Reality Check

“Report.”  Zeus sighed at his youngest son.  The boy was acting perfectly, and he was almost regretting assigning the boy such an easy punishment.  The boy seemed to be enjoying it, even though it was keeping him out of trouble.

“Well, today I worked together with her in her barn.  We made posters and pictures from the old newspaper flyers that her great aunt had left there.  We cleaned up the floors and generally dusted all over.  I ate dinner with them and then disappeared and watched them until it was time to report.”

“When will the human of you see her next?”

“I asked her out for tomorrow night’s dinner.”

“Are you courting her, Arkonel?”  Zeus asked his son.  “Because you must remember our rules.  If it isn’t approved by Aphrodite, then she can’t spend eternity with you, and you will be forced to watch her grow old and die.”

“I’m aware of the rules, father.  We are just friends, for now.”  Arkonel said, attempting to keep his insecurities and worries to himself and not broadcast them to his father.  It failed.

“You kissed her on the lips tonight?  And then just walked off?”  Zeus chuckled.  “I’ve never gone the hard-to-get route, personally.  Most of the time, its my women.”

“You have a wife, father.  You don’t cheat, remember?”  Arkonel grinned at his father whose thunderous laughter shook the pillars in his study.

“Oh, son, I had quite a few encounters in my day.  I’ve calmed down, now, as belief in us has gone back underground.  The worst I ever had was with a woman I almost didn’t get…”  Zeus trailed off.  “You probably don’t want to hear it.”

“I don’t mind, sir.”  Arkonel said.  His father’s stories were always amusing, and the girls were just getting to sleep.  He had a little bit of time before he could invade Ariana’s dreams.

“Well, it was with a young girl, probably twenty, who was just married, and very unhappy.  Her husband was abusive and cruel, always drunk or some other form of intoxication.  So she prayed, like she did every night, but I was bored that night and actually listened and decided to do something about her problem.

“I went to her house in the middle of the night in the form of a bull and made a lot of noise until her husband was finally roused.  He walked outside and I gored him, straight through the leg.  I left for that night, and the wife rode to get a doctor.  The doctor patched the man up and he was bed ridden for the next few weeks, not that it stopped his ability to abuse his wife.  He blamed her, and he didn’t learn his lesson.  He hit her every night whenever she got close enough, and when he could finally get up and limp around, he right out beat her.  This pissed me off.  I don’t like the abuse of women anymore than you do.

“After he broke her arm with a chair he had thrown, I had enough.  I appeared the next day as an old sage, and I asked if I could come in.  He refused, and I bound him in the doorway, no magic, just strength, and left him there, spread eagled in the doorway.  I motioned for his wife to come to me, and I started to kiss and make love to her.  Seconds later, I heard a noise behind me and turned around to find the man free of his bonds and about to attack me with a bar of wood.  I stopped him in mid motion, bound him with magic, healed her injuries, and then transformed into a beautiful, young, Greek man.

“I told her husband exactly who I was, and then I proceeded to make love to his wife in front of him.  I told him the baby would be named Medius, and if he ever struck either woman or child again, he would be wandering outside the River Styx with his head in his hands – literally – for eternity.  He took my advice and treated them well for the rest of his life.

“The woman didn’t really want me.  She was scared almost to the point of being a stone, but I started with her and she just melted.  I think she was excited because her husband was hung in the doorway, unable to speak or move, do anything but stare at us.  I went back to her for several years after that, but Medius was the only child from her.  He went on to be a famous healer in his town, and lived well past one hundred human years.”

“The moral of the story: Be careful.  Had I not had one ear towards my surroundings, he could have struck me, pissed me off, and I might have ended up killing both of them.  Your brother is plotting against you, just like the man who broke free.  Out of anger, but it is still a plot, and a plan, which is more than you are aware of.”  Zeus’ voice turned serious, and it was Arkonel’s turn to speak.

“How is that unusual?”  He asked.

“Well, the burglary that night was set up by your brother.  He really wants to get to you this time.”

“That was Cadmus?  I assumed it was a drunk idiot – I didn’t think he was intelligent enough to pull that off.”

“That was Cadmus.  And keep in mind, his title.  He can be a very dangerous person to have pissed at mortals.  If he decides to harm your charges, I doubt you’ll be able to stop it before its too late.”

“Can’t you put some reigns on him?”  Arkonel sighed.  “I’m actually enjoying this.  I’ve never spent such an extended period of time on earth.”

“I can try.  Just remember, this is your punishment.  And if you fail, you’re stuck on dead duty until those two charges of yours pass.  When you process both of them, you’ll be released.  And they’re both healthy.”

“I know, father.  I’m going to go back, now.”

“Have fun.  Be careful.”  Zeus shooed his youngest out of the room, hiding a smile until he was gone.  Zeus may not have had the best of relationships with his wife, but guaranteeing happiness for one of his sons was something he could do.
  ---
  Previous Chapter: Rainy Days
  Next Chapter: Roller Skating
  Home: Go To Title Page