by Simon Archer
I listened as my former dormmate read the note aloud.
“Poplar, Moly, Cypress, Jades, Parsley, and Willow
Smell these when we picture your lost parent
Before graduation make the Weapon or Chaos will overthrow
Hidden pages will make his location apparent”
I propped myself up on my elbows and stared agape at the four of them. “Seriously? That’s it? That’s all they gave me? Another fuckin’ riddle. Holy Hermes.”
I muttered the last curse to myself as I flopped back down on the carpet, letting my disappointment sink into the floor.
17
“I don’t why I expected anything else,” I groaned from my spot on the floor. I hadn’t moved in the last hour, all the while Jade had made dinner. Everyone else was gathered around the dining room table eating something that definitely had soy sauce in it.
I couldn’t bring myself to get up and join them. I was so frustrated by the whole situation with the Fates. My stomach was in knots just thinking about what an idiot I’d been.
“I was such an idiot!” I lamented to the room, not bothering to conceal the whine in my voice.
Khryseos and Argyreos clearly heard it, because they rushed to my side and leaned their weight into me, trying to give me comfort through osmosis. I patted them each on the head but soon returned to my complaining.
“You’re not an idiot,” my girlfriends chorused from the other room, except that Bethany spoke with her mouth full of food so her response sounded more like “Ver nof an a bit dot.”
I could hear her swallow all the way in the living room.
Suddenly, Kari appeared in my line of sight. She had a juicy piece of salmon on the end of a fork, and she waved it over my nose in a teasing manner.
“Come on, Cameron,” she beckoned in a slow and seductive voice as if she were trying to get a lover to come to bed. “You know you want a bite.”
Half joking, half serious, I opened my mouth, expecting her to feed it to me. But instead, the daughter of Prometheus shook her finger at me like a scolding mother. “Nah ah ah,” she said. “You have to get up to get it.”
“This is not a horse and carrot situation,” I snapped back at her.
She dropped the whole teasing demeanor and put her hands on her hips, a fed up look coming over her face. The fork and salmon poked out awkwardly from her side.
“If you would get up off the floor and join us so that we could figure this out, then I wouldn’t have to treat you like the ass you are,” she said with a surprising amount of directness. Then, instead of holding the fork back over my head, she stuck out her free hand, offering to help me up.
I groaned, but I took her hand, anyway. She got me to my feet and then I trudged my way over to the rest of the group as if I were walking through mud. I plopped down in one of the empty chairs, right as Jade popped up to make me a rice bowl.
“I just can’t believe they did this,” I moaned as I put my face in my hands.
“Really?” Kari asked as she took her seat next to mine. “You didn’t see this coming? At all?”
“Kari’s right, Cam,” Daniella said as she pushed her glasses up her nose. “The gods are never straightforward, with anything.”
“I know that but I thought they would be because they mentioned Hades and Hades liked how I was honorable or some shit,” I complained, still keeping my fingers over my eyes but parting my palms slightly so they could hear me clearly.
“I’m with Cam,” Bethany said with a one-shoulder shrug as she stirred around her remaining rice, salmon, and veggies. “It would have been nice if they had just given us the answer for once instead of ‘Here’s another riddle you need to figure out. Okay, bye!’”
“Right?” I flung my hand out to Bethany, indicating that I agreed with her. “Thank you.”
Bethany raised her fork in salute before she took another bite.
“Well, right now, it doesn’t matter how frustrated you are or what you think of those bitches,” Jade said from the kitchen. She brought my bowl of food over and set it in front of me, along with a napkin and fork. “We needed to figure out this damn thing and find your dad.”
“Read it again,” Kari suggested as she pushed the paper to Jade.
I picked at my food as the daughter of Hebe read aloud the clue that would supposedly lead to my father’s location. Jade cleared her throat and straightened her back as if she were preparing to belt out an opera ballad rather than read a four-line poem.
“Poplar, Moly, Cypress, Jades, Parsley, and Willow
Smell these when we picture your lost parent
Before graduation make the Weapon or Chaos will overthrow
Hidden pages will make his location apparent”
“Well one thing is abundantly clear,” Kari said as she looked at each one of us in turn, as though she was trying to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
“The part about needing to find him before graduation?” I asked. “Yeah, I think we all got that part down. Graduations just eight weeks away. No pressure or anything.”
“Thanks for that, smartass,” Kari said as she shot a sideways glance in my direction. She changed the subject and addressed her next question to the other three sitting across the table from us. “What about the items in the first line? Do those things mean anything to anyone?”
“I know they are all flowers, trees, or planets,” Bethany added.
“Which ones?” Kari instructed. She took the paper from Jade and slid it down the table to Bethany. “Mark which ones are which.”
Bethany held out her hand to ask for a pen which Daniella promptly provided. The daughter of Demeter, being head of the groundskeepers despite not having a nature-like ability and belonging to the Eda branch, it would make sense that Bethany would know the difference more than the rest of us. When she was finished she declared, “Three trees, two herbs, and one flower.”
“Great,” Kari said, assuming the leader role. “What do those things have in common other than that?”
“I thought they might be ingredients in a dish or something like that, but I couldn’t think of a recipe,” Jade said with a shrug. She slumped her head in her hand and tapped her temple with one finger.
“I thought about the same thing for healing potions or alchemy remedies but nothing includes all seven of those,” Daniella said as she scooted her bowl away from her, indicating that she was done.
“And you don’t have any weird Oracle knowledge about those?” Kari asked, turning to me.
I stretched out and reached for the paper. Having the seven words in front of me helped significantly. But even as I studied all of them, nothing flashed in my mind’s eye with any sort of potential.
“I mean,” I started even though I knew that what I had to offer wasn’t going to be helpful. “They all mean something in Greek mythology. Each of them has some sort of story they are connected to but not all seven of them together.”
Kari leaned in closer to me so that she could read the poem at the same time. “And it clearly indicated that wherever Hephaestus is has all seven of those items.”
“I was thinking about that too,” Daniella said as she stole the paper out from under our noses. She held it up close to her face as if she needed a different prescription from the one she already had in order to read the note. “Those seven things may be the key to finding the god, but the last two lines interest me more.”
“How so?” Kari prompted.
“Why would the Moirai include them if they weren’t important?” Daniella questioned. “The hidden pages part is what’s bugging me the most. What could they mean by that?”
“It sounds like a book to me,” Bethany said offhandedly as she took her final bite of food.
“Could the answer be in a book?” Kari picked up on the idea and ran with it even though I was sure that Bethany’s comment had been flippant.
There was a pause as the five of us considered Kari’s question. I stuffed my face wit
h a couple of more bites before the idea hit me.
“We have a library on campus right?” I asked, my mouth full of food like Bethany’s had been, but I was able to speak coherently despite my rude manners.
“Of course we do,” Kari said, her tone a mix between incredulous and disappointed. “How the hell do you not know that?”
“He’s never had to use it,” Daniella said by way of explanation. She tapped her own head. “He’s got an encyclopedia up there.”
“It’s not an encyclopedia,” I protested, my cheeks flushing red at the thought of never even having stepped foot in the campus library. “I just happen to have a lot of random Greek mythology knowledge. It’s not my fault.”
“But it is mighty convenient,” Bethany said, pointing her fork in my direction.
“Well, it’s not convenient now,” I argued. “And there’s a first time for everything, right? What time does it close? Can we head over there now?”
“We don’t even know what we’re looking for,” Jade reminded us. “Where are we supposed to start?”
“With the librarian, I suppose,” I guessed as I got to my feet, my bowl only half-finished. Even though I could have easily devoured more of Jade’s delicious rice bowl, my eagerness to find my father pulsed through me. It pushed to the forefront of my mind and now that we had some kind of lead, I wanted to get going.
The other four looked at one another, unsure. It wasn’t until Kari joined me by standing on her feet did I feel reassured about my declaration. “Why don’t you take a break? You’ve had a hell of a day. We can go to the library first thing in the morning.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Bethany agreed. “I’m always a fan of procrastination,” she added as she put her hands behind her head and lounged in her chair.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” I protested.
“We have eight weeks,” Kari reassured me. “You said it yourself. But I think clear heads will help us all out. That and a good night’s sleep.”
“Cam,” Jade said tentatively as she gathered plates from the table and put them in the sink. “Do you want us to stay?”
I looked at the four of them and considered Jade’s offer. I knew what Jade was suggesting and while it was tempting, I didn’t want to exclude Kari who had never been close with us in that way. It wasn’t as though I wasn’t interested, but there just hadn’t really been a good time or moment. Especially considering for most of the time I’d known her, she had been possessed by the goddess of chaos.
“Thanks Jade, but I think Kari’s right,” I said with a solemn nod. “A good night's sleep will do me good. Maybe a shower to cool me off.”
“If that’s what you want,” Jade said as she crossed over to me and placed a kiss on my cheek.
One by one, my girls left my house, venturing off to their own dorm rooms. Kari lingered behind, offering to help me clean the kitchen. But she ended up doing it all on her own, insisting that I go up and start that shower.
As I stood on the stairs, I watched my new friend as she dried the bowls. I looked over at Kari and shot her a smile full of gratitude. I liked how she managed to take over the situation. Her willingness to be the leader in this situation didn’t go unnoticed, especially since I still needed to process my disappointment with the Fates.
It was then I realized that we were alone in the house. A tentative thought occurred to me and I decided to follow it through. As much as I thought I wanted to be alone in that moment, I realized that wasn’t the case. Instead of heading up the rest of the way upstairs, I went back to the kitchen and stood behind Kari, still watching her dry the dishes.
I opened my mouth to thank her but Kari beat me to the punch. She spoke without looking behind her, simply sensing my presence. “We’ll figure this out, Cam. We’ll find him and it’ll be worth it. You’ll see.”
“Thank you,” I said as I reached around her body and put my hand on hers, taking the rag from her. “For everything.”
Her entire body tensed and I heard her breathing go faster as I pressed my body against hers.
“Cameron,” she breathed my name and I didn’t realize until this how much I had been wanting to hear it come from her lips.
“I still plan on taking that shower,” I said into her ear. Then I moved my mouth to behind her ear, kissing it once. I tasted the sweat and goosebumps along her neck as I kissed along her collarbone. “Would you like to join me?”
“I… ” she hesitated, still stiff and unmoving. “I haven’t… ” she swallowed audibly before spinning suddenly so we were face to face. “I haven’t been with anyone since… for at least two years.”
Kari lifted her chin and hardened her expression, as though she was preparing herself for the blowback. She was such a wounded soldier, with all of these defenses built up from what had happened to her. I wanted to give her a break from being on the defense all the time. She deserved to feel human again, to let her guard down and relax.
“That doesn’t bother me,” I told her honestly. “We can take things at your pace. I find it sexy when the woman is in charge anyway,” I added with a half smile.
Kari bit her bottom lip and all I wanted to do was take it into my own mouth, but she needed to lead this situation. It was always best when the two partners worked together when having sex. As much as I wanted her, I needed to make sure she wanted me to.
I got my answer in the next second. She surged forward and pressed her lips on mine. The kiss was fierce and full of desire. Her tongue snaked in my mouth and stroked me into submission. After a moment of surprise, I recovered and met her moment for moment.
My hands wove into her hair, gripping the back of her head while hers explored my back and shoulder blades. We fed each other's souls, allowed the other to escape in the sensations and the feeling of touch, licks, and kisses.
I came up for air only to ask, “Shower’s upstairs, Kari.”
“Fuck the shower,” she said in a deep voice I’d never heard before from her. Her eyes narrowed on mine, capturing me in her gaze. “Take me here.”
“Here?” I said as my eyebrows rose.
“Here,” Kari confirmed. She hiked herself up on the counter and spread her legs wide. “Now.”
“Yes ma’am,” I said as I rushed her again. We shoved our bodies against one another, running my hands over her curves, down her thighs, and up her front. I cupped her breasts over her shirt, which Kari thought was completely unacceptable. Instead, she whipped her shirt off and unclipped her bra, letting these beautiful breasts out for me to see and play with.
I stared for a moment, admiring their beauty. Plump and round, I held them in both hands, massaging them in tandem. Kari leaned back, propping herself up on the counter. Her lips curved into a contented smile. I had the inescapable urge to wipe that smile off her face and replace it with something contorted and full of pleasure.
I lowered my mouth to her nipple and sucked. A gasp escaped her lips while I mirrored the actions with my tongue with my fingers on the other nipple. I pushed her breasts together and squeezed, releasing another gasp from the soldier.
I licked my tongue down her sternum, along the center of her stomach, culminating with a kiss on her navel. Then, I worked to strip off her pants, kissing along her panty line as I slipped the pants off each leg.
Kari laid back on the counter, stretching out and letting herself be pleasured. I loved watching the freedom and carefree nature cross over her face. It was the most blissed out I had ever seen this woman. Warmth surged through me at the idea that I could give her that.
When I finally got her fully naked, I realized that I had to help myself as well or the pressure was going to kill me right then and here. I used my fingers to keep her wiggling with pleasure as I freed myself, leaving my pants in a pile in the middle of the kitchen floor.
“Come here,” I said as I wrapped an arm around her wrist to prop her up. She sat up as she was told and hooked her legs around me, widening herself for me.
> Kari didn’t hesitate. She wiped her pussy, to get her hand wet and proceeded to stroke my length up and down. She prepped me for her in the most delicious of ways, using her thumb to circle my tip in the same way I teased her nipples.
“Fuck Kari,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” she said with a bright light in her eyes. “Fuck me.”
Then she guided me into her pussy. She used her legs to push me forward, slamming my full self into her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, propping herself up and giving up a better angle.
We rode each other with a found rhythm. Kari was built like a warrior and had the muscles that could keep up with me. Her stamina was amazing as we worked in time with one another to keep up the friction and momentum. I cupped her ass with my hands squeezing in time with our thrusts.
I watched her face contort into an expression of pure pleasure twice, the last orgasm rippling through her body. Her sex squeezed me with the right amount of pressure. I pounded into her, through the last throws of her orgasm so I could cum with her.
When I moved to try and pull out, Kari held me tighter, refusing to let me leave her. I vibrated against her, our bodies rubbing up against each other, as I spilled into her and fell off the edge of the cliff.
We collapsed against one another on the counter, neither wanting to move and ruin the moment. I loved hearing her happy, heavy breaths in my ear as I thought about the bliss that crossed her face and rippled through her body. More than anything, I wanted to do that again.
“Maybe we still could take that shower?” I suggested with one raised eyebrow.
Before Kari could answer, there was a knock at the door.
The two of us scrambled out of the kitchen, gathering our scattered clothes, like two caught teenagers. Kari rushed up the stairs to the nearest bathroom, her bra hanging off her pinky.
When I had my pants back on and a naked Kari was out of sight, I went to answer the door.
