The Gatekeeper's House (14 page)

“
Unfortunate, indeed,”
Apollo said kindly.

Athena nodded with dismay.

“
She will likely try to
parley with Hecuba and Galin,” Cybele said. “But I do not know her
plans. Zeus did not speak in my presence of strategies beyond
kidnapping Therese. And once Zeus learns I’ve conspired with you
against him, whatever his plans were before will likely
change.”

At that moment, Therese
grasped her locket near her throat and reached out to
Melinoe.
Melinoe, wherever you are, I will
come to you if you spare my friend. You can have me if you set her
free.

The scratchy voice of the
Malevolent echoed in Therese’s head.
Swear
on the River Styx you will tell no one. Swear you’ll come
alone.

I swear.

***

As angry as Than felt over
the current threat to his father’s house, he was filled with joy.
He finally understood what was going on with Therese. She
hadn’t
pushed him away
because she had never loved him; she had done it because she had
feared losing him. He understood why she would doubt the longevity
of romantic love when faced with the many stories of the sexual
escapades of the gods, especially those of Zeus. Than was grateful
to Aphrodite, still his favorite aunt, for helping Therese to see
that not all gods were so frivolous with their hearts.

He looked across his father’s chamber
at Therese and noticed the subtle smile she had shared with him
moments ago turn into a frown. As Cybele and Hades predicted the
likely death of Jen, Therese’s face turned pale. Before Than could
send her a reassuring prayer that he would do everything in his
power to save the hostages, Therese vanished.

Everyone in the room noticed, and they
turned their eyes to Than.

“
She must have gone to find
Jen,” Than said.

“
But how?” Hip asked.
“Hecate and I searched everywhere.”

“
She’s made a deal,” Hades
said.

Than knew his father spoke the truth,
and his stomach formed a tight knot as helplessness and despair
washed over him. “My father’s right. She offered herself in
exchange for Jen’s freedom. That’s the kind of person she is.” Than
crossed his arms at his chest and stood from his chair. His pulse
quickened as he clenched his fists.

“
Can you make contact with
her?” Persephone asked.

“
She won’t reply,” Than
said, fighting the anger and despair. He wanted to punch something,
to destroy something. For centuries he’d lived and never had he
felt so much anger.
I’m losing it,
Father.

“
Try the Malevolent,” Hades
offered.

“
Nothing,” Than said. “Can
anyone get through to her? Mother?”

“
She won’t respond,”
Persephone said. “I’ve been telling her I didn’t know about Zeus.
I’ve told her how sorry I am. I even shared Cybele’s information
that Zeus never intended to give her the Underworld. But she won’t
answer me.” Persephone covered her face with her hands and
wept.

“
I wish you would not have
done so, Lady Persephone,” Cybele said. “Now Zeus will know I’ve
been talking to you.”

“
He would have suspected it
by now regardless,” Hades said. “Melinoe must have informed him by
now, and if not, he suspected it once I sent my people to get the
eye of the Cyclops.”

“
Zeus is no fool,” Apollo
agreed.

“
And now his suspicions
shall be confirmed when Melinoe questions him,” Cybele said. “I
would have bought you more time, but now I advise you to prepare
your house for battle.”

Than disintegrated and dispatched to
his chambers where he released his anger and frustrations in a loud
roar. Back in his father’s sitting room, everyone heard the wail
and looked at him with concern.

“
I’m okay,” he assured
them.

“
Whom can we trust?” Athena
rose to her feet. “If my own father is behind this, I no longer
know my friends from my enemies.”

“
Yes,” Hades agreed and also
stood. “And even though all but Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera said
before Apollo that they were not behind the first attack on my
house, that doesn’t mean their help hasn’t been solicited by our
enemies since.”

“
We need to tread
carefully,” Than acknowledged. “But we need to find out who is on
our side.”

“
How do we do that?” Alecto
asked. “Without making ourselves vulnerable to more
treachery?”

As the others discussed ways to
discover their true allies, Than continued to reach out to Therese,
to no avail. He had to find a way to save her from the clutches of
the Malevolent. He sent a prayer to Hip.

We’ve got to find
them
, Than prayed.
And I have an idea.

Chapter Eleven:
Lost

As soon as Therese appeared before the
Malevolent in the cave at the uppermost peak of the Himalayas, she
was immediately bound by a powerful spell that knocked her to the
icy ground. Although her arms and ankles were bound in leather, the
straps were reinforced by magic beyond Therese’s experience. She
did not have the strength to free herself.

She studied the ghosts that flanked
Melinoe. Sisyphus she’d seen before, but she’d never really looked
at Medusa. Although the physical head of Medusa would turn anyone
who looked upon it to stone, the soul itself had no such power, and
Therese couldn’t stop herself from staring at the dozen transparent
snakes hissing above the Gorgon’s striking face, like Tizzie’s
whenever she turned into the avenger of murder.

However frightening the soul of Medusa
appeared, it was nothing compared to the malformed face and body of
the Malevolent. If the monster weren’t as cruel as she was ugly,
Therese might feel sorry for her.

Jen huddled, shivering against the cave
wall between Cubie and Galin. A pathetic, scraggily fire cast
flames the size of dimes between Jen and the animals on one side of
the cave and Therese on the other. Between the mouth of the cave
and the fire stood Melinoe and her ghosts.

“
Send the mortal home,”
Therese demanded without saying anything to Jen. She didn’t want
Melinoe to know how much she loved her best friend, because then
the monster might use that love against Therese.

“
That wasn’t part of our
bargain,” the Malevolent sneered.

Therese glanced at the souls of
Sisyphus and Medusa chuckling beside their mistress, who obviously
had them under her control. Therese wondered how long it would take
for the two souls to realize their own captivity. Had Melinoe made
promises to them?

“
Me for the mortal. That was
the deal.”

“
I didn’t swear I’d send her
home,” Melinoe said cheerfully. “I swore I’d set her free.” She
turned to Sisyphus. “Cut the mortal loose.”

Sisyphus took a sharp rock from behind
him and cut the leather straps at Jen’s arms.

“
Aren’t you tired of dealing
with rocks?” Therese asked Sisyphus. “How is taking orders from
Melinoe any better?”

The ghost of Sisyphus paused, as if to
consider Therese’s question.

“
Enough!” Melinoe snapped.
“Cut the mortal loose.”

Sisyphus obeyed. Jen shivered and
staggered as she climbed to her feet.

Therese glared at the Malevolent.
“She’ll die out there!”

“
Exactly,” Melinoe said.
“And then I’ll draft her into my army.” The Malevolent laughed a
blood-curdling shriek that made Medusa and Sisyphus
howl.

Other howls came from the furthest
recesses of the cave, and Therese sensed some of the Malevolent’s
army of ghouls dwelled there.

Jen looked at Therese with fear and
unwittingly prayed, “What should I do?”

Jen wouldn’t hear Therese if she prayed
back, so she distracted Melinoe as long as possible, so Jen could
remain near the warmth of the fire in the center of the cave. “What
did humans ever do to you? Why do you torment them with your evil
spirits? It’s Zeus you should despise!”

“
Silence!” Melinoe
demanded.

“
Hades loved you as his
own!” Therese continued. “He would never harm you! Zeus was the one
afraid of getting caught by Hera. He was the one who turned you
into what you are in order to protect himself!”

“
I said silence!” Melinoe
shrieked.

“
Think about it, Melinoe!”
Therese insisted. “Why would Hades want to harm his own daughter?
You could have been an ally and a help to him in his kingdom. Zeus,
however, would have a motive for wanting to destroy you, to cover
up his infidelity. To keep it all from Hera!”

Melinoe stood over Therese, bent her
ugly face so that it was inches from Therese’s face, and hissed, “I
said silence!”

“
You can’t silence
me!”

“
Oh?” Melino levitated Galin
over the cliff edge. “I said I’d set the mortal free, but I can do
plenty of harm to Hecate’s familiars.”

Galin stared at Therese in terror.
Cubie struggled with the leather straps binding her, suddenly mad
with fear for her friend.

Therese clamped her quivering lips shut
and said nothing. Tears formed in her eyes. How could she be so
defenseless, so powerless to help?

Jen reached out with both hands toward
the weasel. “She’s going to fall! Please bring her back inside!”
She stepped dangerously close to the cliff edge.

“
Jen, no!” Therese cringed
in horror as Jen slipped on the icy ground down the mountain slope
and out of sight.

“
Jen!” Therese cried. “Oh my
god, no!”

Melinoe laughed as she returned Galin
on the icy ground beside Cubie. Therese lowered her head into her
hands and wept. She didn’t care what Melinoe thought of her.
Although Than would surely sense Jen’s death and discover Melinoe’s
lair, Therese didn’t care about rescue because her very best friend
was gone.

***

Hip met Than in the field of poppies
and clasped his brother’s shoulder. There was something weighing on
his mind. The war about to break between brothers had unsettled
him.

“
Than, listen to
me.”

“
I’m listening.”

“
I’m sorry I brought Jen
down here and put Therese in jeopardy,” Hip said solemnly. “Say you
forgive me.”

Than gave Hip a half smile. “You
couldn’t know this would happen. You owe me no apology.”

“
Say you forgive me
anyway.”

“
I forgive you.” Than gave
him a look of bewilderment.

“
Thank you.” Hip moved
closer to his brother. “I don’t ever want us to become like our
father and his brothers: one brother attacking another—I just don’t
get it.”

Than crossed his chest and covered
Hip’s hand with his own on his shoulder. “You have nothing to fear
from me.”

“
I tease you all the time,
bro. It’s my greatest pleasure in life.” Hip winked. “But before we
carry out your plan, I want you to know that, whatever happens,
you’ve always been the most important person in my
life.”

Hip had never seen his brother look so
surprised, except for the day Therese first came flying into Than’s
arms.

“
Is that really such a shock
to you, bro?” Hip asked with a laugh.

“
It’s not a shock that you
feel it,” Than said. “Just that you’d say it. I think your time
with the mortal has changed you.”

Hip shrugged, and awkwardly stepped
away, but what his brother said was true. There was something about
this girl that made him long for a relationship outside of the
world of dreams. He refused to think about that, though. Besides,
maybe he was just riled and not thinking clearly. “Ready to get
this show on the road?”

“
Is she asleep then?” Than
asked.

“
Yeah, I sense it. I wish I
could tell you where, but I can’t, and I don’t know how long we
have.”

Than laid down in the poppies and went
to sleep. Soon, he entered the Dreamworld, where Hip led him
through a series of strange dreams full of psychedelic colors,
street fights, an enormous snake, and talking trees, until they
came upon the one they were seeking. Jen hung from a tree branch in
the middle of an empty meadow.

“
The branch is about to
break,” she said as Hip and Than approached. “Will you catch
me?”

Hip flew to her and gathered her up
with one arm beneath her shoulders and another beneath her knees.
It felt good to be close to her again, even in the world of
dreams.

“
How’s this?”

She gave him a smile. “Good.” Then she
looked up into the tree. “But I think there are three others stuck
up there. Can you save them, too?”

Hip carried Jen down to where fallen
leaves had turned brown and had covered the ground. A wind blew the
leaves, and the branches of the one tree in the middle of Jen’s
meadow swayed.