The Oracle of Delphi (Greek Myth Fantasy Series) (11 page)

“With this, I will be able to kill three Gorgons at once,” he exclaimed, liking the feel of power.

“Medusa is the only mortal one of the three,” Zeus reminded him. “Do not even try to kill the others or you will fail.”

“Thank you, Zeus. I will use this weapon wisely.”

“Perseus?” Andromeda’s voice came from behind him. He turned to see her eyeing him strangely as she approached. “Who are you talking to?”

“Zeus, King of the Gods,” he proudly told her. “My father.”

“Where?” she asked, one eyebrow raised in doubt.

“Right here.” He pointed at the giant oak, but when he turned back, the vision of his father had already disappeared. Disappointment surged through him. He had finally met his father, and now was left alone without even a farewell.

“No matter,” he said, replacing his sword in his scabbard. “I have the sword of a god and a helmet of invisibility.” He picked up the helmet, placing it carefully upon his head. He felt a slight tingling sensation but could still see his body.

“Hmmm. I do not understand,” he said.

“Perseus? Where are you?” Andromeda looked around frantically, her eyes sweeping right over him in the process.

He smiled to himself knowing the helmet worked. He quietly walked up behind her, blowing into her ear. She jerked and looked around, but still she didn’t see him.

“Perseus?” she asked again. “Are you there?” She bent over, looking behind a large rock. Not able to resist the opportunity, he pinched her on her bottom end.

“Oh!” she screamed, jumping upright and holding both hands behind her. Perseus couldn’t help but laugh at her gesture.

“Is that you, Perseus?” she asked, squinting in his direction.

“It is,” he agreed, still chuckling. “I think this helmet will prove very entertaining.”

Her mouth pursed in determination, her fingers closed into a fist.

“Andromeda? What are you doing?”

“This is a form of my own entertainment.” Her arm pulled back, then swung forward, her fist cracking him directly on the jaw. He turned, but not quick enough. The helmet fell off and rolled away from him.

“You pack one hell of a punch, Princess,” he said in surprise, rubbing his jaw. “Are you sure you could not see me?”

“Try that little stunt again and you will find out.” She stormed away, leaving him staring after her.

“She is a feisty one,” he said aloud, grabbing the helmet and hurrying after her, wondering what other mischief she was capable of doing.

“How do we know we are going in the right direction?” Andromeda asked, not at all confident in Perseus. She sat astride her horse at Perseus’s request, as he said they would be able to ride faster that way and save time. With her legs spread wide, she could not help but feel like a loose woman. She had not missed Perseus’s eyes on her bare legs, and though it pleased her that she held such power over him, she did not like tempting him like this when she had no intention of coupling with him again.

“I don’t,” he said, slowing his horse to a trot next to her so they could talk. “But Zeus said the women could be found in a cave in a land where the sun does not shine. There is a dark point on the mountains up ahead, so we will try that. He also said something about where the Cimmerians live. Do you happen to know where that is?”

“No,” she replied tartly. Though it was true, she would not have told him even if she knew the way. She longed to stop and rest. His rapid pace of travel, especially with her sitting astride the horse, made her body ache. “Can we please stop now?” she asked him.

“Not if we want to make it to the cave by nightfall.” He showed no sign of granting her request.

“Well, I have to use a bush. Now either we stop or I explode right atop this horse.”

She saw the disgruntled look in his eye and could not help but hear him mumbling an obscenity under his breath.

“Of course, Princess. There’s a bush just up ahead that looks perfect.” He dismounted and guided his horse over to it. “Make it fast.”

He reached out, placing his hands around her waist, helping her from the horse. Her body pressed up against his in the process as he lowered her to the ground. They stood face to face, and her eyes searched up for his. She longed to see a bit of passion there, but all she saw was lust.

“Turn away,” she commanded, slipping behind the bush.

When she had finished and emerged, she saw Perseus crouched down in front of a small fire. He added kindling to the flames and they grew before them.

“I thought you were in a hurry.”

“I am,” he said. “But you looked weary. I’m not sure you’re fully recovered from your dealing with the oracle yet. I’m going to catch a rabbit for our supper while you sit down and rest.”

All right, she thought. So mayhap he did have a kind bone in his body. Her stomach grumbled and the thought of a warm meal to fill her belly was comforting. They hadn’t eaten all day, and she longed to replenish her strength.

“Yrjo sent some bread and cheese for our journey as well as some fresh figs. I will ready them while I wait for you to return.”

By the time she had laid the blanket on the ground and spread out the food, Perseus had returned with a rabbit.

“How did you catch him so quickly?” she asked, noticing it was one of the largest rabbits she had ever seen.

“It is this sword,” he replied, holding it up in one hand. “’Tis truly a wonder I existed without it.”

“Well, skin the thing, and I’ll make a spit.” She hurried to work and before long they feasted, sitting upon the blanket like husband and wife on a picnic.

“I apologize for my actions back in Dodona.” He licked the juices from his fingers as he spoke.

“Which actions would those be? The pinch or tricking me into coupling with you?” She poured herself another cup of wine and handed him the flask.

“Both,” he replied, throwing the bones to the ground as he wiped his hands in the grass and took the wine flask from her.

“Apology accepted,” she said, sipping her wine.

They sat in silence eating the bread and cheese, gazing at the fire. Finally, he got to his feet, pacing back and forth.

“You cannot blame a man for wanting to couple with his wife on the night of their wedding.”

This was the first time he had called her his wife, and she couldn’t help but like the way it sounded.

“No, I guess I can’t,” she said stiffly.

“And you seemed to want it, not to mention enjoy it.”

“Perhaps,” she said. “But that still does not make it acceptable. You deceived me. No marriage will ever be strong if one partner cannot trust the other.”

He bent down and lifted her chin in his hand, placing a kiss on her mouth. Her eyes closed, and she vibrated from his touch. She wanted more but when she opened her eyes he’d already left her, packing the supplies into his saddlebag.

“Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about trust, do we?” he asked. “After all, we both agreed to forget this marriage ever happened as soon as I kill the Gorgon.”

Perseus waited for her answer. He turned away from her and the saddlebag. She had been angry with him ever since they had coupled, and though he rather liked the fact she was now his wife, he did not think she felt the same. His words offered her the opportunity to back out before either of them felt committed. His heart raced wildly, hoping she would tell him she wanted to stay married to him after all.

“Yes,” she finally answered. “We will forget about being married just as soon as you keep your end of the bargain and slay the sea serpent.”

So, that is how she felt. The marriage was not important to her after all. And they were back to him slaying the sea serpent - something he obviously would not have time to do now that Zeus thought to send him on this little scavenger hunt.

“I told you, I do not have time for slaying sea serpents. Or at least not until after I have brought Medusa’s head back to Seriphus.”

“But that may take months. The journey to the island and back is a long one. My people could all be dead by then. As it is, I have no idea how long they will be able to exist against the sea serpent while waiting for me to return.”

“I have already wasted enough precious time in Dodona, and now I am going to waste more time looking for gray women with no clue as to where to find them. I am sorry, Andromeda, but you will have to wait until I have the chance.”

She threw her remaining wine into the fire, shaking the extra drops from the cup to the ground, glaring at him.

“Well, I am sorry our marriage wasted so much of your time,” she sniffed, standing and brushing the crumbs from her clothes. “Mayhap we should have just rutted on the ground like animals right there at the foot of the dais rather than to waste an entire night with this silly act of consummating the wedding.”

Surprised at her answer, he turned to watch her packing furiously and kicking dirt on the fire. He had not meant to suggest their intimate time together was time wasted. He had only meant the whole ordeal with Yrjo refusing to give him an answer was something he had not counted on.

“Hello!” called a voice from the road. Perseus pulled the straps on the saddlebags securely and headed toward the voice. His hand on his sword, he watched as an old man hobbled toward him with a heavy load on his back.

“Old traveler,” Perseus called, “do come rest your tired feet.”

“How kind of you,” the man said, almost falling beneath the heavy weight of his pack before sitting on a log.

“Are you hungry?” Andromeda offered him a chunk of cheese.

“Oh, no,” he answered. “Just in need of a place to sit and rest my weary bones.”

“I am Perseus, and this is . . . Andromeda.” Perseus wanted to introduce her as his wife but decided against it. If they were going to call their marriage a farce, then he had no need of telling anyone they were married in the first place.

The man didn’t offer his name, but instead surveyed their camp. “It looks like you are on a journey,” he said. “Where are you off to?”

Perseus watched Andromeda cross her arms over her chest, ignoring the question. Her feelings of their little journey clear, he answered the old man’s question.

“We seek the Graiae. Have you heard of them or know where to find them?”

“Ah, I’ve heard of them. But to find them will be very difficult indeed. Only the gods know of their secret lair.”

“We’d best be on our way then.”

He motioned for Andromeda to mount her horse. The old man stood, trying desperately to get his own heavy pack on his back. With little success, he looked to Perseus.

“Will you help me, young man? This pack is very heavy.”

“You need a horse, old man. Why don’t you have one?”

Perseus lifted the pack and settled it on the old man’s shoulders.

“I cannot afford one,” he said. “But I sure could use one. It looks to me like you have two nice ones right here.”

“That we do,” he said. “Unfortunately, we need them both.”

“Perseus, mayhap we should give the man one of our horses,” called Andromeda.

“It will slow us down,” he answered. “And riding double would tire the horse too much. We would have to stop too often.”

“Well, we would not want that to happen, would we?”

The tone in Andromeda’s voice wasn’t half as bitter as the look in her eyes. Perseus liked his horse, and he did not dare tell the old man to take Andromeda’s for fear she would never stop complaining. He knew in his heart he needed to help the man, but to do so would endanger his mission.

He thought of his mother back home under the blade of Polydectes. Though she’d warned him not to search for Medusa, he knew he had to do it. No one on Seriphus had either the courage nor the strength to stand up to Polydectes. The hope of the entire island rested on him now, not only for his mother’s sake but for the sake of the villagers. Once he left Seriphus with his mother, mayhap the others would have the courage to do the same. And if they did, King Polydectes would no longer hold the power of fear over the people. Without anyone to rule, he would no longer be the ruler.

Although Perseus’s journey was very important, he couldn’t leave the man struggling on his own.

“Take my horse, old man.” Perseus grabbed the reins and handed it to him, sorry to see the good animal go. He retrieved the helmet of invisibility from its rope on the saddle and pointed at the saddlebag. “You can have everything in there as well as the horse. It’s not much, but it will give you a few days’ supplies.”

“Perseus!” Andromeda sat up straight in the saddle. “Do you know what you are doing?”

He knew that he had helped someone in need. His own mission thus far had relied on the help of strangers, so who was he to deny this old man the help he needed?

The man shot upright as if the bag on his back weighed nothing, though Perseus had felt its weight and knew it was not true.

“Congratulations, Perseus.”

Perseus gave a puzzled look to the old man, but before he could ask what the man meant, a flash of yellow surrounded the traveler and he shifted into the form of a god. He heard Andromeda gasp from behind, and he, himself, stood speechless. The young man standing before him looked to be no older than six and ten years of age. The fine yellow down upon his chin and cheeks marked him as little more than an adolescent. His blond hair curled upwards in short waves upon his head with a loose strand falling over one eyebrow.

“I am Hermes, messenger of the gods,” he announced. “You have passed your test of humanity, Perseus. Because of your selflessness, you have earned the right for me to guide you to the Graiae.”

“Thank you,” replied Perseus.

Suddenly Zeus’s words came back to him. This must be what he meant. Since he had acted out of compassion for another human being his reward would be guidance to the Graiae’s dwellings. They had unknowingly made up for lost time, and hopefully would get the task completed within the deadline.

“Were you sent by Zeus?” Andromeda asked from atop her horse.

“I was,” he answered her, and then looked to Perseus. “I will guide you to the cave of the Graiae. But first, I will give you the gift of winged shoes.”

Winged shoes? Perseus noticed Hermes’ feet. The god wore a pair of golden shoes with little white wings on the heels. Perseus held out his hand and another pair in his size appeared.

Perseus gratefully accepted them, not knowing how they would be used.

“You will need them to flee the other Gorgons once they discover you have killed Medusa.”

“Oh, I see.”

Perseus inspected the shoes, trying them on. They fit perfectly. He meant to take them off, but a wind blew and lifted him off the ground. Andromeda laughed from her horse as he guided himself over to her with a mere flick of a toe.

“Would you like to try?” he asked her, pulling her from the saddle.

“No! Don’t do that,” Hermes warned him, but it was too late. Perseus crashed to the ground with Andromeda atop him. She pushed herself off of him, and the look on her face made him wonder if she planned on assaulting him again.

“The shoes are only meant to transport one person,” explained Hermes. “They are light and cannot handle the weight of two.”

“Now you tell me,” Perseus grumbled, pushing to his feet.

“We can make it to the cave faster if we use the shoes to fly there,” said Hermes.

Perseus liked the idea, but watched Andromeda brushing off her gown and untangling her cape, and knew he couldn’t leave her behind.

“How about styling another pair of those winged shoes?” he asked Hermes. “A pair fit for a princess.” Perseus nodded toward Andromeda, but Hermes just shook his head.