Season's Change: Summer: A Goddess Legacy Companion Novel (Goddess Legacy 1.5)

by M. W. Muse

  It was early in the morning, and I knew Melissa would still be here. I decided it was time to come clean with her. I wanted to tell her about the dreams I was having and maybe even tell her about everything else. If she knew what I knew, maybe she'd tell me what was going on.

  I ran downstairs and to the kitchen where she was eating breakfast. "Season? What are you doing up already?"

  "I had a dream. I've been having weird dreams ever since you told me about my

  mom."

  Melissa looked away.

  "You said my mom would be contacting me, but you didn't know when or how. I

  think she's contacting me through my dreams." "Season, that's absurd." She sounded panicked.

  "I don't think it is. I think I'm descended from Greek gods."

  She gasped. "How?" She shook her head. "Um, I have to go to work." She was trying to get away from me.

  "You're a priestess, aren't you? All the priestesses have the title of Melissa." She froze.

  "My heritage is linked to Zeus. That's why you're here—why I was left with you.

  That's why my last name is Crete." "How do you know all this?" "I figured it out," I lied. "How?"

  room."

  "Not with your help," I snapped. "But I did find my death certificate in your

  "What in Hades are you talking about?" She was no longer shocked; she was

  concerned.

  "Oh come on! I saw it in the box under your bed."

  She jumped up from the table and ran into her room. I was right on her heels.

  She looked under the bed and then stared at me. "There's nothing here."

  I dropped to my knees to check. She was right. "Where did you put it?"

  "Season, I have no idea what you're talking about. What did the box look like?"

  I explained the box to her, but she was adamant that she'd never seen anything like that. From the look in her eyes, I could tell she wasn't lying to me.

  "Do you think my mom put it there to help me find out about myself?" "Season, I don't know. But it could have just as easily been a trick. You have to

  tell me everything you know. I need to make sure that someone else isn't interfering with your . . . your, umm . . . change."

  "So, I'm going to be a powerful goddess like my mother?" "If you're asking me that, I can't answer you."

  "I don't need to ask you. I already know everything I need to," I lied, baiting her. "What do you know?" she asked, grabbing my arm.

  "What do you know?" I retorted. "I can't say."

  "Then, I won't say what I know."

  "By the gods, this isn't a game, Season!"

  "Then, quit toying with me. You're the one who set this into motion." Chrys had told me Melissa was the one that set all this into motion the night she told me. "You should be the one to come clean."

  "I can't. I honestly wish I could, but I'm prohibited from saying anything."

  I stormed out, needing answers Melissa wouldn't give. As soon as she went to work, I got on the Internet. It was time to find out what I could about Demeter.

  There was a lot of information on her. All the websites said she was a goddess of earth, harvest, and seasons. Well, that was where my name came from. I guessed it was sort of a family name after all.

  With dominion over earthly things, she was considered the personification of Mother Nature. Besides presiding over the harvest and the earth, she also ensured the sanctity of marriage and reigned over the circle of life and death.

  She had several children, but only two with Zeus: Zagreus and Persephone, but other stories about Zagreus's origin conflicted with this account. Some said Zagreus was the offspring of Persephone and Zeus.

  Regardless, the story of Zagreus was that the Titans tried to destroy him, so Zeus destroyed the Titans and retrieved Zagreus's heart. His divine flesh mixed with Titans' ashes, creating humankind, which was why humans had both good and bad tendencies. Interesting twist, but not really relevant. Zagreus's line seemed like a dead-end.

  Persephone was a different story. There was only one account of her birth, so there was no denying she came from Demeter and Zeus.

  I felt the blood rush out of my face when I read about her abduction. Several gods wanted to be with Persephone, and Demeter kept her hidden from them. Hades abducted Persephone and brought her to the underworld, making her his queen.

  Demeter fell into a deep depression, and since she was the goddess of nature, life on earth stopped while she searched for her daughter.

  Zeus ordered the return of Persephone, but Hades tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds; anyone who consumed food or drink while in the underworld would have to stay. Persephone was eventually allowed to return to her mother, and when reunited with her, the earth flourished. But because of Hades' trick, Persephone had to return to the underworld for part of the year. When she was in the underworld, the earth turned barren. This was how the myths explained the development of the seasons on earth.

  I knew I was on the right track.

  Other than her time with Hades, there were other stories that said Persephone spent four months each year with Adonis, and also linked that to the changing seasons, but there wasn't really much. The only offspring I found that she created was Macaria. Persephone created her with Hades, but the only entry about her showed she was the goddess of blissful afterlife.

  Since I couldn't be sure I descended from Macaria, maybe my line came from one of Demeter's children not created with Zeus. If she created children with him and was a goddess, then maybe he still protected her when it came to her other children. I just felt like both Zagreus and Persephone seemed to be dead-ends, Zagreus more so than Persephone.

  It was late afternoon by now, and I knew it would take me too long to read everything about the other offspring. Then I thought about the one person who would help me.

  I grabbed my cell phone and called Chrys. "Hey, it's Season."

  "Um, hi." He sounded distracted. "What's up?" "Can you talk right now?"

  "No," he said casually. I assumed he was in earshot of his nosey mother. "Is your mom around?"

  "Yes," he said just as indifferently.

  Crap. That meant he definitely couldn't talk. I wondered if he could get away from her.

  "Can you meet me at the park behind the waterslide in ten minutes?" "Sure."

  I ended the call, jumped in my car, and went straight to the rendezvous point.

  Chrys was already there, dressed like he was playing football.

  "Hi," I said to him as I walked up. "You didn't have to dress up on my account." I laughed.

  "I was supposed to meet some friends out here to play, but I sent texts to the other guys and cancelled after you called."

  "Oh." I felt bad for taking him away from his plans. "We could have met later." "Don't be silly. You need to talk, and I want to be here for you." He was sincere,

  but kept it friendly.

  We walked behind the slide and sat at a picnic table away from where the neighborhood kids were playing.

  "So what do you want to talk about?"

  "I did some research on Demeter, but it doesn't make much sense. How much do you know about her?"

  "I know some. But I only really started looking after I met you." "Well, I only found two possible kids she had with Zeus, and—" "Only one that is for sure," he corrected.

  "Right. Zagreus seemed like a dead-end from the start anyway. He died as a kid and didn't have any offspring . . . unless we count the one that Zeus put his heart in.

  Persephone was more promising because of the Mother Nature link and all the talk about seasons. But she had only one child, and not much was said about her."

  "Why are you concerned with their children?"

  "Um, because I'm trying to find the line I descended from."

  "Season, I told you we don't descend the way people normally do. Zeus, Demeter, many of the others . . . they're still around. They all continue to create offspring. Your mom, Dem, may not have descended afte
r several generations that originated from Demeter. Demeter could have created Dem directly from herself. If Demeter created Dem and Dem created you, Dem 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?"

  Chrys shrugged. "To allow for a different destiny."

  "So if Demeter created Dem and Dem created me, then does that mean I'm an exact replica of Persephone?" This just got weirder!

  "That's one theory. Another theory is that Dem is actually Demeter and you're actually Persephone or her likeness created by the original Demeter."

  "What?" I yelled. "I can't be Persephone, I'm only seventeen!"

  "Gods don't age the way you're accustomed to. We're as old as our souls. If you're actually Persephone, you could be much older than you realize. But I don't think that is the case."

  "This doesn't make any sense. Why even create a likeness of a god?"

  "To create a new destiny." Chrys had said that once, but I 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 doesn't matter why you're here now, or why I'm here now. The only thing we need to ensure is that we both make it to our eighteenth birthdays. The type of gods we'll be doesn't matter; we'll be powerful if we make it through."

  "What do you think . . . about me, I mean?" I couldn't process anything to come to a conclusion myself.

  "I think you were created in the likeness of Persephone. I really hadn't given much thought as to if you were created by the original Demeter, or if Dem is her offspring that created you with Zeus. Either way, your life is like Persephone. I think you were created—"

  "To stop the abduction," I interrupted.

  "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?" I asked softly.

  Chrys 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."

  "Because that god wanted a second chance with Persephone?"

  He looked up at me 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 should've happened before. 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." I remembered from what he told me 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. We may be created in their likeness, but we are our own entities. We 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 Melissa because she was worried about me being abducted like Persephone, then she could have done that to keep me safe from Hades."

  Chrys's eyes turned cold. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth. He'd obviously considered this possibility.

  "So what do we do now?"

  He looked down and reached for my hands on the picnic table. "We live our lives the way we want to."

  And I knew as he said those words that I could definitely do that.

  Chapter 14

  I hardly slept that night. Not because I had bad dreams, tried to cope with my new understanding about myself, or was too excited about seeing Don—though I was giddy at that thought—I couldn't sleep because of all the fireworks being prematurely let off. Unfortunately, I couldn't expect any better sleep tonight since today was the Fourth.

  The parade started at nine o'clock this morning, so I knew Don would be here early. I got out of bed and put on cute shorts and a tank top. This was the most skin that Don would've ever seen, but it was hot. Not to mention the fact that this outfit would be a nice little stepping-stone for tomorrow, but I wasn't sure if anything could prepare him for the bikini.

  I pulled my hair up off my neck so that I could stay as cool as possible—the rain from the last two days would make it steamy in the heat of the sun. I put on some makeup, hoping it wouldn't melt off by the end of the day, and then I was ready.

  When I heard the roar of Don's Camaro, I ran downstairs and waited patiently by the door until he knocked. I only let him finish one knock before I swung it open.

  He stood there, startled, with his fist in the air ready to knock on the door again. "Hi. I waited for you to come to me."

  "Yes, you did," he said, dropping his hand and chuckling. Then he looked me up and down and smiled widely.

  "You're beautiful!" He couldn't contain his excitement. I knew I wasn't dressed up, so he must have really missed me as much as I missed him.

  He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him under his jaw.

  "I missed you so much," he whispered in my hair. "I missed you, more," I teased.

  "No way. I missed you more than anyone has ever missed a person before in the history of the world."

  I couldn't think of a comeback, so I just laughed.

  Don pulled away and took both my hands into his. "Are you ready? Chloe's probably already there. We need to hurry if you want to talk to her before the parade." He was still very excited.

  He walked me to his car and then got in. Since I was resting my left ankle on my right knee, he put his right hand on the side of my left knee. I guessed taking things slowly was working. After he got over the initial shock of a touch, he seemed to handle subsequent times much better.

  "How did everything go with your dad?" I asked, staring out the windshield, dreading this conversation.

  Don rubbed my leg and looked at me. "Fine. Everything's sorted out." "Good." I glanced at him and smiled.

  "So what did you do while I was away?"

  "Hmm . . . nothing too exciting. I worked Thursday and didn't do too much yesterday."

  "I wanted to call you so badly last night when I got in, but I didn't want to wake you," he confessed.

  "Well, I was probably awake. Our neighbors were shooting fireworks at all hours last night. I hardly got any sleep at all."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I hate that your sleep was disturbed." He sounded concern but then got a devilish look in his eyes. "Though if I'd known you were awake, I probably would have come over, scaled a tree, and climbed in your window." He glanced over at me with a smirk.

  I snorted. He was definitely full of himself, but it was very adorable.

  We got to the park and over to where the floats were gathered for the parade. Don held my hand as he guided me through the crowds. We found the Oakdale High School cheerleader's float, and made our way to it. I chatted with Chloe for a few minutes, wishing her luck, before Don and I headed to the bleachers.

  Don held my hand and weaved me through the crowd again to get to the stands. I scanned the bleachers wondering which guy was Zach, but I had no way of knowing.

  We sat in the middle and waited for the parade to start, the sun already beating down on us.

  "Crap, I forgot the sunscreen," Don said. "I'm going back to the car to get it. You want something to drink?"

  "Yeah, water would be great."

  While Don was gone, Kim and Emma walked up. Great. I should've known
they'd make an appearance for Chloe's benefit.

  "Hi, Season," Emma said.

  "Hey," Kim said, less enthused. "Don't you think that top's a little too small for

  you?"

  What a witch. "No. So did you two come to watch Chloe, too?" Kim shrugged and Emma said, "Yes."

  They sat down on the bleacher right in front of me, and several minutes of

  silence passed.

  "Where's Todd and Eli?" I finally asked. "Oh, they'll be here later," Emma said.

  I searched around at the crowd and saw Don heading up the bleachers. "Looks who's here!" Kim whispered to Emma, and I fought a smile. "Oh no. He's walking this way," Emma said in disbelief.

  "Hi, Emma. Hi, Kim," Don said as he stepped on the bleacher beside them. "Hi," they said in unison and watched as he stepped past them.

  He then took his seat beside me, and both of their jaws dropped.

  Don opened the sunscreen, took my hand, and squirted some in my palm. He put some in his hand, too, and we both started rubbing the lotion on our own legs.

  "It looks like it's about to start," Don said as he finished rubbing the lotion on his

  legs.

  "Uh-huh," I mumbled as I kept rubbing the lotion on my calves.

  When I finished, I glanced at Kim and Emma as I lifted my head. They both looked shocked, and I half-smiled. Don had the bottle of lotion ready to squirt more into my palm, waiting for me before he continued putting it on himself.

  We did our arms next, and Don finished with his face. Since I was in a low-cut tank top, I put the remaining lotion on my exposed chest, neck, and shoulders.

  "You should probably put some on your ears," I said while I finished rubbing the lotion on my chest.

  "Um, okay." He glanced away from me to grab the bottle but wasn't sly enough not to get caught glancing at where my hands were. Poor thing. Tomorrow would be difficult for him.

  When he finished, he put his hand on my knee and turned to face me. "There're some stages set up for bands playing this afternoon. Do you want to

  walk down and watch them?"

  "Sure." I noticed Don had left a little lotion on his ear, so I reached up and gently started rubbing it in. "What kind of bands are playing?"