Chapter Fourteen: Ida’s Cave
Therese watched in despair as the two nymphs fondled Than’s motionless body in the dank cave on the island of Crete. In between kisses and caresses, they cooed, “So beautiful. So yummy.” Therese felt sick to her stomach. She was helpless to save him from their abuse. Therese’s anger surged inside her along with the nausea.
She tried to distract the nymphs with her questions. “Why are we here? What is this place? Who are you?”
“Pay no attention to her, Ida,” one nymph said to the other. “We aren’t to speak with the prisoners.”
“What cave is this?” Therese asked again, undeterred.
“It’s a loathsome place,” Galin joined in.
“Watch your words!” the one called Ida said.
“I agree, Galin,” Therese said, glad to see something had finally riled the fondlers. “There’s a stench here. It smells like dead fish and bad gas.”
“And bad breath,” Cubie added, catching on.
“Mind yourself!” the other nymph said. “You are speaking of King Zeus’s childhood home!”
“That doesn’t make it smell any nicer!” Therese taunted.
“Why would the lord of the gods grow up in a place like this?” Cubie said. “So unworthy.”
“His mother gave him to us when he was a baby,” Ida said.
“Kronos was going to swallow him, like he did the rest of his children, to prevent the prophecy from coming true,” the other nymph added.
“We saved Zeus’s life and helped him to grow strong,” Ida said.
“If it weren’t for us, none of the Olympians would be alive, much less in power!” the second declared.
“So watch what you say to us and show more respect!”
The goat bleated its excitement.
As the nymphs scolded Therese and her animal companions for their irreverence, Therese reached out to Odysseus, and was utterly amazed when he replied.
***
Before Hip left his parents, another surprise came to him while he was escorting souls to the Elysian Fields. Odysseus approached him and said, with a blank look on his face, “The goddess of animal companions has commanded me to speak with you.”
In his father’s chambers, Hypnos turned to his parents. “Wait! I have a message!”
Back in the Fields of Elysium, he put his hand on the shoulder of old Odysseus and asked, “What does she say?”
Odysseus bowed and said, “She and Thanatos, along with Hecate’s familiars, have been taken to a cave beneath the highest mountain on the island of Crete.”
Hypnos thanked the old demigod and again, turned to his parents with a joyous grin. “I know where Thanatos is!”
Cybele smiled when Hip conveyed the news from Odysseus.
“Metis must have withdrawn from counseling Zeus,” Cybele said. “Perhaps, even in his belly, she’s aware of Athena’s abduction.”
“What leads you to this conclusion?” Hades asked.
“Zeus has imprisoned Thanatos and the others in his infant home, forgetting about the close proximity of my Curetes,” Cybele explained.
“I’m not familiar with your Curetes,” Hip said.
“My dancing warriors,” Cybele replied. “When Rhea hid Zeus in the cave of Mount Ida, my Curetes crashed their shields together to drown out the sound of Zeus’s cries, so Kronos would suspect nothing. The Curetes live near that mountain still.”
“Can they help us?” Persephone leaned toward Cybele with a hopeful expression.
“Of course,” Cybele replied. “But first, we need a plan.”
***
Jen’s mother came to check on Jen once more before turning in for the night.
“You sure you’re okay, baby girl?” her mother asked. “You still look as white as a ghost.”
Her mother’s choice of words sent a shiver down Jen’s spine. “I’ll be alright. I just need some rest.” She felt chilled from her time in the snowy mountains.
“I wish I would have known you were up here all this time. I was worried sick. Thought you’d gone off with Hip.”
“I’m sorry. I did go for a walk with him, but then I started feeling worse, so I came up to bed,” Jen lied. She couldn’t very well tell her the truth.
“I hope you feel better, baby girl.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“Good night then.” Her mother leaned over and kissed Jen’s forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
When her bedroom door clicked shut, Jen closed her eyes, hoping to find Hip. She couldn’t believe all that had happened that day—being told Hip was a god, being taken to his Underworld home, then being kidnapped by a grotesque and evil monster, freezing in a mountain cave, and then almost plummeting to her death. Than had caught her just as she was about to hit the ground and long after she had peed in her pants. A hot shower still hadn’t warmed her back up after so many hours in the snow. Nor did she feel confident that she hadn’t lost her mind. Maybe none of it was real and she’d finally gone off the deep end after years of trying to hold it all together.
“Please, Hip,” she whispered.
“Don’t freak out,” a voice came close beside her.
She opened her eyes in a flash and lay still, like a statue.
“It’s me, Hip.”
She sat up so fast, she made her head hurt. Both hands rushed to her skull and held it until the spinning stopped.
“Are you okay?” He took several steps back.
“No. What the heck happened today? I’m so confused! Is Therese okay?”
“I can’t stay long,” he said. “I’ve taken my brother’s place as the god of death, and my presence is a danger to you. I just wanted to tell you…I’m sorry I got you mixed up in my problems.”
“You can’t stay?” She hadn’t heard much except that he had to go.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. But can you tell me if Cubie and Galin are still with the Malevolent?”
“Yes. She’s got them tied up. And Therese, too. What’s she going to do with them?”
“Let me worry about that.” He moved closer and gave her a quick kiss before backing to the edge of the room.
Jen felt herself growing weak and short of breath.
“I’ll be back,” Hip said just before he vanished.
***
Therese was shocked when shortly after the two nymphs had lectured her about the sacredness of their dank cave, a man with a bee hive in his hands and a swarm of bees around his armored head entered the cave and addressed them angrily. He wore armor on his chest but nothing more than a loin cloth on the lower half of his body, as if he’d forgotten to finish dressing.
“Ida and Andrasteia!” the man roared.
“Father?” they replied in unison.
“Come with me, now!” he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cave.
A single bat fluttered past Therese and flew into the light.
“But the prisoners!” the one called Andrasteia objected.
“They are not your concern!” he commanded. “You’re in danger here. Now, come!”
“What of our goat?” Ida asked.
“Leave her and come!” he said before he vanished.
The two nymphs gave Therese a suspicious glare and then disappeared.
“I wonder what that was about,” Cubie said when she was left alone with her fellow captives.
“I wish I knew.” Therese lay on her side and rolled across the dirty cavern floor, around the edge of the pool, and to the back side of the cave where Than lay motionless near the water. Dragging herself by the elbows, she maneuvered herself to his side and put her face near his.
“Than? Can you hear me?”
She longed to touch him, but her wrists and ankles remained bound, and the leather straps were unyielding.
“Is he breathing?” Galin asked.
“I can’t tell,” Therese replied. “I think I see a slight movement in his chest, but it could be my own wishful thinking. Oh, Than!”
Squirming and scooting into position, she put her head against his chest and listened. “I hear a heartbeat! It’s faint, but there!”
“Thank goodness,” Cubie said.
“Keep trying to wake him,” Galin suggested.
“I will,” Therese said. “Can you reach out to Hecate and tell her where we are? I swore an oath to tell no one, but maybe you can.”
“I’ve been trying,” Galin said. “But the Malevolent made us drink something when she first captured us, and I think it was a blocking potion.”
“I think so, too,” Cubie said. “She’s cut our abilities to communicate, or we would have been rescued by now.”
Therese pressed her lips to Than’s cheek, which was clammy and cool, but not deathly cold.
“Than, baby, wake up.”
She kissed him on the lips, again and again and, when he didn’t respond, nestled her face against his, praying to him about how much she loved him and wanted to be with him.
As Therese lay beside Than, she regretted having ever postponed their wedding, They could be united in marriage by now, a complete family. She had allowed her foolish fears of infidelity among the gods to cloud her judgment. She should have never doubted Than’s love for her.
The goat that had been left behind by the two nymphs brayed a complaint. Apparently it was time for her to be milked, and her teats were full and uncomfortable. This gave Therese an idea.
“I can help you feel better,” Therese said to the goat. “Come here.”
The goat hesitated, but then took a few steps in Therese’s direction.
“Come closer to me, and I will drink from your teats and relieve the pressure for you,” Therese said gently.
The goat, apparently desperate, positioned herself over Therese and allowed Therese to drink her milk. Although it felt strange to suckle the soft fuzzy teats of the goat, the milk was warm, sweet, and delicious. Therese took some in her mouth and then pulled away to drizzle it onto Than’s parched lips.
When Than didn’t react, she tried once more, instructing the goat to go to Cubie and Galin and let them drink.
“Do I really have to drink from a goat?” Cubie asked. “It feels awkward, with my being a Doberman and all.”
“If we help her, she might help us,” Galin said.
While the others drank from the goat, Therese drizzled more of the milk across Than’s lips. At first the milk dripped along the sides of his chin and there was no reaction from him, but after a few moments, just as she was about to give up, she saw his tongue move across his lips and lick up the milk. Encouraged by this, Therese allowed more of the milk to drip from her mouth into his and was relieved to see him drink. He blinked and opened his eyes.
“Than?” she asked with her face near his. “Can you hear me?”
He blinked again and groaned. I can’t move, he replied through prayer.
She asked the she-goat to return to her so Therese could suckle more milk for Than. When her mouth was full of milk, she prayed, Drink this.
He swallowed the milk she passed to him. She was so happy, that as soon as her mouth was empty of milk, she pressed her lips to his.
“Oh, Than! I’m so relieved you’re awake. Are you in pain?”
Just sore and immobile. How long have I been out?
I don’t know. Maybe an hour or two?
“He’s awake?” Cubie asked from across the cave.
“Can he speak?” Galin asked.
“He’s awake but paralyzed,” Therese explained. “I think the goat’s milk is helping him.”
Therese reached behind her shoulder with her chin and grabbed an arrow from her quiver with her teeth. Then she pierced the goat’s heart, to insure the goat would remain loyal to them once she had emptied her milk.
“Can you eat away the leather on my wrists?” Therese asked the goat.