"After you," he said, gesturing toward the pool steps. The empty pool seemed scary to me now, particularly with the water that was supposed to be in it hanging above my head.
Nervously, I descended the stairs with him, allowing him to lead me down the slanted tiles until we were standing in the empty deep end. The tiled walls surrounding me seemed cavernous and the water hung over our heads like a furious cloud, churning silently. I glanced up at it and felt my pulse race against my birthmark. But no pain. Oddly, even with this clearly out of the ordinary experience, my tell-tale birthmark remained silent. I grasped it anyway and waited, holding my breath as I watched Alexi, waiting for his next movement.
He lowered his arm and the water came crashing down. I cringed and braced for the impact as I felt it graze against the top of my head.
And we were gone.
We were suddenly standing in clouds. I shook my head to clear it, to try and gain my bearings amid my overwhelming confusion.
Wispy clouds clung to my arms and legs as we stood in front of a great iron gate. White marble columns stood on each side of it, topped with giant, terrifying falcons. They were so enormously large that they seemed to be the size of mountain lions. And they were not stone.
They were alive. Their eyes were blood red, their expressions fierce. As I moved, so did their heads, following me with their crimson eyes. I shivered.
"Open the gates," Alexi commanded. "Harmonia is here to see the Moirae."
The falcon on the left opened its beak. "Answer the question first, then you may pass, servant."
Alexi’s grip tightened on my elbow and I could feel his agitation seeping through his fingertips. Apparently, he didn’t enjoy being referred to as a servant.
"I do not answer to you," he replied through gritted teeth. "I come bearing Harmonia.
Deny us entrance and the Sisters will be angry."
The falcons watched him with identical bored expressions, each tilting their heads just a little to the left. Light glistened off of their iridescent feathers and I realized that tiny shards of gold were embedded within their plumes. They turned to me, identical and terrifying, their massive claws curled around the platforms on which they sat.
"Harmonia, how long must one wander the shores of Hades if the boatman isn’t paid?"
The falcon closest to me rasped.
"One hundred years," I answered promptly.
And then I gasped. I would never get used to having subconscious knowledge and memories surface at random moments. I could suddenly see an image of the river Styx in my head as clearly as if I were standing in front of it. Murky, turbulent water wound its way to the gates of Hades with lost souls wandering on each side. It was a dark, unhappy place and I shook my head to free myself of the memory.
"Correct," the bird uttered as they both nodded in unison. "You may enter, but remember to drink from the cup."
The heavy gates swung open and the birds dipped their heads in deference as I passed beneath them. Alexi followed directly on my heels. I could almost feel his glacial breath on my neck. Confused by the falcon’s dictate, I turned to face Alexi.
"Drink from the cup?"
He nodded curtly toward a golden table sitting directly inside the gates beneath a small, blossoming tree. Magnificent blue flowers dropped from the branches every few minutes and landed in a basket on the ground. On the table, a jeweled goblet was sitting in the shade. Alexi nudged me toward it.
"Drink from the cup."
I eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?"
He gave me a droll look. "Does it matter? If you don’t drink, you cannot continue into Olympus. And if you do not appear in front of the Sisters, they will kill you. Drink."
"Can you not just tell me what it is?" I asked in exasperation. Why did everything need to be so difficult?
"It is nectar," he replied brusquely. "Now, drink it."
I picked up the heavy golden chalice, wrapping my fingers around the solid stem and sniffed at the clear liquid within. It had the consistency of thick syrupy juice but was transparent like water. It had a heavy, sweet smell unlike anything I’d encountered before- a mixture of peaches, mangoes, cherries I couldn’t put my finger on it. I hesitated, even though the smell was rapidly drawing me in. I felt an incredible compulsion to drink.
Alexi smiled a superior, knowing smile.
"You’ve drunk from this cup a thousand times before. It will not harm you. Drink." He motioned with his hand and I gathered up my courage. I could do this.
I sipped tentatively at the liquid, but it was so overwhelmingly delicious and fragrant that I forgot myself and tipped the cup back, draining every ounce of the sweet goodness, gulping so fast that it streaked down my chin. As I finished the last swallow, I wiped at my face with my hand. Glancing down, I gasped again.
My hand was covered in blood.
Holding the goblet up so that I could peer into the reflection, I saw in horror that my chin and teeth were smeared with crimson streaks. I looked like an evil, blood-drinking fiend.
"What is the nectar made from?" I turned to Alexi in a panic with wide eyes.
"The blood of the unborn," he answered. "You know this. It gives you eternal life."
I fell onto my knees, gagging as I coughed. But even as I did, the revulsion quickly faded, replaced with a strange feeling unlike anything I remembered. It began in my toes and quickly worked itself up like an invisible presence. It was. Knowledge. Understanding. Power.
Awareness. Clarity. Harmonia’s memories returned in a scant blink of an eye. I was her. She was me.
Harmonia. Visions of my life as Harmonia, flew into my memory with startling speed.
I stopped coughing and slowly rose from the ground, standing with my shoulders back and my chin up. I felt my face literally tighten as I stood. I knew I was losing the baby fat that Macy still carried in her cheeks as I acquired Harmonia’s more adult face. I wanted to look, but didn’t have time. I would do it later.
"There we go," Alexi approved. "Gratitude for being quick."
I threw him a look as I walked ahead of him. He knew his place was behind me. And now so did I. I could feel my sense of entitlement as a goddess, as the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, returning to me. I wasn’t sure I liked it. There were certain things that were done simply because of who I was yet there wasn’t anything I could do but accept it.
"Why have I been summoned here?" I asked Alexi.
As I did, I looked around me. Mount Olympus was in ruins. It was still beautiful with winding paths, ancient marble buildings and magnificent gardens, but everything was crumbling and in disrepair. Diaphanous clouds drifted around us and the air smelled like heavenwisteria, jasmine, honeysuckle. I recalled that Olympus was specifically beautiful to each beholder meaning it was beautiful to each inhabitant in a different way, each person’s own perception of perfection. Just like my mother. Aphrodite had the same gift. It was why her smile was so charming.
I glanced through the drifting clouds to stare at Alexi.
"Why am I here?" I repeated.
"Because they wanted you here," he answered. "And we need to move. They don’t like to wait."
He grasped my arm again and propelled me forward and we moved fluidly throughout the beautiful, aging city. As I looked around, I found minor gods and goddesses like myself, but not any of the Olympic gods. Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, Hera None of the twelve were here.
"Where is Zeus?" I asked. Zeus was an overwhelming presence on Mount Olympus. You could feel him long before you could see him. He was the personification of the word Intimidating.
Alexi stared at me silently, his lips pressed together in a thin line.
"You ask quite a few questions for someone in your precarious position," he remarked.
"What exactly is my position?" I asked. "Why have I been cast into a mortal’s body? It doesn’t make sense."
"It will," he promised. "Soon."
We continued our stroll through Olympus and I continued to gawk around me. The once magnificent homes were crumbling, but still beautiful in a sad way. In fact, there was a general air of solemn sadness all around me. Normally, faint music was audible all throughout Olympus. Not so now. There were no harps or flutes, no dancing nymphs. I was instantly on edge.
A few minutes later, we stood at the base of Zeus’ palace. The enormous building was dark and quiet, its windows staring at me like a thousand pairs of blank eyes. I could feel someone watching me, but I couldn’t see them. It was unsettling.
We climbed the stone steps and I heard rustling from behind me, but when I turned, there was no one there. I shook my head and kept walking. When we got to the top, I found Hephaestus chained to a post by the door. My step-father was wearing a dog-like harness which was attached to a chain. He sat hunched over until we approached.
He lumbered to his feet, favoring his lame leg. Both of his legs were crippled, but one troubled him more than the other. He glanced at me briefly before opening the doors for us.
"You’ve kept them waiting," he stated.
I stared at him aghast, utterly baffled.
"Hephaestus, you’re their doorman?! A god such as yourself has been reduced to wearing a dog’s collar? What is the meaning of this? What is going on?"
He stared at me bleakly, his dark eyes empty.
He sighed heavily and replied, "You don’t know how lucky you are to have received your fate. Anything is preferable to this. I didn’t know when I made your necklace what was to become of it. And to us."
He pushed the door open with a frail arm and stood to the side to allow us to pass. I couldn’t help but stare at him as we passed, the foreboding feelings building up to a crescendo in my chest. There was no way that this was good.
Inside the palace, it looked like a frat party had trashed the place. Priceless bits of history were strewn about. I could see Achilles’ shield propped in a corner and gasped. It should be guarded. It was impenetrable, making it incredibly desirous to have. Yet it was discarded in the corner like an unwanted trinket. What was going on here?
Alexi led me to the courtyard behind the palace and I willingly followed, eager to make sense out of this whole thing. Apparently, only three people could explain it. The Moirae.
They sat with their backs to me in black marble chairs in the sun. As I approached, Lachesis spoke.
"You had so much promise, Harmonia, yet you’ve disappointed us so greatly."
She turned slowly in her seat and I sucked my breath in.
She was ancient. Her wrinkles were deep and creviced, her eyes faded. She lifted a gnarled finger and motioned for me to come closer. Once upon a time, she had appeared as a beautiful woman to me, because she hadn’t wished to scare me. Apparently, that was no longer her concern.
I swallowed hard and walked to her, having no idea at what was to come.
Clothos and Atropos stared on silently, each as terrifying as Lachesis. As I got closer to Atropos, my life force began to appear around me, clinging to my body. She leaned forward and inhaled just a little, as though she was sampling it. It wafted toward her like a magnet and she sucked at it a little, then blew it back at me. I tried not to hyperventilate. With a single breath, she could kill me.