The Gatekeeper's Daughter (7 page)

Therese changed into a comfy pair of sweats and curled on the bed with Clifford, even though she didn’t sleep. Having been a goddess for five whole days, she had learned that, although gods do sleep, it’s not often. Than had said he slept once a month at most.

Clifford still wore a bandage on his head, which he scratched at when he wasn’t licking Therese. When she asked if she could remove it, he panted with happiness. She tugged it off. He was healed, good as new, except for a little redness from where he’d been scratching.

No, she didn’t sleep as she snuggled with Clifford, but she did do a lot of thinking. Foremost in her mind was what she would say to Carol and Richard. She hoped she could make it up to them in some way, but how?

Before she could come up with answers, she sensed Carol climbing the stairs and couldn’t decide whether she should stay or disappear. The indecision was painful for fifteen seconds as she sat there, frozen, listening to Carol’s footsteps. She had to face this sooner or later, so she may as well now. She quickly dimmed herself to mortal form and turned on a lamp, which she hadn’t needed, able now to see in the dark.

“Therese?” Carol stood in the doorway, her hands at her mouth in shock. “When…how…”

“I didn’t want to wake you.” Therese moved to the edge of the bed and sat with her feet on the floor, not sure if she should hug Carol or stay put. “My bus arrived a while ago. I, uh, took a cab home.”

Carol stood with her mouth agape.

“I’m sorry I left without telling you.” Therese pulled at her hands, nearly ripping her own fingers off. She had to get used to her incredible strength. “I wanted to go someplace where people wouldn’t look at me like I killed Vicki.” Therese had been the one who paid for the ketamine, and everyone knew it. What had been meant as a near death experience in order to visit loved ones had turned into a disaster that was mostly her fault. “It’s been hard enough without the cold stares, you know?”

Carol frowned. “You scared me to death. How could you hurt me like that?”

Therese dropped her head.

Carol rushed to her and put her arms around her, falling to her knees beside the bed. “You had me and Richard so worried. Than’s dad didn’t reassure me much.”

Yeah, that conversation hadn’t gone well, Therese recalled. What had Hades said? Kids will be kids? What can you do? Thanks, Hades. Thanks a lot.

Hades voice pierced her thoughts: “At least I spoke to her. Be thankful for that.”

Oops. “Thank you, Hades.”

“What?” Carol pulled back to look at her.

Had she said that out loud? “I mean, can you forgive me?”

Carol’s face turned white and she rushed to Therese’s bathroom and retched into the commode. Had she made her aunt sick with worry? Therese chewed on the inside of her bottom lip.

She followed her aunt to the bathroom. “Carol, I…I don’t know what to say. It was stupid of me.”

Carol wiped her face with a towel and turned to Therese. “What?”

“I didn’t realize how worried you’d be. I didn’t think.”

Carol stood up.
“Oh, sweetheart.” She washed her hands and patted her face with cool water. “There’s something I need to tell you. Let’s sit down.”

Therese returned to her bed. Carol sat on the edge of it, beside her.

“I was going to wait to tell you with Richard, but he’s sleeping so soundly for the first time in days, so I won’t wake him.”

“Carol, what’s going on?” Had they decided they couldn’t handle her? After the drugs she’d done with Vicki and now running away, maybe they couldn’t take having a teenager. She pulled Clifford into her lap. She’d be okay, right? She’d just go to
Than, but the thought of them giving up on her broke her heart. Tears formed in her eyes, and she blinked them away.

“I’m pregnant.”

Now it was Therese’s turn to gape.

“I was going to tell you yesterday. Richard and I had planned something special for July fourth.” Tears rushed from Carol’s eyes.

That’s right. It was Independence Day.

“We were going to take you to the park, to watch the fireworks. Then we were going to give you a gift from the baby.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “These damn hormones.”

“I’m having a baby cousin?”

Carol frowned.
“Cousin and sibling. We adopted you, so, at least in the eyes of the law, this baby will be your brother or sister. Didn’t you say you always wished you had one?”

Therese nodded, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. Yes. She’d always wanted a brother or sister. And now that she was getting one, she was leaving to join
Than in the Underworld. She threw her arms around Carol, sadness gripping her heart. “I’m so happy.”

The following day, Therese changed into jeans and boots and walked down to the Holts’ place beneath a canopy of dark clouds to groom Stormy. She was surprised to find Courtney and Jen already there, doing her work.

“Hey,” Therese said awkwardly.

The two girls turned in her direction.

“You’re back!” Jen bounced from Sassy’s side and threw her arms around Therese. “It’s about time. Stormy’s missed you.”

With Courtney sitting on the stool in the stall, nuzzling the foal’s nose, Therese felt doubtful, but she ignored her feelings of insecurity and gently reached out to stroke her horse—
her horse
. “Hey, boy. I’ve missed you, too.”

Stormy met her eyes and neighed. Therese was shocked that she could understand him. “Where have you been?”

She ran her fingers through his mane. “I had to help out a friend. He knew your mother.”

The petite brunette politely moved out of the way. “I’m Courtney, by the way.”

Therese found it hard to meet her eyes, wondering if she blamed Therese for her cousin’s death. When she did finally look, she found her dark eyes to be beautiful, reminding her of a famous French model she’d seen in her favorite magazines. “Hey.”

Just then, Pete walked in, his blond hair framing his face down to his strong jaw. His blue eyes were full of relief. “I thought I saw you walking over. You’re finally back.”

Therese returned his smile. Dang, he was good looking for a mortal, and even by god standards. When he spread his arms for a hug, his flannel shirt slipped open, and sticking through his t-shit was what, an arrow? “What’s that sticking out of your chest?” She crossed the barn but stopped short of the hug.

“Huh?” Pete looked over his t-shirt.

Therese realized it was Cupid’s arrow. Mortal eyes must be blind to it. She stepped closer, pretending to brush away a piece of straw. “Been rolling around in the hay or something?”

Pete laughed and threw his arms around her. “I wish.”

She felt the blood rush to her face and wondered, as he held her, if she could pull the arrow out. She wrapped her hand around it. Yes, it was partially tangible. She tightened her grip. Would it hurt him? What if it killed him? She decided to leave it for now, after she had a chance to ask Than. Maybe she could pull the arrow out of Pete’s heart and spare him from suffering from a broken heart.

She stepped back from his embrace and patted his shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

“Whoa. Been working out?”

She blushed again.
“A little.” She had to learn to control her strength.

“Have you met Courtney?” Pete asked.

Therese nodded, but not without noticing Courtney’s face light up when Pete said her name. Things just keep getting more and more awkward, she thought.

Later, after taking a shower and changing into clean jeans and a light sweater, Therese sat at the wooden table on the deck with Carol and Richard with a pair of binoculars in one hand. Dusk was settling, the perfect time to spot wild horses and other animals in the mountains across the reservoir. Plus, she was hoping she wouldn’t have to talk too much about why she’d left. They already told her they expected her to swim in the championship meet tomorrow, even though she hadn’t been to practice in over a week. The heat sheets were probably finalized anyway, so she wasn’t sure she could swim in it even if she wanted to.

“Believe me,” Carol had said. “The coach wants his top swimmer in this meet. He’ll find a way.”

Now, as Carol brought out a pan of brownies, she presented Therese with a gift bag.

“It’s from the baby,” Richard said. “I told Carol it was kind of corny, but you know your aunt.”

Therese pulled away the tissue to find a multi-colored Coach handbag inside. “It’s beautiful.” Jen would kill for this, she thought. Therese liked it just fine but wasn’t into designer accessories as much as her friend.

“Look inside,” Carol said.

Therese opened the purse to find a matching wallet. “Thank you.”

“Keep going,” Richard said. “Open the wallet.”

Surely the baby wasn’t giving her money, she thought as she unsnapped the button and unfolded the fabric. Inside were dozens of clear plastic photo holders. Most were empty, but four of them held photos. The first was of her with her mom and dad, taken when she was six. She fingered their images, tears springing to her eyes. She’d forgotten how long her mom’s hair once was, before she started keeping it short.  And her dad’s had never looked shorter. She gazed at his deep, brown eyes and warm smile, missing his arms around her.

Move on, Therese, she thought, biting her lip.

The second was a photo taken at her grandma and grandpa’s in San Antonio. They were all in this one: her grandparents, mom and dad, Carol and Richard, Therese, and even Clifford and Blue. Her mom’s mouth was open in this shot, like she was saying something to the photographer. Therese recalled that expression. She wished her mother was here, calling to her from the kitchen window with that same look on her face.

The third was from Carol and Richard’s wedding last fall with Therese in between them. The fourth was a black and white blurry photo of…what?

“That’s the baby,” Carol explained. “That’s a copy of the sonogram. That’s how we were going to tell you.”

More tears clouded Therese’s view of the photos in the wallet, and she blinked them away, looking over the images again and again, not knowing what to say.

“We’ll take more and add them in as time goes on,” Richard said. “By the time you go to college, you’ll have every one of them those plastic slots full of your family.”

Therese closed her eyes to fight the tears from turning into outright sobs. The idea of sharing her life with them and her new brother or sister sounded pleasant just then. She pictured the family vacations they might share, her little brother or sister always in her arms. Then later, when the baby was older, they could hike, canoe, bike, fish—all the things she’d always longed to share with a sibling. But it wasn’t to be. Her place was with
Than now. Neither the family photos nor the going off to college would become a reality.

“Thank you both. I guess I don’t really deserve this.”

“Enough talk like that,” Carol said. “Let’s put that behind us.”

Therese nodded, desperately wanting to change the subject. “Speaking of school, I was thinking about going to summer school so I could try to graduate early.”

“Why?” Richard asked before shoving a brownie into his mouth.

“Ever since what happened with Vicki, I’ve been dreading school. I just want to get it over with.”

“If you really feel that way, why not attend school online?” Carol asked.

“What?”

“I don’t know, Carol. Should we encourage her to run away from her fears?”

“No, but she’s going to have to face her friends regardless of whether or not she attends high school. I finished my last two years of high school and my entire master’s degree program online.” Then she added with a wrinkled nose, “Don’t like working in large groups.”

Therese studied Richard’s face for disapproval, but he appeared to be coming around to the idea.

“Really?”
Therese asked. “You would let me do that?”

“Don’t think it’s easier,” Carol warned. “The nice thing is
it’s competency based, so you work at your own pace. But the hard part is you have to be self-motivated.”

Oh, she was definitely motivated. She jumped up from the table and hugged first Carol and then Richard. “This is the answer to my prayers.”

“Hold on one minute,” Richard said, taking her hand in his. “I want to make a deal with you first.”

He sounded like Hades. She cocked her head to the side and waited.

“We’ll let you enroll in an online school if, and only if, driver’s education is part of your curriculum. We need you to learn to drive, Therese. We can’t take you everywhere you need to go forever.”

Drive? But she could god travel now. Too bad she couldn’t explain that to them.

Therese glanced at Carol, who nodded. “Sounds fair to me. No more stalling, okay, sweetheart?”

Ever since her mother’s car had plunged into Huck Finn Pond last summer with her and her parents inside…ever since she had to watch them drown before her, trapped in the car underwater…the idea of being in control of her own vehicle frightened her beyond reason. She reminded herself that she had sneaked past Ladon, outwitted the Minotaur, and faced the Hydra. She was a god now, for heaven’s sake. But that didn’t matter. She could still kill others. She hadn’t been able to save her parents, and somewhere, deep down, she still felt responsible. She had killed her parents. She had killed Dumbo. She had killed Vicki. She could kill others from behind the wheel. Is that what she was afraid of?  She didn’t know, but she was definitely afraid.

Chapter Nine: Sweet Nothings

Than was waiting for Therese when she came upstairs after dinner.
He wished he could have joined her and her aunt and uncle, but although he was no longer a threat to Therese, he continued to be to mortals. He envied Pete’s ability to freely interact with Therese’s friends and family. He’d watched them in the months since he left last summer. What made matters worse was the fact that everyone liked Pete, including Than.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Therese as she plopped into the chair beneath her window without so much as a hug or kiss in his direction.

“Where do I start?” She folded her arms. “My aunt and uncle expect me to swim in the championship meet tomorrow, and I’m nowhere near ready. I haven’t been to practice in ages. I’ll probably let the whole team down.”

Unbelievable.
He lifted his palms up. “You’re forgetting something.”

“What?” She snapped.

“Wait for it.”

A light in her eyes turned on.
“Oh, yeah. I’m a god.”

“Feel better?”

“Guess there’s no doubt I’ll beat Lacey Holzmann this time.”

“Problem solved.”

“But they’re also making me learn to drive. I don’t need to drive. But they don’t know that. I can’t very well tell them I can travel from here to China in a snap.”

“What’s the big deal?”

She frowned, obviously fighting off tears.

“Therese?” He scooped her into his arms and carried her to her bed. “Talk to me.”

She stroked his hair, making him want to purr like a cat. “I don’t know exactly.”

“I have an idea.” He touched the tip of his nose to hers. “And it’s gonna be fun.”

“What?”

“First kiss me.”

Her lips tasted salty as he pressed his mouth to hers, her body warm against him. He missed the feel of mortal skin against mortal skin, but this was quite nice, too.

She ran her fingers through his hair, sending heat down his neck, his shoulders,
his back. He rolled on top of her, keeping his weight off, then remembering she was no longer fragile. He sank against her.

“Oh my,” she whispered, making him want her.

The phone rang. Therese looked at him. “I should get that. It’s Pete. If I don’t, Carol or Richard will just come up here.”

He nodded and rolled off her. Of course it was Pete.

With his keen sense of hearing, he followed their conversation, which was yet another of the cowboy’s attempt to get Therese out on a date. He didn’t call it a date, of course. A group was going to the movies tomorrow night to celebrate the end of their swimming season.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Therese said, to
Than’s surprise.

What?

She hung up the phone.

“You’re going?”

“Why not?”

“Because Pete’s in love with you.”

“So? I can’t help that. Talk to Cupid. Which reminds me. I can see the arrow sticking from his chest. Can I pull it out without hurting him?”

“That’s weird. I don’t see an arrow. You see an actual arrow?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t”

“No.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll find out. Meanwhile, why string him along by going with him to the movies?”

“Jealous?”

He wrapped a hand around her narrow waist and pulled her to him, side by side, face to face on the bed. “Damn right.”

She bit his lip.

He bit back and then gave her a deeper kiss.

“Mmm,” she moaned. “You have nothing to be jealous of. I just want to spend time with my friends before I leave them all, you know?”

He cupped her cheek.
“Yeah. I get it.”

“Besides, I haven’t told you the worst news of all.
The worst and the best.”

“I’m listening.”

“Carol’s pregnant.”

He sat up in the bed, confused. “How is that bad news? That’s wonderful news.” Then he added, “You don’t feel like you’re being replaced, do you?
Because that’s ridiculous.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, thank you.” She got up and sat in the chair across the room.

Great. They were right back where they started: on opposite sides of the room. “Then what?”

“It’s just, well…it’s going to be even harder now to say goodbye.”

He studied her sweet, worried face as a lump rose to his throat. So she was having second thoughts? After all they’d been through together? He didn’t know what to say. Finally, he asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that on top of everything else, I have no idea what my purpose should be. Didn’t you say it had to be unique? I can’t be the goddess of animals, because that’s Artemis. What about the goddess of friendship?”

“That’s Philotes.”

“Who?”

“She’s one of the primeval gods, before Zeus and the other Olympians. Even before the Titans.”

“There’s nothing left for me,
Than. How can I make this transformation stick if I never figure out my purpose?”

“You will.” He tried to hide how unsure he felt.

They sat together in the silence for a while, Clifford moving from the bed to Therese’s lap. She stroked Clifford, but Than could tell her mind was someplace else. He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Chapter Ten: Driving with Gods

Than took her hand and together they god traveled to an enormous building made of glass and filled with cars. Although the building was well-lit, both from the indoor lights and the outdoor floodlights in the predawn darkness, it was quiet and empty of people.

“Where are we?” Therese stood with
Than on the ground floor gazing up at yet another level, visible from the open staircase, displaying the sexiest cars she’d ever seen.

“Sant A’gata Bolognese, Italy.
The Lamborghini Museum.” Than took her hand and led her around the cars. “Aphrodite drives a green one just like that one over there.”

She followed his finger. “It’s beautiful.” She skipped ahead of him, pulling him along. “Look at this one. It’s like the Batmobile.
Rad, huh?”

“You prefer the Aventador to the Gallador?”

“I guess. Love the deep orange. How do you know so much about them?” They walked on, touring the gallery.

“I don’t, but recently Aphrodite got me thinking. I took a brief ride in hers.”

“Thinking about getting one of your own?”

“Our own.”

Therese liked the sound of that. “As long as you’re the one driving.”

He squeezed her hand.
“No, m’am. It’s time for you to learn.”

Just then, a flash of orange sprang from beneath the car nearest them.

“A cat,” Therese said. “A tabby.”

“It’s frightened. Can you hear her?”

Therese nodded. She lunged to her knees and held her hands. “Hey, kitty. We won’t hurt you.”

Therese could sense the cat beneath the car, could hear her purring a frightened message: “I’m lost. I’m scared. I don’t know where my boy is.”

“We’ll help you find your boy,” Therese said. “Come out and talk to us.”

The tabby poked her head from beneath a candy-apple red convertible. Tentatively, she padded a little closer to Therese, who sat back on her heels with her hands held out,
Than standing close behind her.

“What’s your boy’s name?” Therese asked.

“Luis. He brought me here this afternoon and left without me.”

“I bet he’s looking for you.” Than said. “The museum’s closed tonight, but I bet he’ll come back in the morning.”

“I’m hungry, and thirsty, and scared.”

Therese glanced up at
Than. “Maybe we can find Luis.”

Without warning, the tabby leapt into Therese’s arms and then rubbed her face against Therese. She stroked the cat. “What’s your name?”

“Belle.”

Therese stood with Belle in her lap. “I have an idea.” She turned to
Than. “Listen to your human prayers. I bet a boy is praying that Belle isn’t dead.”

Than stared into space, apparently sifting through the multitude of prayers.
At last he nodded. “You’re right. I hear him. I know where he is.”

Than took Therese’s hand, and together with Belle, they traveled to a dilapidated townhouse in the historic district barely illuminated by
one crooked streetlamp. Belle recognized the place and scampered from Therese’s arms.

The two gods watched on as Belle pawed at the front door, and the surprised, gleeful boy who opened the door swept her up.

“Belle! You’re back!”

A woman in a tattered nightgown stepped from the stoop and hollered, “I told you to get rid of that flea-infested parasite! What’s she doing back?”

“I don’t know,” the boy replied. “Please let her stay. I’ll keep her in a box outside.”

“So long as she doesn’t set foot in our house.”

The tabby glanced back at the two gods just before Than took Therese’s hand and led her back to the Lamborghini museum.

“Poor thing,” Therese said, not feeling all that confident that the cat would be well cared for. “Maybe we should have kept her.”

“The boy will make sure she’s fed.”

“Now that I’m a god, I can look in on her. I won’t let her starve.”

“Now, where were we?” Than asked.

She grinned. “So you’re going to teach me how to drive, huh?”

“He’s not.” Hermes appeared like a flash between them. “I am.”

Therese’s eyes widened. “Hermes? Where did you come from?”

“Than disintegrated and persuaded me to meet you here.”

Therese glanced at
Than. Really? “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?”
Hermes quipped. “I am, after all, the god of travelers.”

“I thought you were the messenger god.”

“I am. And also of language, persuasion, animal husbandry, astronomy, commerce, and theft, among other things.”

“Commerce
and
theft? Isn’t that a conflict of interest or something?”

“Or something.”
Hermes put his fists on his hips.

Therese tipped her head back. “So you’re to blame for the economy.”

“Humans have free will, remember?” Hermes raised one wiry eyebrow. “Now do you want to learn to drive or not?”

“In one of these?” she asked. “Are we stealing one, then?”

“Just borrowing.” Hermes winked. He turned and pointed to a long silver beauty. “That one. The Estoque. It’s a four-seater.”

Than opened the driver’s door and motioned for Therese to climb in. “Ladies first.”

“Um, that’s okay. You go ahead.”

“I insist.”

Biting her lower lip, she climbed behind the wheel, reminding herself that they were gods, they couldn’t be injured—at  least not mortally—and they weren’t on the road where others could be hurt. However, as soon as they were all comfortably seated and strapped inside, Hermes in the passenger’s seat and Than behind him in the back, the landscape changed.

The sun was rising in a blue sky across rolling fields lined with rows of wheat. Cows grazed on other fields to their left from where they sat in the middle of a country road on the top of a hill.

“Don’t just sit there,” Hermes said impatiently. “Start the engine.”

She felt for a key in the ignition, but there was none. “Uh…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Hermes rolled his eyes and the engine roared to life.