Chapter 4: What I Was There For
When I finally stirred, I was overcome with massive hunger. It occurred to me that I'd only had one full meal the previous day; and not a very filling one, at that. I reminded myself to never again sleep in an armchair on account of the excessively painful kink in my neck. I groaned.
"You are awake," Thanatos observed. He lay on his back, both arms resting on either side of him. The gauze which I'd dressed his wounds with had been stripped away, revealing that he'd healed. His marble torso once again flawless, it was hard to for me to believe that he'd even been injured in the first place. Not even so much as a scar marred that perfect flesh now.
"How long did it take to heal?" I asked groggily.
"Quickly," he replied; unspecific.
Rather then pester him further about it, I squinted across the room at an alarm clock placed haphazardly atop the beside table. It read:
8:02 am
I rubbed my eyes.
"What are the plans for today?"
"I don't know," I muttered, and dragged myself from the chair into the bathroom. I closed the door with a faint click behind me.
Since I really needed one, I took a fifteen-minute shower. Next I towel-dried my hair and peered into the mirror at my bloodshot bedroom eyes. I looked zombie-like with those black bags beneath them. I finally noticed my beat-up hands and knees. Over concern for Thanatos, I hadn't dressed my own injuries. I didn't want them to get infected, so I dug out the first aid kit and piled a mountain of Band-Aids over my scabbed scratches and cuts.
I changed clothes, choosing something relatively less complicated—a red t-shirt and black denim skirt with black-and-red checkered Vans sneakers, penciling black liner onto my eyes and brushing my teeth afterwards. If the order I did morning necessities was off somehow, I hardly cared. My sense of normality had been stolen from me two days previous. I didn't have anything on my mind until I returned to the main room to Thanatos, and nearly brought myself closer to him (Death) with laughter. I choked.
He glanced at me. He sported a Hawaiian shirt. Yes. A Hawaiian shirt, which was green and blue with a white plumeria pattern. His shorts? Khaki and below his knees. He had white ankle-high socks, and black sandals strapped on, as well as a wristwatch. I doubled over cackling. He looked like sickly, anemic, tourist.
"Why do you laugh?" Thanatos asked, apparently confused.
There were stitches in my sides. I couldn't answer, breathless. He frowned.
"I am going to insist that you cease," he warned. "I am becoming upset."
"S-Sorry." I wiped away tears of mirth.
"Tell me what is the matter. Does it pertain to my apparel?"
"It really doesn't suit you," I admitted, unable to stop grinning.
"I fail to see why. During your absence yesterday, I observed many mortals going about their daily lives. This attire seemed widely accepted among them."
"Maybe if you're sixty years old," I said.
"I am not sixty. In fact, I am far older. I have existed for millennia. I--"
"Yeah, I'm sure you have, but those colors don't work with you," I said. "You need monochromatic colors." He was just short of being albino, after all.
"What do you suggest?" he inquired blandly.
"Mm, I think you should wear, maybe, a black leather jacket and dark jeans. How does that sound?"
"Acceptable." He snapped his fingers, and it was done. "Satisfied?"
"Yup." I smiled. Then my stomach growled. I winced.
"Uh, but I think I'm going to call room service."
He arched a brow.
"Room service?"
"Yeah, I'm starving." I headed towards the telephone, which sat beside the alarm clock on the table. "Do you want anything?"
"It is your decision, little one."
I dialed. My stomach continued to protest its lack of fuel. I impatiently waited for someone to answer, and hoped they spoke English.
"Hello? I would like some pancakes, French toast, a glass of orange juice, and chocolate milk," I said.
"Oh-key." The person was heavily accented, but at least they got the gist of what I was saying. I hung up. Thanatos watched my every move with a badly-concealed interest. I chuckled.
"What was that object?" he asked.
"Oh, a telephone. It's science. You know, invented by Alexander Graham Bell?"
He gave me a blank look. I shrugged.
I plopped onto my stomach across the bed, feeling around for the TV remote.
Thanatos jumped as a murmur of voices and canned laughter came from the black box. The TV was perched on the other side of the room; on a mahogany dresser. He suddenly hid by the side of the bed, and then slowly peeked over the edge at the dancing figures moving across its screen. He edged gradually towards it, close to the floor. I bit my lip, preventing an amused simper from spreading. Thanatos moved right up to the TV, on his knees, then lashed out with his index finger. He gave it a firm poke on the glass screen, and retreated immediately. The sitcom family paid him no mind, and continued interacting with each other.
"There are tiny mortals trapped inside!" he hissed.
"There aren't real. They are just moving pictures," I said. "It's another modern invention. The television."
"How?"
Thanatos stood, blocking my view of the show. He explored the back of the television set, tugging at various wires, until he yanked the power plug right out of the socket. The TV went silent. He paused, and then shoved the plug back from whence it came. The TV roared to life.
"I see…" he whispered. "It is not magic?"
"Nope."
There was a knock at the door, and I sprang from the bed. As I threw the door ajar, an elderly woman rolled in a cart of food. She gave me two plates and glasses; my order. She stayed long enough to be paid, and then departed. I carried the meals back to the bed.
Thanatos hovered over me until I handed him the plate of pancakes and his orange juice. He sank onto the end of the bed next to me, and I was certain to show him how to use a fork before he spilled syrup all over himself. I changed the TV channel to Spongebob Squarepants, and we both ate in silence.
The crazy underwater characters hopped hyperactively as Thanatos shoveled pancake into his mouth. His eyes were fixed ahead; on the TV. Though he finished his breakfast much faster than I did, he did not take his eyes off of them. I didn't expect the reaction I got when I turned off the TV.
"Wait! I desire to watch more of the strange little yellow sponge!" he cried.
I set my cleaned plate aside, downing the last of my chocolate milk.
"I'm done eating, and so are you. Don't you think that we should come up with something to do today?"
"I suppose…"
"Well, we need to. I came to Greece to discover my 'cultural origins'. If I don't, my mom is going to haunt me about it for the rest of my days. Basically, I had to fly all the way from America to--"
"Do you not fear flying?"
"Well, yes, but," I didn't say anything else. He would never understand an airplane, even if I tried to explain it to him. "Anyway, I need to learn my history through anything method possible; ruins, sculptures… Stuff like that. Maybe you can help me in that area."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, you were around during those days," I said. "Maybe we could visit places that you remember?"
"I am certain that things are different," he said. "But it may be somewhat interesting to find out exactly how much things have changed."
I thought for a moment. Where could we go? There were the usual touristy locations—museums, ancient temples… I could always go see the Temple at Delphi. I always wanted to.
"How about the Temple at Delphi?" I proposed.
"You jest." Thanatos frowned. "I will not visit the temples of other gods and pay homage. Why should they, when even they, the deathless gods, loathe me as greatly as the mortals do?"
Well, I was stumped. I didn't know what other options we had to choose from. I still had museums, islands… Hey! That was it!
"Where's Odysseus' island?" I asked.
"Odysseus, descendant of Sisyphos?"
"Did you know Odysseus?"
"No, not him. But I did know Sisyphos, I am sorry to say." He scowled.
"Syphilis?"
"Sisyphos. I would rather not speak of him."
Odd. I really didn't know anything about Thanatos or his past experiences. But it was obvious he didn't like this Sisyphos, whoever he was.
"So you don't want to talk about Odysseus, either?"
"I have nothing against Odysseus," he said to my surprise.
"Well, that's good. I was thinking we could visit his island. I heard there are the remains of his palace on it; or that's what people say, anyway. What was that island called…?"
"Ithaka?"
"That's the one!"
He nodded.
"As I recall, he was a favorite of Pallas Athena. She assisted him on his many journeys."
I grinned. We were making progress!
"And how do you propose we get to Ithaka?" he asked. "It is a long way."
I hadn't though of that… I supposed that we could take a train and a boat, as I knew it was in the sea somewhere. But would Thanatos brave a train and a boat, if he couldn't even handle a car? But even if he did, it would take a whole day of traveling, and I didn't have a hotel waiting for us when we got there. I didn't have anywhere to take my luggage or sleep.
"Oh, never mind. It's too far." My spirits fell.
"I have a suggestion."
He began to pace around the room again. His mouth stretched into that familiar, thin line.
"I realize that you are not fond of flying with me, but I believe you might enjoy the sensation in you had the ability to fly yourself."
"But I can't fly," I reminded him.
"No, that is true." He brought a hand to his lips, appearing pensive. "But there may be a way. Yes, I think so. If I could obtain Hermes' sandals…"
I watched him walk back and forth, perplexed.
"The sea is the next dilemma. You cannot possibly swim the entire way. I suppose I could borrow Amphitrite's crown to turn you into a Nereid for a bit."
I didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about. He was apparently scheming out some adventure orally, and I didn't know if I liked the sound of it.
"Yes, yes… It could perhaps work that way. But we must leave immediately. We have much to do in preparation."
He turned to me, finally. I stood up.
"Uh, okay. Where are we going, then?"
"The northern coast of the Mediterranean; there lies a cave. It is the abode of Leukothea and Palaimon. I am sure they could arrange for me to accumulate the crown."
"Leukemia and Piedmont? Who are they?"
"Leukothea and Palaimon. You will see." Thanatos seemed sure of himself. "Xanthos will take us there."
I recalled that being the name of the freaky horse from the night before. But it didn't make any sense. Couldn't Xanthos just take us straight to Ithaca? What was the point of getting some crown and a pair of sandals to do other random crap?
"Can't Xanthos take us directly to Ithaca?" I asked.
Again with the thin-lined Thanatos smile!
"I want you to do it my way. I promise it will be worth your while."
I shrugged. There was nothing I could say, I'm sure, that could have changed his mind. I'd chance that he was excited about it, but that was pushing it. Thanatos? Excited? Psh! Please…
"YES, MY LORD."
Xanthos was rather accommodating when Thanatos made the commands. I supposed it was his job to obey the gods of the Underworld. Considering they were all dark and spooky standing next to each other, I knew they must have come from the same place. I got onto Xanthos behind Than (I resolved that I would give him a nickname whether he liked it or not) and readied myself for the abnormal speed of a demon horse.
Next thing I knew, we were on a cliff face; a promontory jutting out over the sea. The waves crashed, spraying white foam. I couldn't see a cave anywhere.
"Uh, where is this cave you were talking about?" I asked.
Xanthos just poofed into nothingness, probably because we had no further use for him having reached our destination. Thanatos held out his arms to me.
"The cave is below. There are some rocks, and then the mouth. I will have to fly you down. But it is a short flight. Do not fear."
Instead of arguing, I just held on. His wings were suddenly there, and we were descending to the rocks. He set me down carefully on them first, and then landed himself. I accidentally slipped; the rocks were slippery from the sea constantly licking them. He grasped my hand and pulled me away from the edge. I thumped against him.
"Th-Thanks," I stuttered.
He instantly released me, and turned away to face the cave. Was he trying to hide his face?
"This is the entrance. Follow me. Stay close."
I slunk behind him, mirroring his every step. We trekked down a long, narrow path underground, which eventually opened into a cavernous hold. My jaw dropped.
It was lavishly furnished, but with objects made probably from things of the sea. Shells and dried seaweed and netting some sort. There were chairs, and the walls were shimmering. It was though the wallpaper, or whatever you called it, was lined with iridescent paper like what lined the inside of an oyster shell. I saw stairways carved into the very stone of the cave, which led to many other chambers. The amazement did not end there.
A woman entered from another chamber. No, not a woman, she was far too beautiful; she was a goddess! She had foam-white skin, and salt-and-pepper hair. It was tied up, ornamented with colorful seashells. She had strings of pearls tied around her neck and wrists, and he dress was entirely spun with seaweed. Though she looked like a graceful young woman, something about her eyes, and the way she carried herself, made her seem wise and ancient and powerful. I hid behind Than.
"Leukothea," Thanatos said.
"Akherontis." Her voice had a regal tone. One of her eyebrows disappeared under a stray bang. "To what do I owe this…Unexpected visit?"
"I seek to have a loan of Amphitrite's crown. I thought perhaps you could assist me in obtaining it."
"Yes, of course, I believe I can send my son with you and—Who is this?"
She stared past Thanatos, her light eyes boring into me without reservation. I shivered.
"This mortal is under my charge for the moment. I cannot take her along. If I may, I would solicit that she could remain here until I return."
"Yes, of course." There was a touch of amusement in the goddess' eyes, but she called down into another chamber without delay.
"Palaimon!"
A young man came trotting out.
"Yes, mother?"
He had bronzed skin, slightly amphibious to the eyes, and short-ish, blond hair. He wore nothing save for a cloth of fish scales tied around his waist.
"Thanatos? This is a surprise." He whistled.
"I need you to go with Akherontis. He wishes to borrow the crown of Amphitrite," she explained.
"Ah, I see." The youth smirked.
"Where may I leave Am—the mortal?" Thanatos asked.
"This way." Leukothea gestured to a room, and led us.
I cringed back. There was a sofa, and loud machine gun noises coming from a TV set. The floor was buried in videogame boxes, and all the electronics were covered with plastic. The detail that stood out the most was the fact that the entire room was flooded in knee-deep salt water. He turned his head to look at us. And by 'he' I mean a very large half shark, half man. His flesh was rubbery and gray, and he was man-like from waist-up. But from waist-down, he had the tail-end of a shark. He had gills, sharp claws, and very pointy teeth. Clutching a game controller in his hands, he grinned across the chamber at us toothily.
"She may stay with Akheilos," Leukothea said. "He is living with us."
I wasn't sure this was the safest set-up, but if this monstrous shark-person was playing videogames, maybe he wasn't so bad?
"Uh, nice to meet you," I said.
"Likewise," Akheilos said, still grinning.
Leukothea left us, and I led Thanatos to the corner for a private talk.
"Are you really going to leave me here?" I hissed.
"You will be all right. They cannot violate the laws of hospitality and harm you without consequence," he assured me.
"But Thanatos, I…"
"I will be back soon."
I sloshed over to Akheilos and dropped into the sofa beside him. The bottom of my skirt and my shoes were now completely drenched. I didn't really like how it felt.
"My name is Amarante," I said.
"That's an interesting name for a mortal nowadays," Akheilos commented, then stared over my shoulder. Thanatos was lingering in the doorway next to Palaimon, scowling at Akheilos.
"You can go now," Akheilos called, laughing. "I promise I won't bite her."
Thanatos scoffed and left, Palaimon close behind.
"Wow, he has it bad," Akheilos muttered under his breath.
"What?" I blinked.
"Never mind." He paused, staring at me for a moment.
"Want to play a videogame with me?" he asked finally.
I shrugged. "Sure."