Arm in arm, they walked down to the Coral Banquet Hall for Grammy’s farewell dinner.
Chandeliers made of sea glass hung from the ceiling, casting the room in blue and lavender tones. The backs of the chairs had been carved into shell shapes, and fish netting holding giant shells from the bottom of the sea covered the walls. No fish tank this time, which Kaye noticed with relief. After what had happened at the aquarium, she didn’t want to see another tank of water for a very long time.
Grammy sat at the head of the table, surrounded by gifts. Kaye walked up and placed her blue-wrapped gift with the others and gave Grammy a hug. “I hope you had a good time this week, despite all of the bumps in the road.”
Grammy laughed. “My dear, the bumps made the week more adventurous.” She winked.
Ares dug into his pocket and brought out a small, silver box. “It is an honor to know you.”
“You as well.” Grammy patted his hand.
They took a seat across from Bradley and Veronica. Bradley gave them his usual nod. Veronica whispered something in his ear, then walked around the table to Kaye.
Kaye pulled out the chair next to her and stood, helping Veronica and her baby bump take a seat. “Oh gosh! You didn’t have to come all the way around the table to talk to me. I would have come to you.”
Veronica waved off her concern, placing her long red hair behind her ear. “I’m pregnant, I’m not dying.” She lowered her voice. “I wanted to tell you something without Bradley overhearing. He’s been great about tending to my every need, but sometimes I need my space as well.”
“I can understand that.” She needed her space with Bradley all the time. But since the incident on the boat, he hadn’t grated on her nerves. In fact, she wished she could have spent more time with him.
Veronica smiled and rubbed her belly. “I want to thank you. Whatever you said to him that day at the hospital gave him peace. With the baby coming, there’s been a lot of pressure on him. He’d been nervous about this gathering for weeks, and you’ve put him at ease. Yesterday we finally started to enjoy ourselves—until poor Armin fell into the aquarium.”
“A memory I’m trying to forget.” Kaye shook her head. She didn’t want to think about how Ares had looked at the bottom of the tank. “I thought I was the only one who’d had anxiety about this party.”
“No way.” Veronica glanced at Bradley. “He wants everyone to think he’s perfect, but he has the same fears as the rest of us.” She patted Kaye’s hand. “I’m glad the two of you worked out your differences. I know he hasn’t been the best brother in the world, but he’s trying now if it means anything.”
“It does. I’ll make more of an effort to keep in touch.”
“Good. I’m sure he’d like that.” Veronica braced herself and stood precariously. “This kid’s gonna need a great auntie.” With a wink, she made her way back to her husband.
Kaye turned to Ares. He reached for his glass, and his fingers moved too quickly, tipping it over.
She caught it just before it fell. “Whoops! That was close. This night is going very well.”
Ares nodded as his cheeks flushed and a flash of annoyance crossed his face. It took him a second to recover from the awkward moment. “Other than my clumsiness.” He looked like a James Bond bodyguard in that tux. All she wanted to do was take it off. He smiled. “At least there are no turtles in sight.”
Kaye burst out laughing, spewing water on the table. As she cleaned the table with her napkin, her mom clinked a spoon against her glass, gathering everyone’s attention.
“I’d like to welcome everyone back one last time in celebration of Grammy. First we’ll do presents, and then I have a delicious vegetable lasagna ordered for dinner.”
Kaye’s stomach rumbled. She’d just eaten two hours ago, but these days nothing satiated her appetite. For Grammy, though, she could wait.
Grammy reached for Kaye’s present first. Kaye wouldn’t put it past her to play favorites.
“It’s a little adventure for your marathon nights.” Kaye smiled.
Grammy tore off the blue paper, revealing a boxed set of old Alfred Hitchcock episodes. “Oh, how wonderful!” She winked at Kaye. “Guess I’ll have to live a little longer than planned to see all of these.”
“Mother!” Kaye’s mom chided her, but Grammy waved her way. She opened a few more presents before she reached Ares’ small silver box. “I wonder what this is.”
Kaye suddenly grew nervous. Could she trust Ares to find something appropriate? The box was too small for a weapon or a head. Beside her, Ares took her hand and squeezed.
Grammy opened the box and burst out laughing. Everyone around the table leaned in with apprehension. Her mother prompted. “Well, aren’t you going to show us?”
“It’s my old friend.” She held up a tiny snow globe. Inside, glittery snow fell around a green turtle rising to the surface.”
Ares laughed. “To show I hold no ill will.”
Everyone laughed with him, and Kaye knew in that moment, after all the Mr. Wrongs she’d gone through, this one was definitely a move toward Mr. Right.
…
After dinner, everyone mingled to say their good-byes. Ares stood in Grammy’s receiving line, and Kaye helped her parents load all of the presents into a box to take to Grammy’s retirement home.
“Grammy’s all set for a while.” Kaye helped load chocolates in the shape of seashells, a new electric blanket, a handmade crochet doily for her table made by Veronica, fancy hand lotions from Macy’s, anti-wrinkle cream as a joke from Bradley, a few knickknacks, and the DVD set she’d bought.
“She’s very happy with the party.” Kaye’s mom put a family picture album on the top. “Thank you for taking the time to come.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Kaye glanced away, a little ashamed she’d dreaded the party for so long. Even with her outburst and Ares’ fall in the tank, she’d had a great time.
“You’ve done so well for yourself.” Kaye’s mom hugged her daughter. “You’re happy, you look great, you have a wonderful boyfriend, and you even managed to reconcile with Bradley. It looks like your life has come together this past year, and your father and I are proud.”
Kaye folded the blanket to fit in the box alongside the photo album. “Wow, Mom. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I know I’ve pushed you in the past, but it’s only because I thought I knew what was best for you. Now that I see you flourishing without my advice, I know I was wrong. I want you to know we’re happy with whatever choices you make, even if it means staying in that flower shop.”
“Thanks.” A huge weight lifted off Kaye’s shoulders. Maybe coming home again wouldn’t be as painful anymore. In fact, she might even look forward to another reunion when Grammy turned a hundred.
Ares placed a hand on her back and stood beside her. “Have you said your good-bye to Grammy yet?”
“I’ll make sure to see her tomorrow for breakfast before our flight.” Kaye gestured toward the door. “Right now, I have something I want to tell you.”
His body stiffened, and he stopped mid-step.
Gosh, for a warrior, he scared pretty easily. She tugged him forward. “It’s nothing bad. It’s just something I’ve realized.”
“Very well.” Ares’ face turned serious. He looked preoccupied and stepped forward like he walked to his doom.
They took the elevator to their room in silence. Kaye fidgeted with her bracelet. Was this the best time? Was he ready?
It was the only time. After tomorrow, he’d be going back to God land, wherever that was, and she’d regret not telling him the truth. No, she had to say something, and it had to be now.
They reached the room, and Kaye swiped the card. Before she lost her courage, she took a deep breath. “I know why I’ve experienced all these changes lately—you know, more active, with a better appetite, more confident, and into new things.”
Shock flashed across Ares’ face. �
�You know the reason?”
Kaye nodded. “Yes. Yesterday, when I saw you in that tank, I didn’t think about how I couldn’t swim, all I thought of was getting you out of there. That’s what made me realize all of this is because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“If I hadn’t felt as strongly for you as I did, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome my fears and jump in. You’ve opened up a whole new world for me; I’m doing things I’ve never done before, and I’m succeeding, all because of you.”
Ares glanced down as though ashamed. “I’ve done nothing.”
She stepped toward him, placed each hand on his cheek, and brought his gaze to match hers. “You’ve done everything. You came with me to this reunion, you helped me beat Bradley at volleyball, you comforted me when I acted out of line—you even bought Grammy a birthday gift. Don’t deny it. I know you did it all for me.”
Ares pulled out of her grasp. He placed both his hands on her shoulders. Dread filled his face. “Kaye, you have to stop. I do not deserve this.” His tone was firm and final.
But she’d have no other chance. Anger and defiance strengthened her resolve. “Whether you do or not, I love you.”
“No.” Ares released her. “This cannot be.” He ran both hands through his hair and started pacing. “Do not listen to her. She doesn’t mean it.”
Kaye’s heart dropped to the floor. The rejection slapped her in the face. How could she have read him wrong? Embarrassment burned through her, followed by a sense of loss and a deep, dark emptiness. This was so not how she pictured the night would end.
Thunder rumbled, and lightning cracked the sky.
“No!” Ares shook his fist at the ceiling.
Who was he talking to? Zeus? Had Apollo disliked her that much?
Dark shadows coalesced in the corner of the room. Kaye stepped back, her heart racing. “What’s happening?”
The shadows formed into a silhouette of a hunched woman surrounded by feathers. She pointed a knobby knuckled finger at Kaye and spoke in ancient Greek.
Ares threw himself between them spreading both his arms. “Hekate, no. You must not.”
Kaye backed to the wall. Was this it? Would Hekate kill her to glean revenge against Ares?
The shadows hit Ares and moved straight through him. He growled and threw himself at the witch. She dissolved into smoke as he ran through her and hit the wall. She reappeared again in the same place. “You cannot stop me. What’s done is done. The curse will take its course.”
“Curse?” Kaye inched toward the door as the shadows touched the wall and crept sideways in wispy tendrils. She tried the handle. The door wouldn’t budge, and the shadows grew closer. “Shit.” Kaye pounded on the door. “Help!”
Ares fell to his knees as if he’d given up, staring at her with regret and sorrow. “I am truly sorry.”
Really? That’s it? He was just going to sit on the floor and watch Hekate kill her with some curse?
The first tendril reached Kaye, winding around her hand and up her arm. She thrashed her arm, but the shadow clung as if it wasn’t affected by the physical world. Another shadow traveled up her leg, and another up her other arm. The shadows pulled her forward, and she landed on her knees facing Ares. The shadows reached for his hands and brought their hands together.
Hekate uttered more ancient Greek, and Kaye wished she hadn’t taken French in college. It was like some sort of tragic wedding with an officiant from hell.
The sorrow in Ares’ eyes pulled her apart. She latched onto his gaze and wouldn’t let go. Saying she loved him might have triggered Hekate’s presence, but she wouldn’t take it back for all the world.
Hekate hissed, spread dust across the air above their heads, and continued with her gibberish. Kaye’s stomach lurched, and exhaustion spread through her as if the witch drained her energy. Dizziness attacked her senses, and every muscle in her body ached. At the same time, Ares glowed stronger.
The shadows disappeared as quickly as they’d come.
“It is done.” Hekate looked upon them in judgment. “The curse has been broken.”
“That’s it?” Kaye blinked through the dizziness. “You’re not going to kill me?”
Hekate crossed her arms. “By the Gods, no, child. You’ve done me no wrong. I returned you to the state which you were in when you met Ares.”
“The state which I was in?” Suddenly, everything started making sense. “Wait a sec. You were the one who was responsible for my body’s changes?”
Hekate nodded. “You took Ares’ powers, and in turn he took your weakness. The only way for him to get his powers back was to capture your heart.” She began to dissipate into smoke as she turned her attention to Ares. “I hope you have learned enough that my efforts will not be in vain.” With a thunderous crack, Hekate disappeared.
Kaye thought back to all the times Ares stepped on her toe, tripped, broke something, or dropped the ball. He wasn’t a clumsy god. Those were her weaknesses in his body, just as she’d inherited his strengths. That’s why she’d been so awesome these past few weeks, and why he’d been so eager to accompany her to the reunion. He needed his powers back, and he’d used her to get them.
Fury and agony crashed inside her, destroying the perfect picture she’d had before Hekate arrived. It was bad enough to know everything she’d accomplished was nullified because she’d done it with Ares’ powers. But to learn Ares had been with her for the sole reason of breaking the curse hurt like a red-hot fire poker to the heart. “You knew about this curse?”
“I did.” Ares face was solemn. “I wanted to tell you so many times. But, if I told you, the curse would never be broken, and I’d lose my powers forever.”
“I get it. I’m just a lowly mortal you barely know. Your powers are more important than I am.” She was a puppet, thrown between two gods to act out their cruel parody of revenge. She should have turned her back the second she saw Hekate’s cold stare across the room at the wedding. But a false hope had told her she could have the same fairytale relationship as her best friend, that she could find a guy who did as much for her as Pan had done for Syrinx. She should have known better. She should have never gotten involved with Ares in the first place.
Ares took her hand. “Please, Kaye. You have to understand. My people need me. Poseidon is planning an attack. The green turtle in the aquarium was controlled by his son, Triton. Poseidon won’t stop until my ashes are littered across his sea and my father’s realm is underwater. He’d drown every last one of my people. Without my powers, I cannot help them.”
Kaye tossed his hand away. No wonder he’d been moody. Why hadn’t he told her any of this during the course of the week? This had nothing to do with the curse. Why couldn’t he confide in her? “If your people need you so badly, go back to them. There’s nothing keeping you here any longer.”
“Kaye.” He touched her cheek. “Hekate left me no choice.”
She pulled away from the patronizing god who thought he was too high and mighty to unload his problems on a foolish mortal. Sure, he’d tried to prevent her from breaking the curse, and he seemed remorseful, but that didn’t help the fact he’d lied to her the entire trip. She’d thought he’d done everything for her, when he’d done it all for himself. “Go.”
“Not like this.”
“Go!” If his people really were under an attack, then why stay here with a lowly mortal if he had what he’d come for? He didn’t need her anymore. She turned away. She didn’t want him to see the tears welling in her eyes. “I want to be alone.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away, expecting some sort of reply. Silence.
Kaye turned around slowly, only confirming her disappointment, and his guilt.
Ares was gone.
Chapter Sixteen
A Fish’s Tale
Ares appeared in the grand temple in the center of his father’s greatest city, stepping in seaweed.
“What is the meaning of this?” He picked
up a long trail of fishy-smelling kelp. It dangled in his fingers, dripping saltwater on his boots.
The sea lay miles from here.
A low moan drew his attention. Ares whirled around, scanning the city square. Where was everyone? Normally at midday, merchants littered the cobblestone. Only a few empty, broken carts lay on display, the pennants soggy and limp.
The moan grew more insistent. Ares unsheathed his sword. Thank the gods he’d come in full armor.
The hilt settled in his hands like an old friend. Hopefully he wasn’t too out of practice. He rounded the fountain. The stone representation of Athena stared down at him from ten feet above as if in warning. Panic rose up inside him. Where was his sister?
A scraping sound came from the alley between the blacksmith and the baker. Ares approached carefully. A man with his head down, oily hair falling in front of his eyes, limped toward him.
Ares dropped his sword. “May I come to your aid, sir? Are you hurt?”
As the man approached, Ares recognized the rubbery breeches worn by fishermen. Netting trailed from his left boot. The man’s head rose, and Ares backed up in shock and raised his sword.
His skin was blue and swollen, his eyes white with no pupil.
Poseidon must be in league with Hades. He was raising the dead from his ocean.
The man lunged, icy fingers grabbing at Ares’ breastplate. Ares slashed his head in one fatal swipe, giving the corpse peace.
Shouts echoed off the buildings behind him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he followed the sound to the edge of the square. A horde of drowned sailors filled the thoroughfare leading into the city like some slow, unrelenting army. Ares hefted his sword and started swinging. He downed six of them before the rest surrounded him from all sides. For every one he cut down, another took its place.
This is madness.
He left for a week, and he returned to find his father’s dear city abandoned, with minions of both Hades and Poseidon roaming the streets.
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