Chapter 10: A Heavy Deadline

Reader Alert: Goddess face-slapping.

What?

What did she just say?

"Why?"

Athena shrugs elegantly. "Those are the rules."

"Whose rules? I'd like a word with whoever made those rules. Was it you?"

"Someone much older than me," she says.

"Could you be a little more vague?"

I can't believe I'm talking this way to a goddess, one of the beings that founded Western civilization. Without them, we'd all probably still be living in caves.

"There are forces at work you know nothing about," she says, not unkindly.

My head spins.

I try to remember everything I know about Greek mythology. Zeus and the six gods were saved when their mother gave their father, the Titan Cronus, six stones to swallow instead of his children. This Cronus was super paranoid about one of his children dethroning him—which happened, thanks to his son Zeus.

I review what I know about Greek beginnings and endings. And then cross-reference it with other mythologies of the world. The Norsemen believed in their own Armageddon, the Twilight of the Gods, Götterdämmerung—at least, according to Wagner. In Norse mythology, it's Ragnarok—also the title of a Marvel movie.

"Is this some kind of Doctor Strange thing?" I ask, wondering if Athena will get the reference. "Multiverses unraveling, worlds colliding?"

She lifts her head, haughty. "I prefer DC Comics, myself."

I smile, charmed. "Oh. Of course. Wonder Woman."

"Just so. I much prefer her story. It's very respectful to the Greek tradition—and to the gods. Although our Amazons are not so civilized."

I raise my eyebrows. "You mean they don't live on a secret island paradise with beautiful temples, and give out invisible jets?"

"No. They're more brutal and primal and warlike than any ancient Spartan or Trojan warrior ever could be."

I'm fascinated. "And where do they live?"

"Apart from the modern world," she says. "And call me vague again—"

I hold up my hands in surrender. "I realize there's much you can't tell me."

She scans me, her gaze boring into me. "But it's the mystery that draws you in, isn't it? You want to know. I'm shocked you didn't find out about this inn before."

"Me, too."

I don't often waste time on regrets, but I'm haunted by the thought of seeing this place when my grandparents were alive. Having them show me everything. They would have been so pleased.

"Did you…did you know? That they were going to die?"

Athena pauses, her eyes gentle.

"Please," I whisper. "I realize mortal lives don't matter much to—"

SMACK.

I reel back. Athena has smacked me across the face. My cheek explodes, hot and throbbing. I stare at her, trying to make my brain work.

I just got face-slapped by a goddess. And not for the reason I expected.

"If mortal lives didn't matter, I wouldn't be here," Athena says passionately. "Neither would anyone beneath this roof. This inn is not just some playground for gods to frolic and get drunk, to have sex, to play with their infinite powers like toys. It means so much more than that. Some of the other Olympian gods disagree…they think it should just be a hideaway for our kind and nothing more."

Her oratorial skills would make the so-called political geniuses and motivational speakers and world leaders of today cry like babies. I should expect nothing less from the Goddess of Wisdom, for whom the great city of Athens is named. It's her city, after all. She's the patron goddess of that historic place.

Athena paces, munching on olives from a dish on the wet bar. "To answer your question, the Fates spun out your grandparents' lives, of course. I never had any warning. Even we gods are not aware of every mortal's fate."

"This isn't the part where I find out they were killed in some godly conspiracy, is it?"

I can barely get the words out.

"Or worse, that somebody from the CIA found out and eliminated them as a threat to national security?"

She stops pacing and puts her arm around me, keeping me close in a sisterly way. "You remind me so much of Apollo. He's fiery, too. And no, they weren't killed as part of some evil plot by our kind."

But there's some hesitation under the surface.

She continues. "And no mortal government could ever touch us. We've watched empires rise and crumble. We've probably toppled some of them. They don't know that this place exists. Even if they did, we'd move heaven and earth, literally, to stop them from intruding."

I take a deep breath. "So, their deaths in that car accident—"

"Tragic, but you needn't fear that anything more sinister was at work." She offers the dish of olives to me. "Help yourself."

The lump in my throat dissolves after I eat a few olives. "That's good to know."

I still don't entirely believe that she's telling me the whole truth, but for now, my mind is trying to keep up with my new reality.

"So, why is this place doomed to vanish?"

Athena sighs. "Those are the rules every time the new owner and manager inherits the resort. They've been in place for centuries. You see, everyone who comes in changes the inn through their energy, their leadership, and their decisions."

I nod. Finally, something I understand. "Like a new boss affecting the company culture."

"Exactly. Even though you can't just come in here and do things your own way, you'll leave your mark on the Wendigo Inn." She taps my heart. "Use this." She taps my head. "And this. They won't steer you wrong. Every member of your family has undertaken the same journey. You were slow to catch on, but you seem to thrive under pressure. I have faith that you'll meet your deadline and save these sacred halls."

I quip, "Do I get any power-ups?"

I'm a gamer geek, what can I say?

Athena smiles blindingly.

"That's what the collection of historical and magical artifacts is for. Let me take you there."

And before I know it, we're traveling downstairs in the elevator, headed to the basement. Of course. It's full of heat and steam. We walk past the furnace and boiler, to an ordinary dark corner. Ordinary, except for a recessed place on the wall shaped like a hand. I put my palm into the hand-shaped space, and the wall slides back.

A real-life secret room.

I step inside, Athena following, and can't believe my eyes.

"What is all this?"