Cadmus rushed to me, scooping me into his strong arms. His gentle kiss was the last thing I felt before the fog of the island overtook me.
Chapter Eighteen
I opened my eyes and found Cadmus staring into mine.
I startled and leaned up on my elbows, looking frantically around me. But there was no reason to panic. I was in bed, safe and sound.
I was in Zeus’ palace and daylight was streaming through the open balcony doors. Sheer curtains fluttered in the wind, bringing with it the pungently floral scent of the Olympic breeze.
I inhaled deeply, tasting the flowers on my tongue, as I tried to gain my bearings. I turned to Cadmus.
"How did we get here?"
He drew me into his arms, pulling me close, and I melted into his embrace. How could I help it? There was nowhere else I would rather be, no matter how we managed to get here. I inhaled his masculine scent, clinging to his strength like a drowning person to a life raft.
After a few moments, he ended the kiss, although he didn’t loosen his hold on me.
"If you ever do that to me again," he began with a stern look on his face, "I will beat you.
Don’t look at me like that. I will hang you in the dungeons of this palace myself and I will beat you within an inch of your life."
I stared at him dubiously, still stroking his arm.
"Don’t doubt it," he added. "You almost gave me a heart attack. If you would’veif you.."
His jaw clenched as his voice trailed off and I stroked his face with trembling fingers.
"I know," I murmured softly. "I love you, too."
He nodded.
"Where is everyone?" I asked. "How did we get here?"
"Hecate," he answered. "Remember, she said we would need her three times. The third time was rescuing us from the island. She apparently sensed when the time was right and willed us back here."
"And my mother? My mortal mother?" I clarified.
He hesitated. "She’s on the island with Calypso."
"What?" I jerked my head up. "Why would Hecate leave her there? We’ve got to go back and"
Cadmus smoothly interrupted. "She left her there because she wasn’t sure what to do with her. It’s not safe for a mortal to linger in the Spiritlands for long and Hecate couldn’t send her to Pasadena, because your mother would wonder at your absence. Calypso’s island is safe for her. We are going to be busy for awhile. We have a sword to find."
I had forgotten about the sword in all of the excitement of almost burning alive. I nodded slowly in understanding.
I pictured my mother wandering through the paradise of Ogygia, and I sighed. There were worse places to keep her. I’d have to think more on this one.
"And Aphrodite?" I asked anxiously.
I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth though, when Aphrodite herself barged into the bedchambers. She looked beautiful, as fresh as if she’d just come from a spa day. Her silvery eyes though, were crackling like lightning.
"Harmonia!" she snapped as she dropped onto the bed at my side. "If you ever, and by ever, I mean at any time throughout the rest of eternity, decide to do something so foolish, I will personally "
I cut her off by grabbing her in a big hug. She stopped talking as she hugged me back and I felt the wetness of her tears against my neck. As she pulled away, she wiped at them.
"I love you, too," I told her quietly. She smiled.
"I know." She paused to look at me. "Your father is very agitated with you, you know."
"Really?" I studied her doubtfully. It seemed more in his nature to be proud of my cunning and courage. And I could see on her face that I was right, but I didn’t point it out. I simply let her nod.
"Yes, Harmonia. He is fit to be tied. You should probably give him a while to cool down before you talk to him."
Hmm. That meant I should probably give him awhile so that his proud accolades didn’t completely trash her story. In my good mood though, I felt generous. I’d go along with her story.
"Alright. I’ll give him an hour or so before I seek him out," I agreed. She nodded, satisfied that her fibs were safe. I had to shake my head. In every life, she had been exactly the same.
Colorful and excitable.
She rose from the bed, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Cadmus and me.
"I was just going to sit on the veranda and have breakfast. Would you like to join me or will you, er, be awhile?"
I felt my cheeks explode into flame.
"No, we’ll be happy to join you," I replied quickly. "Just give us a few minutes." At her grin, I quickly corrected myself. "A minute. One."
She laughed, a sound that echoed through the room like a peal of clear bells and I smiled.
Just a little while ago, I thought my life was over. And now, here I was, joking and smiling with those that I loved. Life was truly amazing.
"I’ll see you outside," she grinned. "Don’t take too long."
And she was gone, ducking out the door and leaving us alone. I turned to Cadmus.
"You have one minute," I told him with a smile as I ducked back under the covers.
"Challenge accepted," he chuckled as he followed me, throwing the coverlet back over our heads.
My soul mate does so love a challenge.
When we met Aphrodite on the veranda a short while later, she was seated facing the city, across from the Keres. I studied them as we crossed the courtyard. They were still just as frightening as they were on Ogygia. Haggard, stooped and ancient. We did not make a sound as we walked, yet they turned in perfect unison to face us with nearly sightless eyes.
"Harmonia," the one nearest to me creaked. "We’ve not been properly introduced." She held out her gnarled, wrinkled hand. "I am Moros."
I knelt at her feet, grasping her hand. "I’m pleased to meet you."
"Thank you for acting with bravery," she said with a nod. "We were right about you all along. I knew that you would act with honor. There were those," she rolled her eyes at her sisters, "that doubted. But I did not."
I hesitated. "I don’t understand, Moros. Were you never with the Moirae? What part did Annen play? And where is he?"
"No. We were never with the Moirae, we simply tricked them into believing that we were.
They should not hold the throne and they have been wrong for a long time. But we had to bide our time and wait for the prophecy to come to pass. Annen is out and about, safe and sound.
He is running an errand for us right now. There are so many things to do now, as I’m sure you can imagine."
"His tongueyou didn’t" I looked nervously at the sisters.
"No, child. That was the Moirae. They tried to test his loyalty and torture him into revealing our secrets. He did not fold, much like his brother Ahmose."
My head snapped up. "They were brothers?"
She nodded her ancient head in unison with her two sisters. "Yes. And he is very disturbed over his brother’s death."
I could understand that.
"Where are the Fates?" I asked my mother. "What shall be done with them?"
"They are being held on Ogygia in the empty pit that was filled with fire. No one is mistreating them. We will hold them there until Zeus is restored and he can deal with them as he would like."
"And Alexi?"
"He is there with them, as well as Eris." I felt a stab of intense satisfaction at that. That girl deserved the pit more than anyone.
"It seems that the loose ends have been tied up," I observed. "How long was I sleeping?"
"Only overnight, sweetling," she replied. "You deserved the rest. You looked quite peaked when we returned."
"Yes," I mumbled. "Facing a fiery death will do that to a person." She rolled her silver eyes.
"Harmonia, you’re always so dramatic."
She smiled and I knew that she was relieved and happy to be back to our normal sarcastic banter. We were so comfortable together.
Patting my arm, she continued.
"I was thinking that we would host a dinner tonight. We’ll invite everyone that we brought back from the island and as well as the witches. The near future will be challenging as we seek the sword and find the other Olympic gods. One lavish party would do wonders for everyone’s spirit. What say you?"
"I say that you will use any excuse to throw a party. But it’s a good idea. The mood around Olympus is so somber. It needs lightened. Where is everyone else, by the way?" I glanced around us and the palace did seem empty, except for us.
"Why, they have returned to their homes, of course, to rebuild. Most of them have been held on Calypso’s Island for so long that their homes have fallen to rubble. Ares has gone out to survey the damages. And Ortrera and her Amazons have taken the little girl back to the island for us. They will return later. Your father has commanded it, even though they would much prefer to return to their home."
She looked dismayed at their unhappiness and to be honest, I agreed. If they wanted to return to their home in the wilds of the Spiritlands, they should be allowed to do so. They’d been instrumental in the rescue. I made a mental note to discuss it with Ares.
I straightened from my crouch and nodded to the Keres.
"It was very nice to formerly meet you. I cannot thank you enough for forcing me to remember the Phoenix. Without that, all would have been lost."
"The pleasure was ours," Moros said with a ghastly smile. I tried not to shudder as I returned it.
I turned to Cadmus.
"I’d like to walk through the city, if you don’t mind."
He held out his arm. "Your wish is my command, my lady," he bowed. Aphrodite smiled gently as she watched us.
"I will see you this evening," I told her. "Stay out of trouble until then."
I took Cadmus’ arm and we strolled from the courtyard.
Passing through a cavernous room of the palace, we came across Hephaestus as he lugged large pieces of rubble through the white stone rooms, piling them outdoors. It appeared that he was already at work to create new luxurious furnishings. He nodded at us as we walked past.
Other servants called in from around the Spiritlands were milling around like worker bees as they put the palace back in order. I felt a sense of satisfaction that everything was falling back into place.
As we strolled over the gray cobble-stone walks, I turned to Cadmus.
"What should we do about my mother? I can’t just leave her on the island, but I can’t send her home without me, either. It’s a quandary."
I stared absently past him as I watched Alathea putting her crumbling home to rights across the bustling street. She looked up from the window that she was repairing to wave at me with a smile.
"Harmonia! So glad to see you are well," she called. "You fulfilled your promise and came for me. I thank you." She dipped her head and I smiled.
"You’re welcome, of course. Thank you for risking so much to bring me the Map of Souls,"
I replied. "Hecate has it safely tucked into her libraries."