Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “I want you,” she breathed. “So you see, it won’t be like that.”

  “Forever?”

  She nodded. “Please kiss me.”

  He swallowed hard and then ever so gently touched his lips to hers.

  She closed her eyes and was soaring now, spinning, her heart going wild. She touched her hands to his face and held him to her. Something electric passed between them. Oh, Than, she thought. I want to be with you forever!

  He lifted his face.

  She opened her eyes, and they shared a smile.

  “You feel nice,” he said. “But I want to give you more time. I want you to be absolutely sure. A week isn’t long enough for such a decision.” He kissed her lips once more and then stood up from the bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  And before she could beg him to stay, he disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Tortured Than

  Than returned to his chambers in the Underworld wishing he could be more like his father and sisters. They seemed less moved than he by feelings of compassion. They saw right and wrong, and they acted on justice.

  “I’m weak. My father would find these thoughts pathetic.”

  If he could be more like the rest of his family, he would not be tormented now, tortured by the wrestling emotions, human emotions, disturbing every atom of his being. If he could be more like them, he would bring Therese down straight away without another thought the moment McAdams was found and brought to justice.

  But he couldn’t do it. He wanted to be sure she would be happy, and it seemed more and more plain to him that she could never find joy in such a dismally dark and lifeless place as his home.

  He studied his rooms, looking at them as though for the first time, contemplating what Therese would think of them. The entrance was rather imposing, but he had to have Hephaestus make the jutting iron bars, like a giant jaw with jagged teeth, to keep away the constant threats by demigods. How often had Than had to listen to their arrogant claims to immortality as he guided their souls to Charon? “My father will punish you for this!” “Hermes will have your head!” “Zeus will never let you get away with this!” They spoke as though Than had any choice in the matter.

  And of course, there were the powerful human souls who made themselves rich and famous, and when their threats failed to move Than, they resorted to bribery. “I can give you all the gold you desire.” As if Than needed gold! The Underworld was full of it, and Than could have as much as he desired, if he desired it. But Than found gold to be worthless, overrated, and not the most comfortable material for adorning his home.

  Of course, there were also the desperate souls, not necessarily powerful, but cunning, who every few centuries would find a way back to Than’s door after the judges had proclaimed their sentence but before reaching their final destination. None of them succeeded in binding Than except Sisyphus and Hercules, but they had tried. The iron jaws at his entrance were made after Hercules’s stunt, and since then, Than no longer had to deal with unexpected intruders.

  But once one passed the intimidating entrance, the first chamber was quite pleasing. The dome shape of the rock walls provided a beautiful symmetry to everything in the room, from the leather club chairs by the cozy fireplace to the marble cabinets where he kept his goblets and wine and dishes that had been given to him by various gods, including the best wine from Dionysus. Along the opposite wall across from the fireplace flowed the Phlegethon with its bright flames illuminating all the rooms. Several instruments made for him by Hermes, Athena, and Apollo hung above the flames, and in the middle of the room were a table and two chairs. The second chair was rarely used, so seldom did he have visitors. But the occasional visitor from Mount Olympus, such as Aphrodite and her son, Cupid, Hera, Hermes, and his grandmother, Demeter, though they came for favors or information, would always find this chamber comfortable and welcoming, even if it did lack sunlight and wind. The flames from the Phlegethon produced no heat, and underground rock kept the room consistently cool, and although the humidity could be stifling at times, the running waterfall in the next chamber, where he slept, usually kept the air fresh and circulating.

  From this front chamber, he entered his bed quarters, where the trickling waterfall helped him to sleep every so often when he needed rest. Unlike humans, he did not sleep every day, and not regularly, just when he needed to, perhaps once a month or less. The water fell from a high point in the dome-shaped room and cascaded over a series of rock shelves where Than kept a collection of shells given to him over the centuries by various people, such as Aphrodite, two different sea nymphs, the Maenads, and once, even Poseidon. A thick and living stalagmite growing in the center of the room served as a table for other possessions, such as the clock given to him by his father and made of precious stones, a tablet of Cyprus and a golden quill given to him by his mother, a moon rock from Hecate, and a pair of slippers that his brother made for him of lamb’s wool. Leaning against it was a quiver with a dozen arrows made of bone.

  Over his bed hung a steel sword in a golden sheath, made by Hephaestus, a bow given to him by Artemis, and a shield given to him by Zeus. His bed was round and made of a silk-lined mattress stuffed with goose feathers and draped with finely woven and magical linen, a gift from Athena.

  His rooms were quite comfortable for him, but he doubted Therese would think so. There was no natural light and no living things, only the underground elements of stone and water. How could she ever come to love this place after living in her log cabin in the mountains of Colorado where the birds sang freely, the sunrises and sunsets painted the wide blue skies daily, and the green, lush trees towered in forests that rustled with all manner of life?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: Persistent Pete

  Saturday morning, after taking hot coffee to the officer stationed on their back deck, Carol drove Therese the half mile down the road to Jen’s house, and, as usual, Clifford went, too. As Therese stood on the gravel drive waving goodbye to her aunt, she noticed Than and Pete walking toward her across the grassy field in their jeans and boots with water glistening down their bare chests and their wet hair clinging to their heads. They were talking to one another and laughing. Therese watched them in awe, thinking to herself that life could really suck, but it could be really sweet, too.

  Clifford ran across the road to greet the two boys, and that’s when they looked up and spotted her.

  Pete jogged across the road and gave her a wet hug. “Cold, huh? Wake you up, sleepy head!”

  Therese bit her lip. Cupid’s arrow seemed to be working. “Thanks a lot, Pete. You just wait.”

  He laughed and walked on to the pen.

  Than came up with a dubious smile. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She could feel her entire face transform into a huge grin. He just had that effect on her.

  Before she could say anything more, Jen screamed twice from behind the house, and Clifford took off toward her. With lightning speed, Than ran past Therese. By the time Therese caught up to them, Pete was there, too, and Jen was screaming, “Kill it! Kill it!”

  Clifford barked ferociously.

  On the ground several feet away from them lay a brownish snake with a yellow stripe down its back and white stripes down its sides. It was about three feet long, thin, stretched rather than coiled, and very still.

  “I think it’s already dead,” Pete said. “Calm down, sis. It’s just a garter snake. It’s not poisonous.”

  “I don’t care!” Jen shrieked. “Kill it! It’s gross! It scared the crap out of me!”

  Pete grabbed a shovel from the nearby shed.

  “Wait!” Therese said. “Don’t kill it if it’s not poisonous.” She went up to the snake and touched it. Although it barely moved, it was still alive. “It’s hurt.” She stroked its back. “Clifford, stop. It’s okay.”

  Clifford stopped barking and watched her anxiously. She could feel Clifford’s anxiety as he paced and whined.

  “It’s okay, boy,” Therese said again.

/>   “What are you doing?” Jen objected. “Quit touching it!”

  Therese picked up the snake gingerly with both hands. She was afraid she might further injure it if she didn’t handle it carefully. “If we leave it here, it will die. It needs food and protection from predators.”

  Jen looked furious. “Therese, we don’t save snakes. We kill them. Remember what happened to Dumbo?”

  “Yes, I remember!” Therese snapped. “How can you say that?” She held back the desire to push Jen down to the ground, and she clenched her jaw in anger. She already felt burdened with guilt over what happened to the horse. How could her friend say such a thing?

  “Now girls,” Pete said.

  “Me? How can you want to save that, that thing?” Jen shouted.

  “Jen, it can’t help what it is,” Therese said. “And it’s not hurting anyone now.”

  “So what are you going to do with it?” Pete asked.

  “Do you have a box I can have?”

  “I’m sure I can find one somewhere around here. For now, you can put the snake in the bed of my truck.”

  “Maybe we could put a wet towel down.” Therese walked with Pete toward the garage where his truck was parked next to Jen’s and the Suburban. “And maybe we could leave the garage door open?”

  “Sure.” Pete walked close beside her.

  “I don’t believe this!” Jen complained. “It’s a damn snake!”

  “Language,” Mrs. Holt said coming out of the house.

  “But, Mom. This is crazy. Therese is saving a slimy ol’ snake. I wanted Pete to kill it.”

  “I wanna see,” Bobby chirped.

  Therese couldn’t hear them anymore once she was inside the garage with Pete.

  “I’ll run inside and get a wet towel,” Pete said.

  When he returned with the towel, he spread it out on the bed and then helped her to lift the snake onto it. The truck and garage were hot, which was good for the snake. It wouldn’t get too cold on the wet towel. Therese stroked the snake several times while saying, “Thanks, Pete. Thanks for your help.”

  He moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder, and the close proximity of his bare chest made her shiver. He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know anyone like you, Therese Mills.”

  Just then Bobby burst in. “Where’s the snake?”

  “I’ll go get a box,” Pete mumbled.

  Later, when they were grooming the horses, Than seemed distant. Therese was still angry at Jen for the Dumbo comment, and so she looked to the horse to soothe and comfort her as she brushed. “You’re such a sweet thing,” she cooed to Sugar. “Does that feel good?” Therese looked into the horse’s eye and stroked her cheek. “You’re so easy. Always so clean.”

  “And lazy,” Bobby added.

  Therese was grateful for Bobby, because he was the only one who seemed oblivious to the tension between the humans in the pen. If he had known how angry the two girls were at one another, he wouldn’t have kept on talking in the otherwise silent company.

  “Therese, did Jen tell you she and Matthew are going on a date tonight, just the two of them?” Bobby asked.

  Therese shook her head.

  “They’re going to see a movie,” he said. “But I doubt they’ll be watching it.”

  “Shut up, Bobby,” Jen said.

  “Well, excuse me.”

  Therese finished Sugar and asked, “Who now, Mrs. Holt?”

  “Why don’t you take Annie?”

  “I’m doing Annie,” Jen griped.

  “Chestnut, then,” Mrs. Holt said.

  ***

  Than walked Therese home with Clifford ambling behind as the trail riders showed up. Therese was supposed to call her aunt for a ride, but she felt safe with Than and wanted to be with him as much as she could. Her aunt would be cross, but she’d get over it. Therese carried the garter snake in a medium-sized cardboard box with the wet towel Pete got for her. Than still seemed distant. Maybe he thought she was stupid for wanting to save the snake. Maybe the enchantment was wearing off.

  Unable to bear the silence for another second, she asked, “Do you think I’m crazy?”

  He stopped in the road and turned to face her, his dark brown hair full of golden highlights from the sun. “What? Why would I think that?”

  She kept walking, so he followed alongside her. “You know. The snake thing.”

  Hi voice was husky. “No. I don’t think you’re crazy.”

  “Then what’s wrong? You’re so quiet.”

  He let out a deep breath. “I’m having … doubts.”

  Her throat tightened. “Oh.” Her heart beat so hard that she could hear it in her ears. She knew his attention had been too good to be true. She should have known it couldn’t last. Tears pricked her eyes.

  Maybe he had been in love with love, and she just happened to be the first girl to come along. Maybe now that he had spent some time on Earth, he realized he should put more thought into such an important decision. Maybe he concluded that Therese wasn’t right for him after all.

  By the time they approached her gravelly drive, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and because she was carrying the box, there was nothing she could do to hide them. She tried wiping her cheeks on her shoulders, but she couldn’t quite reach. She couldn’t look at him. She was so embarrassed and full of despair that she just wanted to get to her room where she could cry in peace.

  “Thanks for walking me home.” She turned away from him and practically ran to the house.

  Once inside, she went past Carol to the stairs. “I’m tired. I’m going to lie down for a while.”

  “You walked home?”

  “Than was with me.”

  “Therese, please don’t take chances like that. Does Than carry a gun? Is he a police officer? He’s just another kid. You have to take this seriously. Understand? If the lieutenant thinks we’re in enough danger to post a guard here, you shouldn’t be walking!”

  “I’m sorry.” She really was sorry. If she had called her aunt, she might have avoided hearing about Than’s doubts.

  Then Carol added, “Pete just called. He wants you to call him back.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “What’s in the box?”

  “It’s a snake. It’s not poisonous. It’s hurt.”

  “Are you crying?”

  “No. I’m fine. I just need to be alone.”

  She expected Carol to say something more but was relieved when she didn’t. She went upstairs to her room, put the box on the desk next to Jewel’s tank, and let the tears come raining down.

  How could he have doubts?

  Before she could kick off her shoes, the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh, good. You’re home.” It was Pete.

  Disappointment flooded through her. She had hoped it was Than calling to apologize, to explain why he had been so quiet, to tell her he wanted to be with her forever. “Hi. What’s up?”

  “I talked Jen into letting us tag along with her and Matthew tonight, to the movies. Sound good?”

  “Um, I don’t know.” Was he asking her out, or was this a group thing? And should she encourage him if Cupid’s arrow was really at work? On the other hand, if Than had changed his mind about her, maybe Pete could be a helpful diversion from the horrible pain in her heart.

  Pete added, “Don’t be mad at Jen. She was just freaked out. She’s terrified of snakes and thinks that garter will eventually find its way back here when you let it go.”

  “If it lives. I’m not so sure it’ll make it.” Then she said, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be on the trail ride?”

  “Bobby went. I have the next one. So, do you wanna go tonight?”

  Should she? What else was she going to do now that Than was dumping her? Mope around all night? She knew if she didn’t do something to distract her she’d sink down into that deep dark place she inhabited in the few weeks after … her life had changed. “That sounds good. Let me chec
k with my aunt and I’ll call you back.”

  After she hung up the phone, she collapsed on her bed and sobbed some more. Clifford jumped up next to her and licked her face.

  “Thanks, boy,” she said, her voice breaking up with weeping.

  “Why are you crying?” came a woman’s voice which Therese did not recognize.

  Therese froze. Clifford stopped licking, but didn’t bark. Slowly, she turned to see an amazingly majestic woman with glowing pale skin and long black hair standing in the room across from her. She wore a white short gown, golden boots, and a golden helmet. Beneath the helmet, her amazing blue-gray eyes stared directly at Therese.

  “Who are you?” Therese gasped, wondering if she should get down on her knees.

  The woman smiled. “I will answer your question if you answer mine. Why are you crying?”

  Therese decided to be perfectly honest. “Um. For one thing, both my parents recently died.”

  “Go on.”

  “Then a horse I was riding was injured and had to be … put down.”

  “Yes?”

  “And now a boy I thought really liked me has changed his mind.”

  “I see.” The woman took off her helmet. “And now I will answer your question. My name is Pallas Athena. I am the daughter of Zeus. He is my one and only beloved parent, and, presently, he is upset, like you. But his tears become showers and his rage thunderbolts.”

  Therese could barely breathe. She didn’t move. “Is he upset because of me?” she asked in a small voice.

  Athena narrowed her eyes. “Do you think so highly of yourself that you could be the cause of his sorrow, his rage?”

  Therese covered her mouth and shook her head. When she could, she said, “No, m’am. Hermes said …”

  “Hermes has spoken to you?” Athena hissed.

  Therese wished she could disappear. “He didn’t seek me out. We, we met by accident.” In a desperate voice, she added, “Look, if you want to kill me, please just go ahead.” Then she put her arms around Clifford and thought better of it. Who would care for her pets?

  “I didn’t come to kill you, but to test you.” Athena’s voice was no longer harsh. “I came disguised as a serpent, and you took pity on me when others wished me dead. I see you have a kind and compassionate heart, and you are worth saving. Unlike Ares and Poseidon who stand with McAdams, and Aphrodite and Apollo who stand with Thanatos, I, like Artemis, stand with you. However, both of us wish you to reconsider your desire to become the wife of Thanatos. He is a good and kind and noble god, but his ghastly life is not the kind of life for someone like you who loves all living things. Furthermore, to marry a god carries many risks, as the males are usually unfaithful. When my brother Apollo wished to marry a maiden named Daphne, she would rather be changed into a laurel and spend eternity as a tree because she feared the warring among jealous female divinities. Think before you act.”