Final Totals
For the following days, David was constantly swallowing pills or drinking the protein shakes several times a day. On top of those, Tommy's strange concoctions actually seemed to help his body repair itself.
Even though the initial estimates had said that David would be in the wheelchair for at least two weeks, by day ten he was able to walk about for short periods of time.
Though he maintained a cheerful countenance, Gabrielle could see the strain in his face as he pushed himself. Every time she tried to get him to stop, he shook his head.
Even Aphrodite began to catch on that he was pushing. Whenever she seemed about to press the issue, however, Tommy would bring some odd subject up or other, distracting her from her observations. And even though this always had the desired effect, it also left Aphrodite and Tommy together, sometimes for hours on end.
At times, he would return to them, looking completely worn down, as though his patience had been tested to ever increasing limits.
Quietly, Tommy and Shilah spread the word that the clubhouse would be off limits in the coming days. No one should come there unless the circumstances were dire.
Early one morning, before the sun rose, David climbed stiffly out of the bed and gave Gabrielle a kiss before he stole out into the main room. He downed two more of the supplemental shakes along with a double dose of the vitamins, and then he dressed and went down the steps into the shop. He paused staring at the unobtrusive white door at the rear of the building; a feeling of cold dread, mixed with odd excitement began writhing in his belly.
Then he opened the locker containing the fencing gear, among other things, and drew out a hunting bow and a quiver of hand made arrows.
He inspected the projectiles closely and then slipped the quiver over his stiff shoulders.
The early morning air was cool and moist, with mists creeping between the trunks of the trees all around the clubhouse. It seemed that he stood on a small island of solid land, lost in the midst of gray clouds. He turned and walked slowly past the corner of the building.
"Where you going?" a voice asked suddenly. David practically leapt out of his skin. HE turned and saw Aphrodite standing there, looking at him with cold blue eyes.
He gave a little cry of fright and wheeled about, though the sudden movement caused him some pain.
"Christ, lady!" he hissed. "What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?"
Aphrodite saw the bow and arrows. Her eyes also noted the colors of his clothing. Dark so that he could blend in with the shadows of early morning.
"What you up too?" Aphrodite asked. There was a tone in her voice that led him to believe she already knew the answer.
"You're going to do it, aren't you?" she asked, her voice rising in protest. "I told you I had a plan!"
"I know,' David replied. "But I need to have something to fall back on if your plan doesn't work."
"It'll work!" Aphrodite cried angrily. "Why can't you trust me?"
"I do trust you!" David replied. "I trust you to be you, just like I trust Ares to be Ares!" He looked at her hard.
"Can you honestly tell me that he'll never bother us again, no matter what?" He asked. "If he waits till you're not around, or occupied? Then he zips in quick and clean, and does the deed? You going to watch over us twenty-four, seven, for the rest of our lives?"
Aphrodite looked absolutely helpless. "He's my brother, David!"
"I understand," David replied. "Believe me. I'm not looking forward to this."
He turned and walked towards the edge of the trees.
Aphrodite's eyes filled with tears. "I can't let you do this!" she pleaded.
David stopped, but he didn't turn back around.
"Well, then either you kill me, or your brother does." He said grimly. "What's the difference?"
After a few moments, he resumed walking towards the trees again.
Aphrodite looked about helplessly, her entire being in turmoil. Then in a bout of anger, she raised her hand, a ball of white energy crackling at her fingertips. Her breath heaved in torment as she tensed.
Another figure seemed to appear from nowhere, coming to interpose itself between her and David.
Shilah's dark eyes flashed protectively.
"Let him go," She said in a soft but commanding tone. Her hands were open at her sides, palms down at the ground, as if she were pulling something up from the ground.
Aphrodite finally saw her, really saw her for what she was. She seemed surrounded by an aura of unbelievable energy. The power seemed to stretch out over her and through her, though she didn't recognize it. She knew it was old, infinitely old and limitless, though not to the caliber of a Goddess, it was pretty darned close.
Another figure came around the corner and saw the standoff.
"Oh boy," Tommy thought. Then he stepped gently to Aphrodite's side and wrapped his big hand around her wrist, ignoring the crackle of energy next to his skin. She looked at him, her face twisted by internal conflict.
"Ease down, Sweetheart," Tommy said gently. He slowly lowered Aphrodite's hand and the energy dissipated. "Just ease down. You don't want this."
They watched David's form vanish into the mists and all the resistance left Aphrodite's arm. She wept, turning again into Tommy's shoulder. When she looked up at Shilah again, she was mildly shocked.
There she stood, a simple, round woman with long dark hair and gentle brown eyes. The High Priestess smiled. "It's time we all have a talk."
Numbly, Aphrodite let Tommy lead her back into the clubhouse.
They found Gabrielle standing at the window, looking out at the spot where David had vanished.
"Since we're all awake," Shilah said as she came in. "We might as well do this now."
While Gabrielle stood vigil at the window, Shilah explained everything to them. Even Aphrodite was amazed at what David was attempting, though she actually began to feel more at ease, the more she began to understand it.
A few hours later, as the early morning sun began to burn the night mists away, Gabrielle stood up straighter.
"There he is!" she burst out, and then her face changed to one of concern. David was staggering back towards the clubhouse, burdened by the carcass of a moderately sized stag.
Immediately, she moved to the back door.
"Stay right there!" Tommy barked, freezing her in her tracks. She looked at him, and then at the figure staggering towards the front of the building.
"You can't help him on this one."
"But?" Gabrielle asked.
Tommy smiled, but there was no humor in it. "If he's got this far, then he's finished the easy part."
"We will not see him for three days," Shilah said. "That is how long he has to complete his task." She gestured to the sofa. "Sit, there's no need for you to tax yourself."
They heard the door open below. The sound of footsteps, accompanied by the occasional grunt or groan as David moved across the floor, then another door opened and closed with an ominous thud. After that, it fell completely silent.
David let the carcass slide gently to the floor and then bolted the door. He struck a match and began lighting the candles in the room. Slowly, the ritual sanctuary melted into view. David looked about and did a fast inventory of everything. The tools were there, all of them crude and functional, but no more. The mortal and pestles, earthenware pots, everything he need was prepared.
His eyes fell on the deep dark sheets of wood leaning against the opposite wall. Then his eyes turned to the statue of the Goddess at the end of the room.
"Forgive me, Mother," he said sincerely, as he looked down at the dead stag, its blood seeping onto the tiles. "But I have to do this."
The statue remained motionless, though David thought he could perceive an expression of solemn understanding on the face. Taking it as a blessing, he set about to his task.
"Three days?" Aphrodite asked. "That's, like, not very long?"
"During those three days," Shilah explained. "As David attempts to accomplish his task, he will not be permitted to either eat or sleep. He will work around the clock until it is complete. If he falters even once, then the magic is broken and he must begin again."
"Three days with no food or rest?" Aphrodite shuddered. "Can he do it?"
Shilah looked at Gabrielle and smiled. "What do you think?"
Gabrielle's eyes went inward to a memory, and she smiled in spite of herself.
She saw the shadow of a large man crouching next to the fire. Two small tripods rested directly above the merry flames. On one was a small silver bowl, steaming as the contents boiled. On the other was a second, taller pot with a tiny crystal protruding from the lid.
The figure was dressed in a long black cloak or coat, and she saw the thick soles of tough black boots resting on the earth. The man's hair was long and hung in ragged strings from his scalp, damp either from the recent rain, or from sweating through physical exertion. He looked as if he had traveled for weeks without rest. A bow rested on his back and a quiver of arrows hung beside it.
He wore fingerless gloves on his large hands, one of them raising a metallic cup to his lips. She detected a nutty scent in the air beneath the others. The cup rose, lowered and then the other hand placed a long smoldering roll of tobacco in the mouth. The pungent smoke puffed out before him. It was a familiar scent, and her heart began to pound.
Gabrielle said nothing, her eyes still flashing with spots from the explosion and the blow to her head. She saw the shapes of several bodies, lying scattered nearby.
"You know," The man spoke in a voice that sounded hauntingly familiar. The cup rose and fell again, and he swallowed. "I'm a real dick when I don't get my coffee in the morning."
Gabrielle looked at the man and then back at the dead bodies nearby, then back at the stranger again. She knew that voice, but it was impossible!
"Anyway," the man continued. "I waited for over a year, you know, just to see if I could get along without you?" He sighed and took another long drag on the cigar. "Turns out that I couldn't. Besides, I always wanted to see the Parthenon before the roof came down?"
Gabrielle got to her feet and stepped around, backing unsteadily away from the man. Her eyes were locked on him, waiting for him to rise, attack, or do something.
He did. His head turned towards her and she looked through the stray stands of hair into his deep brown eyes.
"Hell," David said. "I figured if I couldn't show you Greece in my time, you might at least show it to me in yours?" His eyebrows rose questioningly. "That is, if you're interested in me sticking around?"
"David?" Gabrielle gasped.
David put the cigar between his teeth and grinned mischievously. His eyebrows rose and fell once. Then she saw the dark scar over his left eye.
"Interested?" he asked.
Gabrielle's smile widened into one of calm certainty.
"He'll do it," she nodded, seeing Aphrodite scowling at her. "He always finds a way."
"You know," The Goddess said bitterly. "If David doesn't pull this off, or if something totally tanks in this plan, Ares will off him for sure?"
"He knows," Tommy replied.
It was nearly midnight of the third night when they heard the bolt drawn from the door below. They all descended the steps quickly, and saw David stagger out, looking pale and drawn. He leaned his back against the wall and slid down to the floor, completely exhausted. A charnel house smell emanated from the room, causing Gabrielle to wince in recognition. She remembered her excursion into the realm of shamanism. One thing she could never forget was the odor of the dead animal she had been required to use.
"Hey, Shakes," Tommy said, kneeling down and holding a glass of orange juice to his lips. "How you doin?"
David smiled. It seemed that several years had fallen upon him over the past few days. His eyes were sunken and his skin the color of gray paste. He sparked to life when he saw Gabrielle and Aphrodite moving towards the door.
"Don't go in there!" he croaked. They both froze and looked at him. "I don't want to have to do this again."
Gabrielle looked at him and smiled. "You had a couple of hours to spare, you know?"
David grinned. "Shilah, close the door. No one goes in there till after midnight."
Nodding, Shilah stepped over and swung the door shut.
Tommy eased his hands underneath David and hoisted him up. "Like the lady says, we got a couple of hours. Let's get you caffeinated, right?"
David nodded. "Works for me."
They got him on the couch and left him there to relax a bit. His hands were covered in dried blood and several places on his palms were torn open, the result of minor mishaps during the working. He seemed oblivious to the pain.
Gabrielle went into the kitchen and fetched a bowl of water and several clean bar towels, while Tommy deposited a cup of steaming coffee in front of David. He sipped the beverage gratefully.
As Gabrielle came around the bar, Aphrodite stepped forward and took the bowl from her.
"I'll do it," She said suddenly. "I kinda need to talk to him anyway, you know?"
She went over to him and had a few quick words with Tommy before he withdrew.
Aphrodite sat down next to him and looked down at his hands. She grimaced.
"You're going to need the mother of all manicures, you know?" She smiled nervously as she began cleaning the blood from his fingers. "You know, when I made you promise to make her the happiest woman in Greece, I didn't expect you to take me so seriously?"
David smiled. "I don't make a promise that I can't keep."
"I noticed," Aphrodite smiled. She paused a second and looked at him. "If I make a promise to you, would you trust me to keep it?"
David looked at her dubiously. The Goddess shrugged.
"Look, I know I'm a total ditz, sometimes, okay?" She admitted. "But I just, you know? Gabby's like family to me! I won't let anything happen to her either, if I can help it?"
"I know," David replied. "But there's something that you say occasionally that makes me wonder about that?"
"What?"
"Not my department," David said evenly. "It shouldn't matter if someone's that important to you. You do what you can when you can whether it's your department or not?"
"It's not that simple," Aphrodite countered. She resumed cleaning the wounds on David's palm. "There are certain rules that I have to follow. They totally suck sometimes, but I still have to follow them?"
"Better look around, sister," David countered easily. "The rules have changed somewhat. You need to change with them, or you'll end up being obsolete?" He studied her for a long time and then nodded. "I won't do anything unless there is absolutely no other choice. I promise."
Aphrodite looked back at him and finally nodded.
Shilah suddenly spoke up.
"David. It's time."
"Okay," David struggled wearily to his feet. "Let's do this."
"Hang on a second," Tommy said suddenly. He ducked beneath the bar and came up with several paper board boxes. He began shoving them into a large paper bag. Then he slipped two bottles of Southern Comfort and the Vitamin supplements before handing it to Gabrielle. "Just a little care package," He shrugged.
They all moved down to the main garage, and David pulled a large bundle of material, wrapped in a black cloth, out of the Ritual room.
"Sorry about the mess," he apologized.
"Don't worry about it." Tommy replied extending his hand. David embraced the big man tightly.
"You watch your ass, Shakes," Tommy said fiercely. Aphrodite saw tears forming in the mans eyes.
"Keep the rubber side down?" David replied, stepping away as Aphrodite drew the Chronos Stone out of her bag.
"Always," Tommy nodded, grinning.
David leaned the large bundle against his hip and took Gabrielle's hand. Aphrodite reached over and touched Gabriele's shoulder. She looked once more at Shilah and Tommy before she nodded and smiled. Then the three of them were enveloped in a brilliant green light. When the glow faded, the three of them were gone.
Tommy stared at the empty space for a moment. "Kick his ass, bro." He whispered.
The brilliant sun suddenly flooded their eyes as they materialized in the front of the house. Aphrodite slipped the Chronos Stone back into the leather bag and handed it to Gabrielle. "Better put this back, hon," She suggested. David looked at the strange bag and laughed suddenly. It would be the same moldering bag that he had found it in, about two thousand years in the future.
He chuckled suddenly.
"What?' Aphrodite asked.
"Tell you later," David replied. He began hauling his covered bundle off to one side and buried it in a thin layer of dirt and grass.
When Gabrielle returned, David moved to join them at the house. "How long have we been gone?" he asked.
"Only a few hours," Aphrodite replied, smiling. "One thing I'm good at? Remembering directions!"
"That means Ares is probably getting ready to make another appearance," David said quickly. "I better get out of sight."
Gabrielle looked at him, suddenly frightened. "You sure about this?"
"Don't ask me?" David replied, looking at Aphrodite. "This one's all yours."
"Well," Aphrodite sighed. "We better make this look right?" She blinked, and in a shower of sparks, her modern clothing was once again replaced by her usual, revealing diaphanous outfit.
"Darn," She moaned. "I really liked those clothes too."
She looked at Gabrielle and again, the same transformation occurred and David's wife was once again, clad in a simple dress of local fashion.
Aphrodite winced. "Yeah, the other stuff looked better on you too."
"Dite!" David said.
"I know, I know," she moaned. "Just go. I'll be back in a jiff." She vanished from sight.
Gabrielle looked at David nervously. "You think she'll really be back?"
David kissed her on the cheek and sighed. "I hope so, otherwise, this might get ugly, real fast."
David went into the house and quickly disrobed down to a simple pair of shorts before he climbed back into the bed. He stared at the ceiling, his every nerve alert for what might happen next.
A short time later, Aphrodite reappeared and David heard her have a quick conversation with Gabrielle and a third party. Then everything went ominously quiet. Even the birds seemed reluctant to sing. The wind moved but made no sound.
Gabrielle and Aphrodite sat on the steps leading up into the home, their eyes scanning the area around them. They didn't have to wait long.
In a flash of light, the familiar figure of Ares burst into existence. His eyes rolled skyward for a moment when he saw his sister, and then he forced a smile.
"Hey, sis?" He greeted them. "What are you doing here?"
"Go away, Ares," Gabrielle glowered at him.
Ares shrugged. "Well, you see, I can't do that. We still have to settle up, you and I?" He paused and looked at them closely. "How's that little hubby of yours doing, by the way? I don't see him?"
"He's inside," Aphrodite offered, studying her brother closely.
Ares put on an expression of mock concern. "Not doing too well, is he? Sorry to hear about it. Anyway, about our little arrangement?"
"We never had an arrangement," Gabrielle replied evenly.
"I disagree," Ares waved a finger in her direction. "I told you that I might need something from you when you got back. Well, your back, and now I need something from you?"
"Forget it, Ares," Gabrielle replied. "The only thing I want from you is for you to leave me alone. That seems to be the one thing you can't do?"
"I'd be willing?" Ares countered easily. He sighed dramatically. "Okay, let's cut to it, shall we?"
"I'm listening," Gabrielle kept her voice calm.
Ares smiled coldly. "Right now, your husband isn't doing so hot, is he? Broken bones and some other things, right? I can fix that, if…"
"If what?" Gabrielle replied.
"Well, I guess there's no delicate way to put this: If you give me your child?" He shrugged and smiled as Gabrielle and Aphrodite both felt their jaws drop. Of course they knew that this would be what the God of War wanted, but to actually hear it was something completely different.
"You want my baby?" Gabrielle protested.
"Hey, I'd be doing you a favor," Ares replied. "Kids are so messy. They can be a real nuisance sometimes, especially when they get older. Think of the headaches you'd be avoiding?"
"I can't believe you just asked her that?" Aphrodite shot to her feet.
Ares frowned impatiently. "Don't you have a pedicure to go to or something?" He asked.
He ignored his sisters scathing stare and looked back at Gabrielle, his eyebrows rising inquisitively. "That's the deal?"
When Gabrielle wasn't quick to respond, Ares looked at the sky again. "Might want to hurry, Gabrielle. I don't think your man has much time left?"
Gabrielle's eyes were like glaciers as she stared at Ares. "No deal."
Ares put a finger behind his ear and leaned forward a bit. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"She said no deal," Aphrodite repeated, stepping towards him.
Ares frowned at his sister again. "You sure about that?"
"She sounded pretty certain to me," Another voice said from within the house.
Ares eyes widened as David stepped into view and leaned against the door frame.
"I'm feeling much better, now, by the way," David said, folding his arms across his chest and smiling at Ares. "Thanks for the concern."
"Leave them alone, Ares," Aphrodite said angrily.
Ares pushed past Aphrodite, his anger blazing. "How are you-" He started. An arrow slammed into the ground at his feet, causing him to jump back a step. The golden shaft stayed for just a few seconds and then vanished in a soft shower of sparks.
"What's this?" Ares asked, looking up at the room of the house.
There was another flash of sparks and Aphrodite reappeared in front of the door, standing protectively in front of David and Gabrielle.
"Nice shot, Cupid," Aphrodite smiled proudly.
"Thanks, mom," The young winged figure said, stepping fully into view, his bow bent again, aimed at Ares. "Sup, Unc?"
Ares looked about the grounds and laughed out loud. "What's this?" he asked again. He fixed his dark eyes on the young blonde haired figure atop the house. "This some kind of a joke?"
"I'm not laughing," Cupid replied evenly, his fingers barely restraining the bowstring.
Quickly, David ushered Gabrielle inside and turned back to observe the confrontation.
"Give me a break!" Ares said, stepping forward. A second arrow just missed his foot, causing him to jump back again. He looked up angrily.
"What do you think you're doing?" He yelled at Cupid.
Cupid had another arrow notched and shrugged. "Us archers gotta stay tight, you know?"
"Now, here's my deal," Aphrodite said with unusual steel. "You're going to leave David, Gabrielle, and any kids they might have alone, got it?"
"Yeah, and if I don't?" Ares retorted angrily.
"Ever wonder what might happen if the God of War got struck by one of Cupid's arrows?" Aphrodite smiled coldly. She inclined her head towards her son. "You ever think about that?"
"All the time," Cupid replied, smiling. "I kinda figured that Gramps didn't want me popping the others because it could mess things up?" He smiled slightly as he sighted his uncle along the shaft of his arrow. "Always been kinda curious though?"
"Here's what I think would happen," Aphrodite said proudly, stepping forward and mentally remembering that she needed to stay out of her son's line of fire. "I think that if a god got hit by one of Cupids arrows, like you maybe? I think you'd turn into a love sick little puppy dog? I think you'd fall for the first person you'd see?"
Ares lips were twitching into a fierce snarl.
"And I'd make sure that the first person you'd see would be me?" Aphrodite finished, smiling. "Granted, the idea of my own brother fawning over me is like, totally gross, but the same thing has happened in our family before?"
"You wouldn't!" Ares growled. He looked up at David, still leaning against the door frame.
"I wouldn't look over here, man," David smiled. "You don't want to end up as my bitch."
Ares looked behind him.
"Nothing but farm animals that way," David offered, smiling. "Careful."
Ares took another step forward, only to have yet another arrow send him jumping back.
He roared in frustration. Behind his bow, Cupid only smiled softly and watched his uncle for any sudden moves.
"Fine," Ares said, backing away from the house. "I'll give you this one, but somewhere, somehow, I'm going to get my Destroyer of Nations back! And not you!" He pointed at David. "Or You!" Now at Cupid. "Or You are going to stop me!" He finished, looking at Aphrodite, his chest heaving in fury. "I'll get her back, no matter what!"
Aphrodite's face changed from one of determination to something resembling sadness.
"You're right," she finally said in a defeated voice. "You won't stop." She looked back at David, her eyes filled with grim understanding. She nodded once and looked back up at him. "Sorry, bro." She stepped back, her eyes welling up with tears.
Confusion spread on Ares face as he watched his sister back away, looking totally heartbroken. Then he looked up at David and his gaze went dark as midnight.
"You!" He growled. He seemed ready to leap at him, Cupids arrows be damned.
David merely held out his hand in a staying gesture.
The God of War seemed suddenly rooted in place. He struggled forward a step or two, trying to bash his way through the spell that David was casting.
Cupid watched this for a moment, and then decided. He let his arrow fly. It ricocheted off the invisible barrier now holding Ares and vanished.
Dust and small bits of debris floated up around Ares as the energies burned through the ether.
Cupid ran down to the edge of the roof and watched in amazement.
"Wicked," He breathed.
Ares was bellowing with fury as he struggled against this new threat. He tried to vanish, but that failed him. Then he drew on his own nearly limitless reserves of power.
David's face broke out in a sweat as he tried to will the enchantments into action, but it was too much. He could feel himself weakening. He couldn't even bring the components he had crafted into play. He cried out in agony.
"Ma!" Cupid shouted over the rising wind.
Aphrodite looked between the two men, her heart torn apart by the events.
"Ma!" Cupid shouted again. "He can't do it by himself!"
Aphrodite's fists clenched in frustration. She bit her lip as she watched the confrontation. Behind David, she could see Gabrielle, on the floor, her eyes wide in horror.
Ares' hand punched through the wall of energy, his eyes alight with battle fury.
"He'll kill him, Ma!" Cupid shouted again. "You know he will!"
Aphrodite looked back at Gabrielle and saw her, alone, with a child constantly under threat, trying to survive and stay clear of Ares for the rest of her life. They locked eyes, and Gabrielle pleaded desperately. Her lips moving, though she couldn't hear her voice.
With a sob, Aphrodite flung her hands towards Ares, adding her own power to the mix. Instantly, the ground where David had camouflaged the rest of his paraphernalia burst upward in a cloud of dust. The large black panels caught in the vortex and swirled upwards, coming back down around the trapped war god. Panels of dark purplish black wood, deep red satin, and the shining cloud of nails all descending upon Ares. He roared in defiance one more time as the sounds of panels slamming together reverberated across the valley. Nails drove their way home in the construct and then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The cloud of dust dissipated and left a single large casket shaped box standing on it end in the middle of the yard. It wavered slightly and then fell back with an ominous thud that sent shockwaves through the ground.
From his perch atop the roof, Cupid smiled appreciatively. "Now that was cool."
David let his hand drop and staggered down the steps. He put a hand on Aphrodite's shoulder and saw the tears on her face when she turned around. She wrapped her arms about his neck and sobbed.
David smiled and rocked her gently, all the while repeating quietly. "It's okay. It's okay." He held her a few moments longer and then said, "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah, right," Aphrodite sobbed.
David held both of her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.
"I couldn't have," He repeated gently. "Even at a hundred percent, I couldn't have done it. You saved us all, Dite. Not me, you."
She looked up at him and her eyes began to widen in realization. "I did?"
David nodded.
Aphrodite looked over at Gabrielle as she emerged from the house, her face a mass of conflicting emotions. She stood next to them for a moment and then wrapped one arm around each of their necks and hugged them both tightly.
After a while, Aphrodite broke away and went to stand before the large black coffin. It was intricately graven with runic symbols and ornate tracings that seemed to writhe in the light. The surface shone mirror smooth in the sunlight. Her hand gently touched the surface and she looked back up at David.
"He's still alive, Aphrodite," David nodded. "He's sleeping. Only sleeping."
Cupid dropped from the roof and lighted next to his mother. He put a hand on her shoulder and sighed.
"You did good, mom," he said. "If he had been coming after Eros, you'd have done the same thing, right?"
Aphrodite sniffed and nodded her head.
"Well?" Cupid asked. "What's so different about them?"
"We gotta put him somewhere," Aphrodite said suddenly. "Someone might come by and open him up?"
Cupid thought for a second and then shrugged. "What about those caves that me and the guys go spelunking in, up in Mesopotamia? We put Unc there, and no one will find him for an ape's age?"
"Wait a minute," Gabrielle's voice said from behind them. She came forward with several bags of rolled scrolls. "If you put him somewhere, put these with him?"
"Why?" Aphrodite asked.
"Because he was a part of them, and he's in them. He wasn't always so bad and anyone who finds him should know that?" She shrugged. "If anything, someone reading them might learn about him, and all of us?"
"These are your scrolls Gabrielle?" Aphrodite sniffed.
Gabrielle smiled, pointing at her head. "I still have them, up here."
Aphrodite nodded and accepted the six full bags. Then she faced the coffin again.
"Want some help?" Cupid offered.
"No," Aphrodite put her hand on his arm. "No, I'll do it." In a flash of sparks, Aphrodite and the casket vanished.
Only then did David let his breath out and fall back onto the grass, his arms resting on his knees. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and then drew out a cigar, striking a match on the flags nearby.
Cupid smiled in amusement and stepped over.
"Us archers gotta stay tight, huh?" David asked as he lit the tobacco.
Cupid laughed. "You know it."
David extended his hand, and Cupid grabbed it surfer style and shook.
"Oh," David said suddenly, fishing inside his vest again. He drew out two more of the cigars and extended them to the young archer. "For you?"
Cupid frowned. "Why two?"
David grinned. "One for the one you got. The other for the cousin he'll have in a few months?"
Cupid looked at them curiously and smiled.
"Try em," David suggested. "If anything, they'll drive your wife nuts?"
Cupid laughed again, and then he looked up at the sky and grimaced.
"Oh man," he moaned. "I gotta bail. I'm supposed to take Psyche out for dinner tonight!" He looked down at David and smiled. "You know how hard it is to get a babysitter these days?"
"Fly safe," David grinned.
Cupid looked over at Gabrielle and nodded. "Take it easy, now. Later!"
He waggled his one hand in a 'hang loose' sign, leapt skyward, and vanished from sight.
David lay back on the grass and smoked, watching the clouds moving high above. He sighed.
Gabriele came and stood over him, her face back lit by the sun. She looked radiant as she smiled down at him. She went to sit next to him, but David held up his hand.
"Wait a second," he said quickly. "Don't move."
"What?" Gabrielle asked, smiling.
"Stay right there," David replied, smiling. "I just want to take it all in."
Finally Gabrielle laughed and lay down next to him. "Was that enough?"
"Never," David grinned.