The Gatekeeper's Challenge (20 page)

She took in an audible breath. “It’s really you.”

He ran his hands along the small of her back beneath the thin shirt, having forgotten how soft she felt, how warm, how alive. She slipped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with the most beautiful round green eyes. Her lips parted into a sleepy smile.

“I can’t believe it,” she said.
“How?”

“A gift from my father.
To celebrate your victory.”

A crease appeared between her brows as she sucked in her lips. Then she asked, “It was a victory, wasn’t it?”

“What else would you call it?”

“Tragic.” She buried her face in his chest.

He held her, stroking her soft, fine hair.

“I can’t get rid of the image of them lying on the ground, dead because of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. They won’t be dead forever. In a few days, they’ll revive.”

She looked up at him. “What about their bodies? What will the tourists think?”

“They’re invisible. You could see them because they chose to show themselves to you.”

She pressed her cheek against his heart.
“Oh, Than. I don’t know if I can ever kill again, even to save my life. It’s such a horrible feeling. I’ve been absolutely miserable. But I’ve got to. I’ve got to in order to save you. It’s crazy.”

“You don’t have to kill the Hydra.”

She stopped sniffling and looked up at him again, her mouth agape. “What?”

“Hades likes that you don’t want to kill for no good reason.”

She gasped. “Really?”

The gleam in her eyes made his heart swell.
“Really.” Then he clenched his jaw. “But…”

“What?”

He held onto her, so she couldn’t slip from him. He could already feel her lithe body sagging at the word “but.” “You have to get past her.”

“Her? The Hydra’s a she?”

He nodded.

“What do you mean, “
past her”?

He sighed and said, without inflection, “Why don’t we sit down.” He crossed to the chair beneath the window, pulling her into his lap. She curled against him like a newborn fawn—her knees against her chest, feet tucked beneath her bottom, arms around his neck. He wished he could hold her like this all night. Two hours wasn’t enough.

“Well?”

He cupped her face in his hands and studied it, not having been this close to her—to the living, breathing, fleshy her—in so long. His fingers weaved into her soft hair of their own accord, and his lips sought hers.

Her next words to him were in prayer, because her lips were too busy kissing his, and he heard them as clearly as if she were speaking. “Oh, Than. I love you so much. I’ve missed you. I can’t believe you’re actually here, holding me, kissing me. God. Don’t ever leave me again. I’ll do anything. Anything.”

He felt her tears touch his cheek, and he pulled back to wipe them from her face. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m so happy. And so sad.”

“Me, too.”

She stroked his face and gave him a sympathetic smile. Than couldn’t recall a single time anyone had ever given him such a sweet look.

“I can’t wait to be together like this all the time. Can you imagine? Can you imagine a time when my presence won’t kill you, when you don’t have to slay monsters and steal heavily protected golden apples just to be with me?”

Therese laughed that musical, lilting laugh that made his heart swell again. “I imagine it constantly.”

He touched his forehead to hers, closed his eyes, and said, “We could do it now.
Right now. Forget the last challenges.”

“But the maenads.”

All at once, Than was accosted by an onslaught of panicky prayer cries, “I couldn’t be with you like that! I couldn’t ask that of you! I’d rather break your heart than put you though a lifetime of such unbearable physical pain!”

He recoiled and searched her face. “What are you saying, Therese? Are you saying you’ll refuse me if you fail the last challenges?”

She closed her mouth and pressed her face to his chest. Without speaking, she said, “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Than’s
mouth went dry. He hadn’t foreseen this. He’d been feeling afraid for her, afraid of the mortal pain and mental anxiety, but otherwise he’d been confident they’d eventually be together, one way or another. But now…was she really saying she’d refuse him?

“Let’s please not think about that. Please let’s just get me through these challenges.”

“Look at me,” he said, pulling her up by her arms, rising to his feet, frantic and angry. “Look at me!”

She lifted her eyes to his.

“You told me you would endure being burned to death to be with me. Isn’t that right? Answer me.”

She nodded.

“And were you telling the truth? Would you really do it? Suffer the most painful feeling imaginable just to be with me?”

She nodded again.

“And because I love you and respect you, I’ve agreed. I’ve agreed to allow you to make that sacrifice, because I believed you when you said you love me.”

“I do love you.”

“Then why won’t you allow me to do the same: to make sacrifices to be with you? Man, Therese! I’m honoring your decision to accept the challenges. I’m honoring your decision to burn to death for me. Can’t you honor my choice to face the maenads? Your love is worth so much more to me, and you’re killing me!”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head
, and he could see in her expression how conflicted she felt, how deep both her love and fear for him was, and he softened. “I’m sorry. It kills me, too. Thinking of that horrible pain every year forever. It kills me.”

He pulled her to him and held her. She seemed too small and fragile to be fighting monsters.

“I won’t fail,” she said. “I will not fail. Tell me what I need to know to make it past the Hydra.”

“Put on some warmer clothes and some shoes. And you’ll want your traveling robe. I’ll take you to her lair tonight so you can see what you’re up against.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven
: The Hydra’s Lair

Than held her hand, and together they god traveled, the invisible plastic wrapping itself around her, until she opened her eyes and found herself at the bottom of a massive grassy hill. Over a mile away, at the very top, was a structure she couldn’t quite see.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a castle. Was a castle,” Than said. “Nothing but ruins now.”

“Where are we?” She used her hand as
a visor against the just-rising sun—a strange sight when a few minutes ago, it was nearly midnight.

“Eastern side of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.”

She punched his arm. “I suck at world geography. Can you be less specific?”

He laughed. “Greece. And this is Larissa Hill. Ancient Argos once stood here. The modern Argos is there, further down. See it?”

She turned around to discover hundreds of buildings and streets and cars, all modern and bustling with activity in the early dawn. “But where’s the water? I thought the Hydra lived underwater.”

“She does. Centuries ago, there was a lake here.
Lerna. It’s all dried up, but, if you look carefully along the base of this hill, you can still find signs of it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Beneath this hill lies a system of ducts. Most of the tunnels are dry or have a little water, maybe ankle deep. They connect several sinkholes.”

“Sinkholes?”

“Little pools formed by underground springs that run from the Aegean Sea.”

“Are you saying the Hydra lives beneath his hill?”

“Exactly.”

“And the entrance to the Underworld?”

“Also beneath this hill.”

She sucked in air and shuddered. “How do we get inside?”

He squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I can do this. Tell me.”

“You could crawl in through a tunnel, but since you have your traveling robe, we’ll god travel in. Here’s the thing, though: this hill is full of solid rock. You have to focus on a very specific location in order to be successful. That’s why I want to take you with me first.”

“So far so good.”

“But…”

“There’s
a but?”

“Yeah. ‘
Fraid so.”

She nodded, bracing herself.

“The Hydra could be anywhere. The tunnel I choose could be the very one she’s hanging out in.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Great.”

“So what I want to practice with you tonight, er,” he looked at the sun-filled sky, “this morning, I mean, is split-second travel. I want you to learn how to leave a position before you’ve arrived.”

“Huh?”

“You know that feeling you get when you god travel, that pressure all around you?”

“Like invisible plastic wrap.”

“Okay. Plastic wrap? Or more like a thin blanket.”

“A tight thin blanket,” Therese added.

“Okay. Anyway, just as that blanket begins to release, before you’ve completely landed, inspect the location.”

“You mean open my eyes?”

He took a step back and covered his heart with his free hand. “You’ve been traveling all this time with your eyes closed? Are you serious? You’re lucky to be alive.”

“But it’s so bright.”

“Not too bright. You can handle it. Promise me you’ll keep them open from now on.”

“I promise.”

“Come on. Let’s go over by those rocks. Ready?”

She nodded and squeezed his hand.

“Don’t close your eyes, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Focus.”

“I am. Let’s go.”

The invisible plastic wrapped itself around her and she resisted the urge to close her eyes as brightness surrounded her from every direction. Before the plastic released itself, she saw the boulders coming into focus just as her feet were touching the ground.

“I could see!” she said when they landed. “I saw these rocks before we arrived!”

“Good. Now, what I want you to do is go back where we started, without me, but before you land, return here.”

“How do I do that?”

“Just as the pressure gives, and you see that tall weed over there, will yourself back here by my side. You have to focus, okay?”

She nodded, releasing his hand. “Here I go.” The pressure and brightness returned, but an image of Clifford on her bed entered her mind and she saw her room materializing around her. Before she landed, she
thought of Than and the boulders, and she instantly returned to his side, but felt jolted, lost her balance, and fell on her bottom on the ground at his feet.

He cupped his hands beneath her armpits and helped her to her feet. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but looks like you’re getting the idea.”

“I went home, on accident.” She dusted grass and dirt from the back of her traveling robe and jeans.

“I know. It’s okay. If you need to get away from the Hydra, just go there, to your room. Any place is fine. You just want to get away, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I want to take you into her lair and show you around. I want you to see the entrance to the Underworld, because if you can god travel straight there, then you might be able to slip inside without ever having to face the Hydra.”

“That would be awesome.”

“Yeah, but unfortunately, this little practice run of ours will make her angry and more alert. You’ll want to wait a few days before you come back and try it on your own. Even if we get lucky and she doesn’t spot us, she’ll know we’ve been here by our scent.”

“Great.”

“Ready?”

“Don’t let go.” She took his hand, feeling less frightened than excited with him beside her.

The invisible plastic wrapped itself around her as the bright lights came from all directions. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the walls of the cavern come into view, but when they finally landed in a few inches of cold water, they were surrounded by complete darkness.

“I can’t see,” she whispered, clinging to his arm.

“Oh, I forgot. Humans can’t see in the dark.”

His body took on a soft glow, illuminating the tunnel a few yards in each direction. He looked amazing, like an angel. She whispered, “Wow.”

“What?” he whispered back.

“Nothing.” She felt herself blushing. “So, um, can you see in the dark?”

“Yeah.
I guess you’ll need to bring a light with you when you come on your own.”

“Guess so.”

“Now look here.” He touched a thin column of rock beside him shaped like an hour glass and as tall as Therese. “Focus on this image when you travel here on your own, okay?”

“Got it.”
They were still whispering, hoping not to be heard by the Hydra.

“If the Hydra’s waiting for you, go back to your bedroom before you land and try again another day, okay?”

“Okay.”

“On the other side of this column is the sinkhole.”

They sloshed through the shallow water to a heart-shaped pool about three yards in diameter.

“That’s the entrance there.”

“What, you dive in?”

“Yeah.
You swim down a few feet and pop up on the other side, right into the Underworld. Ready?”

Something moved just beneath the surface as Therese peered at her
and Than’s reflections. Before she could speak, that something shot straight up—a long, serpentine neck ringed with scales that sparkled like abalone in Than’s glow. At the top of the neck was an enormous dragon head with ferocious eyes and teeth, its mouth open and lunging for her. She stared, frozen and heavy, unable to move. In the next instant, the pressure wrapped around her, and she and Than arrived back inside her bedroom, startling Clifford from his nap on her bed.

Than
put his hands on her shoulders and studied her face. “You okay?”

She could tell her eyes were wide, her face pale. Nodding, she asked, “Was that…?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought she had nine heads or something.”

“Not anymore. Only one was immortal. Hercules slayed and seared the others.”

“Oh.” Not that it mattered. The one remaining head was big enough to eat her whole.

Than released her to pace the room. “If she’s nesting in the sinkhole, you won’t make it past her alive.”

She couldn’t imagine going back and looking over the heart-shaped pool, waiting, only to have that huge head pop out at her again. She’d nearly peed in her pants. “There’s no way to tell where she is beforehand?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What if I lure her away from the entrance?”

“How?”

“What does she eat?”

“Fish. But she loves cake, too.”

“I could put a cake at one end of her lair. When I see her coming for it, I could god-travel to the heart-shaped pool.”

He smiled at her as he took her in his arms. “That might just work, you clever girl.”

“You’ll need to take me in once more.
To show me another place to god travel to.”

“We’ll practice as long as we can, but, first, kiss me.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Deadly Accident

Thursday morning after swim practice and lunch with Carol—Richard was out doing an interview, Therese hiked down to Jen’s in the warm afternoon sun with Clifford trailing behind her. Stormy might not need to be groomed, but Therese needed to keep busy. Every idle moment added to her anxiety over what lay ahead.

It wasn’t just getting past the Hydra, though that certainly would be enough to make anyone anxious. She did, after all, have to time getting in and out of the lair just right, which would be tricky, even after all the practice she
and Than did last night. And apologizing to Vicki in the Underworld, well, that was less of a challenge than it was a gift, a gift of closure. Although the last two challenges worried Therese, what really had her stomach in knots was the part about burning to death.

Maybe her body would go into shock, so she wouldn’t feel it. Maybe she’d burn quickly, and it would be over before she knew it. She shuddered and tried not to think about her flesh in flames.

Reaching the Holts’ gravelly drive, now lined with cars belonging to trail riders, she headed to the barn as Clifford went on to the stream at the back of the house. Pete tapped his hat to her from the pen. She wiggled her fingers to him, and then to Bobby, who also waved. Jen was in the barn brushing Sassy.

Jen looked up as Therese entered.
“Hey there.”

“Hey. I let Clifford come today.
Hope that’s alright. He went straight to the stream, as usual.”

“Sure. He never gives up, does he?
Fishing for trout.”

Therese chuckled.
“Never.” She took Stormy’s brush from the shelf and sat on a stool in the front of his stall. He was getting big, though he still wasn’t weaned, and he was sometimes skittish even around Therese. “It’s okay boy.” She stroked his soft gray hide and pressed her cheek against his flank. “Stormy. That’s you, boy. You’re Stormy. I’m Therese.”

“Matt and I are going to the movies this weekend. Maybe you and Pete could join us.”

“Hmm. I don’t know.”

“Think about it.”

“Than and I are talking again. I was going to tell you the other day, but…”

“I thought you hated him.”

“No. Not anymore. He’s been busy trying to find a way for us to be together.”

Jen came around from behind Sassy to work her other side. “So, do you really like him? I mean, ‘like’ like him?”

Therese nodded. “It’s bad, Jen. I think I’m in love.”

“No way.
Y’all haven’t even seen that much of each other.”

“More than you know.”

“What do you mean? He hasn’t come up to see you, has he?”

Therese moved her stool so she could reach the backside of Stormy. “It was a quick trip. He flew in and out in one night. He’s done that twice now.”

“Is he loaded or something? That’s a lot of money.”

“I guess so.” His father was the god of all precious stones, she supposed.

Just then, Bobby barged into the barn, breathless. “Therese, come quick. It’s Clifford.”

Therese and Jen exchanged worried glances as they left the stall and followed Bobby. Pete stepped from the pen holding Clifford’s limp body in his arms.

“Clifford!” Therese ran to Pete’s side.

“He slipped into the pen somehow. The General trampled him.”

Clifford’s head was a mangled mess, smashed and pouring blood. His little white and brown body twitched.

“He’s not dead!” Therese insisted, a lump rising to her throat. “Can you take me to a vet?”

Pete met her eyes. “But…”

“Please?”

He nodded and carried Clifford to his truck. Therese and Jen followed to where it was parked in the garage, Therese no longer able to feel her arms and legs or the rise and fall of her chest.

Mrs. Holt came up alongside the truck as Therese blindly climbed in. “Listen, Honey. No use going to see a vet.”

“You don’ t understand. He’s going to be okay.” She said this with a quavering voice, sounding as unsure as she felt.

Bobby came up behind. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry! When I opened the gate, Clifford ran past me! It’s my fault!”

“No it’s not, Bobby,” Therese said.

Jen climbed in beside Therese, crying her eyes out. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it.”

“Get me a towel, Mom.” Pete held Clifford at the opened passenger side door, blood running down his arms and onto his shirt and jeans.

“Thank you, Pete! Thank you for helping me!” In another life, she would have married him. 

Mrs. Holt returned moments later with an old towel, which she wrapped around Clifford. It immediately became soaked with blood. “Ah, hell, let me get another.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jen said, more of a slobbering mess than Therese.

“It’s okay. Clifford will be fine.” At least she hoped. Artemis hadn’t been angry enough with Therese to undo her gift of immortality, had she?

“Oh, Therese!”
Jen cried. “Look at his head. He’s not going to be fine!”

Pete lowered his eyes.

“Stop it!” she snapped. “I don’t want to hear that.” Please, Artemis.

Mrs. Holt returned with another towel, swaddling Clifford like a baby. Then she and Pete lay Clifford in Therese’s arms. She cradled him, speaking softly to him, even though she could feel no life left in his body. He wasn’t breathing, nor was his heart beating. He felt heavy with death, his stubby tail, usually wagging, stiff. “You’ll be alright, soon, Clifford, boy. Hang in there.”

Pete climbed behind the wheel and brought his truck to life. Tears streamed from Therese’s eyes as she prayed over her best friend, silently. “Please let him be alright. Please, Artemis.”

As they neared Therese’s house, Carol ran from the gravelly drive, waving her hands for them to stop. Pete rolled down his window. Mrs. Holt must have called her.

“Is there room for me?”

Pete climbed out and helped Carol into the backseat of his truck. Carol leaned over and stroked Therese’s hair.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so, so, sorry.”

“He’s going to be okay. The vet will know what to do.”

Therese sensed Carol and Jen exchange looks.

“Trust me, guys,” Therese said as Pete drove across the dam. “Clifford will make it.” She cradled his body like a baby as her teeth chattered. “Please hurry, Pete. He’s losing so much blood.”

She knew what they were all thinking. They were thinking, “Poor Therese. First her parents, then Dumbo, then Puffy, then Vicki, and now Clifford. Poor, poor Therese.” But Therese knew Clifford could not die; at least, not forever. At some point, his soul would return to his body, just like Asterion and Ariadne’s would. She wasn’t sure how long it would take, but she hoped the vet could fix his head so his body would be ready when his soul returned. “Please, Artemis,” she whispered, low, so no one could hear over the sound of the engine. “I beg you.”

When they reached the emergency vet clinic, Pete dropped everyone off at the door, and Therese rushed Clifford inside. She was immediately led to an operating room, where a technician came in to exam Clifford.

“Let’s lay him on the table,” the young technician said as she pulled on gloves.

The stainless steel table was cold and hard. Therese kept her arms around Clifford as the technician carefully pulled the bloody towels away from Clifford’s body.

“Oh, dear,” she said, her eyes wide. She put one end of her stethoscope to her ears and the other to Clifford’s blood-matted chest. “Tell me what happened.”

“He was trampled by a horse,” Therese said. “But he’s going to be alright.”

Carol shook her head. “Oh, Therese. She lost her parents only a year ago. This is hard for her to accept.”

“Stop saying that, Carol!” Therese turned an angry face to her aunt, feeling the blood feverishly flow to her face. “This has nothing to do with my parents! This is totally different! You don’t know everything!” Her heart raced fast. She couldn’t breathe.

Carol backed away toward the door. The others lowered their eyes.

The technician wiped away some of the blood, gently handling Clifford’s head. She pushed his lids down to cover his lifeless eyes. “I’ll have Dr.
Chenault take a look at him. Why don’t you step out into the waiting room, and I’ll call you back after she’s had a chance to examine him.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” Therese said. “The others can go, but I want to stay here.”

Carol put a hand on her shoulder. “Therese, I…”

“Please,” Therese said.

“That’s fine,” the technician said. “But I need the rest of you to clear the room. Thank you.”

Carol kissed the top of Therese’s head. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”