Immortal Heat (2 page)

 "It is admirable that you want the best for your daughter, and Tebris is grateful that you've taken great care to see that she is settled in an extremely beneficial marriage and position. But I'm sure you want to ensure you daughter's happiness as well."

 Aglaia paused in case Queen Eupompe wished to interject a comment at this point. The queen said nothing, and the hard expression on her face did not change. Aglaia licked her lips and plunged ahead.

 "Tebris said that she has tried to make you aware of how she feels. Of course, I understand how difficult it is to change plans once preparations are underway. But even now it isn't too late to listen to Tebris. She doesn't want to marry Prince Oileus. She is in love with—"

 "Lady Aglaia," Queen Eupompe said sharply, cutting off Aglaia's speech as if she'd taken a sword to it. She rose from her couch and glared down at Aglaia. "I'm not sure what has possessed you to presume that you can enter my house as a stranger, but more importantly as a guest, and tell me what is best for my daughter. Only I know what Tebris needs, even if she has some silly notion of being in love with someone totally unsuited for her future."

 Aglaia had expected to gently argue the queen's defense of her decision concerning Tebris' marriage, but the goddess wasn't prepared for the vehemence with which Eupompe met her intervention. Aglaia stood and opened her mouth to apologize and try again, but the queen took her by the arm and marched her to the door, speaking as they went.

 "Tebris is hardly more than a child and doesn't know what she wants or needs. My daughter will be a queen and she will be happy. I demand that you cease encouraging Tebris' willful ways, and if I find that you have continued to support her childish fancies, you will not like the consequences at all. Lady Aglaia, it would behoove you to mind your own business."

 Aglaia found herself in the great hall as the queen slammed the door in her face. She stared at the intricate carvings at eye level only a thumb's length from her nose and decided against another try at reasoning with the queen. Aglaia had been given this task, and she would see its successful completion no matter what it took. Aphrodite was counting on her. She couldn't fail her sister.

 Since the direct approach didn't work, it was now time for deception.

 * * * * *

 The next day, Aglaia joined the wedding party for a trip to the cliffs. This area of Lemnos was not green and lush, but there was a stark beauty in its windswept hills with small spindly trees and stretches of sea-scrubbed sand.

 Servants had packed tables and tripods and food enough for an army and had erected a linen canopy for protection from the sun. A brisk wind made eating difficult but not impossible. After the meal, Aglaia found herself walking between Tebris and Cydippe, with Oileus and Dameon nearby, as they neared the edge of the cliff to watch the sea beat its steady tempo against the jagged rocks below.

 The cousins were very pretty, but bore only a passing resemblance to one another. Both had dark brown hair, but Tebris had inherited the queen's deep brown eyes while Cydippe's were light blue. They were close in age and nearly the same size and height, and that was all that mattered for Aglaia's plan to succeed.

 Aglaia quickly recounted the queen's response to her appeal on Tebris' behalf. She didn't tell the young women how Queen Eupompe had threatened her, but she did make it clear that the queen wouldn't tolerate any more interference from her.

 Tebris started to cry quietly and even Cydippe's eyes filled with tears.

 Aglaia looked at Cydippe. "Do you love Prince Oileus?"

 Cydippe gaped at her and stammered a denial.

 "There's no time for pretense," Aglaia said. "Do you love Oileus?"

 Cydippe's lips trembled. She glanced at Tebris and then her gaze landed on the prince who stood out of hearing range. "Yes. Yes, I do!"

 "You do?" Tebris asked incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me?"

 "How could I? Before I even realized my feelings for Oileus, your betrothal to him was announced. How could I tell you, my cousin and my best friend, that I am in love with the man you are to wed? What would you think of me?"

 "I would have thought—" Tebris began and then her shoulders drooped. "I would have thought you were jealous and that would have been horrid of me. I'm so sorry, Cydippe. I had no idea. If I'd known, I would have tried harder to make Mother understand."

 "And you?" Aglaia said to Tebris with a glance over her shoulder at the others who rested beneath the canopy. The queen did not seem to notice their little conference, but Aglaia didn't want her to think they were conspiring against her...even though that's exactly what they would be doing in a few moments.

 "And I what?" Tebris asked uncertainly.

 "Do you love Dameon?"

 "Dameon!" Cydippe clasped Tebris' wrist. "You love Dameon?"

 "I never said that," Tebris said, shaking her arm free.

 "You don't have to." Cydippe smiled. "I can see it in your face now. Oh, this is too perfect!"

 "Perfect? Have you gone mad?" Tebris sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Nothing is perfect, except that you're perfectly horrid to tease me."

 "I'm not teasing," Cydippe said with a laugh. "It's perfect because Dameon has told me that he loves you."

 This comedy of Eros was almost more than Aglaia could bear at the moment. It was time to bring the princes in and she waved them over while Tebris and Cydippe hugged. She heard Cydippe whisper to Tebris exactly what Dameon had said.

 The young men, both wearing identical morose expressions, joined Aglaia away from the cousins. Dameon was the more handsome of the two. He had a long, thin face to go with his slender body. However, Oileus was not unattractive. His face was quite round and he was built heavier than his brother, but he was muscular rather than slender like Dameon. Both had thick manes of dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

 Now, if she could persuade Dameon and Oileus to freely admit their feelings for Tebris and Cydippe respectively, she could tell them of her plan, and they could carry on without any more help from her. Aglaia would then be free to leave. Although she had grown quite fond of the cousins, she didn't want another confrontation with Queen Eupompe. The queen was irrational at best, possibly dangerous, and if she suspected Aglaia of more plotting, she might actually follow through on her threat.

 Aglaia was only a minor goddess, her powers limited as a Charis. She didn't have the boundless resources reserved for the Olympians. While she could call for help from any immortal, if needed, she didn't want her charade as a mortal exposed if at all possible.

 "There seems to be a problem," Aglaia began, immediately garnering the princes' attention from the whispering cousins.

 "Is one of them ill? Or hurt?" Oileus asked, his brow wrinkled in concern.

 "Should I fetch someone?" Dameon offered and took a step toward the rest of the wedding party.

 "No, that won't be necessary," Aglaia assured him. "It seems there's been a mix-up in the wedding plans."

 "A mix-up?" Oileus rolled his eyes. "Queen Eupompe has had every detail planned for months. I'm afraid if I take one wrong step during the procession, she'll have me flayed alive."

 "Oileus wants me to ride in the wedding cart," Dameon said softly, "but the queen has insisted that Tebris' brother will do the honors."

 Under normal circumstances, the groom chose a good friend or relative who would accompany him and the bride in the cart during the wedding procession. Usually, the cart ride took the bride from her home to her husband's, to literally show the bride's transition from her old family to her new. Since Prince Oileus' home was far away across the sea, Eupompe must have planned a symbolic cart ride.

 "What kind of mix-up?" Oileus prompted.

 "How do you feel about your bride-to-be?" Aglaia asked.

 Oileus seemed at a loss for words for a moment and then shrugged. "Princess Tebris is pretty and nice," he finally said.

 "And how do you feel about her cousin, Cydippe?"

 Oileus' jaw worked, but no sounds emerged. His face turned bright red.

 "Do you love her?" Aglaia asked gently.

 Dameon made a choking sound, but Aglaia ignored him for the time being. Oileus' eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

 "I-I—"

 "It's an easy enough question, brother. Do you love Cydippe?" Dameon demanded.

 "I-I—"

 "That's a yes, Lady Aglaia," Dameon translated. He then turned back to his brother. "By the gods, why did you agree to marry Princess Tebris if you love someone else?"

 Oileus was finally able to find his voice. "I didn't even know Cydippe or Tebris before we arrived on Lemnos! As you well know, our father arranged the marriage with Tebris' parents."

 Dameon sighed. "Yes, that's true."

 Aglaia looked at Dameon. "You were willing to allow the marriage to take place even though you love Tebris."

 Now it was Dameon's turn to redden.

 "You love Tebris?" Oileus nearly shouted and Aglaia had to remind him to keep his voice down. "Why didn't you tell me?"

 "It doesn't matter," Aglaia said quickly. The rest of the wedding party was beginning to stir. She had to hurry this along. "Tebris loves Dameon and Cydippe loves Oileus. Everyone loves the one he or she is supposed to love. I've already spoken to Queen Eupompe, but she won't be reasoned with."

 Both princes, who appeared to be in shock over learning the cousins returned their affections, nodded that they understood. Aglaia called the cousins over.

 "Oileus, if you really do love Cydippe, and Tebris, if you love Dameon, then I have a plan."

 "Do you?" Cydippe whispered, hardly breathing. She was looking at Oileus, so her question wasn't in response to Aglaia’s announcement.

 "Yes, I do," the prince said and reached for her hand.

 "None of that!" Aglaia gently slapped their hands apart. "Someone might see."

 "And you, Tebris?" Dameon asked huskily. "Do you love me?"

 "Oh, yes!" Tebris, too, was breathless.

 "Now, you mustn't say a word to anyone else," Aglaia began and proceeded to tell them exactly what to do.

 * * * * *

 The wedding party had disappeared down the path to the palace, and Aglaia started walking along the cliff’s edge, far enough away to be safe but close enough to see the swelling ocean. She had excused herself from going back with them because she needed to be alone a while. If the cousins and princes carried out her plan, all would be well.

 Queen Eupompe would be livid the day after the wedding, but Aglaia would be gone by then, back to Olympus, and the vindictive queen could do nothing to her. Aphrodite would be pleased that Aglaia had carried out a successful mission, and the four would be coupled with the one he or she loved. Not all romantic entanglements turned out so well, but Aglaia's heart was light that this one would have a happy ending.

 Aglaia perched on a boulder and watched the ocean for a time, thinking. Love wasn't easy. It made one do and say silly things sometimes, but the happiness on the faces of the four only proved that love was worth fighting for. Aglaia just hadn't found the right man yet.

 Himerus and Moros were satisfying lovers, but neither had been the matching half of her heart. When she found the man to make her breathless and trembling, as Dameon and Oileus did for Tebris and Cydippe, then she would know she had found true love. Any heartache would be worth it. Until then, passion would have to do.

  Just as she decided it was time to start back to reach the palace before dark, footsteps sounded from behind her. Someone must have been sent from the palace to ensure her safe return. She clambered down from the rock to find two tall men with scarred faces, neither of whom she recognized, rushing toward her.

  A familiar voice called out, "Croco, don't let her get away!"

 Queen Eupompe had decided to do something after all. Panicking, Aglaia wished she could aetherize away, but she didn't want them to know she was anything more than a mortal. And she didn't have time to concentrate. The men had almost reached her. Aglaia turned to flee.

 The larger of the two, with shoulders twice the breadth of an average man and hands as big as slabs of meat, moved more swiftly than she would have thought possible. He caught her around the waist, lifting her off her feet. She struggled against him, beating with her fists and flailing with her heels, but he made no sound as he carried her back to Queen Eupompe.

 "What are you doing?" Aglaia gasped as Croco set her on her feet, but didn't let her go. He held fast to one arm, his meaty fingers digging into her flesh. She reached up to claw at his face with her free hand. Before she could connect, Phlius, as tall as Croco but leaner and wirier, latched onto her other arm so hard that pain seared through to her fingertips.

 "Tie her up," the queen ordered.

 "
No!
" Aglaia shouted and tried to pull away. By mortal hand or divine, with as little as one silken thread, binding was one means of preventing an immortal from aetherizing. The physical bond interfered with the charge of energy summoned around the body to make the change.