Chapter Twenty Six

The Temptations of Nemesis ~ Part Three

Oceanus felt foolish for not seeing it sooner. It was so blindingly obvious; how could he not have guessed? His suspicions were confirmed as he, Kronus, Nemesis and the other titan members of the council took their seats at the long table of the meeting hall.

Nemesis took her seat, across the table from her father, and Kronus passed by behind her. Oceanus watched as his best friend touched his daughter's shoulder, and she glanced up at him with ardour in her eyes. It was only a brief gesture in a brief moment, unnoticeable to anyone else, but the sly smile that crossed Kronus' face as he moved to the head of the table told Oceanus all he needed to know. Still, his sentimental heart had to hear it from Nemesis herself before he could accept it.

-

Nemesis was brushing her hair when she heard a knock at the bedroom door. Hoping it was Kronus she eagerly ran over, reminded herself not to look too eager, and flung wide the doors. Oceanus stood alone, looking stern.

'Can you spare some time for me, Nemesis? I need to speak with you.'

She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off and strode past her.

'It is urgent.'

She closed the doors, watching him apprehensively. He looked nervous, and wisps of his pastel hair fell in his brow. Thankfully, he came straight to the point.

'I had an interview with the Queen this morning,' he said. 'She believes the King has taken a mistress. You wouldn't know anything of this, would you?'

Nemesis thought of her birthdays, and how her father never attended because he was too busy planning celebrations for Hestia's birthday. She thought of how he'd never found time for her because he was tutoring Poseidon, and how every time she'd needed him, it seemed the royal family needed him more. She scowled. Why hide it?

She picked up her hairbrush once more and ran it through her shiny russet locks.

'Are you jealous,' she hissed hatefully, 'because I've taken him from you? Because he now needs me more than he needs you?'

Oceanus put one hand to his face and stayed like that for a long time. 'You're telling me,' he asked huskily, 'that you are the king's whore?'

Nemesis spun around, her eyes emitting sparks. 'I would rather be his whore than your daughter!' she snapped, and the force of his slap made her stagger backwards. She lost her balance and caught her head on the corner of a large wooden bureau as she fell.

Horrified, Oceanus reached to help her but she knocked his hand away. 'Nemesis,' he croaked, his face wrought with guilt, 'I am so sorry-'

She touched the side of her head, her hair matted with blood, and grimaced. Her eyes were glassy as she glared at him. 'You've never cared a damn for me, so don't pretend to now.'

'I raised you well!' he shouted, his voice strained with emotion. 'I raised you to be an honourable and conscientious goddess, not one who would split apart a family!'

'You never raised me at all!' she screamed, and his head lowered.

'You are still my child,' he breathed, as she stood shakily and steadied herself against the bureau. 'You have to put an end to this affair; no good can come of it. You have no idea what you are entrenching yourself in.'

'I'm not a child,' she replied, 'and I know exactly what I'm doing.' She sneered a little. 'I must be doing something right; look at this beautiful room he's given to me. Look at all this jewellery, and all these lovely clothes.'

Oceanus refused to look at it. 'I had hoped,' he said quietly, 'that as my only daughter you would someday find a man who would grant you all of these things, but also give you his heart. I had also hoped you would not have to sell your soul as part of the deal. I am ashamed of you, Nemesis.'

Her face was still stony as he left.

Nemesis slumped onto her bed, stroking her sore head distractedly. She'd done everything that was ever expected of her, and he'd never told her she made him proud. Yet she indulged in the first wicked act of her life; and only then wicked because the man she loved already belonged to another, and he wasted no time in telling her he was ashamed. She hated that no matter what she did she would never be good enough for him, but even more she hated that even after all these years she cared what he thought.

She was still like this when Kronus found her as evening fell. She didn't respond when he called to her, and she felt the mattress sink as he sat beside her.

'Nemesis?'

He touched her hair, and she heard his sharp intake of breath as his hand touched drying blood.

'Nemesis!' There was a snap in his voice now, and she felt strong arms lift her, shaking her.

She was still dazed, numbed, but she could see his concern. The thought that he cared for her stirred her back to reality.

'I'm okay,' she whispered, and he held her on his lap and put his chin to the top of her head.

His embrace was so warm, and the tenderness of it all was suddenly, irrationally, all too much for her. She began to cry and he responded by holding her even more tightly.

'Oh Nemesis,' he sighed, but sat silently letting her get it all out, squeezing her close with one arm and brushing away her tears with the other.

She finished crying but remained on his lap, and as he looked down at her in the darkness Nemesis was mortified. She'd barely ever cried growing up, and certainly not in front of anyone. She was humiliated to have shown such weakness in front of him; she wanted him to see her as a strong and independent woman, not some blubbering little girl. She needn't have worried though. The King caressed her face-and her wound-kindly, but when he spoke it was not in the patronising way her father spoke. There was compassion in his eyes.

'How did this happen?' he asked her, and drying the last of her tears, she lowered her head to his chest so that she could not read her expression.

Ashamed he might be, but Nemesis knew her father would never speak of their indiscretion. It would bring too much scandal upon their family, and she knew he valued his place at Kronus' side more than anyone else. Aside from her, of course. If he would keep silent, was there any need to complicate matters? She knew, however, that there was one thing she had to tell the King.

'It was an accident,' she said mildly. 'I fainted because I heard some bad news.'

'I didn't think you were the fainting type,' replied Kronus, lifting her gently from his lap to the bed. He fetched her water from her bathroom, and handed it to her as she propped herself against the many pillows. 'What bad news did you receive?'

Nemesis sipped at the water to buy herself time. 'I overheard some angels talking outside my room,' she said, surprised at how easily the lie came. 'The Lady Rhea suspects you have taken a mistress.'

In the shadows of twilight she saw him stiffen.

'I see,' he said, lowering his eyes to the silken sheets. 'Does she know that you-'

'She does not suspect me,' replied Nemesis quickly, hoping it was true. She guessed it was, or her father would have warned her.

Kronus was quiet for a while. Her head aching but already healing Nemesis moved down the bed and leaned against his shoulder again. He kissed her forehead lightly.

'This is not something to concern yourself with,' he told her. 'I can handle Rhea. I will go to her tonight and remove those doubts from her head. You should rest.'

Before he left he turned to pull the comforter over her shoulders, and Nemesis was thankful that the privacy of the night hid her brimming tears.

'Why are you so kind to me?' she asked, and he smiled.

'You declared that you were mine. Let it never be said that the king does not take care of what is his.'

-

Rhea stood in front of her ornate full length mirror as her husband entered the room. She dismissed her angelic attendants, and with bows and curtsies they left the King and Queen alone.

A small fire lit up the grandeur of the bedroom, and added a glowing sparkle to the emeralds in her corsage, and the diamonds and pearls she wore in the crown that adorned her long, rippling amethyst locks. Kronus appeared behind her in the mirror, and helped to finish undressing her. Apart from the occasional crackle of an ember the atmosphere was quiet, but not unpleasant. Stripped down to only her lacy white undergarments and stockings, Rhea turned to her husband.

She knew from the blush that crept up his neck and cheeks that she looked as magnificent and beautiful as the day they had wed, but although his gaze was appreciative and awed there was a definite change in it somewhere. Rhea could sense it. As though to test her theory she tilted her head and parted her plum-coloured lips, expecting a kiss, but he gave her an awkward little smile and stepped back.

The queen was frustrated and embittered inside, but knew better than to show it. 'Did you go to her before you came to me?' she wondered hotly beneath her sedate exterior, but what she said to him was; 'I am taking my bath now.'

When she returned, fresh and sweetly perfumed from her bath, she found him already lying in their bed. It was not her imagination; he seemed uncomfortable there, as though he knew he didn't belong. He was, as usual toying with a goblet of wine. This was a compulsive habit he'd picked up years ago; he didn't drink the wine so much as play with it, and Rhea felt fondness rush through her.

She took her place next to him and he put down the goblet, taking her hands in his and kissing them.

'My Rhea,' he said between kisses, 'my gentle, enchanting, wonderful Rhea. How I adore you more each day.'

His kisses were soft, his lips warm, but she yearned for him to raise them from her hands to her face.

'Are you so tired from embracing your lover,' she asked quietly, 'that you no longer wish to embrace your queen?'

Kronus let go of her hands as though she were on fire.

'I am hurt that you would think me capable of infidelity,' he said quickly, 'let alone spread such frivolous rumours about the court. Your angels should learn the value of keeping their mouths shut.'

'So the whole court knows now?' she thought furiously, sorrowfully. 'I knew it could not be my imagination. There is no smoke without a fire. Oh Kronus…'

'I did no such thing,' she replied, her eyes blazing into his, 'you think I want anyone to know of my shame?'

Kronus gave a snort and turned from her. He was again transforming into that man; the man who barely kept his anger at bay, the man who was cold and cruel, the man who was gradually taking over the kind boy she'd fallen in love with.

'You want to talk about infidelity, Rhea?' he snapped, glowering over his shoulder. 'Why do we not talk then about how not one of my children resembles me in the slightest? I sometimes wonder if Poseidon got his sapphire hair from your angelic stable hand.'

Her mouth falling open in outrage, Rhea dug her nails into the pillow she was holding. 'You know perfectly well that Poseidon takes after your mother!' she shrieked. 'Do you really count the days until I bear a child born in your image? Do you dream of the day I bear your fair haired, fair skinned son?' Kronus' eyes grew suddenly stormy. She knew she'd gone too far, but she now wanted to hurt him as he was hurting her. 'If it is acceptable for you to break our vows without a second thought,' she went on, 'then maybe I should give in to the advances of our dear friend Crius! He has always made his interest in me abundantly clear!'

She naturally had no intention of doing so; the thought of being unfaithful to Kronus was as unlikely to Rhea as the thought of dying. It was just a ruse to stir his attention, to rouse his possessive passions for her back to how they used to be. She paused for breath, expecting him to take hold of her, his eyes glowing, and assert that any man who dared touch her would receive eternal punishment. She was his, and he was hers; that was why she wore his silver wedding band.

Instead, he walked to the door without turning back.

'Do what you want,' he said dully, and as the door shut Rhea threw herself upon the bed. Forgetting her dignity, she wept.

-

Nemesis awoke to the creaking of floorboards, and she immediately tensed her body to prepare to face an intruder. In the dim moonlight she could see a figure leaning against the embroidered curtains of her window, and his familiar silhouette set her mind at ease.

'Lord Kronus,' she gasped, 'don't scare me so.'

She didn't like the way he stood as still as a statue, not facing her, and she began to wonder if his meeting with the queen had gone awry.

'Come here,' she offered, holding out a hand.

He moved so quickly, so stealthily from the window to her arms that she still didn't get a good look at his expression. The bliss of his kisses moved her as it had the very first time, and he brought her to the edge of dizzying rapture before pulling her back at the last second. Letting go he tried to move again to the window, but even in the half-coherency of her breathless state she knew something was wrong. She pulled at him forcefully until he faced her, and gasped as she finally got a good look at him in the shaft of moonlight.

'Lord Kronus,' she whispered.

His eyes were like holes in the universe, blackened pits of misery, his mouth seemed to pull down more with each shuddering breath, and his high cheekbones were wet with tears. He tried to pull away but Nemesis knew that if she let him go then he would never return.

'Lord Kronus,' she repeated, stroking his face. 'You have always trusted me with your work; can you not trust me with your secrets?'

He regarded her and she realised for the first time what she was to him. She was a pet project, a reckless little amusement, a cute doll to pick up and play with when he grew bored with his responsibilities. Yet was it not to her that he had returned, when Rhea spurned him? In his anguish and desperation Nemesis could also see the potential of what she could be to him, and it thrilled her.

'You comforted me when I was weak,' she murmured, tracing the outline of his jaw with one delicate finger. 'Let me do the same for you.'

She pulled him back to the bed, and he lay with his face buried in the lap of her nightgown. He told her everything. He told her of the oracle, and how his future had been foreshadowed, yet he'd been unable to change it. He told her of how the woman he loved was doomed to bear the children who would destroy him, yet how he was destined to love her anyway. He told her that it was divine retribution for the crimes he'd committed in killing his own father.

Nemesis listened intently, occasionally replying in gentle tones. She told him that not all evil acts deserve punishment, if they are done for the good of the world. She told him that as the goddess of divine retribution, she would stand at his side when the prophesised time came, and they would bring justice to anyone who threatened his rule.

They talked long into the night, but both were alert, alive and excited when the sun came up. When Kronus lifted his head and smiled at her, Nemesis saw that she was now his equal. It was a new dawn.

-

From then on they did not just make love; side by side in her bed he would spill his greatest secrets and fears to her as the moonlight shone through the window, in ways that Nemesis guessed he had never done before. Swift daylight stole their rendezvous, tearing them apart for another few hours, but she was secure in the knowledge that she was his confidante and only mistress, and she took great pleasure in knowing he would always return.

The King and Queen made up after their argument, but things would never be as they were. At Nemesis' advice he returned to Rhea more frequently to quell suspicion, but although some of her husband's spark had returned, Rhea knew it was not her doing. She wouldn't learn the name of the other woman until she became one of the Moirae, and by then, she had bigger revelations to worry about. Still, Rhea remembered. She waited. She plotted. Hell hath no fury…

Oceanus never spoke another word to Nemesis. He also never confronted his best friend, but he remained at his side; even though it was becoming clearer that Kronus was a different person to the idealistic young monarch he had once helped ascend the throne. Oceanus saw the King's logic begin to twist as he spoke out more frequently against the Moirae; he claimed that his way was always the right way, and damn anyone who spoke against him. Oceanus realised with a heavy heart that the day might come when he would have to stand against him for the good of the kingdom, for the future of all Olympians; but the thought gave him no joy.

The one thing he always wondered but never asked was this; 'Why, of all the women in the kingdom, did you have to choose my daughter?'

-

Though the resistance movement won and Kronus was sealed away, Nemesis never truly lost hope. She did not even have to construct a story to attest to her innocence; the gods seemed ready to take her in.

'Poor Nemesis,' they said, 'kept as a prisoner by that tyrant for so long!'

Oceanus must have known that she had stood by Kronus willingly, but for reasons unknown to her he never gave her away. It was ironic that it was because she was her father's daughter that she never fell under any suspicion, though after learning that he had been the one to betray Kronus she silently disowned him. She had no father.

She still painted her eyelids to remind herself of the rubies she'd looked into each night, and from the day she heard news that he was locked away in Tartarus, she began to wear black lipstick. It was her own subtle way of grieving. On her forehead she wore the dainty golden tiara he'd given her. She recalled the morning he'd presented her with it; her eyes had shone with delight as he placed it under her hair, and he'd chuckled wickedly;

'Careful Nemesis, you're slipping. You nearly showed me a smile there.'

She remained in the service of Zeus for what seemed like an endless eternity, waiting with the patience of a rock for the day her lover would return. She waited so patiently because she now knew what she could give him…what Rhea could not. In the new world that they would create together, Nemesis knew how she could become his queen.