baby blanket just a moment ago, and now it was gone.
“Dem!”
He turned toward her outburst.
“The box just disappeared! I was holding it, and now it’s gone.”
“Oh, relax, mortal!” the redhead said as she got up and sashayed toward Aster. “Our brother is just borrowing it, aren’t you?”
“Sure, let’s go with that,” the pirate said with the box in front of him.
The woman standing in front of her was head and shoulders over her, and her frame was just curvy enough to show she was a woman. The skintight leggings and low-cut tank top didn’t hurt, either. Her thick red braid slid over her shoulder as she turned to Dem.
“So who is this one?”
“That’s kind of what we are trying to find out. She was dropped off with the blanket in that box, and Hermes’ symbols are embroidered on one corner, along with some others, but we aren’t sure who those symbols relate to. We are hoping that you can find it in your hearts to lend us your opinions as to the symbols and if you can think of any of your siblings who might have given a child up.”
“Why do you need to know?” This from Tyche, or Fortuna, or whatever her name was. Aster was starting to get overwhelmed with everything.
“Because of this.” She pushed the hair away from her blind eye, and both women gasped, while the pirate got up to take a closer look.
The man stood in front of her, his goatee and billowy white shirt making her want to ask if he was missing his parrot. Dark hair flopped in his eyes as he bent down to look directly into her face.
“A, leave her alone. Poor thing is having a hard enough time as it is without your ugly mug in her face,” Angelia called.
When he backed up, she could see that Tyche was looking at the blanket. Aster had to suppress the urge to go and rip it out of the woman’s hands. It was her blanket, one she didn’t even know she had until earlier today, or was it yesterday? Time was running together, and she was exhausted.
As the creamy folds of the blanket unfurled, a low murmur passed between the sisters. She looked up at Dem for any kind of guidance, but he stood stone-faced, waiting for the goddesses to decide whether or not to speak. It was infuriating.
Both women walked over to her at that point, looking her up and down, examining her. When Tyche touched her chin, raising her face so they were staring at each other without the other woman having to bend down, Aster started to feel energized again. Maybe being touched by a goddess allowed some energy to transfer? She had no idea how this stuff worked. All she knew was that the exhaustion she had been feeling ever since her dance at the muse’s palace was gone.
“You look like Chloe.” Tyche tilted Aster’s head back and forth as though she were assessing an animal, not a human, but maybe to the gods, they were the same thing. “Angelia, don’t you think she looks like Chloe? A very young Chloe, but nonetheless, it’s there.”
The redhead peered at her face. “I think I see what you’re talking about.”
“That would make sense with the other symbols on this blanket,” their brother said behind them.
They turned, blocking him from Aster’s view as they went to examine the blanket more closely. “Of course! Carmenta!”
“Carmenta?” Dem’s voice surprised Aster as she looked over and saw that his stance was wider and he’d moved himself slightly ahead and in front of her.
“The baby in the music box has to symbolize Carmenta. After all, she is the goddess of childbirth and one of her symbols is music.”
“Why don’t I remember her?” Dem’s arms crossed over his chest as though he was having trouble believing what they were saying.
“She was only really popular with the Romans, but she had a bit of a tryst with Daddy. Mother was not pleased,” Tyche said.
“Pops was a bit of a player, as they say,” Angelia said without looking up as she examined the blanket further.
“So Chloe is your sister?” Aster said, her insides squirming with the desire to know if she’d just found out her birth mother’s name.
She nodded, her blonde waves shimmering around her face. “Daddy never stayed with one woman for long, so we are mostly only half-siblings, but she is our sister.”
“Do you know where we could find her?” Aster didn’t care if she was being rude. This was huge, and she wasn’t about to waste time letting them express their daddy issues.
“She kind of keeps to herself. A while back, she just dropped off the map, became a recluse. I haven’t seen her in a long time, but you could check her home. It’s pretty far from here, since she moved to the outskirts of the realm.”
“I could take you, if you want?” the brother piped up.
“Autolycus, you’re just trying to steal this lovely little mortal away, aren’t you?”
“If I was, do you think she’d still be here? It’s not like any of you could stop me.”
“I’d give it my best shot,” Dem growled beside her.
Chapter 10
“That’s cute, bird boy, but useless. Come on, what possible interest could I have in her? Just trying to be nice to the mortal, that’s all.” The pirate seemed genuine to Aster, but she wasn’t used to speaking with gods, so she could be completely off base.
“Fine, leave us,” Tyche said to her brother before turning to Dem. “If he messes with you at all, come and find me.”
“Or me,” Angelia said with a wink that Aster thought was a different kind of invitation, before handing Aster her blanket.
“Let’s just get on with it,” Dem said, seeming even more surly than usual.
Autolycus came up and put his hand on both of their shoulders, and the world around them seemed to spin and blur. When she jumped with Dem, everything just got dark for a moment or two before she just seemed to appear in a new place. Jumping with the god was more like running at super speed, but going in circles at the same time. She felt like she was inside a tornado.
When they stopped, she had to turn away to throw up.
It was worse than being on the ride at the fair that just spun in circles as the bottom opened up below. The nausea stayed with her even after her stomach was empty, like it had been looking for an excuse to come back. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she could have sworn she heard the god complaining about how weak mortals were, but at that moment, she didn’t care. Her stomach rolled once more, but the need to vomit had passed. Now it was just the nausea.
“On that note, good luck,” Autolycus said, before shoving the box and blanket to Dem’s chest and jumping out.
“You okay?” Dem said, rubbing small circles on her back and handing the box back to her.
She appreciated the gesture. He knew how important, how life changing this was to her and was willing to accommodate her being slightly neurotic about it.
“Yeah, I think so.” All she wanted to do was lie in bed and block out the world.
“So, this is Chloe’s place.” He clearly wasn’t sure how to handle her right now, but she wasn’t sure how to handle herself, either, so she didn’t hold it against him. Her body was basically rebelling against her.
“Shall we go and knock? Or is that not what you guys do?”
“I think knocking is good.” He nodded, seeming to be just as unsure as she was.
Together they walked toward the home. The building was small, like it was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. It was domed, but there weren’t any pillars this time. There was a dark wooden door and a few small windows mixed in with the cream stucco. Other than that, the house was plain, no decorations, no flowers, no fountains, nothing that would draw the eye. Aster tried to look past the house to see what was behind it, but she could only see clouds, like the world ended after Chloe’s home.
Dem rapped on the door lightly and was greeted with some muffled words. When the door didn’t open and no more sounds came from inside, he called out, “Chloe?”
“Who is it?” a woman’s voice spoke from the other side of the door.
“My name is Demetrius. I’m a siren, and I was hoping to talk to you
about your family. Can you open the door? I don’t have to come in if you don’t want me to.”
“My family?”
“Yes, my lady.”
There was a shuffling sound, and the door, which looked more like it belonged in a barn than on a goddess’s house, cracked open. At first glance, it seemed as though there was no one there, but Aster realized that the woman was standing mostly behind the door, and what the door didn’t cover was back far enough that the darkness from inside the home shrouded her. She hadn’t expected Chloe’s home to be so dark, nor had she expected her potential biological mother to be such a recluse.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to find out who created this blanket.” Dem took the box from Aster’s hands, opening it up to display the blanket. He held it in front of the door with the embroidery clearly visible. A thin, pale hand shot out and snatched at the blanket. Her heart jumped in her chest. Thankfully he didn’t release the whole thing and kept hold of the side of the blanket where he held the box.
“Where did you get this? Are you a thief?” She took a breath, and when Dem didn’t immediately respond, a small, tortured whisper came from her. “Tell me, please!”
Aster stepped forward, pushing past Dem’s hand that was still trying to hold her off to one side.
“It’s mine.” Her heart thumped in her chest, like it wanted to break through her ribs.
The darkly veined hand dropped the blanket, and the door shut in her face, grazing her nose from how close she’d been standing, and with it came a deafening silence.
“Shit,” Aster cursed softly. She shouldn’t have been so bold. It was obvious from the house and what her sisters and brother had said that she didn’t like attention.