Triton awoke to the most amazing feeling—Nicole’s warm, soft body wrapped in his arms. Her face glowed, a hint of a smile at her lips. She was beauty. She was perfection. And he was a fool to have not realized what she was. No human was so flawless. He literally ached to kiss her. Careful not to disturb her sleep, he pressed his lips against hers and traced his tongue over her mouth. She tasted sweet, like nectar, only better. As he pulled away, he puzzled at the mystery of who she was, what her god powers might be. Regardless of what they were, using them would be dangerous—except…
Being at the base of Olympus, it would be hard to distinguish the use of her powers from the other gods who made the skies above them their home. He smiled, realizing why her mother chose to drop them here. Nicole could not only hide among the humans, she could hide among the gods.
On that thought, this was also an ideal place to search for someone to release him from Sypher—the sooner the better. A low rumble shook the room as the pictures on the wall swung and dropped, cracking their frames against the wood floor. It was an earthquake. The old, wooden house swayed, threatening to topple over. Triton tried to flash them to safety, only to remember his power was gone. He knew he should probably be afraid, but truly, he didn’t know how to fear a natural disaster. Luck was on their side—or perhaps Tyche. The rumbling stopped, and everything settled into place.
He looked down at Nicole; she was fast asleep. “I forgot how soundly you sleep.”
“Hm,” she mumbled in her slumber.
“Nicki, wake up. We need to get out of the house before the aftershocks come.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Mmm. Did you just say aftershocks?”
“You just slept through an earthquake.”
“What? I didn’t know they had earthquakes in Greece.”
“Apparently, they do.”
He sat up and tugged her arm. “Come on, love. Let’s get outside.”
“Shouldn’t we get under a doorframe?”
“I would say yes, but I don’t trust this house will be left standing if there’s another quake. I think we’re safer outside.”
They stepped outside into the cool, crisp morning air to see a large, bearded man arguing with Hanna. He turned to look at them. “See, they’re fine,” he shouted.
“If the house had fallen and crushed them to death,” Hanna said, “I would never forgive you, Alex. It’s my job to see that they are safe in my home. I can’t believe you dragged me outside and wouldn’t even go back in to warn them. I taught you better than that.”
“Mom, no one could have slept through that quake. I knew they’d be out when they could.”
Nicole looked at Triton and shrugged.
“You’re lucky they’re still alive,” Hanna said as she rushed over.
She took Nicole’s hand and carefully inspected her as she spoke. “You’re okay? You didn’t get hurt?”
Nicole shook her head. “I’m fine. I actually did sleep through it.”
Hanna turned and glared at her son. “See. She did need to be warned!”
“Hanna,” Triton said calmly. “We’re fine. I woke Nicole up and got her out safely.”
Alex walked up to them. His eyes lingered over Nicole, appreciation in them as he took her hand. “If I’d know what beauty awaited me, I would have braved my mother’s crumbling home to save you. What’s your name, beautiful?” he said as he lifted her hand and kissed it.
Triton’s hackles rose. How dare he? “My wife’s name is Nicole.” Triton moved an intimidating step toward him, forcing the man to let go of Nicole’s hand. “And I am Triton.”
Nicole’s eyes widened at the word wife, but she didn’t correct the lie.
“Ty, short for Triton?” Hanna said excitedly. “Named after the sea-god. Ha!” her excitement turned to a frown when she looked him over. “Though I must say, you don’t look a thing like him.”
Nicole chuckled. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Triton.
“Married, huh?” Alex said. “I should have known.”
Triton looked back at Alex. The man looked disappointed, but the way his gaze lingered on Nicole let Triton know Alex didn’t consider a married woman off limits. If this human weren’t the son of such a kind woman, Triton would have quietly taken him aside and broken his neck.
“So is everyone hungry for breakfast?” Hanna shuffled toward the house.
“Mom.” Alex sprinted after her. “You can’t go inside yet. What if there’s an aftershock?”
“Alex, my guests are hungry.”
“Alex is right,” Nicole said. “It’s really not safe right now.” She stepped up and took her hand.
Hanna frowned, looking downtrodden. Nicole looked down at the sweet, old woman and sighed.
“I’m such a terrible host. I wish I could provide you with a proper breakfast.”
“Hanna, we’re fine,” Nicole said. “You’ve been an amazing host. You gave us a roof over our heads, opened your home—”
“Wait a minute. What’s that?” Hannah interrupted as her eyes drifted behind Nicole and narrowed. She shuffled away, trudging through the long grass, around the linens hanging on a line, and into the overgrown brush deep in her backyard.
“Look at the grapes!” she exclaimed. “It isn’t time for these to ripen yet.”
Triton followed Nicole as she made her way into the backyard. Hanna was right. The vines were covered in ripe grapes. Other spots of color dotted the foliage. Triton pointed back. “It looks like your apples and your pears are ripe too.”
“Go get some baskets from over by the shed,” Hanna said to Alex hurriedly as she held her apron up and filled it with grapes. “I don’t get it. None of these should be ripe yet.”
Nicole gestured Triton to the corner behind the grapevines. Another tree was loaded with fruit. “Hanna! Your oranges look just right for picking too.”
“Oranges?” Hanna stopped and looked up. “Did you say oranges, dear?”
“Yes, just over there.” She nodded in the direction of a large orange tree.
Hanna’s eyes opened wide in shock as her fingers loosened, letting the grapes spill on the grass.
“Hanna?” Nicole stepped forward. “Are you alright?”
She slowly shook her head. “That tree died three years ago. Alex was supposed to cut it down.”
“Are you sure it was dead?” Nicole asked. “Maybe it was just sick and decided to make a full recovery.”
“Oh no. It was completely dead.” She stepped forward, not even noticing she was trampling the grapes under her feet. She walked over to stand under the tree. It looked as healthy as any other fruit tree Triton had ever seen. It looked as healthy as the trees he’d seen gracing the fields of Olympus.
Nicole turned to him and whispered, “Did you do this?”
“I couldn’t conjure a drop a water in my condition, sweetheart,” he whispered back. “This is all you.”
“I wish I knew how to control it.”
Hanna looked around at them. “What is going on here?” Her eyes honed in on Nicole. “Who are you?”
Nicole’s eyes widened in shock as she looked toward Triton for help.
Hanna followed her vision and locked eyes with him. She stepped over. “Did you do this?”
He frowned.
“You are Triton, aren’t you? King of the Atlantic?” Her excitement was clearly evident. “I didn’t realize you have power over plants.”
He pressed his lips together and then he sighed. “Yes, I am Triton, but I didn’t do this.”
“But you know who did. Was it your wife? Is she a goddess?”
Triton could have lied to her and ended it right there, but looking in the face of the old woman who went out of her way to help them, the woman who had such abiding faith in the gods, he couldn’t bring himself to lie. “Nicole only recently learned she is a goddess.”
“What is she a goddess of?”
Nicole answered her. “I wish I knew.”
Hanna clapped her hands together and shouted. “I have a god and a goddess in my home!” She looked at Nicole. “And you’re lost, aren’t you? You came to the right place. I know everything there is to know about the gods. I’ll help you figure this out.” She snatched Nicole’s hand and yanked, pulling her toward her house.
“But Mom, shouldn’t we—?”
“Oh shut up, Alex. This is my house. It wouldn’t dare fall down on the gods.”
Triton raised an eyebrow and looked at Nicole. She smiled back at him and shrugged.
***
Nicole was shoved into a chair, and Hanna bustled about the kitchen. Ty wandered in behind and took a seat.
“What would you like for breakfast?” Hanna asked her.
“I could use some coffee.”
“Would you like to eat first?”
“No, thank you. I prefer my coffee first thing.”
“Me too!” Hanna’s smiled widened. “My mother used to drink it before breakfast too. Would you like some too, Your Majesty?” she asked Ty.
“Sure, but only if you stop calling me majesty. Just call me Ty.”
Hanna pulled out a strange-looking copper pot with a long handle and poured in several drinking cups of water. She set three small teacups in a line. Then she turned on a single propane burner, perched atop her counter. “Would you like it with sugar or without?”
“With please,” Nicole answered, confused at the funny pot.
Hanna poured a couple of scoops of sugar into the cold water and then two scoops of fine brown powder, and whisked it. After several minutes, she spooned out some froth into each of the cups and then poured.
Handing a cup to Nicole and Ty, she sat and turned to Nicole. “Now, tell me what you know about yourself.”
Nicole blew out a breath and answered, “Not nearly as much as I thought.” She took a sip of coffee and suppressed a gag. The stuff tasted like burnt dirt. She kept the cup in her hands, but couldn’t bring herself to take another sip. Nicole hoped Hanna wouldn’t notice she wasn’t drinking it.
Hanna patted her hand. “It’s alright, sweetie. I’m here to help. Tell me what you do know.”
“I do know who my mother is.”
“Really? Who?” Hanna held her breath as she waited for Nicole to answer.
“Tyche.”
“Wonderful! Funny how we were just taking about her.” Hanna laughed out loud and turned to Ty. “I’m guessing you’re having mother-in-law issues.”
“Actually,” Nicole said. “We’re not married yet.”
“Hmmm.” Hanna gave a sly smile. “Fraternizing with Tyche’s daughter. Careful, it might land you… in a well filled with garbage.” She barked, laughing at her own joke. Nicole couldn’t help but laugh also. This woman was lit with happiness and excitement.
“Well,” Ty began, “this is all very funny, but do you think you can help Nicole figure out who she is?”
“Your memory is still intact, right?” she asked Ty.
“Yes, but I rarely leave the sea. I’m not that knowledgeable about the gods on Olympus. Now if she were a sea-god…” He let the words drop away.
“Well, let’s figure out what we know. She is the daughter of Tyche. I wasn’t aware of any children being born to the goddess of luck. You mother doesn’t know who your father is?”
Nicole shook her head.
“She doesn’t remember who the father is,” Hanna said, “but perhaps Tyche knows the father but simply doesn’t remember having relations with him. Hmmm. This is quite a mystery. Tyche is one of the few gods that spends most of her time on land. She might have relations with humans. Gods are notorious for that. But then, you’re not a demigod. Are you?”
Nicole shook her head.
“Tyche is unusual in her interest in humans. The other gods have mostly given up on them. You know…” Her voice dropped off.
“What?” Nicole wondered at her hesitation.
“I’ve always wondered. Why? Why do they no longer bother themselves with humans?”
Triton spoke up. “I know what you mean. In the sea, the gods are a prominent part of the sea life. The creatures mortal and immortal, know, fear, and see the gods. Although we don’t show ourselves at every turn, most of the inhabitants of the sea have seen a god. And although I don’t know a lot about Olympus, I do know it’s the same there. The creatures of the sky are well associated with the gods—Zeus being a prominent figure. And then in Hades realm… well, everyone in the Underworld knows and fears Hades. But earth… It’s said that Prometheus formed man out of soil. He’s not even a god, but a titan. In fact, it seems the humans are largely godless.”
“Right,” Hanna said. “It’s always been a puzzle to me. So back to Nicole’s father… I truly have no idea who he could be. Tell me more about yourself.”
Nicole relayed everything she could remember about her life, the couple of times her power showed, and what she remembered about the man at the hospital. Eventually, they seemed to run out of ideas, shooting down every theory. Silence descended as everyone looked from one to another. Nicole waited for Hanna to have an epiphany and explain who she was. Surely, the woman who knew everything about the gods on Olympus could puzzle it out. Hanna looked at her. Her eyes sad, filled with regret.
She didn’t know. How could this woman not know?
“Seriously?” Nicole said. “That’s it?”
“I’m sorry.” Hanna said. “I just don’t have enough to go on. If you could speak to your mother—”
“That’s not possible,” Nicole said. “You know what? I know exactly who to talk to.” She got up and walked out the front door. Purposefully, she stepped onto the street and began to walk with Mt. Olympus in her sights.
“Nicole,” Triton said, walking up beside her. “Just where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to Olympus. I need answers, and I know exactly who has those answers.”
“He’s not going to tell you. Actually, he might. Just before he drains you of all your powers and kills you.”
She stopped and whipped around to face Ty. “So what am I to believe? That I was miraculously formed out of nothing. Maybe I don’t even exist! You know what? If he wants my power so badly, he can just try and take them, and we’ll see what happens. From what Sypher said, he’s afraid of me, and he wants my powers. Well, I’d like to know what he did to me. What kind of sick man just erases a person’s memories? If I’m so powerful, I should be able to get some answers. I have a few blanks I need filled in. I need to know what happened before…” She tried to recall her past—the past she couldn’t believe was not real. But as she tried to recall it, she drew a blank.
“I can’t…” She could feel tears burning in her eyes. Why can’t I remember? She tried to remember playmates, a childhood home, schoolteachers… She knew they would have been false memories, but now even her false memories were gone. All that was left was a gaping void in her mind. It was more painful then she could have believed. Having nothing… No recollection of anything before her young adulthood. No sense of who she was. It was like she didn’t exist. Tears fell in streams down her cheeks.
Triton came up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, love.”
“I can’t remember anything anymore.”
He tensed at her words. “What don’t you remember?”
“I don’t remember my childhood. It’s gone. Everything up until I…” She reached back, trying to recall her farthest memories. “The oldest memory I have is stepping off a bus and going in for a job interview. It was at the café where we met.”
“How long before the day we met?”
“A week.”
“You were eighteen.”
She nodded, wiping her tears. She looked up to see Ty guiding her back into Hanna’s house.
“At least, I thought I was.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure you’d never seen me before?” Nicole asked, her eyes pleading.
“I’m sorry, love. I would have remembered you. If you were a goddess on Olympus, everyone would know you. I don’t know of any god who’s powerful enough to erase the memories of all the gods on Olympus. I’m sure Zeus could change a few, but not all of them. The more likely explanation is that he has erased yours more than once. Perhaps he took you from your mother when you were still a babe.”
“What? So you’re saying he erases my memories every few years and put me in a new place each time?”
Ty shrugged. “It’s possible. Cruel, but possible.”
“But, wait a minute. I still remember the man who came to me when I was in the hospital? He claimed to be my father. He’s the one that wanted me to get an abortion when I found out I was pregnant with Sara. If he was my father, why don’t I have any other memories of him?”
Ty’s eyes narrowed. “What did he look like?”
“He was tall, strongly built… wait. Get me some paper, and I’ll draw him.”
“I’ll get some,” Hanna said and hurried off.
“You think you can make it look like him?” Ty asked.
“Of course. I didn’t get to where I am as a wedding planner without having some artistic ability.”
Hanna returned a moment later, carrying a pad of paper and a pencil.
Nicole scribbled, a face taking shape. “I remember his eyes were dark, his hair black, his neck thick… He had no scars, no blemishes. His skin was flawless, like granite.”
She could hear Ty’s quick intake of breath, and then she could feel fury simmering off him. “You know who this is, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, practically growling. “That’s Ares.”
“Son of Zeus, and god of war,” Hanna said gravely.
“Do you think he’s really my father?”
Triton shook his head. “I don’t know.”