Destined. Part 5

"Now get out of here. There's nothing worse than showing up late for your own party."

As she shooed me from my room, I saw that our courtyard had been transformed into a glowing celebration. Oil lamps cast their dancing light over the guests. Servants were pouring wine into onyx goblets and some of the suitors were already swaying. The courtyard was full of talk and laughter and life.

After the emptiness of my room, it all felt surreal.

When I reached the threshold, Father came to my side and linked elbows with me. What probably looked like a friendly escort to everyone else felt like an iron clamp. "You see how hard your mother worked to prepare your party?" he said in his deepest whisper. It wasn't a question so much as a threat - don't you dare ruin this night for her.

I nodded and he patted my hand. "Glad we understand each other, then." He led me to the musicians and ordered them to stop playing.

The abrupt end to the music got everyone's attention. "Excuse me, gentlemen," my father said. "I first would like to thank you for making such a long journey to be with us tonight. While you, my friends, are always welcome in my home, I know it's not me you've come to see. I would like you to meet my daughter, and now Aphrodite's daughter," (that got a round of knowing chuckles) "Psyche. She'll come around to meet each of you in person and I'm sure you will find her as engaging as she is beautiful. In the meantime, enjoy your wine and the food will be ready shortly."

Only because I'd spent months bowing to crowds was I able to function. The unfamiliar eyes on me, so close, so prodding, left me stripped and raw. The feeling of wanting to puke was becoming way too familiar.

But as the music started up again, I plastered a permanent smile on my face and met each of the suitors one by one. As I made my rounds, I tried to add to whatever discussion I happened to join. If the men were talking politics, I added in the latest news from our own Senate. If they were talking war, I a.n.a.logized their battles to ones I'd read about in my scrolls.

There was a balance between acting like a know-it-all and letting them know I could discuss any subject that interested them. Actually, I enjoyed the challenge of finding something insightful or humorous to say about so many different topics. Despite the obvious implications of the evening, it turned out to be a better distraction from my worries than I'd hoped.

After I'd chatted with everyone, I knew only one of the men had really caught my attention: a young king, Krios of Tegea. He struck me as good-natured and more interested in me than himself. I lingered when we first met, and after my rounds were done, I returned to him so I could sit beside his couch during dinner.

The banquet may have been in my honor, but women didn't dine on couches in my home.

Pulling up a soft, leather tripod, I sat as close as I dared, hoping the other suitors would take the hint that I'd made my pick. Of course, the choice wasn't exactly mine to make.

As we ate, he told me about his city; the lush green mountains, the endless rows of olive trees, the twin rivers that always carried fresh, cool water, and the bountiful harvests that the hard-working farmers produced. The way he described it, I could already imagine myself at home there. I'd never needed a large city to keep me happy. In fact, separation from crowds would probably be a welcome delight. I wasn't sure his little City was exactly the "alliance" my parents were hoping for, but I was already dreaming of fading back into anonymity.

"It sounds perfect," I told him.

"Ah, Psyche. Perfect is sitting here beside me. But Tegea is a close second."

I looked down as a warm blush crept up into my cheeks.

"Tell me I haven't made you blush, Psyche," Krios teased, leaning closer. "Certainly you've received greater compliments than that before."

"Not from someone whose opinion actually matters."

Now it was Krios's turn to blush.

The banquet room was full of deafening chatter and the sounds of eating, but all I heard was the silence that hung between us. After a few moments, Krios finally said, "You might as well know this." I felt my cheeks fall slack as I braced for his attempt at a gentle let down. Seriously, why was every man I was remotely interested in turning me away?

Krios's eyes panned the crowd. "All of us rode out to meet you and your sister. I had hoped maybe I'd have a chance with Chara, but I never dreamed of marrying the great Psyche."

"I'm not the great Psyche," I cut in, grabbing Krios's hand.

"No, Psyche, listen. This is important. You deserve to know this. None of these men, including myself, came here to marry you." Krios paused to correct himself, his mouth twitching in a slight grimace. "Well, maybe at first we did, but something changed along the way. By the time we reached your palace, we agreed that none of us could take on the obligation of protecting you."

"Protecting me from what? My father hasn't had any problem looking out for me," I said, dropping Krios's hand.

Krios closed his eyes and exhaled. "I simply don't have the armies, Psyche. I can't afford a war for you." He added in an apologetic whisper, "None of us can."

Although I knew what he was talking about, I couldn't believe all of Greece was so consumed by fear of another Trojan War.

"I'm not Helen!" I stood up and shouted at Krios.

Conversation and eating came to a halt as all eyes turned to me. I felt the stares boring into my back as I loomed over Krios, gritting my teeth to keep from spitting out my accusations.

"You don't even know me, but you a.s.sume I'm the sort of person who'd run off with another man. Why? Because I have a pretty face? Because I'm Aphrodite's new daughter?" I balled my hands into fists to keep them from trembling at my side. "You have misjudged me. I'm as fiercely loyal as any woman you'll ever meet."

My father rushed to my side. "Psyche, no one is questioning your loyalty, or even Helen's. Helen was powerless to resist the will of Aphrodite."

"She's a G.o.ddess, not a puppet master," I shrieked, turning my outrage on my father. "I turned down her marriage choice once and I'll do it again if I have to."

Father's teeth audibly crunched when he clamped his jaws back together. Guess I'd forgotten to mention the whole Aphrodite-proposed-on-behalf-of-Eros thing. More d.a.m.n secrets. I was over it.

Pus.h.i.+ng past my father, I stormed to the center of the room. "My sister is gone and you don't want to marry me, so I a.s.sume you're just here to eat our food. Maybe hear a good story. Well how's this for gossip? Aphrodite asked me to marry her son, and I said no." I met each of their silent stares and patted my heart. "Yes, I refused an arrogant, pompus G.o.d because I knew, deep down, that one of you would be better. But apparently I was wrong." Let that sink in for a minute. "Can it really be that none of you are brave enough to take on a pretty wife?"

No one answered.

I faltered. The challenge hadn't worked and my father was bearing down on me now.

"Psyche, that's enough." My father spun me away from the men before handing me off to Maia, who'd rushed over as if on cue.

Speaking loud enough so that the entire room could hear, Father told Maia, "Psyche is obviously feeling ill. See that she gets the rest she needs."

As Maia led me away, I could hear my father apologizing for my outburst and explaining that I was overwhelmed by my sister departing so recently. Under normal circ.u.mstances, he promised, I would never be so bold and would be an obedient wife, very respectful, et cetera, et cetera.

But I knew he was wasting his words. Krios hadn't been lying to me. Why would he? He had nothing to gain from a lie. As I slowly climbed the steps to my room, I knew none of these men would be taking me home.

Which is a thought that should've brought relief. After all, I didn't want to be married yet. As I thought back on it, I didn't even know why I'd challenged those men to marry me. I already recognized it as a stupid burst of pride getting the better of me. So why was I so upset by the whole thing?

As I crossed into my room, it hit me. What if never finding a husband was Aphrodite's punishment for turning Eros away? I didn't necessarily want to get married now, I wanted it some day. A princess without a husband is nothing once her parents die. I'd probably have to rely on Chara just to survive. And how likely would she be to help?

Slumping on my bed, I studied my reflection in a hand mirror. Although the room was only lit by oil lamps, I could make out all of my features. I inspected every inch of my face, as if it was to blame for my long string of failures. But there was no flaw in the reflection. The flaw was inside me.

Shrieking in frustration, I threw the mirror into the stone wall at the far side of my room. The mirror shattered into tiny, jagged pieces that spewed across my floor.

Maia scurried to clean up the mess, but Mother stopped her. "You can leave us. She'll clean it up herself." I hadn't even heard Mother come in.

Maia lowered her head and fled the room, muttering apologies to my mother as she went. I turned and glared.

"So now I've gone from being the second-coming of Aphrodite to a servant girl?"

"You're lucky you don't end up homeless after that stunt you just pulled." She shook her head. "I never thought the distant attention would make you so brazen. Or maybe it's Aphrodite. Do you think you actually are her daughter now?"

"Of course not." I flopped back against my bed. "She hates me after refusing her son. I haven't seen her since the day of the announcement."

She paced the length of my room, muttering almost to herself. "Well that explains the lack of a proposal, at least. You angered the G.o.ddess of love and she's denying you a husband. It's pretty obvious."

I'm glad she thought so, because it'd taken me awhile to figure it out.

When she halted, her dark emerald eyes bore into me, full of anger and disappointment. "I used to think I knew you so well. But I don't get you at all anymore. It's like you've considered every reasonable action and then done exactly the opposite."

"Eros was a jerk and he talked to Aphrodite like she was a dish rag. If any of those men down there talked to you like that, I'd refuse to marry them too." I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes again.

"And if you mean tonight, I'm scared, okay? I'm pretty sure Aphrodite hates me after..." I pressed my fingertips against my eyes as I thought. "When Krios said none of the men would marry me, I panicked."

"Oh, Psyche," Mother sighed as she sank down next to me on the bed and wrapped me in her arms. "I know what it's like to be young and impulsive." She gave me an extra squeeze. "Trust me, I do. But at the end of the day, discretion is the better part of valor."

I cracked one eye open to peer at her and make it very clear I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Keep your mouth shut," she answered. "If you make a mistake, move on. Don't go spreading the news across Greece. It insights gossip and eventually hurts those you love the most."

My muddled brain knew enough to register that she was speaking from experience, but I didn't have the energy to pry. Instead, all I could think was how her advice was to continue keeping secrets when all I wanted to do was bare my soul.

"So tell me what to do now. I'm lost." I blinked and a warm, salty tear escaped. "I wrecked your party. I'm sure the whole Aphrodite thing is going to errupt soon. I just don't know what to do any more."

She pushed my hair back from my forehead and placed a kiss on my temple. "Sit patiently and wait for your father to return from Delphi. He's decided to consult the Oracle. We won't make any decisions until he gets back, deal?

I nodded, not sure I could speak and hold back a flood of tears at the same time.

My father was going to Delphi to learn my fate. Not knowing what was going to happen to me was scary enough. Finding out I was going to know what fate lay in store for me brought sheer terror.

Chapter 11 - Eros.

Eros stretched in satisfaction as he flew. Making sure the suitors couldn't be as captivated by Psyche as he'd been brought him an unexpected peace. Now, he just needed to find Hermes and finalize his plan.

But even for an experienced tracker like Eros, Hermes was too speedy to easily spot using just second sight. When he was unable to instantly track down his friend, Eros swooped in to Hermes's temple-of-choice. The imposing shrine overflowed with gold and marble statutes cast in the young G.o.d's likeness. Eros trotted up the stairs and toward the main chamber. In the far corner of the temple, one of the priests was removing the remnants of a meal and carting away a half-drunk pitcher of wine.

"You!" Eros barked. The priest dropped the ceramic pitcher. The crack as it exploded against the marble floor was tampered only by the dull splash of un-drunk wine. "Where's your master?"

"He ju-ju-just left," the priest stammered.

"Where?" Eros growled. His newly-found tranquility was now as shattered as the pitcher. He had a deadline after all. Not that King Darion would reach Delphi for a few days, but if his plan wasn't set before then, it'd be too late.

"I don't know, my Lord. He got called away to escort an important shade to the Underworld, but I don't know who it is that died, or where."

"d.a.m.n!" Eros kicked at a chunk of pitcher, sending more wine spraying.

"If I may be so bold, you might try waiting at the Alcyonian Lake. Hermes will have to bring the shade there to catch a ferry to the Underworld."

Eros clenched his jaw and spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't have time to wait."

Dropping his head, the priest mumbled, "Of course, my Lord."

"You're excused now." Eros exhaled. It was true: he didn't have time to wait. But since his second sight wasn't working, he didn't have other options either.

When he arrived, the sh.o.r.es of the lake were empty. Eros couldn't tell whether Hermes had come and gone, or if he still had yet to arrive. For the remainder of the day, Eros paced along the bank, still scanning unsuccessfully for Hermes. The descending sun pulled a misty blanket in its wake, covering the lake in a thick, hazy shroud of fog.

In the comfort of the night, Eros kneeled on the sh.o.r.e and cupped the cool water in his hand. The liquid slipped back through his long fingers as he moved them slowly apart. He absentmindedly dipped his hand and strained the water several more times, deciding whether it would be safe to take a drink.

The Alcyonian Lake fed the rivers flowing into Hades, but did the waters flow back out? Sure, he'd heard rumors that once you drank from the lake, you'd be condemned to the Underworld, but Eros was immortal. The water couldn't possibly hurt him. Besides, the late spring afternoon had been hot. Unseasonably hot.

Eros dipped his cupped hands into the pool. He pursed his lips together to sip, when a cracked voice called out from the misty darkness.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Eros dropped the water back into the lake reflexively. "Of course, I'm not you, so drink up." The voice cackled out a series of gruff laughs that gave way to a fit of coughing.

Eros squinted into the haze, wis.h.i.+ng his eyesight were better at night. He wasn't afraid, but his skin still crawled with an eerie p.r.i.c.kle.

As Eros stared into the fog, he began to make out the skeletal figure of a ferryman coming closer. The ancient man's skin stretched across his bones, unsupported by muscle or meat. His long nose protruded from his face like a hooked beak, while his eyes sunk into their sockets. A mess of grayish hair, caked with sweat and grime, clung to the sides of his bony scalp. With great effort, the man plunged his staff into the water ahead, sinking into the soft bottom of the lake, and lurching the ferry forward.

Eros had never met Charon before, but this had to be him. The ferryman of Hades, who moved souls from the sh.o.r.es of life into the depths of the Underworld. For a small fee of course. Nothing in life - or death - was free.

"Where's your coin, boy?" Charon called out.

Boy? Had Charon just called him boy? Eros rose up to his full height and spread his wings behind him. The show of bravado only made Charon laugh again.

"You'd better take care who you mock, old man."

"Or what? There's nothing you can do to me. You G.o.ds need me."

"Fool. The G.o.ds don't need you." Eros took a step closer, daring the old man not to back down. "I don't need you."

"Ha! If I didn't ferry the dead down to Hades, your precious earth would be overrun with shades. What would become of your playground then? I'd like to see you try to woo a woman with all of her dead family standing around watching."

Charon cackled again, and then his thin, pale lips curled into a smile. "Besides, boy, you do need something from me. Some information, perhaps?"

Eros glared at Charon. He kept his gaze icy while trying to a.s.sess whether he could ask about Hermes. Charon held his stare, refusing to look away.

"Go on, boy, ask me. Ask me what you want to know."

"What will it cost me?"

"So you are clever. Never mind my fee this time. Your mother will be paying my toll soon enough."

Eros lunged at the old ferryman. "How dare you threaten my mother's life."

Charon pulled away, faster than Eros had given him credit for, and Eros splashed into the lake, soaking the ends of his tunic.

"It's no threat, boy. There's no force on Earth or Olympus that could kill that woman. But I expect she'll be sending someone my way soon enough, and that will be all the fee I require."

"You collect gold, not souls," Eros accused. He didn't trust Charon or his promise to answer a question for free.

"I could build a staircase to Olympus with all the coins I've collected. What can they buy me? Can they buy me freedom from this unending toil? Can they buy me repose in a magnificent palace? Can they buy me the love of a beautiful woman?"