by JJ King
“You owe me nothing,” she murmured, reaching under the table to Selene’s hand. When she grasped it and squeezed, Selene smiled and squeezed back.
Poseidon and Medusa chimed in then with details of what they’d come up with so far as a group. Cate listened half-heartedly as her mind floated back in time to when she and Selene had become one.
Those first few days had been pure panic. It had been sunrise when they’d merged so she’d been pushed down, submersed in Selene’s mind and body but still very much aware of herself as a separate person. She’d felt Selene mourn for Endymion and it had taken her to the edge of sanity. She’d been curled into herself in the darkness, trying to remember to fight, when twilight had arrived and Selene finally heard her cries for help.
It had taken weeks of this torturous back and forth before they’d calmed enough to understand what had happened. And with understanding came plans to free themselves from the servitude of being bound to another unwillingly. Selene was thankful for the extra power Hecate had supplied but she was bound by grief to another already and couldn’t fathom a life like this for eternity. Hecate was furious, at herself for acting before thinking her actions through, and at Selene for making her an accomplice in her self-imposed anguish. As long as Selene grieved Endymion, Hecate felt her pain.
Cate rejoined the conversation again when Medusa’s frustration set her snakes off. Hissing filled the air followed by crooning sounds that slipped from the gorgon’s mouth as easily as a mother soothes her babies.
“Sorry for getting them all hissy,” Apollo pointed to Medusa’s snakes absently, “but I’m telling you from experience that Artemis is not going to agree to come here or anywhere outside her precious forest, especially with those two hanging around.” He pointed at Poseidon and Morpheus. “She has a thing about men. She barely tolerates me.” He made an exaggerated face that spoke of sibling annoyance and drained the rest of his beverage. Instantly, it filled back up to the top.
Morpheus reached for an olive and popped it into his mouth. “I think I speak for Poseidon and myself collectively when I say we’d rather not have a run in with your sister. I don’t think I’d look all that good as a tree, do you?” He glanced wryly at Poseidon who chuckled and shook his head.
“I just don’t think it’s smart to divide and conquer,” Medusa said testily, obviously still aggravated. She shook her head and looked up at Poseidon. “I don’t want to lose you again.” Her voice broke with emotion.
Knowing what they’d recently been through all because Athena was a hateful bitch, Cate glanced away and let Medusa have a moment, as did Selene and Morpheus. Apollo didn’t take the hint.
Poseidon lowered his forehead to Medusa’s and murmured that this wasn’t like the last time they’d been torn apart. Cate tried not to listen but it was impossible not to hear and feel the fear seeping out of Medusa.
It was funny, she thought, remembering the stories of the great Medusa, she who could and would take down an entire army by herself. She was a monster, there was no denying it given the snakes hissing on top of her head and the deadly eyes she shielded from the world with special lenses, but she was more than just a monster. Just like me, Cate realized. Maybe they’d have more to talk about on this mission than she’d previously thought.
“So, how exactly are we hiding all this from dear old Dad?” Apollo interrupted the intimate moment. “He might seem like an old guy, but he has eyes everywhere.” He gestured to Morpheus. “This whole dreamscape rendezvous is genius but eventually we’re going to have to venture into the real world and when we do…” he trailed off and shrugged. “I don’t especially want to spend eternity pushing a rock up a hill for this.”
“You think he’ll have eyes on Artemis?” Selene asked.
“I think he has eyes on every Olympian.” Poseidon scrubbed a hand over his stubble thoughtfully. “And Titan, and monster,” he added, glancing at Medusa. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll need a distraction. Any ideas?”
Cate chewed thoughtfully on her lip and tried to come up with an idea that would ensure Zeus’ attention was diverted elsewhere. After a few minutes of silence, she sighed and gave up. “I’ve got nothing,” she admitted. “He’s the next best thing to omniscient. How do we block his sight if he sees almost everything?”
Medusa narrowed her eyes. “I think “almost” is the operative word there. He doesn’t see everything, which means there has to be a way to distract him.”
“We could throw a couple dozen naked women in his general direction.” Apollo grinned irreverently and chuckled. Cate fought the urge to picture the ensuing orgy that would result.
“What about a dream?” Morpheus murmured the question but it stopped the group instantly. All eyes turned to him.
“Does Zeus even sleep?” Selene’s look of confusion echoed Cate’s reaction exactly.
Poseidon leaned back in the chair and spoke slowly as if considering his words, “He does…”
“I hear a “but” in there.” Cate cocked her head and waited.
Poseidon obliged her. “But,” he frowned, “it doesn’t happen often so he might be suspicious if Morpheus pulls him into a dream.”
“Not if he thinks it’s his idea.” Morpheus tapped his closed fist again the table while he chewed intently on his lower lip. Cate’s gaze flickered to that lip and stopped as she got lost in the moment. He had such full lips, she thought. Full and soft, unlike the sharp cut of his jawline and the stubble that had scraped along her skin, making it so sensitive. Cate shivered at the memory and blinked several times before she could break her stare.
“How many times have you pulled him into a dream before?” Selene nibbled a piece of crusty bread smeared with goat cheese and fig and waited for an answer.
Morpheus frowned. “Since he defeated the Titans?” His tempo picked up while he worked it out, until the sound of his fist of the table matched her heartbeat. “I’d say no more than two hundred times. He’s not an easy man to work with.”
“And when was the last time he slept?” Selene’s eyes remained calm and soft, but Cate could see the intensity and calculation in them. Most people underestimated Selene because of her beauty and they were dead wrong to do so. She was all things light and bright, with her long blond hair and sky-blue eyes, but under all that was a shrewd mind and a determined soul. It had taken Cate years to see Selene’s true strength, though, so she wouldn’t be surprised if this fellowship didn’t see it right away.
Which is why her stomach fluttered to see Morpheus look her straight in the eye to the exclusion of all others and answer her questions earnestly. He wasn’t mocking her, far from it. Cate could see nothing but respect in his gaze and tone as he addressed Selene. Cate washed a lump of raw emotion down with a sip of wine.
“It was back during the Lincoln administration,” Morpheus offered immediately. “I remember because Dionysus and I got trashed and had a big argument about emancipation of slaves.” He chuckled absently, “Dion broke my jaw then passed out. I was going to lock him in a nightmare for a while to pay him back but his Maenads wouldn’t let me near him.”
Cate’s eyebrows shot up. Morpheus caught her look and shot her a cocky grin. “We’re drinking buddies. We pull pranks on each other all the time.”
Cate turned her head slowly to catch Selene’s equally wide-eyed gaze then shifted when she saw Medusa shoot them the same look. Without a second’s hesitation, they all shook their heads and muttered, “Men.”
“What?” Morpheus defended himself, looking between them. He slumped back in his seat with a huff and man pouted. “You just don’t understand because you aren’t men.” He looked to Poseidon for back up and got nothing more than a shrug. Cate held back a bubble of laughter when she saw Poseidon rub the spot where Medusa had elbowed him in warning. Apollo just nodded in commiseration and drained another pint of beer.
“Okay,” Medusa drew out the last syllable, making Cate want to laugh even more. “Back to the topic at hand. Whe
n exactly was the Lincoln administration?” She said the words as if they were foreign to her.
Cate chewed her lip for a second, “Mid eighteen hundreds? I’m not sure. I don’t really pay much attention to that part of the world.”
“Hold on.” Medusa pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and quickly typed in a request. Cate waited with the rest of them until Medusa announced, “1961 to 1965,” and wondered how they’d gone from being mythological monsters to using cell phones to garner quick facts.
“So, like fifty years,” Cate redirected her gaze to Morpheus who was looking decidedly less sulky and more thoughtful.
“He isn’t due for another few hundred years.”
“Then we’re back to the naked women idea,” Poseidon grinned then yelped when Medusa poked him again in the same spot. Apollo’s laughter filled the dreamscape.
Morpheus pushed back from the table and stood abruptly, almost toppling his chair. Cate caught a gleam of something she couldn’t quite identify in his gaze and cocked an eyebrow at Selene. “I have an idea,” he said in a distracted tone, waving his hand at the table to make it and the feast atop it disappear. Cate pushed to her feet in case he made their chairs disappear beneath them as well. Seconds later, they did.
She watched him move past the group, mumbling to himself like a genius or a madman, and mused at the thought that he paced like a panther when agitated, which he obviously was. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was thinking and snapped it shut when he stepped forward and through a dark door that suddenly appeared, then vanished into the darkness. The door slammed shut behind him.
Cate stepped forward and touched the door, which stood unsupported, floating to the side of their dreamscape She walked around it just to be sure and lifted her hands when she reappeared to see the rest of the group watching her. “He’s gone.”
The group shifted and didn’t speak for a long, drawn-out moment, then Apollo huffed out a breath and grumbled, “He could have left the beer.” He ran a hand through his long blond hair and looked around the barren space. “And maybe the table and chairs.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Selene sidled up to Cate. “We’re stuck here until he returns us to our bodies.” She paused for a moment then a smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she hip bumped Cate. “Silver lining. As long as he’s off doing whatever, we can stay here and chat.”
Cate grinned. “Best silver lining ever.” She grabbed Selene’s hand and tugged her down to the floor. They sat opposite one another, taking the opportunity to just be, and fantasized about what they’d do when they were separated and Endymion was free. Neither acknowledged the fear they shared that they’d lose the soul-deep connection they had once they were separated.
Time slipped by, minutes, maybe hours, indeterminate as they talked and laughed while Apollo joked with Poseidon and Medusa. When the door swung open and Morpheus stepped through, they all jumped to their feet and started yelling, but it was Selene who broke free and grabbed his arm. “Did you do it? Is he asleep?” she asked insistently.
Morpheus looked her straight in the eye and nodded, once, twice, then smiled down at Selene. “He’s out like a light.” He twisted to grin at Apollo and Poseidon. “I left him dreaming about a harem of naked women.”
Cate took a deep breath to steady herself. It was happening now, they literally had no time to waste. “Okay,” she said, stretching her neck and rotating her shoulders. She felt as if she were going into an actual fight and wanted to be limber. “Let’s do this.” She grinned at Medusa and asked, “You ready, snake lady?”
Medusa arched a single brow and eyed Cate sardonically while her snakes writhed around her head. A slow slanted smile lifted her lips until she was grinning back. “Ready as I’ll ever be, Sabrina the teenage bitch.”
CHAPTER SIX
“I wish I could go with you.” Selene wrapped her arms around Cate and squeezed hard. Cate didn’t mind, it was still novel to be able to touch her best friend.
“I know,” Cate murmured into Selene’s hair, wishing they could do this together, too. “But, at least you’ll have a good view. Best seat in the house,” she joked, hoping to make Selene feel better.
Selene pulled away far enough to grasp Cate by the arms. “I’m glad you’re taking Medusa. She seems pretty badass.” She glanced toward the gorgon and spoke softly, then shook Cate’s shoulders gently. “Still, don’t take any chances. You’re not invincible, you know.”
Cate grinned and arched a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
When Selene just scowled, Cate pulled her back in for another hug then stepped toward the group. “I’m ready.” She kept her gaze away from Morpheus, who seemed intent on catching her eye.
“I guess I’m ready, too.” Medusa leaned into Poseidon and arched her neck up for a kiss. The embrace was long and slow and it made Cate feel a little voyeuristic to watch. It also confused her to see one of the Olympians in love, true love, not the petty, selfish imitation of love they liked to confuse themselves with.
Cate felt the weight of Morpheus’ gaze on her while she waited and shivered. It should be a sin to have such intensity, she thought, refusing to look up at him. She couldn’t, not when she needed to focus all of her attention on the mission. They needed Artemis and this was the only way to get her on board.
She shot Selene one last cocky grin and froze as the air around her thickened, darkened, and then cleared. Cate squeezed her eyes shut against a sudden bright light and lifted her arm to shield her eyes. A gasp of pain and confusion slipped from her lips.
“Shit.” She heard Morpheus mutter a moment before the bright light disappeared. “Sorry.”
Cate slowly lowered her arm and blinked away the dark spots in her vision. Anger welled in her chest, instant and violent. She curled her hands into fists and whirled on Morpheus. “Where are we?” she demanded, turning around in a circle to see where they were.
There was sand, and ocean, and a now setting sun. Cate stopped dead and stared at the golden orb as it cast its light on the lapping waves. It was so beautiful she stilled and stared.
“We’re in another dreamscape.” Morpheus moved up to stand beside her as she waited for the sun to sink into the horizon. When it didn’t sink lower in the sky, she realized he’d created this place for her, just for her. It touched a place in her heart that she kept locked safely away.
“Where are the others?” she asked, keeping her voice low in case it broke with emotion. She hated feeling gratitude to a man, a god, especially one who manipulated her mind for his own benefit. He hadn’t been able to get her attention, so he’d forced her into a world of his making to get her alone. Still, she couldn’t help being touched - he’d created this just for her.
He walked over the sand, leaving footprints, and waded into the shallow waves. “They’re back in the other dreamscape. And no,” he continued when she opened her mouth to ask, “they don’t know we’re gone. I made this place as a kind of slip reality. It’s taking place outside their reality, if that makes sense.”
“None of this makes sense,” Cate whispered.
“You don’t always have to be strong, Hecate,” Morpheus murmured, turning her to face him. He lifted a hand to gently touch her cheek. Cate stilled for a moment, tensed, then let herself lean into his palm and close her eyes. It was nice, she admitted to herself. Nice to be embraced, to feel wanted for herself and not for an image she put on like a change of wardrobe. Nice to be called by her real name.
His thumb moved over her cheek, followed a moment later by the softest kiss she’d ever experienced. Morpheus rubbed his lips over her face, softly pressing them against her temple, her cheeks, her jaw.
When he touched his lips to hers, the world began to turn, slowly at first, then faster. She clung to his arm and opened her eyes to find him staring at her with those endless blue irises. She let herself look for the first time, to really look, and what she saw quickened her breath. She’d never seen anyone look at her like tha
t before. Any lingering doubt she had about being with him dissipated in an instant.
Heat surged through her body, urging her forward, removing the scant space between them. Cate molded her lips to his and opened to the touch of his tongue, dipping into her, tasting her, making her heart skip a beat then thunder in her chest. She slid her hands into his hair and pulled him closer, desperate to erase any distance between them.
He moaned when she slid her hands beneath his shirt and the rumble of it echoed through her body, lighting every last nerve on fire. She grabbed the hem and lifted, needing to see him, feel him, taste him.
Her lips skimmed along his throat, scraping over his stubble, swelling as it abraded her tender flesh. The scent of him filled her nose, reminding her of the earth, of the moon, and of cherries. She licked her tongue out and tasted his collarbone.
Morpheus’ hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her. Cate wrapped her legs around him and wished for a wall.
