Chapter Twenty-Five: Last Chances

 

“What do you mean you don’t know where it is?” Jen asked Hephaestus anxiously. “It’s our only hope of rescuing Hip!”

“It’s been eons since I used that chair,” he said.

They god traveled to Mount Olympus while Jen took the helm and went back to the cave to check on Hip.

In the cave, Uranus was on his knees before the trick throne, holding hands with Hip. He was chanting, “Transfer my soul into his vessel and his soul into mine. Do not permit Death to wrestle either soul from either vessel at this time. As I take possession of his body, and he does the same to mine, protect us from Death and the collectors of ghouls so that I become his and he mine.”

Jen watched on with horror, unable to breathe. Uranus began to repeat his chant. Hip just sat there slumped on the throne looking as dead as Scylla.

On Mount Olympus, Hecate was performing magic of her own. She wrote “the key to Hephaestus’s trick throne” on a slip of paper and set it in a silver bowl. She added a pinch of salt and a drop of honey and then set the paper on fire.

“Wait for the paper to burn completely,” she said to the other gods who had crowded around to watch. “Once the paper is ash and there are no more embers, we can follow the smoke to the lost object.”

“Please hurry!” Jen begged. “Uranus is performing his ritual right now!”

Back in the Fields of Asphodel, Jen clung to Muggie and allowed her tears to flow uninhibited. She wailed and moaned, knowing she wouldn’t wake the sleeping child from his slumber. In the Dreamworld, she stopped sliding down rainbows and lay on the grass and beat the ground. She’d never felt so frightened and helpless. She couldn’t let Uranus trap Hip’s soul and steal Hip’s godly powers! But what could she do?

“Jen?”

She sat up in the grass in the Dreamworld and saw Hip walking toward her.

She knew it was just a figment, but she needed to hold him so badly. She got up and ran to him and held him tight.

“Even if your soul is ripped from your body, I’ll find a way to save you!” she said.

“Uranus plans to swallow me once he’s transferred me into his father’s body,” he said. “I’ve come to tell you goodbye, just in case I never make it out again.”

Jen did not like the way her dream was going. “Figment, I command you to show yourself!”

When Hip gazed down at her with eyes full of sadness and despair, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed against him.

“I’ll love you forever!” she cried. “I’ll never stop! No matter what!”

Back on Mount Olympus, Jen could not control her trembling hands and quaking limbs as she and the other gods waited for the slip of paper to burn into ash. Her teeth chattered as she watched anxiously for the embers to die out. Then all the gods lifted their heads as the white smoke curled in the air above them and floated through the hall toward Hermes’s throne.

Hermes rushed to the base of his chair, popped open a compartment, and lifted the key in the air. Then he gave it to Hephaestus, who immediately god traveled to the gorge where Jen was waiting with the helm.

Jen hovered by a snow drift outside the granite cave while Hephaestus entered beneath the protection of the helm. She held her breath and prayed harder than she ever had before.

The other gods had gathered in the gorge as silently as the snowflakes that fell from above, where the cloud nymphs looked down, as anxious as the rest. Jen glanced at all their worried faces and was glad they were there to keep her company during the agonizing wait.

I’ve got Hypnos! Hephaestus prayed to all the gods, which was all they needed to send them into the cave.

As Jen followed Hephaestus back to Mount Olympus, she also stood inside the cave and, with the other gods, charged toward Uranus and Metis. Metis disappeared in a flash. Jen tried to follow, but she lost the scent of the goddess and had no idea which way she’d gone.

Uranus was weak as Athena and Artemis took each of his arms and they all returned to Mount Olympus.

 

Than had been gripping Therese’s hand on their living room couch, deep in prayer, when his mother appeared to them.

“Hypnos has been found,” she said.

Than jumped to his feet, relief sweeping over him. “Is he hurt?”

Therese stood beside him. “Is he going to be okay?”

Persephone put a hand on each of their shoulders. “He’s weak, but Hecate found an antidote to the black magic Uranus was using on him, and Apollo is helping him to recover.”

“Can we see him?” Than asked.

Persephone dropped her hands and began to wring them. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Therese gave Than a worried glance. “Why not?”

Metis was working with Uranus, and she got away. It’s still too dangerous. I don’t want you two caught in the crossfire.

“Surely we’ll be safe in the Underworld,” Than objected.

“It’s unpleasant there at the moment,” Persephone said. “Your sisters are interrogating Uranus in Tartarus. You can hear them throughout the entire realm.”

 

Hip woke up with a bitter taste in his mouth, and his head still felt like it was in a vice. He glanced down and was relieved to see he was in his own body. He was lying on Apollo’s couch, and Jen was sitting on a pillow on the floor with her face close to his, her hands holding his.

“Hey, there, handsome,” Jen said with a smile. Tears had flooded her eyes.

“Hey, there, beautiful.”

“How do you feel?”

He felt like crap, but what he said was, “Happy.”

Jen touched her lips to his and whispered, “Me, too.”

“So tell me what happened? Is Uranus caught?”

“Pete took his soul to Tartarus, along with Aether’s, and the Furies are interrogating them.”

Hip shuddered. He could only imagine his sisters’ wrathful vengeance. “What about Metis?”

Jen bit her lip. “She got away. The others are searching for her.”

“Oh, no.” He laid back his head and closed his eyes. “Did you know that she’s…”

“Pregnant.”

“Circe and her dark magic,” Hip moaned. “We should have burned her house down after we threw her in Tartarus.”

“Maybe,” Jen said. “But then Scylla wouldn’t have gotten her second chance.”

Hip wasn’t sure he agreed with Jen, though now wasn’t the time to say so. Instead, he asked, “How’s Muggie?”

“Anxious to see you.” Jen reached out and combed his hair out of his eyes. “Should I step out for a moment so he can come in? He’s waiting with Hecate.”

“Okay.”

Jen kissed him once more before she disappeared. It occurred to Hip that she was getting more and more comfortable with the whole goddess thing.

When Muggie ran into the room and threw himself across Hip’s chest, Hip busted out laughing.

“I’m so happy to see you, little man!” Hip mussed the little boy’s black curls. “How you doin’?”

Muggie lifted his smiling face to Hip. “Is jy my pappa?”

Although Hip hesitated for a moment, having been caught off guard by the question, he knew the answer and grinned. “Ja, my seun. Ek is jou pappa.”

 

Jen watched the exchange between Hip and Muggie, holding back tears. She hoped Zeus would honor the promise he’d made, or he’d have hell to pay. Jen wasn’t about to see her fledgling family hurt.

As she watched her boys, she disintegrated and went looking for Scylla, who was staying in one of her rooms near the asphodel. Scylla was sitting at a small table eating a bowl of strawberries and drinking ambrosia when Jen entered.

“We never eat like this at home,” the new goddess said. “This is delicious.”

“There’s more where that came from.”

The corners of Scylla’s mouth quirked. “I suppose being good has its perks.”

Jen studied the other goddess, wondering if she was sincere. “There’s a place for you with the Olympians, if you want it.”

Scylla kept her eyes on the bowl of strawberries. “I have no purpose, Jen.”

Jen sat at the small table across from her. “Why can’t you be the guide for lost sailors? Instead of challenging them, you can help them find their way.”

The other goddess glanced sharply at Jen, like a deer in the beam of headlights. Then she said, “I have to admit that my new palate much prefers fruit to human flesh.”

Jen cracked a smile.

But then Scylla frowned.

“What is it?” Jen leaned forward.

Scylla met Jen’s gaze. “What if I can’t do this? What if I’m not meant to be good?”

Jen reached across the table to take Scylla’s hand. She hesitated touching her, afraid of rejection, or of retaliation, of the evil frothing just below the surface, but Jen fought the fear and took the hand anyway. “I truly believe that we can choose our destinies.”

“The Fates are never wrong.”

“But they don’t choose for us. They just see ahead of time the choices we’ll make.”

“How do you know that?”

Jen squeezed Scylla’s hand and let go. “It’s what I believe. It’s what my mother always said. She’d say, with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of black coffee in the other, ‘You’re the captain of your own ship, baby doll.’” Jen tried to copy her mother’s voice.

They both laughed at Jen’s silly imitation.

“I hope she’s right,” Scylla said.

“She usually is.”

“You’re lucky, to have such a mother.” Scylla frowned and seemed to turn in to herself.

Jen reached out her hand to squeeze Scylla’s once more. “I know. But I had a monster living with me, too. Luckily my mom and Pete, they watched out for me.”

“I don’t have that,” Scylla said. “My dad and siblings couldn’t care less.”

Jen cocked her head to one side. She still wasn’t sure if she could completely trust the new goddess. Her words could be another form of manipulation. After a beat, she sighed, thinking she’d rather err on the side of compassion than suspicion. Jen felt sorry for Scylla and didn’t want her to feel like she was alone in the world. “You have me.”

 

As soon as the duties of Sleep returned to Hip, he helped with the search for Metis. During the interrogation by the Furies in Tartarus, Uranus had admitted that he and Metis had rebuilt Cronos’s palace on Mount Othrys. The gods—including Athena, who’d been devastated by the news about her mother—had searched the ancient castle but had found no trace of Metis there. So they set up a watch rotation and continued to search the area.

After days of searching, the gods were summoned by Zeus to a meeting on Mount Olympus. Jen and Hip stood with the other Underworld gods near Hades and his throne. The only Olympians not present were Demeter and Dionysus. Most of the others were there, including their children. Ariadne and Asterion, Eros and Psyche, all of the Muses and Charities, and Cybele and her Curetes were among them. The great hall was crowded and loud and boisterous.

Once everyone who was coming had arrived and was in their places in the hall, Zeus asked for silence.

The voices hushed, and the room became quiet.

Zeus stood up before his throne so all could see him. “A day may come, perhaps ten or twenty years from now, when you will need to make a decision.”

Hip glanced at Jen. I wonder what this is about.

“An ancient prophecy from Prometheus claims that a son born to me by Metis will one day overthrow me.”

Chatter erupted in the hall but died down when Zeus raised his hands for silence.

“As many of you already know, Uranus used dark magic to make Metis fertile, and then Metis tricked me into lying with her.”

Hera’s face turned as red as a pomegranate.

“I know I’ve made many mistakes during my reign, some of which are unforgiveable.” Zeus glanced at Hades and Persephone. Hip wondered if Zeus had ever asked for their forgiveness. Zeus’s eyes then fell on Hera, who did not return his gaze. “In spite of my flaws and imperfections, I’ve tried to be a good leader, though I know I have failed many times over.”

Hip was moved when Zeus’s eyes beseeched his own.

“Uranus has already shown that he will support my son,” Zeus continued. “He wants to help him form a new reigning pantheon, which may or may not include all of you.”

Hip noticed Poseidon looking suspiciously at Athena, and Ares studied Hades in the same vein. Were they already breaking apart, just by the thought of a rebellion? Would the gods become so suspicious of one another that they wouldn’t need the threat if Uranus to bring down the pantheon?

“So each of you must think on this. Do you want to stand with Uranus, Metis, and her son, and the others who surely hate me and want to see me overthrown? Or do you want to stand beside me, even though it may end in defeat?”

“This prophecy didn’t come from the Fates,” Athena, sitting on Zeus’s right, interrupted. “It may never come to be.”

Zeus shrugged. “Perhaps. At any rate, we have no way of knowing when my son will be born or when or if he will begin to turn on me. No one needs to declare his or her loyalty just yet. But do know this: Though I am far from perfect, as a sign of my sincere regret for the crimes I’ve committed against my wife, I hereby swear on the River Styx that I will never knowingly be unfaithful to my beautiful Hera again.”

Hera finally returned his gaze with a hint of a smile on her face.

Zeus continued, “And I promise all of you that I will do everything in my power to serve each and every one of you as your leader. None of us is born with all the answers. None of us is born perfect. Over time we learn from our mistakes. I have made more mistakes than anyone here, so it stands to reason that I have also learned the most.”

A few people dared to laugh, but Zeus did not admonish them. Instead, he smiled. “Choose to follow me, to defend our reigning pantheon, and I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

Applause erupted in the palace.

Aphrodite cried, “Hear, hear!”

Hip glanced around at the faces of the Olympians and found most of them were smiling back at Zeus. Hip glanced at his father, standing beside him, but couldn’t read his expression. Hades was neither smiling nor frowning. As a chill ran down his back, Hip wondered if the lord of the Underworld would one day rule a new establishment.

As if Zeus were wondering the same thing, he lifted his arms to quiet the crowd and added, “As a goodwill sign of my sincere and deep regret for having committed sins against Hades and his family, I hereby condemn myself to take over the annual punishment by the Maenads, which Thanatos previously suffered for breaking an oath.”

Gasps filled the great hall. Hip felt his mouth drop open as Jen sought his gaze with her own. Once again, her eyes had filled with tears of happiness. Hip had to admit that this was a smart move for Zeus.

Zeus locked eyes with Hades, as though he expected a response of some kind. Hip watched his father anxiously. Hades made no comment, but he gave Zeus a nod of thanks, and—miracle of miracles—a smile. It was subtle, and it disappeared so quickly, that Hip wondered if he had imagined it.

The crowd erupted again with chatter and laughter until Zeus once more raised his hands for silence.

“I have one more announcement,” Zeus said. “As another sign to you that my word is honorable, we shall end this gathering with a celebration.”

Hip glanced again around the room, noting the definite change of mood among the Underworld gods and some of the others, who might have been on the fence about supporting Zeus. Then he heard Zeus call his name, and he looked again at his king.

“Weeks ago, we made a promise to one another,” Zeus said. “And you fulfilled your end of our deal. Now it is time that I fulfill mine.”