The Gatekeeper's Secret: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Five (The Gatekeeper's Saga) (21 page)

Immediately, Hip disintegrated into the hundreds, dispatching one of his selves to the Holt place to check on Jen. When he saw her driving over to the wedding, he let out a curse. If she’d been home, he could have put her in the deep boon of sleep and carried her away. If he appeared to her now, as she was driving, he’d risk causing a crash. He’d have to wait to approach her when she was safely out of the vehicle and sleep could not harm her.

To his surprise, Pete bolted up from a table and stood facing him, fully awake.

“Hypnos, listen to me.” It was the voice of Cybele. “Zeus plans to take your mortal girlfriend.”

“But he’s bound. He’s no longer a threat,” Hip said, even though he was surrounded by chaos as god fought god.

Pete seemed to become aware of what was happening, for it was his voice that cried, “Where’s Jen?”

Just then, Jen parked her truck on the gravel path. She had taken several steps beneath her polka-dotted umbrella when Hip rushed to her side, and she fell asleep in his arms.

Pete marched down the wooden steps toward them. “Get her out of here!”

Before Hip could stop it from happening, Hermes’s spear, meant for Hip, struck Pete’s back, and the seer fell, face first, onto the ground.

“No!” All one hundred incarnations of Hypnos screamed through the pouring rain. Not Pete! Jen’s heart would never be the same if her brother died.

Hermes was clearly mortified by what he had done. He gawked at Hip as he hovered above him.

Hip disintegrated into another ten and attacked Hermes, binding him with more of the iron chain Hephaestus had wielded especially for this day. Jen lay asleep in his arms as another of him tended to Pete. But it was too late. The seer was dead.

Chapter Fifteen: The Prisoners

When Therese saw Hecate arrive to take Pete’s soul, she picked up the skirt of her wedding gown and rushed from the wooden deck to the gravel path. Hip knelt on the ground beside Pete’s body and, in a second form, held the sleeping Jen in his arms.

“No!” Hip cried again. “The spear was meant for me!”

“Please, Hecate!” Therese said. “Don’t take him to the Underworld! Maybe we can put his soul into an animal, like we did my parents! I can make him immortal!”

Than appeared beside Therese and took her in his arms. “We can’t keep doing that with every mortal you love. Besides, Pete might not want immortality. We can’t make that kind of choice for him.”

“Don’t let this happen,
Than!” Therese begged. “This is too much! Mrs. Holt won’t be able to take it! This will kill her!”

“Go on, Hecate,” Than instructed. “His soul becomes more vulnerable to abduction the longer you wait.”

“I’m sorry,” Hip said to Therese.

“But
Melinoe’s in Tartarus!” Therese insisted.

“There are others,” Than said.

“Are you still jealous of Pete? Is that why you won’t help me?” He couldn’t possibly feel threatened by Pete, could he? But why else would he hesitate to help her?

“What?”
Than’s face turned white.

She immediately regretted her words. How stupid of her to say such a thing. She was just upset. Not thinking. “I’m sorry, I…”

Therese couldn’t breathe as she looked around in desperation and noticed that the rain had stopped and all of the gods, save Than and Hip, were gone. Only the sleeping mortals remained. The Athena Alliance had taken their prisoners to the Underworld, as planned. Therese should be pleased that their mission was a success, but, instead, her heart was breaking for the Holt family and for herself. She had loved Pete. He was her friend.

Poor Pete!

“How can we explain to the mortals what happened?” Therese asked as the tears ran down her cheeks.

“We’ll blame it on the storm,” Than said. “Pete was struck by lightning.”

She wondered if the mortals would believe it when there hadn’t been a single streak of lightning or bolt of thunder in the sky. She had seen to that with her arrows on Cyclopes Island.

Than lay Pete on the drive.
Therese turned away from the sight and followed Hip as he carried Jen into the house and stretched her across the couch. Tears poured from Therese’s eyes as she watched him tenderly caress her best friend’s hair and face.

“She’ll never forgive me for this,” Hip said.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Therese took Jen’s hand in hers.

“She won’t see it that way.” He leaned down and kissed Jen’s lips as though he were doing it for the last time.

Therese suspected Hip was right. Jen could be stubborn and pigheaded, and it would take her a long time to get past the death of her brother. Jen would blame Therese, too.

Than
walked in. “Are we ready?”

He was referring to their plan to recover the mortals in the wake of the conflict.

Therese glanced at Hip, who nodded.

A few of the gods from the Athena Alliance had returned, ready to do their part. Amphitrite signaled her son-in-law,
Briareos. The downpour returned, Hip vanished, and the mortals awakened, confused.

“What a storm!” Than shouted.

The mortals glanced around as Amphitrite, her two daughters, and Dione rushed under the deck to give the impression that no time had passed since the first downpour. Then the two Furies hastened up the steps, Tizzie exclaiming, “Where did that come from?”

Carol scrambled over to Therese and put her hand on the bride’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry your wedding was ruined! That storm came out of nowhere!”

“It’s okay.” Therese gave Carol a forced smile and then exchanged a sad look with Than.

Richard came up behind them. “I didn’t get to hear whether your uncle finished the ceremony. Did he pronounce
you husband and wife? Where is he, anyway? Are you two actually married?”

Therese was at a loss for words. The death of Pete, combined with coming down from the intense rush of battle, had her feeling exhausted and defeated.

“Yes,” Than said. “Therese and I are finally married.”

Her eyebrows shot up of their own accord. Were they indeed married, or was
Than simply appeasing the mortals?

“Congratulations!” Carol cried, moving in to embrace them.

Others made their way over to Therese and Than to congratulate the couple as the rain began to dissipate. That’s when Bobby noticed Pete lying on the gravel path.

“Pete!” Bobby cried in the voice of a much younger, frightened child.

“Pete?” Mrs. Holt screamed, maneuvering down the wooden steps.

Therese covered her stomach, about to be sick.

***

Hip followed Hecate as she escorted Pete’s soul to Charon’s raft and down the winding river through the gates of the Underworld. Cerberus uttered his usual growl as the gates opened, and then together, the passengers rode inside. The river took them straight to the three judges. Although Hip was expecting the sentence that was given, he nevertheless gasped when the judges pointed the raft in the direction of Tartarus.

He’d never seen anyone condemned firsthand. It was a humbling experience if not a frightening one.

“What’s happening to me?” Pete asked.

Charon said nothing, but continued to move his long pole through the dark water as they travelled through the misty tunnel toward the pit.

“Your soul is moving on,” Hecate said gently, her hand on his ethereal shoulder.

“What? You mean I’m dead?” Pete’s face twisted in terror.

Hip wished Pete could be dipped into the Lethe. It would make his transition so much easier. But souls destined for Tartarus were not permitted the gift of forgetfulness.

“
It’s okay, Pete,” Hip said. “You should be proud of yourself. You saved Jen’s life.”

Pete’s face transformed from a look of terror to one of relief. “Thank God.” Then he asked, “She’s safe, right? The gods didn’t kidnap her, did they?”

“She’s safe,” Hip replied, moved by Pete’s profound love for his sister. This is how siblings should treat one another: not like his uncles and father treated one another. At that moment, he determined he would do everything in his power to convince his father to allow Jen a visit to see her brother.

He followed Hecate and Pete through the iron gates of Tartarus, past those poor souls who were being tormented by
Alecto, and down the winding path into the region of the seers, where Tiresias was waiting for them.

“I was expecting you,” the blind man said. “Welcome to hell.”

***

Than did not want to part from Therese as she helped the mortals recover from the loss of Pete, but he couldn’t leave his duties in Hecate’s hands indefinitely, and the Athena Alliance needed him.

“What about your honeymoon?” Carol asked after
Than had suggested that Therese stay in Colorado for a few days. The ambulance had just left with the Holts.

“That can wait,” he said grimly. “It wouldn’t be much of a celebration right now anyway.”

“He’s right,” Therese said through tears. “I’m in no state for a honeymoon.”

Even though he felt the same way,
Than felt a stab of pain with Therese’s words. He wished for once that being with him could be the most important thing in Therese’s life, like it had been when they first met.

“Why don’t you stay, too?” Carol asked. “Why do you have to go?”

Than had no answer. “Um…”

“Hip needs him,” Therese said. “Hip considered Pete a good friend and is really upset.”

That was fast-thinking on Therese’s part, and it was probably true.

“Oh.” Carol didn’t hide the surprise from her expression.
“Alright then.” Tears welled up again in her eyes. “I’m so sorry this happened on y’all’s special day.” She wrapped an arm around Therese and the other around Than.

Than patted Carol’s shoulder and was grateful Therese had so many loving family members in her life. He was also glad that being with him hadn’t meant complete separation from them. He just hoped there wouldn’t be any more casualties.
First Vicki and now Pete.

“Me, too,” Therese said through thick sobs. “It’s going to be hard to face the Holts.”

“Go get changed, and we’ll head over there,” Richard said, meaning the hospital.

Than wondered if Therese regretted the choice she had made to join him. Maybe she was beginning to think the price had been too great. He kissed Carol’s cheek and then Therese’s.

“I’ll see you soon,” Than said to them. He shook Richard’s hand.

A lump rose to his throat as he walked away from the house and god travelled to his own.

He found Hecate and took back his duties. One of him remained with Pete in Tartarus, hoping to help him adjust; but he also disintegrated and dispatched toward the Athena Alliance.

He sensed the prisoners being held in isolated chambers. The first one he came to held Hera, and she was being interrogated, or rather persuaded to, by Artemis and Persephone. Than hovered near the entrance to eavesdrop.

“Don’t you see how he’s abused you?” Artemis asked. “You used to be the most beautiful and gracious goddess of all of us. His indiscretions have made you pathetic and evil!”

“How dare you!” Hera growled.

Than believed Artemis spoke the truth. His Aunt Hera was once considered the most beautiful of all the gods, even more beautiful than Aphrodite.

“You bound him yourself once,” Persephone added. “This is your chance to do so again and to negotiate for what you want.”

Hera might be the one god who could convince Zeus to cooperate without further conflict.

“That’s right,” Artemis said. “You can make demands with the rest of us.
Demands for change.”

Than
moved on without revealing himself, curious to hear what was going on in the other chambers. In the next room, he sensed Hermes, and with him were Apollo and Hip.

“This isn’t about changing regimes,” Apollo said. “We considered it, but ultimately decided we would rather revise our system than rebel against it.”

“So my father will remain king?” Hermes asked.

“If he agrees to certain conditions,” Hip said.

Than hadn’t expected Hip to speak to Hermes after the messenger god struck Pete. It had been an accident, but the spear had been meant for Hip. Yet his brother spoke to Hermes with civility rather than hostility. That was good, he supposed.

Anxious to find the room containing Zeus,
Than moved on. He passed Hestia, who was being questioned by Meg and Hecate, and then, in another room, Ares, who was with Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Aphrodite pleaded with Ares to see the light, saying again and again, “Do it for me.” The god of war did not reply.

Than hadn’t walked much fa
rther when he heard Poseidon’s voice reverberating throughout the rocky corridors. Than followed it into one of the deeper chambers, his heart picking up speed, like a boy who stands before the lion’s cage.