“Please,” I begged softly against them. “Please.”
“Sssummer….” A voice hissed. I looked down at my feet where two skeletal hands suddenly grabbed my ankles. They inched up my legs, to my hips and stomach. “This is your fate.”
Two more pairs of hands held me, and three faces emerged from the darkness. They snuffed out the light. One held up a thread above my head, the other wielding shears. The closer the shears came to the thread, the tighter my throat seemed to squeeze. It was as if someone was choking me. Flashes of the lives before mine flickered through my mind; I had drowned once; I had choked on pomegranate seeds. I had even flung myself over a dark and cold bridge. Was it my fate to die this way?
The shears clipped at the thread and I let out a scream.
“Summer?”
Opening my eyes, I found Morpheus hovering beside the side of my bed. He stared down at me with wide, concerned eyes. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were tired. My bed sheets pooled at my feet, evidence that I had thrashed about in my sleep. I gasped for air, desperate to draw myself completely out of the dream. Lifting a hand, I rested my fingers on Morpheus’ shoulder. It was then I realized he was bare-chested, but warm; his wings were draped over his back.
“Mor…Morpheus…” I whimpered, bolting up from where I was. My body no longer felt weighed down. I swallowed, doing what I could to loosen the lump in my throat. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, pressing my face against his neck.
“Morpheus. . .I had a horrible dream,” I whispered against his skin.
He remained rigid for a moment more, before carefully wrapping his arms around me in return. I didn’t care what had happened before; to either his confession or his kiss. He was the only person I trusted. The only person that kept me linked to Darce. I kept myself tightly woven around his neck, until I felt him try to ease away.
“Summer,” he said gently; his hands sliding over my shoulders.
“They wanted me to forget. At first, I didn’t understand what. And then, it was the ceremony. I saw it.”
“You saw...” he echoed, his features frozen in place. “What did you see?”
“Minthe held me down, and my mother. . .she put some sort of liquid into my mouth.”
“A liquid?” Morpheus asked.
I nodded slowly, and continued, “I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t move. I felt like I was dying.”
Morpheus was quiet for a moment as he gazed down at me. “But you didn’t die. What you saw. . .was a memory.”
“She wanted me to forget. She wanted me to forget everyone. You, Darce. . .everything.” As I remembered the fear, my eyes filled with tears again. Persephone had died so alone. . . so afraid of what was happening. It filled me with a rage for my mother, a rage I knew I’d have a hard time ever forgetting. How could she have done that to me—her daughter? The replicas of us, over and over again? Now, this was my last life. If she killed me again, I wouldn’t have another chance. None of us would. Was that really what she wanted?
A hazy memory from before came to life in my mind. I could hear Darce telling me not to drink the water.
The water in the Underworld.
As I lifted my chin, I stared up at Morpheus with wide, horrified eyes.
“It was from the River Styx.”
“That would only make you forget. Not kill you.”
“Darce asked me to forget too. Only, he didn’t look the same.”
Morpheus stared at me and released a sigh as he sat down beside me.
“It was only a dream, Summer.”
“You told me to see things for what they are, as they are. Shouldn’t I try to see the dream for what it is, too?”
He raised a brow. “And what do you think it is?”
“Minthe and my mom. They did it together in my dream. Shouldn’t that mean something? Did they kill Persephone in the past too?”
Morpheus tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, a frown on his face.
“Some dreams are out of my control,” he said casually. “Perhaps it really was just a nightmare.”
“But, you know that there are messages—”
“Summer,” he interjected sternly, but paused. He turned his gaze from mine and released a breath.
“I know what I saw,” I mumbled.
He rose from the bedside and patted my pillow, behind me. “You should go back to sleep. It’s still early.”
“I can’t…” I confessed. I was too afraid. “We’re going to Mount Olympus today, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Morpheus replied softly.
“And you’re going too, right?”
Morpheus frowned. “Do you think I would leave you now?”
It took me a moment to respond, shrugging.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’d understand if you wanted to go.”
“I made you a promise,” he murmured. “I’m a God of my word.” After another long pause, he released another sigh. “You don’t have to forgive me,” he began, but I lifted my hand.
“I understand why,” I said softly. “I know you didn’t mean for it to happen.” With a shiver, I continued. “My dad died because of your plan. I lost my family. . .my whole life.”
“I know,” Morpheus said with gritted teeth. “I am sorry. No matter what I might do for you, Summer. It will never make up for what you’ve lost.”
He was right. No matter what he did, my dad would never come back.
“I’m sorry,” he said again as I leaned back into the pillows behind me. “I can’t express how sorry I truly am.” He pulled the blankets up around me and slid a hand over my arm.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Morpheus murmured. “I promise. I won’t let you forget anyone.”
“They played a terrible game with us tonight.” I whispered as he slowly turned towards the door. “They wanted to separate us.” He paused as he reached for the handle but didn’t look at me.
“Perhaps,” he said, turning his cheek slightly.
“They did,” I said with a nod. “They underestimated our friendship Morpheus. They underestimate me.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you and Persephone,” Morpheus said, shifting his gaze to mine with a small smile. “It was to never underestimate the Goddess of Spring.”
Chapter 19
I skipped breakfast despite the grumbling in my stomach. I knew I might regret it later, but it was safer to stay here in my room, than be out and about with malicious sharks. I had no intention of leaving my room until we were docked. I did however, dress for the day, and I had even put away all of the fancy gowns Arae had packed. No more silly pretenses. I should have stuck with my guns and kept to my sweaters. Eventually, I settled on a soft yellow pullover, and a pair of shorts.
As I got dressed, I even planned for different escape routes off of the boat in case I needed them. If worse came to worst, I was ready to ask Morpheus to go back to the Underworld and bring Darce back. He wasn’t bound to the Underworld forever; he had only been cast off the boat.
I pushed myself up in my bed when I heard a gentle knock on the door. I was bracing myself for someone like Eros or even my mother to show up. I was relieved when it was Morpheus instead, carrying a blueberry muffin and a bright red apple in his hands.
“I brought you breakfast,” he said, offering the two items to me. My stomach thanked him. I pushed the blankets away and rose to my feet, taking the muffin first. It was still warm. I peeled away the top layer, revealing specks of melted blueberries, and slipped it into my mouth unceremoniously; I groaned. It tasted heavenly.
It could have been my lack of appetite, but this muffin was better than any other pastry I had eaten.
“We’re close to land.” Morpheus was all business, despite my awkward noises. “That means we’ll probably be leaving within the hour.”
“I could bolt off the boat,” I said as soon as I swallowed a mouthful of muffin. “I could just . . .run.”
<
br /> “You really think running from a group of Gods is a wise thing to do?” He asked.
“You could run ahead to the Underworld. I know you can do that whole walking-through-space thing. Go back to the Underworld. Bring Darce to Mount Olympus.” I crumpled the leftover wrapper and shrugged. “Easy peasy, right?”
“Definitely not,” Morpheus scoffed. “His Lord is banished to the Underworld, so to speak. I’m sure Zeus has eyes on his every move. And with Minthe there…”
“Remind me to turn her into a plant once I figure out these powers of mine.”
“You do that,” he said with a laugh.
“I will,” I promised as I tossed the muffin wrapper into a nearby trash bin. “So you think my escape plan isn’t going to work?”
“You could always try,” he said with a shrug. “But you won’t get far. Zeus has the Goddess of the Hunt on his side. She’ll find you all too easily. Besides, too many of them would notice your absence.”
I had forgotten about Artemis. The image of the beautiful woman on that very first day struck me. I wasn’t so sure I could outrun her. I was a decent runner, but I was built for the long-run, not bursts of speed. I would be hopelessly outmatched, and my feet knew it.
“Couldn’t you just. . .take me to Darce?” I asked.
Morpheus narrowed his eyes. “I told you. It’s not that easy. You’d only be running away from all of this. The solution would only be temporary. The outcome could be far worse.”
“I feel like if I go with them then I’m just giving in.” Or, giving them what they want. It was kind of like rewarding stubborn children for misbehaving. I had seen enough episodes of The Nanny with Dad to know that it never worked for long.
If I give in just once, they’d trample me every time after.
“You’re playing their game, remember?” Morpheus replied. “This isn’t giving in. This is becoming the wooden horse in their battle of Troy. You pretend to be what they want. And you win the right back to the Underworld. And once you have it, you leave—with or without me. You leave. You go back to the Underworld and disappear.”
“I don’t think I can simply disappear into the Underworld. As long as Zeus and my mother know where I am then this will never stop—”
A knock on the door interrupted us, and Morpheus stared at me quietly.
I released a sigh before moving towards the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Eros’ silky voice echoed back. “We’re about five minutes from docking. Zeus has asked everyone to come up from the cabins. We’ll be heading for Mount Olympus the moment we arrive.”
Which really meant that Zeus didn’t want to waste any more time—or give me the chance to slip away when he wasn’t looking.
“I’ll be out in a little bit.”
“Don’t forget!” he repeated, “Five minutes.”
“Yup! Thank you,” I called back, a little sharper than I had intended. When there was nothing but silence, I turned to look back at Morpheus.
“I guess this is it,” I whispered. “We’re past the point of no return.”
“We are far beyond that, Summer,” he replied. “We have been for quite some time.”
With a small nod, I set to work about packing the last of my things into the suitcase. Once I was finished, I lugged it through the doorway. Morpheus touched my shoulder and offered his hand.
“Allow me.”
The dock at Plaka was a far cry from the one Darce and I had originally come to with Hermes. Everything looked so worn and dreary. It might have just been the horrible weather looming overhead that made the place feel even more dismal. The ocean was such a deep, rich sort of blue, and crashed against the gathering of large rocks making up some of what should have been a beach for tourists. Many of the local sea-side restaurants were aglow with lights, illuminating a few of their guests, who had braved the weather. Outside one building, two men sat on either side of the door, smoking their cigarettes. And just beyond the small village, large mountains lingered just beyond; the tops of them covered in a haze of clouds and fog.
It felt weird to be on land without Darce. I didn’t have his hand in mine or my favorite smile to pluck up the courage in me to keep moving. The only thing I could focus on was the sound of my suitcase, rolling behind me on the wooden planks. Morpheus and I followed the line of Gods and Goddesses as we disembarked; I did my best to keep my eyes on the ground, avoiding all eye contact.
Zeus paused as we gathered together, and smiled at his brother, Poseidon, who stood beside him.
“Thank you again, brother, for welcoming all of us on your yacht,” Zeus said with a smirk. “I suppose it’s my turn now, to host you and your wife.”
“I’ll think of the next place to go then,” Poseidon said with a wink.
“You do that,” Zeus replied. “We’ll see you at the feast, honoring Summer.”
He looked in my direction, though I was adamant about keeping my focus on things other than Zeus. I didn’t care about their stupid feast.
“Of course,” Poseidon said with a chuckle. “You weren’t going to get rid of me that easily.”
Zeus didn’t seem to miss a beat. He turned towards the rest of the gathering and gestured towards the mountains behind me. “Let us return home.”
Taking his wife’s hand, they took a step together into nothingness. They were there one moment and gone within a breath. One by one, the Gods and Goddesses that had been on the yacht, followed suit. It would have been so easy to slip away now, with Zeus gone. It would have been so easy to turn around and run as fast as I could.
Hermes came up beside me before I could act, a smile etched on his lips as he extended his hand. “His Lord asked me to bring you to Mount Olympus. As you certainly cannot travel the way we do naturally.” I chanced a skeptical look at Morpheus, and he nodded silently in reply.
I had to tell myself I was the wooden horse. It did them more harm to bring me into their domain, than it did me going to theirs. With a breath, I took Hermes’ hand as he smiled.
“Just like before. Three…” he took a step, and suddenly we were surrounded by a thick darkness; everything around us sped by, as though we were in a fast-moving vehicle.
“Two…” Suddenly, the village slid by us, and our ascension towards the large mountains began. By the time the word “one” escaped his lips, our feet were planted on a flat ledge near the base of a larger mountain. A golden gate stood before me, Hermes and Morpheus. I darted my gaze to both of them.
“Where are we?”
“This is the gate of Mount Olympus. As you’re mortal, we can only bring you this far.”
“Wait. I can’t go all the way?” I was starting to wonder if I should have actually tried to run away while I had the chance on the dock. “What was the point then?”
“Not without passing through the gates first,” Hermes replied and lifted his hand towards a group of women. They began to appear one by one, slipping through the golden gate. Each of them began to line up in front of us; their smiles wide, warm and kind. Their dresses were colorful, ranging in all different shades. Their hair fell around their shoulders, and all were gifted with a golden crown of leaves.
“The Horae,” he said with a smile. “They are the guardians of the gate. They welcome all of our guests.”
The women were beautiful—all of them. A few turned in place, and began to unlatch the golden-rod gates, opening them just enough to create a path. The way they all stared at us, the pupils of their eyes missing, and seemingly unmoving as we walked past, sent chilling shivers down my spine. Morpheus slipped a coin into the hand of one of the women before turning and following after me and Hermes. I lifted a brow, curiously.
“Just as one pays Charon to take their spirit into the Underworld, I thought it best to pay them for our safe passage.”
“I’m just glad they didn’t shoot fire at us as we walked by,” I muttered under my breath. Morpheus looked at me, alarmed and confused.
“Why on earth
would they?”
“There’s a movie from my childhood,” I explained. “The Neverending Story. One of the main characters has to go through a gate of sorts. There were these statues that guarded the way in, and when they opened their eyes, they would shoot laser beams down at the person trying to walk between them, and kill them,” I lifted my hands, mimicking the statues. “Anyway, the kid in the story had to get past the guardians. It was the scariest experience of my life.”
“I can see why that would be terrifying,” he said with a nod. “I think, given the circumstances, Zeus and your mother would have more to lose by putting you through a test of wills at this point.”
“Do mortals usually face tests?”
“Mortals never reach the gate of Mount Olympus. Or rarely, at least. There was one…”
“Hercules!” I said with a laugh. “Though, I think the Disney version of Mount Olympus is much more magical and colorful.”
Morpheus looked at me a little perplexed before clicking his tongue with a chuckle. “Just you wait and see. This is only the beginning.”
“He’s right,” Hermes said with a laugh. “That was merely the gate. There’s nothing grand about that. Everything ‘magical’ is waiting above.”
He lifted his hand up in the air, and I followed with eager eyes. He was right. Above us, I could see a floating city where lights streamed from large, marble palaces. Waterfalls were even falling from the floating forms, rivers running from pond to pond like ancient aqueducts. Hermes took my hand and again, and the world around us suddenly shifted with blinding speed. Before I could take a breath, we were on one of the floating pieces in the sky. There was a slight breeze, but even there, everything was warm and crisp and perfect.
Shocked, I gazed at everything around me. Each form was connected by a stone path, surrounded by a small patch of lush, green grass, and tiny white blossoms of jasmine and wildflowers. Lone, stone columns lined a few of the paths, leading to small, individual palaces.
Gilded Ruins Page 19
