Season's Change: Summer: A Goddess Legacy Companion Novel (Goddess Legacy 1.5) (22 page)

I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my anger. "The only other god I remember reading about that was with Persephone was Adonis."

Don smiled at me.

"Adonis?" I asked incredulously. Don. Don Davis. It fit.

"Yes. I'm not the original Adonis. I was created in his likeness, but I didn't ascend to a
godly
status when I turned eighteen."

"And this Aphrodite, have you met her?"

He sighed. "No. But she does exist, and that's one of the things my dad and I argued about. But she's with Adonis. They're happy. There's no reason for her to come looking for an alternative."

"Speaking of arguments, I take it you and
Chrys
argued because he found out about you and believed you should've been honest with me. How long has he known the truth?"

Don's eyes narrowed. "I told him when you were in the hospital. We were alone with you for hours and hours every day, so we both eventually opened up. I probably wouldn't have said anything then, but I was too upset to think clearly. Obviously, if I'd been in my right mind, I would've thrown him out of your room as soon as I got there. He
cannot
be trusted."

And I wouldn't have known to confront Don. "How can you say that? He hasn't lied to me!"

"Season, I have
not
lied to you! I love you, so I did what I thought was best for you, not what I thought was best for me, and Chrys is only looking out for himself!"

I stood, stepping away from the table. "I think you should leave."

Don's jaw dropped, and my heart ached to see the pain that formed on his face. "Sweetheart, please," he whispered, standing up.

"I heard what you had to say, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact you kept this from me and discouraged me from getting information from Chrys when you knew the truth all along." My breathing hitched as tears leaked down my face.

He stepped forward. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I thought I was doing the right thing for you."

I looked down, not able to stare at his watery eyes. "I know. I just need time to

think."

I
spent
two days lost in my thoughts, trying not to cry at feeling betrayed by Don. At times, I understood what he said, but at other times, I felt let down by him not confiding in me. He called me several times, but I wasn't ready to talk. His messages professed his sorrow and love, which made me a little too emotional to deal directly with him just yet.

Chloe brought over chocolate ice cream, and I cried on her shoulder. I couldn't discuss this mess with my other best friend. I knew he meant well encouraging me to talk to Don about this, but talking to Chrys would just keep open the wound I was trying to close.

I woke up this morning realizing that I needed to wrap up this unfinished business with Don since his banquet was coming up. I finally accepted the truth, which was Don had no idea the Gorges were in town or that I'd confided in Chrys about anything until long after the fact, so he wasn't the only one that wasn't forthcoming with information.

As I sat in the bed thinking about Don, I realized I'd had another dream again last night. It was just like that last dream with all my old dreams and the new one merging into one, except I also dreamed my hands were two different temperatures. I didn't know what to make of that and also wondered why I'd dreamed again after all this time. I was obviously missing something. When I awoke, I felt both of my hands, and sure enough . . . one was hot and one was cold. I had no answers as to why I was dreaming again or to explain this new facet, but I wasn't really in the mindset to analyze it right now, anyway.

Since I'd learned that Chrys and his mom were out of town, I decided I'd run by the pharmacy to get my last check. Not having to worry about running into Medusa kept me from having to warn Chrys I was going by there or having to call Don before I was ready. I knew neither would be happy with me endangering myself, but with Medusa gone, I didn't see the risk.

I parked and ran into the pharmacy for probably the last time.

much.

"Hey, Season. What are you doing here?" Tracy asked. "Came to get my check."

"Oh. It's in the break room by your timecard. C'mon."

I followed her while she chattered on about the things I missed, which wasn't

"And Ms. Gorge got the ceiling fixed fast. I think she was worried you'd sue her

for your accident. I mean, I don't think you can do that since it wasn't her fault. It was an act of God, you know."

Oh, was it ever, and it was, too, her fault.

"That storm was nasty. Good thing you didn't get stuck hiking in it," she went

on.

I felt my scalp prickle, the hairs on the back of my neck standing. "I never told

you that."

She turned around with an innocent expression. "Never told me what?" "About hiking," I said slowly.

Tracy's innocent expression morphed to a cocky one. "Oops."

It was my only warning. She lunged for me as the ground started to shake. I tried to fight her off, but she was strong. I didn't even have time to contemplate what was really happening. Other than that I was fighting for my life.

She grabbed my hair, banging my head against the wall. I saw stars and tried to stay conscious, the metallic taste of blood turning my stomach.

I elbowed her in the gut, straining to create enough momentum to knock her off her feet. It didn't, but she stumbled back enough for me to grab hold of something.

A chair. Thank the Gods!

She drew back her fist to punch me when I flung the chair to hit her.

"What is wrong with you?" I screamed as she dodged my retaliation. I swung it at her again, but she left for the door.

"This is only the beginning!" she screeched. Then her body dissolved into a bunch of snakes that slithered away.

I ran for my car, using my shirt to wipe the blood from my busted lip, as the tremors stopped. Was Tracy even real? Was she Medusa's pawn the whole time? I had to get out of here. I felt too rattled to explain what happened, but I knew I needed to call Don. Not talking to me in two days, he answered on the first ring.

"Season? Sweetheart, I'm so—"

"Tracy just tried to kill me," I screamed into phone as I tried to contain my sobs. "What? Are you okay? Where are you?" I heard him rustling with his keys. "I—I'm in my car, heading home."

"I'm across town, sweetheart. I'll be there as soon as I can."

I screeched to a stop in my driveway and flew through the front door, right into Melissa. She grabbed my arms to stabilize me, staring at my face while I explained what happened, my voice getting louder, and by the end, I was screaming mad.

As I yelled, thunder crashed outside, and I panicked. Did Medusa just try to kill me through Tracy? Was Medusa trying to kill me now with another storm? I was borderline hysterical.

"Season, you need to calm down before you hurt yourself again!" I frowned at her, trying to make sense of her words. "Again?"

All my dreams flashed through my mind while Melissa stared at me, waiting for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

"Medusa . . .?" I couldn't even finish the question. I couldn't even finish the thought. I didn't know what I was going to ask.

Melissa shook her head, watching my eyes.

Why was I thinking about my dreams? I already knew why I was having them. I was standing under the tornado. I wasn't scared of it, but I didn't want it to come. When I'd yelled
no
up at it, I'd thought I was yelling at the person responsible, which I later discovered was Medusa.

I gasped. I was wrong. That was why I had that new dream again; I hadn't figured everything out like I'd thought.

"Medusa isn't causing the weather problems?" I asked blankly.

"Not all of them." "Who?"

"You know who."

"Me," I whispered. I knew, but I didn't understand. "Season, were you angry when you got hit by lightning?"

"I was fighting with Chrys about Don." I exhaled slowly. "I hurt myself by accident because I was mad?"

"Yes. When you've been here and the weather's been beautiful, you've been happy—"

"And when I've been sad, it's been rainy or gloomy," I finished. She nodded.

"But what about the tropical storm in Florida when Don was on vacation and the hurricane when we were on vacation?"

"That wasn't you. I believe that was Medusa's doing. Either she tricked Poseidon into doing that, or Chrys did it."

"Why would Chrys do that?"

"To get back at Don for asking you out . . . to make you come home sooner. I don't know for sure. And if he did do it, he might not have consciously done it. He may not know what he's capable of. Just like you didn't know you could control the weather, he probably doesn't realize his emotions are manifesting into his abilities."

I stared at Melissa, feeling a sense of understanding wash over me. "I can control the weather."

"Not yet, not really. You have to learn how to control your emotions, or the earth will suffer. If the earth suffers, everyone suffers. This is the change you are going through. You need to accept this and learn to deal with your emotions properly. If you are unable to control yourself, the consequences could be devastating. And not just for you."

Everything was clicking now. "That's why Medusa had the red herring in my dream. She was distracting me from the truth that it was me all along, causing the weather here, not her."

"Right. And she'll keep messing with you, Season. She wants your powers, and she wants revenge against Poseidon. He is the reason the original Medusa was killed. Demeter and Poseidon are siblings, of sorts, and they both have earthly abilities. If she kills you, it would devastate Demeter, which will sadden Poseidon. Plus she'll gain some of those abilities when she destroys you, making her more powerful than Demeter. I think that's what she's really after. The revenge angle is an emotional reason. She's a monster. She's incapable of true emotion."

"But why would this new Medusa create Chrys with Poseidon if she wants revenge against him?"

"Because she's a monster, Season. You're looking for logic from an entity incapable of being reasonable. But from an outside perspective, I would think that maybe she wanted to cover all her angles of attack against you and your mother. Poseidon probably hoped the new Medusa had more heart than the original one, and she used his kindness against him."

Since Poseidon and Demeter were siblings, that'd make Chrys my cousin. "Why would there be a prophecy involving cousins being together? I know this is the south and all, but that's gross."

Melissa chuckled as we finally sat down. "I said they were
like
siblings. When gods create new gods together, it isn't always a romantic creation. I'm sure you've read some of the stories on Greek Mythology. A god doesn't even need another god to create a new god."

That made sense. Now that I didn't have to worry about being romantically bonded to a type of cousin, I needed other answers. "Why did you tell Chrys when I was in the hospital that Medusa hurt me when she didn't?"

"Because my job is to help you, and it was what he needed to hear. He needs to be strong for you because he's your best ally when it comes to stopping Medusa. He's going to be powerful soon."

"So you know Chrys is going to be powerful, but what about Don? He told me he descended from the gods, too. That he was created in the likeness of Adonis. His parents told him he'd ascend, but when he turned eighteen, nothing happened."

"Everything isn't always as it seems."

Hmmm, Don had told me the same thing. "Okay, what about Hades? Mom said he knows, and he has a plan."

"Hades is a real threat to you. He's always been, though. He may now have a plan to take you away, but that doesn't mean he hasn't tried before. I don't want you consumed with fear. Don and Chrys will protect you. You just have to be careful with them."

"Why do I need to be careful with them? Shouldn't I be careful about Hades?" "That's not what I meant. Obviously you need to be wary of Hades. But Don and

Chrys both have very strong feelings for you. Your safety is their main objective, and I don't want their feelings to cloud their judgment. They both want to be with you, but you can only be with one of them. One will get hurt." She paused and stared directly at me. "There is
no
way around that. But if they let their emotions get the best of them and Hades gets to you, then both will get hurt. I think you knowing this—how much Chrys and Don are hurting—will be what ultimately destroys you if captured. They can love you, but they cannot lose sight of what's really important. You have to be careful with their emotions, Season."

That made sense, but I suddenly realized that Melissa always talked about my mom, never my dad. "When you told me my mom was alive, why didn't you tell me my dad was, too?"

"I am your mother's priestess. I was created to serve her."

Okay. As I internalized that bit of information, I thought about my dreams again, searching for answers, completing the puzzle. "The lightning in my dreams." And it

clicked right there. I smiled. "It's not real lightning. It falls from the sky like confetti and glitters, but it never reaches me. Why is that?"

"Why do you think that is?" Melissa had to smile, too, apparently knowing where I was going with this.

"Because my dad is Zeus. The lightning bolt is his symbol, and in my dreams, the lightning symbolized him. It fell from the sky and glittered down as a gesture. It was as if he were showering me with his love." There was no doubt in my mind that this was the reason.

"Very good," Melissa whispered.

"So I inherited the lightning ability from him."

Melissa nodded cautiously; she obviously knew more but wasn't going to elaborate.

Since Melissa was finally opening the floodgates of knowledge, I didn't want to stop my inquisition if there were any other questions. I thought quickly for anything I needed clarification on.

"What about Laurel? Are her parents alive, too?" I asked quickly. "Why don't you ask her?" Melissa said, smiling.

Laurel walked into the living room, and I chuckled. I was just attacked not ten minutes ago, so my good humor must be because I was finally beginning to understand everything.

"Since you're actually here and not away at school, I take it you know all about

me."

"You mean your
Greek
heritage?" she asked with a smirk. "Yes, I know. And my

parents aren't dead, either." "Are you a new god, too?"

"No, I'm more like Melissa. I was brought here to help you." "How could you help me if you went away to college?"

She sat down beside me. "I never went to school. I've been trying to find information on Hades, and I've been doing my part to keep him away."

Hearing Laurel talk about helping me made me feel differently about her—she felt more like a sister now than she ever did. "But if you were brought here to help me, then why didn't we ever really get along?" How was
that
helpful?

Laurel laughed. "Not all sisters are best friends. We fell into our patterns naturally. It was our freewill to develop our relationship the way we wanted. Just like it's your freewill to develop a relationship with Don
or
Chrys."

"I have relationships with both of them." I immediately felt defensive.

"And that's your decision." Laurel chuckled. "But I don't see how that'll work out well." Then her expression became sincere. "Season, you're going to have to make a choice, before someone makes it for you."

"I've already decided."

"Sure you have." Laurel rolled her eyes; her sense of humor was back, but I wasn't really sure why.

I turned to Melissa. "So what happens now?"

"You keep changing. You'll get stronger, and with the help of the people who love you, you'll get more controlled the closer you get to eighteen. Each season will present new challenges for you. You'll be experiencing the weather of the upcoming seasons for the first time, just like you did this summer. At times, it'll be very difficult for you to understand what is happening, but you will need to learn how to harness your abilities."