The Gatekeeper's Challenge (17 page)

Therese looked at the apple tree and noticed Ladon’s hundred heads drooping from the branches, all two hundred eyes closed. She wasn’t sure how long the drugs would work. She had to get away from the nymphs before the dragon awoke.

“I have an idea,” Therese said. “I’ll give you my flute and teach you to play if you let me take an apple from the tree while
Ladon sleeps.”

“He never sleeps.”

The nymphs followed Therese’s gaze to the tree, then turned to her with ravenous smiles.

“Ha!” 

The three rushed to the tree and took several apples each, biting into them with pleasure, moaning and squealing with delight. Therese thought of grabbing one for herself and making a run for it, but she was afraid the nymphs could outrun her, and three to one were difficult odds to overcome. But she had a sword and they were unarmed.

But they were nymphs and had special powers.

Then she remembered her silver robe. She’d used it to travel from her home in Colorado to the Majorelle Garden in Marrakesh. She’d never used it to travel a few yards at a time. Could she be that precise with god travel? She could dart to one of the upper branches, grab an apple, and then return to her bedroom. She decided to try.

She focused on a thick branch out of the reach of the nymphs. The invisible plastic wrapped around her, and she landed, precariously
perched next to one of Ladon’s heads. She lifted one leg in the air and leaned forward to maintain her balance and plucked an apple just as one of the nymphs screamed.

Ladon
had awakened and had wrapped a neck around each of the nymphs. The head next to Therese’s foot opened its eyes and glared at her. She focused on her room in Colorado, but nothing happened. Why couldn’t she god travel? She tried again, but the snake pulled back its head, about to strike.

Therese jumped from the high branch and fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees, pain shooting through her legs and arms and back, the crown tossed to the ground beside her.  She could no longer see the garden or the snake as she scrambled to her feet, but the invisible snake grabbed a hold of her legs and yanked her toward the invisible tree. The skin on her arms scraped against the ground. She focused again on her bedroom in Colorado. The invisible plastic wrapped itself around her and she fell to the floor in her room, the golden apple still clutched in her hand.

She did it! She got the apple! She jumped to her feet and looked at her victorious reflection in her dresser mirror.

Then she remembered the crown. What would Jen do without it? She had to go back! But how would she find the orchard without it? She wouldn’t be able to see what’s invisible to mortal eyes unless she wore the crown. Slumped on her bed, picturing Jen’s face, she was overwhelmed by a blend of disappointment and terror. She had to find a way to protect her friend, especially since she hadn’t been able to protect Vicki.

The next morning, Jen called to say she wasn’t going to swim practice; Therese would have to find another ride.

Therese’s eyes squeezed closed as she clutched the phone to her ear. “Are you sick?”

“Sort of.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you call last night? I didn’t sleep a wink.”

“Did your Dad…”

“No. I stayed in the barn with Stormy and Sassy.”

“Jen, I’m…”

“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault I live with a pig.”

“Stay with me tonight.”

“Can I? That’d be great. Can I have the crown back?”

Therese couldn’t think of what to say.

“Therese?”

“Yes. Of course you can.”

That afternoon, after a trip with Carol to the craft store in Durango, Therese sat on the wooden floor of her room constructing a fan out of peacock feathers using a hot glue gun. The eight fluffy feathers were long and beautiful. She used the glue to attach them at the base. Then she wound blue yarn tightly around the bottom, gluing it in place, making a handle. She hoped Hera would be pleased. As she cleaned up, she prayed to the gods to inspire her to think of a way to get back the crown. She was surprised when Artemis appeared before her, the crown in her hand.

“The apple for the crown,” Artemis said sternly.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But I told Hera I would deliver the apple to her at Mount Olympus.”

“Then I’ll keep the crown.”

“Wait!” Therese couldn’t leave Jen without protection.

“Will it still count? My challenge, I mean? If I give you the apple, will it still count as a victory?”

“You’re to deliver an apple to Mount Olympus.”

“So that’s a no?”

Artemis frowned with impatience.

Therese opened her dresser drawer, found the apple, and handed it over to Artemis.

Artemis gave her the crown and vanished.

Great, Therese thought. She was back at square one. Not wanting to waste any more time, she put her arms through the silver robe and strapped her sword and shield to her body. She doubted the cake of sleeping pills would work a second time, plus she had used all but one of the
SleepAid caplets and all of her Prozac. But she had a plan. She would put on the crown and god travel directly to one of the branches of the tree, pick an apple, and disappear before Ladon could react. Now that she’d seen the tree, she should be able to go directly to it.

Just as she was about to god travel, she heard Carol calling up the stairs. “I’m making milkshakes, sweetheart. Want one?”

Therese grinned. Milkshake or dangerous mission to North Africa? Hmm. Tough choice. Then she decided she’d have both. “Sure. I’ll be down in a minute.” Might as well be an optimist.

She closed her eyes, focused on the golden apple tree, and…nothing. She blinked at her reflection in her dresser mirror. She recalled how she’d been unable to travel from the branch to her bedroom. Maybe something about the tree interfered? She closed her eyes and imagined the orchard.
Nothing. Maybe it was the crown. She hadn’t made it back to Colorado until the crown had fallen from her head.

She took the crown in one hand, closed her eyes, and focused again on the tree, and was instantly surrounded by invisible plastic. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the copse of pines on the outskirts of
Majorelle Garden.

This must mean she couldn’t travel between visible and invisible locations.

She placed the crown on her head and saw the orchard surrounding her. She focused on the treetop and opened her eyes as soon as she felt her foot hit the branch.

One of
Ladon’s necks wrapped around her ankle as another prepared to strike. Therese pulled out her sword and sliced off the striking head, grabbed an apple, and cut her ankle free. She god traveled to the middle of the orchard, but the snake’s long body lurched out at her with at least ten of its heads. Her heart pounded in her ears as she fell to the ground, nearly losing the crown as it slipped from her hair. She grabbed the crown with two fingers from the hand holding the sword, nearly cutting off her ear as she fell among the pines, focusing on her bedroom. The invisible plastic closed around her, and when it released her, she found herself sprawled on all fours on her bed, her sword sticking straight up from her mattress like Excalibur from its rock.

Her mattress might be ruined, and her right ear was bleeding, but at least she had the apple
and
the crown! She jumped from her bed, never happier, and lifted Clifford into her arms. He barked and wagged his tail excitedly.

It was time to go downstairs and have that milkshake.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Godliness

Than came to Mount Olympus more often in the past year than he had his entire life, and it seemed the other gods were less wary of his presence, which was good. He felt less disconnected from the rest of his kind. He had Therese to thank for that.

He avoided Hera’s hard, cold gaze and did not look forward to her treatment of Therese when Therese arrived with the golden apple. Hera was not pleased by the gorging on her fruit by the
Hesperides or by the injuries to her pet dragon, but worse was the fact that Artemis possessed one of her precious apples. The garden was a wedding present from Gaia to Hera when she married Zeus. The apples were precious to Hera, and she was stingy with them. They’d only been touched by others a few times, and the one stolen by Eris had been the start of the Trojan War. Eris had thrown the apple into the company of gods and goddesses with a note attached, “For the most beautiful,” and three goddesses—Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera—had each claimed the apple belonged to her. They agreed to let a mortal named Paris choose. Hera was not chosen, though secretly Than believed she should have been. He wondered what Artemis planned to do with her apple.

Than knew Ares had just left the city of Paris for Mount Olympus and had timed his own arrival with that of the other god’s. After a rendezvous with Aphrodite, Ares might be in a good mood. Than spoke with his mother and grandmother briefly then turned to the god of war, the only god present except for Zeus and Hephaestus.

Ares recoiled in surprise. “What could you possibly want from me, Cousin?”

“It’s what you want, Ares.”

“I’m listening.”

“Which would you enjoy more: a quick slaughter or a more evenly matched battle?”

“You know the answer.”

“Then join me tonight in the dream world to give Therese some advice on how best to face the Minotaur. She has no experience with her sword.”

“Last summer was a disappointment.”

“She’ll die at the Minotaur’s hands, but with your tips, she may delay her death and entertain you.” And give me time to save her,
Than thought.

“Tonight then.”

Before Than turned to leave, he sensed Therese’s presence. All of the gods toned down their brightness to prepare for mortal eyes, and in a split second, Therese appeared before Hera bearing a golden apple and a fan of peacock feathers.

Hera’s raging voice made Therese fall to her knees. She set the apple and fan at the goddess’s feet.

“What will Artemis do with my apple?” Hera screeched.

“I don’t know,” Therese said meekly, her eyes to the marble floor. “But it was the only way I could protect my friend. You’re the goddess of marriage and children. Surely you understand my friend’s need of the crown.”

“You shouldn’t have dropped it in the first place.”

Than was about to speak on Therese’s behalf when Zeus beat him to it. “She’s only human, dear. Don’t be so harsh. I’m pleased she’s made it this far.”

Therese dipped her head, and climbed to her feet. As she turned to leave, she met Than’s eyes and rushed to his side.

“I’ll come to you tonight, in your dreams.” He touched her lips with his and then left the palace before his presence made her weak. He hovered above to watch her from a safe distance.

He was surprised to see her walk across the palace floor to Hephaestus.

“I thought you might feel better knowing Hera doesn’t like me either,” she said.

“Not to worry,” Hephaestus said with a crinkly smile. “Whoever is cursed by Hera is automatically protected by Zeus. You now have the special protection of the king of the gods.”

At that moment,
Than vowed to himself to help his cousin whenever it was in his power to do so.

Hades had given Than permission to change places with Hip once more because he’d been pleased by Therese’s performance. Hip refused to trade until Therese was asleep, wanting to hold off the odious duties of death for as long as possible. So now, Than hovered above her house, waiting.

His heart lightened as he listened in on Therese’s conversation with Jen. The two girls lay side by side on the bed with Clifford between them, their heads turned close, their voices low. Jen told stories about her horses, her brother Bobby, and a classmate they both disliked. Therese warmed him with her musical laugh, running her fingers over a hole in the middle of the mattress. He couldn’t wait to hold her.

When the girls finally turned off the bedside lamp and said their goodnights, Than met Hip at the field of poppies and entered the world of dreams.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Ares

Therese fell on her knees in a dark alley, the pavement scraping her skin. She climbed to her feet and glanced in all directions. Tall buildings and garbage cans flanked the alley, along with a few cars, but Therese saw no sign of people, no sign of life at all, not even a stray cat or dog.

She was barefoot and wearing her nightshirt, which meant she was dreaming. Before she could kick off the ground and swim through the air to test this theory, someone grabbed her from behind, an arm wrenched around her neck. She couldn’t break away.