The Gatekeeper's House (28 page)

Therese resisted the urge to argue with
her future father-in-law. She wanted to save Cybele, whatever it
took.

“
The newest gods are always
the most eager,” Hades said with a touch of reproach.

“
But they are not without
honor,” Athena said with an approving smile.

Therese felt her cheeks get hot. She
didn’t want to disappoint Hades after she’d so recently won his
heart, but she was committed to the side of right, and saving
Cybele was definitely the right thing to do.

“
I agree with Lord Hades,”
Artemis said. “We should hear your plan first.”

“
Agreed,” Apollo put in. “I
was willing to go against my lord Zeus to save you, dear goddess,
but now that you are freed, I do not wish to further offend my
lord.”

“
He holds an innocent, who
wished to protect me,” Athena objected.

“
It was her choice to
deceive your father,” Persephone said. “We must all face the
consequences of our choices.”

Therese could no longer hold her
tongue. “But if it hadn’t been for Cybele, Melinoe might be trapped
forever in Tartarus. Cybele saved your daughter and has given her a
chance to redeem herself.”

“
If she chooses redemption,”
Meg said sharply. “We have no guarantee the Malevolent even
cares.”

“
So true,” Alecto
snarled.

“
What is your plan?” Hades
asked Athena.

“
Swear to keep it a secret,”
Athena said. “Swear on the River Styx, and I will tell
you.”

Everyone swore, but Demeter.

“
I better not get involved,”
she said.

“
But Mother, at least hear
her out,” Persephone insisted.

“
I’m too overcome with
sadness,” she said, waving her open palms at the group. “It saddens
me to see Olympians conspiring against Olympians. I’m not cut out
for this. I stayed out of the Trojan War for the same reason.
Athena can handle it. She stood by Odysseus all those years
Poseidon went on punishing him. But it’s not for me. Now, please
remove your wards so I may leave before you share your plan. I
swear to keep my knowledge of this meeting and your intentions to
retrieve the manly goddess to myself.”

With her lips pressed firmly together,
Athena crossed the room and marked through one of her symbols.
Demeter embraced Persephone, apologized once more, and left. Athena
redrew her symbol near the one marked out and turned to face those
gods remaining.

“
Anyone else wish to
leave?”

When no one replied, Hades said, “Let’s
sit, shall we?”

Everyone took a seat on the ring of
chairs that remained from their earlier meetings.

As soon as they were settled, Athena
looked around the room with her fierce gray eyes. “I want to
capture my father.”

***

When the chains around his arms and
legs vanished, Hypnos jumped into the air above Mount Ida, relieved
to be free and not wanting to wait for an explanation. He
especially didn’t want to risk getting caught again. As he turned
to head home, however, the birds followed.

“
Go back!” He stopped in
mid-air and pointed toward the mountain. “Go home!”

The birds pleaded with him to let them
follow him, saying they were ready to serve him. He wondered what
his father would say if he brought seven vultures home to live with
them. The birds said they would do anything he asked, and he had to
admit that he kind of liked the sound of that. He also admitted it
was creepy to befriend the very beasts who’d eaten his liver the
previous evening, but they had only been following orders. One
among them was Zeus’s eagle. Having this bird in his possession
could prove dangerous.

“
I promise to visit, but you
can’t come with me,” he finally said. “Now shoo.”

He turned away from them, surprised by
an unexpected feeling of sadness, to leave behind the creatures
desperate to keep his company. He glanced back to see them all
fluttering above the mountain peak watching him go.

“
I promise to return,” he
said again. “Now cheer up and go about your business, and maybe
I’ll bring you each a gift.”

This made the birds happy, and so
Hypnos was able to turn away feeling less guilty about leaving
them.

“
Bring us gifts, too,
Hypnos!” Ida called from below.

“
Oh, please do,” Andrasteia
pleaded.

“
Yeah, right, ladies.” He
sailed away, rolling his eyes.

When he tried to enter his father’s
chambers to discover the reason for his release, he found himself
blocked.

Father?

I can’t let you in at the
moment, son, but don’t be alarmed. Athena is free, and Zeus has
returned stability to the Olympians for the time being. Go visit
the mortal girl while you still have time. I’ll catch you up on the
details later.

Although Hip was anxious to hear what
had transpired in his absence, he was more anxious to see Jen. He
god traveled to the Melner cabin to freshen up, then, whistling as
he went, climbed into the red convertible Mustang and drove beneath
the morning sun down the road to the Holt place.

When he entered the barn, Jen was not
among the Holts tending the horses.

“
Hi, Hip,” Bobby
said.

“
Hi, Bobby,” Hip replied.
“Where’s Jen?”

“
She ain’t feeling well
today,” Mrs. Holt said from behind the General. “I gave her the
morning off.”

“
Is she allowed visitors?”
he asked.

“
I’m not sure that’s a good
idea,” Mrs. Holt replied.

Pete lifted up his head from
behind Ace. “Actually, Mama, I think it would cheer her up.” Then
to Hip, Pete prayed,
I know who you are.
Jen told me everything.

Hip lifted his eyebrows in
surprise.

“
Well,” Mrs. Holt said. “I
guess a short visit would be alright.”

“
Thanks, m’am,” Hip said.
Before leaving, he stole another glance at Pete, who seemed a
little fearful of him. “Thanks for putting in a good word for me,
Pete.”

If you can hear me, give me
a sign,
Pete prayed.

Hip hated it when mortals asked this of
him. What kind of sign did they expect? He searched for something
to say or do, but could only come up with a weak pun.

“
I’ll take that as a sign of
approval.”

Pete’s eyes widened, and
then, as in ninety-percent of cases, he prayed,
Just in case that was a coincidence, do something else. Say
the color blue.

Hip would play this game one more time,
and then he was out of there. “So is it going to rain today, Mrs.
Holt? Not a cloud in the blue sky right now.”

“
Usually about four o’clock,
the clouds roll in,” she replied.

Pete, of course, said nothing, but
looked at Hip with wide, bewildered eyes.

Hip chuckled to himself and left the
barn in search of Jen.

***

What did Pete want now? Jen thought
when a knock came at her door.

She didn’t even climb out of bed this
time. “What now? I already answered a million of your
questions."

The knock came again.

“
Well, come on in,
dummy!”

When she looked up and saw her visitor
wasn’t her brother Pete, but Hypnos, the god of sleep, her jaw
dropped open.

“
Sorry to interrupt your
argument with somebody else,” he said with a wink.

That cavalier attitude made her blood
run cold. She sat up in the bedcovers and narrowed her eyes at
him.

“
What?” he asked, all
innocent-like. She wanted to strangle him. “What’s wrong? Aren’t
you glad to see me?”

“
Where were you last night?”
She didn’t want to be this bitch she’d become, but he had let her
down, and this was important. “You promised to protect
us.”

“
But Melinoe was in
Tartarus,” he said, closing the door behind him. “She wasn’t a
threat.”

“
You promised to put us all
in a deep sleep every night just in case,” she said. She crossed
her arms at her chest when she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Just because you’re a god, that doesn’t give you the right to
break your promise.”

“
I was tied up last night,”
he said.

She rolled her eyes.

“
Seriously. You have no
idea.”

“
Then inform me, why don’t
you? All I know is that you promised to help us sleep, and we
couldn’t because Pete could still see my father’s ghost. That
freaked me out because, well…can my dad’s ghost hurt
me?”

Hip shook his head. “Not of his own
volition. He’d have to be controlled by Melinoe, or by some other
dark deity.”

“
There are others? Great.
I’ll never sleep again.”

Hip crossed the room and sat beside her
on the bed. That took a lot of nerve because she was giving him her
evil, pissed off, don’t-touch-me glare.

“
So you told
Pete.”

“
So? It’s not like he’s
gonna tell anyone. And don’t change the subject.” She noticed he
smelled really good, and he looked really good, and his adorable
face was smiling at her. “Are you laughing at me?”

“
No. I’m just so happy to
see you.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “When I was chained to
the top of Mount Ida and the vultures were coming for my
liver…”

“
Shut up!”

“
Seriously. You can ask
Therese.”

She searched his face. Was that common
for a god? To have his liver eaten by vultures? “Like, what was his
name? Perseus?”

“
Prometheus.”

“
Why? Why would you have to
go through that?” She squared herself to him. “And there’s not a
scratch on you.”

“
It’s a long story. Zeus
was, well, listen. When the birds were descending on me, the last
thing I thought of was your pretty face. And when my body was
restored and it beckoned back my soul, the first thing I thought of
was your pretty face. And as I lay there, all chained up, the only
thing I cared about was that I would have the chance to see you
again. That’s why I’m smiling.”

Jen didn’t know what to believe. Which
was more fantastical? That a god got his liver eaten out on a
mountaintop by vultures? Or that a god wanted to see her, wanted to
be with her? They were equally fantastic.

“
Why me?” she asked. “There
are tons of girls prettier than I am. Why are you glad to be with
me?”

“
I feel happiest when I’m
with you,” he said. “And I don’t know why.”

She had to admit that she liked being
around him, too. “I guess I can’t really be mad at you for breaking
your promise last night if what you say is true.”

“
Like I said, next time you
see Therese, ask her.”

“
When will that
be?”

Hip shook his head. “Don’t know.
Sorry.”

Jen studied his handsome face. He was
so perfect. There was no way he’d stay with her long. He was too
good for her. But she might as well enjoy his company for as long
as his crush on her lasted. “I guess I’ll have to take your word
for it until then.”

He gave her a smile. “I’m glad to hear
that.” Then he leaned in and touched his sweet lips to
hers.

***

“
This is crazy,” Therese
said when she and Than were alone in his rooms.

They weren’t completely alone. Jewels
was eating in her tank and Clifford was resting near the hearth,
but Than and Therese were the only gods present. The last time
they’d been alone was only twenty-four hours ago, when Hermes had
walked in and interrupted them with his message from Zeus. But so
much had happened since then that it seemed much longer than a
day.

Plus, Therese felt like she and Than
never had any time for each other.

They sat face to face in the two club
chairs before the fireplace, where real flames from burning wood
cast shadows in the room that were different from those cast by the
Phlegethon, flowing beside the back wall.

“
Are you afraid?” Than
asked.

“
Of course I’m afraid.
Aren’t you?” If he wasn’t, he was delusional. She didn’t see how
this plan could end well for anyone.

He stood up from his chair and knelt on
the floor in front of her, moving his body between her legs. He
held her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. The flames from
the fire twinkled in those gorgeous blue eyes, and she gave a tiny
gasp in response to their beauty. The closeness of his body to
hers, its warmth, and its strength awakened every part of her.
Where she might have been exhausted and anxious from their meeting
with the other gods, she was now alert and aroused.

“
We’ve got right on our
side,” he whispered. “And we have more gods.”

“
But Zeus and
Poseidon…”