The Gatekeeper's House (4 page)

“
Are you saying you can?”
Jen asked, afraid of the answer.

Pete looked at her with his mouth open,
as though he might answer, but then he turned back to the
television and said nothing.

Jen wondered if the disappearance of
the new horse handler earlier that day had had anything to do with
the chaos around the world.

A few moments later, Pete startled Jen
by jumping to his feet and saying, “Oh, no.”

“
What is it?” Jen asked,
still not sure if Pete was running on a full battery
today.

Pete turned to her and said, “We need
to get a hold of Therese.”

“
What? Why? I don’t have her
new number and she doesn’t answer her cell.”

Pete grabbed his hat and went to the
door and pulled on his boots. “Hip’s gotta know where she is. I’m
driving over to the Melner Cabin to talk to him. Coming with
me?”

***

Hypnos appeared beside Athena among the
rubble and debris that had once been his father’s kingdom. Apollo,
with his quiver full of silver arrows, and Hermes with his winged
shoes, stood on the other side of him, forming part of a ring
surrounding Hades and Persephone, who looked upon the destruction
around them with utter shock. All of the gods and goddesses were
there, save Zeus and Poseidon, whose own domains required their
constant attention, and Hera, who had made some meager excuse that
Zeus must have been obliged to accept because of some or another
scandal. Despite the conflicts among the gods, all of them seemed
to share in the grief felt by those who dwelled in the Underworld.
Tears slid down Aphrodite’s face, and Artemis raised her bow in
sheer outrage.

“
I know you all suspect me,”
Ares said, “but I swear before Apollo, before whom no one can lie,
that I was not involved in this catastrophe. I’ve always strived to
maintain balance between all forces, to level the playing fields
for all parties, and to encourage healthy conflict. What has
happened today strikes no such balance.”

Hip had to admit he was surprised and
impressed by the words spoken by the god of war, but if Ares hadn’t
been responsible, who had?

Hades raised his voice. “Everyone swear
before Apollo and on the River Styx that you played no role in
bringing destruction to my kingdom.”

Hip swore and looked around at the
others gathered as every single one of them echoed his
response.

“
We will get to the bottom
of this,” Artemis growled.

Athena lifted her spear in the air, as
though she were about to second Artemis, but before she could utter
a word, something zipped like a bullet directly at her, knocking
her onto the rubble beneath their feet. The other gods surrounded
her in a split second, ready to aid.

Hip found himself at the back of the
crowd, trying to move in, when he heard Hermes shout, “Close your
eyes!”

Hip clamped his eyes shut
but prayed to Hermes.
What’s
happening?

Aloud, Hermes said, “It’s Medusa. She’s
claimed her head from Athena’s shield. Athena has turned to
stone.”

“
Athena?” Hip
cried.

I’m trapped!
Came Athena’s silent response.

As am I.
Hestia and Persephone’s prayers joined Athena’s in Hip’s
head.

Hip could hear the hissing
of Medusa’s head of snakes close by as he felt along the backs of
the other gods toward Hermes.
Mother?

Help me, Hypnos.

“
I pierced the Gorgon with
my arrows,” Apollo said. “But she will not die.”

Medusa laughed a shrill and rueful
shriek. “Sticks and stones might break my bones, but they will
never kill me!”

“
My arrow struck between the
monster’s eyes and hangs there, impotent,” Artemis said. “I see the
reflection in my shield.”

“
My sword is useless against
her as well,” came Ares.

“
None
can die,” Than said. “Not until the power that binds the souls
to me and to the Underworld is restored.”

This reminded Hip of another time in
his ancient history when Sisyphus took Than prisoner, back before
Hades had given them the ability to transfer one another’s duties.
No one could die then, either.

“
I will destroy whoever is
responsible for this!” Hades roared.

The ground beneath them shuddered, and
something knocked Hip to the ground.

“
You can open your eyes,”
Hephaestus said. “I’ve encased Medusa in a locker of solid
gold.”

Hip surveyed the scene. Athena had
turned to white stone, with her spear raised and her mouth wide
open, her knees bent. He could hear her prayers from inside the
stone.

Beside her were Hestia and Persephone,
also solid stone and crouched in defensive postures, eyes wide. Hip
rushed to his mother’s side where Than already stood, touching her
shoulder.

Hades roared like a lion and raised his
fists in the air. Then he moved to Persephone’s side and cupped her
smooth stone face in his hands. “I will fix this, my love. You
won’t remain in this state for long. I promise.”

Hip could see the look on his father’s
face, and he hoped his mother and Hestia and Athena could not. For
once, fear and vulnerability clouded Hades’s usually confident
exterior, which allowed Hip’s own fear to magnify. He turned to see
Deimos and Phobos, Panic and Fear, standing behind him beside their
mother, Aphrodite.

“
Please leave us,” Aphrodite
told her sons. “Your presence cannot help us.”

The twins vanished.

Although their disappearance improved
Hip’s mood, another crisis thundered inside his head. Amid the
prayers he heard for a good night’s rest and sweet dreams were the
shouts of two familiar mortal voices. Jen and her older brother
were calling to him. He could see them above, pounding on the doors
and windows of the log cabin near their ranch in
Colorado.

Chapter Three:
Restoration

Despite Lynn’s unceasing cries, Therese
remained with her parents, hoping for even the briefest moment of
recognition. If they had found their way back to their house,
surely they might also find their way back to their
family.

“
Your name is Gerald Mills,”
Therese said again. “And you are Linda. I’m your daughter, Therese.
We lived here in this house. Dad, you were a writer. Mom, you were
a scientist and worked at Fort Lewis College. That’s your sister,
Carol, over there.”

“
Oh,” Linda said. “I
remember Carol.”

“
You do?” Therese jumped up
from the barstool. “You grew up in San Antonio.”

“
That’s right,” Linda said.
“Gerry and I met in college.”

“
We did?” Gerry looked at
her mother blankly.

“
Therese?” Linda said, her
face stretching into bewilderment. “I think it’s finally coming
back to me.”

“
You mean you can remember
me?” Therese asked, trying not to get her hopes up.

Linda turned first to Gerry and then
back to Therese. “I was shot. We drowned. Therese, are we, aren’t
we…”

“
Mom!” Therese flung her
ethereal arms around her mother’s transparent neck, and although
she could not feel her, Therese was overcome with joy. “Oh, Mom!
I’ve missed you so much!”

“
I want to remember, too,”
Gerry said. “You said I was a writer. What did I write?”

“
Crime fiction,” Therese
replied. “
The Catcher’s
Mitt
,
The Silent
Key
…” Therese named off a few of her
father’s novels.

Her father shook his head. “Why can’t I
remember?”

Therese racked her brain for an answer.
Why could her mother remember and her father not? Then an idea hit
her, and she said, “Mom’s memory was sparked by Carol. Maybe you
need something from your childhood.”

“
Did I have any brothers and
sisters?” he asked.

“
No, but I have picture of
you and your parents up in my room. Will you follow me
upstairs?”

The house was still crowded with the
ghosts of many strangers wandering around, as though they were lost
or looking for something to help them figure out who they were and
what was happening to them. Carol sat among them in a rocking chair
trying to soothe Lynn, who wailed in her mother’s arms, apparently
not interested in the bottle of warm milk Carol was trying to coax
her into drinking.

“
Hush little baby, don’t say
a word,” Carol sang.

Therese led her parents up the stairs
to her bedroom, passing by other souls on the way. Therese avoided
making eye contact with any of them, hoping they wouldn’t ask her
questions, since she had no answers. Once she and her parents were
in her room, she maneuvered through the crowd of souls gathered
there and found the photo album tucked beneath her old bed. She
drew it out and opened it, flipping through the pages until she
found the one she was searching for.

“
Here you are.” She held the
album out to her father and pointed to him pictured as a boy
standing between his parents in front of an old barn.

“
I remember!” he said. “I
remember my parents. I know that barn.” He turned and looked first
at his wife and then at his daughter. “Linda? Therese?”

“
Dad!” Therese threw her
arms around her father, and though they could not feel one
another’s embrace, they nevertheless cried tearless sobs. “I can’t
believe I’m getting this chance to talk with you two again! I
didn’t think it would ever be possible.” She put one arm around
each of them, not minding that she felt no warmth, no comforting
flesh. “I missed you both so much.” Then a thought crossed her
mind. “You aren’t figments, are you?”

“
What’s a figment?” her
mother asked.

“
They’re eel-like nymphs
that take the forms of people and things in your dreams. Figments,
I command you to show yourselves!”

The souls of her mother and father
stared blankly back at her, and she sighed with relief.

***

Than watched on with a mixture of
admiration and grief as his father lifted his arms and commanded
the debris to retake its original form. The magnificence of the
power Hades could wield was breathtaking and awe-inspiring, but
Hades would need at least one day to recover from the excessive use
of power. This would make the Underworld even that much more
vulnerable to another attack.

At Hades’s command, the rocks lifted
from the ground, causing a rumbling sound to reverberate all around
them. One moment, the gods were standing in the soft haze of dusk
beneath a cloudless sky on a giant mountain of rubble, and the next
moment, they were standing in the beautifully restored
jewel-encrusted palace that belonged to Than’s parents.

Than’s sisters, the Furies, arrived
minutes later in response to their father’s summons. Hecate and her
two familiars were with them.

Alecto, whose short red hair stood up
like flames around her head, spoke first. “We kept all the
prisoners of Tartarus secure save Medusa and one other.”

Hades, weakened, sat in his chair and
frowned. “Who?”

“
King Sisyphus,” Meg replied
anxiously, averting her ice blue eyes. “I and my falcon chased
after him for miles, but we’ve been unable to locate him. I’ve
failed you, father.”

Hades’s face transformed into a smile
as he put his hands on Meg’s shoulders. “On the contrary. You
ladies saved the day. Had anyone other than old Sisyphus escaped,
we would have had another epic battle on our hands.”

“
We may still, Lord Hades,”
Apollo said.

Hades turned to face the other gods
gathered around him. “Right you are, nephew, but allow me a moment
to express my relief and gratitude to my hardworking daughters and
to dear Hecate, who haven’t yet heard the worst of it.”

“
Of course,” Apollo said.
“My apologies.”

“
Tell us father,” Tizzie
pleaded. “What’s happened?”

“
Mother!” Meg cried. “Look!”
She pointed to the statue of Persephone crouched in stone beside
Hestia and Athena.

“
She’s trapped in there!”
Alecto moved to their mother’s side. “I can hear her.”

“
Oh, Athena!” Meg gasped.
“And dear Hestia!”

Hades explained what had happened and
then instructed the Furies to assist Artemis and Apollo in
discovering the culprit while Hephaestus and Hermes remained behind
to help guard the Underworld from any future attacks. The latter
would also check all of the entrances and make certain Cerberus,
the Hydra, and the other beasts guarding them were properly
restored.

“
What about Ares and me?”
Aphrodite asked, looking hurt. “Zeus commanded us to aid you as
well.”

“
Believe me, dear niece, the
restoration of my kingdom will require all of our efforts,” Hades
replied. “I need you and Ares to help my sons recover the billions
of souls, which escaped the Elysian Fields, and bring them before
the judges to be sentenced once again. You should also be on the
lookout for Sisyphus. Who knows what mischief he will
cause?”