by Laura Wylde
“What “truth” is it that I'm supposed to discover?” Rose asked. She was frustrated and confused, but strangely in awe at the same time.
“You'll know when you discover it, Rose. It's in your heart. It's always been there.”
“Will we ever get to go home?”
Athena gave her another dazzling smile and said, “Home is where your soul is my dear. This entire trip is about deciding where that is for you. You'll have to make a hard choice over the next two days. I'm here to advise you to open your mind and listen to your heart. It always knows what's best.”
“Hermes talked about a choice too. I'm confused. What am I choosing?” Athena kept the smile on her face as she began to slowly fade away. Rose was spell bound as she watched. The woman became transparent...and then she was just gone. No smoke and loud booms like Hermes. No drama. She was just gone and the sound of Dexter whistling from behind her once again filled her ears. In the words of her new acquaintance Asher...what the hell was going on here?
Chapter 7
“Rose? Hey, Rose?” Dexter touched her arm and Rose almost jumped out of her skin. “Hey, I'm sorry. What happened? What's wrong?”
Rose stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if she should tell him what just happened. He was the one that seemed to believe Hermes was telling the truth...or at least he could imagine it. But, she couldn't even imagine how to say it without sounding crazy.
“Rose? You're scaring me a little.”
“I'm sorry,” she said. “I had a little dizzy spell.”
“Maybe you should sit down.”
“No,” she said, putting her hand to her head. She wasn't really lying. Her head was spinning from all this craziness. “I'm okay. I think maybe I'm just hungry.”
“Okay, me too. Let's go back to camp and see if we can rustle up some grub.” That made Rose laugh. It felt good. For a second, she forgot all the craziness.
“Rustle up grub?” she asked with a smile. “Are you sure you're not descended from the old west and not the Greek Gods.”
“You shouldn't talk to a God like that,” he told her with a grin and a wink. “I might stir up a tsunami or something.”
Rose laughed again as they started back toward their camp. “I think that would be Beau's department.”
The conversation between them on the way back was teasing, and joking and it turned out to be just what Rose needed to lift her spirits. Well that, and the fish that Beau was cooking over the open fire. “Oh wow Beau, that smells so good.” Rose had never had fish for breakfast in her life, but she was so hungry she would have eaten almost anything at that point,
“Wait until you taste it,” he said. “I worked in a restaurant in Hawaii for a while before going into business for myself. I'm a hell of a cook.”
“Whatever,” Asher said, rolling his eyes. “Guess what I found.” He didn't wait for her to guess. He held up a little container of instant coffee.
“Oh my God! You're my hero!” Asher laughed.
“The water's heating over the fire as we speak. It'll be ready in a few. Sorry, I couldn't find cream and sugar.”
“I'll drink that entire pot as black as night,” she said. “Thank you.”
Beau finished the fish, serving it on pieces of wood that he charred as well, adding flavor to the freshly caught seafood. Asher had not only found the instant coffee, but enough tiny water cups for them to all drink out of. Rose didn't notice that Ryder wasn't around until they all sat down to enjoy their breakfast. “Where's Ryder?”
“I'm here,” he said, walking up behind them. He had his hands full of freshly picked fruit. For the next half an hour or so, they feasted and had they not been stranded on a deserted island, they might just be five friends enjoying a meal and conversation. It seemed to be the break they all needed...if only for a little while.
“So where did you two disappear to this morning?” Asher finally asked Dexter and Rose when breakfast was over.
“We just went for a walk,” Rose said. “We cleaned up at the lagoon.”
“While you were gone, we were talking about what we should do today,” Ryder said. He looked at Beau and then Asher and said, “I think we settled on building a large bonfire. Maybe if they're looking for us, they could see it from a plane or boat.”
They all nodded. “I'm sure there are a lot of things at the crash site that we can use too,” Dexter said.
“It's a plan then,” Asher said. He stood up. “We should get started. If they're looking for us, they'll be doing their searching while it's daylight.”
They cleaned up what was left of their breakfast and before they took off on their hike toward the crash site, Dexter said, “Rose needs shoes.”
“I'm okay...”
“No,” Ryder said, “He's right.” He bent down and took off the shoes he was wearing. They were wingtips, not shiny and pretty any longer, but obviously expensive leather. “Beau, you have that pocket knife we found?” Beau picked up a knife by the fire that he'd obviously been using to cut the fish. He flipped the blade out and wiped it on his pants before handing it to Ryder.
“Ryder, no! Don't cut up your shoes for me!”
“My feet aren't sore, yours are. Maybe while we're over by the crash site I can find another pair of shoes. For now though, we're going to take care of your feet.” She kept trying to object but Ryder ignored her, cutting across the toe area of the shoes, opening them up like sandals, and making them much smaller. That took him some time and in the meantime, Asher and Beau took off ahead. When Ryder finished, he handed them to Rose and she slipped them on. They were far from perfect, but they would protect the soles of her feet when they had to trek back through the jungle.
“Thank you, Ryder. That was really nice of you.” He shrugged and said,
“No big deal. We better catch up with Zeus and Poseidon.” Dexter laughed but it sent Rose's thoughts back to her strange encounter...or hallucination maybe, near the lagoon earlier. As they walked she started talking, not even certain why she was telling them, just that she felt like she needed to.
“I saw something this morning...over by the lagoon. It freaked me out a little bit.”
Ryder stopped walking. “What did you see?” He looked at Rose first and then Dexter. Dexter said,
“I didn't see anything odd...but this was what was wrong when you told me you were feeling dizzy, wasn't it?”
Rose nodded. “I'm sorry. I am just so damned confused.”
“We all are,” Dexter said, resting his hand on her arm. “It's okay though, Rose. You can tell us whatever it was. We have to be able to communicate here. It's the only way we'll survive.”
“I know,” she said, “I don't want to keep things to myself. But, I also don't want you all to think I'm crazy.”
“Just tell us what it was, Rose,” Ryder said. “We won't judge.” She wasn't sure he meant it, but she started talking as she began walking again too. The men walked with her and she said,
“I was sitting on that rock while you were bathing,” she told Dexter. “I could hear you, but I had my back to you. Then suddenly...it was like all sound, everything, faded, and there was this woman there, standing right in front of me.”
Ryder raised an eyebrow and Rose had the feeling he was already judging. “A woman?” Dexter said. He just sounded confused. “I didn't see anyone.”
Rose nodded. “Please don't think I'm crazy. I'm not even insisting this was real. It might have been a hallucination for all I know. We at that fruit last night. Maybe there was something in it...a hallucinogen or...”
“Rose,” Ryder said, gently. “Just tell us what happened.”
“She was beautiful, gorgeous, actually. She told me that Dexter couldn't see her, or hear our conversation. She said that she was Athena.”
“As in the Goddess?” Ryder said. Rose nodded. She knew they had to be thinking that she'd lost her mind. When she was silent for several minutes Ryder asked, “Did she say anything else?”
Rose s
ighed. “Yes, but nothing really made sense. She was talking like Hermes or Henry, did last night. She said we had to be brought here to remove us from the distractions of “human” life and we had to discover the “truth” about ourselves. She also said something about me only having two days left to choose.”
“Did she say to choose what?” Dexter asked her.
“No. When I asked her that question, she disappeared, She just vanished like...smoke, or something. My head was spinning and that's why I told you I was dizzy,” she said, focusing on Dexter again.
“Maybe it's the water,” Ryder said.
“What about what happened last night?” Dexter asked, “That wasn't Rose hallucinating. We all saw Hermes.”
“Henry,” Ryder said, “And there are such things as hysterical, shared delusions.”
“Those are rare, and usually only between someone with a delusional disorder, and someone they're very close to,” Dexter said. “Even if there was something in the water, the chances that we would all have such a vivid hallucination are slim to none.”
“So you're saying you believe that there are Greek Gods and Goddesses running around on this island?”
Dexter shrugged and said, “I think it's just as good of an explanation as sharing a delusion with people I don't even really know.” they had been walking while they talked. They came out of the thick brush and came upon the other two men, gathering wood in a clearing. When Asher looked up and saw their faces he said,
“What's going on?”
“Nothing,” Dexter said. “What do you need us to do?”
“Something,” Asher said. “What were you talking about?”
Ryder looked at Rose and she reluctantly told Asher and Beau what she had told the other two men. Beau looked sympathetic, Asher looked as skeptical as Ryder had. A few seconds after she finished her story Asher said, “I'm not sure what's going on here, but I am sure of one thing.”
“What's that?” Rose asked.
“We need to get off this island before we all lose our minds.”
Rose didn't blame Asher for thinking she was crazy, but at the same time, it hurt. She quietly helped the men gather wood for a while, but when no one was looking, she sneaked off through the trees and toward the beach. When she made it to the shoreline, she pulled off the shoes Ryder had made for her and began to walk along the water's edge, letting her toes sink into the sand and enjoying the feel of the soft breeze in her hair. She looked out at the water wishing that she'd see a ship, coming their way. But all she saw was ocean and horizon, miles and miles of blue.
“Rose?” The sound of her name startled her. She turned around quickly and saw that it was Beau. “I'm sorry about Asher. I'm sure he's sorry, too. I don't think he means to be so blunt or crass. He actually seems like a decent guy when he sits the chip on his shoulder down for a few minutes.”
Rose smiled softly at Beau. He was one of those people who seemed to always be trying to keep the peace. “I don't think he's a bad guy,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I don't blame him a bit for thinking I'm a nut case. I'm beginning to think so myself.”
“You're not a nutcase.”
“Are you sure?” she asked with a smile. Suddenly feeling exhausted, she took a seat in the sand. Beau sat down next to her and for a while they just sat there and stared out at the ocean.
“You know, being descended from Gods wouldn't be the worst thing that could have happened to any of us.”
She laughed softly. “True.”
“Seriously though, let's think about this. You are drop-dead gorgeous. I mean, I saw you in the airport and nearly tripped over my own tongue. And of course I mean that in the least, creepy guy way possible.”
Rose laughed again. “Well thank you.”
“I'm being totally serious. All four of us think so too, not just me You're not just beautiful though. I'm finding out as I get to know you that you're compassionate, you're trying really hard to stay positive in a terrible situation, you've got brains in that pretty head and you might just have the ability to think outside the box, you know?”
“Well thank you, but honestly none of that proves I'm sane.” He laughed.
“True, and it doesn't prove your descended from the Gods either, but I'm beginning to think that maybe part of discovering that “truth” these “hallucinations” keep talking about is going to be us learning to use our heads less and our hearts more.”
“That's funny because Athena...or my hallucination of her, however you want to look at it...she said something very similar to that.”
“Then you can't argue with me,” he said with a wink. “It would be like arguing directly with the Goddess of knowledge herself.”
Rose smiled and said, “So Beau, what is your heart telling you about all of this?”
“I don't feel like it's you, or any of us losing our minds. I feel a sort of connection to this place and strangely enough, to all of you. I don't feel afraid, or like we're going to be here forever. I have this sense of peace, like we're right where we're supposed to be.”
“Really?”
“Really. I guess I've felt that way since we all first met...like there was a reason we were all here, together. And, I meant what I said about you...and this might sound vain, but I think I'm kind of a success story myself, coming from nothing.”
“I agree,” she said, “And you're hot too.”
He laughed. “Why thank you. But we kind of established that off the bat too, right? I mean, we're all above average in the looks department and aside from Ryder who we don't know anything about, we're all above average in the success department. Asher and I have overcome a lot to get where we are. You're a successful model, Dexter is a genius...and if I had to guess I'd say Ryder is successful at whatever it is he does.”
She nodded. That was all true. While she pondered all of that, Beau got up and walked closer to the water. She watched him as he stood looking out at it with his arms folded across his chest. She could picture him as the God of the sea.
“But he's not.” She started at the sound of the voice. Almost reluctantly, she looked in the direction of it. A man...the largest man she'd ever seen, sat with his back to the ocean, waves lapping up over his hips and legs. He was wearing shorts, but no shirt and his body was more defined than any body builder she'd ever seen. His hair was brown and long and he had a beard that hung down to his chest. He was an incredible specimen, but of all his handsome traits, his eyes fascinated her the most. They were a pale blue, almost translucent and Rose could hardly keep from staring into them.
“And you know this, because you are?” she asked the man, in a shaky voice. She looked over at Beau. At this point she wasn't even surprised that he hadn't turned around, Sadly, she was becoming used to these encounters already. She wondered if it was bad that she was beginning to accept this craziness as her new norm.
“Yes. I'm Poseidon, God of the sea, earthquakes, floods, drought and horses.”
She cocked an eyebrow and deciding to just give in for a change she said, “Nice to meet you. I'm just plain Rose.”
Poseidon laughed and the earth actually shook underneath her. “You are so much more than just plain Rose my dear girl. You are here for a reason, but you seem to be having a hard time believing that.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No,” he said with a smile. “Humans have always had a hard time seeing with anything but their eyes. My dear girl, my advice to you is to listen to my young brethren here...listen to your heart. But listen closely and quickly. You don't have much time left.”
“Time for what though? If just one of you wouldn't talk in riddles!” Her words were lost at sea as the giant man dove underneath the water and was gone...just like that. Not even a ripple of him remained.
“Did you say something?” Beau finally turned toward her.
“You really didn't hear any of that? You didn't see that giant man sitting not two feet from you?”
“You saw something else?”
“Someone else,” she said. “Poseidon himself was here.”
“Awe damn! I missed him? I would love to meet him.”
Rose stood up, smiling and shaking her head. “Thank you, Beau. You make me feel a lot less crazy.”
Beau put his arm around her and Rose was surprised that didn't bother her. It was warm and nice and she lay her head on his shoulder as they walked back toward where the other men were. This was all frustrating and confusing, but Beau was right...she could be stuck on this island with a lot worse group of people.
Chapter 8
Beau took his arm off Rose before they got back to the clearing and although the other men eyed her curiously, none of them asked where she had gone. She helped gather wood and when they all had as much as they could carry...Asher holding twice as much as any of the men, they began their long trek to the crash site. They had to stop many times and put down their load and rest. At least four of them did. Asher kept going on his own and by the time the rest of them arrived he had his wood in a pile and had dragged various other things, all that looked flammable, into the pile with it. They all put their wood in and helped Asher gather whatever else they could find that would burn. They used some pamphlets from the airplane that they found, for kindling and Ryder used his trusty lighter to set it all on fire.
They watched it smolder and go out several times before Dexter disappeared behind the very same piece of debris they had found him trapped under and came back with his hands cupped. He stood next to the pitiful fire and said, “Step back.” They all took a step back and he tossed what was in his hands on the fire. It flared up and one of the cloth seats began to burn. Within minutes they had a tall, hot, raging fire.