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“My assistance?” The goddess released a sharp laugh that echoed through the cavern. “She’s a gargoyle. I have no interest in her needs.”
“She is important to me.”
An unseen power pressed against Bertha. Was it the goddess?
“Important? This…creature?” Gaia spit out in disbelief. Hades nodded and the female made a sound of sheer outrage. “Why?”
Hades shrugged. “A mystery not even a god can comprehend.”
“Hey,” Bertha started to protest, only to snap her lips shut as Gaia forced her head to slam against the ground.
Be careful….
Hades’s voice whispered through her mind and Bertha tried to relax her tense muscles. For now the goddess could do whatever she wanted.
And obviously what she wanted was Bertha flat on her face.
“You traveled to my private lair to request a favor for another female?” Gaia bit out in a hard voice.
There was a hissing sound from the bushes, as if the hidden servants were bracing for something awful to happen. Bertha didn’t blame them. It felt as if there was a storm gathering above their heads.
“It concerns your minotaurs as well,” Hades informed the goddess.
Bertha could sense that his words caught Gaia by surprise. Thankfully it meant that the pressure against her head eased enough for her to sit upright.
“What about them?” Gaia demanded.
“I believe they might be in danger.”
“Ridiculous. They’re fine. I checked on them before I left….” Gaia turned her head, staring at the thin male who’d led them into the cavern. “How long ago?”
“One thousand two hundred and ninety-six years ago and fourteen days,” the servant said without hesitation.
Gaia jerked, as if the number hit her with a physical force. “So long?”
The servant bowed. “Yes, my goddess.”
“I had no idea.” A portion of the arrogance faded from Gaia’s expression, replaced with genuine concern as she returned her interest to Hades. “What has happened to my people?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Hades admitted.
“Why not?”
“No one has seen or heard from them since you retreated to this lair.”
A tremor shuddered beneath Bertha’s knees. An earthquake? Or Gaia’s reaction to the thought of her people in danger? Maybe she wasn’t utterly selfish, Bertha reluctantly conceded.
Gaia hesitated before forcing herself to ask the question that was clearly troubling her. “They’ve been destroyed?”
Hades shook his head. “No, they live,” he assured the goddess. “But they refuse to leave their homeland.”
“Refuse?”
“They hide behind the labyrinth, never letting anyone in or out.”
The goddess breathed a sigh of reliefl; then, closing her eyes, she tilted back her head and spread out her arms. The glow that surrounded her spread throughout the cavern, but it wasn’t harsh or blinding. Just the opposite. It provided a soft warmth that the plants greedily absorbed and caused her servants to sigh in rapture. Even Bertha felt pleasure as it bathed her. It reminded her of the years she’d spent on a temple in Greece. During the day she was in her stone form, but the sun and sea had seeped deep into her soul. Paradise.
At last the goddess dropped her arms and clicked her tongue in exasperation.
