Season's Change: Summer: A Goddess Legacy Companion Novel (Goddess Legacy 1.5) (21 page)

Chrys started to get up, and Don shot him a look. "You're fine over there," he said brusquely.

Chrys glared at him but sat back down, and once we were alone, his eyes softened. We sat quietly for a while, staring at each other from across the room. Chrys seemed as if he wanted to say something, but I couldn't be sure. He shifted in his seat and ran his hand through his unkempt hair before clasping his hands together.

"Season, I am so sorry," he said, gazing into my eyes.

"Don't be. You shouldn't feel guilty for what happened to me. It wasn't your fault, and I don't want you carrying around the blame for it."

"But I am sorry. I'm sorry about my mom; I've tried to explain to her, but she doesn't understand." He rubbed his hands on his face before making eye contact with me again. "And I'm so very sorry about fighting with you."

"I want you to let it go, Chrys."

"That's easier said than done," he whispered. "I've been so worried about you."

I knew he would be, but I needed to focus on the reason I wanted to talk to him alone. "Chrys, I talked to Don. I told him what happened at the store. Of course he doesn't want us to be friends. Last I heard from you on the topic of friendship was that you didn't want to be my friend anymore, either."

"Season . . ."

"No, let me finish. I know you've been hurting because of my relationship with Don, and I am sorry about that. But I
am
in love with him. You have to understand that. If you can understand that
and
respect my decision, then I'd really like it if we could be friends again." I looked down at my hands. "I'm not going to deny that we're bonded together. If you weren't my friend, that'd be very painful for me."

Chrys's breath caught. "I—I can try. That's all I can promise."

"That's all I can ask for. Don's not going to interfere with my decision, but he's also not going to stand by and watch you try to take me away from him. You have to understand that."

"I do. I'd feel the same way," he gritted out. There was definitely no love lost between the two men in my life.

"If you understand the boundaries, then I think he'll play nice. But you have to show him that you can play nice, first. You haven't done a good job of that so far."

"I know. I'll try. It's just very hard because—"

"You don't have to say it," I interrupted. "I know how you feel," I murmured.

Chrys took a deep breath. "It's not just that, Season. I'm put in a bad position because I know Don hasn't been completely honest with you."

"What are you talking about?"

Chrys sighed. "Look, if I tell you, I look like the jealous jerk trying to score points.

You need to talk to him and tell him to quit lying to you."

I stared at Chrys, stunned. I didn't know what to make of that. I shook off the feeling of foreboding created by his warning and made a mental note to ask Don about what Chrys had said. In the meantime, I did know that Chrys had been hiding something from me and I could at least get answers about that right now. "Okay, but why didn't
you
mention your mom is Medusa?"

Chrys's mouth opened wide, and he gasped while he shook his head. "How did you find out?"

"It's the name of the store. It clicked when I heard you calling the paramedics.

Plus, you said something about monsters in your family and warned me that your mother was evil."

"I didn't want you to know about her," he said sheepishly.

"Well, she should've picked a different name for her business. But is she really Medusa or a likeness of her?"

"She's not the original. She has most of
the
Medusa's original qualities with some added abilities, but since she was the first new god to be so close to the original, she was bequeathed the original name. The first Medusa was beheaded and had two children with Poseidon. Pegasus and Chrysaor."

"Chrysaor?"

"Yes. I'm like him. My mom created me with Poseidon, like the original Medusa did to create Chrysaor. Poseidon shares power over the world with Zeus and Hades.

Zeus rules the sky and air; Hades rules the underworld; Poseidon, my father, rules the waters."

"I had a dream you turned into a hurricane," I mumbled. At least that part now made sense.

Chrys became somber. "I guess now you know everything about me." He obviously didn't want me to know his mother was a real monster. He looked depressed, and ashamed, and I wanted to console my friend.

"Can you do one thing for me?" "What?"

"Can you give me a hug?"

"I'd love to," he whispered. Then he walked over to me, dropped to his knees, and wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't think you're a monster."

"I can't be so sure. I feel like I'm turning into one, and I don't know how to stop it," he breathed into my hair.

"I'll help you. We have to help each other."

He leaned back, staring into my eyes, his mouth working before he spoke. "I like it when your eyes are green," he murmured. "They match mine. It makes me feel like we're on the right track."

I smiled at him and he hugged me again. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know."

A
fter a week of house rest
, I was back to my old self. Well, I would never be the same after my hospital stay, but at least now I could get around without hands being all over me. And that was a good thing. Don would've never left for his orientation otherwise.

But oh, how he tried to get out of it. He actually tried to use my nonexistent condition as a reason for him not to go. I insisted I'd be fine and even told him that Chloe would keep me busy shopping for school clothes. He eventually acquiesced, mumbling nonsense about only doing the essentials, coming back early, and skipping the freshman banquet. But when I expressed an interest in going, saying it'd be nice to get dressed up for him, he immediately softened and gave in again. I liked it when he saw things my way.

I did try talking to Don about the conversation I had with Chrys, but every time I'd work up the nerve, I'd get an uneasy feeling and change my mind. I was a chicken. I knew that. But I figured I could put it off until after he returned from his orientation. I needed answers, but I didn't need to give him any ammunition for not going. At least that was what I told myself to feel better about putting off that conversation.

As soon as he left, Chloe's attention went into overdrive. She was with me practically every day and every night. Since it was raining most of the week, we stayed inside, unless we were out shopping, of course. And we hung out at my house since Don didn't want me by Chrys's. He used the excuse of Chrys's mom, but I knew that wasn't the
only
reason.

While Chloe and I hung out, she told me she felt her relationship with Zach had stalled, but she still enjoyed spending time with him. I told her about Chrys's lineage and his warning about Don, keeping her up to speed. She didn't know what to make of that but urged me to talk to Don. And she knew to keep her mouth shut about that on the few occasions we hung out with Chrys.

He was being like the friend he was in the beginning, not letting his feelings for me overpower him as he had been doing recently. It was nice being able to talk to him again without worrying about me playing defense to his offensive maneuvers.

Instead, Chrys was a best friend to me now, the one who helped me through all my questions and confusions. I knew I could turn to him just like I could Chloe. And because I knew I trusted Chrys, I began to obsess about what he actually knew about Don.

I was in the middle of that reverie when I heard three soft knocks on the door days earlier than Don was due back home. I leaped from the couch to answer it.

I gasped, watching Don smiling broadly, not believing I was actually seeing him. "I've missed you so much," he said, taking me into his arms and kissing me. "I've miss you, too," I mumbled against his lips, my heart racing.

I pulled him into the house, my initial excitement waning when I remembered my earlier resolve to talk to Don about what Chrys had said. I knew Melissa was wandering around, and we needed privacy. I didn't want an audience for this conversation.

"Come upstairs with me for a minute." I pulled on his arm, not giving him an option. My bedroom was the safest place to talk about this.

Once inside my room, I shut the door. I turned around to start my interrogation, but Don was standing right in front of me, desire burning in his eyes. He pushed himself up against me, which shoved me against the door, and locked his lips onto mine..

I was caught off guard by his reaction, but it slowly made sense. We hadn't seen each other in days, and I practically dragged him up to the privacy of my bedroom. Of course he would mistake why I wanted to be alone with him.

After the first few seconds of realization, my resolve wavered, and I threw my arms around him. I kissed him with as much intensity as he was kissing me. I felt his hands slid down my sides, but his right hand left my body. I heard him fumble with the doorknob, and I realized he was locking it.

The sound of him locking the door made me shudder slightly. Even though we'd been alone in my bedroom before, even slept in my bed, we'd never been alone like
this
in either of our bedrooms. I was excited and nervous.

He broke away from our kiss suddenly, slid his hand into my hair—grabbing it and tilting my head—and kissed down the side of my neck . . . all at the same time. I was squeezing him up against me as tightly as I could and gasping for air. The sound and feel of me panting against his skin made him moan, and he crushed his lips to mine again.

I could feel him all over me, and I wanted more. I started sliding my right leg up and down the side of his, and he pressed himself even harder against me.

"Don," I panted when he moved his lips back to my neck. "Mmm?" he responded without moving his lips off me.

"I-ahh-I . . ." I wanted to tell him that I wanted to talk to him, but his eager hands felt too good. I couldn't concentrate.

He moved his lips from my neck to my ear, kissing me along that path. "Yes?" he breathed into my ear. His hot breath sent a powerful shiver through

my body, and he liked that. He moved his lips hungrily to right below my ear, kissing me along my neck again.

"We have to talk," I whispered quickly. Don ripped his face off my neck so that his lips were not on me. He was still holding me tightly, and now he was panting against my neck. His breathing sounded like groans as he tried to catch his breath.

We stood there until both of our breathing slowed. Then Don lifted his head, stepped back one step, and rested his head against the side of mine. He moved his hands off me and onto the door. Our bodies were still touching, but at least we were not compressed against each other.

"What do you want to talk about?" he finally asked.

I rubbed my hands up and down his waist in an effort to ease the blow of the topic, but I was too worked up for that kind of touch.

"Umm . . ."
Forget it!
I squeezed his side and moved my lips over to his. He moaned as his opened mouth slowly found mine again, but he was trying to control his eager behavior. After a few seconds, he stepped up against me, kissing me harder, and I knew I had to stop this now.

I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away. "Wait."

I kept my hands on his chest as I threw my head back against the door, looking up at the ceiling.

"Sorry," he muttered.

He took a few steps back so that we were no longer touching and ran his hands in his disheveled hair. He left his hands on top of his head, and I could feel him watching me. I didn't want to look at him and see the desire still burning in his eyes.

"Maybe you should go sit at the desk," I whispered, still watching the ceiling.

Don retreated to the desk, and I took several deep breaths. I unlocked the door before I sat on the bed, hoping it'd provide the incentive for us to behave. I glanced at him, and, thankfully, his eyes were calm. We stared at each other for several seconds, and then he cracked a smile..

"What?" I grinned.

"You had a hard time controlling yourself." He smirked.

"Me?" I laughed. "You were the one who threw me against the door."

He took a deep breath, his gaze intensifying. It was way too soon to bring up any specifics of what just happened. If I didn't get this conversation going now, he'd find his way to my bed. "Stop," I breathed, shutting my eyes.

"We can't talk in here," he said, standing up. "Let's go outside and get some fresh

air."

me.

Excellent idea.

Don followed me outside to the backyard and sat at the patio table across from

"So what do you want to talk about?"

I sighed. "Chrys told me something, and I'm not sure of a tactful way to approach

the subject with you."

"What did he say?" Don growled.

This was so not going to be fun. "Ugh, it wasn't what he said. He…implied you've been keeping something from me. He wouldn't tell me what but said I should confront you."

Don gritted his teeth and stared at me. Then he shifted in his chair, put his arms on the table, and leaned his head down.

"That's none of his business," Don hissed. "But if you're my boyfriend, it's
my
business."

He raked his hands through his hair furiously. "I don't want to talk about this." "Why?"

"Because it's complicated." "I have a right to know."

He flashed his eyes up to me and leaned back, folding his arms against his chest.

It was obvious he wasn't happy talking about this.

"Fine. I'll tell you if you promise you'll hear me out on everything I have to say." I didn't like the sound of this. "Okay."

He laughed humorouslessly. "My family and I already knew everything about the Gorges, knew they descended through Medusa's line."

"W-Why didn't you tell me this?" If he'd told me, I could have avoided Medusa from the beginning!

Don's eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his agitation, I assumed.

"Just because we knew where they came from, doesn't mean we believed they were powerful. I didn't believe Chrys's mother was capable of what she did to you."

"But when I told you about Chrys that first time, you got mad at me for believing

him."

"Season, I was never,
ever
mad at you. I was angry with him for telling you. Once

he found out enough information, he was able to make the connection to your mother. It was his way in, and it infuriated me."

I felt the blood drain from my face, and I shook my head. "You knew who I was," I muttered incredulously.

He watched my eyes carefully. "Yes." "That wasn't a question."

He sighed. "My family has known, but I didn't know anything about you until after I asked you out. When I was bragging to my mom, she told me a little about you, careful not to say too much. Then I realized the
possibility
of who you really were when you told me about your conversation with Chrys. When I visited my Dad that first time, I confronted him about it. Remember, I told you we fought? Well, that's why. He confirmed what I suspected and wanted me to stay away from you."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't want me to get hurt," Don whispered, briefly looking down. "He believes the prophecy?" Tears burned my eyes.

"Yes. He believes a lot of things," he muttered sarcastically.

"But why?" I stared at him while he sighed, shaking his head. He was reluctant to continue, and I felt the warning bells go off in my head, signifying we were on the verge of tearing into the heart of Chrys's warning.

"Because we descended from the Greek gods, too."

I stared at him, shaking my head in disbelief. My knees were wobbling and a cold sensation crawled down my back, feeling as if I were about to faint. "Chrys said you were mortal. You're already eighteen." No way. No way!

"That's also why I didn't want him telling you about all this. I've already lived with the expectation of changes, but my eighteenth birthday came and went without my ascension. That ascension nonsense was just one more reason to stop me from pursuing you before. I didn't know how to explain what I thought I was going through. So after I turned eighteen and nothing happened, I realized I put my life on hold for a bunch of silly family stories."

"I talked to my mom. She said I would be going through changes. I believe her."

"I believed my parents, too. I'm not saying it won't happen for you. I do know there are powerful gods out there. But it may not happen, Season."

"You should have told me this!" My breathing became hitched as reality sank in. "It's like you've been lying to me." I started crying, and my head slumped into my hands.

Don got up and took the seat next to me, putting his hands on my arms. "I haven't lied to you," he whispered. I cried, shaking my head. He pulled my hands down to look at my eyes, but I kept them closed. "Please, Season. You promised you would hear me out. Please let me finish."

"Fine," I said angrily, opening my eyes and folding my arms against my chest. "Then, what's the other reason you didn't pursue me before?"

He shook his head and shut his eyes before speaking. "I don't want to tell you

that."

I started to cry again, which made me even madder at him. "Too bad," I said

through my teeth.

He looked at me and stroked my arm. "Because the original god that I was created like already had a companion he was strongly linked to."

Just wonderful. Not only was I furious with Don, but now I felt sick for making him put up with Chrys and acknowledging our bonded triangle. I never realized
I
had competition to compete with for Don! "Which goddess?"

"Season, please don't . . ."

"Which. One?" I said each word distinctly. "Aphrodite."

My hands flew up to my mouth, and I shook my head. "The goddess of love? Are you kidding me?" How was I supposed to compete with a goddess of beauty, sexuality, and love?

"Please don't worry about this, sweetheart. I love you. I want to be with you."

"Besides the fact that you are connected to her, how can I compete with a goddess of that stature? With her power over love, she could have any man she wanted. I couldn't stop her if she wanted you."

"If you're worried about repeating the destiny of our original gods, then there
are
some stories that said the original god who I'm like spent part of his time with Persephone."

"The god that Persephone spent time with was Hades. Are you telling me you were created from him?" I started to cry again. Mom said Hades had a plan. If his plan was for me to fall in love with Don, then he was already winning.

"No! No, I'm
not
like Hades. He is a real threat to you. I'm not going to take you away from your family, and I'm not going to allow him to do that, either."

"So why didn't you just tell me everything?" I demanded.

"I wanted you to find out for yourself. I mean, I wanted to help you—like when I brought up Melissa babysitting you on the night of your parents' accident—but I wanted you to be the one to put the pieces together. I wanted you in control of your destiny.

"We all have our own destinies to fulfill. We don't have to repeat the ones of our creators or the original gods we are like. And even if we are destined to do that to a certain degree, we still have a good chance of being together all the time since our similar gods were together part of the time."