Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(91)

"Then let's see what we can do about getting E. D. Faust to throw his considerable weight around and have his appropriately eccentric guest treated here," she said, taking the oxygen line from his nose and unhooking the IV bag from its holder. "It's a damn good thing that I'm an ER addict." She studied him uneasily. She'd not noticed the lines of strain on his face before. "It's really awful, isn't it?"

"Zeus has been true to his word. I am enjoying all of the symptoms of snakebite." He rolled his right shoulder and flinched, as if the pain was crawling up his arm.

"Come on, let's get you inside and settled in your room. I don't suppose they'd give painkillers to a snakebite victim, but I think I have something in my emergency pill pack that will work wonders. I can promise you that after a couple of Tylenol threes and a glass of wine, you'll be feeling considerably less stress and possibly no pain."

"Tylenol three?" He asked.

"Trust me on this one," she said.

He grunted and held his bandaged hand close to his body as they climbed slowly from the back of the jeep, walked up the sidewalk and entered the ranch house - an easy thing to do because no one had bothered to close the front door.

Artemis was lying fluidly across one of the couches in the den. Eddie had knelt beside her. One paramedic was taking her pulse, another was waving a small vial in front of her nose.

"Oh!" she sputtered. "Get that wretched-smelling thing away from me!"

"Now, now... be calm, my goddess," Eddie crooned.

"Hey, that's okay," Pamela called, shaking her head in disgust. "The snakebite victim is just fine, thanks."

Artemis sat straight up. Her blue eyes were wide and pooling with luminous tears as she peered over the top of the couch at Apollo.

"My brother!" she gasped. "Oh, my poor brother!"

She wobbled, flailing her hands in his direction. Apollo went to the couch, and Eddie shifted his bulk so that he could sit beside his sister. Tears spilled from the goddess's eyes, and she hesitantly reached out to touch the bandage wrapped around his hand.

"They said a venomous serpent attacked you. I was so frightened. I thought that you actually might - " Artemis broke off, biting her lip.

Apollo put his arm around his sister and let her cry into his shoulder.

"All is well. All is well."

"What am I thinking?" Eddie seemed to suddenly grasp the entire situation. "You should be on your way to the hospital. Post haste!"

"No!" Apollo said abruptly. "Eddie, I have a boon to ask of you."

"You may have anything within my power to grant," the author said solemnly.

"Arrange it so that I may stay here until Friday."

"Oh, no! You should be surrounded by the finest healers in the land!" Artemis said, looking like she was going to faint again at any moment.

While everyone was focused - once again - on the soothing the goddess, Pamela managed to catch her eye and mouth a single word: Hermes. Artemis blinked in surprise, interrupting her own distressed sobs. During the break in her hysterics, Apollo's voice sounded calm and logical.

"The snake venom does not threaten my life; even these men will attest to the fact that my life signs are steady and strong. I simply need to rest, which I will do better here than in a place where I am surrounded by strangers."

Like a confused child, Artemis looked up at her brother. "You will not be... damaged?" She said the word as if it left a vile taste in her mouth.

Even though Pamela could see that he was still cradling his wounded hand close against his body and she knew he was in terrible pain, Apollo shook his head and smiled reassuringly at his sister. "I will not be damaged."

Artemis managed to control her sobs long enough to take Eddie's hand. "Oh, please. Do not send him away," the goddess pleaded.

"I wouldn't think of it," the big man replied, patting her hand. "Transfer the equipment you need to his bedroom. I shall call in my personal physician to attend Phoebus," Eddie ordered the paramedics.

In awe, Pamela watched the paramedics jump to obey Eddie, who took the ever-vigilant James aside to explain to him who should be called and what should happen when and how and why. As if they existed in the eye of a storm, Pamela, Artemis and Apollo were left in momentary privacy.

"Hermes?" Artemis whispered the question to Pamela.

Pamela answered in the same low tone. "He showed up when Apollo was..." She hesitated, met Apollo's eyes and saw the slight shake of his head. "When he was snake bitten," she amended. "He took the poison from his body, but left the pain - thanks to your pissed-off father."

"We are to appear before Zeus after dusk on Friday. He has decided to close the portal then. Permanently."

Pamela saw surprise on the goddess's face, and then, when Eddie hurried back over to them, she was almost certain she saw something else. Something that might have been sadness.

"It is all being arranged, my friend," Eddie said to Apollo.

"Thank you, Eddie. I will remember your kindness," the god said solemnly.

Eddie put his hand on Apollo's shoulder. "It is my pleasure to follow the ancient ways. In my household the bond between guest and host is still a sacred one."

Apollo dipped his head in acknowledgment. "If the gods still listen to the modern world, may you be blessed for it."