The Gatekeeper's Secret: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Five (The Gatekeeper's Saga) (4 page)

Hip waited, invisible in the snowy sky, while Therese appeared to Jen in the Holt family room. Therese did not reveal herself to the others. She put her finger to her lips and beckoned Jen from the sofa where she sat beside Bobby and across from Mrs. Holt watching TV. The family scene brought back so many memories from Therese’s childhood. Sometimes she really wished she could go back to those days before her parents
died, but then one look from Than would remind her how happy she was to be with him. As Therese and Jen climbed the stairs to the second floor, the familiar sound of Pete’s guitar carried from the first bedroom. Therese entered without knocking and showed herself to Pete. Jen followed.

“We need to talk,” Therese said.

Pete stopped strumming and lifted his face to her with his mouth hanging open, reminding Therese of how he looked when he was a golden retriever.

“It’s about time,” he said. “Sit down.”

She looked around. Jen fell onto the bean bag in the corner, leaving the papasan chair for Therese.

“I need to know what you told Hermes,” Therese said as she sat on the edge of the chair.

“He scared the hell out of me,” Pete said. “If only you would have let me tell you earlier.”

Therese took a deep breath, telling herself to be patient, but it didn’t work. “Well, you can tell me now. Spit it out.”

All her life, Pete had seemed so much older, bigger, and stronger. She had looked up to him for as long as she could remember. But today he seemed…fragile.

“I cut my finger and dropped my blood in a cup in the barn and called to my father’s ghost,” Pete explained. “My father came to me. His memory was hazy, and I wasn’t always sure he knew me. It was like talking to someone with Alzheimer’s, until he drank the blood.”

“So what happened?” Jen asked.

“I asked him what would become of Mom. I wanted to know if I should stay living here, or if I was free to go off to pursue my own dreams.”

While Pete had been pierced with Cupid’s arrow, he had wanted to stay close to Therese and work on his parents’ place. But once she had successfully neutralized the arrow, his old dreams of going on tour with his band seemed to resurface.

“And?”
Therese asked, dreading the answer.

“His white eyes started rolling around in their sockets, and he said a whole bunch of stuff I couldn’t understand. He said the number seven a lot, and he said moons and suns, and all kinds of mumbo jumbo, but the part I could remember is the part about you. He said the day you marry Death, the lord of Mount Olympus will fall, and someone close to you will die.” Then he added, “That’s why you can’t marry
Than. I’ve been trying to tell you. I know you probably think I’m just jealous, but I’m not. Well, maybe I am a little.”

“Pete…” Jen started.

“Look.” Pete squared himself to Therese. “You can live with him, but you can’t marry him.”

Therese gawked, momentarily paralyzed. With this information, Zeus would no doubt do everything in his power to keep her
and Than apart. Threats to his kingdom in the past had led to horrible consequences. It was why he swallowed Athena’s mother. Would he swallow Therese, too? The Olympians already considered Than and her to be oath breakers, so Zeus would never take their word for it if they swore to never marry.

“I’ve got to get out of here!” Without saying goodbye to the Holts, Therese opened a window and flew to Hip where he’d been waiting in the sky. “Take me home!”

“To your aunt and uncle’s?”

“No.
To the Underworld.” She took the reins from him and drove the chariot home.

That night she stayed in the safety of the Underworld rather than travel the world helping humans and their animal companions. Although Than was with her, he was also in countless other places, and she feared he was vulnerable to attack. Zeus couldn’t afford to capture Thanatos, the god of death, could he? She supposed the king of the sky could return Hermes to the Underworld. Nervously sucking her bottom lip, she sat beside Than on their new couch between the two leather chairs facing the fireplace, and begged him to be vigilant. She didn’t want to distract him, so she tried not to talk much, but he reminded her that he could do billions of tasks simultaneously.

“There’s really only one thing that distracts me,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“Then stop thinking about it,” she said seriously. “I don’t know why Zeus hasn’t already acted. It must be the party. He’s waiting to capture us when we’re on Mount Olympus.”

The next day, wearing a dress of pale pink silk made for her by Ariadne, Therese followed Than down the winding corridor to his father’s chariot, where most of the gods of the Underworld prepared to journey to Mount Olympus for the engagement party. Anyone watching from the outside would have thought they were attending a funeral, Therese thought as she reached the group and met their solemn faces. Even Alecto, who usually wore a tough exterior, looked anxious. As Therese climbed into the chariot beside Than, she tried to appear confident and brave, but she was far from both. Something was bound to go wrong at the party.

Than had said the night before, when they had discussed with the others what to do, that there was nowhere they could go to escape Zeus. It was better to face him and to be surrounded by allies than to run away and be alone and vulnerable.

She clutched the straps of her quiver and bow, which went everywhere she went.

After their journey, Hades, Persephone, Hecate, Hypnos,
Tizzie, and Alecto waited on the rainbow steps, where music poured from the palace, for Therese and Thanatos to enter the hall first, since they were the guests of honor; but there was another reason: the other gods of the Underworld drew wards of good fortune with their swords on the gold-paved walkway around the palace before entering themselves. Therese’s blood pumped madly through her veins. She put on a smile as she and Than moved to the center of the gods and bowed before Zeus and Hera, who were perched on their double throne at the far end of the room.

I will not let go of your hand for the entire party,
Than reassured her.

All of the Olympians were seated at their thrones in the great ring around the room, but other chairs made of precious stones and metals had been brought in and were arranged both between and in front of the Olympians. Because these chairs were not on raised platforms, the other gods seated around the hall did not block the view of the Olympians, nor did those who were standing.  Dozens of golden trays spread with food and drink added to the crowded room.

Do not eat or drink anything,
Than told her again.
Stay busy talking, singing, laughing, but do not eat or drink.

I won’t if you won’t.

But don’t be obvious about it.

They had already discussed this, and it irked her that
Than felt the need to remind her, as though she were a child, but she resisted the urge to say, “I know!” Instead, she smiled and continued greeting the other gods.

Therese
and Than turned about the room to bow at each of the Olympians and the various lesser gods stationed near them. To Hera’s left sat Ares with his sons, Phobos, Deimos, Anteros, and Cupid, at his feet. She marveled once more at how Ares and his twins shared the same color of red hair as she. A wave of panic overcame her, and she shot a look at Deimos, who only grinned.

She turned to Hermes and his son,
Hermaphroditos. They sat with three satyrs Therese had never met. Asterion and Ariadne seemed to know them. They stood between them and Poseidon, who was joined by Amphitrite and two sea nymphs. The nymphs were presently distracted by the music being made by Apollo and four Muses. Apollo played his lyre, and the Muses sang in harmony.

It really is beautiful
, Therese prayed to both Than and Apollo.

Try not to look so frightened
, Apollo replied.

Therese was surprised to see
Algaea, the oldest of Aphrodite’s Graces, whom she knew to be Hephaestus’s real and secret wife, seated beside him, along with their four daughters. They were beautiful, like the other gods, with light brown curls that matched their eyes. Therese had never met them but recognized them from Aphrodite’s descriptions.

Next in the circle sat Hades and Persephone, in a double throne that had only recently appeared near the entrance to the hall. Hecate, Hip,
Alecto, and Tizzie joined them. Meg had remained behind to defend the Underworld from another possible attack and to maintain Tartarus.

So far so good
, Hecate prayed, the white streaks of her hair in sharp contrast with her black satin dress.

Therese gave her a weak smile.

There were two empty chairs among the other gods of the Underworld, which Therese supposed were meant for her and Than, but before being seated, she and Than continued to make their bows around the room.

The blood rushed to her face when Aphrodite and her Graces refused to acknowledge them. Even
Pasithea, who once joined them for a game of night Frisbee, ignored them. Therese fought back the tears pricking her eyes. They were mostly tears of anger. Aphrodite was being unreasonable, and Therese was dying to tell her out loud to her face that enough was enough. But this was the first time Therese had been among so many gods and goddesses, and she wasn’t about to show signs of weakness. Despite her anger, her heart was hurt by the snub. She loved Aphrodite best of all the gods outside of the Underworld.

Although the smiles on the faces of Artemis and
Callisto and their fellow huntress companions did not make up for Aphrodite’s treatment of her, they did bring a smile to Therese’s face. Callisto had continued to express gratitude to Therese for rescuing her from the sky and reuniting her with Artemis. Therese’s smile soon faded, however, when she noticed, for the first time since entering the room, Demeter’s throne was empty.

Hestia said softly, “Demeter stays at her winter cabin during this time of the year and makes very few exceptions.”

“I’m sure she’ll be at the wedding,” Hera added with a suspicious smile.

Therese bowed to Hestia and her entourage of maidens before finally locking eyes with Athena.

Have you noticed anything unusual?
Therese asked the goddess of wisdom.

I’ve unraveled nothing,
Athena replied.
If my father has a plan for tonight, I have no knowledge of it. Be safe.

I pray to you to help us.

I promise to do what I can to protect you,
Athena assured her.

Zeus’s voice began over Athena’s last prayer. “Now that you have had an opportunity to greet the guests of honor, I have an important announcement to make that I’m sure will thrill our couple.”

Apollo and the Muses stopped making music, and the hall became silent. Therese squeezed Than’s hand.

What’s going on?
She asked him.

Before
Than could reply, Zeus said, “It is with great pleasure that I invite all of you here present today to a special wedding ceremony uniting these two love birds. Although I once mentioned the possibility of holding a wedding here on Mount Olympus, I have decided that Therese’s mortal family and friends should not be denied.”

What?
Therese glanced at Than and saw her concern mirrored in his eyes.

“Excuse me, brother,” Poseidon interrupted. “Are you suggesting that all of us here today should go down to earth and attend a wedding among mortals?”

“That’s precisely what I’m—not suggesting, but commanding. It will be my gift to the bride and groom. After all, I can’t imagine anything that would make the bride happier than to see both sides of her extended family in one magnificent wedding.”

Hera stood beside her husband. “And it
will
be magnificent.”

As the goddess of marriage, Hera was called upon to oversee the nuptial vows, and it was said that a bride and groom with her blessing would never part. Therese doubted
she and Than would receive such a blessing after the prophecy Pete shared with Hermes.

The gods and goddesses applauded. Someone tossed glittery confetti into the air above them, and it slowly drifted, like diamonds, onto the crowd, making everyone sparkle
even more. Therese forced a smile but wanted to explode with rage.

We’ll have to abort
, she prayed to Athena, Artemis, Apollo, and to the gods of the Underworld.
We can’t put the lives of so many mortals in jeopardy.
There was no way she could allow Athena and the others to carry out their plan on her wedding day—not when the lives of the people she loved the most in the world would be put in harm’s way. She glanced at Athena and could tell that her smile, too, was forced.

When the applause died down, Poseidon stood up and cleared his throat. “Am I the only god who sees the danger in having all of us on earth in mortal form at the same time? I fear some of us should remain behind to keep the world from crumbling, and I, for one, volunteer.”

“Some of the lesser gods will remain behind,” Zeus said. “But my gift to the couple diminishes in grandeur for each Olympian who does not attend. Now, if you ask me, brother, you’re just trying to get out of having to wear a suit.”