Pomegranate Kora, Ch. 9
Kevin collapsed on the motel bed with an exaggerated groan, his eyes slipping closed. Selena perched beside him, stroking his hair back from his face. "It has been a long day, I know, Kevin." She offered gently. "I promise, it will only be a few more days."
"I don't see why you can't just take me there." Kevin murmured grumpily, peering up at her. "I mean, you can come and go as you please, and that doesn't take days or hundreds of dollars of gas."
"If you want Nicholas back, you must be willing to make sacrifices." David pointed out, flopping down on the spare bed with a kind of grace that didn't fit the motion. "Certainly, he is worth more than a few gallons of gas?"
"Mercury." Selena chastised gently.
Kevin growled, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Of course he is. He's more important to me than anything. I'd give up the world for him." He sighed, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye. "I'm just exhausted. I spent seven hours on a plane, and I'm in a different country, and I've been driving fordays, and I just want to get to him before I die of exhaustion and before anything worse can happen to him."
"Dying might serve your purpose." David pointed out jokingly. "Your destination is the realm of the dead after all."
"David!" Selena barked, glaring over at him before turning a sweet smile on Kevin, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Sleep for now, darling. We will return in the morning."
Kevin nodded against the pillow, clutching the blanket like a child as his eyes drifted closed. Selena leaned down to the lamp, blowing gently. Kevin went out with the lights.
-------------------
Nick hadn't seen Joe since he had made him angry. That was just fine. He was too busy falling apart to deal with him anyway. He hadn't realized exactly how long eternity could be until now, when his future, the rest of his existence, belonged to Joe.
He hadn't moved in a long time, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten or bathed, but he couldn't bring himself to leave his position curled up on his side in the bed. Taylor had come to him, with juice or a basin in which he could wash up, but even she couldn't bring him to respond. He knew it was immature, but when she asked him if she could get him anything, he asked for Kevin.
She understood, of course. She had left her whole life behind when Joe had swept her away. But, she was not bound here as Nick was. And, no matter how she agreed with Joe, he would not change his mind about keeping Nick here.
She was arguing about that now. "He's unhappy, Pluto!"
"He will learn to be happy." Joe snapped, pacing back and forth through the grass. They had left the underworld for the time being, and were lounging in a field in the north of Spain. Nick had changed the tone of their realm. The dead were restless in response to his misery. Their eternities were shifting, developing fear, loneliness, and far too many were beginning to remember their living loved ones. The longing in their hearts was cacophonous. They had had to escape the noise.
"He is changing things!" Taylor persisted, shaking her head. "We both know that the underworld is unstable, Joseph. One mortal can cause havoc if he chooses, and Nicholas is living. He is a living mortal, and that can change everything."
Joe nodded soberly, biting on the pad of his thumb. He sat down in the grass, drawing his knees up and resting his elbow against one. "We must also worry about his lover." He conceded. "I know that Venus and Mercury are assisting him in reuniting with Nicholas."
"Let them reunite!" Taylor's hands found her hips, and her lips pursed. "Send him home. He will be happy, and the dead will rest again-"
"No." Joe glared sharply at her. His obstinacy was trying her patience, but she bit her tongue. "There must be another way to give him some contentment while he is with me."
Taylor glowered at him. "You are selfish." She hissed out, wrapping a cloak around herself. It covered her face. She disappeared.
Joe sighed. It was never pleasant to have his wife upset with him. It happened more often than he liked; she was too eager to help the mortals. She wanted to give each of the dead a paradise, and while she managed to do that, since it was her primary responsibility, she was also desperate to help their living loved ones too, and Joe knew better than to interfere with the world of the living. There were too many gods and too many complications to be had there. He hadn't the time or energy for all of that. Living mortals only caused trouble.
He stilled suddenly, a thought sliding into his head. But, what if, to make a living human happy in the land of the dead, one had to apply the affections of another human?
-------------------------------------------------
Nick couldn't sleep.
It was very unpleasant, really, because it was his only means of escape from this hell, and it eluded him. And, without the sleep, his brain was feeling so fuzzy, like a cotton ball was stuffed into his skull, that he couldn't possibly think of any means to genuinely escape. He had been trying so hard. He just needed one plan, some way to get out, of first this room, and then this world.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked around. Without Joe or Taylor present, there were no doors here. He was in a pocket of darkness, with no concept of how far he was from anything or anyone else. Right now, he would have been happy if he could just talk to even someone dead, because that would be better than this desolate aloneness. He had no allies. He knew Taylor was pleading his case to Joe, but she would never betray or disobey him. As far as he was concerned, he was on his own.
There was a low groan, like the walls were shifting, and he lifted his head, frowning at the expanse of stone that made up the wall opposite his bed and clutching the blankets up closer around his naked body. He knew it was Joe, coming to fuck him, because he had to be smart enough to realize by now that Nick had no interest in being his friend or his lover.
The wall shifted, disappeared as if it had never been there at all. Nick tensed. He wasn't ready to do this again. He didn't want to be with Joe again. He was so tired of cheating on Kevin, even if he had no choice in the matter.
But, the darkness parted, and Nick's breath caught when he stepped out. Because it wasn't Joe at all. He crawled forward toward the end of the bed, and straightened, reaching out. The smooth skin that met his hands, the lips that pressed to his own - "Kevin."
"I don't see why you can't just take me there." Kevin murmured grumpily, peering up at her. "I mean, you can come and go as you please, and that doesn't take days or hundreds of dollars of gas."
"If you want Nicholas back, you must be willing to make sacrifices." David pointed out, flopping down on the spare bed with a kind of grace that didn't fit the motion. "Certainly, he is worth more than a few gallons of gas?"
"Mercury." Selena chastised gently.
Kevin growled, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Of course he is. He's more important to me than anything. I'd give up the world for him." He sighed, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye. "I'm just exhausted. I spent seven hours on a plane, and I'm in a different country, and I've been driving fordays, and I just want to get to him before I die of exhaustion and before anything worse can happen to him."
"Dying might serve your purpose." David pointed out jokingly. "Your destination is the realm of the dead after all."
"David!" Selena barked, glaring over at him before turning a sweet smile on Kevin, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Sleep for now, darling. We will return in the morning."
Kevin nodded against the pillow, clutching the blanket like a child as his eyes drifted closed. Selena leaned down to the lamp, blowing gently. Kevin went out with the lights.
-------------------
Nick hadn't seen Joe since he had made him angry. That was just fine. He was too busy falling apart to deal with him anyway. He hadn't realized exactly how long eternity could be until now, when his future, the rest of his existence, belonged to Joe.
He hadn't moved in a long time, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten or bathed, but he couldn't bring himself to leave his position curled up on his side in the bed. Taylor had come to him, with juice or a basin in which he could wash up, but even she couldn't bring him to respond. He knew it was immature, but when she asked him if she could get him anything, he asked for Kevin.
She understood, of course. She had left her whole life behind when Joe had swept her away. But, she was not bound here as Nick was. And, no matter how she agreed with Joe, he would not change his mind about keeping Nick here.
She was arguing about that now. "He's unhappy, Pluto!"
"He will learn to be happy." Joe snapped, pacing back and forth through the grass. They had left the underworld for the time being, and were lounging in a field in the north of Spain. Nick had changed the tone of their realm. The dead were restless in response to his misery. Their eternities were shifting, developing fear, loneliness, and far too many were beginning to remember their living loved ones. The longing in their hearts was cacophonous. They had had to escape the noise.
"He is changing things!" Taylor persisted, shaking her head. "We both know that the underworld is unstable, Joseph. One mortal can cause havoc if he chooses, and Nicholas is living. He is a living mortal, and that can change everything."
Joe nodded soberly, biting on the pad of his thumb. He sat down in the grass, drawing his knees up and resting his elbow against one. "We must also worry about his lover." He conceded. "I know that Venus and Mercury are assisting him in reuniting with Nicholas."
"Let them reunite!" Taylor's hands found her hips, and her lips pursed. "Send him home. He will be happy, and the dead will rest again-"
"No." Joe glared sharply at her. His obstinacy was trying her patience, but she bit her tongue. "There must be another way to give him some contentment while he is with me."
Taylor glowered at him. "You are selfish." She hissed out, wrapping a cloak around herself. It covered her face. She disappeared.
Joe sighed. It was never pleasant to have his wife upset with him. It happened more often than he liked; she was too eager to help the mortals. She wanted to give each of the dead a paradise, and while she managed to do that, since it was her primary responsibility, she was also desperate to help their living loved ones too, and Joe knew better than to interfere with the world of the living. There were too many gods and too many complications to be had there. He hadn't the time or energy for all of that. Living mortals only caused trouble.
He stilled suddenly, a thought sliding into his head. But, what if, to make a living human happy in the land of the dead, one had to apply the affections of another human?
-------------------------------------------------
Nick couldn't sleep.
It was very unpleasant, really, because it was his only means of escape from this hell, and it eluded him. And, without the sleep, his brain was feeling so fuzzy, like a cotton ball was stuffed into his skull, that he couldn't possibly think of any means to genuinely escape. He had been trying so hard. He just needed one plan, some way to get out, of first this room, and then this world.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked around. Without Joe or Taylor present, there were no doors here. He was in a pocket of darkness, with no concept of how far he was from anything or anyone else. Right now, he would have been happy if he could just talk to even someone dead, because that would be better than this desolate aloneness. He had no allies. He knew Taylor was pleading his case to Joe, but she would never betray or disobey him. As far as he was concerned, he was on his own.
There was a low groan, like the walls were shifting, and he lifted his head, frowning at the expanse of stone that made up the wall opposite his bed and clutching the blankets up closer around his naked body. He knew it was Joe, coming to fuck him, because he had to be smart enough to realize by now that Nick had no interest in being his friend or his lover.
The wall shifted, disappeared as if it had never been there at all. Nick tensed. He wasn't ready to do this again. He didn't want to be with Joe again. He was so tired of cheating on Kevin, even if he had no choice in the matter.
But, the darkness parted, and Nick's breath caught when he stepped out. Because it wasn't Joe at all. He crawled forward toward the end of the bed, and straightened, reaching out. The smooth skin that met his hands, the lips that pressed to his own - "Kevin."