Protogenesis: Before the Beginning

by Alysia Helming

  “It’s been four days and you just now noticed?” Ever says, frustrated. My heart goes out to him. I mean, it’s a little sad that his dad didn’t care enough to notice before now.

  “Oh, believe me, I noticed.” Georgios chuckles.

  Georgios’s intense blue eyes sear into me. “No more lies or games. Give me the Catalyst.”

  How does Sarantos know about the Catalyst? He doesn’t know about Gaea…or does he? Something is going on here. Janus must have spilled the beans. I turn to him, my tone accusatory. “Janus, you weren’t supposed to tell anyone about this! You said it yourself. What about Prometheus?!”

  “What about him?” Georgios interrupts, his voice firm, his smile intense as his brilliant blue eyes bore into mine as if he’s mocking me. This isn’t funny. Why is he acting like this?

  Janus turns towards me, also smiling, but in a strained, ridiculous way. Very uncharacteristic of him. But then I discover why.

  “Helene, I’d like to introduce you to…Prometheus.”

  My mouth falls open in amazement. “My God,” I whisper. “But…but…” I stammer, not finding the words to say. According to the myths, Prometheus was supposed to have died after being tortured by Zeus in punishment for bringing the gift of fire to mankind. He was a thorn in Zeus’s side then and apparently still is now.

  Ever draws in his breath. “No,” he whispers. He stares at his dad in shock, eyes wide and his mouth gaping open.

  Sarantos grins as he pinches out one of his contact lenses. His eyes are a deep violet, much darker than the bright purple eyes of Janus and the other gods. “Yes, that’s literally true. I am a god.”

  Ever stares down at his hands in greater shock than before. I’m afraid that he’s going to faint.

  Georgios pops the blue lens back into his eye and holds out his hand. “The Catalyst?”

  I sigh as Ever and I exchange glances. In many ways, it will be a huge relief to no longer be responsible for hiding it, but then it dawns on me that this may be my only bargaining chip. If it’s true that he’s Prometheus, then he must know where my mom is.

  Of course, I know this is wishful thinking. It’s also possible that no one knows where Mom is. The Catalyst wasn’t supposed to self-destruct like that. It’s possible that my mom is gone…and this time for good. The surge of emotions I feel at this threaten to overwhelm me. But I must be strong. There’s still hope.

  “First, tell me where my mom is!” I demand.

  Georgios smiles defiantly at me. “That’s easy.” He points to the door to the Tranquility Room. “She’s resting in there.”

  What?! Insane relief courses through me as I rush over and throw the door open. My mother lies asleep on a plush bed, safe and recovering. A tube of the now-familiar glowing purple liquid flows into her body from an IV. I praise God, the heavens, the universe, and the Aether…anyone who will listen. Thank you!

  As I reenter the room, Sarantos once again extends his hand to me. “Give me the Catalyst…now.”

  I nod to Ever, who pulls the device out of what remains of my tattered backpack, then hands it to his father.

  For a moment, Sarantos is quiet as he attempts to bring the Catalyst to life. The room is totally silent, so much so that it’s like all life has frozen in its tracks.

  Sarantos screams.

  He throws the Catalyst across the room. I hear the metal crunch as it hits the wall with so much impact that it leaves a small crater where it hit.

  After Sarantos calms down, he’s still upset and seething. “Well, I sure hope that the Cat’s-Eye Gate holds because now we have no way to create a new one!”

  My mother must have come in behind us because no one realized that she was standing there until we heard her voice call out, “At least Zeus can no longer get it back. Georgios, they saved my life!”

  Sarantos shakes his head at us. Janus cowers in the corner, too upset to look at any of us, probably afraid of what he would do to us right now if he had the chance. A moment later, something catches his eye. Slowly, he makes his way across the room and begins fidgeting with the knobs on an old dusty TV set, probably some relic from the 1950s. It must have been running in the background at a low volume while we’ve been here. Janus adjusts something, and the sound comes to life.

  I see an image on the screen that makes my heart lurch. It’s a young boy spewing up blood. His body is sickly white, marred by a vast web of tiny red veins, as if out of a horror movie.

  A look of dramatic concern sweeps across the faces of Janus, Georgios, and my mother. The news anchor appears quite dire as she stands in front of the Parliament in central Athens.

  “A mysterious illness has been officially identified in Athens, and with many victims hospitalized, concern is growing that this disease has the potential to become a pandemic. As the outbreak was only first identified a few weeks ago, the mortality rate is still unknown; however, as of this morning, seventeen people have died.

  The world is on alert and carefully watching Athens for signs of the spread of this unknown illness. At the Greek government’s official request, the United States has sent the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization is here to monitor and assist.

  Some groups within Greece speculate that refugees may have brought this mystery virus here, and thus the police are on high alert against possible rioting among fringe groups.”

  Janus shakes his head, seeming particularly distraught about this news. He’s muttering something as if he’s talking to himself, but then I hear him say, “Are you hearing this?”

  My mother shakes her head and says, “The Scourge?”

  Georgios shakes his head abruptly at Janus. “No way. It can’t be.”

  What are they talking about? The Scourge. The plague that wiped out Gaea.

  My attention shifts back to the TV. An important-looking man in a white lab coat, a genetic scientist specializing in nanoparticle science from the Lawrence Livermore Labs and University of California at Davis, is speaking:

  “…particularly concerning, this virus is genetically different from anything we’ve seen before…”

  Ever’s mom is sick in the hospital. They said she had a severe case of the flu, but what if it’s this mystery virus instead? My heart aches for Ever. His face falls in agony. “Dad, Prometheus – or whoever you are – what about Mom? Does she have this virus?”

  Sarantos looks unconcerned. His voice is low. “I doubt it. She’s alive and recovering. I’m sure it’s just the flu.”

  Ever’s eyes light up. He’s clearly happy, but he’s not done with his father quite yet. “Dad, we need to talk.”

  Sarantos dismisses him. “Later.”

  “Just tell me this…” His eyes grow wide. “Am I from Gaea?”

  “I said later, Ever,” Sarantos says.

  “No, Dad! No more lies!” Ever insists. “Just tell me the truth!”

  Georgios sighs as he turns his wrist over and places it side by side with Ever’s. He then rubs it vigorously until it looks like some makeup has come off. On Georgios’s wrist is a yellow-gold twelve-point star, an exact match to the star on Ever’s wrist. “Need I say more?” Georgios says.

  Ever nods as if he had been expecting this but then demands in a mocking tone, “I don’t understand. So, what…what should I call you? Prometheus?”

  “Nooo.” Sarantos’s smile is back, as if Ever’s question is somehow funny. “Call me what you’ve always called me: Dad.” At that, he turns and walks out.

  My mother comes over to sit by me on the couch. We share a rare moment alone. My eyes glisten with love for her. “I know now why you had to do what you did at the cypress tree
,” I say. “It’s all starting to make sense for me now.”

  Mom hugs me in close to her. “Oh, baby, I’m so proud of the amazing and strong woman you’ve become.” Her dark hazel eyes grow serious. “You don’t even need me anymore. Just imagine what is yet to come for you.”

  The realization of what is expected of me is overwhelming. I am the Protogena. It’s enormous. How can I, just a regular girl, be the one who saves everyone? I’m not sure that I can live up to this responsibility. Besides, what if they were wrong about this Prophecy? What then? I can’t think even another moment about it right now. It’s just too much.

  I feel a hand wrap around my waist, pulling me in close. Ever whispers softly in my ear, “Can we get out of here? I think we need some space.”

  My mom nods. “You deserve to relax for a while. Enjoy the calm before the storm.”

  Dimitris must have heard our conversation because he’s already preparing for us to leave, but Ever takes us all totally by surprise when he says to Dimitris, “Give me the keys. I’m driving.”

  “You know how to drive?” I tease him, eyebrow raised. I’ve never actually seen Ever drive a car before. He’s always had a driver.

  “Of course!” he says, eyes blazing with a fervor I haven’t seen since…oh yeah, that dream of us together on Gaea, the mirage. “I’m an expert driver. But I’ll warn you; I like to drive fast.”

  He extends his hand to me. “Let’s go!”

  38 – Panaxia

  Ever whisks me away in the big black Mercedes through the twisting streets of Athens. Angry, dark gray thunderheads gather above us high in the sky. We finally slow down when we reach the sign that tells us we’ve reached the town of Vouliagmeni. A few minutes later, we pull up in front of an ornate and stately Mediterranean mansion nestled into the hillside overlooking the gorgeous bay. This must be Ever’s house.

  Just then, I feel a buzz on my hip. My phone. When I look down, I see a missed text. It’s from Nick! “Helene, we need to talk.…Call me!”

  It feels as if the dance and all that happened there was so long ago now and insignificant compared to what just happened on Gaea. I finally found my mom!

  Nick’s text makes my heart ache. As strong as my feelings are now for Ever, I can’t so easily forget what I felt for Nick. Sometime soon, I know that I’ll have to think more about him, but right now, I’m just so exhausted. All I want to do is relax and enjoy this peaceful moment with Ever.

  I feel a firm hand on my back and I jump. Quickly, I stash my phone. Ever smiles sweetly at me and invites me to join him outside.

  Something jumps onto my lap. Bastet? No: It’s an adorable medium-sized tan dog. His face is wrinkled with a big black nose and cute little ears, like a Shar-Pei. He slobbers all over my leg and his curled tail flips around with excitement.

  “Your dog!” I recall the picture of this dog that Ever had on his phone back when we had that amazing dinner near the site of Agora on the night he shared so much of himself with me, including his secret ability to light up Hesiod’s Theogonia.

  “Yeah.” He smiles. “This is Hampos, my guard dog.”

  I smile, but a wave of melancholy sweeps over me.

  “What is it?” Ever says, suddenly concerned.

  At first I don’t know, but then it hits me. I know exactly what’s bothering me: Samantha. She told me that she and Ever were back together. Now that I’m back here on Earth, all the old feelings I had before come rushing back to me. I know that I shouldn’t believe a word of what Samantha says, and besides, I shouldn’t care about it at all.

  But I feel angry and hurt.

  “What about Samantha?!” I ask Ever.

  “What about her?” he says. I scan his eyes for some explanation, but all I see is amusement there. “You’re jealous,” he says.

  “No…I’m…I’m not!” I raise my voice at him in frustration. “What is so darned funny?”

  “You are,” he says with a twinkle in his blue-green eyes. We stare at each other for a moment. My eyes are wide, unblinking.

  Understanding sweeps over his face. “I knew it! You feel something for me!”

  “I need you to answer my question,” I say, ignoring him. “Are you back together with Samantha or what?”

  “I could ask the same of you about Nick,” he chides me. “Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

  “No! I told you the truth before. I haven’t heard from him. I don’t know what’s up.” Samantha’s warning before about Ever’s inability to commit continues to bug me. “But at least he’s willing to make a commitment.” I regret saying this as soon as it leaves my mouth.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ever asks. He moves in close to me, so near that my senses are overwhelmed by his delicious scent. He reaches over to stroke my cheek. “How would you know?”

  How can I avoid answering this question directly? “Well, we kissed.”

  Ever laughs. “Oh, so if I kiss you, then I can claim that you’re my girlfriend? That’s the qualification?”

  “No! I told you that he’s not my boyfriend! Besides, you can’t kiss me because you’re with Samantha. I need to be the only one,” I say, sure that this will stop him from continuing this line of questioning. “I want to be cherished. A kiss would never be enough.”

  Before I have time to react, he grabs my hand, draws me in close to his body, and whispers in my ear, “You are the only one.”

  He can’t do this to me. I have some dignity, after all. I wriggle free of him, refusing to meet his gaze. “Samantha told me that you never commit to anyone.”

  Without warning, Ever sweeps me up into his arms, forcing me to look at him. “She said that only because I won’t commit to her.” His eyes come alive in bold defiance. “I take things slow because when I make a commitment, I mean it.”

  Ever strokes the inside of my palm, making little circles with his finger. “Do you see now that you really are the only one for me?”

  “Uh-huh,” I whisper.

  He takes my hand and leads me out onto the lawn, his dog trailing behind us. Rain starts to fall. We laugh in each other’s arms, enjoying the warmth of the rain as we get completely drenched, The bay transforms into a frenzy as huge swells and waves consume the sea.

  As the storm clouds roll in over the bay seemingly out of nowhere, a barrage of surfers – all clad in black wet suits, holding surfboards in a variety of colors – come out from all directions, hopping the fences that separate the exclusive private beaches from the less-manicured public beach. It is truly a sight to behold to see so many black-clad bodies floating on surfboards out in the middle of the bay as the ferocious swells bob them up and down in the middle of the storm. The rain dies down again to a light drizzle, and we see the clouds in the sky open to let the sun peek through.

  And that’s when I see it…

  A rainbow in a perfect semicircle over the bay.

  I stare up at it in awe, so grateful for this moment of perfection. The rainbow reminds me of the story of Noah and the Ark. Almost no one believed that his against-all-odds mission to save what was left of mankind was real. The rainbow was a sign from God to remind Noah to keep his chin up and to know beyond doubt that with enough belief and perseverance, miracles are possible.

  Ever leads me back up to a covered veranda, where we lounge on a white wicker couch and watch the sun set. We stare as orange and pink rays of sunshine peek out sporadically through dark gray thunderclouds. Ever lifts my hand up to his mouth, slowly kissing each finger, starting with my thumb. Then he sings that sweet song to me softly:

  On a night like this, the stars above are shining.

  His mouth caresses my index finger.
Chills run down my spine.

  As a chameleon, I'm changing in your eyes.

  His lips move to my middle finger. Heat starts to grow within me.

  I will be yours till the sunrise.

  My heart rate quickens as he moves onto my ring finger.

  I want you now, don’t you see?

  Burn your boundaries and come with me.

  This time, he looks up into my eyes longingly.

  I want forever and this night…

  It’s the song that he sang to me at the dance, which he wrote just for me and so deeply affected me. The intense melodic sound of his voice, so sweet and emotional, stirs the inner recesses of my heart. I can’t help but turn around and gaze deeply into his stunning, mesmerizing eyes. He stands, pulling me up close to him.

  “While I sing to you, dance for me, ballerina…my American girl,” he says, smiling sweetly, holding his hand out in a sweeping motion.

  As Ever starts to sing again – “Eternity begins tonight, come hold me tight…” – he pulls me around to him, and we sway together. I feel my body respond and move to the rich, soothing sound of his voice. I pull back from him and sweep around in a gorgeous arc of my body. He wraps his arm around my waist, spinning me around and around. He dips me into a deep back bend.

  He pulls me up and, moving slowly behind me, begins kissing my neck just under my ear, sending shivers down my spine. His hands encircle my waist, caressing me just above my belly button.

  Ever turns me around to face him, then gently moves a strand of my hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. He guides my chin up as his full red lips meet mine…but this time, his kiss is incredibly slow and sensual. He takes his time and makes it last. Every move he makes tells me that I am the only one…I am cherished.

  While I rest peacefully within his arms, for the first time since my mother disappeared, I feel safe and happy. Pure bliss fills me, warming me inside.