by M. W. Muse
“What else?”
“What?” he asked puzzled.
“What else don’t I know that you know that I should know?” She wondered if her convoluted question made sense to him, but it was obvious that it did.
“Umm,” he started, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m sure you’re most curious about your family, but I’m not sure about anything on that. After I found out about the prophecy, I tried to do some research. I haven’t really come up with anything yet.” But it was obvious he wasn’t being completely forthcoming.
“You know something?” she accused.
“I only know pieces. I haven’t connected all the pieces yet, so I can’t really say what I do know. Believe me, if I did, I would tell you. You know I can’t deny you anything.”
“Please just tell me,” she said as she touched his shoulder. She knew it wasn’t fair to persuade him this way, but at this point, she didn’t care. “What about my name?”
He stared at her cautiously. She apparently hit a topic he’d already considered.
“Lissa told me Kore is another name for Persephone. And Persephone is Demeter and Zeus’s daughter. I also know that Dora is descended from Demeter, either directly of her likeness or generational. But there is no continuation of the line that I can find. Persephone only had one daughter and the line ended. At least in my online research.”
“Why are you concerned with the gods’ children?”
“Um, because I’m trying to find exactly who I am.”
“You’re Legacy. Dora’s daughter. That’s who you are.”
“But why am I like this?”
He smiled. “Ahh, now you’re thinking the way you should.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know gods can create a likeness from themselves with other gods. Demeter could have created Dora directly from herself, and then Dora could’ve created you. The question is why do this? Why create gods in the likeness of others? That’s what I’ve been digging into. You see, Dora could have created you with Zeus and it not be a sexual creation. They could have tried to recreate a god that was created before.”
“Why would they want to create a specific god when they already have that exact one?”
“To allow for a different destiny.”
“So if Demeter created Dora and Dora created me, then does that mean I’m an exact replica of Persephone?”
“That’s one theory. Another theory is that Dora is actually Demeter and you’re actually Persephone, or her likeness created by the original Demeter.”
“What?” she yelled. “I can’t actually be Persephone, I’m only seventeen!”
“You’re in your human form now, and gods don’t age the way you’re accustomed to. But looking at it from that perspective, you could be much older. I could be much older.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” She shook her head. “If they were already gods, why start over? If every new god must go through changes starting in their seventeenth year of rebirth, why agree to lose that power in the first place, much less run the risk of never attaining it again?”
“To create a new destiny.” River said that once, but she was on information overload. “Whether your mom is actually Demeter or created from her and whether you were created from the original Demeter or from her creation, it really doesn’t matter. It matters why you’re here now, and me, for that matter. The only thing we need to really focus on is making it to our eighteenth birthdays. If we are original gods or new creations, that doesn’t matter now. We’ll be powerful if we make it through.”
“What are your thoughts on why I was created? I know you have to have some theories.” She couldn’t process anything to come to a conclusion herself.
“I think you were created in the likeness of Persephone, or are her. Either way, your life is like Persephone. I think you were created—”
“To stop the abduction,” she interrupted. Legacy felt the blood fall from her face.
“Yes. Demeter was devastated when Persephone was abducted and that abduction changed the course of her life. She was forced to be with Hades and live part of her life in the underworld. I’m sure she made peace with her course, but Demeter wanted better for her. I think you’re the attempt at the better life. The better destiny.”
“Where do you fit in with all this?” she asked softly.
River shook his head and looked down. “I’m not really sure. I think I was created in the likeness of one of the many gods that originally pursued Persephone before she was abducted,” he whispered.
“Because that god wanted a second chance with Persephone?”
He looked up at her with soft eyes. “Because he wanted a real chance with Persephone. What Hades did to her…that threw us all off course. I’m not saying what’s going to happen now is what the right course was to begin with. Maybe what happened to Persephone with Hades would have always happened. Maybe that was the right destiny then. But since gods can create offspring in their likeness, I can only assume one destiny isn’t always enough for them—for us.”
“But the new gods created aren’t always just like the original gods.” She remembered from what he’d told her before.
“Right, most gods do not know if a new god will have the pure abilities of the original god or if the new god will have a combination of muted powers. It helps to level out the playing field in one respect because it’s proof that the new god isn’t going to be a clone and repeat the same life as the original god. They may be created in their likeness, but they are their own entities. They don’t have to make the same mistakes they did. But that leaves us to make new ones.”
“So if my mother left me with Lissa because she was worried about me being abducted like Persephone, then she could have done that to keep me safe from Hades.”
River’s eyes turned cold. “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. He’d obviously considered this possibility. “Speaking of Lissa, I have one more thing to tell you. Because of Demeter’s association with Zeus, she had ladies-in-waiting, priestesses, if you will. They were responsible for taking care of Demeter’s needs. Whatever she needed, no matter what, they always took care of her. ‘Melissae’ was the title given to these women. Since your guardian goes by Lissa, I think it’s safe to say she works for your mother.”
She shook her head and felt tears glistening in her eyes. Lissa was never really her mother’s friend?
River put his arms around her and hugged her gently. “I’m sorry this is so hard for you,” he whispered.
She stepped away, but was still dazed.
“Legacy, please…please don’t tell anyone this information came from me.”
“Why?” she asked, staring past him to the opposite wall.
“Because of my lineage. People who know about us don’t trust my family. If they know you found out through me, they’ll try to discredit the information.”
She nodded and dabbed the tears from eyes before they could spill over. Then she looked at River. “Thank you for telling me all this. It really does mean a lot to me.”
“Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I will always be here for you.”
“So, now, do we go back to not talking about this here?”
River scrubbed his face with his palms and looked at her again. “I’d prefer that, but your needs are too important to me. At this point, I don’t really care what my mother thinks about us, but I do care what she thinks about you. Your safety is my main concern. If she knows we’re talking about this, she’d freak out. But if you need to talk to me,” he said, shaking his head, “then I’m going to talk to you. If you need me, then I’m going to be here for you, no matter what. I may not have all the answers, but I’ll give you whatever I have…always,” he whispered.
She nodded. She appreciated River for helping her and was beginning to feel like he was a true friend, though she didn’t like to think of the bond he mentioned. As long as they stayed just friends, then she could live with that. As she thought about t
hat, she realized his friendship could be something great. He worried for her safety, answered her questions, and wanted to be here for her. As long as he didn’t expect anything romantic, then she was all for his friendship, knowing he had the potential to be very special to her.
“So what do we do now?”
He looked down and reached for her hand. “We live our lives the way we want to.”
And she knew as he said those words that she could definitely do that.
Chapter Eleven
“What do you mean you have to be in the Fourth of July Parade?” Legacy asked Calli while they were testing out shades of blush at the mall.
“Our squad is doing a float, so I’ll be cheering and throwing out candy. But I still want you to come and watch. Zach’s going to be there. You can meet him,” she said and winked at Legacy.
“Fine.” She didn’t want to go and watch a parade by herself, but she was her best friend. She could suck it up for one afternoon.
“When the parade’s over, we can get a funnel cake and play some of the games until the fireworks display.”
“No, I’ll leave after the parade. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
“You don’t have to be a third wheel. You can ask Adin to come with you.” She said as she tested more blush.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Legacy, come on! You are dating Adin. There’s nothing wrong with you asking him to go with you to the Independence Day Celebration.”
“I’ll think about it.” But she really didn’t want to think about asking him out. She liked it better knowing Adin was doing all the asking at this point.
Calli wiped colors of blush on the backs of each of Legacy’s hands.
“Wow. You have one hot hand and one cold hand,” she said, amused. “Which color do you like best?”
“I was holding my iced latte in my right hand,” she explained, “and it’s a million degrees outside.” She looked at the samples. “I like the one on the left.”
Calli looked around for an attendant, so she figured this was as good a time as any to bring up yesterday’s events.
“I talked to River yesterday at work.”
“What about?” she asked, but her attention was directed elsewhere. “Excuse me, can I get these two shades, please?” she asked the girl behind the makeup counter. “I like them both.”
“About his family and my family.”
“What did he say?”
She explained to her the entire conversation. Even the details about how protective he was of her. She had paid for her products, and they were back in her car by the time she had finished with the story.
“What do you think about all that?”
“From everything we’ve learned, he makes sense.”
“It seems weird, though, that he didn’t want you telling anyone about this. I mean, I get what he said about his family, but still, you have a right to tell whoever you want.”
“I know. I don’t think he meant it that way. I just think he was worried what people would say about him.”
“People like Lissa.”
“And people like Adin.”
“Adin?” She frowned.
“Yes. Adin told me his family didn’t get along with River’s family.”
“Why? You don’t think Adin is like you and River, do you?”
“No. River called him mortal. Besides, there’s that whole prophecy thing. Apparently, gods can be destroyed, but the way River talked about Adin being the key player, he sounded as if Adin was an innocent bystander, unaware of his involvement in this. If I’m with River, then Adin can live a blissful life without me. If Adin dies, then River and I can’t be together. It doesn’t make sense to me. River thinks Adin is the link, but that that is the extent of his involvement.”
“So why does Adin’s family not like the Gorgos family?”
“I don’t know. Adin thinks they’re evil. But there are many evil people in this world that are not part of Greek god ancestry. Maybe they were wronged in some way. It’s possible since Ms. Gorgos is controlling. There’s no way Adin’s family could connect that evil behavior to her being a descendent of monsters created by Greek gods,” she said, shaking her head.
“Really? That’s the first thing I would’ve thought,” Calli teased. “So are you going to keep this from Adin?”
“I don’t want to. He came over last night after I got home from work, and I wanted to tell him. But after the way he acted the last time we’d talked about River, I think I should wait until everything makes sense to me before I try to explain it to him.”
“So when are you seeing Adin again?”
“Tomorrow. He’s taking me to his house to meet his mom. She’s finally back in town again.”
“Wow. That’s a big step.”
“Not really. I’ve already met her, but I think he wants to introduce me to her as his girlfriend. Besides, he’s already met Lissa. I mean, since we’ve started dating.”
“Your mom’s priestess,” she laughed.
She stuck her tongue out at her. “It’s not like we can put off this introduction. I have already been to his house, so I guess it is appropriate.”
“I guess you’re right. I haven’t met Zach’s parents yet, but I haven’t been to his house either. Maybe he’ll kiss you tomorrow. You know, a big, sloppy kiss.” Calli wagged her eyebrows as she pulled into Legacy’s driveway.
“He’ll do that when he’s ready. Right now, I’m really enjoying the little kisses his gives me.”
After Calli dropped her off at home, Legacy stayed inside the rest of the afternoon. The weather was hot and sticky, and the next morning, it was still just as hot and miserable. Morning time did not bring a break from the sweltering heat.
She got up and got ready for her day with Adin. She was nervous about seeing his mom, so she looked for something nice to wear that would keep her cool. She didn’t need to be sweating bullets because of the heat and nerves. She settled on a coral skirt and white top. Jeans would have been way too hot, and shorts were a little too casual to wear for this encounter. This would be the second skirt that Adin would see her in. Hopefully, he’d be able to contain his desires a little more successfully than the last time. She giggled to herself as she got dressed. She really didn’t want his mom to see him like that.
She fixed her hair in a loose up-do. If she’d left it down, it would’ve frizzed up before she even got to Adin’s house.
She slipped on some flat shoes and accessories and headed down to the living room. She heard Adin pull in the driveway and didn’t wait for him to come to get her.
She opened the door, saw his car, and stepped onto the porch. She turned to face the door to lock it since Lissa and Olive had left to run errands.
“What are you doing?” Adin said, and she jumped.
“You scared me!” She turned around, and he was walking up the porch steps.
He laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He put his arms around her waist and hugged her while watching her eyes. “You should have waited for me to come get you,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
“Don’t be silly, I heard you pull in.” She shrugged and turned back to the door to make sure it was locked.
“But it could have been someone else.”
“I saw your car. I knew it was you,” she said as she turned back to him.
“Next time, will you please wait for me to come to you if you’re here alone?” he asked, his eyes concerned. He was obviously bothered by the fact that she was home alone.
“Fine,” she conceded.
He took both her hands into his. “You look ravishing. That color is beautiful on you,” he said and bent his head down to kiss her cheek.
“Are you sure I look okay? I am in a skirt.” She laughed.
“You can wear a skirt every day. I promise, I won’t mind at all,” he said as the corners of his mouth twitched, fighting a smile.
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s g
o,” she ordered, dropping one of his hands and keeping the other.
He followed her to his car, letting her in first and then getting in the driver’s side. She leaned facing him with her knees together—the left one higher than the other since she was leaning toward her left—slanting toward the gearshift. She rested her arm casually on the middle console, so he could hold her hand if he wanted without having to reach for it on her bare legs. She wanted to make sure he didn’t have a reaction like the last time. Even though he did recover by the end of that date, she knew they didn’t have time to wait out his reaction before she would see his mother today.
Her preparations weren’t necessary. Adin didn’t grab her hand. After he pulled out of her driveway, he reached over and put his hand on her left knee. She suppressed a gasp, but she couldn’t do anything about her racing heart. Her breathing sped as she looked down at his big, strong hand resting gently on her knee. He moved it softly from side-to-side, stroking her skin, and it felt absolutely wonderful. Her leg tingled at his touch, and her mouth fell open for the air to come more easily. She was breathing much too fast at this point, unable to concentrate.
She was worried about his reaction to the skirt, but she was the one falling to pieces! She needed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He looked smug.
Smug? Fine, two could play this game.
Adin had on light tan shorts and a white shirt. His shorts were loose and longer than her skirt, almost covering his knee, but that wouldn’t stop her. She shifted slightly so that her weight was off her arm on the console.
Adin kept his eyes on the road while she set her plan into motion, but she decided she should first distract him in case he suspected her plot. She lifted her hand and stroked his arm that rested across the console to get to her knee. She kept her eyes on Adin, and he sighed at her touch, but his smug expression didn’t completely dissipate.
She rubbed his arm a few more times, and then she was ready to make her move. She slipped her hand from his arm, moved it over to his right knee, and pushed back his shorts so that her hand was on his bare leg. His shorts fell back over her hand, which was now only partly exposed. She gently stroked the inside of his thigh with her fingertips.
