She shook her head and then looked into Mani’s eyes, and her face softened.
“Your Lita is there.” Then, with a sinking feeling in her chest, she said, “Who…who would go on this expedition?” she asked.
“Val, this would be a whole other ball game than when we escaped with you. This time, Mani and I would scuba in with a vacuum and bring the contents back to Morgana. And now we know that we can get in and out of there undetected.”
“You have known for months that you were going to do this. You even have a plan in place,” she turned to Alex accusatorily. “You should have told me. Please don’t do this!” she pleaded.
“I…I have to.” Alex swallowed. “It’ll be all right.”
Valeria glanced angrily at Lars and then at Camille. “Camille, please talk sense into them!” Suddenly, she started to cry again. “I need you!” she said to Alex, and then turned to the rest of them and swallowed. “I need all of you!”
After a moment, Camille said, “Val, I’m afraid I agree with Alex and Lars. We have to do this. Not just for you.” Camille looked to Mani. “But for our friends who have been taken.”
“Well then, I can scuba! I’m going in with you!” she said.
Lars, Mani, Camille, and Alex unanimously responded,
“No!”
Alex took Valeria’s arm. “You can’t. There are risks to swimming into Delos. If you won’t think about yourself, then think about the child.”
Lars nodded. “And how much attention do you think Alex will have on the chore if you are there?”
Valeria put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Camille rubbed Valeria’s back. “It’ll be all right. Lars, Ava, Mani, and Alex will be there together and the sooner we get some answers, the sooner you and Alex won’t have to hide anymore. You don’t want that life for you and your new family, do you?”
Valeria attempted to nod but she just couldn’t agree to this. Suddenly, she saw the purpose of Alex’s insistence that she learn to snorkel and scuba. He wanted her to know how expert he was with it all. Also, if she knew how, it would help reduce her anxiety.
Alex brushed Valeria’s hair back. “We’ll be careful. If I didn’t feel like it was critical to your safety–I would never agree to this. But, beautiful, we have to do this.”
Fighting back the sobs Valeria asked, “And when is this happening?”
“The plan is to fly out tonight.” Valeria released a cry. Lars continued, “We have a house across the Ionian from Delos, in Italy. With the time difference, we’ll head out as soon as we land.”
“What about…I thought you couldn’t fly and dive the same day,” Valeria asked grasping at straws.
“That’s decompression sickness. Really not a factor for us,” Ava said.
“All right…and then?”
“We’ll transport the remains back to Morgana. That will give us a few days to revive Myrdd. I know we’re cutting it close, but Alex wanted to wait.”
Valeria looked at Alex, upset. “I wish I would have known that we wouldn’t be going back to St. John.”
Alex closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Val, let’s be straight about this,” Lars said. “Your birthday is in a few days. If we’re going to do this, it would be better to do it before your birthday. The hope is that if there is still an issue with…the curse, Myrdd will be able direct us.”
“The curse…” Tears spilled from her eyes. “Alex, are you in agreement with this?”
His eyes filled with love and concern. “Yes, beautiful, I am,” he said softly.
“Well, I’m not.” She glanced at Lars and Mani. “I love you all. I hope you know that. But I’m not ending my honeymoon like this. Alex, please give me one more night with you on St. John.”
Alex looked at Lars and Mani, and then back to Valeria, and nodded. “You’re right. You deserve that.”
She pulled at his hand and said. “We deserve that.”
Landing just before sunset, they drove up the familiar drive.
“Do you want to go to Jamaica Joe’s?” he asked.
“No. I just want to be here with you...alone.”
He nodded, and then brought in the supplies for dinner that they had brought from Mani’s. He wasn’t back to the joyful man from before the life-changing discovery, but his love and affection weren’t as guarded by his fears.
Valeria showered while Alex boiled the crabs and prepared a salad. They both sat silently by the fire.
Alex rose and went to the hammock, and her heart stirred when she saw him lift a finger and signal for her to join him. They curled together staring at the Milky Way, relishing the last night of their honeymoon. She was glad for the feeling of his arms around her, and the way his fingers brushed along her ribs as his feet played against hers in the hammock; but what she really longed for was a sense of normalcy.
Valeria was lying against Alex’s chest, and he moved her hair back, lovingly. “I’ll never get tired of seeing that,” he said softly.
“What?”
“Our mark.
The mark that shows that we belong together.”
“So, I’m branded,” she teased. “I wish I could see it,” she said, as she ran her fingers along the triquetra on his hand and then laced her fingers with his.
Alex laughed as he looked up at the sky. “I guess we’re both branded.”
“Tell me about Myrdd,” Valeria said softly.
Stroking her hair he said, “Hmm, well, there’s a lot to say about Myrdd. He’s one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever met. When I knew him, he was strong and powerful—my guess is that he was that way even before he was an oracle. He just...knew things. Of course, that was before.”
“Before?”
“Yes, before he lost his sanity.”
“What happened to him?”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure of the details. Remember how we told you that Aegemon had the oracular temples built where there were ethylene vapors? In those days, we knew so little. In any case, he lost his sanity years after we parted ways. From what I’ve gathered, he was lured into one of Aegemon’s temples by a woman. Part of my hesitancy in going in after him was that we just didn’t know how much of the real ‘him’ was left—if anything.” He smiled. “I’m feeling romantic tonight...I think I’d rather tell you the story of Myrdd and his symbolon.”
“Myrdd’s symbolon?”
“Hmm-hmm. Although, I have to warn you that, as with most of mythology, the ending is a bit unsatisfying.” She nodded, resisting his glass of wine.
“Myrdd was Jeremiah’s first execution—for that matter, it was the first time the council had ever exercised their ‘right’ to execute anyone.
Myrdd could have, and should have, defended himself, except that he was shocked into silence.”
He kissed the top of her head before staring back up into the stars. “Myrdd was born mortal and had lost his beloved wife many years before he became immortal. He used to tell me that the world lost its brightness the day that she left this world. I know how he feels.”
Valeria brushed her hand over his chest.
“When Apollo made Myrdd immortal, he also promised Myrdd that, one day, he would bring his wife back from the Elysian Fields.”
“That’s like...heaven, right?”
“Yes.” Alex thought for a moment. “When I first lost you, I prayed to Apollo to accept me into the Elysian Fields, as I was certain that you would be there. But then Daphne convinced me to wait. She suggested that I could go there and wait for you for an eternity without ever seeing you. So, I chose to wait.”
“Daphne, huh? Are you certain that her motivation was selfless?” Valeria smirked.
Alex laughed lightly. “Well...not completely. Still, her reasoning was sound.”
“Even if you had gone to the Elysian Fields, I would have found you eventually!”
“Yes. You would have.” He patted her leg. “But if we had been in different worlds it becomes complicated. Remember, as with the story of Orpheus, Hades does not release any souls easily. Given the opportunity, he would most certainly deceive you or up the ante on any exchange.
“So, Apollo made the promise to Myrdd that, one day, he would bring back his wife. He knew that it would require an exchange, and then opportunity knocked.
“The god had fallen in love with a mortal woman, Coronis. Although Zeus was famous for his flings, he did not approve of mixed marriages. So Apollo kept his marriage to Coronis a secret. He intended to make her immortal, but that would have tipped off Zeus. Soon, Coronis was expecting—by the way, the mythological accounts of this story are quite different from the facts as I remember them.
“Apollo’s visions of his son became legendary—so much so, that Asclepius was seen as an actual living, breathing god. There are even statues of the god known as ‘the healer’ when, in fact, he was never even born. Interestingly, the rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, is the symbol of medicine today.”
“How can that be?” Valeria asked.
“Another case where belief creates reality.” He kissed the top of her head, feeling very fortunate about his own reality. Then he sighed. “Envy’s bite was rampant in those days—I guess it still is. There was a story of Asclepius bringing the dead back to life with his healing powers. This angered not only Zeus, but the Fates,” Alex continued. “The Fates were upset that Asclepius might usurp their power because, previously, they were the only ones who would determine when the thread of life was to be cut. Even Hades worried that with Asclepius’s healing skills, there would be no more deaths, which would limit his power in the underworld. Lastly, Zeus was enraged by Apollo’s defiance, and of his secret mixed-marriage.”
Alex looked up and his jaw tightened. “This may not be the best story to tell you right now.”
Shaking her head, she tapped on his chest affectionately. “It’s all right! I want to hear it.”
“Well,” Alex said hesitantly. “The story goes that when Coronis went into labor, Zeus struck her and the child with a thunderbolt.” Valeria’s gut
tightened, and she pulled her hand to her stomach as Alex laced his fingers with hers there. “There are stories that Apollo removed the child with a blade. Some say Asclepius was resurrected by Zeus in an effort to make amends with Apollo.”
“Coronis, of course, died and was sent to the Elysian Fields. Having lost his wife and only child, Apollo spoke to Hades of an exchange. But to extract Coronis from the underworld would require another being of equal magnitude and importance to Apollo, and there was no other mortal who could fulfill Hades’ demands. Also, Apollo was concerned that Zeus and the Fates would continue plotting against Coronis.
“What happened?”
“Apollo allowed time to pass, and then approached Hades with a trade. Myrdd’s wife, whom he knew was in the Elysian Fields, for a god. Hades greedily accepted the offer—believing that Apollo was
going to send a poor, unsuspecting god to the underworld. When Hades saw Charon’s boat arrive—”
“Charon?”
“Yes, the ferry man of Hades who carries the deceased down the River Styx, from the world of the living into the underworld. One must have a coin to pay Charon; if not, it’s said that they will wander the underworld for a hundred years.”
“The dribs,” Valeria said, as she cringed and Alex nodded.
“In any case, Hades was shocked to see Apollo arrive on Charon’s boat. He accused Apollo of trickery. But their bargain had already been struck.” He patted her leg. “And that...my love, is how Apollo was reunited with his wife, Coronis, and Myrdd was—very briefly—reunited with his symbolon—Shinsu.”
“Shinsu?
You mean Shinsu was...
mortal?”
Her jaw dropped as Alex nodded.
“Apollo made Shinsu an oracle. She was transformed while still in the underworld. I’ve always appreciated her wisdom that transcends Apollo’s gifts.”
“Does Shinsu have a mark?”
“Probably.
She’s the reason that Apollo created symbolons. Apollo had seen the sadness in Myrdd’s eyes and Myrdd told Apollo of the pain of living beyond all of those whom he loved. At that time, Apollo was still chasing young nymphs and goddesses. Still, Apollo had the wisdom to understand.
“He decided that the world would be better with more oracles. The story is that he blew into the heavens and loosened some of the stars; and as they fell to the four corners of the earth, Apollo gave one more breath and split them in two. He told Myrdd that we would know each other by our marks.”
He brushed his lips along the side of Valeria’s face. “It must be true, because I fell in love with you long before I saw the mark.”
“What about those who don’t seem to have mates—like Tav?”
“I don’t really know. Just like with Paolo and Daph. They certainly aren’t made for each other like we are. But they do seem to be a good match.”
Valeria nodded, and they were quiet for a moment.
“Do you ever worry that I’ll never be all that I was...before?”
Alex stroked her hair. “You mean more to me now than ever before!”
“I sometimes worry that you see who I was...who I used to be.”
Alex turned Valeria around to face him, his face filled with love. “Beautiful, I love you!” He leaned in toward her. “Do you understand? I love…
you!
” He kissed her tenderly.