Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(106)

The God of Light's shining form turned to Hades. "Take good care of it. I will need it again someday."

"I shall, my friend."

Lina reached up and cupped his face in her hands and kissed him lightly on the lips, and then she moved back to her husband's side. "I wish you both a lifetime filled with happiness and laughter. You know the way, don't you, Apollo?"

The glowing god nodded his head.

"You're not going with us?" Pamela asked.

Lina smiled at her. "For this, you do not need the presence of the gods. This is something that souls do best without our interference."

"Then I will take my leave of you here, too," Artemis said quietly. First she went to Pamela and hugged her fiercely. "Take care of him for me," she whispered to the mortal soul her brother loved so dearly. Then she turned to Apollo and stepped into his glowing arms. Taking no heed of the tears that she now let run freely down her face, she pressed her cheek against his. "Wherever you are. Whoever you are. Know that my love and my blessing will always be with you, just as it will be with your children and your children's children."

"Thank you for understanding, my Sister. And thank you for being my light while I can not be." He kissed each of her wet cheeks.

"I love you," the Huntress Goddess said as her body faded and disappeared.

Apollo and Pamela walked silently through the tall pines that began where Hades' gardens ended. Their hands were linked, and their shoulders and hips brushed intimately against each other. Soon between the trees they began to catch the crystal reflection of moving water. The river called to them with a seductive, whispering voice. Unconsciously, they wanted quicker. The trees ended, and they were standing atop a rocky bank looking down at water that glistened like liquid jewels.

"Are you afraid?" Apollo asked her.

"No," Pamela said. "You'll find me. I know you will."

"Always," he said.

Together they knelt at the edge of the water. Apollo cupped his hands and dipped them in the cold water, lifting them so Pamela could drink deeply. Then, while she watched, he dipped them again and drank. Standing, he took her into his arms and kissed her. As their spirit bodies moved together, they began to shine. Their hair and clothes suddenly whipped wildly around them, as if they were standing in the middle of a raging windstorm.

Apollo threw back his head and laughed joyously, and Pamela's shout joined his own as their souls were filled with an incredible rush of love and joy. Again, Apollo pulled his soul mate into his arms, and Pamela wrapped her glowing body around him. While they were embracing, their bodies continued to change, losing shape so that it seemed that they merged together and truly became one. Then the incandescent, blazing ball of light exploded, raining sparks into the water. From the center of the shining geyser appeared two fist-sized globes of identical light. They hovered there above the river for a moment, acclimating themselves to their new senses. Then, as if following a trail of sweet memories, they began to float downstream and toward their new beginning.

Epilogue

Kristin was so bored she thought she would die. She wished she would die. She might as well die - like there was anything else to do? It was just like her parents to force her into a stupid family vacation. Could they have let her stay home with her friends Janice and Rebecca and Ruth? Of course not, even though she had just turned thirteen. Definitely old enough to stay home alone for two tiny weeks. It totally made no sense.

So here she was, sitting on a beach while the sun was rising, all by herself. Why? Because no one else in her family got out of bed practically before noon. She was doomed to live with people who slept away the best part of the day. It was just the second day of the two-week torture her parents called vacation. She considered hurling herself into the ocean. No, she swam too well. It would take forever for her to drown.

Kristin dug her feet into the white sand and let the edge of the waves lap over her toes. She supposed she could read a book. Another book. She ran a hand through her short hair in irritation. She'd just had it cut before they left, and she couldn't get used to the feel of it - or the way it kinda stuck out sometimes, especially in front. She sighed. She probably shouldn't have cut it. She'd never get a boyfriend now. Ever. She'd die an old maid.

A shadow blocked a piece of the morning sun, and she sighed again. It was probably her little brother. Perfect.

She balled up a handful of wet sand and got ready to throw it at him when the shadow spoke.

"Hey," said a stranger's voice.

Kristin squinted and held her sandy hand up against the glare of the rising sun. And she almost passed out. It was a boy! A really hot, tall, blond boy. He looked practically sixteen. And he was smiling at her.

"Hey," she said.

"So, are you just getting up or just going to bed?" he asked.

His voice didn't even crack.

"Gettin' up," she said, trying to stop herself from staring like a retard at his eyes. They were, like, as blue as the ocean.

"Me, too," he said and flopped down next to her. "I like morning best."

"Me, too," she said.

"My family's all 'sleep still," he said.

"So's mine. They sleep forever."

"Yeah."

She couldn't believe how warm he was. He wasn't even sitting that close to her, but she could swear that waves of hotness were coming from his body. She wanted to say something to him, but she didn't want to babble. Or sound stupid.