The Goddess of War frowned and muttered, “This isn't usually how it's done,” but took the goddess's offered hand in hers, and then completed the divine circle by holding Hera's hand, too.
Venus was just composing a lovely healing rhyme in her mind when Hera's angry voice shot out.
“Hear me, Fate. With the power of this goddess circle I do erase this mortal child's wound and command that she survive this brutal attack!”
Venus and Athena gasped as they felt the immediate electric drain of divine power course through their palms and slam into the girl priestess who still lay with her eyes closed in Hera's lap. The girl's back bowed as her body glowed, and then, just as suddenly as it had happened, the light and power were gone, and with a small cry, the girl sat up. Automatically her hand lifted to feel the ugly wound on her armâthen her eyes widened as she found nothing but healthy, newly healed skin there. Her gaze went immediately to Hera.
“My Goddess!” she cried in a soft, musical voice. “It is you. I thought I was being granted a beautiful dream before my death.”
Hera smiled and touched the girl's cheek. “You shall not die today, child. What is your name?”
“Eleithyia,” she said, bowing her head down so that it touched the floor beside Hera. “Forgive me for not protecting your temple, Great Goddess!”
“Sweet daughter Eleithyia, this desecration is not your fault. I do not expect my priestesses to battle warriors! Arise, child, and have no fear that you have displeased me. I only wish I had known about this defilement sooner so that I could have saved the other priestesses.”
Slowly, the girl raised her head to stare with wide, adoring eyes at Hera. “We had no warning. For all these years the Greeks have left the temples outside the city walls in peace. There was no reason to believe that they would attack so suddenly.” Eleithyia bit her lip to keep from crying.
“Eleithyia, you said Agamemnon's men stole Hera's priestesses?” Athena said.
The girl bowed her head respectfully to Athena before answering. “That is what they said, Athena. First they came pretending to be nonviolent. Their leader, Talthybios, said that Agamemnon was angry. His war bride, Khryseis, had been returned to her father, and Achilles refused to part with his own war bride, Briseis, so they were looking for a fair young maiden to take her place and appease their king.”
Athena nodded her head. “I heard Artemis speaking of this. Khryseis is daughter to one of Apollo's favorite priests. Artemis was so angered by this that she rained darkness and death over the Greek camp until they returned the girl.”
“Artemis and Apollo do get very upset when either has been insulted,” Venus said. “It's that whole twin mentality.”
“Yes, we all know how touchy the two of them can be,” Hera said impatiently. “But did you note that the trouble always harkens back to Achilles?” The other two goddesses nodded, in complete agreement once again with their queen. “Go on, Eleithyia. You were saying that the Greeks came to the temple after Khryseis had been returned to her father,” Hera prompted.
Eleithyia ran a shaky hand over her brow. “Yes, they were so charming and handsome that, at first, we thought they only jested about coming to take us away, and we laughed with them. Of course we explained to them that those of us sworn to the service of the Great Goddess could not become war-prize brides. They seemed to understand. Then they saw Leis.” She paused. Shuddering she drew a deep breath before she could continue. “Leis is a great beauty and only recently sworn to your service, Goddess.”
Hera nodded. “I do, indeed, remember the fair Leis taking her vows.” A shadow crossed the goddess's lovely face. “But I do not remember seeing her body amongst the dead. Is she here?”
Eleithyia shook her head, tears leaking down her cheeks. “No. The Greeks took her. We tried to stop them, and the men became outraged that we would reject them. They cut down any of us who got in their way.” The girl's shoulders shook but she forced herself to talk through her sobs. “They even defiled your innermost sanctuary, Great Goddess. They found the princess there, and murdered her at the base of your statue.”
“That's why she looked familiar to me. They've killed King Priam's youngest daughter, Polyxena!” Venus said.
Eleithyia nodded. “The princess's handmaiden, Melia, comes here often to pray for your aid in ending the war so that her mistress's marriage with the young king of Sardis can finally take place. Today Polyxena accompanied Melia to pour libations and burn incense.” Tears flooding her face, Eleithyia looked up at her goddess. “The Greeks struck the princess with less remorse than they would have cut down one of their horses.”
“What a terrible waste,” Hera said. “She was so youngâhad so much of her life yet to live. It couldn't have been Fate's plan to have her leave the mortal realm so soon.”
Venus's sudden gasp had Hera looking questioningly up at her.
“That's it! That's our answer.”
“What ever are you babbling about?” Athena snapped.
“It's perfect, really.” Venus pointed to the inner sanctum. “There are two bodies right in there. Two lovely, young,
soulless
bodies. And in my temple I just happen to be the proud possessor of two bodiless souls.”
“You're not implying we shouldâ”
“Of course I'm not implying,” Venus interrupted Athena. “I'm saying outright. We just fixed up Eleithyia's body with no problem. The three of us can certainly do the same to Polyxena and Melia. Then I retrieve the modern mortal souls, place them in the new bodies, and Polyxena becomes Achilles' new war bride.”
“But, Goddess, Achilles already has Briseis for a war-prize bride,” Eleithyia said in her sweet, shy voice.
Venus smiled down at her. “Not after your goddess pays a little visit to Agamemnon, he won't.”
“Me?” Hera said.
“Certainly. You're Goddess of Marriage. You'll simply appear to Agamemnon and tell him that his worries would be so much less if he had his war bride replaced, and you happen to know that Briseis would make the perfect little bride for him.”
“I don't even know the girl. And I certainly cannot stand that wretched Agamemnon and his overbearing arrogance,” Hera said.
“It may just work,” Athena said.
“Of course it will work.” Venus smiled approval at Athena. “While Hera is appearing to Agamemnon you'll be paying the lovely Thetis a visit. Have her tell her son that she wants him to withdraw from the battle because of the disrespect Agamemnon has shown him in stealing his bride. Then mention as a little aside that she has arranged for a new war bride for himâa royal maiden who meets with her approval because she's not like the typical silly women he's used to. That should intrigue him.”
Athena narrowed her shrewd gray eyes at the Goddess of Love. “In the meantime you will be readying our Polyxena for the role she will play in this.”
“Exactly. She needs to keep Achilles busyâtoo busy to consider rejoining the battle. She can also work on that nasty temper of his and perhaps love, or an earthy, lusty version of love, can reach the man inside the beast.” Venus grinned mischievously. “Let's face it, Zeus prophesized Achilles' early end years ago, then he probably forgot all about it. You know how busy the King of Olympus is. If Achilles himself were to turn from his fated future, Zeus would, more than likely, allow his destiny to change.” Venus grinned at Hera. “Especially if Zeus's wife were to exert some of her
influence
”âthe Goddess of Love purred the wordâ“on her husband.”
Hera sighed. “Your plan sounds convoluted, complex and open to errors.”
“Exactly why it is so perfect, darling,” Venus said. “Love is never simplistic, and Love is running this show.”
“May all the gods and goddesses help us,” Athena muttered.
Venus ignored her. “So, do we fix up those bodies for the two souls, or do we just stand here looking beautiful?”
“Let's get to work. I've had more than enough of the Trojan War,” Hera said.
“At least that is something with which all three of us agree,” Athena said.
“Absolutely,” Venus said.
The three goddesses strode into Hera's inner sanctum with the utterly confused Eleithyia trailing after them.
CHAPTER THREE
"I don't know why we have to heal both bodies. The mortal woman you've chosen for Achilles is going to take Polyxena's body. Shouldn't we just send the other on her way to wherever it is dead modern mortals go?” Athena said.
Venus shook her head in disgust. “Athena, you need more girlfriends. We're going to zap a modern mortal into an ancient princess's body and ask her to do our bidding. Oh, and, by the way, that little memory she has of an accident where she and her best friend are killed? Well, yes, that's unfortunate, but whatever. We needed her, so her best friend is toast. She should just go about our business and forget about her.”
“The problem with that is?” Athena said. “And what does toast have to do with it?”
Venus rolled her lovely eyes. “It's just an expression. A modern mortal expression that means done, over with.”
“And the problem with asking one mortal do so something for us without including her friend is that modern mortal women are different than ancient women,” Hera explained patiently. “They're independent and smart and not used to bowing down and taking orders. Actually, now that I think about it, they're a lot like goddesses.”
“Exactly what I've been trying to tell her,” Venus said.
“I don't think I like that.” Athena frowned.
“I don't think you're going to like the lines that will start appearing on your face if you don't stop frowning so much,” Venus said.
“And I don't think you're going to like what happens if you rouse the anger of the Goddess of War,” Athena said.
“Enough!” Hera's voice shot out, ringing powerfully against the walls of her temple. Then she closed her eyes briefly and drew a deep breath. “Your bickering is getting in the way of what we must do here. More importantly, it's giving me a headache.” The Queen of the Gods glanced at little Eleithyia, who was cowering in a corner. “And you're scaring my priestess, who has already had enough stress for one day.”
Venus and Athena muttered apologies.
“Now, let us get this done.” Hera gave the two goddesses one more severe look before turning to Eleithyia. “We'll need a ceremonial goblet filled with the temple's very best wine. Can you get that for me?”
“Of course, Goddess!” Recovering quickly now that she was given a familiar task, the young priestess scampered off, returning only moments later with a golden goblet filled with rich red wine.
“Very good.” Hera nodded her approval. Then she approached the bodies of Polyxena and her maidservant, motioning for Venus and Athena to join her. “Bring the goblet here, Eleithyia, and stand before the bodies. When I begin the healing spell, raise the goblet so that the wine can be filled with our power. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Goddess.” The young priestess moved into place.
“Let us join in a circle of divine power.” The three goddesses solemnly clasped hands around the fallen princess of Troy and her servant. “Concentrate on the wine in the goblet,” Hera told them. Then she cleared her throat and recited the spell:
“Joined together with a single mind, goddesses three our powers we do bind.”
Eleithyia gasped as the wine in the goblet she had lifted above her head began to glow with such a brilliant light that it shined in reflection off the distant domed ceiling of the temple.
“Standing here bathed in conjured light, empower this wine with our combined might. The gift of healing is what we ask, fruit of the vine, accept this as your task.”
“It is hot!” Eleithyia cried, but she didn't let loose her grip on the glowing goblet.
“It is the heat of the breath of life. Quickly, child, pour the wine within the lips of the princess and her servant,” Hera said.
Eleithyia immediately did as her goddess commanded. She bent and carefully poured half of the wine into Polyxena's slack and bloody lips, and the other half into the young maidservant's still mouth.
“I don't know if this is going to work.” Venus frowned as most of the wine ran down the pale cheeks of dead women. “Maybe we shouldâ”
Polyxena gasped and then drew a deep, almost painful sounding breath. Shortly after, Melia's chest began to rise and fall, too.
“Keep focused,” Hera reminded them before completing the spell.
“Wounds mendâhealth return the spark of mortal life within them burn!”
As the goddesses and the priestess watched, the terrible gash on Polyxena's head faded, and then disappeared at the same time Melia's gaping chest wound shimmered and closed so that the two women lay perfectly healed, though the only movement in their eerily still bodies was their slow, steady breathing.
Eleithyia fell to her knees and bowed her head. “It worked! You have healed them.”
Hera touched her priestess's cheeks softly. “Only their bodies, child. Their souls are journeying to the Elysian Fields. They are but empty shells.”
“Well, it just so happens that I have two mortal souls in desperate need of shells,” Venus said. “Shall I get them?”
“Yes, but Athena and I need to make our visits to Agamemnon and Thetis first.”
Athena frowned at the newly healed bodies. “Shouldn't you do something about all that blood and such before you put the mortal souls in there? I'm no expert on modern mortals, but I do believe that any woman would be quite upset awakening to this mess.” The goddess made a general gesture at the blood-spattered temple.