My Tattered Bonds (29 page)

As we traveled through the look-alike Olympus, the similarities… no, the duplicity was incredible.
 
Hades had thought of every last detail and had supplied it.
 
No wonder the Olympians had thought they were in Zeus’ banquet hall and had allowed themselves to be deceived. Everything here was identical to the ancient city in the Spiritlands.
 
If I didn’t know better, I would swear that I was there right now.

But I was not.
 
I was here.
 

And here was… fascinating.
 
I couldn’t help but hang my mouth open in amazement as we passed quaint shops, mouth-watering restaurants, dress makers, tailors… all identical to things that existed on Olympus.
 
There were even blue lotus blossoms drifting down from trees in the air, falling gently across the cobblestone streets.
 
I cast out a hand and allowed one to drift onto my palm.

“Don’t eat it,” Cadmus warned.

“I won’t,” I murmured.
 
“It’s just so… everything is…”

“Unbelievable,” Aphrodite breathed, staring around us in awe.

“My thoughts exactly,” I agreed.
 
A random thought occurred to me and I turned to Hecate, dropping the flower onto the cobblestone street.
 

“Hecate, you said that you created a portal from Zeus’ own banquet hall to here.
 
Does it still exist?”

She nodded.
 
“It does.
 
But it is closed and they wouldn’t be able to use it anyway.
 
They have eaten here so they must remain.”

“I know,” I replied softly.
 
“I was just wondering about it.”

“If I open it
, we
can use it,” she answered knowingly, understanding my question.
 
“But not them.”

“Not them,” I repeated quietly, pondering that.
 
“It must have been so strange for them all of this time… being trapped here in this identical world, never being able to get home… especially with the portal right beneath their fingers.
 
They simply couldn’t use it.”

“They are not accustomed to being rendered helpless, either,” Cadmus interjected.
 
“I still can’t quite believe that you managed to carry this off.
 
I can’t believe that Zeus allowed himself to be deceived. It’s almost unfathomable.”

“He knew it would happen,” Hecate reminded him.
 
“He had seen it coming long before it happened.
 
He just didn’t know how or when.
 
He was constantly watching for it.
 
We simply used an approach that he didn’t expect.”

“And who would expect this?” I asked, still staring around me in wonder.
 
“This is incredible.”

Hecate didn’t seem impressed.
 
But then again, she probably just harbored regret over the part she played in putting the gods here.
 
I couldn’t blame her. I would feel the same way.
 
So rather than rubbing salt in her wound and continuing to gush about the wonders around us, I fell silent.

We made our way quickly through the city and up the winding road to the palace.
 
Pristine and sprawling, it was exactly like its authentic counterpart.
 
Massive marble columns lined the porches and walkways, manicured lawns stretched as far as the eye could see and thousands of windows sparkled in the light.

As I stood still and looked upward at this beautiful building, I suddenly felt apprehensive.
 
Would Hades be waiting for us inside?
 
He had to know that we would find our way here.
 
Was this a set-up or a trap?
 
I took a deep breath, but I didn’t see what choice we had.
 
We had to continue.

In typical fashion, Ares barged onward, up the wide steps and to the front doors.
 
He didn’t knock, he simply entered.
 
To my shock, the doors weren’t locked.
 
That seemed strange and only increased my unease.

As we filed into the palace, it was easy to pretend that we were entering the real palace on the real Olympus.
 
The rooms were sparkling clean, the stone floors buffed and polished.
 
Windows stretched floor to ceiling, elegant and lavish furniture was artfully arranged in every room with beautiful art adorning the walls.

But each room was empty.

“Where is everyone?” Aphrodite murmured as we made our way quietly through the rooms.

“The dungeon?” Ortrera suggested.
 

“Most likely,” I agreed.
 
“We should head that way.”

As we turned into the next hall, we finally encountered another person, a young servant girl with her arms full of fresh towels.
 

“You, there!” Ares called, motioning to her.
 
“Where is everyone?”

She seemed startled to find strangers walking toward her, but she didn’t run away.
 
She approached us with a timid expression.

“They’re in the courtyard, sir,” she replied meekly, her head bowed.
 

“The courtyard?” Ares’ brow was furrowed.
 
“Very well.
 
Thank you.”

She nodded and scurried on her way as we looked at each other anxiously.
 
The courtyard?
 
Perhaps this was a trap after all.
 
Maybe an ambush was waiting for us outside.
 
We would have to tread carefully.

Ares and Cadmus led the way through the remaining part of the castle and within a few minutes, we spilled out the back doors onto the terrace that led to the courtyards.

“What the hell….” Ares stopped talking as confusion overtook him.

The gods were having a party.
 

Long lantern strings were hung festively from tree to tree, swinging gently in the breeze.
 
Elaborate flower arrangements and fruit adorned each long banquet table, while large lotus blossoms drifted down upon the banquet attendees.
 
In the middle, several gods were dancing and everyone here was laughing and having a wonderful time while Zeus and Hera looked on from the head table.
  

“What is the meaning of this?” Ares roared.
 

Everyone stopped moving and turned our way.
 
I suddenly felt self-conscious, as though we had just crashed a party instead of staging an elaborate rescue maneuver.
 
I felt my cheeks flush as every silver eye in the courtyard fixed upon us.
 
Zeus’ ancient face lit up as he saw us, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.

 
“Ares,” Zeus called happily.
 
“Come forward, my friend.
 
It’s been a long time.
 
Aphrodite, it is nice to see your lovely face.”
 
His silver eyes scanned the rest of the group and halted when they found me.
 
“And Harmonia.
 
I am so pleased that you have been victorious.”

“Victorious?” I asked hesitantly.
 
“I was given no choice.”

He nodded.
 
“I know, sweet girl.
 
My apologies.
  
But it was the only way.
 
I hope you see that.
 
And now that you’re here, you can feast with us.
 
Come.
 
Join us!
 
It’s beautiful here.
 
We have not a care in the world.”

He waved his hand and the dancers began dancing again.
 
I studied the scene in front of me warily.
 
Zeus’ demeanor was strange.
 
He was as light and carefree as I had ever seen him.
 
His face, which was usually serious and lined with worry-lines, was relaxed and he was actually smiling.
 
I looked at him uncertainly and felt everyone with me do the same.

“Mother?” I whispered.
 
“What is going on?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, not taking her gaze from the festivities.

“Nothing, sweet girl,” Zeus called from across the courtyard.
 
He had heard me and I startled.
 
How was that possible?
 
Our gifts were blocked here in the Underworld.

“Not for us,” Zeus replied again with a wide grin.
 
“We have an unlimited supply of nectar here that perpetuates our gifts.
 
Life is good.”

He could also read our minds.
 
We all realized it at the same time.
 
Without our gifts, we weren’t able to block our thoughts and I suddenly had the uneasy thought that we might actually need to.

“No, you do not,” Zeus replied indignantly.
 
“Why would that be the case?”

“I don’t know,” I answered calmly.
 
“This is just all very strange to me.
 
We have traveled through hell and high water to get to you-
to save you
- and now that we have arrived, we see that you’re having a party, as happy as larks.
 
I find that curious, to say the least.”

Zeus’ stare flitted from me to Hecate and for a split second, it hardened, and then he relaxed once again.
 

“Hecate,” he drawled slowly.
 
Her shoulders slumped as he spoke, weighed down by her every contributing action that had put them here.
 
“I should be angry with you, but I am not. I’ll admit I was furious in the beginning, but we have found joy here.
 
You cannot imagine how wonderful it is to bear no responsibility for the world at all.
 
We are free to simply enjoy our own lives. So, perhaps I should thank you instead.”

“You speak as if you like it here,” Ares replied uncertainly, shock evidenced on his face.
 
I was certain it was mirrored on my own.

Zeus shrugged.
 
“Tis the truth, we do.”

“But you can’t leave,” I pointed out, still in shock.
 

“No, we can’t.
 
But why would we want to?
 
We have everything we need.
 
You should see for yourselves. Stay with us!”
 

“You can’t be serious!” I snapped.
 
“After everything you have put us through- for thousands of years- in order to secure your rescue, you can sit there and nonchalantly dismiss it and tell us that life is wonderful here?
 
If life is so wonderful here, you should have simply volunteered to come in the first place and saved the rest of us a bunch of heartache.”

“Harmonia,” Aphrodite began warningly.
 

“What, mother?” I replied angrily.
 
“What is he going to do?
 
He apparently doesn’t care that he has abdicated his reign.
 
I can’t show him respect right now because I don’t feel it.”

“She’s right, Aphrodite,” Ares declared. “This is rubbish.
 
All of it.” He stomped through the festival-goers and stood in front of Zeus, leaning down to speak directly into his face.
 
“You have wronged us, Zeus.”

Zeus appraised him quietly and then nodded.
 
“You are correct. I have.
 
It was not meant that way, you understand.
 
We were tricked into entrapment here, but as the years passed, we settled into life here.
 
There are no power struggles, no corruption, no hate.
 
Hades leaves us be, he simply enjoys the powerful energy that we garner with our presence.
 
There is nothing to dislike, and I cannot imagine ever wanting to return to the Spiritlands.”