Chapter 51

Mera's Point of View

The following day, I went with Cronus, Ennina, Kallisto and Aaron to visit John and his wife Katie in the hospital in California. Their son had been born at 5:14am after an uncomplicated labor. John already felt like family and we all wanted to see him and meet his son.

Before we visited them in the hospital, we all went shopping on Rodeo Drive to buy as many baby things as we could since we did not know them when they had their baby shower.

When we got to the hospital, we were carrying so many bags our arms were practically sticking straight out and Cronus and Aaron carried four boxes each. They would not let us all go in at once, so I went in first with as many bags as I could carry.

John sat by his wife's bedside, their eyes glued to the little bundle in her arms. The joy on their faces was such a sight to behold. Katie Alexander was a beautiful woman with forest green eyes and caramel colored hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. There was something very familiar her looks that I could not place.

"Hello John." I greeted him. He looked up at me.

"Hello Mera." He greeted me with a huge smile and then looked at the twenty bags I was carrying. "What is all that for?"

"I know, I went overboard, we all did." I told him. "We never got you anything for the baby so we all went shopping before we came here." He shook his head.

"You do too much." He told me, his eyes showed how much it meant to him. I shrugged.

"Generosity runs in my family." I told him as I placed the bags down and walked over to him, kissing his cheek once.

"Katie, this is Mera Vandenberg, the young woman I have been helping find her family and fiancé." John introduced us.

"It is wonderful to finally meet you Mera." Katie said to me, looking into my eyes. "I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for my family."

"It was no trouble at all, your husband deserved a break." I told her. "I am happy to be able to help. I was not always as well off as I am now, and so I love sharing." I looked down at the bundle in her arms, at that little face. "Oh, he is beautiful. What is his name?" I asked.

"We named him Ariston." Katie told me, I looked into her green eyes, more touched than I could say. "For the longest time we tried to come up with a name, but nothing fit. When he was born, John came up with the idea to call him Ariston."

"It means 'the best.'" I told them, looking up at John.

"I thought it would be a good name for him." John told me. "From what you've told me of your Ariston, he is an extraordinary man." I had tears in my eyes.

"He is." I told him. "Ariston is amazing, and warm and kind and loving. He is everything a man should be." John smiled and I saw tears in his own eyes.

"Would you like to hold him?" Katie asked.

"I would love to." I told her.

I walked over to the bed and Katie carefully placed Ariston in my arms. He was so little, so precious. It was easy to see John's feature in his newborn son, but I could swear he looked a bit like Ariston too.

"He looks like my fiancé, and like you John." I told them softly as I sat on the bed looking down on her son. "Ariston and I are going to have a child once he gets back." I said absentmindedly as I looked down upon the sleeping bundle in my arms.

He was so perfect, from his little hands to his adorable face. He made a soft sound as he stretched and yawned, it was easily the cutest thing I had ever seen. I could not wait to have a child of my own.

"Hello Ariston." I said to him softly. His little eyelids fluttered open and I gasped as I looked into his sky blue eyes. "He has blue eyes." I said softly in shock as the baby looked up at me.

"They are my father's eyes." Katie told me.

"What is your father's name?" I asked.

"Ethan Grant." She told me and the name triggered a flashback in my mind of when I walked on the beach in Cuba with Ariston the night before we left for Olympus.

"Do you have grandchildren?" I wondered.

He smiled and nodded.

"Elianna and I's descendants still exist." He told me. "I keep an eye on them and check in on them from time to time. One of them, Ethan, looks so much like my son Elijah it still shocks me to look at him."

I came back to the present and looked at Katie, studying her face. My jaw dropped at this realization. I knew her face, her caramel colored hair and forest green eyes. I could not form words as tears filled my eyes, knowing who I looked upon. I smiled to Katie and she looked slightly confused.

"Do you know who you are?" I asked her.

"Katie Alexander." She said with a laugh.

"You are my Ariston's granddaughter." I told him. "You look just like his mother Demetria. You are descended from the gods."

"That cannot be." She said.

"It is." I told her. "Ariston has watched over his line for thousands of years. You are descended from his son Elijah, the son he had with his late wife Elianna of Dion two thousand years ago." I shook my head as more tears rolled down my cheeks. "Ariston mentioned your father Ethan once, saying that he looked so much like his son Elijah that it still amazed him to look upon him. Do you remember your dreams?"

"Of course." She told me. "Last night I was a mermaid." I laughed.

"You are not an active then." I told her. "Before my fiancé was taken, I was trying to convince him to introduce himself to his Descendants. He said that he did not want to trouble them with his presence since they did not even know that the gods exist." I shook my head. "Through his abduction, I was led right to your and your family in my search for him."

"What does this mean?" Katie asked.

"That we are family." I told her. "There is someone you must meet. Kallisto?" I called out softly.

About a minute later she came walking through the door and stopped in her tracks as she looked at Katie.

"Kallisto, I would like to introduce you to your great, great, great etc. niece, Katie Alexander." I introduced her. "Katie, this is your aunt Kallisto, Ariston daughter and Elijah's sister."

The rest of the day was spent talking. I saw how much it meant to Kallisto to have a part of her brother back in her life. We all took turns holding the little Ariston, Kallisto was as touched as I was that they named their son after her father.

"I still want to help with your fight." John told me. I smiled to him.

"Take some time off to spend with your family." I told him. "If we need you, we will call you." He nodded.

He held his hand out and I laughed and gave him a hug.

"We are family." I told him, kissing his cheek.

I went over to Katie and hugged her, then kissed Ariston's little forehead.

In the weeks that followed I visited John, Katie and Ariston as often as I could, and also spent time with Jason. He did as he said he would, randomly showing up, taking me into his arms and kissing me senseless. Yet for all the passion and longing between us, he would not make love to me.

I was just coming back from visiting with Ariston, Katie and John in the late afternoon. Kallisto and Aaron had gone with me, Kallisto told them some stories about her mother, father and brothers and also some about the gods. It was a wonderful get together.

Holding little Ariston made me realize once again not just that I need to have a child to preserve Pandora's line, but just how much I want to be a mother. Kallisto is my daughter in my eyes and that will never change, I would still like to give her some more brothers and sisters though. I know that Cronus is an extraordinary father, and the more I thought on it, the more I had to admit that I liked the idea of having his child. Yet still, there was a deep need within me for my first child to be Ariston's. I did not know if there would be time enough to wait for his return before my death.

There was so much to consider and I could not think about all of this alone. I went into the kitchen where Cronus was talking and laughing with Ennina. His eyes met mine and his smile widened as he walked up to me and kissed my lips.

"Can we speak?" I asked him.

"Of course." He told me.

We walked up to my bedroom and I closed the door behind us before sitting on my bed. I looked at my hands as I thought, not knowing what to do. Cronus sat next to me and took one of my hands into his own, intertwining our fingers.

"It has been more than a month." I said softly.

"I know." Cronus told me. I took a deep breath.

"Oh Cronus, I do not know what to do." I told him, looking up into his eyes. "I like the idea of having your child, I truly do. I could accept it, even be happy with it and I know that Ariston would not be upset with me. The thing is, if I am pregnant, I am going to want to make certain my child is safe, so I will not go into the field or participate in any raids. I will have to give up my search for Ariston and leave that to you and the other gods… I do not know that I can do that." I caressed his hand and he laid his hand on my neck like he does sometimes, his thumb caressing my jaw.

"This is your choice." He told me. "I love you and I would not have you do anything that would upset you. If you do choose this, to have my child, you would not have to give up your search. There are still many ways you could help." I nodded, still conflicted, still confused. "Before you make any choices, be certain this is what you want. You know I would be honored to be the father of your child, I would love that, but this is about you as well. Once we conceive this child, there is no turning back."

"I just do not know yet." I told him.

"Then wait until you do." He told me.

I smiled as I looked into his eyes. There was no hurt in his eyes or within his soul. There was only understanding, only love. It made me feel such gratitude within me, knowing how much he loves me. I love how patient and kind and compassionate he is. He is a rare man, an extraordinary god.

"I love you." I told him, the words, that truth came from the deepest depths of my soul.

"I love you Mera." He told me, meaning the words just as deeply as I did, then we kissed.

"I should go see Jason." I said.

"So I kiss you, and your first thought is of Jason?" Cronus asked with a smile. "Am I that bad of a kisser?" I laughed.

"Far from it." I told him, placing my hand on his cheek and tracing his lips with my finger. "You know how I enjoy you."

His smile was more than heartwarming, it was healing and soothing to my soul and I began wondering how I could love him so much, how I could be blessed with not one, not two, but three gods who love me this deeply, three gods I treasure. I was more than blessed, I knew I should not be this lucky, but no part of me wanted to return the gifts I had been given. These gods meant far too much to me and if it works out that I am destined to be with the three of them… there would be no words for the love, euphoria and utter bliss within my soul.

"How are things between you two?" Cronus asked, bringing me forth from my thoughts. He had grown more and more comfortable talking about Jason, though some of that worry still remained, he was always there when I needed to talk.

"Things are great with us." I told them. "But there is something he is not telling me, something he is keeping from me."

"Have you asked him about this secret?" He asked.

"Yes, he says that he is afraid to tell me, afraid that I will hate him." I took a deep breath and smiled as I shook my head. "As if I could hate him. I am too crazy about him for that." I laughed once. It was ridiculous.

"We all have a past." Cronus said. "Not everyone's is good."

"I know that." I told him. "The past has never mattered much to me. I know the importance of knowing the things that have been, but no one can change those events. I do not care about whatever he has done, only that he is keeping that part of himself from me. I just want the truth from him."

"Have you two…?" Cronus trailed off. Many nights I had stayed out with Jason, but things never went beyond touching and kissing. Those nights we fell asleep in each others arms, but nothing more.

"No, not yet." I told him.

"Still?" He asked. I nodded.

"Annoyingly so." I told him. "For whatever reason, he wants to wait. Why am I always waiting on the men I love to be ready to make love to me? It was the same with Ariston, only he gave into me when I made myself clear in what I wanted."

"But you knew Ariston then," Cronus told me. "There were not any secrets between you two."

"I want to know Jason again as well." I told him. "I already love him and he knows that. I think he is afraid of our soul connecting, of what I will feel within him when that piece of jade on his finger no longer hides his essence from me. There are times when we are kissing that I feel so close to connecting with him, that is when he pulls away." I took a deep breath, my thoughts far away. "I do not know how much longer I have left in this life. I just want to know his body once before I die."

"He might agree if you told him that." Cronus said, his voice soft.

"It would kill him to know he is going to lose me again." I told him. "I do not want to hurt him." I kissed Cronus again, then got up from the bed. "I have to get ready for our date. I am meeting Jason in two hours." Cronus nodded.

"Be safe." He told me the same thing he always tells me when I go out with Jason.

"I will." I told him and kissed his lips once more as he sat on the bed, his hands going to my hips as I looked down into his beautiful eyes. "I love you Cronus."

"I love you Mera." He told me and we kissed once more before I went to bathe.

After showering, I dried off and wrapped a cloud wool towel around my hair. I looked through my things, wondering what I should wear. I was half tempted to arrive at our meeting place in the woods stark naked, just to see his reaction. Let him try and resist me then, I thought, then began laughing.

I chose some beautiful lingerie and then looked at my dresses that were hung in the closet. I decided to wear a knee length dress since Jason was taking me dancing tonight. Even as I was preparing for a date with Jason, I thought of Ariston. Everything I do reminds me of him and I like it that way. There was an ache in my soul, an ache for his smile, his laughter, his arms around my waist, his fingers in my hair. It was the little things I missed, like the hushed sound of his silk shirt falling to the floor, the way he would look at me and just with his eyes tell me what words could not express, the way he knew me inside and out, how he understood my every emotion and supported me through everything. Cronus and Jason were like that in some ways too, but no matter how much I love them, neither of them are Ariston. No one could ever replace Ariston in my life and within my soul.

I sat down for a minute in my closet as a wave of sadness came over me. I took deep breaths, reminding myself over and over again that I would have Ariston back in my life. For a horrible moment, I wondered if the Moirae had meant a different Ariston. Perhaps they meant that I would hold Katie and John's son in my arms.

My breaths became more rapid as panic over took me and I began shaking. I buried my head in my hands. I felt arms wrap around me and I leaned against Cronus as he held me. He must have felt my panic and ran up here to comfort me. It still took me a while to calm down though.

"What if the Moirae were not speaking of my Ariston?" I asked him softly. "What if they meant I would hold a different Ariston in my arms?"

"What were their exact words to you?" He asked.

"I said to them 'Just tell me if he is still alive.' And they replied 'Yes, your Ariston is still living. As we prophesied before, you two will wed.'" I told him, even as I said the words I felt myself calming down.

"They said 'Your Ariston,'" Cronus told me. "They were not speaking of his great grandson, they were speaking of your fiancé, of the god you love." I nodded.

"I know that now, thank you." I told him.

Cronus held me for a while more until I was truly okay. I got up and began looking through my dresses again as he sat on the floor watching me. I chose a purple silk dress with delicate lace here and there and a slit in the skirt up my right thigh. I slipped on a pair of dark blue strappy heels and put in some diamond studs.

"You look beautiful." Cronus told me, kissing my cheek and walking out of the room.

I called to Tianna and asked her to put my hair up in a way that would not come out while I dance. She weaved my hair up in a stunning fashion, the back reminded me of something Leonardo da Vinci had drawn. It was stunning and intricate. I thanked her and the wonderful nymph teleported away.

I met Jason in a little meadow that was quickly becoming our spot. He stood there holding a single red rose, wearing a silk black button-down shirt and pure white dress pants with a black belt. He looked beyond handsome. The first three buttons were undone on his shirt, exposing a bit of his chest. Upon his head was a white fedora that was just slightly tilted to the side. Between how he looked, the smile on his face, and the way he was looking at me, it made my knees feel like jello and enkindled my soul with a deep passion.

One thing was for sure, between the way he looked tonight and the heat that was between us, I would go mad if he kept me waiting for much longer. His face was in awe as he took me in, looking me up and down, taking in every detail. His eyes met mine in wonder.

"My gods, you are beautiful." He told me, his voice so soft.

"Thank you." I said as I walked up to him. He handed me the rose and I took it, inhaling its sweet fragrance, my eyes not looking away from his pale blue orbs.

"You look so incredibly handsome." I told him, his smile grew as he caressed my cheek.

His lips met mine in one of his heated kisses and it was a while before we could let each other go. Jason teleported us to a swing dance club. It was a large ballroom with parquet flooring and thirty foot ceilings. Old time, energetic music was playing loudly from a band who looked to be having as much fun as the dancers were. I began moving to the music as we walked in, I could not help it.

"I take it you want to dance?" He asked, I laughed.

"In fact I do." I told him. He led me to the dance floor.

"I should warn you I am a little rusty," He said. "I have not danced in years."

"It is never to late to start again." I told him.

"You are right." He told me with a sly smile.

Jason held me close, then with one quick movement, he spun me out, twirled me then took hold of my waist, lifted me into the air and spun me around as I laughed. He spun me around, moving like they did when this wonderful music was all the rage, when names like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sentara and Nat King Cole were household names. Jason moved with speed, energy and precision while having as much fun as I was. We moved perfectly together as he led us in the fast paced moves. When the song ended he dipped me, instead of bringing me back up, he just kept holding me like that, looking into my eyes.

"That is what you call rusty?" I asked him. I was out of breath. He laughed before leaning down and kissing me.

"What can I say?" He asked then whispered into my ear. "I was inspired." His voice was too seductive for my own good, especially since he seemed to be intent on waiting to make love to me for whatever reason.

We danced all night, only stopping for a wonderful dinner. We laughed, we danced, we kissed. Later on, we slow danced.

"Would you do something for me?" He asked.

"Anything." I told him, lost in his embrace.

"Sing something for me on stage." He said.

"You want me to sing?" I asked him.

"I love your voice." He said.

"Alright." I told him. I kissed his lips before walking away from him and towards the stage. There was a man standing at the edge of the stage. He smiled to me when I walked up. "I was hoping I could sing a song to my boyfriend." I did not know what else to call him.

"Can you sing?" He asked.

I leaned up and sang into his ear to the song that was being played. He looked at me in amazement and nodded. When the song ended, he walked onto the stage and whispered into the singers ear. She nodded and waved me up, offering me the microphone. She was a beautiful black woman with a wonderful smile, red lipstick and a deep, soulful voice that was made to sing rhythm and blues. I told the band what I wanted to sing and then stood in the spotlight, searching the crowds for Jason's face.

"This song is for a man I love deeply and with no regrets." I said, looking for him. I found Jason standing in the middle of the crowd of people on the dance floor, watching me. "Jason, I love you. I think we have proven that no matter what is to come, we will always find our way back to each other. I love you."

I singled to the band, then began singing "Something Good" a wonderful song from The Sound Of Music. The couples on the dance floor began slow dancing around Jason as he stood there in the middle of the dance floor watching me sing, completely captivated by every word.

When the song ended a roar of applause erupted, whistled sounded. Jason was one of those whistling as he walked up to the stage. He held his arms out for me and I jumped off of the stage and landed securely in his arms. He kissed me as more applause sounded.

We danced to a slow song after that, holding each other close.

"Mera," Jason was suddenly serious as he spoke in a voice, so softly only I would be able to hear it. "There is word that in a week, the Shadows are going to attack you. Some of the immortals that follow the Nameless One discovered your location. They will come in numbers. You have two choices, leave or fight." I looked up into his eyes, seeing his worry for me.

"We will fight." I told him.

"If you can capture or defeat these immortals, it will put them at a disadvantage." He told me, looking into my eyes. "Are you certain you can handle this?" He asked, searching my eyes. I nodded.

"I am the Daughter of Pandora, am I not?" I asked him.

"These are not Descendants or mortals you will be facing, but immortals trained in the arts of savage warfare." He warned me. "I will not allow you to be harmed."

"I have the fire of my Chimera within me." I told him. "Only adamantine will be able to mar my flesh, and I am fast and well trained. I will have Diokles fighting by my side, and I am sure that Cronus will not leave my side. He always stays next to me in battle."

"Good." He said, still worrying. I looked at his lips before looking back into his eyes.

"I do know one thing that would help ensure my safety." I told him, gently running my fingers up and down the back of his neck.

"And that is?" He asked, I saw in his eyes how my touch effected him. I leaned up and whispered into his ear.

"Make love to me." I told him. "Share your soul with me, then I will share in your gifts as well as your body, and I will be even more powerful and protected." I kissed his earlobe and felt him hold me closer as a shaky breath left his lips.

"You do not want my gifts, trust me." Jason told me.

"Why not?" I asked him. "We connected before." I reminded him.

"You did not have the ability to absorb my gifts, to share in them at that time." He said. "What I have within me is incredibly dangerous, and I do not want it within you." I looked into his eyes, knowing just what to say.

"But I want you within me." I told him softly, he looked into my eyes and took another shaky breath as desire filled his gaze.

"You do not make this easy on a man." He told me.

"So I have been told." I said, looking into his eyes that I love so much. "Jason, I want you to make love to me. I do not give a fig for your powers, I want you."

"What would Ariston think?" He asked a moment later.

"Oh, so now you care what Ariston thinks?" I asked him. He just looked at me. "He told me to follow my heart wherever it may lead me. And it is leading me to your bed."

"Are you sure that is your heart that is leading you?" He asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow. I nodded and smiled to him.

"At least in part." I told him. "You know that I love you. I do not get why it is so important to you to wait."

"It just is." He told me, his eyes saying what his lips could not, speaking of his fear.

"So exactly how long do you plan on making me wait?" I asked him.

"Just until the time is right." He told me. I could be dead by then, I thought to myself as I laid my head on his shoulder as we continued to dance. I did not want to die without knowing his body at least once in this life. "Why, other than your wanting me, is it so important for you not to wait?" Jason asked and it was my turn to be silent for a time.

"We never know what is to come." I told him.

"There is something you are not telling me." Jason stated. I sighed, hoping that one day my life would not depend on lying.

"If you get to keep your secrets, I get to keep mine." I told him. He sighed. "No fun, is it?" I asked him with a smile, pulling back to look into his eyes. He shook his head and pulled me in close again, kissing my forehead.