by S. E. Babin
Zeus interjected, “Demigods are half-mortal.”
I sighed and pinched the space between my eyebrows. “What I’m saying is that it seems like I was set up to fail.”
Zeus stared at me, wordless for a few moments. “Set up to fail?” he finally asked, his tone a little gentler than it was a moment before. “I don’t see how that’s possible, Abby. You’ve found out more in the past week than I’ve been able to over the last few months.”
I was immediately suspicious. “How do you know what we found out?” I asked.
He grinned, showing me more teeth than I was comfortable with. “I have my ways, but the information about Eris was new.”
Hermes, who had stood impassively by, held up a hand. “But you haven’t heard it all.”
My spine stiffened. I knew what he was about to say and I wasn’t happy about it. I still had trouble believing Ares had betrayed both Zeus and me. I glared holes in Hermes’ back hoping he could feel them and wouldn’t tell Zeus what I was afraid he would.
He either couldn’t feel my gaze or he chose to ignore it. Guess which one I was betting on?
“Ares is involved, too.”
Zeus’ mouth fell open and he rose from the throne to pace in front of us. “Ares?” he questioned. “I don’t believe it.”
“Neither do I,” I mumbled softly.
“Explain yourself,” thundered Zeus.
Hermes jumped at his father’s tone. “I was here a few days ago to get information about Eurydice. Father, I’ve no idea how Eris managed to sneak back into Olympus with no one the wiser, but she’s been living in one of the chambers. I saw Ares enter the room she was in. At first I tried to blow it off, but their interaction led me to believe they might be working together…” He trailed off and glanced behind him. Our eyes locked.
One of Zeus’ eyebrows rose. “Tell me of their conversation,” he demanded.
Hermes elaborated on his visit and I watched Zeus’ reaction to the news. Shock settled into the lines on his face and his once relaxed posture stiffened. Wearing a murderous glare, he sat back down, a thoughtful look on his face. He stroked his chin and said nothing for a few moments until he looked back at me.
“So Abby, what are you going to do about my little problem?”
Which one, I thought. Concern over Ares was warranted. He was strategic and resorted to unconventional means to win, but I never thought he would work with someone like her – someone whose plans were in direct confrontation with Zeus. Which brought me to another thought – what exactly was Ares trying to win?
I sputtered, shocked he would lay something of these proportions on my shoulders. There was no right way to respond without angering him. I decided to go for the truth. Hesitant, I stepped forward and bowed.
“I believe our bargain was to bring two people together. With Orpheus’ death, my assumption was our deal was concluded.”
Zeus grinned, arrogance oozing from his smile. “Someone has been doing her research,” he said. “But you should know me better than that. Technically Orpheus’ body may be dead, but we all know his soul resides in the Underworld.”
Hermes interjected before we could explore that wormhole any further. “Father, we also came to ask about Eurydice. We have suspicions she may have been taken by Eris.”
“Why in the world would she want Eurydice?”
It was time to lay all of our cards on the table instead of doling out bits and pieces of information. I gave Hermes a meaningful look. He tipped his head slightly, encouraging me to go on.
“We believe Eris has the Apples of Hesperides. Her plans for Eurydice remain unclear, but we think it might have something to do with her powers.” Zeus sat up straighter, a frown between his brows.
“The apples are guarded day and night. There is no way she could have stolen them without my knowledge.”
Leave it to Zeus to be so assured of his rule he chose to stay in absolute denial.
I was frustrated and tired of the game I was involved in. There were so many pieces I couldn’t seem to fit together. Not only was Eris involved in a murder and a theft, I suspected she was responsible for the problems with my magic and for Hera’s strange behavior. She had grown in power immensely if she were able to gain control of Hera.
“Well, Zeus, if you check Hera’s garden, you’ll find the apples are no longer there.”
He glared at me, but underneath his posturing I sensed a bone deep fear. Zeus was keeping secrets and damned if I knew what they were. I suspected it had something to do with the apples. I wondered again if immortality were the only power the apples had. If it were, immortality shouldn’t have been enough for Eris to show her hand so early in the game. My suspicion was the apples held a much larger secret than any of us suspected and Zeus was behind it.
Zeus spoke again, anger evident in every word. “Come with me.” He spun toward the door, his bulk impressive as he stalked in the direction of his gardens. We hesitated for a second before we looked at each other and hurried after him. No one disobeyed a direct order from Zeus. I fell in step behind him, noticing the tense set of his massive shoulders and the way his hair curled under at his neck. I felt a stirring of sympathy for him, not an emotion I was familiar with when it came to Zeus. I couldn’t explain it, but I had a feeling when Zeus discovered the apples were gone he’d be much more forthcoming with us.
We hurried through the palace, an impressive but silent bunch. It was difficult keeping up with him, but I tried while also taking in my surroundings the best I could. Hera’s redecorating hadn’t stopped with the hall. It continued throughout the palace and disturbed me even more than her cruel side. Someone who didn’t have a heart shouldn’t be able to make a place appear so homey. Although, who knew if she actually had a heart? She had been with Zeus for so long and was a skilled member of royalty. As such you could rarely tell what Hera was thinking unless she allowed you to see. I’d always thought of her as a cruel ruler, whereas I viewed Zeus as a somewhat crabby uncle. He, too, could be vicious when he chose, but our relationship was better than many members of the court. Or was it? We would see how it fared once this debacle was over.
Hermes strode ahead of me, silent. Tension rode his shoulders. I shouldn’t have involved him in this. Going against his father was brave…and reckless. He would pay for this later. I could feel it in my bones. Artemis stayed silent and walked alongside of me, rubbing her earlobe unconsciously. I said a silent prayer she would escape unscathed from Eris’ spell. Now that we knew about the spell, its effects had lessened. I felt like a fog inside of my head had cleared, one I hadn’t realized had been there. Later on I’d try to test my magic out again to see if the spell had anything to do with the trouble I’d been experiencing.
Zeus turned left; his robes swished against his legs and exposed lean tanned ankles. He didn’t turn back, instead relied on us to keep up with him. I fell back and took Artie by the arm. She was cold to the touch and seemed to welcome my closeness. Long fingers reached up and grabbed my own and we walked together to the gardens, both silent in our thoughts.
After a while we turned and continued walking into a dimly lit cavernous hallway. A resounding thud sounded from behind and I turned to see the doors behind us had closed. The air began to thicken with humidity and I smelled the tell-tale scent of dirt and plant life. A grin spread across my face as I inhaled the scent of growth and life. The scent of jasmine teased the air around us, but I couldn’t find the source of it.
We could say a lot of things about Hera, but no one could argue about her green thumb. I felt my shoulders relax and stole a quick glance at Artie. The tension eased from her face and I watched as she let go of my hand and took a shuddering breath. She shook her head slightly as if to clear it.
I turned back toward Zeus and Hermes, but stopped as Zeus held up a hand. We stood in front of two massive doors. Ornate carvings of wildlife adorned it and the door itself shone with an unearthly light. I took an involuntary step back at the strength of the
magic humming from the area. Only someone with massive amounts of power could get through these wards. No one discounted Eris’ strength, but the wards around this area would tax even the constitution of Zeus. Either he was underestimating the full extent of her powers or Eris had help gaining entrance here.
Zeus, who had remained silent the entire time to the gardens, turned to us with a smug look upon his face. “Do you still think someone has the apples, Abby?”
I stood up to my full height, but still had to tilt my head to meet Zeus’ eyes. “We will see now, won’t we?”
Zeus frowned, not expecting me to be so glib.
“Yes, we will,” he murmured and turned back toward the door. Hermes stepped closer to me and pulled us back, his hand enveloping my fingers in a comforting gesture. I watched as Zeus raised his arms toward the door. A deep emerald light shot from his palms as he murmured words in a language I had never heard. The sound of sonorous bells rang through the corridor and light enveloped us. I winced and shielded my eyes with my free hand. A deep whimper came from Artie’s direction and I blindly reached for her hand again, my head bowed against the brunt of Zeus’ power.
Her fingers gripped mine and I pulled her closer to me. As suddenly as it started, the light abated and magic was sucked out of the air. We stood there for a moment, each holding the other tightly. Zeus cleared his throat and I opened one of my eyes to see him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and an impatient look on his face.
I straightened from my frightened hunch, adjusted my hair, and elbowed Artie. She opened both of her eyes, jumped at the look on Zeus’ face, and stood up straighter. Hermes, cool as always, released my other hand and straightened as well.
Zeus stepped aside and gestured for us to enter the gardens. As excited as I was about seeing them, the amount of magic I felt behind the doors dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Artie, embarrassed at being caught cowering, moved swiftly through the door and I followed behind her.
As I stepped in, my eyes swept the scenery. It was indescribably beautiful and I could feel my mouth drop as I drank in my surroundings. Flowers hung suspended from the skies and snaked through the ground. Birds chittered as they flew through the air and swept in and out of the clouds. A light breeze lifted the curls off of my neck. I couldn’t help it. I laughed in delight as I scooped my toga up above my knees and ran through the gardens. I flung my shoes off and grinned as I turned to Artie, only to see her right behind me. Her laughter echoed throughout as we explored the gardens like children. It was the first time I’d felt truly alive since we started on this path. We ran barefoot for as long as we could stand it. The grass sprang up beneath our feet and flowers bloomed in front of our eyes.
This was the magic of Olympus. No matter where I lived, it would always be my first home. Breathless, we stopped and rested next to a statue of a faun. I lay on the soft grass next to Artie and we stared at the blue sky, our mission having been forgotten for the moment. I reached out an idle hand and caressed a bright yellow hibiscus flower. I sat up abruptly at the sound of footsteps and tugged at Artie to do the same.
Sandaled feet came into view and with them Zeus and Hermes. I cringed as I thought about what they were going to say. Zeus stopped in front of me with a stern look on his face and reached his hand toward my face. I winced in fear as he plucked away a leaf that had gotten stuck in my hair sometime during my run. His eyes danced with merriment as he plunked his large girth down beside me.
“Happens to the best of us, my dear. You should see Hera when she gets in here.” My mind could not picture Hera losing herself, but if Zeus said she did I guess I’d have to take his word for it. Hermes sat down between me and Artie but stayed silent. A small smile played upon his mouth, but tension still rode his shoulders.
“It’s beautiful here, Zeus.” I reached over and patted his knee, feeling more comfortable in this place than I probably should.
“Aye, it is. Now I could sit here all day with you lovely ladies, but we have a much more pressing matter to get to, don’t we?’
I was grateful for the short break and while I wished it could have gone on longer, I stood up, wiping the grass off of my toga and extended a hand to Artie who grasped it and pulled herself up. Both of the men followed suit and stepped ahead of us, motioning for us to follow them. Subdued, we trailed behind them in search of the apples.
The trail grew quiet again. My stomach was in knots thinking about Zeus’ reaction when he saw the absence of the apples. I jogged up to Hermes and wound my arm around his. His features softened, but he continued to stare straight ahead. Up ahead I noticed a large clearing with a monstrous tree at the center of it. The trunk was far larger than anything I had ever seen on earth and growing in Olympus. Gnarled roots extended from the bottom, some taller than Artie and I put together. I stepped forward, awed by the sight, but Zeus placed a hand on my shoulder before I got too close.
“Wait,” he commanded. I stopped and gave him a quizzical look. Noise from the brush caught my attention and I glanced toward the right side of the tree. A gorgeous woman stepped from behind one of the roots and made her way toward us. I could tell immediately that she was a dryad. Her skin bore the rough bark texture of her kind, but it did not preclude her beauty in any way. Deep chestnut hair flowed down her shoulders, thankfully covering her exposed breasts. She undulated when she walked, oozing sex appeal. I’m sure even I would have been affected had she not been carrying a huge spear. She held it out toward us, menace in her gaze. Zeus stood with us but made no move to stop her, making me curious about their relationship.
As the dryad came closer and made no move to drop her spear I wondered if I should turn tail and run. Artie backed up a step and took a defensive posture. I was more of a flight than fight girl, but Artie had seen her fair share of skirmishes. I merely stood there staring at the sight, Zeus’ hand still firmly on my shoulder. Hermes stepped forward and bowed before the dryad. I gasped at the sight. A god kneeling to a dryad? I thought not. I opened my mouth to protest, but a squeeze from Zeus caused me to shut my mouth.
“Honorable Nerrie, we come escorted by Zeus and request entrance to the sacred grove.” Hermes lifted his head but made no move to stand. Nerrie continued her slow stalk before she stopped in front of Hermes. “Rise, god,” she declared in a deep alto voice. There was a deep rasp when she spoke, something singers would kill for. Most dryads had earthy and deep voices, but I had never heard one quite as beautiful as Nerrie’s. Hermes stood before the dryad, hands at his side and his head slightly bowed.
Nerrie walked around him in a slow circle, gazing at him in a manner I didn’t care for much. When she stopped, she placed her hand out toward him. “Hail, Hermes,” she said. “I never thought I’d see your presence in the grove.”
Hermes chuckled, grasping her nut brown hand inside of his own. “I never thought I’d be here.” “But we believe a crime has been committed and we want to investigate.”
One of her brows lifted and she gave Hermes a curious gaze. “Crime? No crime occurs here without my knowledge. If it did, Zeus would be the first to know.”
“I mean no offense, Nerrie. We believe Eris may have gained entrance into the gardens and grove. There is reason to believe she may have taken the Apples of Hesperides.”
A deep throaty laugh came from Nerrie. “No one would dare enter the grove and steal such a treasure. Their life would be forfeit.”
Zeus stepped forward. “Nerrie, let’s humor them for now.”
Her eyes flitted to the King and she bowed her head. “As you wish.” Her eyes met mine and Artie’s. A slight head incline acknowledged our presence. I tried not to feel affronted, but who the hell was this dryad and why did she think she was better than Olympian royalty?
Artie nudged me and whispered, “Later.”
So there was something to this Nerrie and why everyone was treating her with kid gloves. I frowned but dropped the subject. For now. Nerrie turned abruptly and motioned us on with her spear. The
tree loomed ahead of us and our path was littered with roots and entangled vines. Hermes, still abnormally quiet, grasped my elbow to help me navigate the treacherous territory. Why were we walking straight toward the tree I wondered?
Zeus stared straight ahead as we walked. As if the roots wouldn’t dare trip him. And they didn’t. Seems like they knew who the boss was around here. I wondered why Nerrie didn’t. I trusted Hermes to continue navigating me so I took a moment to crane my neck up and view the grove’s tree in all of its splendor. She was beautiful and majestic. I could see why Zeus was so proud of these gardens. The span of the tree must have extended a hundred feet or more. Moss hung gracefully from tree branches and a gentle wind tossed the leaves enough to make a slight swishing noise. It was so peaceful here. I hoped I would be able to visit under better circumstances soon.
Nerrie continued to trudge toward the tree only to stop directly in front of its trunk as if that were a perfectly normal place to hide a grove. She knocked three times on the trunk and dropped to her knees. The dryad’s deep voice rang out through the clearing in a guttural language I hadn’t heard before. The air around me groaned and the ground began to shake. I lost my balance, but Hermes’ firm grip prevented me from falling. The trunk of the tree opened, exposing a deep hallway.
“Of course it did,” I muttered, cancelling my previous thought about the grove. I squared my shoulders and prepared to walk inside of a tree for the first time in my life.
What a weird day, I thought. How much weirder could it get? It was a question that was about to be answered many times over.
We walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached a small area. The air was wet with humidity and I could hear drops of water plopping and plinking throughout the grove. A smaller tree stood in the middle, beautiful in its own right but so much smaller than the one outside. It was brilliant. A tree within a tree to hide the true treasure.
