The Gatekeeper's Daughter (9 page)

Poseidon sat on the couch directly across from Hermes. Than and Therese sat close together on a couch to themselves. “I’ve brought you here to warn you. I wanted to be safe within these palace walls with all my allies and servants at the ready. I couldn’t speak of this anywhere else.”

“Warn us?” Than asked.
“Sounds serious.”

Poseidon grimaced. “If you consider a plot by Ares to lock Therese into the depths of Tartarus with Cronus and his ilk serious, then yes.”

Therese gasped, which made her gag on a bit of water. Than patted her back. She looked at him and asked, “Why? What could he gain by that? Does he hate me so much?” Tears sprang to her eyes.

“Not hate. Fear,” Poseidon said. “He actually admires your loyalty and determination. He fears you as his enemy.”

“But, but I still don’t get why? How am I a threat to him?”

Than curled his arms around her more possessively. “It’s not like we can vote on Mount Olympus. We’re banished. We’re out of the way.
Tartarus? Really?”

“He doesn’t want to see your union take place,” Poseidon explained.

“That’s ridiculous!” Therese said. “He just doesn’t want me to be happy. Is that it? He wants to see me suffer!” The boulder rolled from her lap, and she started to float up again, but Than held her down. She took up her rock with both hands and returned it to her lap.

“He’s not like that,” Poseidon said. “He may love war and conflict, but he has no need for personal vengeance.”

“Then why?” Than demanded.

“Gods beget gods,” Poseidon said. “
You
may be banished from Mount Olympus, but your future children might one day skew the balance of power against him.”

“Ah,” Hermes said. “Now I understand.”

Therese felt her face go white. She hadn’t even thought of having children. That seemed so far away in the future.

“Can’t we promise never to have children?” Therese wasn’t sure she wanted to make such a promise, but it sure beat living eternity in fear
of being captured. It sure beat remaining trapped at the bottom of Tartarus.

Hermes actually guffawed.

“What’s so funny?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

Than turned to her with an awkward smile.
“Um. Gods don’t have birth control.”

She almost said, “So?” but she caught herself. Oh. She could feel her cheeks turn bright pink. If they promised never to have children, they would essentially be swearing abstinence. No wonder Hermes laughed. What kind of marriage would that be?

“No more god travel,” Poseidon warned. “It makes you vulnerable to abduction. Have you ever wondered why I prefer my chariot? Well, that’s why. Most gods with something to lose prefer chariot travel. It’s safer.”

“What a pickle,” Hermes muttered.

Therese swallowed more water, breaking into another fit of coughing as Than patted her back. When she’d gotten the water out of her windpipe, she asked, “Any idea how Ares plans to capture me?”

Poseidon frowned. “No. The only reason I know of his plan is that he asked me to do it. When I refused, he said no more.”

Therese looked again at Than, wondering what they should do, but was only further worried by the expression on his face. His brows bent together, forming a v, his eyes were narrowed, and his mouth pressed into a tight line. She could see his jaw clenching against his cheeks near his temples. He looked like he was going to punch something.

“We’ll get through this,” she said to him, her turn to be the reassuring one. “It’s going to be okay.”

He stood up with his rock and paced. “Ares isn’t getting away with this. I’ll have my father block every entrance to Tartarus. My sisters will be on watch day and night. He can’t control us like this. I won’t let him. Damn him.”

“We’ve got to find a weakness of his to exploit,” Hermes said. “It’s the only way. Even if he can’t get her to Tartarus, there are other places to hold a victim.”

“What weakness?” Therese asked.

“There’s only one for Ares,” Poseidon said.

They all looked at him.

“Aphrodite.”

Chapter Twelve: Café Moulan

Than waited for Aphrodite in Paris on the patio at Café Moulan beneath the striped umbrella erected from the center of the round table. He was pissed that she could think of nowhere else to meet him when Ares could be right around the corner, where the two gods frequently rendezvoused. He supposed he’d rather Ares be in Paris than in Colorado hunting Therese. After Poseidon had delivered them in his chariot to Therese’s house in the wee hours of the morning, Than hadn’t wanted to say goodbye, but she had to compete in her championship swim meet today to maintain the illusion of being human. It was important that they keep Carol and Richard on their side. Therese would be unhappy otherwise.

Than clenched his jaw when Aphrodite finally pulled up in her lime-green Lamborghini half an hour late.
He watched her graceful figure move through the tables on the patio, all eyes drawn to her, even though a scarf concealed her face. She exuded beauty in every feminine curve of her body, in the long golden tresses of hair gliding down her back. Than hid his frustration as she sat down across from him. As angry as he felt, he doubted he could carry out the backup plan Poseidon had suggested if Aphrodite could not help them: capture her in exchange for an oath from Ares to never interfere with Therese and Than’s happiness again. Than didn’t want to play that card if he could avoid it. Aphrodite had become his favorite aunt, and he didn’t want to spend eternity on her bad side. He bit down his anger and frustration and said, “I ordered you a glass of wine.”

“Wonderful.” She took the glass and sipped. Then she sat back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other, swirling the wine in the glass between sips. “Why are we here?”

“I need your help.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “This has to do with Ares?”

Than nodded.

She gave him an exasperated look. “What’s he done now?”

“He plans to capture Therese and lock her away.”

“I thought as much. He doesn’t like being out-numbered.”

Than swallowed hard, embarrassed by what he was about to say. “If I promise not to touch her…”

Aphrodite’s eyes widened.

Than felt the blood rush to his cheeks. “I love her. I’d do anything to keep her safe.”

“Ares won’t believe you. You’re an oath breaker.”

His lips twitched into a frown.

Aphrodite leaned forward, awkwardly averting her eyes. “Than, have you considered that maybe she’d be better off human?”

“Isn’t it a bit late for that?” he growled.

“Not if she can’t discover her purpose.”

Than folded his arms across his chest, trying to suppress the mix of anger and frustration boiling inside of him. “So you want us to give up? After all we’ve gone through?”

“In time, she could be happy with the mortal struck by Cupid.”

The anger blazed through him as he imagined Therese in Pete’s arms. Then he recalled Therese’s question about the arrow. “That reminds me. Therese can see the arrow in his chest and wants to know what would happen if she pulled it out.”

Aphrodite pressed both hands against the table and leaned even closer. “She can see the arrow?”

Than lifted his chin. “So?”

“This is good news for you. Only a descendant of Cupid can see his arrows once they’ve pierced a heart.”

“She was a demigod?”

“Not demigod. But she had some godly blood in her. Once the transformation took place, the sight of Eros came to her.”

Than marveled at this revelation. He’d been impressed with her control over her dreams and her abilities with animals. “That explains a lot.” He wondered again if they’d been fated to find one another. Had they always been meant to be together? Then he realized something else. “That means she comes from you and Ares.”

Aphrodite flipped her long blonde hair from her shoulder and smiled. “I knew there was something special about her.”

“Ares wouldn’t hurt her knowing this, would he?”

She frowned. “She’s too far down the blood line to matter to him. Many humans have some residual godly blood.”

“But you just said she was special.”

“Special because she comes from me.” She leaned across the table. “Look, Ares was responsible for her parents’ death. He can never trust Therese or her progeny not to retaliate against him.”

“Then how is her relationship to Cupid a good thing for us?”

“There may yet be some undiscovered talents. And as to Peter Holt’s arrow, she can’t pull it out, but she might be able to shoot another in, to neutralize it.”

“That would comfort her.” And it was no lie it would put him more at ease as well.

“It could backfire and make him despise her.”

Than sucked in his lips. He supposed hate was a better alternative to love.

“I’ll speak with Cupid,” Aphrodite promised.

“Meanwhile, you can do nothing about Ares?”

Aphrodite frowned. “There is one possibility.”

“What is it?” A flicker of hope brought him to the edge of his seat.

“Ares once made a golden girdle for his daughter Hippolyta.”

“The Amazon? I know. So?”

“Well, in addition to giving her the highest status among the Amazons, it also protected her from male attention. Whereas my magic girdle attracts men, hers protected her chastity.”

“So you’re saying he could make another girdle for Therese?”

“No. I don’t think he would. It wasn’t easy to make.” She swallowed another sip of wine.  “You could find Hippolyta’s. It’s been lost ever since Hercules took it from her as part of his labors.”

“And once I find it?”

“Offer to have it permanently fitted to Therese.”

Than sighed. To spend an eternity longing to make love to his wife would be a worse torment than the one imposed by the maenads, but if it was the only way to secure Therese’s safety while allowing them to be together, well, he’d have to do it.

“Any idea where it might be?”

Aphrodite shrugged. “It was last seen during the war in Athens with the Amazons. Maybe Athena can help.”

Chapter Thirteen: The Championship Meet

Therese stood in the locker room before warm-up showing Jen the new Coach purse and wallet Carol and Richard had given her. She flipped through the photos, lingering on the first one, the one of her and her parents.

“That was a sweet idea.” Jen tugged off a pair of sweats and stuffed them in her locker with her flip-flops so that only her red Durango Demon swim team suit remained. “Just don’t ditch me if it’s a girl.”

Therese tucked the wallet back into the purse and set it in her locker. “What are you talking about? I’d never ditch you.” Guilt flooded through her, because that’s exactly what she’d be doing once she graduated and married Than.

“You’re
my
sister, too.” Jen poked Therese’s shoulder hard with her finger. “And don’t you forget it.” Jen walked away, ready to warm up.

Therese pulled her t-shirt off and over her head and folded it before laying it on top of her purse. Then she tugged her red swim cap over her head. Her face felt warm and her eyes moist. She was really going to
miss Jen.

Lined up for relay, Therese glanced up to the stands once more and caught Carol and Richard’s gaze. They waved again. She waved back. Pete, Bobby, and Mr. and Mrs. Holt were there, too, all looking down at the pool deck where she and Jen stood on opposite sides of the pool with the rest of their relay team.

The buzzer sounded throughout the indoor pool. Therese’s teammate dove in for butterfly and maintained a hand’s width distance behind the A-team swimmers for Pagosa Springs—Lacey’s group. The
backstroke swimmer widened the gap, leaving Therese’s teammate in her wake. Therese was so distraught over this unexpected gap, that she forgot herself when she dove in for breast. She jumped off the platform with so much force and shot out across the pool with such speed, that by the time she landed in the water, she was only a few feet from the other side. Jen looked down at her from the deck in shock, gaping.

Someone yelled, “Go! Go, Jen! Go!”