The Gatekeeper's House (9 page)

Therese didn’t know what to
say.

“
Do you deny it?” Aphrodite
asked.

Therese shook her head. “But I don’t
want Than to marry me and then, centuries later, fall in love with
another, like what’s happened with you and Ares. Eternity is too
long for romantic love, I guess.”

“
But, Therese…”

“
No, listen, I’ve asked
around. I’ve done research. Every single god who has married has at
one time or another cheated on his wife. Even
your
husband, who seems the most
loving and faithful of all, has had children with another
woman.”

Aphrodite glanced around and then said,
“Lower your voice.”

Therese took a deep breath. “I’m so
sorry.”

“
You’ve got it all wrong
about Hephaestus and me,” Aphrodite said.

“
What do you
mean?”

“
I never loved him. It was
always Ares. See, when Hephaestus was born, Hera thought she’d been
tricked and that a monster had been switched with her child,
because she’d never before seen a malformed god. She threw her baby
from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus was rescued and raised by Thetis and
Eurynome in a cave on a riverbank. When he grew older, he wanted to
get back at his mother for never trying to find him once she
learned the truth. He sent her a golden throne.”

“
I’ve heard this,” Therese
interrupted. “Hera was trapped on the throne, and Zeus offered you
as the bride to whoever could free her.”

“
Exactly. We all expected it
to be Ares. Even Zeus was certain his strong and brilliant son
would be our savior, though I’ve had my doubts about Zeus’s
motives.”

“
You once told Than that
Zeus married you off to Hephaestus to make you unhappy, so it would
diminish your beauty.”

“
Yes. That’s my theory,”
Aphrodite said. “But at the time, I was sure Ares would be the one
to save Hera. He was the only one I thought would come forward.
Everyone else was glad for Hera to be stuck on the
throne.”

Therese and Aphrodite shared a laugh at
Hera’s expense.

Aphrodite continued, “But Dionysus gave
Hephaestus the idea to come himself, so Hephaestus could claim me,
and because Zeus had sworn on the River Styx, I was
stuck.”

Therese’s eyes widened at this
revelation. “So you never loved Hephaestus?”

“
No. And he never truly
loved me. He didn’t really know me,” Aphrodite explained. “He’s
been kind to me all these years, and I have grown to care for him,
but the passion you feel for Than is like that which I have always
felt for Ares.”

“
But Zeus, Poseidon, and
Hades—they’ve all cheated on their wives.”

“
They’re the most powerful
gods among us, and their temptations are also greater. I’m not
excusing their behavior, mind you. But Than won’t be subjected to
the same level of temptation as the lords of the sky, sea, and
earth.”

“
But…”

“
I want to tell you one more
thing, Therese,” Aphrodite said, “and not many know
this.”

“
I’m listening.”

“
You must swear on the River
Styx to tell no one.”

“
I swear.”

“
Hephaestus and I were
granted a secret divorce by Zeus years ago.”

“
What?” Could Aphrodite be
telling the truth? Therese wondered how she had never heard of
this.

“
It was after our divorce
that he had affairs with two nymphs and then eventually married
Algaia, the oldest of my Graces and the mother of all his divine
children—well, except for one, but that’s a long story.”

“
I…”

“
So you see, he never
cheated on anyone. Hephaestus is one god who has always been
faithful.”

Therese looked up at Aphrodite with
surprise. She’d been convinced fidelity was impossible among the
immortals, but here was Aphrodite throwing her a bone.
“Seriously?”

“
Yes.”

***

Than stood outside Hecate’s rooms but
could not feel Therese’s presence on the other side of the wooden
door. She was still out. By his calculations, she’d been gone from
the Underworld for at least a week without a break. Before he could
god travel back to his chambers, the wooden door opened, and Hecate
greeted him on the other side of the threshold.

“
Looking for Therese?” she
asked.

He nodded.

“
Haven’t seen her in days,
but she prayed to me this morning that she’d be coming home to rest
this afternoon. I think she needs some sleep.”

“
Please don’t mention I
stopped by,” Than said through his dry throat.

“
Are you sure?”

He nodded, thanked her, and was about
to move on when Therese appeared beside them.

“
Than?”

“
Oh, hello, Therese.” He was
suddenly not sure where to put his hands. He swallowed hard. “How
are you?”

She glanced at Hecate and gave her a
smile. “I’ll come visit with you and the girls in a bit, okay? I’m
going to go talk to Than right now.”

Hecate disappeared behind the wooden
door, leaving Than and Therese alone in the corridor.

“
You are?” he
asked.

“
If that’s okay.” She smiled
up at him.

They went to his rooms and stood before
the blazing fire in the hearth.

“
Listen,” he said when she
took a step toward him. “You don’t’ have to do this.”

She gave him a look of confusion, but
continued toward him until her arms were wrapped around his neck.
“Do what?”

He felt every atom of his body awaken
as his arms wrapped around her waist of their own accord. He’d
longed for this for months. But he didn’t want payback. He wanted
her to love him. “You don’t have to…show your
gratitude.”

He felt her stiffen as she dropped her
arms and searched his face. “Gratitude?”

His throat tightened. Her lips were so
close to his. He wanted to shut up and kiss her. “For finding a way
to save your parents. Isn’t that what this is about?”

She backed away, and something inside
him died.

“
I thought you knew me
better than that.”

“
Therese,” he held out his
hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

She vanished.

Before he could follow her, a knock
came at his door. He sensed Meg on the other side.

“
Enter.”

Meg’s face looked paler than usual in
stark contrast to the black falcon perched on her
shoulder.

“
Something’s gone wrong on
Mount Olympus,” she said.

He waited for her to
explain.

“
Melinoe the Malevolent has
escaped.”

***

Hip appeared in Jen’s bedroom as Jen
slept in the early morning dawn. She looked lovely with her blonde
hair fanned across her pillow and her long lashes resting on her
soft white cheeks. Her lips were slightly open. He leaned close to
her face and breathed in her earthly scent. He wished the senses in
the Dreamworld were as potent as they were here. He brushed his
lips gently on her forehead before plucking her pink scarf from the
hook behind her door and vanishing from the room.

A few hours later, when he entered the
barn, all but Pete were there brushing the horses.

“
Nice scarf,” Bobby
teased.

“
Thanks,” Hip said with a
wink.

Jen turned from her mare and gawked at
him.

“
Mornin’, Hip,” Mrs. Holt
said from across the barn.

“
Good morning, m’am.” He
took a step toward Jen. “Good morning, Jen.”

Jen backed up against her mare, still
gawking. Then she clutched her head with both hands.

Hip frowned. Maybe she wasn’t ready for
this. “Are you okay?”

“
I, I…”

“
What’s wrong, Jen? You
seeing ghosts now, too?” Bobby teased.

Mrs. Holt came up alongside her
daughter. “Jen? Are you having one of your attacks?”

“
I can’t breathe,” Jen said.
“I need air.”

Jen stumbled from the barn, through the
gate of the pen, and up the steps to the wooden deck of the
house.

Hip and Mrs. Holt followed. Pete came
out of the house and asked what was wrong.

“
She’s having one of her
panic attacks.” Mrs. Holt helped Jen onto a chair. “Go get me a wet
rag.”

Pete disappeared behind the front door
and returned moments later with a wet towel, which Mrs. Holt
pressed against her daughter’s forehead.

“
Take deep breaths, baby.”
Mrs. Holt crouched beside her daughter’s chair. “Let them out
slowly, like the doctor said.”

Hip felt like dirt, and he
prayed to his old girlfriend, Pasithea, for help.
I need you, Pasithea.

The goddess of relaxation appeared
beside him as a bright orb, which he hid from the eyes of the
mortals with a blanket of invisibility.

The effect Pasithea had on the mortals
was immediate. Jen’s breaths slowed down, her hands stopped
trembling, and she looked up at him with sleepy eyes. Mrs. Holt
dropped into the chair beside Jen with a heavy sigh.

“
Thanks, Mom,” Jen said.
“That cold rag helped.”

“
Why don’t we take the day
off today?” Mrs. Holt said lazily. “I expect one day won’t hurt
none. If you’re okay, Jen, I think I’ll go lie down.”

“
I’m okay now,” Jen
murmured.

“
I’ll go tell Bobby,” Pete
said. “We’ll feed them and then turn them out.” Pete climbed down
the wooden steps and went inside the barn.

Pasithea narrowed her eyes at Hip. He
silently thanked her and promised he owed her one. As awkward as it
felt asking for her help, he was relieved to see Jen calm. Pasithea
cast jealous eyes on Jen and disappeared in a dust devil. The
mortals noticed, but did not react.

“
You okay?” Hip asked
Jen.

“
Where did you get my
scarf?” she asked, sitting up in her chair.

“
I told you last night I’d
wear it as a sign,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t panic
again.

He took the scarf from around his neck,
knelt on the deck beside her, and then wrapped the scarf around
her. “It looks better on you.”

“
Who are you?” she asked,
trembling again.

“
The boy from your dreams,”
he whispered.

“
Wait,” she gasped. “Did you
say the boy
of
my
dreams?”

“
The boy
from
your dreams,” he said again. “But
I’d like to be both.”

“
How is this possible?” she
whispered. “Am I dreaming now?”

“
Come on.” He stood and held
out his hand. “I want to show you something.”

***

Jen’s knees weakened beneath her as she
took the steps down from the house and followed the boy across the
gravel drive and into the road.

“
Where are we going?” she
asked, still not sure whether she was awake or asleep.

“
Just walk with me
awhile.”

With her hand in his, he led her across
the road and through the tall grass toward the lake. The sun
climbed from behind her house toward the sky and shone brightly on
their backs, but Jen was shivering, her teeth chattering, though
she wasn’t cold.

“
You remember how I told
Pete I could see ghosts, too?” he asked.

She tried to nod. She may or may not
have succeeded.

“
The reason I can see them
is because I’m a god—the god of sleep, to be precise.”

Jen stopped in her tracks, like a
chipmunk in the road. “Don’t joke with me. I don’t feel
well.”

“
I’m serious.” He squared
himself to her. The sun reflected in his bright blue eyes and dark
blond hair. “Don’t you remember me from your dreams?”

“
So I’ve had a few dreams
about you,” she stammered. “That doesn’t prove
anything.”

He lifted her chin and studied her
face, sending shocks through her whole body. “I hate to say it, but
maybe this was a mistake.”

She arched a brow. “What?”

“
You can’t handle the
truth.” He dropped his hand and stepped away, gazing out at the
lake.

Jen didn’t like being told she couldn’t
handle something. She might have panic attacks now and then, and it
was true that snakes and spiders gave her the willies, but she was
a strong person and she could handle just about
anything.

“
Why should I believe you’re
a god?” she demanded.

“
Because it’s true. Humans,
plants, and animals aren’t the only living beings in existence. Why
is that so hard for mortals to grasp?”

“
If you told me you were an
alien, like a Martian or something, it would be easier to believe,”
Jen snapped.