by Dee King
follow him. Selene's eyes turn sharp towards me and I can feel her heart pumping through her hands. I try to reassure her that everything will be fine. She hesitantly agrees to follow her father. We follow him to his library. It's about the size of an actual library on Earth. Books, books, and
more books. Inside is another large fireplace with a water feature on each side of it. It's actually extraordinarily cool. I would want that in my house. I try not to focus on the room though. We were here for serious answers
and I needed to stay focused.
“Selene, daughter, please, sit.” He moves his hand and a chair glides across the room directly in front of her.
I hear her gasp, taking a seat in the chair. He moves one for me too, beside Selene, while he sits across from the two of us. This was like sitting in the principal's office, knowing your parents were about to be called.
Unfortunately, both of my parents weren't going to be coming to my rescue.
“Your father is with Zeus. He is answering to him for why he banished your mother. He will lie, or do what he must to keep the real reasons to himself. Your dad will be fine, but your mother, well...” His voice trails off, I already know he is about to tell me she is dead.
“Your mom is dead, son. She wanted to be free long before you came along. She wanted this. She is happy now. I promise you.”
“But, wouldn't she be in the underworld? So, I could still see her?”
“No. She went to the Island.”
“The Island?” Selene and I both question this.
“Yes, when a god or goddess dies here, they spend their eternity on the Island. It's a beautiful place. No god or goddess can go though, unless...”
“Unless, they die. Yea, I got it.” Interrupting Poseidon wasn't what I was trying to do, but I just realized that my mother is gone, forever.
No goodbye, no nothing, just one last I love you, and she is now gone.
Why would she hate my father so much that she would rather die?
“I'm sorry.” Selene whispers to me taking my hand in hers and watching my eyes.
I couldn't cry, could I? I lost my mother, but I don't even know how I feel about it at the moment.
“Your father on the other hand, will have to take a new wife in just a couple of days.”
“No!” I couldn't help myself.
I yelled. Who takes a wife in three days? What am I talking about, I am going to be married in two days and I dated Selene all of one whole week. Damn, this was crazier than I had thought.
“He will take Medusa as his wife.”
“What?” This time both Selene and I question this.
“Why?” Selene asks.
“That's his true love. She is a mortal, but when Athena turned her into, well, what she is now, that made her a migades.”
“What does all this mean? Why would he have to marry so fast? You’re not! Sorry, but you’re not. Why does Zeus have rules for my father, but not others? Plus, he told me that they did what they did for me. How could I want this?”
“He will marry because that's the rule. Zeus decided that your father would always need someone to help him in the Underworld. He didn't really have a choice on marrying your mom. Sebastian, your mother loved
you. Out of that love is the only reason why she stayed with your father. I know you don't want to hear that, but that's the truth. Medusa has always been his love, and Athena has always hated her. I'm not married because
the person I loved I couldn't be with. If I didn't take a goddess as my wife, then I couldn't marry. I think what your dad did was genius in a way. I wish I had the courage your father has sometimes.”
“Why? What about Colin's mom, why didn't you marry her?” Selene interrupted us.
“Colin's mom died after he was born.” We both look at one another in shock.
“Sebastian, Zeus will have to focus on your father, he will have to prove he still makes the rules. With that being said, Athena will lose her mind over Medusa coming here. Zeus will be left with only Alex to help him try to dissolve the two of you. That's not going to happen either, I promise.”
He has a slight smile towards Selene. She smiled back. That almost took me by surprise, then she squeezed my hand, and I knew it was because she felt like he was on our side.
“Who was Colin's mom?” Selene couldn't drop it.
“That makes no difference now. I was able to avoid the rule because of what happened. That's also why I fell in love with someone else, knowing I could never marry her and it was and is very hard.”
“Aren't you lonely?”
“No, not now.” He smiles at her.
“Okay, Cato becomes the God of the Underworld now, right?” I have to ask, I needed to know what to expect next.
“No. Not necessarily. You are still the rightful heir, but if Cato wants to challenge you, he may do so.”
“He can have it.” I turn my head away, so as not to show that I care about any of that.
“He can't just have it. That will be something the two of you will have to deal with. There will come a day when you will have to decide that. Now, did I answer all of your questions?”
I want to ask a thousand more. I decline though when I hear Selene say something.
“Where were you?”
“Do what?”
“Where the hell were you? My whole life you never cared until it was about me doing what you and Hades had decided you wanted us to do. Then you come around? I want answers for that.” She is still calm.
“I was always watching you, Selene. I know you don't believe me, but I was. I'm your father, I would never abandon you.”
“No, you would just abandon my mother and her child. Why do you care if the fates are tipped? What do you get out of it?” Now, she was getting upset.
“What do I get? I get nothing but having my daughter in my life. That's all I ever wanted.” He tries to sympathize, but he is underestimating her anger.
“No. No way. I don't buy that for one damn minute. You used me. You used us. You only had children so that you and Hades could rule here. Why?”
“That's not entirely true. Yes, we want control, but only to provide a better life for everyone.”
“Bullshit.” She lets go of my hand, folding her arms over her body.
“Selene, you believe what you want, but I did this for you.” That's exactly what my father had said to me.
Did they go to the “How to Be Perfect Fathers School” together? If that were the case, they would be failing
miserably.
“You say whatever you want, it's all lies. That's why...” Her voice trails off. I know what she wanted to say, but she refrained.
“That's why what?”
“Nothing. Can we go?” Selene is standing in front of her chair now. I stand up with her.
“You may go, but you really should ask me whatever is on your mind.” He tries to get her to stay.
“No thanks. I think I'm good.” She turns around, walking to the door of the library.
“Thank you.” Selene says nothing to her father, just waits for me by the door.
I thank him for answering my questions even though I didn't like the answers. He still gave them to me.
“That was fantastic. Just flipping fantastic.” Selene is walking so fast out of the house I can hardly hear what she is saying.
“Oh gods. I'm sorry.” She stops suddenly.
“Why?”
“Your mom. I didn't think. Gods, how stupid of me. I am sorry, Sebastian. I really am.”
“I don't know how to feel to be honest. It's kinda like being numb, but then I'm not. If that makes sense.”
“Nothing makes any sense anymore.” She shakes her head back and forth.
We both agree with one another, but then I was torn. Where do we go? I didn't want to go to my new house that Zeus built, I didn't know how to go back to the place I called home. Frankly, I felt homeless. Selene offered
for us to go to her new house.
I had to say yes because it was the only place we had at the moment. We walked inside to find Colin and Iris sitting on a small couch mumbling to one another. Selene fake coughed,
watching them split apart fast.
“Did we interrupt something?” Selene asks the two of them.
“No, we were working on the plan for the two of you.” Iris comes to hug me.
“You okay?”
“Yea...”
“Okay, well, you guys do that. We are going upstairs.”
“Wait.” Colin stops us, with Iris smiling at me.
“I won't stay the night here. I'm going home. You can have this place.”
“What?” Selene looked at me, then back to Colin.
“I have to...”
“Why?”
“Because it's the only place I have everything I need. This place, this just isn't home, ya know?”
“Yea, I do.” We all shake our heads in agreement.
This Alexandria wasn't home for any of us, especially not Selene. They leave telling us they will see us in the morning. We watch as they walk out the door, with not a
word to one another. This was already feeling like an awkward situation.
“This place is huge.” Selene speaks, her eyes looking around the room.
“Yea, but at least it looks like the one in Malibu.” I grin at her, trying to relieve some of the weirdness of us being on Mount Olympus and her new home.
“I'm tired.” She stretches her arms above her head, with a yawn that you can see straight into her mouth.
“Okay. I will sleep... um, out here, if that's alright.”
“No.” I search her face for why she said no.
“You stay with me. I don't want to be alone, in this.. this place.”
“Okay.” She takes my hand in hers, by my surprise, leading me around the house.
I shouldn't be nervous. We have spent the last week or so sleeping in the same room together, but this felt different. We make it to the end of the house where we find there are two wings to the house. If we were in Malibu we would go straight to her room, but this wasn't exactly the same house now that we were here.
“Which way do I go?” She stops, looking down both hallways.
“Let's look around.” I offer. We walk hand in hand down the wing that she
would usually use if we were in Malibu. This wasn't bedrooms. They were like large living rooms. Not one of them had a bed in the rooms. They each had furniture, but not one single bed. We walk down the other hall,
and still not a single bed. Rooms filled with clothes, beautiful old furniture, books, a couple of bathrooms, but not a bed.
“Is this a joke?” She finally speaks up.
“Are there any more rooms?”
“I don't know. I guess we should go look.” Together, back down the hall we went in a search for a bed in this place.
We found the kitchen, another sitting room, a room filled with surfboards, and yet, not a bedroom. She was starting to get upset and I didn't blame her.
“Where in the hell am I supposed to sleep?” Her hands on her hips, she was angry.
This was Zeus's way of telling her, we wouldn't be sleeping together in this house.
“We can go to my place, I guess.” I didn't really want that, but after touring the house, even I was beginning to grow tired.
“Yea, okay.” She was hesitant also, but we didn't really have any other option.
“Wait, you should take some clothes.”
“Yea, I should. Be right back.” She runs down the hall, coming back with her arms full of clothes, shoes dangling out of one arm, something else I couldn't make out, and announced goodbye and good riddance to this place.
We leave her home, walking down the newly gold streets, to my house. I was really hoping Cato wouldn't be here, but I wasn't so lucky.
“Hey.” Cato is sitting on a couch, fiddling around with a guitar.
“Yea, were going to bed.” Selene waves goodnight, I don't.
We make it up the stairs, this time I had a feeling I knew where a bedroom was in the house. This was set up like my father's house. I take her down the left wing of the house, and I knew he would do this. I find a bedroom, the same room my mother had in my father's home. Zeus was a sick bastard in ways. Making sure I felt uncomfortable in my home. I walk back out of the room, and we take the right wing. There were two bedrooms in this house and I assume we just walked into Cato's.
There are only two rooms in this place. I'm taking the bedroom in the right wing of the house. You can have the one on the left.
Um, okay. I cut the conversation with Cato short, walking into the bedroom.
It's black and red. Go figure. Red walls and everything else was covered black. Black four poster bed, black bedding, and black oversized furniture. This had to be one of the darkest rooms in the house. Zeus wanted to play games with my mind and I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of thinking he had already beaten me.
Chapter Seventeen
Jealousy becomes her
“Well, isn't this cozy?” Selene drops her stuff on the only couch in the room, taking a seat beside her clothes.
“He is a twisted freak.” I grab at the black bedding, showing her that there was too much black in the room.
“He obviously doesn't know you as well as he thinks he does. Look, we only have a couple of days, then this is all over.” She had a point.
I only had to last a little bit longer, and then we were on our own, wherever we wanted to be. Here was the tricky part, getting undressed. I offer to step
out of the room, letting her dress for bed, but she declines.
“Don't leave me. Just turn your back.” She smiles at me and I can feel my face flush.
I do what she asks, turning slowly, promising not to peek. Even though parts of my body were really wishing I hadn't promised that, I didn't look. She says she is all done and I see her crawling into the bed. I look down. I can't sleep in a suit. I start undressing as her eyes follow me.
I felt odd. I had undressed numerous times in front of girls, but with Selene, it was different. I guess I wanted her to find me beautiful in a way.
I leave my boxer shorts on, crawling into the bed with her.
“You’re gorgeous.” Selene whispers in my ear.
“You’re gorgeous.” I roll my body over to see her.
“Sebastian...”
“Yea...”
“Soon, we will be married. Are you really ready for that?”
I didn't know if she was asking me because she wasn't or if she wanted to make sure I was ready to be married. Either way the answer was yes.
“Yes. Are you?” She lays still, our bodies touching, with her hands underneath her chin.
“Yes. I think that all this just makes me happy that I have you.” Her answer shocked me.
“Are you okay? I mean about your mom?” Her hands find mine, folded under the blanket.
“I still don't know. It seems strange to not have her here, but then again, I hadn't seen her in four years. I was mad at her for never coming to see me, but I understand why now.” I look into her beautiful baby blue eyes.
“I promise I will never leave you.” She snuggles up to my chest.
Wrapping my arms around her, feeling her warm body close to mine, makes me feel at ease.
“Nor will I ever leave you...”
“I love you, Sebastian.” I can feel her body become relaxed, easing herself into sleep.
In my arms, where I find comfort, is where she seems to find comfort as well. I let myself drift off to sleep, repeating the day’s events in my head and dream of marrying my love, my Charming Selene. We wake up to no sunlight, no loud noises, just us. Waking up in each
other's arms is like waking up to the best day of your life and knowing you will get to do this every single day. How could someone love another so much? I didn't know, but my heart hurt anytime I thought I might lose Selene. I hold her tighter with that thought racing
through my mind. I would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe and felt loved. She stretches out her body that I am holding tightly, looking over at me. Her eyes glisten as they do every day, and for a moment, I feel mesmerized in
her.
“Stop.” She giggles to herself.
