A free ebook from
living beyond reality TM press
ARTEMIS IN LOVE
by Diana Laurence
"Glorious Hera," I said to my stepmother, "I appreciate your point of view as always, but you must know by now I cannot change."
Hera stood outlined in the brilliant blue sky that shown in the arched window behind her. My father had designed this room for her, and it boasted the most spectacular view on Olympus, one I always envied her. "Will not change, Artemis," she corrected.
I swore we had had this precise conversation at least a dozen times. Losing patience would not help my cause, however. "I'm the patroness of virgins, I have a duty--"
"That status does not hold you to celibacy yourself, daughter. You are likewise patroness of mothers."
I had known this would be her response, why had I even attempted this course of logic? I sat back in my chair, and stared down at the pattern in the brocade of the arm, frowning silently. I knew I was slouching and that that would perturb her. That was the main reason I did it.
But Hera did not comment upon my posture. "You think I don't understand your nature, but I do," she said gently.
My stepmother is exasperating in that while you may fault her for her stubbornness, she is also wise, gracious, and kindly to those she loves. And she does love me, in spite of the fact that my father sired me by another. I believed Hera took pains to be such way because of her responsibilities as Queen of Olympus. She could not be goddess of all without setting the proper example for the rest of us. She always shamed me a little because I could not be as altruistic. All right, correct that: wouldn't be.
I looked up to meet her eyes. "I think you know my nature, but don't feel it. We are very different, Hera, I don't expect you to understand. You look out upon an evening vista and are content to sigh at its beauty and turn away from the window and assume your responsibilities. Me, I mount a horse and ride off into the dusky night to see what is happening in its shadows."
Hera gave me an affectionate smile. "You will always be a child," she said.
"Does it make me a child that I wish to indulge my desires? Do I not also attend to the prayers of the supplicants, and appear when and where my father commands, and comport myself as a goddess among mortals?"
Hera walked over to me and set her hand on my shoulder. "You do all this, Artemis, and I make no criticism of you on any count. I just ask that you find a mate. Among all the gods and mortals, surely there must be one who will please you. I think you make a point of not seeing him, and that I say is your mistake."
There was, of course, some truth in that. The Goddess of the Moon Artemis was not without feeling, and I had many a time found one young male or other beautiful and charming. But the price was too high to pay. I would not sacrifice my freedom. I stood so that my eyes were level with Hera's and looked into her face. "I have no wish to be bound, that's all," I told her.
My Queen regarded me intently. Being a goddess, she looked no older than I, but in her bearing there was always a maturity so substantial it seemed to color her appearance. We were nearly identical in height, but she always seemed taller. Her hair was golden, thick and wavy; mine was flaxen and smooth, more like a child's. And her body bore more curves compared to mine, which was lean and muscular. I was sure that in that moment she wished very much to be emphasizing our similarities, but she only made me feel a girl to her woman.
And after all, that was where the crucial difference lay.
A light sparked in Hera's eyes. I had seen that look before and feared for myself: it typically meant she had a plan. "Come to the window," she said, and took me by the hand. I acquiesced, for I had no other choice. We went to the great window and looked out on the misty view below, the pastures and habitations of mortals that spread in the shadow of Mount Olympus. As Hera stood at my side gazing out on the panorama, I felt her power gathering. "You need a change of scene," she said simply.
"A change of scene?" I asked, now trembling a little. But at this point Hera was working deep magic and did not reply. I braced myself and waited.
It happened literally in the blink of an eye.
One moment I stood at the window, quivering at the side of the Queen of the Gods, and when I blinked, I was...elsewhere. In a thick woods, with my quiver slung upon my back and my bow in my hand.
One had to travel far north of Olympus to find a forest so thick, and I had never seen one quite like this. The trees were of every possible variety, great towering oaks, whispering aspen with their silver leaves, fragrant fir trees, white-barked birch. And among them on the forest floor was spectacular undergrowth: vines with shiny emerald leaves, clumps of thick ferns, mushrooms in ivory and red, and flowers in every color from purple to gold to white.
This place was populated with all manner of creatures: butterflies and bees, little rodents scurrying under the bushes, bright birds flitting in the branches above. I examined everything around me with a delight that dispatched my disorientation. Not only did I like this wood, it seemed quite deserted of human life, and that suited me just fine. Perhaps I could conduct a pleasant hunt of the afternoon, taking down some interesting prey with my arrows. I could see no reason not to make the best of the situation.
So, I began to explore, keeping an arrow nocked and at the ready. I drew my bow a time or two at the sight of movement in the brush, but could never get a clear look at the target with so much flora in the way. I'm not one to shoot at what I can't clearly see; too many times mortals have been hiding and spying on the goddess and no good ever comes of shooting one of those. Likewise I had no heart to kill a juvenile creature, or a mother with young. I was in no hurry anyway, enjoying the scenery as much as the challenge of the hunt.
As I roamed, I mused about my quarrel with Hera. If she had intended this "change of scene" to move my sentiments in her direction, I wondered about her logic. This was exactly the sort of place that reinforced my possessiveness of my freedom. It promised all kinds of mysteries to explore, adventures to experience...it reminded me of all I would have to give up if I ever chose a life of domesticity.
Just then an interesting birdcall disturbed my reveries. It was a soft, melodious hoot, deep in the woods to my left. I followed the sound, hoping to spot the source. It repeated, each time becoming a little longer and a little more complex, until it ceased resembling birdsong and became the music of a human voice. As enchanted as I was by the beauty of it, at this point I grew wary. I knew such singing could only come from a god or a most clever mortal, and I didn't like not knowing which.
At this point I stood peering into the trees, no doubt looking like a dolt, with my brow frowning and my mouth hanging open. At any rate my musical companion found something amusing about me, for the notes ceased and I heard stifled laughter. A male. But from the sound not a large or burly one, so he could not be much of a match for me.
I turned my bow toward the source of the laughter and cried, "All right, enough jesting! Show yourself or incur my wrath!"
"Lower your bow, and I will," said a youthful voice, still tinged with mirth and quite unafraid.
I kept the arrow nocked but pointed it to the ground warily. "Come forth, then," I said, mustering all the authority to my voice that I could.
The thick hedge before me parted and out stepped...a boy. Or rather, a sort of man-boy, for he was just on the edge of adulthood and carried himself in a confident way that belied his age. Still, his face was young: smooth and dominated by huge green eyes. A beautiful face, truly.
"This is my forest," said the young man, hands on hips and a haughty look on his face. "And all the creatures in it are mine too. So if you wish to shoot one, you must ask permission of me first."
His cockiness was completely disarming. It was all I could do to keep my authoritative face on and not simply smile at him. "A goddess does not ask permission," I said.
His eyes widened. "You're a goddess?"
I had not been prepared for such an ingenuous reaction. I wondered how far I was from home that this boy knew nothing of me. "I am Artemis, Goddess of the Moon," I told him, with a gracious nod.
"The moon!" he cried, looking like he could hardly contain himself. But then he blinked and assumed a more formal air. "And I am Iason, but you may call me Jace." He bowed with a great flourish, then extended his hand with all the self-confidence of a well-traveled merchant. "Pleased to meet you, Goddess Artemis."
I stowed both bow and arrow and reached to clasp his hand. He gave mine a firm shake and released it. I was used to mortals either quaking before me or fawning for attention; this fellow's manner completely flummoxed me. He seemed impressed enough at meeting a goddess--or enthusiastic anyway--but didn't seem to quite appreciate the import. He stood there boldly, his feet set wide apart...a lithe, slender figure clad in a motley little costume fashioned from animal hides, his russet hair long and tousled and adorned with a single crimson feather.
"I am likewise pleased to meet you, Jace," I said, assuming a mortal's humble politeness.
"Yes, and I shall call you Artemis. With your permission, my lady."
This was merely courtesy; clearly the boy considered himself entitled to familiarity with me. But how could I say no? "By all means," I told him.
"So, then," said Jace with a take-charge air, "let's take a walk and make each other's acquaintance, Artemis."
To my disbelief he took me by the hand. What an intriguing boy....
Jace led me through some bushes and between two close fir trees, and we emerged on a path I had yet to discover. We set out down this trail at an easy pace.
"Tell me," said Jace cordially, "what does the Goddess of the Moon do? Can you make it full any night you wish?"
I laughed. "The moon does what she wants, no one commands her. That's why she is like me."
Jace released my hand and exclaimed, "And like me too! I go where I want and do what I like, and in my opinion so should any free man. Or woman, for that matter." Then he added, as if good manners required it, "And certainly should a goddess." After a moment's contemplation, Jace said, "Say, if you need someone to be God of the Moon, I might consider it."
I burst out laughing at this.
"Seriously!" he said, although did not seem offended by my mirth. "What qualifications would I need?"
"Well for one thing, you'd have to be immortal."
"I can do that," Jace said.
I paused on the path and put my hand on his arm. "Jace, I have no doubt that you meet most of the qualifications to be God of the Moon, but you are a mortal, you know. How old are you, by the way?"
He lowered his chin and looked quite serious. "I don't know. I've lost track."
"What do you mean?"
"I came here a long, long time ago. And this place is enchanted, you know. A person loses track of the time. I'm really not sure how old I am."
"Well, I would put you at, perhaps, fifteen at most."
"I was fifteen when I came here." He pulled away from me and bent his knees, then leapt up and took hold of a branch that extended just above our heads. In a moment he had pulled himself up and crouched on the branch like a monkey. "No idea when that was, but it was a long time ago," he said, looking upwards.
I stared up at him, suddenly understanding. "Your age never changes here," I said.
"That's right," he replied, drawing himself up to a higher branch.
"And you never tire of being a boy?"
He looked down at me and laughed, his sweet musical laugh that was so reminiscent of his singing. "Should I tire of being able to play all day and do what I want, answering to no one?"
It was a good question, and the sentiment of it rang quite familiar. I willed myself up into the tree then and appeared on the branch at Jace's side. I was prepared to catch him if he startled and fell, but to his credit he kept his balance. Nevertheless he looked amazed.
"Whoa! Here you are then!" he said.
I laughed. "Another qualification you would need in order to be God of the Moon."
"Well, I can't do that, I'll admit. Although I can do magic. I'm just saving it for later, when the situation calls for me to give you a proper surprise."
I was skeptical, but also quite sure Jace could do something marvelous enough to imitate magic.
He sat down on the branch and let his legs dangle, so I did likewise. It was really most amusing to be sitting up there. I turned to him and said, "I play all day and do what I want also. There are those who would like to change that, but I won't let them."
"Sounds like you have parents."
I laughed. "Yes!"
"Something to be avoided at all costs."
This time I didn't even let myself smile; he seemed quite serious. I explained, "But you see, I have parents, and am full grown, but on neither count am I prevented from playing all day and doing what I want."
"I suspect that's because you're a goddess," said Jace, "and more so because that your parents respect you as such."
It was a true insight. The boy was wise beyond his years, whatever they might be. I decided to try another line of conversation. "But do you never wish you were bigger and stronger, and able to do some of the things that grown men do?"
"Bigger and stronger, yes perhaps. And I should like to grow a beard, too. Do you think a beard would suit me?"
He asked this with one brow raised, and I sensed he really wanted to know my answer. In my thoughts I advanced another ten years upon him, and saw clearly he would be quite a fit and handsome fellow at that age. In fact, I did not wish to contemplate it long, lest I experience some inappropriate feelings for the young Jace.
And that was the moment when I recognized Hera's scheme.
This was the fellow she had aspired to match with me?
But Jace awaited my reply, so I said, "A beard would be most becoming on you, I think."
He nodded, stifling a flattered smile.
Now that I had recognized in myself the attraction, I found it in every aspect of the boy. I liked his love of freedom that so echoed mine. His guileless vanity was charming. He was clever, well mannered, and full of spark. And I knew now that a summer or two elsewhere than this timeless place would change him into a very handsome young man.
"But other than that, what has manhood to recommend it?" he asked me then.
"Well," I said, swinging my legs thoughtfully. "Men may be heroes by accomplishing mighty deeds."
"Mighty deeds? I've plenty of mighty deeds. I've climbed mountains, and made a map of this island, and barehanded fought and killed a wolf of immense size. Have the men of your acquaintance done mightier deeds than these?"
He was adorable. I indulged him. "I'm sure they haven't."
"Well then. So what else? What else reason do you have for my wishing to be a man?"
In my present mood, a very significant reason presented itself. But of course I had no idea how to raise the matter to this boy. I decided to phrase it thus: "Would you never want to marry, and take to yourself a wife?"
He smiled enigmatically. "I know I wouldn't wish to marry, since a wife is no different than a parent."
I sympathized with that sentiment and wondered why Hera thought this boy's influence would move me to think more like she did.
Jace went on. "And I'm not sure what I think of girls in general."
"Have you known many?"
"No," he admitted. "But I remember being friends with one or two. It wasn't easy though--they're very strange and hard to understand." He met my eyes and then blushed. "No offense to present company."
I laughed. "None taken--I'm sure I'm very strange and hard to understand too."
"Oh no, Artemis," he said hastily, "you seem very sensible. And not strange at all."
"Well, thank you."
He looked down into his lap and his blush deepened. "And very pretty, too."
I put my hand on his, resting on the branch between us. "Thank you."
So he did have feelings for me, a man's feelings. I felt hope flair up in my heart only to have reason douse it immediately. It crossed my mind that I could make myself into a young girl if I wished, but even a chaste kiss with such an innocent youth seemed almost indecent. And even though I had not allowed myself to seriously entertain the emotions glowing low in my heart, I knew well enough that a chaste kiss was not all I wanted.
My curse was that I had let myself glimpse the man Jace was supposed to be, would have been had it not been for the magic of this island. And because he was old in soul, I could likewise see the man in his manner and behavior and hear it in his words.
He would be a man of passion and conviction, tempered with a spirit of fun. He would be untamable, and would always love mirth and adventure. He would be brave, and clever, and endlessly amusing.
He would be my soul mate.
With sudden horror I realized Hera had been wise in her plot. I had never been a match for my Queen, and certainly wasn't now. Curse her cleverness...what was I to do?
I tried desperately to set these realizations aside, and fortunately Jace had filled the silence between us with a little brainstorm of his own. "Say," he said suddenly, "I want to show you something. Let's jump down." Then he twinkled at me. "Or I'll jump, and you can float, or whatever goddesses do."
"I think I'll jump with you," I said.
We landed with equal grace on the ground below. "This way!" announced Jace, and dashed off up the path. I hurried after, sincerely excited about our mystery destination.
Before long I heard rushing water through the trees, and then we caught up with a stream, which widened to eventually become a good sized pool into which tumbled a truly lovely waterfall. The stone over which the water poured, and the great boulders that stood around the pool, made it into quite a cozy little grotto.
"Here it is, my waterfall!" said Jace, making a grand gesture with his arm.
"It's wonderful!" I replied.
"Let's swim," he cried, seizing my hand again and pulling me toward the pool. "Can you swim?"
"I'm no Poseidon, but I'm good enough to negotiate this pool."
"Good!" he cried, releasing me, and began at once stripping off his clothes.
I wondered if he would stop at any point. I wondered too how well he had known the couple of girls he called friends. I hung my bow and quiver in a tree and took off my boots slowly. Jace, meanwhile, shed everything and stood before me as naked as the day he was born and thinking nothing of it.
How tempted I was to view him again with my future vision. But I resisted; I suffered enough looking on his tan, muscular body as it was. He was lean but beautifully toned, with fine shoulders, long legs, and perfect buttocks that rivaled any god's. But to all this he was oblivious; his only thought seemed to be that it was a fine day for swimming.
"Hurry up," he bid me, and waded into the pool with a great deal of splashing.
I decided to imitate my host in all things and hope for the best. I shed my clothes without looking at him, left everything in a pile on the grass, and turned back to the pool.
Jace was nowhere to be seen. I waded in, looking all around, and quickly concluded he was either underwater or behind the waterfall. I surmised he was plotting something but decided not to worry about it, and immersed myself in the cool water of the pool. I swam a little underwater, looking about but finding only weeds, rocks, and bubbles. The water under the falls was too lively to see through; no doubt my companion concealed himself there.
I stood up again in the center of the pool, the water coming up to just below my shoulders there, and shook back my drenched hair from my eyes. "Jace, I give up on finding you. Come, show yourself."
I could see a shadow under the surface of the water make its way from the waterfall to my side, and Jace stood, blinking, his head streaming water. He wore a broad grin. "Like it?"
"Very much. I'm sure it's the best waterfall on the island."
"There are three, actually, but I chose this one because the others are too shallow for swimming. I thought you'd like it. Now come under here."
He seized my hand and drew me with him the few strides it took to wade to the waterfall. I squeezed my eyes shut as we pressed through it, then opened them when the flow of water ceased falling on my head. There wasn't much space between the stream of water and the rock wall behind it, so Jace and I had to stand very close. "Look," he said over the sound of the falling water, and turned me by the shoulders to face the waterfall. "It's amazing how well you can see through it."
It was true. "So," I said, "you must have had a good laugh at me looking all around for you."
"I didn't fool you, you knew I was under here," he replied with a serious tone. We stood silently for a minute looking through the water at the marbled green light of the forest beyond. One of Jace's hands lingered on my shoulder, then released it. Finally he broke the pause, in a softer voice I could barely hear over the splashing. "Women are different from girls," he said.
I turned to him. He was only an inch or two taller than me, so his face was very close to mine. He met my eyes at first, but then lowered his gaze shyly. Of course that only brought it in contact with my most obvious "difference," so quickly his eyes shifted to the side.
My heart was pounding. Fifteen years old or no, he was naked and wet, as was I. Suddenly the chaste kiss sounded far better than nothing and I gave it serious thought for an instant. But I needed to speak, and quickly. So I said, "Yes, we are. How much of this do you understand?"
He met my eyes again. I could see in his look that he was sorely torn between honesty and bravado. In the end bravado failed him, and he said, "Not much. Why do I feel so strange looking at you?"
"It's complicated..." I began.
"Do you feel strange looking at me?"
His naiveté was completely disarming. I watched my hand float up and cup his cheek. When my flesh made contact with his he blinked slowly, and cocked his head into my hand. I wanted to kiss him desperately. He's a boy, I told myself.
But the eyes that looked into mine were not a boy's. There was the wisdom of years in them. The sum of many childhoods is not quite adulthood, but it is experience nonetheless. His eyes held questions long unanswered. And his barely parted lips beckoned to me.
It was too noisy under the waterfall to speak of such things, which ought best be discussed in a place of tranquility. Jace knew that too. I wanted to answer him somehow, and it was in that spirit rather than one less noble that I decided to kiss him. I needed only to raise my face slightly and lean a few inches, and my lips were upon his. His mouth was cool from the water, slippery and wonderfully soft. He started a little bit, then relaxed and let me kiss him. I made it tender and brief, and then drew back.
Jace's eyes were closed and he opened them slowly. He seemed very far away, but abruptly came to himself. Then he raised his chin a little and said, "That wasn't my first kiss."
So, his pride was always near at hand, even now. I smiled and graciously replied, "I could tell, dear Jace."
Truly, I was quite surprised at how he took control of the situation. He took me by the shoulders and gently pushed me back through the falls. When we had both emerged, he gestured with his head to the far side of the pool and took off swimming. I followed obediently, noting the irony that a boy could command a goddess in such a way. Jace settled himself on a large submerged shelf of rock and I joined him. The water came to just below our chins.
"Now it's quiet enough that you can answer me," Jace said.
I nodded, gathering my thoughts. "When I look at you, I'm sure it is much the same."
"But I'm not beautiful like you," he said soberly.
"You're just as beautiful, which is amazing, considering you're a mortal. Perhaps you may aspire to godhood after all."
He did not even smile at my jest. I supposed then that were I able to see beneath the surface of the water, I would find a good sign of his state of mind. "Why do you think I'm beautiful?" he asked.
"Because you make me feel as I do. I think we are kindred spirits, Iason. You are a wild thing, as free as the wind and the birds that sail upon it. I have not met your kind before among gods or men."
"And so, you feel strange looking at me."
"It's strange to me because few men interest me. I think the reason it's strange to you is quite different."
Under the water he kicked his feet slowly up and down. "I've had dreams about it," he said, watching his feet through the water. "Very nice dreams." He turned to squint at me quizzically. "But in real life it's different. Much more confusing. Maybe if...maybe if I were a man it wouldn't be so. Is that right?"
I had taken to kicking my feet under the water in rhythm with him, and now reached over with one to tangle with his. I wanted to lighten the moment a little. "Maybe," I said. "But from what I've seen, it is confusing to men too."
Jace dodged my foot and then attacked back, and for a couple of minutes it became a giggling little game. His feet were cool and pleasant when they probed my legs, and although I laughed over it, I felt heat rising in me again. Then suddenly Jace stopped and leaned over to kiss my cheek.
He made me feel like I had just been born. I turned and kissed him back on the cheek. He smiled. We fell silent and went back to watching our feet swish under the water. Then Jace spoke. "Why did you come here?" he asked.
"My stepmother sent me here."
"But why did she do that?"
I opted for the truth, who knew why. "So I would fall in love with you."
I had no idea what to expect from him in reply to this. What he said was, "Is that what this feeling is? 'Falling in love'?"
His candor utterly undid me. "Oh Jace," was all I could say.
He didn't look at me. "But you wouldn't do that, not with me."
I wasn't sure which was more cruel, the truth or a lie. As I hesitated, Jace raised a resolute face to look up at the sky. He squinted, and it seemed more from pain than the brightness of the light. Then he said, "I can fly, you know." He turned to look for my response.
"Oh!" was all I could say at first. Then, "Truly, Jace?"
He kept his eyes on my face. I waited for him to speak, but his answer was to slowly rise from the water until he sat upon the surface of it, only his calves dangling below. "It's too peculiar to really fly when you're naked," he said, looking down at me, "but let me get dressed and I'll show you."
I had not expected this, neither the fact of it nor the timing. Jace seemed determined to let the subject remained changed, so I didn't fight him. He settled back down to the ledge and then stood. I followed him out of the pool, wondering what manner of creature he was to have this magic.
Water streamed off his slender brown limbs and he shook his head like an animal to cast the water out of it. Wet tendrils clung to his sturdy neck. He waited only a minute or two for his skin to dry before pulling his garments on. It was not so easy for me to get back into my tunic, for the fine fabric clung and tugged at my wet body. During all this we didn't speak, but I gave much thought to the predicament in which we found ourselves.
I could draw but one conclusion: Jace needed to become a man, or there was nothing for it. And he didn't wish to be a man, nor was I sure I had any right to ask it of him.
He finished dressing before I did, and wandered about the edge of the pool singing softly while he waited. He seemed to have regained all his composure, and after the emotional turmoil of our exchange, I imagined he was reluctant to lose it again. So when I was done, I stood humbly waiting for him to finish his song.
He saw I was ready and completed the little performance. He gave me a nod, put his hands on his hips, and rose into the air. Then he straightened his arms and took flight.
It was truly spectacular. He was as graceful as a hawk on the hunt, circling, diving, swooping out of my sight and then wheeling back into view again. Nothing in all my experience had quite prepared me for this, and I hopped up and down laughing like a child, forgetting utterly that I was a goddess who could make men tremble in fear and awe.
When Jace descended lightly upon his feet before me again, he seemed to have recovered all his dignity and self-esteem. He offered me a low bow and came up grinning.
"Oh Jace," I cried, clapping my hands, "by what cleverness have you achieved such a thing?"
"It's the island I think, for I couldn't fly before I came here. Although I have perfected it through much practice," he said proudly. "So, can goddesses fly?"
I hadn't thought of it. "I suppose I can," I said. "I've never tried such a thing, flying like a bird. But I suppose--"
In an instant he had snatched up my hand and pulled me into the air with him.
And truly, it was only a matter that I had never thought to try it. It was easy to imitate Jace, and although I hadn't the practice to be quite as graceful, I managed well enough to keep up with him.
We flew the rest of the afternoon, all over the island. We flew over lagoons and huge outcroppings of rock, over beaches and meadows. Jace pointed out to me the most interesting sights: a field of poppies so vast it appeared like a pool of blood below us, a herd of running gazelles streaking parallel across a plain, a mountain tall enough to be tipped with white snow and far too high to fly over.
I wondered if Jace would ever tire. As the afternoon sun dipped low, it was hunger that finally moved him to conclude our flight. We descended at last into a thick part of the forest, in a clearing where a small house was built into the roots of an enormous tree, fashioned quaintly from all the materials of nature. Jace took me inside this, his home, apologizing at once for the clutter within. I found it delightful: he had collected little treasures from all over the island and they were actually arranged with an eccentric sort of logic.
He made me a meal of some sort of game bird, with delicious berries and some vegetables he'd grown in a sunny patch in the clearing. The food was seasoned with tasty herbs and was as good as any I'd eaten in a long while. Jace seemed even less a boy in view of his self-sufficiency. But then, this was his way of life. Not all play after all, I noted, but perhaps in this context gardening and cooking were as fun as play.
After the dishes were cleared away, Jace built up the fire and made us a sort of lounge near it out of logs covered with furs. I was content and relaxed after all the flying and sunshine and the sumptuous meal, and my host seemed quite drowsy.
He reclined and closed his eyes. "Now you must tell me a story," he said, as if I were his to command. It was silly to argue that point.
"If I am to tell you a story, then you must lie in my lap," I told him. He opened his eyes and gave me an inscrutable look. I beckoned him, and then he capitulated and shifted himself. I sat cross-legged and settled his head so it rested on my thigh. He turned his face to the fire and the light made it look like gold. I stroked my hand over his tangled hair until he closed his eyes.
"Some time ago," I began, "a young woman named Amara prayed at my temple, and begged the Goddess of the Moon Artemis for a miracle. She had fallen in love with a very handsome hawk called Theron. Her ardor had grown to such excess that she could no longer bear not being able to make a life with him. So she prayed that I might transform her into a hawk, that she could be with her love."
"That way she could fly, as well," interrupted Jace, not opening his eyes.
"True, but hush," I told him, pushing the tip of his nose with my finger. He smiled, but didn't speak. "So," I continued, "I bid Amara go home and wait for nightfall, and look upon the moon until the transformation was complete. When the moon rose I worked my best magic, assuming that all would be well. But the next day Amara came again to pray, in tears of disappointment, and very much still a woman. I didn't know what to tell her, and had to send her away with no answer.
"So I went to my father Zeus, who is the King of all the Gods and of course the wisest. He looked at his daughter with a knowing smile and said to me, 'You cannot grant her prayer if it is not true. I would venture a guess that Amara, in her heart of hearts, does not wish to give up her human flesh to be a hawk. So for all your magic, she must remain a woman and live with loving one who is not her own kind.' And of course, I knew my father was right."
This time Jace did open his eyes, and looked up at me sleepily. "This is a sad story," he said.
"The story is not over yet, my love," I told him. He smiled at the endearment, then closed his eyes again as if this were the signal that he was ready to hear more. I continued, "So, I left my father quite saddened by this news, and wondering as I often do about mortals and their little tragedies. Days passed, and then on the third day, Amara again came to my temple.
"This time she did not come alone, but with a comely young man with the most striking blue eyes I had ever seen. 'Ah," I thought, 'mortals are fickle--already she has found a new love.' The young man addressed me, asking for my blessing upon their marriage. 'Are you certain it is wise to marry a woman you have known so briefly?' I asked him. And he replied, 'But glorious Artemis, she has loved me faithfully and long. My name is Theron, and for me she nearly gave up her life as a human woman.'"
Jace opened his eyes at this, but said nothing. I reached down and took up one of his hands and held it lightly in mine. "So Theron and Amara told me what had happened. Amara had decided secretly to make her prayers to me, and the day after she visited my temple, Theron the hawk had sought the intercession of my brother Apollo at his. Theron had prayed to be granted human form to be with his love Amara, and his prayers were true and sincere to the core, so my brother's magic upon him was effective. He came to Amara as a man, and she knew him at once. The two laughed together at what good fortune it was that they had not both been successful, and found themselves man and bird and no better off than before. And so they were wed, and as far as I know, are happy together till this day."
Jace looked up at me. "But Theron can no longer fly," he said.
My heart sank to hear him say it. "You're right, he can't," I agreed.
The face in my lap was very thoughtful. I considered saying many things but in the end thought it best to stay silent. After a minute or two, Jace's eyelids sank again, and I felt his fingers twitch in my hand. "It's time for bed," I told him.
He nodded and roused himself barely enough to stand. "Will you put out the fire?" he asked. "There's water in that bucket."
"Yes, of course," I said, once again surprised that the youth was so responsible.
He touched my arm. "Then come to bed," he said, and turned to go in his little house.
I made quick work of being sure the fire was out, but by the time I followed Jace to bed he was already curled up and asleep. Jace's bed was a small corral of logs, filled to the top with pine branches and needles, and covered over with a pile of soft pelts to make a nest. He had a blanket woven of some soft stuff and colorfully patterned, and I wondered how he had fashioned it. I slipped out of my tunic, stepped over his shed clothing on the floor and lifted a corner of the blanket to crawl under. Jace's warmth had already spread to the fur and into this softness I sank.
There was a window over the bed, which could be shuttered in ill weather but on this fine summer night was wide open. Moonlight spilled in over my young companion's face where it rested quite close to mine.
My mind was so full of thoughts, my heart so tight with emotions. I knew Jace had invited me to his bed with the same innocent affection that he would have asked any friend with whom he had spent the day. And frankly, in one respect that pleased me. He wished to be close to me because he enjoyed my company, and to a goddess that is a rare gift.
Although Jace had not said so, I knew he was lonely, and having me at his side all day had been balm to his spirit. I knew this because being with him had shown me I was lonely too.
Curse that Hera! How had she known this would happen? But wisdom was what made a goddess, and great wisdom was what made her the Queen of all.
The moonlight was cruel to me, even though I was ostensibly its mistress. It blurred the features of the young man's face, and upon them again I could see what I had seen that afternoon. There was no use denying I was in love with him, with the man Iason, whose soul was both old and young, just like mine.
An immortal may sleep if she wishes to, and I wished myself to sleep so I would think upon that subject no more.
* * *
Dawn woke me with a caress of breeze upon my face from the window above, and the song of a lark perched at the edge of the casement. As I came to consciousness, I perceived something else:
There was an arm looped over my waist.
Jace lay behind me, and his arm was indeed draped over me, outside the blanket that angled down from my body. This was a startling occurrence. Startling, but not unpleasant, for all other issues aside, I relished the possessiveness of the gesture. Before I forced myself to set aside these sentiments and be sensible, I decided to allow myself one glance at the lovely sight of that sweet arm over me. So I looked down...
The light of dawn was not so faint as to conceal the change.
The golden down of hair on Jace's forearms had darkened. And the veins and sinews on the back of his hand were more distinct.
My heart skipped in my breast: how could this be?
Behind me there was a stirring, a sigh, a small noise--Jace's voice, but baritone now instead of tenor. I knew what I would find if I turned over to face him, and yet still wondered how it were possible. I knew from experience even Hera could not work such a transformation unless Jace himself honestly willed it so.
Then I heard him speak, softly, just at my ear. "Artemis? Are you awake?"
"Yes, Jace," I replied, simply, and turned over.
His face was resplendent in its maturity. A dusting of whiskers, golden russet in color, adorned his cheeks and chin. The first small creases of laugh lines were visible at the corners of his green eyes, eyes that regarded me with hopeful expectation.
"Tell me what I look like," said Jace.
"You're perfect," I sighed. It was true. I couldn't recall seeing a mortal man more handsome. His nose, which in boyish form had turned up ever so slightly at the tip, still retained that characteristic but was remarkably elegant. The proportions of his face, the bone structure, every curve and angle were striking. His skin was still browned by the sun, his hair was still the lovely soft red color of a fox's, his eyes were jade green and sparkling. He took my breath away. "My words could not do justice," I said. "We'll need to find you a looking glass."
He smiled and became three times more handsome because of it. "Just tell me if you wish to kiss me," he said.
I nodded. He tilted his head slightly and I closed my eyes. This time his lips were warm, but just as soft as when we kissed under the waterfall. In spite of the roughness of his chin, he still kissed like a boy, shyly and cautiously. It was charming.
I felt my body wake to his touch, but I wanted more to find out how this change had come about. "Jace," I asked him, "tell me how this happened."
He drew back just a little and gave me a soft smile. "I awoke in the night. You were sound asleep, and I watched you. I had feelings...feelings I found I couldn't bear. As if the questions I had been asking for so long could be answered in you, but I was deaf to them. I didn't want to be deaf anymore. So I decided, and then I prayed. I sought the sympathy of Hera, whom I suspected to be my best ally."
"Ah yes...she would be quite eager to hear you. But how...how could you make such a hard choice?"
His hand came up and he slid his fingers into my hair, brushing it back, then lingering to play there gently. "I learned something from you. I learned if you have a child's heart...then you have a child's heart, and nothing takes it from you."
I nodded.
He continued, "I was afraid if I became a man, I would lose that. But you never lost it, Artemis. You showed me it didn't have to happen that way. So I stopped being afraid."
"I'm glad," I said. "And I learned something from you, too. I was afraid if I gave myself to someone in love, I would lose my child's heart. But I haven't lost it since I met you, so I guess I was wrong."
My meaning did not escape him. The magnificent smile reappeared. "Then you wouldn't mind kissing me again?" he asked.
Jace was a quick learner. This kiss was deeper and moved me to the core. He moved closer to me as his mouth caressed mine, and his arm came round me and drew me in. His warmth was intoxicating; my body purred with it. When he drew away I had to gasp a little.
"You seem to have natural skill for this, Jace," I told him breathlessly.
"It's easy," he said, preoccupied with taking another kiss.
I pulled back a little to delay him; one more thing concerned me. "But Jace, I must ask you, can you really live with this sacrifice, with giving up your magic and asking to be a mortal man?"
He lowered his chin and gave me a look I felt down to my toes. "I never said I asked to be a mortal man, Artemis," he said.
My mouth fell open. "Then...what?"
"Why, God of the Moon, of course."
No wonder he seemed so perfect.
It has never been easy to humble the Goddess Artemis, but I knew I had met my match...in more ways than one. Jace, I found, was my better in running, in hunting, and certainly in flying. His skills exceeded mine in argument as well as in magic. I didn't mind being his inferior in these ways, for Jace's arrogance was always an act and one of which I never tired. Beneath that charmingly brash exterior, he always maintained his conviction that he would forever be in my debt.
Therefore he was willing to eschew fame, and never sought out the scribes and historians who made the rest of the Pantheon so famous. I retained my reputation, and only my parents and brother knew that in secret I kept this sole lover, who as a mortal won my heart and as deity became my eternal companion.
Rate
this work
E-mail
me your thoughts
More
about Diana Laurence and her works
Own your own copies of the works of award-winning author Diana Laurence, available from Living Beyond Reality Press. |
|
 |
Soulful
Sex: Publication
Date: February 2006 |
 |
Soulful
Sex: Publication
Date: March 2006 |
 |
Soulful Sex: The Paranormal, Publication Date: March 2007 |
 |
Publication Date: September 2007 |
 |
Publication
Date: February 2006 |
