The Weight of the World (19 page)

“So...
what are you, then?”

“A
Greek Goddess.”

“What?”

“Astin
and I are Apollo and Artemis, except we don't remember most of it and
we're not sure why we're here.”

Diana
could tell that Ryan's willingness to listen was being tested. She
thought he might spring up and dive overboard at any moment. To her
good fortune, a little sanderling landed on the bow of the speedboat.
Diana sat up and called it over. Ryan heard a sharp kip, a
chattering, coming from the blonde girl. The bird perked up and flew
to land on her finger. She chattered with it some more and it looked
at Ryan, cocking its head.

“You're
serious,” he said, eyes wide. It was hard to deny the evidence. A
wild bird had willingly perched on her finger with very little
coaxing.

“Those
bears that attacked us that night,” Diana said, slipping easily
back into human speech, “They weren't normal bears. We're not
really sure what they are, yet, but they're likely related to The
Pantheon.”

“Pantheon?”

“The
group of us, the Greek Gods here in Olympia Heights.”

Diana
kipped at the sanderling again, and it flew away. “So you believe
me?”

Ryan
nodded. “I... I've been making out with a Greek Goddess.”

“Ryan,”
Diana said. “You can't tell anyone. I mean... I told you because I
trust you, because I want this to be a relationship and I know that I
have to be honest.”

Ryan
stared off into space.

“Ryan?”
She sighed. “The only reason I told you this was because I think
I'm in love with you.”

He
looked back into her eyes. His smile was faint, but it was genuine.
“Diana, I love you, too. I just didn't think what you had to tell
me was going to be so big.”

“You'd
rather I had an inoperable brain tumor.”

“Don't
be ridiculous.” He brought his hand back to her pale cheek. “I
always thought you were too beautiful to be human,” he whispered.
“Your skin always looks like moonlight, even in the brightest sun.”

Diana
shrugged, “Yeah, moon goddess. It explains a lot.”

Ryan's
smile grew wider at that comment. “Like why you aren't a morning
person?”

Diana
grabbed the back of his head and pulled him close to kiss him. He
wrapped his arms around her and she rolled until she was laying in
his lap.

They
kissed for a long time before he broke the kiss. The cover-up had
slipped down off her shoulder and Ryan stroked the soft exposed skin.
“I'm sorry if I gave you a scare before. It's a lot to take in.”

Diana
pressed her finger across his lips, silencing him. “No more
talking,” she said. “There's time for that on the ride back.”

Their
health class videos of a woman giving birth had done well to scare
Diana away from intimacy for quite some time. With Ryan it was
different, though. Every time he held her in his arms she just wanted
to feel as close to him as she could possibly be. She had seen enough
of how he interacted with his mother to know that he respected women,
and she had seen enough of his heart to know that they were kindred
souls.

She
took a deep breath. “I love you,” she said. Diana took his hand
and placed it on her thigh. She pulled him down and kissed him again,
allowing herself to be serenaded by the sound of water lapping
against the side of the boat and her own heart pounding within her
chest.

Teddy
Wexler walked into Thompson's Grill to pick up takeout. The hostess
went back to the kitchen to find his order and Teddy leaned against
the counter and watched Astin's angry guitar riffs. They took him
over, making him feel like an action star ready to turn and walk away
as the place exploded in the background.

He
cast his eyes around the restaurant and saw Peter and Adam sitting at
a corner booth. Teddy abandoned the counter and crossed the room. He
held his fist out for a bump with Peter. Peter looked skeptical but
met him in the youthful gesture of manly comradeship.

“Teddy,
this is Adam Montagna. Adam, Theodore Wexler.”

“Junior.
But Teddy is fine.”

“Are
you staying?” Adam asked.

“Just
picking up takeout. My girlfriend is getting dropped off at the
house, so I gotta head back and watch a movie with her.”

Peter
scowled. Adam looked between Teddy and Peter. “Dropped off? She
doesn't drive?”

“Naw,
she's fifteen. She's babysitting until nine, so her mom is going to
drop her by and then I'll drive her home.”

“What
do you drive?”

“Purple
Jaguar.”

“Nice.”
Adam looked genuinely impressed, “I bet you get a lot of action
with a car like that.”

“Trying
to. Penny's the innocent type, though.” Teddy shrugged.

“Penny?
Same Penny you told me about, Peter?”

Peter
was slouched in the booth with his arms folded across his chest. He
grunted.

“Yeah,
same girl,” Teddy answered. “Peter's her best friend. I should
probably head back. It'll be awkward if she gets to my house and she
has to talk to my parents or something. My mom might scare her away.”

“Well,
good luck man. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah,
thanks.” Teddy pushed his dark hair off his forehead, “I think
I'll do a bit better tonight. Last date was at her babysitting gig
and the kids' Dad came home and acted all protective. Just when
things were getting good, too. You know?” Teddy winked, “Good.”

Peter
seemed to fly over the table. Teddy didn't see him until he was being
toppled over on the wood floor of the restaurant. Astin's music came
to a sudden halt. He leaped off the stage. Adam sprung up from his
seat and shouted in surprise as Peter grabbed Teddy's face and
started squeezing.

Teddy
and Peter began to roll on the floor, taking control of the grapple
in turns and exchanging punches. Nearby Patrons sprang up from their
seats and moved out of the way. Teddy took a swing at Peter's face,
but Peter squirmed and dodged so that Teddy punched the floor. He
yelped, holding up his hand, and Peter used the momentary advantage
to shove Teddy off of him and get back on his feet.

Peter
reared back to kick Teddy, but Teddy grabbed his knees and held on so
that he couldn't get the momentum to kick. They stumbled around for a
few minutes before Peter kicked Teddy off. Teddy whacked the back of
his head on a chair and hit the ground. Adam grabbed Peter and
stopped him from lunging forward.

“Easy
there, buddy,” he said. “You've done enough.”

Teddy
didn't get up. Astin crouched down and touched the back of Teddy’s
head. His fingers came up red. “Oh man, Peter, what the hell did
you do?”

“I'm
calling the police!” the manager shouted. Astin pulled Teddy up in
his arms. He had no idea what he was doing, but he was functioning on
autopilot now. He pressed his palm to the wound on Teddy's head and
focused on light. No heat, just light. Slowly his hand began to glow
as if sunshine was pushing through it, before it flickered out and
Astin collapsed on the floor.

Adam
let go of Peter and ran to Astin's side. “He's still breathing, he
just blacked out.”

Teddy
sat up, rubbing his head. “Why is there blood in my hair?” he
asked.

“You...
what... I don't even...” sputtered Adam.

“Adam,”
Peter said, keeping his tone quiet and even. He placed a finger to
his lips.

Adam
turned and looked Peter in the eye. “There's clearly something
you're not telling me.”

Sirens
sounded outside.

“
Music
and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul
.”

-Plato

xiv.

On
the day of their nuptials, cruel fate struck.

Eurydice
stepped on a venomous snake,

which
snapped up and tore at her bare white ankle.

It
was instant death.

Orpheus
would not give up on his new wife.

He
played such sorrowful songs that the nymphs wept

and
the gods advised him to seek her below

in
deep, dark Hades.

Bold
Orpheus made the long journey alone,

only
equipped with his plectrum and his lyre.

When
he met Cerberus, he played it to sleep

with
beautiful song.

At
last he encountered the Queen of Hades.

He
composed a song to tell of his heartache.

Upon
hearing it, Queen Persephone wept

and
called her husband.

Lord
Hades had so few opportunities

to
delight the wife he had taken by force,

and
so he consented to let Orpheus

take
his bride back home.

The
bargain was such that Orpheus could not

so
much as glance at his wife until they reached earth.

So,
Orpheus walked with his eyes trained forward,

as
her shade followed.

But
just as he spied the surface, he looked back,

and
Eurydice was pulled into the depths.

An
echo of her cry faded in his ears.

She
was lost for good.

“
Love
is a kind of warfare
.”

-Ovid

XIV.

Theodore
Wexler Sr. got the phone call an hour later. Penny was sitting in his
kitchen, drinking a glass of ginger ale and wondering where Teddy was
when he called from the police station. Teddy and Peter had been
arrested for fighting in public. Penny hopped in Senator Wexler's
crystal-red Cadillac and rode with him to go bail Teddy out.

Penny
waited outside on a bench while Teddy's bond was posted. He would
drop her off at home on the way back. There would be no date tonight.
She had watched the senator clench and unclench his jaw the whole way
to the police station. She knew he would be having words with Teddy.

Peter's
dad marched him out of the station, dragging him by his collar. Peter
had dried blood on his nose. He saw Penny waiting outside and dug in
his heals. “Dad,” he said quietly. “Can I please just talk to
my friend for a second?”

Mr.
Hadley looked at Penny and then back at Peter. His fist was clenched,
and Penny was a bit afraid of what he might do, but he looked back at
the lobby of the police station and nodded. “I'll be in the truck.
Five minutes.”

Penny
watched as Peter's father climbed into his old International pickup
truck and lit a cigarette. He closed his eyes and leaned back against
the driver's seat.