by Debbie Behan
She felt his stress. ‘Yes, your family will be cross, but they will forgive you.’
‘What about your friends and Axon? Will they forgive you for staying?’ he asked.
‘I’ll just have to leave that up to fate. I have no crystal ball to see into the future. If our families do forgive us, I’d say the worst case scenario is we’ll be kept from each other. It may be centuries before we can revisit this friendship again. So we might as well make this moment in time together well worth it.’
He held up his goblet of ambrosia and touched it to her chilled water. ‘Let’s not worry then and just deal with it when the time comes.’
She nodded. ‘Good plan.’
Jett talked of his wife and the love he had for her while he devoured his steak.
Caitlin saw the funny side of it. ‘You’re with me, yet still miss your wife. You are so just a big softy.’ She received a flick on the bare arm with his fingers for her cheekiness.
‘That will bruise.’
‘A good reminder of your evil dinner companion.’
‘Sod.’ She grinned. ‘I will never wash that arm again. Ah bliss! To eat with a god, I’m just all in awe!’ She fanned herself.
They both laughed, and the rest of the conversation was much the same. He growled and she fooled around, which he enjoyed thoroughly. She could see it was just what he needed, the antics made him feel more and more like an ordinary person if that were possible. His position would keep many from kidding with someone so regal. It dawned on her what had attracted him to her that very first night. Was it her power? No! He liked to feel a man.
As they ate, they discussed many ideas in regards to the dome project. Some were sensible, but a lot were crazy notions that broke them up in to hysterics. Jett was light hearted and nothing like she imagined the ruler of the Underworld would be. He did have a few devilish ideas though and she was sure just some of the real Hades came through as the starstarters he gulped took him over. He didn’t frighten her, but she did take a little step back at one stage. There were two sides to Jett and she would keep it in mind not to stir him when he drank that elixir of the gods.
‘I’m sorry Glow,’ he apologised and held up his goblet. ‘I think I’ve had way too much of this tonight and maybe shouldn’t have this elixir while around you.’
She nudged him. ‘Just give me back my powers so I can kick your arse if you try anything on me and you can have as much of that starstarter as you like.’ She giggled.
He thought about that for a minute and laughing, grabbed and tossed her back on the couch. ‘There will be no arse kicking given around here young lady.’ He made her feel comfortable with him again.
Still in his gaze, she felt his torment of whether to give her powers back, but she knew he wasn’t ready yet. He needed her and couldn’t risk losing her just yet; he needed time to trust her that she wouldn’t run.
He pulled a pillow up from the floor and placed it under her head. ‘I won’t hurt you Glow Girl, but I can’t give you what you want because it might take away what I need at the minute.’
‘It’s okay, but if we sleep up here, I am at your mercy. Without my powers to keep me warm I am like a weak mortal.’
He kissed her forehead. ‘Sleep, funny one. I will care for you always, awake or asleep.’ He used his powers to make her sleep. He was unaccustomed to such challenges and worn out, reclined the chair beside her to rest.
Pluto
(A Month Later)
It had been a month since Caitlin agreed to stay.
The days were getting colder in the castle and Caitlin was glad to cuddle up in bed with her electric blanket. Jett came into say good night and to her delight he had started to give her a goodnight hug before he retired. Her teeth chattered as she shivered against him. ‘Say for a while, keep me warm.’
His laughter warmed her as they talked into the night. He worked hard beside with the workers during the day to complete the huge half-ball dome that had taken shape above them, but the nights he shared with her alone. Many times, he was so exhausted he would fall to sleep with her in his arms, yet when she woke, he was always gone.
Caitlin admired his loyalty to Melita, a quality in him she looked up to. Last night he had explained his idea to heat the huge space within the roofed area. She liked the idea that in years to come, when she was off probation and allowed to visit him, she could do so without freezing to death. It was a bittersweet offer. Both knew that at the end of this time together, the war would begin again and they would be back on opposite sides. But would they? She had won him over and not often of late had Hades overshadowed his image. She hoped the two of them had something more than just friendship, that together they would find a peaceful solution. High hopes on her part, but she would not give up on him or what she believed would bring him happiness.
****
Some days later Caitlin woke to a voice, a familiar tone that put a shiver through her. Jett’s brother Calyx had visited to see how the works were going. Her first instinct was to look around for a place to hide. A few deep breaths calmed her and instead she stretched and threw the covers back. Jett will stop him if he tries to come up here. Her inner voice comforted her as she dressed in warm clothes and from the bookcase, selected a book that took her fancy. Jett had promised her the family never ventured upstairs and so far, he had been correct. This was the first time Calyx had dropped by. The others that came normally stayed just long enough to check up on his endeavours. The secret of her existence stayed hidden. Jett was still unable to give her up, but his promise to keep her safe while she was there never wavered.
Covered in a blanket, she sat by the window on the sofa and read. The sound of the door handle turned and the rattle of china had her jump.
‘The master ordered breakfast for you this morning, ma’am and apologises that he won’t be joining you.’ A gruff, harsh voice broke the silence.
‘Just here on the coffee table will be fine thanks Marco.’ She shifted a couple of magazines. ‘Yes, I heard him speak to his brother. You must hurry back so you’re not missed. We can’t have him curious as to where you went, can we?’ She smiled.
‘I was very careful ma’am, although it may be a while before I can come up and collect the dishes. I will wait for them to go outside if that is okay?’
‘It’s more than okay, it’s been cold out lately so on the quiet, could you let Jett know I’m perfectly happy to stay here rugged up all day if need be.’
‘Thank you ma’am.’ His big hands fumbled as he positioned the tray, noticeable worry lining his forehead as he turned to leave.
‘Oh and Marco, close the door just in case.’ The wink she gave softened his expression. They too, had become friends although it took a while. He had been colder than the snow and only thawed when he noticed how happy Jett had become.
She ate slowly. The activity of a dome almost at the end worried her. Men and machinery worked feverishly to complete a project far too quickly. There is so much more I wished to achieve. Her heart sank. It was almost done. The roof reached all the way to the outer wall. She glanced at the paper on the tray, and the date jumped out at her. It was only another couple of weeks before Melita would return from her time on Earth. Jett would have his wife back and she would go home to Rory and the gang, back to Axon. She walked back over to the couch and cuddled up with the throw rug and a book. Her concentration wavered as she wondered if Axon still waited for her.
The thud of heavy strides and a loud outburst froze any further thoughts. Scuffled footsteps sounded outside before the door swung open. Jett’s brother moved towards her, his body rigid and forehead creased. Faced with his fury, she responded with a gracious calm and smiled. Her mind was in turmoil; how did he know she was there? Had Hades’ vindictive self re-emerged around his brother and given her away? How was she to convince Zeus, the King of Gods, she was not an enemy? Her first reaction was to show no fear.
‘Calyx! My goodness. It’s so lovely to see you again!’ Us
ing his alias to throw him off, her tone was unhurried and welcoming as she faced one of the most feared gods. Today he looked livid.
He sucked in his breath, suddenly taken aback, he looked confused. ‘Glow Girl! What are you doing here? I thought you were…’
‘Were who … Jett’s lover?’ She giggled and tried to remember what they had discussed if his family found her. ‘Sorry. Poor attempt at humour, but I can’t think in this weather.’ She gripped the novel hard to prevent him seeing how uncontrollably her hands shook. She fiddled for a second with the book as she laid it on the bedside table and instantaneously searched her memory for Axon’s coded name, a word that signified the sacred animal of his home world and looked up with confidence again when she remembered. ‘Actually my boyfriend, Wolf, is on a trip off world with work and dropped me off for a visit. If I had known you were here I would have come down.’ She shivered more from his slightly icy look. ‘I’m afraid I feel the cold here more than I thought so I stayed up here in the warmth to read.’
Jett stood beside Calyx and Caitlin saw the relief in his face when Calyx went from antagonist to sociably approachable in a millisecond and put out his arms for a hug. Caitlin tossed the blanket aside and responded quickly to his change of mood. ‘Sorry if I worried you about who was here but I’ve always wanted to learn to ski and Jett was kind enough to offer to teach me last time we met,’ she prattled on.
A sudden push on her shoulders had her at arm’s length to him as doubt and suspicion bothered him. ‘How did you know where to find my brother? On the island we use only aliases and didn’t speak of our home worlds.’
Jett butted in. ‘I ran into them back on Delphinus Island. They were at a beach party, and me, well I was just there you know, dolphin watching.’ He winked at him, and Calyx smirked. Caitlin figured it to be a private joke between them. ‘Anyway, I got chatting to them and asked Glow Girl to come visit while Wolf was away and I would teach her how to ski. The little delicate one feels the cold terribly though so I have given her a rest today.’
Calyx looked over at the breakfast tray, a meal for one, with his distrust of her story still evident, so Caitlin waffled on.
‘How’s Zuri? Is she here with you?’ She peered around him.
He looked down at her happy face, his softened with the mention of his wife Hera. Caitlin had been careful to use the alias Hera had used on Delphinus Island. ‘No, Zuri couldn’t make it, but would be disappointed she missed you. She took a real liking to you.’
She took his hand and patted it. ‘Sit and tell me how everyone is.’
His weight caused Caitlin to lean into him as they chatted and her charm gradually cooled his uncertainty about her. Jett sat on the edge of her bed, and his watchful eyes waited for his brother to go. His only hope was that they got through this without incident.
‘Honey and Ted Bear; are they well?’
Calyx answered at first cautiously and unexpectedly, as if he was under a spell relaxed next to her. Even though she knew it to be mostly fabricated, Caitlin enjoyed him as he told stories of his family and made her chuckle uncontrollably. His humour delighted her.
After some time he took her hand in his. ‘Lovely to see you again, Glow Girl. I hope you enjoy your stay and if my brother dares treat you poorly just let me know and I’ll sort him out for you.’
‘Jett has been a perfect gentleman and teacher, very tolerant of my ignorance towards snow and skiing.’
‘That’s a shock to hear. I think you must be talking of someone other than my brother. He has zero tolerance for anyone that shows even the slightest fear.’ He rolled his eyes and glanced at Jett, baiting him. ‘Brother, I can’t believe that! Think she must be the one with the patience.’
He stood up. A strange expression flittered across his face. ‘Sorry guys, I’ve just been summoned. Congress waits for no man.’
‘You are a legal man?’ Caitlin asked, acting dumb.
‘Something like that.’ He casually eyed Jett. If she hadn’t picked up on it he would have thought her mindless. Yet acknowledging it made him slightly suspicious. Whichever way, she had to earn respect that she was no fool.
The surprised tone gone, he had accepted her curiosity as that of any woman’s and spoke kindly. ‘Well I must be going. No doubt, Glow Girl, we shall meet again.’ He inclined his head, kissed her hand, and turned and followed Jett. His voice still had an uncertain tone as they conversed on the way out.
Caitlin paced with worry while she waited for Jett to come back. The door flung open on his return and he stomped in and flopped on the couch. ‘Phew, that was close. He heard one of the servants talk about the young lady upstairs and demanded to know who it was. He immediately thought you were who you really are. He was taken back when it was Glow Girl he found and not the Macros’ explosives expert.’
‘Is that what I’m labelled as?’ Caitlin sat beside him, and crossed her legs. ‘That is so cool.’
‘You’re a powerful warrior and we were staggered with your abilities. We discussed brainwashing you, to turn you to our side.’
‘And?’ She was interested in the plots against her. His other side, Hades, answered her. His voice was depleted, almost exhausted. He had something more on his mind and she hoped it wasn’t what she thought.
‘With your unique power we were unsure it would work on you, so the vote was to terminate the threat.’
‘Just like that!’
‘Just like that!’ he repeated, ‘and if we had not used an alias when we first met, it would have been on right there in that restaurant.’
‘You would have taken my powers and killed me right there on the spot, wouldn’t you?’
‘Fate works in mysterious ways.’ He started to shake. Hades’ eyes softened as Jett’s softer side returned. ‘Glow, you’d be dead now and I would never have had this time with you. What are we doing? Calyx knows you’re here now and once he tells the others I know they will put two and two together. They dissect everything and every day I keep you here now will endanger your life.’ He put his head in his hands. ‘Believe me when I say that my brothers will kill you if they find out who you are. They didn’t connect with you the way I did.’
Caitlin knelt down and removed his hands from his forehead. They’d left prints, making his concern for her evident. ‘If you send me home they’ll snatch me as easily as you did and kill me anyway. I’m afraid I’m doomed whichever way I look at it.’ The fear for her future was in overdrive. ‘I’ve spent most of my life hidden underground and the rest of it I hid from humans in case my gift was uncovered. I feel a freak that doesn’t belong anywhere. Only when I became a Macro Rider did I finally feel worthy.’ She stood up in a panic. ‘If you send me back I will have to hide again, change my name and give up my job … my friends.’
‘Sorry, Glow, you are no longer safe here.’
With a spin she turned back to face him. ‘Then send me to your Underworld because without my job, my friends and Axon, I have nothing.’ Her eyes were wide and angry.
‘You cannot be serious,’ he yelled at her, as Hades’ temper surfaced.
He felt her fear beg him for a solution. He shook his head, his only idea ludicrous, but he had to try. ‘There is a way. Let me turn you evil. This is the only way you can stay. Renounce your position with the Macro Riders and give up your useless pledge to save humans. Why protect that which has hurt you so terribly? It seems to me humans have never loved or cared for you, yet you work so relentlessly to save them. For me Glow, turn from all that keeps you pure and stay.’ Jett’s tone grew soft and caring. ‘I’d treat you like a princess for the rest of your time. My family already loves you, and there would be nothing you would ever need or want again. We would give you the world. Please think about it.’ His broken emotions made his voice quiver.
She stood strong, rigid, yet her own voice was soft and full of emotion. ‘Why don’t you turn good for me? Come and live with us, and protect me so they can’t remove my powers and get rid of me.’
‘Now that’s just panicked discord. You know how much I adore you but I could never leave Melita or my family for you.’
She grinned through tears. ‘And there lies our dilemma, because I feel exactly the same.’ She turned and walked over to the bed and sat on her own.
‘The only choice is to let your family try to protect you now Glow.’ His compassionate words finally broke the silence. ‘It’s the right thing to do. I must take you back and let you live your life out, however it might end up. You told me I would know when it was time and I believe it is now.’
Hard-hearted he stood up, strode over and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘I’ll never forget you Glow. Please forgive me for not helping you, but I’m not willing to change for you either.’
The room before her disappeared and the sight of Axon’s castle welcomed her. ‘Good bye Glow Girl, and thanks for the memories. I’ll cherish them always.’
She touched his face, barely able to see through her own tears as an emotionless Hades stared back. The faded image burned into her mind and he was gone.
All Hope is Gone
Her stomach in knots, she was utterly shattered at how it all ended. Elated to be home Caitlin felt torn not to be with a man she had grown to adore, a friend she might never get the opportunity to talk with again. He had given up on her, sent her packing at the first sign of trouble, wiped his hands of their friendship. He didn’t even try. She let out a sob.
The alarm rang loudly and muffled the sound as she cried out to him, but it did no good. She was home and he would never come back. Nor would she be allowed to ever see him again. We are enemies again. Her heart sank.
Nathan and Jarvis appeared, and both waved madly as they ran towards her with a manic spring in their step to make it to her before she vanished again. She wiped her eyes and made an effort to cheer up, though holding her stomach that stabbed with gut wrenching pain. This was all wrong. She’d solved nothing and had not only let herself down, but her friends too. She was a peacekeeper now, and her job had been compromised because she had become too attached. They had become more than friends, spiritually connected, and it had frightened him that she would come to harm. Idiot, she cursed herself. She knew the rules; never get that close, they might do something stupid. Like save me.