Battle of the Heart

by Jessica Florence

  “I won’t let anyone dupe me like that again, I swear,” I told the babes and looked at the clock. My five minutes was up. I was going to move on and prepare for whatever was next. Dressing myself in a long maxi dress, I walked out into the main living space to see everyone was gathered in the living room, talking, and going over plans. Food sounded good, so I made myself a sandwich, and then made my way over to the couch to join their discussion.

  “Morning, sunshine.” Lacey smiled and blew me a kiss.

  “How are you feeling?” Tristan asked, looking at me with concern in his eyes. I know he felt my unease, but gave me the space I wanted.

  “I’m all right now. I had my moment to feel foolish. Did you update everyone?” I wanted to get down to business. He shook his head no, so I took a bite of my sandwich and listened as Tristan told everyone that Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, had infiltrated mine and was up to something.

  Orion and Leander both expressed their thoughts on what the plan could be. While they had good ideas, none of it held any merit. Morpheus really hadn’t done anything shady besides the whole ring promise thing. That was it. Feeling hungry still, I went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple to cut up.

  “Best option is to keep with our plan and wait it out. You can guard her in her dreams, and we can protect her during the day.” Orion gave it to us straight and Leander agreed with him. Tristan was not the strategist in our crew. He was just the most powerful. Lacey was there for whatever support we needed her for, and I was thankful for that. She was still smiles and happiness, something we could use around to keep morale up. When our talk had come to an end, Orion retreated to his room, and Leander went to the kitchen.

  “So I was thinking…We need to get this place ready for some babies, right? How about we send the boys out to get baby stuff, and we can start decorating?” Lacey moved to sit next to me and wrapped her arm around mine. Baby stuff? I smiled, that was exactly what I needed.

  “I think it’s a great idea, but I doubt they would leave us.” I countered.

  “We have the hunter to protect us, plus the dog. They won’t be gone long. What do you boys think?” She looked at Tristan and the food-stuffed face of Leander. My eyes were focused on Tristan’s. I could see that he didn’t want to leave me, but he also did want to do this.

  “Okay.” A computer appeared in front of us with a baby store’s website pulled up on the screen.

  “Make a list of what you would like, and we will get it.” He was smiling and I leapt into his arms. I needed this so much. Pulling back, I looked at him with a question on my mind.

  “Don’t you want to help pick out stuff?” He chuckled.

  “Not my area, love. You will spoil our children and I will love it no matter what you choose.” This man, my wonderful man. My lips attacked his and when we pulled apart I felt lighter.

  Lacey and I jumped towards the computer and looked through every page of items. There was so much! About an hour later I had made up a registry for the boys to use, along with a list of some other items we were going to need. They were going to need to make a few trips.

  After they left, Orion came out into the room and was messing with his bow again. I looked over a few times, finally realizing he was subtly carving it. An artist was hidden in that mind of his. Interesting.

  Lacey and I amused ourselves by watching funny videos on the internet, something normal people did. Everyone loved a good set of cat videos.

  I heard commotion in the direction of our room and got up to check it out. Orion and Lacey went with me, just in case. I figured it was just Tristan and Leander but I was thankful I had back up.

  When I cautiously entered our room, I saw that the boys had dropped off stuff, and probably went back for more. It made my heart sing to see all the baby things sitting in a corner around our room. Nothing big yet, just a few bags and what looked 2 boxes containing a swing.

  “I’m so excited!”

  Lacey hugged me and Orion was quiet.

  “Two swings? You’re having twins?” he finally whispered behind us. Oh, crap. Turning around to look at him, he moved his gaze from the baby stuff to my belly. Double crap. We hadn’t told him yet.

  “Yeah, a boy and a girl.” I offered him a smile, but he just turned on his heel and walked away. My feet were moving before I even knew it; I had to talk to him. He had done a lot for us since he showed up, and we’ve known for a little while now that he could be trusted. But still, we hadn’t trusted him with the truth of the babies. That had to sting. I chased him down as he stalked back to his room.

  “Orion wait!” He didn’t stop but just sat down on his bed with his hands covering his face. Hurt was rolling off him in waves.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. With everything that had happened between us, we weren’t sure if you could be trusted at the time. We trust you now! Obviously with my life. We have just been so occupied with everything that we didn’t realize you still didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” I kneeled down in front of him, with glistening eyes. I’m not sure when he had become important to me, but in this moment I realized he truly was. He had risked his life to save my family, including Tristan, and he was protecting us still. He still had his hands over his face, not uttering a sound. My hand reached out and touched his knee. He looked down at my touch then dropped his hands.

  “I’m sorry for all I put you two through. I truly believed we had a chance, that you were meant to be mine. You’re having twins. I understand you mistrusting me. I deserve it. I stopped this from happening so long ago by being selfish. I’ve caused you pain.” He was hurting very badly from this. He wasn’t even mad at us that we kept this secret from him. No, he was beating himself up for the past.

  “It’s ok. We’re ok. I’m having twins! You have absolved your sins of the past, as far as I’m concerned. Watching over and protecting the children will clean any slate.” His golden eyes looked into mine, wanting to see that absolution. I hoped it showed through. He simply nodded and stood, helping me up in the process.

  “If there is anything else I can do, please ask. I may have earned your forgiveness, but I haven’t earned mine.” He kept hold of my hand and walked us back out towards the living room. Lacey was sitting there, waiting for us. She looked at me and I nodded, reassuring her.

  “So, I was thinking about popping in a movie and relaxing. Soon, the babies will be here and you won’t get to relax as much.” She smiled, and I agreed. Orion helped me sit down, and went back to working on his bow. I would have to check out his work later. Lacey got a movie rolling and we all sat and relaxed until someone knocked on the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tristan

  Something wasn’t right. I grabbed a few more bags, then just used my powers to transport the rest of the stuff to our bedroom in the underworld.

  When we arrived, everyone was sitting on the couch, looking towards the door.

  Someone was knocking. Odd.

  I could sense that whoever it was had no ill will in coming here, but they did have immense power.

  Without a word to Thalia or anyone else, I walked over to the door and opened it.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Just let me in. You know I don’t like being down here.” She walked in without me actually giving her permission. Sometimes I wish Gods were like vampires and you had to invite them in first. Although in my many years of existence I guess at some point I probably had let her in.

  “What are you doing here, Isis?” Her black hair was covered by a hooded dress.

  “I’m not here to fight. Osiris doesn’t even know I’m here right now. I want to see her.” She looked towards Thalia and let out a sigh of relief.

  “I don’t think so.” I crossed my arms over my chest. She was with the enemy right now, fat chance I was letting her get near my Thalia right now.

  “I’m not here to hurt her or the babies. I swear, I just have to see them.” By them she meant the babies. When Isis
swore, she was unable to break it. I nodded and walked over to Thalia first.

  “She isn’t here to hurt us.” I let everyone know, but Orion and Leander were ready to strike should we need it.

  “I’m sorry this is happening to you, dear. I am not afraid like the others are. Children are a blessing, to anyone. And it’s been so long since we have had new children in our lines.” She was right about that. The Greek were still at it, having children with mortals, but the Egyptian lines were closed off. No one was shacking up with anyone and hadn’t since the ancient times. We were all that was left. It was something that I hadn’t thought about until now. The thought made me even more excited for what was to come.

  “I know you feel it now; this is a big deal. One that they should not be fighting, but rather celebrating.” She inched closer to us, her eyes staying on me but her body moving slowly to Thalia’s stomach. I wasn’t sure what she wanted here, and I felt Thalia’s unease, along with all the others.

  “May I touch you, child?” She kneeled down before Thalia, whose eyes swung to me for an answer. I wanted to say no, but Isis wouldn’t risk coming here if there wasn’t a reason. I nodded, letting her know it was all right. At least I hoped it would be, but she didn’t need to know that.

  We all watched, ready to fight, as Isis raised her hands and placed them on Thalia’s belly.

  “Oh, my.” She murmured and I couldn’t tell if that was a good oh my, or a bad oh my.

  “This is most definitely a blessing.” She moved her hands over Thalia’s belly like she was touched the babies themselves.

  “They are,” I confirmed, even without knowing what she was seeing or feeling from them.

  “The boy. So strong, and smart. Like you as a boy.” She looked at me and smiled. Feeling of nostalgia hit me, thinking about how she raised me once my mother cast me out.

  “And the girl. She is fierce, and sweet. Like the both of you.” She pulled back her hands and touched her face in awe. When she started to stand and walk towards the door, we all looked at each other, not knowing what to do in this situation.

  “I will speak them, and try to influence their actions. The children should not be feared.” I could see the start of tears forming in her eyes. She had been moved in some way. I wished I knew what just happened here. She looked at me, and then back at Thalia.

  “I really hope that when they are born you will let me hold little Ren and Callista.” She smiled and then let herself out. Jaws dropped all around the room. How were we even supposed to respond to that? No one had uttered those names aloud except Thalia and I, to each other. The only way she would know is if… the thought hit me like lightning.

  “They spoke to her.” My voice was barely above a whisper. Everyone’s eyes all flew to mine.

  “They what?”

  “Isis is the goddess of motherhood, hence why she could feel you being pregnant just by being around you. She talked with them.” I looked towards her belly and almost couldn’t believe it myself. Even in the world as I knew it, I hadn’t seen Isis do that. But I also never cared to pay attention. Maybe she could do that with every child. I sat next to Thalia, and she curled herself into my arms. Silence settled over our group for a while as we let Isis’s appearance digest.

  “There’s hope.” Orion was the first to speak, and then Leander agreed.

  “If she succeeds, then we are free.”

  Leander’s words hung over our heads until we parted ways to go to sleep. Thalia’s mind was on autopilot right now, and there wasn’t anything I could do. There was no promise I could make that Isis’s plan would work. We had to have faith that even if it didn’t, that our plan would. When she went quietly to take a shower, I joined her and together we washed each other’s bodies. It was the only supportive thing I could do for her right now. Take care of her, and be there for her in any way I could. I had so many powers right at my fingertips, but I couldn’t do one damn thing for her besides hold her hand, and tell her everything was going to be okay. And that’s what I did.

  As soon as we were dried and in bed, I held onto her while she cried.

  Her soul was being torn in multiple directions. She was scared, she had hope, and she felt bad for being upset. I whispered my love to her, and told her thoughts I had while shopping for the babies. I could see the babies relaxing in a few of the outfits she picked. I told her I grabbed a few rocker; looking outfits for them. Couldn’t be all pink and blue shit. Had to have some of my dark flair, too. She started to smile, the more I talked about the things I got, and the stuff that was rolling through my head at the time.

  She fell asleep easily after talking her down from crying. Looking at her face in the muted light shining from the balcony reminded me of her first life with me. The first time we made love was in this room, with the same light shining through the window. She was still so beautiful. It was like time never left us. She was the same in every way.

  I pressed a kiss to her forehead when an idea hit me. It could give her a temporary break from her own mind. Feeling like I had a chance at making a difference in her mental state, I closed my eyes and set my plan into motion.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thalia

  One minute I was sitting by the Nile, then I blinked and was surrounded by over a hundred people. What in the world? I looked around and noticed we were by a very large castle, and there seemed to be a ball happening in the courtyard.

  “Welcome to Ashford Castle in Ireland, love.” Tristan’s voice from behind me gave me shivers down my spine. He was up to something. I turned to look at him, and felt the weight of material around my feet. Looking down, I saw I wasn’t wearing what I went to bed in, but rather I was wearing an ornate, floor-length green dress, with long sleeves. I looked like something out of an old Robin Hood movie. The only thing missing was my large belly, but I knew it was only a dream.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked, finally looking back up to see him dressed in an outfit fitting that time era. All black, his favorite color to wear. He was very handsome in it, too.

  “My lady, we are here to dance.” He held out his hand, gesturing that I should take it, and accept his request to dance. I curtsied like I had seen women do in the movies, and placed my hand in his, all while holding back from giggling. He led us out to where the people were dancing in sync on the stone floor.

  “Tristan, I don’t know how to do this dance.” I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, or him. He smiled, and started to move us. I followed along and before I knew it we were dancing like everyone else.

  “I want to take you through some of my favorite times in history, times that you missed. There were many moments I wished I could have shared with you. Would you live them with me in your dreams? Give me back those moments?” With those words, I swore my heart was going to burst.

  “Of course.” I was totally about to cry. This was by far the most romantic proposal I had ever heard of. My answer made happiness and love bloom in his sou, l and I sent it right back to him. We were going to have the night of our lives, and take back some of the time that was stolen from us.

  He told me that he used to watch the people dance and enjoy their celebrations, which was part of his domain, a form of ritual. Ireland was peaceful at this time. No war, everyone just enjoying their life. A simple life. We laughed and smiled while using the words of that time. He called me my lady, and I called him sir. We tried speaking with Irish accents, but I failed miserably; he, of course, was flawless at it. Tristan with an Irish accent was pretty hot. When the ball was starting to wind down, Tristan gripped my hand and asked if I was ready for the next adventure.

  I closed my eyes so when we arrived at our next destination in time I would be surprised.

  When I heard a different background noise than the ball we were both at, I opened my eyes to see a woman with a long cigarette hanging from her mouth. Jazz music was playing in the background. It looked like we were in the Twenties. I once dressed up as a flapper for Halloween when
I was 10. Looking down, I saw I was wearing a gold flapper dress. Tristan was wearing a casual tan suit. He looked amazingly sexy.

  His hair was slicked back and his eyes were looking over me with heat in them. I did a little shimmy to make my dress flap around, which made me giggle.

  “This was a fun time. A little bit of rebellious fun never hurt anyone.” He winked at me and led us over to a table. A waitress took our order for drinks and together we just relaxed and watched the singer give it her best on the small stage with a little band.

  “I always thought this time looked cool. What were you doing then?”

  “I’ll show you.” He winked at me and then nodded towards the woman on the stage. I followed his gaze to see she winked at him with a smile. I vaguely heard his chair scrape across the floor, before I saw his figure moving towards the stage. What was he doing?

  The singer ended her song, and the small band went quiet. Tristan switched positions with the pianist and then started to play a sweet melody.

  The singer started to hum, and then sing softly.

  Tristan was playing the piano. I never knew he could! There were still so many things I didn’t know about him. All these years, he probably had so many stories, and talents that I had yet to figure out. My mind was completely enraptured by watching his fingers glide over the keys, his eyes closed, getting lost in the song. He was so beautiful. There were so many sides of him I couldn’t wait to unlock and explore.

  Right then I knew, we were going to win this fight. There wasn’t another option for us. Tristan and I were going to live forever, with our children, and do things like this. Play in the dream world. Live out the years exploring, learning new things. One day we will look back, recall these memories, and smile.

  Hope, love, and determination filled my soul. I knew when Tristan felt it because his eyes opened and found mine. I could see in his gaze that he was with me. We were in it together. A promise to fight for a future. He finished the song out slowly, then thanked the singer and pianist for letting him take over.