by M. W. Muse
I shifted slightly, testing my pain while trying not to disturb him. When I did, he lifted the arm he had wrapped over me, and I looked up.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked.
"About fifteen minutes." "How did you sleep?"
"I got to hold you all night," he whispered while he stroked my hair. "It was the first time in my life that I've ever felt whole. I'm sad because of the circumstances, but it was still wonderful being with you like that."
He appeared better, like he'd slept all night, too. After an emotional week, we both needed the night to heal our souls.
"How are you feeling?"
"A little sore. Kinda achy. But the stabbing pain seems to be gone." "Good." Don smiled. "We need to get you up and around." "Yeah, I need to brush my teeth," I said, making a face.
Don chuckled. That was the first time I'd heard him laugh since our double date.
It put a smile on my face.
He helped me to the bathroom, and I gave him one of the spare toothbrushes from the dentist's office. He kept one arm around me while we brushed our teeth; he didn't want to take any chances with me falling.
Then I realized it wasn't just my teeth that needed cleaning.
"Can you see if Melissa is here? I want to take a shower. It's been a week, and I feel sort of gross."
He frowned. "Melissa and Chloe took care of you in the hospital." "But I'll feel better after showering."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You don't need to be standing alone in a slippery bathtub."
"Melissa can stay in here while I shower."
He shook his head slowly. "I think it's too dangerous in your condition." "Well, I can take a bath, then. I can't fall if I'm already sitting down."
"I guess that's true," he said reluctantly. He helped me sit on the side of the tub and went downstairs to get Melissa. I heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs,
and figuring she was here, I turned on the water to warm it up. Then I heard someone running up the stairs.
"Season!"
The bathroom door was open, so Don ran in. "What?"
He saw me sitting on the bathtub where he left me but with my hand under the water faucet, gauging the temperature.
He shook his head but sighed in relief. "How are you feeling, Season?" Melissa asked.
"Better. I'm still sore, though and I need to take a shower." I saw Don's face and corrected myself. "I mean a bath."
"Okay. Take one of these, so it can get into your system." She handed me a pain pill. "I'll go get you a change of clothes."
She left, and Don stood against the counter, watching me. "Please be very careful while you're in there."
I wasn't so out of it that I completely lost my playfulness. "Hmmm . . . you wouldn't let me get hurt. You could always take one with me."
He chuckled, which was what I was hoping for. "You should have suggested that
before I got Melissa."
I laughed, and it felt good.
"What are you two laughing about?" Melissa asked as she came into the bathroom with some clean pajamas.
"Oh, nothing."
Don left me alone with Melissa while I bathed, but I did turn the shower on while I washed my hair.
After I dressed, Don came in and helped me to the living room where he'd arranged some pillows and blankets on the couch.
Once I got settled, my medicine kicked in, and I slept for at least a couple of hours. When I opened my eyes, Don was sitting at the foot of the couch with my feet in his lap, wearing different clothes.
"Did you leave?"
"Yeah, I went to my grandma's and showered after you fell back asleep and before Melissa went to work. She went to the office to catch up on a few things but made some muffins before she left. Are you hungry?"
"A little."
Don went to the kitchen and brought us some muffins and milk. "I talked to Chloe. She'll be over here in about an hour." "Okay." I took a bite of my muffin.
"Chrys is probably coming with her," he mumbled.
There was a lot he didn't know about Chrys and my mom. I felt like I needed to be honest with Don, but I was worried how he'd take everything, especially his reaction to Chrys. Don seemed civil in the hospital, but now that I was out, I wasn't sure if he'd tolerate Chrys coming around. Don didn't seem too keen on Chrys coming over now. I couldn't put this conversation off.
"Was he there the whole time?" I asked, looking down at my food. "Yeah. We were both there all day during visiting hours."
"But they let you in that night Melissa called you."
"Yes. They didn't have a choice." And from the sound of his voice, I knew he was right. He wasn't going to let anyone keep him from me when I asked for him.
"What was said when I was unconscious?" I asked as I finished my muffin.
Don sighed. "Um, I asked Chrys what happened, and he said you were mopping when you got electrocuted."
I knew this already. "What did you two say about me?"
He exhaled heavily and stared up at the ceiling. "I told him you no longer work at the store." He paused and looked at me. "You don't."
I nodded. I'd heard the order when he originally gave it. "I meant what was said after I woke up, and they gave me the medicine." When I was asleep and didn't actually hear the conversations going on.
"We talked about a lot of things. After they sedated you, I could tell Chrys wasn't going to leave. I was too distraught to force him out. He just wanted you to be well, so I let him stay." He shifted and looked at me. "I didn't want him there. I didn't want him holding your hand and touching you. But I knew it wasn't about me. It was about you and doing whatever was necessary for you to feel comforted."
"What else was said?"
Don sighed and took my plate from me to set it on the table. When he returned and sat down, he gently rubbed my feet while he spoke.
"We talked about his feelings for you, my feelings for you, and his mother."
He leaned back and looked away. I could tell he didn't want to go into the specifics. Time for me to quit stalling.
"Don, I, er, remember everything up until the doctors knocked me out. I heard voices, felt touches. It was like I was paralyzed, not truly unconscious. It wasn't until the doctors came in and asked everyone to leave that I was finally able to break through that state I was in and squeeze your fingers."
"Season! Do you remember anything else?"
"Yeah. My mom came to me and talked to me." I told Don everything she said.
Even the stuff about Chrys.
"Wow. I don't know what to say."
"I understand if you don't believe me."
"It's not that I don't believe you, Season. This is just a lot to take in. Besides Hades being a threat to you, Chrys's mom is Medusa, or a likeness of her, and she's a threat to you, too. I don't like you being in danger." He shifted, cutting his eyes to me. "So your mom thinks you're bonded to Chrys, too?" he asked softly.
"I am bonded to him," I murmured, looking down. "But I think I'm the link that bonds us all together. When you were both holding my hands in the hospital, I could feel how much pain you two were in. I wanted to comfort you both."
"He's in love with you."
"I know. He's just a friend to me, but I can't deny the fact that we're connected.
Don's eyes looked sad, and I hated being the reason for that, especially since I was about to make him mad.
"Um, something happened with Chrys—"
"What did he do?" Don asked, saying each word slowly. "We were arguing when I got hurt."
He relaxed, gently rubbing my toes. "That's why he kept saying he was sorry. I assumed he was apologizing for his mom. What happened?"
"Chrys was angry when I got to work, and I thought it was because the roof was leaking again. He was short with me up until he called a roofer. Then he asked me about our double date. He didn't like seeing us together."
"He doesn't have to like it," Don said angrily.
"I know, an
d I told him something to that effect. He said you had some nerve telling him to respect me when you treat me like a conquest."
"Hmph! Our relationship is none of his business."
"I agree. We were yelling about that when it was storming, and then he mentioned our plans to go hiking. I knew I hadn't told him about that, so I screamed at him, asking if he called me in to ruin our plans, and that's when I got hurt."
"He told me about bringing up our hiking plans with you. He said he heard about it from his mother. He was worried she'd do something to harm you, so he called you in to force you to cancel. But after your accident, I think he feels like that was his mother's plan all along, that she purposely fed him information to get you to the store."
"Oh." Knowing Chrys did it to protect me made me feel better than thinking he did it to keep me away from Don. Even if Chrys's plan did backfire.
"But he did not tell me you two were arguing when this came up. Nor did he tell me he was angry with you because of our relationship."
"Don't be mad at him. You saw him at the hospital. He has suffered enough." "Season, I'm not going to tolerate his behavior. It's one thing if he's a friend of
yours who's looking out for your best interest. It's a completely different thing if he's a guy trying to befriend you to be with you."
"I know. I understand how you feel, and I'll agree to not working at the store and to taking other steps you feel are necessary for my safety. But Chrys isn't out to hurt me, and I don't want to treat him like he is."
"You may think he's not out to hurt you, but he is out to hurt me. That's what'll happen if he succeeds in taking you away. You letting him stay in your life is just inviting that possibility."
"Don, I want to be with you. I don't have any romantic feelings for him at all, but I need him in my life."
Don sighed and shut his eyes. "You know I really don't like this."
"I know, and I know my friendship with him hurts you. I'm sorry about that. I wish you understood my connection with him just like I wished he understood my connection with you. You are my love; he is my friend. But I need you both."
"I'll do this. For you. I'm not going to like it, and I'm not going to pretend that I do. I don't want him to be a constant focus of our lives. If he steps over the line, then I'm going to put him in his place."
"I can live with that." I smiled.
When Chloe and Chrys arrived, they sat across from Don and me. We all talked, and I brought Chrys and Chloe up to speed on what I'd learned about Hades' plan, which admittedly, wasn't much. Chloe and I talked easily. The guys' conversations were strained; neither one liked the other being there. I'd have to get used to this. But first, I needed to clear the air with Chrys. When I asked Don and Chloe to give us some privacy, Don flashed narrowed eyes at Chrys and looked quickly at me. He nodded, stood, and kissed me softly.
Chrys started to get up, and Don shot him a look. "You're fine over there," he said brusquely.
Chrys glared at him but sat back down, and once we were alone, his eyes softened. We sat quietly for a while, staring at each other from across the room. Chrys seemed as if he wanted to say something, but I couldn't be sure. He shifted in his seat and ran his hand through his unkempt hair before clasping his hands together.
"Season, I am so sorry," he said, gazing into my eyes.
"Don't be. You shouldn't feel guilty for what happened to me. It wasn't your fault, and I don't want you carrying around the blame for it."
"But I am sorry. I'm sorry about my mom; I've tried to explain to her, but she doesn't understand." He rubbed his hands on his face before making eye contact with me again. "And I'm so very sorry about fighting with you."
"I want you to let it go, Chrys."
"That's easier said than done," he whispered. "I've been so worried about you."
I knew he would be, but I needed to focus on the reason I wanted to talk to him alone. "Chrys, I talked to Don. I told him what happened at the store. Of course he doesn't want us to be friends. Last I heard from you on the topic of friendship was that you didn't want to be my friend anymore, either."
"Season . . ."
"No, let me finish. I know you've been hurting because of my relationship with Don, and I am sorry about that. But I am in love with him. You have to understand that. If you can understand that and respect my decision, then I'd really like it if we could be friends again." I looked down at my hands. "I'm not going to deny that we're bonded together. If you weren't my friend, that'd be very painful for me."
Chrys's breath caught. "I—I can try. That's all I can promise."
"That's all I can ask for. Don's not going to interfere with my decision, but he's also not going to stand by and watch you try to take me away from him. You have to understand that."
"I do. I'd feel the same way," he gritted out. There was definitely no love lost between the two men in my life.
"If you understand the boundaries, then I think he'll play nice. But you have to show him that you can play nice, first. You haven't done a good job of that so far."
"I know. I'll try. It's just very hard because—"
"You don't have to say it," I interrupted. "I know how you feel," I murmured.
Chrys took a deep breath. "It's not just that, Season. I'm put in a bad position because I know Don hasn't been completely honest with you."
"What are you talking about?"
Chrys sighed. "Look, if I tell you, I look like the jealous jerk trying to score points.
You need to talk to him and tell him to quit lying to you."
I stared at Chrys, stunned. I didn't know what to make of that. I shook off the feeling of foreboding created by his warning and made a mental note to ask Don about what Chrys had said. In the meantime, I did know that Chrys had been hiding something from me and I could at least get answers about that right now. "Okay, but why didn't you mention your mom is Medusa?"
Chrys's mouth opened wide, and he gasped while he shook his head. "How did you find out?"
"It's the name of the store. It clicked when I heard you calling the paramedics.
Plus, you said something about monsters in your family and warned me that your mother was evil."
"I didn't want you to know about her," he said sheepishly.
"Well, she should've picked a different name for her business. But is she really Medusa or a likeness of her?"
"She's not the original. She has most of the Medusa's original qualities with some added abilities, but since she was the first new god to be so close to the original, she was bequeathed the original name. The first Medusa was beheaded and had two children with Poseidon. Pegasus and Chrysaor."
"Chrysaor?"
"Yes. I'm like him. My mom created me with Poseidon, like the original Medusa did to create Chrysaor. Poseidon shares power over the world with Zeus and Hades.
Zeus rules the sky and air; Hades rules the underworld; Poseidon, my father, rules the waters."
"I had a dream you turned into a hurricane," I mumbled. At least that part now made sense.
Chrys became somber. "I guess now you know everything about me." He obviously didn't want me to know his mother was a real monster. He looked depressed, and ashamed, and I wanted to console my friend.
"Can you do one thing for me?" "What?"
"Can you give me a hug?"
"I'd love to," he whispered. Then he walked over to me, dropped to his knees, and wrapped his arms around me.
"I don't think you're a monster."
"I can't be so sure. I feel like I'm turning into one, and I don't know how to stop it," he breathed into my hair.
"I'll help you. We have to help each other."
He leaned back, staring into my eyes, his mouth working before he spoke. "I like it when your eyes are green," he murmured. "They match mine. It makes me feel like we're on the right track."
I smiled at him and he hugged me again. "I love you," he whispered.
"I know."
Chapter 21
After a week of house rest, I was back to my old self. Well, I would never be the same after my hospital stay, but at least now I could get around without hands being all over me. And that was a good thing. Don would've never left for his orientation otherwise.
But oh, how he tried to get out of it. He actually tried to use my nonexistent condition as a reason for him not to go. I insisted I'd be fine and even told him that Chloe would keep me busy shopping for school clothes. He eventually acquiesced, mumbling nonsense about only doing the essentials, coming back early, and skipping the freshman banquet. But when I expressed an interest in going, saying it'd be nice to get dressed up for him, he immediately softened and gave in again. I liked it when he saw things my way.
I did try talking to Don about the conversation I had with Chrys, but every time I'd work up the nerve, I'd get an uneasy feeling and change my mind. I was a chicken. I knew that. But I figured I could put it off until after he returned from his orientation. I needed answers, but I didn't need to give him any ammunition for not going. At least that was what I told myself to feel better about putting off that conversation.
As soon as he left, Chloe's attention went into overdrive. She was with me practically every day and every night. Since it was raining most of the week, we stayed inside, unless we were out shopping, of course. And we hung out at my house since Don didn't want me by Chrys's. He used the excuse of Chrys's mom, but I knew that wasn't the only reason.
While Chloe and I hung out, she told me she felt her relationship with Zach had stalled, but she still enjoyed spending time with him. I told her about Chrys's lineage and his warning about Don, keeping her up to speed. She didn't know what to make of that but urged me to talk to Don. And she knew to keep her mouth shut about that on the few occasions we hung out with Chrys.
He was being like the friend he was in the beginning, not letting his feelings for me overpower him as he had been doing recently. It was nice being able to talk to him again without worrying about me playing defense to his offensive maneuvers.
Instead, Chrys was a best friend to me now, the one who helped me through all my questions and confusions. I knew I could turn to him just like I could Chloe. And because I knew I trusted Chrys, I began to obsess about what he actually knew about Don.
