Day Ten. Plemochoai. Libations.
Sunset gilded the cross streets. New York glowed pink and orange, the buildings bathed in light. A crisp autumn wind stirred the trash into graceful pirouettes above the sidewalks. Passersby lifted their noses to sniff at the smoky air, dreaming of Halloween and Thanksgiving, then turned their faces back to the traffic and the crowds and barreled forth into the gloaming.
On the corner of West Ninety-seventh Street and Riverside Drive, the Delian twins stood side by side, watching the sun go down and the moon arise.
Under one arm, Selene carried a small white box. Paul held a bottle of wine. If it weren’t for the solemnity of their expressions, you might have thought they planned on a picnic.
“You sure you want him here for this?” asked Paul. “He didn’t even know her.”
“But she would’ve wanted to know him.”
Theo appeared across the street, Hippo nearly dragging him up the sidewalk. He finally let her run unhindered to her mistress, whom she greeted with a series of slobbering licks and bruising tail thwacks.
“Did she give you too much trouble?” Selene asked.
“Nope. We’re old friends, right, girl?” Hippo looked at him balefully then returned to licking Selene’s hand. “How was the funeral home? Everything go okay?” Selene raised the white box in answer. He turned to the other twin. “Hey… Paul. Good to see you again.”
The Bright One hesitated for a moment, then shook Theo’s proffered hand.
Dusk had already settled beneath the trees of Riverside Park. Selene led the way past the playgrounds and park benches, down the sloping path to the Hudson waterfront. They stopped at the boulders, not far from where she’d found Helen’s body. Hippo splashed in happily. “No, girl, come on out. Not tonight.” Panting, the dog scrambled back onto the rocks and shook a fountain of water and hair into the breeze. It took a moment for them all to regain the proper degree of gravity. But finally, Selene took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped forward to the water’s edge.
She turned to her twin. “Come on, Sunbeam,” she urged softly.
Paul uncorked the bottle. In a flashing ruby arc, the wine tumbled into the river. “Sponde Letoi,” the Bright One sang in the ancient tongue. A libation for Leto. “A libation for the mildest goddess. For the gentle Titan. For the mother of twins.”
Selene took up the chant. “Sponde Letoi. For the goddess of Delos. For the consort of mighty Zeus. For the daughter of Phoibe, who lends her light to the stars and moon.”
Then it was Theo’s turn.
“Sponde Letoi.” His Ancient Greek was as flawless as it had been the first time she’d heard him speak, on this very shore, at another memorial for another loved one lost. “For the mother of Paul and Selene. For the Titan who birthed two gods to shed light on the world, but who died as happily as any mortal mother might, in the arms of the children she loved.”
Selene opened the box and tipped it toward the water. She’d changed her mind about bringing the ashes to Delos. Leto would want to be here, where her children lived and laughed and loved. A plume of ash swirled forth, curling and dancing on Zephyrus’s breath. It flew high above their heads, falling and rising as gracefully as Leto’s veil had floated on the breeze. Then, with a puff of wind, the ash dispersed, scattered to the water, to the trees, to the earth, to the sky.
Theo slipped his hand into Selene’s and she slipped hers into Paul’s. The three mourners stood in silence for a long time. Even Hippo sat quietly, her eyes fixed on the water, as the last of Leto disappeared from view.
I have never been so sad, Selene prayed to her mother. Or so happy.
Theo picked up Hippo’s leash. “I’ll let you two be alone, okay? I’ll be under the trees near the exit whenever you’re ready to go.”
Selene watched him walk off down the path, Hippo trotting gamely at his side, until he was swallowed by the shadows of the woods.
“He’s good to you,” Paul said suddenly.
“He’s good for me.”
She reached for the bottle and poured the last of the wine into the river. “Sponde Orioni. A libation for Orion, the Hunter,” she murmured. “Tortured by love, tortured by hate. May he rest now among the stars, finally at peace. And may he forgive me once more.”
“Are you sorry he’s gone?” Paul asked softly.
She shook her head. “I don’t need a god.” Handing the bottle back to Paul, she smiled ruefully. “I’ve got someone better waiting for me.”
Her brother nodded. “You know, don’t you, that this isn’t the end of it. Dash is the Messenger, after all. Word of the Mystery’s power will get out. Rumors will spread. Soon all the fading Athanatoi will be clamoring for a chance at rebirth. And most will have no qualms about massacring mortals to get what they want.”
“Then they’ll have me to deal with.”
“Protector of the Innocent, huh?”
“Always.”
“Then you’re going to have quite a fight ahead of you.”
“And will you be there beside me?”
“Always.”
Selene found Theo sitting on the grass beneath a towering elm, right on the border between the city and the park. Beside him, Hippo kept her eyes glued on a flock of geese, ready to pounce.
She slipped off her backpack and settled next to him on the ground. For once, Theo didn’t speak, only took her hand in his.
Selene looked west, where the faintest traces of purple and orange still streamed above the horizon. The lights on the Jersey shoreline flickered like constellations across the river. Above her, the moon, a waxing crescent, began its ascent through a deep blue sky. Then she looked east, toward her city. Dog walkers and late commuters strolled the twilit sidewalks, heading home after a long day. Across the street, Selene could see the illuminated windows of apartment buildings. Inside, friends and families gathered to eat. Children played with their parents. Lovers flew to each other’s arms.
“After I met you, I dreamt of lying with you in a moonbeam,” Theo finally murmured.
Selene’s insides clenched—pleasant and painful all at once—as he went on. “I didn’t know it was you at the time. You were just a faceless dream woman. But sitting here with you, it’s like déjà vu.” His thumb brushed gentle circles across her palm. He laughed lightly before her embarrassment could make her pull away. “Sorry. I know you don’t have a lot of time for sitting in moonbeams. You’ve got to get back on the streets and find another crime to solve, another woman to protect, right?”
“Captain Hansen said I should be a cop again. For the third time.”
“The third time?”
“Long story.”
Theo just laughed. All day, she’d been saying the same thing. Some stories he’d demanded to hear right away. Others he’d consented to wait for. “Well, forget the badge. I like you better as a vigilante. It’ll be easier for us to fight crime if we play by our own rules.”
“Us? You want to help?”
“Just try to stop me.”
“You realize I’m going to be confronting more bloodthirsty immortals in the future?”
“I’m a Makarites, remember? I’ve got a special connection to the gods. Might come in handy. Trust me, this is a dream come true.”
“Is it?” Selene pulled her hand from his and turned to face him. “Am I just a dream to you?”
A dimple appeared on one cheek. “Moon Goddess. Huntress. Far Shooter. They’re the dreams. I know my mythology. If I were to see you in all your glory, I’d be consumed by flame, left a charred husk of a man, blown to ashes by the wind. When you started glowing in the cave, I thought I was a goner for sure.” He covered her hand with his own, his gaze suddenly serious. “I don’t want the dream. I want Selene. With all her warmth and laughter.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “And her ice and anger, too.”
She settled back against the tree, her shoulder brushing his. With a sigh, Hippo rolled over to rest her head on Selene’s lap.
“Did you really dream of lying with me in a moonbeam?” she asked finally.
Theo paused a moment. “Actually, I dreamt of making love to you in a moonbeam.”
She could feel the heat of his skin through her shirt where their shoulders met. Finally, she answered his unspoken question with a kiss. Long and slow and full of hunger.
“Fierce.” He smiled breathlessly. “I always said the Moon was fierce.”
“Fierce and lonely. That’s what you said.” She kissed him again, softer this time. Theo’s hands tangled in her hair as he pulled her closer.
“Not so lonely anymore,” he said quietly when they finally drew apart.
“Come, Theodore.” She stood and held out a hand to haul him to his feet. “I’ve been waiting for you for almost three thousand years. Would you ask me to wait any longer?”
“I wouldn’t dare. You might get angry and turn me into a stag.”
She took a step back, alarmed. Only then did she realize he was teasing her.
“You? More like a mockingbird. You’ve certainly got the tongue for it.”
Theo chuckled briefly, but then cast her a nervous glance. “Wait… you’re not serious, are you?”
Selene laughed, so loudly the passersby shot her worried looks. She didn’t care. “Don’t worry. I rather like you as a human.” With a sly grin, she raised Theo’s hand to her lips and pressed a kiss on his knuckles. “At least for now.”