Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(87)

Vulcan was deeply asleep. So deeply that he thought his mother's voice was just part of a dream.

"Vulcan, you must awaken."

In his sleep he sighed, pulling Pea closer to his naked body.

"Son. Awaken."

Vulcan frowned, beginning to move groggily toward consciousness.

"Vulcan! Now. Wake up!"

The God of Fire opened his eyes.

"Finally. You always have been a heavy sleeper. I don't know where you got that - neither your father nor I could sleep through the dropping of a pin."

"Mother?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's me, Hera, Queen of Gods - your mother. And I insist you awaken."

Vulcan carefully extricated himself from Pea's still soundly sleeping form and sat up. Sure enough, his mother was standing in Pea's bedroom, her ivory-colored robes glistening as if they held a light of their own.

"Mother, what has happened?"

"There's a fire. You must go."

At the word "fire" Vulcan was already moving. Instantly he called the garb of an ancient Roman warrior to him.

"Yes, you are wise to prepare for battle. Come with me." Hera took his hand and the two of them disappeared.

When they reappeared it was in the middle of fiery chaos. They were inside a burning building. The flames could not harm Vulcan, and automatically he added his own protection to his mother's aura. He would never allow fire to harm the Queen of Gods.

"Look there." Hera pointed to a spot of burning rubble that the main area of flames was just about to engulf.

A weak movement caught Vulcan's sharp eye.

"Griffin!" he cried, and strode to the fallen mortal's side, flinging back the flames that were in his path. When he reached him, Vulcan assessed the damage quickly. With one hand he flung the iron railing off the man's body. Griffin's eyes fluttered and then opened.

"Who are you?" he gasped. Then his gaze shifted and his eyes widened when he saw the beautiful woman standing in a halo of light beside the...

"A goddess!" Griffin said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," said the man who knelt beside him. "And I am a friend of Venus. Be still, breathe slowly. I will get you free of this inferno."

"It is too late, my son."

Griffin's eyes shifted from the god to the goddess who stood so serenely beside him. Amazingly she smiled and called him by name.

"Griffin DeAngelo, I am Hera, Queen of Gods."

"Hello, Hera." Griffin thought he said the words in a normal voice, but a raspy whisper was all that managed to escape his mouth.

"You must listen carefully to me, Griffin," she said. "We have little time. You see, you are dying."

Griffin thought he should feel fear or, at the very least, shock at her words. Instead he was surprised that a sense of peace enveloped him.

"The watchman...is he saved?" Griffin whispered.

"He is," Hera said. "You did well."

Griffin sighed. If this was to be his end, then at least he'd done his job, and done it well. Grayness began to tunnel the edges of his vision. He thought about his sisters and his mother, and he felt a knife of sorrow for the pain he knew his death would cause them. Then he thought about Venus, and how sorry he was for what he'd said to her. But she was a goddess...maybe she would somehow be able to know how he felt...even after he died...

"Not yet, Griffin DeAngelo! I command your spirit not depart yet!" Hera shouted. Griffin's eyes shot open and, almost against his will, he blinked his vision clear.

"Mother, I can carry him from here. Surely we can..." the god began, but Hera lifted her hand and commanded silence.

"It has gone too far. His body has been too gravely damaged. Forgive me, mortal man, I misjudged the time Fate had allotted you. I meant to provide you with more of a choice in this."

Griffin wanted to tell her she was forgiven, but his voice was beyond obeying him. The goddess turned to the god.

"There is only one way to save him, my son. You and he must switch souls. In doing so, you will become mortal and, with the aid of my power, there will be enough of your immortal essence left to heal his broken body and survive. But you will then be mortal - in all ways. Do you understand?"

Vulcan nodded. "I do, Mother."

"Do you understand that if you do this you will live one mortal life and only one, here in the modern world, and that when you die your body will return to dust and your spirit will descend to the Elysian Fields."

"And I will spend that life with the mortal woman I love, and when she, too, dies, will she be allowed to enter Elysia?"

Hera bowed her head. "I give you my sacred oath that her spirit will find a home there."

"I understand and I agree."

"Very well, my son."

Hera approached Griffin's fallen body and knelt beside him. She touched his face. He thought how cool and soft her hand felt. "Listen well, mortal man. My son is Vulcan, God of Fire, husband to Venus, whom I believe you love. He can save your soul and your life, but in doing so he must take possession of your body and your mortal life. You, in turn, will become him - one of the Twelve Olympians, God of Fire. You will retain your soul and your memories, but for eternity you must guard the sacred forge and the pillar of flame. You will become the God of Fire. Do you understand?"