Love or Fate

by Clea Hantman

  We both held on tight. And the raft rose once again on the crest of the wave. We spluttered and coughed and tried to get the hair out of our eyes. As soon as we did, another wave came, and we rose and fell once again. A familiar feeling came over me—that rise and fall, the raft balancing itself on the wave, trying to stay upright. It reminded me of…of…

  “I have an idea!” I cried. “Stand up, hurry!”

  “Stand up?” he asked.

  “Just do it. I’m going to surf us to safety! We’re going to hang twenty!”

  “You don’t know how to surf, Thalia!” cried Dylan.

  “I’ve seen them do it on TV a million times. I’m addicted to those surf shows on ESPN. It’s a lot like skateboarding. We just have to find the center and go with it.”

  We fell a couple of times, trying to get our balance. I even went tumbling into the water once, but Dylan grabbed me by the back of my shirt and pulled me back on. Finally, just as a giant wave poured in underneath us, we found our balance and we were off. I masterfully surfed the wild waves, breaking left, then right. I caught a superclean peaky swell and then went big for some straight air.

  I could hear my sisters’ faint cheers as I managed the mad conditions. I went off the wall and into a front-side 360. There was a swell from the northwest, and I just blitzed on through.

  Dylan wrapped his hands around my waist and held me tight. “You’re brilliant!” he exclaimed.

  Then suddenly the waves stopped. The air went still. We fell off balance and both landed with a thud on the board, not quite toppling into the water. Around us the storm raged. It was too dark and wild to see Polly and Era anymore. But somehow our little area was perfectly still.

  “We’re in the eye of the storm,” Dylan said.

  We sat in stunned silence. It was almost, well, beautiful.

  “We may not get out of here,” Dylan whispered. He looked deep into my eyes.

  For some crazy reason, despite the fact that our lives were seriously in danger, him looking at me like that made me realize how truly horrid I must appear. I’d been slimed and gooed and drowned; I’d cleaned pit stains and popped zits and lanced boils. But then Dylan went on, and I forgot to worry.

  “So I have to say this now. I have to confess something.” He leaned in close then. I could feel his breath on my face. This was a dream; we were just floating. And then he whispered, “It’s me, Apollo.”

  I nearly fell off the board. Then I nearly pushed him off the board. “What do you mean, ‘it’s me, Apollo’?”

  “It’s me, Thalia. It’s always been me.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” It was. It was crazy. Unbelievable. But even so, I swelled with embarrassment. What did he mean? I could feel my face getting hot despite the chill of the water. I knew I had to be three shades of pink.

  Just then the wind picked up and the waves grew stronger. We were coming out of the eye of the storm with a vengeance. Dylan, I mean Apollo, I mean we climbed back to crouching positions as the waves swelled to fifteen, twenty feet. We could barely hang on. I kicked the nose of the board up in the air and slammed it down on the top of a gigantic wave.

  I steered us right and left and we fell down the side of an enormous wave, only to land flat on a smooth swell, just yards from dry land.

  And then we were thrown into the water, just inches from each other.

  The first thing I heard when I resurfaced was the sound of my sisters cheering. We reunited a few feet from shore—all of us, standing ankle deep in the water. Dylan and I were soaked to the bone.

  “Dylan, is that really you?” Era squealed after a tight embrace.

  He opened his mouth to reply, but there was no time. Behind us the water was…it was turning solid, right before our eyes. The storm had stopped, and we could see, on the opposite shore, that Hera and the Furies were taking their first tentative steps onto the ice. They had frozen the river, and they were coming for us.

  We turned toward the gaping black hole that swirled before us. It was the blob I’d seen from the other side. It was dark and deep and unknowable. It would lead us somewhere, but where? Back to earth? Back home?

  There was only one thing we knew. That it would take us out of here. And it would take us out together.

  “I don’t think we have a choice,” Polly said.

  “No,” Era agreed. “We don’t.”

  “I love you guys,” I said. I looked at both of my sisters, and for the first time I noticed there was something different about them. Something had changed since we’d left Olympus, what seemed like so long ago. They had a strength about them now, both of them. It reminded me of someone. And after a second I realized who. It reminded me of our mother.

  The four of us gathered in a giant hug.

  “I think we can only go one at a time,” Era said, clearing her throat and looking down at her timepiece. A few measly grains remained. “So I guess I’ll go first.” We hugged tightly one more time. Era’s eyes were filled with tears. She took a step into the darkness, and then she was gone.

  Polly was next. She threw a hurried glance across the water, where Hera and the Furies were now picking up speed. Then she smiled at me and stepped into the blackness.

  Only Dylan and I were left. “You go, Dylan,” I said, giving him a gentle shove toward the hole.

  Our eyes met then. His were filled with warmth. They knew me so well.

  And I knew it then—Dylan was Apollo. I didn’t know how or why, but I knew he’d been telling the truth. In fact, I wondered how I hadn’t seen it before—I could see Apollo underneath his skin, through his eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and I could smell Apollo. I squeezed him tight, so tight, I thought he might disappear, but he squeezed back gently. “Apollo,” I whispered. “I’m so glad.”

  He whispered back into my ear, “So you’re not angry with me?”

  “No, never, never again. And you’re not angry with me?”

  “Never, ever again. You’ll be right behind me?” he asked, gazing for a moment over the water. He smiled at the sight.

  Hera had slipped on the ice, and all three Furies, Meg, Alek, and Tizzie, were struggling to pull her back up. Another yank and all three went down with a plop!

  We both laughed. “I promise, I’ll be right behind you.”

  With one last squeeze of my hand, Apollo disappeared into the blackness of the hole.

  And this time I kept my promise. I followed him.

  TWENTY-TWO

  The throne room was still just as cold as I remembered. We still had to kneel. Polly’s hair was, indeed, looking even more smooshed than it had the last time we’d knelt here, what seemed like an eternity ago.

  Hera and Daddy were arguing. We couldn’t hear what they were saying. But something was different—I could tell by the tone of their voices. Hera was yelling, but Daddy wasn’t stammering or begging or pleading. He was sitting tall. He was speaking calmly. He was acting a bit like the old daddy, the one who was in charge.

  And looking at my sisters, I saw things were different with them, too. Era, though she did still look worse for wear, wasn’t trembling. Polly didn’t appear to be angry or nervous. She was actually smiling at me. Not a joyful smile, for we didn’t know what was to become of us. But a solid, sisterly smile. A smile that said she would stand by me, by us, and even by her own self, no matter what.

  We’d been separated as soon as we’d landed. With a thud, again. In the marble foyer of our home, thank goddess. The one place where we’d wanted most to be.

  My lady-in-waiting, Lenora, had taken us to our rooms to wait for Daddy. He was on his way home from Ibiza, where Hera had left him and then later summoned him back to the palace. Apollo had been allowed to go, and with a nervous look in my direction, he’d taken his leave.

  Now here we knelt, unable to run to our father to hug him. Awaiting our punishment. Again.

  “I am taking care of this in the way I see fit,” Daddy finally boomed. Hera stiffened and shut her mouth, glari
ng at us as he straightened up in his throne and cleared his throat.

  “Polly, Era, Thalia, please rise,” he said. He looked very serious.

  “Hera has been updating me on your recent escapades. I am to understand that in addition to using magic, you have caused great chaos on earth and in the underworld, thwarting the rules of Tartarus as well as those of your stepmother herself. Is this true?”

  I took a tiny step forward. “Yes, Daddy, but—”

  “No buts, young lady, let me finish.”

  “You, Polly, you insulted Hera with your words and your actions, not only for the sake of your sisters but simply for yourself, because you wanted to. It was you, in fact, who led your sisters out of their, er, quarters in the end. Is this true?”

  Polly hung her head. “Yes, Daddy.”

  Hera grinned with satisfaction. I wanted to wipe it off her face.

  “And you, Era. You are the one, in fact, who led your sisters out of the maze and convinced the pygmy to let you through the wall. Is that so? Hmmm?”

  Era looked like she was going to start crying, but then she swallowed hard and straightened her spine. “Yes, Daddy.” Hera snorted under her breath.

  Finally Daddy’s eyes rested on me. I hung my head and waited for the worst.

  “And you, Thalia. You goaded your sisters into escape. It was so important to you that they get out of their punishment, you were willing to risk life and limb to help them do it. Is that so?”

  I looked up and met Daddy’s eyes. His were filled with the utmost seriousness. There was no point in arguing. He was right. I had to take responsibility for what I’d done.

  “Yes, Daddy.” Hera began to cackle, actually cackle, with no attempt to hide it from Daddy or anyone else. But then Daddy did something I would never have expected. He turned to Hera and with a roar that shook the entire hall said, “Be quiet!”

  Hera looked at Daddy like he had three heads. Her mouth opened and closed like the mouth of a fish gasping for water.

  Daddy softened a little, added a “my dear,” and patted her on the knee. But Hera was speechless as he turned back to us.

  He surveyed my sisters and me a moment longer. From me to Polly to Era and back to me. He nodded solemnly. And then, just like that, his mouth widened into a smile.

  “I am so proud of you,” he whispered.

  Then he opened his arms wide, and in another second my sisters and I were locked in his warm embrace.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Daddy said we’d completed our challenges. I guess that must have been obvious to you, but to us, it was a big surprise. We’d done it when we’d least expected it.

  Polly had stood up for herself—she’d done what she wanted to do for once instead of just meddling. She’d told Hera off and told her off good, expressing things she’d been keeping in forever—and not for anyone but herself.

  Era had taken charge. When Polly and I had wanted her to simply follow along behind us, she’d stood firm, telling us she knew which way to go in the maze and sticking by it. She’d even saved us with her survival skills, building a fire for that gnome, I mean pygmy.

  And I—I guess I had finally learned to put others before myself. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but pushing my sisters into that river, knowing that it meant I’d be left behind in Hades—I guess it was the most unselfish thing I’d ever done.

  It’s funny how things work out. I guess it’s the Fates, constantly playing with us. We think things will go one way, and then they go completely the other. I mentioned this to Era, but she doesn’t agree. She said it was love, not the Fates, that got us where we are now. Apollo’s love. Our love for each other. Sometimes I’m amazed at how wise she can sound.

  One thing we do know is that now that we’ve learned our lessons, we’ll never unlearn them. I can just see it—when I look at my sisters and when I take a good look at myself.

  Anyway, since we did complete our challenges, Daddy managed to keep us out of Tartarus for good. Gods’ laws can’t be broken, but they can be bent a little, I guess. Hera, of course, was outraged. She took off the next morning for a private retreat in the Atlantian mountains, and I haven’t seen her since. I’m sure she’ll be back, but when she does return, I think I’ll be able to handle it.

  The same morning she left, the morning after we’d arrived, I emerged from my room, still tired, quietly so as not to wake my sisters. All six of our siblings had insisted on staying up all night and listening to the tales Polly, Era, and I had to tell of earth, and Hades, and how the Furies had tricked us and tormented us and how Apollo had come to earth disguised as Dylan just to rescue us.

  Speaking of which, that was the reason I was up so early. I couldn’t wait to see Apollo. We had so much to talk about. Maybe now that I had my powers back, I’d just wiggle my nose and pop myself over to his—

  “Thalia.”

  I practically jumped out of my skin. There, in our plush foyer, the one with velvety curtains and golden columns and carpet six inches deep, was Apollo. He even looked like Apollo now. It kind of took my breath away.

  “I was just coming to see you,” I said, but before I had a chance to finish my sentence, he had grabbed my hand and gently pulled me toward him. It made my knees go weak. I was now staring straight into his eyes.

  “I’m way ahead of you,” he whispered, staring back at me. “I came because I have a question for you.”

  I pulled back a little and smiled. There was Apollo’s mischievous grin that I loved so much—I couldn’t believe he was in front of me. “A question?” I asked.

  “I know you have a lot to do today, getting caught up with your sisters and all of that, but I was wondering if afterward, tonight…you might…want to have dinner?”

  “Dinner?” I asked.

  “Yes, dinner.” And then he dropped to one knee and took my hand. “Thalia, would you do me the pleasure and the honor of going out on a date with me?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, his eyes sparkling. “It would be our first official date, you know.”

  I began to smile. My first purely happy smile in who knows how long. “I’d love to,” I responded.

  Then he snapped back up, and I felt it. That toe-tingling feeling. That feeling I might actually faint. I knew what was coming next.

  And then, just like that, he kissed me.

  And I kissed him right back.

  About the Author

  Clea Hantman has written for and about teens since she was one herself. She’s worked on teen marketing campaigns for companies such as Ticketmaster, Wet Seal, Contempo, Skinmarket, and Dawls. She’s written for Sweetie and Phoebe (retailer Wet Seal’s magazines) and Transworld publications like Skateboarding and Warp…and she’s been written about in Seventeen, YM, and Wired. In addition, Clea is a Cancer who collects lunch boxes and likes to boogie.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  Credits

  Cover illustration © 2002 by Lizzy Bromley

  Cover photograph © 2002 by Barry Marcus

  Cover design by Marci Senders

  Cover © 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  Copyright

  GODDESSES #4: LOVE OR FATE. Copyright © 2002 by 17th Street Productions, an Alloy, Inc. company, and Clea Hantman. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Adobe Digital Edition May 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-195429-0

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  * His name’s really Charon, but everybody calls him Charo for short. He’s the old ferryman who takes the dead into Hades on his boat.

  * The thing Polly didn’t want me to say was Tartarus. It is the worst, deepest, darkest part of Hades, and Hera has threatened to send us there more than once. It’s where the wicked spend all eternity, and it’s filled with the worst offenders—the evilest, trickiest gods and mortals. That, and the overflow from Hades central.

  * She’s known as The Lady of Wild Things, a hunter and an adventurer. She has the same gorgeous features Apollo has—the golden skin, the straight nose, the rosy lips, and the long fluttering eyelashes. She also, like her twin, has traveled the world in search of excitement and wonder—but she is far more serious than her wisecracking brother.