Chapter Two: Deathly Blues
The next morning I awoke, and yelped. There he sat in an armchair, across from my bed. It was all I could do to keep from hyperventilating. I could not believe it. He wasn't supposed to be real!
"Oh, my God," I gasped.
Thanatos looked around. "Yes?"
I pressed back to the headboard of my bed, bringing the covers up to my face. I wished I could simply melt into nothingness beneath my sheets.
"You weren't supposed to be real," I repeated, this time aloud.
"Ah, I see what it is, now." Thanatos stood, and paced from one end of the room to the other.
"Do I appear to be an illusion?" he asked. His dark eyes smoldered.
"I guess not," I said. Or rather, croaked.
"Up," he commanded. "Dress. I want to be going."
"Going where?" I asked.
"I do not know. You will go where you want to go, and I shall accompany you."
"Oh…"
I lifted myself out of bed, and held the blanket to myself as I edged towards the bathroom. Having a real, live, beautiful god in my room made me more than a bit self-conscious of being seen in my night slip. Thanatos eyed me from the other side of the room, his countenance somewhat pensive.
"Would you be more comfortable if I waited outside?" he asked finally.
A satisfying wave of relief passed over me.
"Yes."
"Very well." He turned and passed, quite literally, through the door.
I squeaked and immediately retreated into the bathroom, alarmed enough by his actual existence without displays of his godly power. I slammed and bolted the door, then soon found myself cringing in the corner.
"Oh, dear, oh, dear…" I chewed on my nails.
"What am I going to do now?! Call Mom? No, she won't believe me. Anemone is flying to Germany first thing in the morning, so she's probably gone already and can't do a thing for me. The police? No, no, he's a god! He'd either kill them or escape! Should I try and climb out the window? No! He would find me! I'm doomed, oh, great!" I buried my head in my arms.
"Okay, Amarante, breathe. Maybe he isn't so bad. Oh, am I kidding, he's Death! But he didn't kill me yet, so--"
Though I am aware my monologue to myself displays a questionable sanity, I assure you I thought things through better out loud. Could you blame me in light of the situation? I was fighting down a mental breakdown!
"--Maybe, just maybe, he won't kill me! I mean, he's beautiful! And I'm not exactly mean or anything. He's just so… Oh, dear, what am I going to wear?!"
I
started tearing through my things. If I didn't want to look like an
idiot next to him, I would have to be especially dazzling. So I
managed to locate a frilly black Victorian-styled blouse and long
lacy skirt of the same color. To complete the look, I wore pointed
ankle-high boots. My hair went pinned up in a bun with loose bangs,
and I accented my pale complexion with a dusting of rosy blush and
maroon eye shadow. As always, I was a stickler to my vintage glamour
even under dire circumstances. And not wanting to leave this
potentially dangerous "man" hanging much longer, I grabbed my
purse and took off out the door (not through it, mind you).
Thanatos stood at the end of the hallway, by the staircase. The next
thing that occurred gave me a much-needed boost in my self-esteem.
The moment he regarded me in my finery, a very gentle, almost wistful
look glistened in his eyes. It was gone as quickly as it came,
leaving my skin prickling and my heart wrenching with a very peculiar
feeling.
"Uh," I began, tugging absentmindedly on the hem of my skirt. "I'm ready."
And as a reaffirmation that I had not imagined his expression, he paused; even fidgeted a little with his hands. It didn't last.
"Have you decided where we are going primarily?" he asked me.
I stared directly into his coal-black eyes, knowing that I had not paid attention.
I was attempting to sort out the strange, new emotion brewing in my stomach.
"Sorry. Can you repeat that?"
"I asked where we are going."
"Uh, well, I usually go shopping the first day."
"Shop…Ping?"
"Do you know what I mean? Like, I purchase clothes and shoes and all that."
"That does not interest me."
I went rigid. Not a good start. No, definitely a terrible start. Great. This was just great. I knew now he wouldn't like anything I did; and therefore I wouldn't be able to go anywhere I wanted, either. This was going to be the worst vacation I'd ever been on, and if I resisted him, he was sure to kill me.
"But I supposed I could give it a try."
My face brightened. I was completely shocked. And then I understood he'd changed his mind solely because of the pall that had come over my features. I fought down the resulting blush and rushed to the stairs.
"We should probably get going," I said, more to myself than anyone.
I went directly to the front desk, and found that the nearest shopping center was back in Athens. It wasn't too far, but far enough that it would take two hours on foot to reach. I reported the information to Thanatos.
"What shall transport us, then?" he asked.
"I suppose we could call a cab," I said. We left through the front doors. But my suggestion was not met well.
"Oh, you do not mean one of those great metal beasts, do you? I cannot tell you how many souls I have claimed from catastrophes relating to them. I should not want to ride in one." Thanatos appeared suddenly very fearful; or anxious in the least.
"But you're a god, aren't you? You wouldn't be hurt in a car crash." I was perplexed.
"No. I would be injured, but I would heal rapidly. I would not die, if that is what you mean. But I do not want to test it just the same."
"Fair enough," I said. "But how else can we get there?"
Thanatos mulled this over.
"Well, we could fly," he suggested.
My stomach twisted in knots. I did not do well with heights.
"Fly? How are we going to fly?"
"I can fly," he reminded me.
"Oh. Oh!" I blushed madly. "I forgot." This was not good.
"I assume you want to be out of sight beforehand," he said.
"Oh? Oh, yes. Wings. Wings tend to throw some people off." I laughed robotically.
He arched a brow, but said nothing.
We wandered beyond the trees and discovered a clearing of sorts. The wings which had since been hidden from sight unfolded from between his shoulder blades. If there was ever a doubt in my mind, he was decidedly not human. Of course, I knew I couldn't fly, and that meant I would have to come into close contact with him. My face started to burn. I sincerely hoped I wasn't blushing again. I was deathly afraid heights, but being close to someone this attractive, namely Death, did not help me whatsoever.
"So, uh, Thanatos… You realize that in order to fly us together that you are going to have to…" I trailed off.
His lips parted, and he started blankly; almost as though he hadn't given it all that much thought. Now he knew what I meant. He also knew that he didn't want me to touch him. I could tell. Humans probably made his skin crawl.
"You don't want me to touch you, do you," I stated bluntly.
"I am not used to being touched, admittedly," he said.
"You refused to take the cab."
"You are correct. I brought this on myself." His forehead creased, and he sighed.
"Come, then." He gestured. I moved towards him with some measure of reluctance. I had to make my phobia known to him.
"I am scared of heights," I told Thanatos, craning my head to be able to meet his eye level. I was rather short, and he was somewhat tall.
"Are you afraid?" he asked.
"Terribly afraid," I said.
"I will not drop you."
"Do you promise?"
He eyed me strangely.
"If you wish it, I will swear an oath on the river Styx. It is an oath I cannot break."
"No," I said. "That's okay. I believe you."
"Then?"
"We can go. Uh, may I?" I stepped up to him.
"You may." He drew me against him, and tightened his arms securely around my waist. I shivered. I expected to feel warmth, but he was cold. He felt like an ice cube.
"Hold on tightly." I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him.
I wasn't prepared for it. He wings arched and gave a massive flap that propelled us into the air. We ascended swiftly, and the trees below were suddenly tiny specks. I did not scream, but I squeaked. I buried my face into the fabric of his turtleneck. He twitched under my chokehold.
"Little one, I…Please loosen your grip on me."
The terror of the air rushing beneath my dangling legs prevented any movement on my behalf. I squeezed him. Tears streamed down my face and I clenched my teeth. He bent his head down to my ear and whispered.
"Little one… I promised I would not drop you," he said gently. I thought I would melt. I went limp, and he, in turn, held fast. He panicked, trying to support me, as I was slipping.
"Not that loose!" he cried. I gripped him again.
"Better," he breathed. His face relaxed.
"Sorry," I murmured, beginning to get a hold of my fear. He'd somehow managed not to kill me despite being by nature Death.
"Why don't you look at the view?" he suggested.
"I can't. I just can't look." I kept my face against his chest.
"Very well."
We did not talk the rest of the way. The sky was as cold, if not colder, than his body. My teeth chattered. We touched down, thankfully, right on the edge of Athens.
"We can go by foot the rest of the way," he said.
"Okay," I muttered, backing away from him and rubbing my arms. I was so cold. He still had his arms out as though he hadn't expected me to pull away so soon. I hope he wasn't getting the wrong impression.
"The sky is cold," I said quickly.
"Oh. Yes." He turned from me, and walked. I followed him. I was starting to get hungry.
"Are you hungry?" I asked.
"I do not get hungry," he replied.
"You don't? Don't you eat?"
"I can eat. Mortal cuisine pales in comparison to ambrosia and nectar."
"I wouldn't know," I said. "Well, I'm hungry. I think we should have some Greek food."
"Very well. Do you need some form of payment for the meal? Gold coin?"
"No, I have money."
I stopped in front of some sort of café. It was a Greek café, and I was certainly glad we didn't have to look far in Greece to find Greek food.
"This looks promising," I said, and grasped the handle of the café's glass door.
"How so? The door is strange in appearance." Rather than enter the café as I'd intended him to, he bent over and examined the glass door with an air of curiosity.
"Uh, I didn't mean the door, I mean the café."
"Oh." He stood up straight, shrugged it off, and went inside.
A waiter led us to a two-person booth in the back of the cafe. He handled us a couple of menus and disappeared into the kitchen without a word.
"Dolmades," I said. "For an appetizer."
"What is that?" he asked.
"Stuffed grape leaves. They have rice in them. They're really good," I replied.
"Hm. What shall I get? I cannot read this text." He squinted, turning the menu upside down. It was written in English script, not Greek lettering.
"Oh. A lamb gyro, maybe? I'll get spanakopita."
"What is that?"
"You'll just have to see." I didn't want to explain any more foods. "Just trust me."
"Very well."
"And drinks. There's soda and fruit juice."
"Soh-dah?"
"Do you want to try it?"
"I suppose."
"I'll get you juice, too. Just in case."
The waiter reappeared and I echoed our choices to him. Momentarily he was back with the drinks.
"Why don't gods eat?" I asked Thanatos.
"Food does nothing for us. We are immortal. Anything I consume turns to ash after I swallow it."
"That's so weird!"
"For you, perhaps it is."
I put a straw into my Coke. But before I could stop him, Thanatos chugged half of his glass of Coke. I winced, waiting for the reaction. It came immediately.
"Ye gods!" He coughed, making choking noises and grasping at his throat. With the other hand he flung the glass onto the floor. It shattered, and the rest of it spilled all over. His eyes poured tears.
"My throat is burning!" he shrieked.
"Calm down! It's supposed to do that! Soda is carbonated water, edible concentrations of acids, and sugar. It burns a little. You're not supposed to drink all that much of it at once. That's what the straw is for!" I demonstrated slurping the liquid through the straw for him. He sniffed, mopping his eyes with his sleeve.
"I do not care! I am never drinking that vile substance again!"
The ruckus attracted the waiter, who was very obviously annoyed at the mess Thanatos had made. I apologized repeatedly for five minutes as he swept up the glass. Luckily I was not charged extra for his carelessness. Thanatos stayed with his fruit juice, and the food came soon after. Thanatos, luckily, ate the rest of the food and did not throw anything else onto the floor. He ate the dolmades, his lamb gyro, and even some of my spinach-feta-and-filo-dough spanakopita. I was slightly aggravated because I did not get to eat as much as I would have liked.
"I take it you liked the food."
"It was adequate considering it was man-made," he admitted.
"I guess that's the best I can get out of you, huh?"
I paid the bill and we hit the shops. I went through many articles of clothing. I tried blouses, skirts, pants, and accessories. I even bought a few things as well. I was enjoying myself, but Thanatos was not. He wrinkled his nose every time I grabbed at something and grinned. He seemed either bored by this activity, or revolted by the various human styles he saw. It was irritating that he could not say something to the affect of what was bothering him.
"You know, we can always get you something," I offered.
"I can appear as I like, so there is no need. Mortal weave is so uncomfortable and primitive, besides," he said.
I was getting fed up with his attitude and unwillingness to try anything that was not his own. I could not stop myself from commenting on it.
"Why? Because we weren't gifted with the ability to make clothes out of thin air?"
"Gods could not care less about those trivial matters."
"Right, because you are so self-important, it doesn't matter how you dress," I muttered.
Thanatos frowned. "I do not think you are acting respectfully, mortal."
"You know what?" It struck me that he didn't treat me respectfully. He didn't even know who I was! "When are you planning on asking my name?"
Thanatos went silent.
"I met you last night, and you didn't ask me. Today you haven't asked me, either. Are you fine with just calling me 'mortal' the entire time? I'm not an ant. I don't like to be treated that way."
"You never offered your name."
"I didn't offer to entertain you, either, but you still asked me. You could have asked for my name, too."
Thanatos' brows furrowed. I went even so far as to think he looked hurt.
"I am not okay with being just 'human' or 'mortal' to you. I am doing what I planned on doing, which is shopping. This is what people do for entertainment. I don't know what gods like; I warned you about that last night." I was becoming vastly annoyed. "If you don't like it, please find another human to toy with. I am sure there are plenty of other more amusing humans in Greece."
I stormed to the other end of the shop, leaving Thanatos gaping like a fish. I furiously dug through the sale items, seeking a steal. I wasn't actually looking at the clothing, but rather fuming over what I'd just said. I didn't particularly like having cruel outbursts, but really! It took me a minute to realize Thanatos was standing behind me, appearing hesitant and unsure of himself. I rolled my eyes.
"Why are you still here?" I demanded.
"I…" He looked down at his hands, murmuring. "I don't know where we are."
"Then find someone to help you," I snapped, turning back to the bargain bin.
"I don't want to find anyone else," he whispered.
I froze.
"I want to know your name," he said quietly. "I implore you. Please tell me."
I didn't speak straight away. I made him wait for it; hang onto my silence.
"Please?" he asked again.
"I'm Amarante," I said. "Amarante N."
"Amarante," he whispered. "That certainly explains it."
"Explains what?" I asked, confused. I faced him and folded my arms across my chest.
"It is nothing," he told me, his lips stretching into a thin line.
Well, if he was going to be that way… I shrugged.
"If you don't want to shop anymore, we can go back to the hotel," I said.
"I was wondering, actually," he began. He fidgeted again, like earlier, with his hands. "Is there anything in here that you think would look good on me?"