The Gatekeeper's Promise: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Six (The Gatekeeper's Saga 6) (4 page)

“What of Melinoe?” Than asked. “Couldn’t she be freed from Tartarus?
It seems unfair that she should be condemned when she had so much going against her.”

“We are all responsible for our choices,” Hades said.

“But she was used, manipulated, and…”

Suddenly
they were startled by a ruckus from somewhere above them.

“Let me through!” a voice bellowed.

Hades jumped to his feet. “Poseidon?”

“Release the wards on your abominable palace and let me inside!” Poseidon’s voice called.

Hades motioned his hand about the room, and Poseidon practically fell from the ceiling, landing squarely on his feet. He was breathing heavily and was drenched in sea water.

“What brings you here?” Hades asked.

Than climbed to his feet and stared dumbly at Poseidon’s unexpected entry.

“My wife and my trident have been stolen from me,” Poseidon said. “I’ve just escaped, and barely at that.”

***

Therese found Jen in her upstairs bedroom, face down on her bed and sobbing into her pillow.

“Jen? What’s wrong?”
Therese asked.

Jen was so startled
by Therese’s sudden arrival that she cleared half a foot before landing on her belly again.

“Oh, thank the gods you’re here!” Jen said, sitting up and slouching with a pathetic-looking frown and red, tear-stained cheeks. Do you have any idea why that Pa
SHIT
ia is holding hands with Hip?”

Therese’s mouth dropped open. What in the world was Jen talking about? “Well, first of all, like I’ve told you before, it’s Pa
sith
ea.”

“Oh, that’s rig
ht. Like the dark lord of the Sith. I knew there was another reason I didn’t like her. She’s pure evil.”

Therese rolled her eyes. “
They were holding hands? I’m sure there’s an explanation. Hip is
not
interested in her anymore. Jen, it’s been
centuries
.”

“Well,
she’s
still interested in
him
, I can tell you that. I saw the look on her face in the dream globe clear as day.”

“So it was a dream?” Therese asked, even more confused than before.

“No. Well, they were in the dream world—that’s how I could see them. But they weren’t figments.”

“Are you sure?”

Jen threw herself on her pillow again and screamed.

“Calm down. I’m sorry. Listen, there must be some explanation. I can’t believe you called me all the way over here from a very important meeting because you’re feeling insecure about Hip.”

Jen leapt from the bed and gave Therese the evil eye. “Well, we can’t all be goddesses!”

Therese’s eye
brows lifted as Jen’s angry expression crumpled into another round of tears.

“That’s not the worst of it! My mom…she…” Jen threw herself
on her pillow again and screamed.

Therese
rolled her eyes and tried to recall if she had ever acted this way when she was mortal. She was sure she must have, but, thankfully, she couldn’t remember it. “What’s wrong with your mom?”

She
could barely understand Jen as she said into the pillow, “She and Mr. Stern had a thing going. She was happy. Now she’s breaking his heart along with her own.” Jen turned her head to the side and sought Therese’s face. Jen looked like she was possessed, like the character in
The Exorcist
, when she added, “You
have
to take my mom to Tartarus to see Pete. It’s the only way!”

“What? T
hat’s impossible. Hades will never go for that.”

Jen sat up on the edge of her bed. “Why not? What’s the good of having a best friend who’s a goddess if she can’t do me a little favor? You’re the reason we’re all in this mess!”

Therese took a step back, her chin nearly hitting the floor. Did Jen really blame Therese for Pete’s death?

“If you hadn’t fallen for Than, you’d probably be married to
Pete right now and we’d all be living happily ever after.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Are you saying I’m wrong?”

Tears pricked Therese’s eyes. “You think Pete’s dead because of me.”

Jen slammed her hands on the bed. “Not exactly. Now don’t you start crying, too. We’ll drown. I didn’t mean what I said. It’s not your fault. But surely you can get me in to see Pete. Promise me you’ll try.”

Therese wiped her eyes and nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

“And can you please see if you can find out what’s going on between Hip and Pa
shit
ia? I mean the evil Sith lord?”

Therese managed a smile.
“Yes. I’ll look into it.”

***

Hip
soared through the sky with Pasithea in his arms. He’d forgotten how much he had once loved her, and he’d forgotten how good it felt to be in her arms. She was so beautiful—the most beautiful creature alive.

“Oh, Darling,” Pasithea said in her sweet voice.

He’d forgotten just how sweet. He brushed her lips with his.

The light touch turned into a deeper
kiss that brought chills of delight to the back of his neck. He wanted to marry her now, or as soon as possible.

“Be my wife and make me the happiest god in existence,” he said to her.

“I’ve never stopped loving you,” she said in her sweet voice. “And I would have waited centuries more to hear you say that.”

“Why don’t we go make some mortals as happy as we are?”
he said with a wink.

“Let’s do it!”

He grinned. “They’ll never be as happy, though, will they?”

“Never!” Her eyes beamed back at him.

Together they entered the dream world to bring those who slept dreams of love.

In the middle of one particularly satisfying dream,
Hip was interrupted by a prayer from Jen.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. I thought you were different.”

Hip was annoyed. He’d heard stories of gods who were plagued by the constant prayers of unrequited love by girls gone mad, but he himself had never personally experienced it. Now he wondered what he had ever seen in Jen Holt.

***

On her way back from Colorado, Therese spotted
a group of shady people making money off of rooster fights. The poor roosters were angry, confused, and badly injured, but Therese evacuated the rotting building (by blowing smoke and fire into it), swept up the roosters, and carried them to safety. After healing them and calming them down, she took each to neighboring farmers where she knew they would be treated properly.

From there, Therese decided to go to Mount Olympus. Not only did she want to check on her mother-in-law, but she also had questions for Hera and Apollo. Unsure of what to do once the
twins were born, she thought those two might give her guidance. Plus, she really missed Hecate, Hermes, and Aphrodite, and there was a good chance they’d be there, too.

As soon as she entered the cou
rt, Aphrodite called out to her, and the Graces rushed over and oohed and awed over Therese.

“
You look so beautiful!” Algaea said, embracing her.

Alg
aea’s hugs always reminded Therese of her mother. Hephaestus came up beside his wife with a big embrace that included the both of them, and that group hug filled Therese with a sense of home.

“Sweeeeet!”
Cinny’s high-pitch squeal made Therese jump. “May I touch your belly?”

Hands soon covered Therese’s abdomen, and sighs and laughter echoed all around her.

“What a gorgeous mother you make!” Thalia said. “I can’t wait to meet your beautiful babes!”

“Hermes and Hestia, isn’t that right?” Algaea asked.

“That’s right,” Therese said beaming.

Thalia
suddenly covered Therese’s face with kisses, and Therese broke out in giggles.

“Where’s Pashit—I mean Pasithea?” Therese asked as her cheeks gre
w red. Darn that Jen for planting that bad nickname into Therese’s head!

“She’s with Hypnos,” Aphrodite replied. “By Zeus’s orders.”

Goose bumps popped up and down Therese’s arms. “Zeus’s orders?”

Aphrodite glance
d around nervously and then whispered, “Zeus was worried about the quality of sleep people were getting while Hip moped around unhappily, so Zeus ordered Cupid to intervene.”

Theres
e’s jaw dropped open. “Does Hip love Pasithea now?”

Aphrodite
nodded. “But it’s not right. We’ve got to do something.”

Before Therese could ask more, Hermes came up from behind and said, “I hope you plan on saying hello to the rest of us.”

Therese whipped around and wrapped her arms around the messenger god’s neck. She’d never forget that he was the one responsible for saving the lives of her twins. “Of course. I even brought my flute.” She pulled it out of thin air, just as she had once done in a dream the first time she had met the sons of Hades.

“Wonderful!” Hermes said.
“I’ll grab my pipe and join you.”

The Graces clapp
ed their hands with excitement, and Aphrodite smiled with approval.

As Therese crossed the great room, she stopped in the center and politely bowed before Hera and Zeus.
Then she turned and did the same to Rhea. When she saw Hecate visiting with Hestia, she went to them and hugged them both. She noticed Persephone and Demeter weren’t there, so she sent a prayer to them. They entered from Demeter’s rooms at once with huge smiles on their faces and open arms.

“I’ve come to play a concert,” Therese said to
them and to all the other gods in the room.

Everyone applauded, including Ares, who appeared from the back at the rainbow steps just as Therese made her announcement.

“Well, well,” Ares said as he strolled across the court. “If it isn’t the goddess of animal companions. And how are you doing these days with two buns in the oven, no less?”

“Fine, thank you,” she lied, hiding her trembling hands. She wished the god of war didn’t make her so nervous.
Plus it freaked her out every time she looked at him and realized his hair color was identical to hers. His blood ran through her, but to think of it made hers boil. “And you?”

“Better than you, I’ll wager.”

“Why’s that?” she dared to ask.

“Because I’m not being forced to choose between my children and the love of my life.”

Therese turned beet red—redder than their hair.

“That is essentially what it’s all coming down to for you, isn’t it?” Ares said.

“There’s still a lot to be worked out,” Therese stammered.

Aphrodite stepped forward. “She’s come to play us a concert. Let’s not ruin it with complicated thoughts.”

“Of course, my dear,” Ares said. “No one’s ever accused you of having complicated thoughts.”

“Excuse me?” Aphrodite asked.
“You must not hope to accompany me on my next trip to Paris.”

Hephaestus took Aphrodite’s arm and es
corted her back to her chair near the Graces as he said, “You can’t blame a god of war for introducing conflict whenever he gets the chance. Don’t take it personally. Your beauty is complicated enough.”

“A concert, eh?” Ares asked Therese when the flames of his fire had been quelled by the god of the forge.

Therese realized at that moment that Hephaestus knew exactly how to play Ares. “I was hoping Hermes and Apollo would join me,” Therese added, no longer confident of performing on her own. “Is Apollo at home?”

Artemis stepped forward. “He’
ll be here shortly. Why don’t you start without him?”

So Therese took a seat beside Hermes and
the two of them played her favorite Handel Sonata, which always made her think of her parents. She sent a prayer to them where they sat in the elm watching over Carol, Richard, and Lynn.

Before
she and Hermes had gotten to the end of the song, Apollo did indeed arrive, and he took out his lyre and joined them.

C
hapter Four: Breaking News

Than was grateful his father hadn’t asked him to leave as Poseidon explained in further detail what had happened.

“
Ever since Zeus and the Alliance declared Amphitrite my equal ruler of the sea, she has wanted to use my trident to pay back Scylla for all her abuses against her.”

“They’ve never been very fond of one another,” Hades agreed.

“My wife can’t swim through the Messina Straight without getting attacked by that monstrous crab,” Poseidon added.

Than had had plenty o
f encounters with Scylla. With her six long necks and grisly heads and her twelve tentacle legs, she lurched from her cave and snapped her crab pincers at him every chance she got.