The Deep End of the Sea, page 15
“Let me set up a dressing room for you, my lady,” Kore says softly, taking a stack of jeans from my arms.
I’d almost forgotten she was with us, she’s been so quiet. Almost as quiet as Talos, who never speaks and is currently positioned outside the door. Except, now that I’ve turned to face her, I notice her mouth is in a flat line, her brow furrowed. “Are you okay? And stop calling me that. I thought we agreed you should just use my name.” I widen my eyes and smile so she knows I’m not annoyed.
“I am fine.” She glances quickly over my shoulder and then back at me. “But ... if I may ...?” She cuts the space between, clutching the jeans to her chest. “My la—I mean, Medusa, I feel as if I must—”
“THESE are adorable,” Dite exclaims, shoving several t-shirts my way. I startle and take a step back from Kore. “You need to try them on. I can just see how my brother would love you in them. He’s hopeless when it comes to fashion, you know.” She chuckles. “Of course you would know. Tell me you agree that his propensity toward dressing like one of those stereotypical frat boys in old t-shirts and flip-flops gets old fast.”
Kore takes the shirts away from me and goes over to where the salesgirl is. “Actually,” I begin, ready to argue how I have no qualms with how Hermes dresses, but Dite isn’t done. “I mean, obviously, you will not follow suit with shirts that are barely held together after decades of wear. I just meant, he’d probably be very pleased at the sight of you in a t-shirt and jeans.”
Is Kore arguing with the salesgirl? It sure looks like it—she’s leaning in close, eyebrows down in a vee, as she whispers furiously with the fellow nymph. I’ve yet to ever see Kore look so angry before. “What do you think—”
But once more, Dite is already off and running on another topic as she flips through a rack of clothes. “I texted Heph a few minutes ago. He’ll meet us at one of our favorite dives near his workshop in about an hour. It’s a little sandwich shop that you’ll love. Hardly ever a crowd.”
I take the sequined skirt she hands over. She knows about my unease with crowds?
“Sounds great,” I murmur, glancing back to where Kore is. She’s now heading over to where the dressing rooms are. The salesgirl retreats to the counter and picks up the phone again.
“You could always text my brother.” Dite knocks shoulders with me. “Let him know where to meet us if he’s hungry.” She waggles her eyebrows.
The action is comically bizarre on her lovely face. Does she have something in her eyes? Oh—oh.
She laughs, delighted. “You’re too cute with how much you blush. No wonder Hermes is constantly trying to get you to do so. Here. Go try this on already.”
Nonetheless, it takes me a good ten more minutes before I make it to the back of the store where the door to the dressing rooms is. Kore is standing there, tense as she wrings her hands together. “My lady—”
I give her a pointed look.
She glances over my shoulder, stepping directly in front of the doorway. “Perhaps it would be more comfortable if you simply purchased all of these items and took them home to try on? Who knows when these rooms were cleaned last?”
Why is she acting so strangely? She’s even more nervous now than when Hermes confronted her in the hallway that one morning. “Kore, it’s okay. I’m fine with being here.”
Yet she doesn’t move. “Please,” she whispers, nearly in tears. “Let us go home.”
I’m just about to ask why she’s so insistent, but Dite yells out from where she’s knee deep in designer t-shirts, “Make sure you come out and show me how those jeans fit, yeah? Kore? Would you mind helping me pick some things out for her? You know her size well.”
Kore’s eyes drop to the ground as she skirts around me. I follow the hallway down to where an ornate mirror hanging on a door proclaims my name. Tingles of excitement burst into goose bumps across my skin as I go inside the large room. I immediately head over to where Kore has hung several shirts; there’s a yellow one Aphrodite picked out that I really like—
“Hello, little monster.”
My hand freezes just as it’s about to touch the hanger. I did not just hear that voice. I did not.
And yet, I did, because when I slowly turn around, I find none other than Athena leaning against the freshly closed and now locked door. She’s got her hair up in that tight bun again, making her face appear severe and unforgiving.
My stomach jumps into my throat. I have no words—none at all.
“You’ve been an exceedingly tough little whore to get ahold of,” she says, voice quiet yet cutting against the wooden walls. “I think this is the first time they’ve let their pet be alone, hasn’t it?” Her smile is icy, and I hate that I physically flinch at her vehemence. “My sister is always supremely stupid, but I thank her for that. I knew she’d fuck up and drag you to someplace like this. It’s time we had a little chat, don’t you think?”
My back hits the wall behind me, scattering shirts and hangers onto the ground. The urge to scream conflicts directly with the fear choking my throat into silence.
She takes several steps forward, her sensible canvas flats silent against the plush carpet until they come flush against my own satin ballet ones. Her face is far too close to mine, forcing me to press even harder into the wall. “You think you were so clever, brainwashing my brother into convincing our father into having me reverse your punishment,” she whispers harshly. “But here’s the thing, monster: nobody ever said I couldn’t do it again.”
Terror squeezes my heart so hard I’m positive it’s stopped entirely. How did she know I was here? Why is her anger just as strong today as they day she cursed me? It takes effort, but I manage to get out the prayer she never answered: “I worshipped you. What did I do to make you hate me so much?”
“You,”—she jabs a finger into my shoulder so hard I don’t doubt it will leave a bruise—“are nothing more than a slut. You desecrated my temple.”
Surely she can be reasoned with. “But—”
“Shut up!” she hisses, grabbing my cheeks in one hand and squeezing until black dots dance before my eyes. Once I do as she commands, her thin lips curve into the most evil grin I’ve ever seen. This is the Goddess of Wisdom? Hermes is right—she’s insane. “I miscalculated where I banished you to last time. I wasn’t thinking clearly; it was foolish of me to put you where he would find you. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Oh, sweet heavens above, please let this be a nightmare.
“Dusa?” Aphrodite’s voice floats down the hallway and into the dressing room. “How’s it going in there?”
Athena shoves her hand against my mouth, pushing so hard I taste blood. “Not a word,” she mouths to me.
“Medusa?” Dite’s voice is closer now. “Sweetie, can I see? Was I right about those shirts or what?”
The shock of Athena’s appearance and threats finally wears off, leaving behind a strong sense of self-preservation. I kick against the goddess pinning me against the wall, shoving as hard as I can. Even though I know there’s a good chance she’ll strike me down in seconds, I still need to try.
I can’t go down without a fight again. Not this time.
Athena stumbles back, tripping on one of the hangers on the ground. I scream my friend’s name and lunge for the door. Athena grabs my ankle, yanking hard until I go down, too. I scream again, clawing at the carpet as I try to pull myself forward. Aphrodite screams, too—this time for Talos and then the door handle in front of me rattles as she tries to come in. “Medusa! What’s going on?”
“Little bitch!” Athena’s grasp is vise-like as she drags me back toward her. “I warned you!”
“Dusa—is that Athena?” Dite is now pounding on the door; it sounds like she’s kicking it, too. “Sister! How the—how—TALOS, GET THE FUCK IN HERE AND BREAK THIS DAMN DOOR DOWN!”
I kick at Athena, pray that my fists make contact, but it does no good. She is not only the Goddess of Wisdom, but she is also the Goddess of Warfare. She manages to twist me under her within a split second, pinning me to the ground. I thrash under her, screaming as Aphrodite pounds on the door, yelling at her sister to stop, but it’s all for naught.
She’s going to do it again.
She’s going to make me a monster again. Oh, gods. Oh, gods, Oh, gods.
Oh, Zeus—please let it go fast this time—
The door crashes open; Talos stands there, fists clenched and covered with plaster and splintered wood. Aphrodite darts past him and throws herself at her sister, shouting at her to let go of me, but then Talos is there, too, wrenching Athena off. The Goddess of Wisdom is snarling, threatening Talos, threatening me, but Dite hauls her hand back and smacks her sister straight across the face so hard she goes flying out of Talos’ grip.
“You dared to do this when she is under my protection,” she snarls as Athena hits the wall, looking nothing like the Goddess of Love anymore. “Talos, get Medusa out of here. I will take care of my sister.”
“We’re not done,” Athena seethes at me as Talos takes my hand, helping me up. “Not by a long shot. I swear this to you.”
I collapse the moment I put pressure on the foot she’d dragged me by. Talos catches me before I hit the ground, hauling me up in his arms.
Aphrodite delivers a perfect roundhouse kick straight from a martial arts movie, sending Athena sprawling against the wall. “Now, Talos!”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. He turns and swiftly exits the dressing room, carrying me like I’m a baby. Kore is there at the doorway, tears streaming down her face. “My lady—my lady I am so sorry—”
“Follow us and I’ll kill you,” Talos tells her in his deeply accented voice. I jerk in his arms, but he does not slow down to hear what Kore’s saying. We’re out the door and into the limo in less than a minute; and then we’re on the road back to the villa. I’m not even placed into the backseat like normal; Talos has me sitting in the front next to him.
I want to thank him for getting me out of there, but I must have lost my voice screaming back in the boutique. And when I look down, I see my hands are shaking. I’m bleeding—Zeus almighty, I’m bleeding and didn’t even know it. Scratches lace my arms and calves; half-moon, bloody circles ring the ankle that brought me down.
She attacked me. Flat-out attacked me in a store. Threatened—she threatened—
My hands aren’t the only things shaking. My whole body is now. And it keeps shaking until we get back to the villa, surprising me that my tremors don’t rip the car apart.
I awake to muffled shouting coming from somewhere behind closed doors. I blink in the hazy morning light—how long have I been asleep? I remember Talos carrying me inside, Hades and Persephone meeting me in the foyer, both gods attempting to stay calm when I could tell they were anything but, and Tele coming up to my room to look at my ankle and give me something to help me sleep. That was ... afternoon, right? Aphrodite and I went out around eleven yesterday, so ...
I’d slept a whole day.
Mátia mews as I roll over. I murmur an apology, stroking his head as I focus on the voice outside. Relief floods me because it’s Hermes. He’s shouting at ... I can’t tell yet. That voice is quiet, or at least, far softer than his angry one.
I ache everywhere. A glance down shows me multiple bandages on my arms, more on my leg. The ankle that had failed me yesterday is wrapped. I lean back against the pillows, clutching the sheets.
Athena had attacked me yesterday. She still hates me. She wants to turn me back into a beast.
All of the tears I’d held back yesterday find their way home and leak out as I muffle my sobs against my pillow. Mátia nudges my hand with his cool nose, licking the skin with his rough tongue, and it only makes me cry harder. I knew this was all too good to be true.
The door opens and I frantically try to wipe away the mess on my face. “Dusa? Are you awake?” And then Hermes is with me, pulling me gently into his arms, and I just can’t manage to keep the sobs silent anymore. They burst out of me, filling the room. He holds me close, rocking and saying soft things I can’t discern through my hysterics, kissing my face over and over again, but it only serves to make me feel worse because this, here? This man I love? He will be gone just as soon as Athena fulfills her promise to me.
Because she’s sworn to put me somewhere where he’ll never find me.
I don’t know how long I cry. Long enough until the tears run dry and dry heaves wrack my body. He doesn’t leave, doesn’t move from where he is, and it only hurts all the more. I love him; it’s taken me years to finally understand that, and he will be lost to me just as surely as the bit of life I’ve reclaimed sooner rather than later.
It isn’t until the dry heaves stop that I finally hear the things he’s telling me. He loves me, he says. He’s so sorry he wasn’t there yesterday when Athena got to me. He feels like he’s failed me. He swears it won’t happen again. He’s so sorry. He loves me. Athena will pay for what she’s done. He’s disavowed her; she is no longer one he calls sister. He loves me. Do I hear him? He loves me. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe, no matter what. Hades will be conferring with Zeus this very afternoon to rein Athena in. He loves me.
I hiccup the last bits of hysteria out and blessedly fall silent. I’m exhausted, and not in a good way.
“Will you tell me what she said?” His thumb grazes across my cheek, wiping stray tears away. “I got some of it from Dite, but ...” I feel his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows hard. “Please, love. Tell me what she said to you.”
I stare out at the window. I’m hollow again. It’s a feeling so familiar to me that it’s almost comforting. My words are hollow, too, when I tell him, “She’s going to make sure I’m better hidden next time.”
“There will be no next time.” He presses kisses against the top of my head, tension tightening the muscles in his body. “I swear, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You will never—”
“You can’t make that promise” It’s a gray day outside, hardly any sun streaking down on the grove outside my window.
He cups my face in one of his hands, but I can’t look up at him. Not yet. “I can. I vow to you now that you will never be cursed again. Do you hear me, love? Never.”
I let him think this. I don’t want him unnecessarily blaming himself, not when none of this is his problem.
I think back to the night Poseidon raped me. Was there something I did to entice him? Lead him on? I think not, but ... he could have had anybody. Why me? And why there? And why did it enrage Athena so much that, over two thousand years later, she’s still convinced I haven’t served my punishment?
I don’t leave my room again for the rest of the day. Hermes stays with me despite his phone ringing with requests from his father, making me remorseful for keeping him from his duties.
I might as well still be on Gorgóna for all the good my so-called freedom has done for me.
“Don’t be silly,” I tell Persephone. She’s hovering next to the couch I’m lounging on. “Why would you cancel the party? You’ve been planning it for months.”
“It doesn’t feel right to celebrate after what’s happened.” She sits down next to me, making sure she keeps clear of my sprained ankle. It’s healing quickly, though; I’m already able to put my full weight on it without collapsing. For all his smack talk, Telesphoros is a miracle worker.
Hermes is downstairs, conferring with Hades. It’s the first time he’s left since I woke up yesterday, and only because Talos is standing inside my room at the door.
I tear my gaze away from the Automaton and ask quietly, “Where is Kore?”
She scratches her upper arm and sighs. “In custody.”
I sit up, startled. “What! Why?”
Persephone stands back up and paces the length of the room. “Hermes was right, you know. Kore ultimately could not be trusted. I beg your forgiveness on that end.”
“What?” But, Kore was always so kind. I just don’t understand.
“That was one of her younger sisters’ boutiques,” Persephone says, floating back toward the couch. “While we knew her older sister works for Athena, we’ve only just learned so does a younger sister. Apparently, once you came into the store, the sister immediately contacted Athena. Kore stood by and said nothing. She had plenty of opportunity to tell someone about Athena’s visit, but she didn’t.”
Poor Kore was so nervous in the boutique; she’d tried to get me to come home rather than go into the dressing room. “That’s not true,” I say quietly. And then I tell her about the failed stops and starts of Kore’s attempts to warn me.
“And yet,” the Queen of the Underworld says to me, “she could have told Talos or Aphrodite as soon as you went into the dressing room. Or the moment you walked into the store and she saw her sister. She did not. Darling, do not worry. Hades is ensuring that Kore will be properly punished for her betrayal.”
I push myself up to a sitting position. “No—please. No.”
She sits on the coffee table in front of me. “Medusa—”
But she doesn’t understand. “As a person who has been punished by the gods, it’s not something I would ever wish on my worst enemy. Please, do not harm her. I could not bear if she was hurt due to me.”
Her pale eyes narrow in confusion.
“I do not blame Kore in the least. She was trapped. I beg you to have her released so she can come back and work here with me.” I pray that they will keep her on staff, even when Athena has her way with me. I grab Persephone’s hand. “Please.”
