Gilded Ruins

by Chantal Gadoury

  Darce studied me; his expression hopeful. “We’ll have many more moments like this.”

  “It just feels impossible right now,” I admitted with a shrug. “Not with Zeus. . .or my mom. Or Minthe…”

  Darce was quiet until he lifted my hand with his; our palms flat against each other.

  “We have found each other, against all odds. Against the challenge of time. Nothing is going to keep me away from you.”

  “And what are we going to do tonight?”

  He eased his head back into the pillows. “Let me worry about that.”

  “If we’re a team, then I need to worry too. This isn’t just about you anymore. This is about me too.”

  “It’s always been us,” he replied, sliding his dark gaze to mine.

  “I’m just saying, I want to be involved. I’m not going to stand by and watch you get banished again. I’m not going to just…” I pushed myself up, holding the blankets against my bare chest. “I can handle this.”

  Darce sat up with a smile. “What would you like to do then?”

  “I’ll grow a damned forest in his palace if I have to,” I said, shaking my head. Darce laughed and I pushed a pillow at him. “It’s not funny!”

  “I know,” he chuckled, dodging the pillow. “I know it’s not. But I imagined you, sprouting trees in his foyer, and I find the thought quite entertaining.”

  “Stop laughing at me,” I laughed and fell into him. I didn’t lift my head as real tears slowly began to stream down my cheeks. Darce wrapped his arm around me tightly, pressing a kiss on the crown of my head.

  “I can’t lose you,” I whispered.

  “You won’t,” he said, holding me tightly before he began to push the blankets of my bed away. Easing onto his feet, I watched as he began to dress himself again. He pulled his black pants up around his waist, looking back at me with a raised brow.

  “Are you just going to watch?”

  I blushed and shrugged. “You didn’t seem to mind the last time.”

  Darce smiled as he began to tug on his black shirt. “You’re right, I didn’t.” As he adjusted his buttons, he slid his gaze over me again. “You should get ready for the feast tonight.”

  “So you are going?”

  “I didn’t come all this way for nothing,” he replied as he picked up his silver crown from the table and placed it upon his head.

  Chapter 21

  With a final kiss, Darce slipped into the twilight of the night. I watched him closely as he disappeared up the set of stairs, and into the nearby palace belonging to Zeus. As I looked around, I found Mount Olympus awash with brilliant lights. The beginning hums of music were echoing from the large columns outside the palace. The party had already started.

  Releasing a nervous breath, I turned back and moved quickly towards my room. I needed to figure out something to wear. I opened my suitcase and stared at the jumbled mess of my clothes. Arae would be so ashamed of me. So much so, I was almost sure I could hear her in my mind.

  “If she’s wearing those god-awful shoes, I’m going to burn them.”

  I stopped, listening closely, until I realized, I was actually hearing her.

  “Arae?” I asked, turning on my heel towards my bedroom door. As I started down the hall, I saw Arae shoving Thanatos out of her way with a huff.

  “His Lord said she was here—”

  “Thanatos, I swear to the Gods…” She hissed, pushing her hand onto her hip.

  “Thanatos! Arae!” I cried out and ran down the hall like my life depended on it. Joy filled my chest as I saw them again. I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed them. Thanatos smiled and was the first to open his arms to me. I hugged him for a moment, no matter how strange it might have been and laughed.

  “I didn’t expect to see you!”

  “Didn’t his Lord tell you we were coming?” Arae asked, raising an arched brow. Her long, fiery hair fell over her shoulders, and she pushed a few strands out of the way.

  “It seems he must have overlooked that detail.”

  “Of course he did,” Arae replied as she stared at me.

  By her glance, I could guess at how annoyed she was by my choice of clothes.

  “Looks like the sun did you some good at least…” She murmured, wrinkling her nose. “Though, it still did nothing for your sense of fashion.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said again with a small, shy smile.

  “And it looks like there’s a party going on next door,” Thanatos said. “I take it we’re all invited?”

  “Most of us are.” Arae said, pursing her lips before she turned her attention back to me. “I suppose I was dragged here to be your fashion coordinator again?”

  “Did you really want to stay in the Underworld, listening to your favorite harlot screaming?” Thanatos asked, pressing his hands to his hips. Arae eyed him for a moment before patting his cheek.

  “And this is why I let you follow me like a lost puppy. You keep me in check.”

  Thanatos groaned, shaking his head. “I’d do more than keep you in check, given the opportunity.”

  “If you don’t mind,” I interrupted, suddenly feeling strangely awkward between them. What had I missed in the Underworld? “I could use the help.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight,” she replied, turning her attention back to me with a sigh. “You always need help.”

  She started down the hall, glancing over her shoulder only once to make sure I was following after her.

  “I might have something you could use tonight,” Arae said as she barged into my room. Lifting her case on the unmade bed, she snapped it open and pulled at the first thing that was folded neatly on the top. It was a long, flowy dress that moved like a gentle breeze. The top was black and strapless, and ran down into a skirt with pinks, purples and soft hints of orange. It reminded me of an exotic flower, freshly plucked from a lush rainforest.

  “This’ll do, I think,” Arae said with an approving nod.

  “I think it’s beautiful.”

  “Good then.” Arae pushed the dress into my arms. “Go get dressed.”

  Unlike any time before, I was actually too grateful to her to even begin an argument. I was sure she noticed, because as I disappeared into the bathroom, I could hear her murmur, “did she actually seem excited to get dressed?”

  I pulled off the clothes I had thrown on just before Darce had left and stepped into the new gown. As I pulled it up around me, I realized it fit me like a glove; just like my ring. With my hair around my shoulders, I found I appeared more mature than I ever had before. The gold dress wasn’t me, but this one? It was just an extension of who I really was—Summer Mavros, the new Goddess of Spring. I emerged from the bathroom and cleared my throat, as I faced Arae and Thanatos again.

  “What do you think?”

  Arae turned on her heel, and her eyes grew wide with surprise. Thanatos was the first to break the silence with his laughter.

  “Wow! You look. . .”

  “You look like a true Goddess,” Arae said with a pleased smile. Lifting a finger, as though she were in mid-thought, she turned to her suitcase and began rummaging around, until she pulled out a silver chain lined with black diamonds. Gently, she placed it on my head, adjusting it until it was situated perfectly above my brow-line.

  “Speaking of true Goddesses,” I began, still a little uncertain of how to ask her my questions about the ring. “The gift you gave me before I left…”

  I shifted slightly as she stared at me curiously.

  “The ring,” I said, lifting my hand to show the rose-gold band.

  “What about it?” she asked, raising a brow.

  “How… where did you get this?”

  She took a step back, her eyes scanning the work she’d done to me; the dress, the crown, even the faint brush of blush on my cheeks.

  “It was so long ago. Does it matter? I’ve returned it now,” she replied quickly, turning her gaze away from mine. I knew she was hiding s
omething by the way she avoided me; Arae always stood her ground.

  “Arae…”

  She let out a sigh and shook her head. “You both know exactly how to get under my skin, don’t you? You crawl up in there, and just stick…”

  “Who? Me and who?”

  “You know who,” she hissed, shaking her head. Thanatos darted his gaze between us, and slowly pointed to himself, intrigued. She glared at him, exasperated. “Not you. Persephone.”

  “Persephone gave this to you?”

  She groaned with a nod. “Yes, alright? Yes. Persephone gave me the ring his Lord had given her and…she told me to return it to her when she came back. As we all know, she didn’t. Until now. With you.” She gestured towards me. “It felt like it was the right time.”

  I gazed down at the ring. There was something strangely familiar about it; something so natural. It fit me like a glove. It was an element of myself that I had been missing and hadn’t ever known. It was like a piece of the puzzle had fallen back into place after being lost for so many years.

  “She told me something about ‘leaving pieces of herself behind,’ that it was like remaining with the people she loved. It was something she had heard from the God of Love once.” She paused. “I knew she was troubled that day. She’d had a dream… though, she never told me about it. After I learned of what had happened to her… I wondered. Maybe she knew. Maybe she’d known she wasn’t coming back to the Underworld.”

  I found the thought unsettling. Persephone wouldn’t have just gone to her death willingly, would she?

  “You think so?” I asked, glancing away. “Do you think she would have just said. . .nothing to Darce?”

  “If she did, it was very unfair to his Lord, wasn’t it?”

  I brushed a fingertip over the ring and released a heavy sigh. The more I learned, the more the story of the past began to unravel, the less I felt I understood anything.

  “Do you think it’s enough to impress Zeus himself?” I asked, shifting the attention back to the dress. Arae appeared relieved at the change of topic.

  “Enough to impress an entire room,” a warm, familiar voice said behind me. I turned, knowing I’d find Morpheus waiting in the wings. He stood by the door, a hand over his black and gold jacket. The white ruffles around his elbows gave his outfit an almost Victorian aesthetic. No matter what he wore, there was something about Morpheus that always took my breath away. He was beautiful. Like a dream.

  His eyes slid over me, and my cheeks warmed. It was evident he was admiring not only my gown, but me too.

  “Hello, Morpheus,” Arae said with a sort of strange delight. She crossed her arms against her chest and grinned.

  “Arae,” he replied; his eyes flickering to her and then to Thanatos. “I’m glad to see you both here.”

  “We were a little surprised to have not seen you back in the Underworld already. We know how much you dislike it here.”

  “Someone had to make sure Summer was safe,” Morpheus explained as his gaze moved back to me. “With his Lord away.”

  “He told us what happened,” Thanatos said, unable to disguise his amusement. He had a way of finding the humor in anything, even if it was inappropriate or poorly timed. “I was surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

  “It certainly wasn’t his best day, but nor was it Zeus’ either,” Morpheus tilted his head and sighed. “Should I expect you all at the party then?”

  Arae sat down on the edge of the bed and inspected her nails.

  “I came to do what I needed to do. I thought our sweet, little Summer would need some help. Especially since Minthe was invited.” She eyed my gown again with unmasked pride—and just a hint of smugness. “And I was right.”

  “Perhaps I’ll join,” Thanatos said, slipping a hand to his chest. “It would be nice to see everyone again.”

  “You just want to see Hestia,” Arae said, rolling her eyes.

  “Is that jealousy I hear?” Thanatos said with a teasing grin.

  “You wish,” Arae replied sharply. From the look on Thanatos’ face, he did wish. He had never hidden his adoration for the sarcastic nymph, even when she acted like she couldn’t stand him. With her snarky reply, Thanatos walked towards the door with a sigh.

  “Then come along,” he said to me and Morpheus. “Let’s get to this party, before we miss all the fun.”

  “I’ll be here,” Arae called. “Keeping the bed warm for you.”

  “Don’t tease me with a good time, Arae. Or you might be sharing that bed with me sooner rather than later,” Thanatos said. With a flash of a smile, he warned, “and you’ll like it.”

  Darce

  I knew Persephone’s moods, better than my own. I knew her smiles—as warm as the sunshine had been on the day I’d seen her in the field of flowers. I knew her tears; when she gathered herself in my arms and told me her most inner thoughts. I knew her laughter, and the way she lit up the room with her eagerness. She had changed so many of us with the sound of her laughter.

  I knew when she was hiding something. I knew by the way she shielded her eyes from mine. As if she had to protect a deep, dark secret from me. As I pushed myself from sleep and turned slightly to see her still form lying beside me—I knew Persephone was keeping something to herself. I knew by the steady stream of tears that gilded down around her soft cheeks. The way she pressed her palm to her lips, doing what she could to keep me from hearing.

  I wanted to reach out to her—I wanted to pull her into myself and take away this entirely mysterious sadness. Where had it come from? As she shifted her cheek into the nearby pillow, I felt myself hesitate.

  I knew what day it was.

  I knew what this morning brought.

  She would leave me. Again. I would wait nearly half a year for her return. I would wait, behind the ledgers from the Underworld; the keeping of the souls. I would walk with time as Thanatos and I would patrol the waters of the River Styx. I would wait for the season of the harvest to come again; to meet her at the entrance of the Underworld—where she would smile and press her lips against mine.

  I shifted, lifting myself up on my elbow to peer at her. My movement caused her to stir and draw her blue gaze to meet mine. She almost appeared startled; as though I’d caught her in a private moment; I supposed I had. I remained still, watching her in the quiet darkness between us. She’d wiped her tears away; only the glimmer of wetness indicated any sort of emotion on her features.

  “You’ve been crying.”

  “I. . .yes,” she confessed softly. “Don’t I always?” Slowly, her fingers emerged from the blankets and brushed over my cheek. “Leaving you is never easy.”

  “Letting you leave isn’t easy either,” I murmured, lifting my own hand to brush over hers. “Even more when you cry.”

  “I won’t cry when you take me above,” she replied quietly. We both knew it was a lie, and a lie I willingly accepted.

  “Time will go by quickly,” I managed, unsure if I was trying to comfort her more, or myself. “It always does.”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod. “Yet never as quickly as I always hope.”

  Her fingers slid over my brow, and down the length of my nose. And then further down along the line of my jaw, until her cool fingers came to rest on my bare shoulder.

  “Will you remember me when I’m gone?”

  I looked at her in confusion. “How could I ever forget you?”

  “Would you know me if I wore a different face?”

  “Persephone?” I rolled closer to her, drawing her closer against me; the blankets of the bed intertwined with our legs. “What…” I shook my head. “What sort of question is that?”

  “I love you, you know,” she said sheepishly. “I carry that with me wherever I go.”

  “Do you?” I asked as I brushed a fingertip over her chin. “I carry you too. You are always with me, no matter how far away you are.”

  “I’ll always want you.”

  “For always?” I asked, flashin
g a smile. I wanted to put her mind and heart at ease.

  “And forever.” She confirmed. “Lifetimes of it.”

  A stray tear rolled down her cheek, as she continued to gaze at me. I studied her for a moment more. Her words, unsettling and strange. She didn’t need lifetimes. We’d have eternity. I only needed my brother—Zeus—and her mother—Demeter—to give us their blessing.

  “Keep the memory of me long enough until you come back,” I whispered with a smile as I eased closer to her still. Her eyes glistened with a sadness that gripped my heart tightly. I’d never seen her so distraught. I pulled her hand from my shoulder, taking in the sight of the rose-gold ring on her finger before leaning forward just enough to press a tender kiss against her lips.

  “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

  I repeated the same words to her as she pushed herself up into the sunlight, many hours later. Her eyes were wet from weeping. It was all I could do to release her hand, to watch her walk to her mother, waiting off in the distance.

  No matter how long those summer months lasted, I would wait.

  If it made her smile—if it meant no more tears—then I would do anything to make sure she came home to me.

  Chapter 22

  As we passed between the large columns of Zeus’ palace and entered the foyer, I was awe-struck by the large sitting statue of Zeus. It was exactly the way all the historical books in my world had shown and described his temple in Greece to look. The statue of the man sat on a golden throne, draped in fabric around his waist, and over his right shoulder. In his hand, he held a tall scepter with an eagle perched on top and in his other hand, a small statue of a crowned Goddess. Around his head, he wore a wreath of olive sprays, and his beard and hair were full and long. Not at all how he looked on the yacht.

  “That’s a big statue,” I murmured, glancing at Thanatos.

  “Zeus has a big ego,” he replied, as though that should have explained everything—and boy, it did.

  With a smile, I shrugged. “Well, you know what they say about guys with big egos?”