Eli lay on a bed in the guest room of my High-rise. The healer Hermes worked over Eli’s unconscious form. With his caduceus, Hermes gently healed the strips of torn flesh, leaving no trace behind that he had ever been damaged. Still, Eli didn’t awaken. I hovered close to the bed where Eli lay. Titan, Memory, Bill, and Leto waited with me. They watched Hermes as closely as I did.

“Why doesn’t he wake up?” Leto asked no one in particular.

Hermes shook his head and said, “I don't have an answer for that. I thought there was brain damage, but I can’t detect anything.”

“Perhaps we should call Apollo,” Leto said. “You have great medical skills, Hermes, but Apollo’s are better.”

Hermes looked at me, his face expressionless. I glanced at Bill, who was in closer contact with Hermes than anyone else and would know what Hermes was thinking. Bill nodded imperceptibly.

“You can summon him, Leto?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Bring him to me,” I said and Leto stepped out of the door.

Hermes gently placed his caduceus next to Eli on the bed in essence telling me that he had done all he could.

“Memory, can you tell what happened to him?”

She shook her head. “There is a cloud over his mind. I can’t penetrate it.”

“A cloud? Magic?” I asked.

She nodded.

I paced back and forth for a few seconds then asked, “Can you isolate the magic? Its origin?”

“It originates with Circe,” Memory said.

I reached out with my metaphysical feelings and tried to touch Eli’s brain. But, I couldn’t penetrate the cloud, either. “Freaking witch,” I swore aloud. “I can’t get underneath her magic to disassemble it. This is what she wanted to do. No wonder we got inside the beach house so easily. She couldn’t break him physically, so she decided to do it mentally. She knows we are connected, metaphysically, so she is still attacking where she thinks I am the weakest.”

“Better, then, that he doesn’t awaken,” Memory said.

I remained in a swivet, working myself up to a full-blown rage. Ares came into the room and only then did I realize that Titan left, presumably to summon him. Did they think I was a fragile porcelain doll? Was Titan so scared of me that he had to call in reinforcements?

“Athena...” Ares started.

“What?” I snapped at him. “You came here to put your worthless two cents in? Where the hell is Titan? He told you to come in here and then he ran and hid? A fine bunch of followers I have.”

“Now, wait a minute...” Ares said.

“Every minute we wait is a minute closer to... I don't even know what, but I can guarantee you it isn’t anything good.”

“Athena...” Ares said.

“I am not your concern. Eli is. If you want to do something useful, fix this,” I yelled, gesturing toward the bed.

“Shut the hell up, your majesty,” Ares said, raising his voice only slightly. “You sound like me, flying off the handle with the slightest provocation.”

“Slightest provocation? Look at him!” I gestured toward Eli. “Look at Eli and explain to me how that is a slight provocation?”

“Circe knows he is your weak spot and that is where she hit you,” Ares said. “Take a second and listen to yourself. We are not your enemy. Your enemy is the one who is responsible for Eli’s condition. Apollo is here, now. Listen to what he has to say. He and Helios are kindred and he may be able to give you some insight.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at nothing and everyone. Apollo walked into the guest room, shining nearly as much as Helios ever did. Apollo’s golden blonde hair hung past his shoulder blades. His eyes shone as bright blue as Zeus’s eyes and his face, while delicately featured, held a maturity that many of the Olympians did not have.

“Lady Athena, it is good to see you, again. I am here to offer what assistance I can.” His voice sounded like music.

“Apollo, my brother, it is good to see you, too. I am, I fear, upset at the moment,” I told him.

“So I heard when I stood outside this door. It is understandable. And Hermes, always a delight, little brother,” Apollo said as he extended his hand toward Hermes.

Then, Apollo asked Hermes, “What did you accomplish?”

“Not much. I healed his physical wounds, but he is trapped in a cocoon of Circe’s making. I cannot awaken him.”

Apollo approached the sleeping Helios and touched him gently on the shoulder. Another hand, he placed on Helios’s head. Anyone watching would think nothing was going on, but I felt the energy flowing from my brother to my husband. I couldn't tell what Apollo attempted, but I know he worked hard to accomplish it. A sheen of sweat covered his brow and beads formed on his upper lip. Apollo closed his eyes and pushed more energy into Helios.

Helios opened his eyes and quickly sat up on the bed and then stood beside it. “Where is that bitch Athena? Where is she?” His voice reverberated around the room. Helios shoved Apollo who flew backward and hit the wall beside the door. Hermes crumpled to the floor beside the bed under the wave of energy emanating from Helios and then struggled to his feet. He vanished from the room.

I felt my jaw drop and Ares grabbed me by the shoulders to pull me away from my husband. “Listen to his voice. That is Circe speaking. That is not Helios.”

“It can’t be,” I whispered. Even when I said it I knew it wasn’t true. Helios stood up straighter and seemed to somehow get larger in the room. He turned slowly in my direction.

Ares shook me to get my attention. “Athena, you have to stop him. Don’t let him put his hands on you! Athena, are you listening to me?”

Helios reached toward me and I set up a powerful barrier between him and me. He seemed puzzled that he couldn’t get through it.

“Athena, you have to cage him, like you did Phobos and his group. Now, Athena,” Ares shouted, so I would hear him over the roar of raw energy that filled my ears and presumably his.

I knew Ares was right, but it was my husband. It was Helios.

Ares shook me again and repeated, “Now, Athena.”

So, I did. Helios wouldn’t be able to leave the vicinity of the bed. I strengthened the ward to make sure Helios/Circe couldn’t escape.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He/She said, “You think you can keep me here? You can’t. I am stronger than you will ever be.” He/She screamed in frustration and they beat against the barrier. They flung Helios’s body left and right and up and down testing the viability of the wall of energy.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ares said. “We can’t accomplish anything here.”

“Bitch, you can’t defeat me,” Circe shouted in Eli’s voice. “I have already won. I took what you will never have again.” She cackled with the most maniacal laugh I have ever heard. Hermes’s caduceus was still on the bed. He/She picked it up and flung it toward me. It bounced off the barrier and hit them in the head. Blood blossomed on their forehead and ran down into wild eyes, but they ignored it.

Ares gestured to Apollo and the two men physically carried me out of the guest room that became Helios/Circe’s prison. Memory shut the door behind us. The two men waited until they were certain I wouldn’t try to go back into the room before releasing their grip on me. I looked at Apollo and said, “I had no idea...”

“How could you?” He asked in a reasonable tone.

Hebe came into the room and said, “I have some coffee for you.”

I nodded and followed her to the kitchen. I felt like I needed something much stronger than coffee, but for the moment, coffee would suffice. Apollo and Ares followed, with Bill and Hermes a step behind them.

My world seemed totally out of kilter as if there was nothing right. “Where are my manners?” I said, flustered and totally unnerved by Helios’s performance in the guest room. “Apollo, this is Bill Townsend.”

Apollo shook Bill’s hand. “A pleasure, Bill. I heard about you from Dad. He is very taken with you.”

“I like him, too,” Bill said.

“You obviously spoke with him recently if you know about Bill,” I said.

“Yes, I did. A few weeks ago while he was still on Olympia Island.” Apollo turned toward me and said, “I understand he left there and gave it to you. May I offer my fealty to you, Lady Athena? Dad told me of his decision to shift the leadership to you and high time for it, I say.”

Ares said, “She is asking for an Oath of Binding, witnessed by Mnemosyne.”

“Very well,” Apollo said. Memory stepped closer to the table where we all sat and gestured to Apollo. He dropped to his knee and like the others, gave me his oath. Memory said to me, “It is a true and binding oath.”

“Thank you, Memory, and thank you, Apollo,” I said. Apollo rose from the kitchen floor and then kissed my hand in a courtly fashion.

“The new regime will be very different from Zeus’s Court, I feel. But, maybe you can instill some life back into the bunch of us who have done little over the past millennia save eating, drinking, and screwing. The Golden Age is well and truly behind us and it is high time for a change. I wonder that Zeus waited so long to name you.”

“I think he was waiting for me and even then, he thrust it upon me rather than waiting until I approached him.”

“Chucked you into the deep end, eh?” Apollo asked.

“That he did.” I paused for a few moments to sip my coffee. “What did you encounter in Helios’s head, Apollo?”

“She has somehow transferred her essence into his brain and she is currently running things. She likely wounded him to weaken him enough to enter and take over without much opposition.”

“Wait. You mean all of Circe is in there?” I asked.

“I believe so.”

I took a deep, deep breath. “How are we going to get her out?” I asked him.

“I don’t have an answer. What is in there is dark. It is completely incompatible with those of us in the light.” Apollo said.

“She would still have a connection to her body, right?”

“She should,” Apollo conceded.

“So we have to find her body and destroy it.”

“No,” Ares said. “We bring her body to Helios, and when she transfers back into it, you can destroy it.”

I nodded, knowing Ares was right. If we destroyed her body before she had another place to go, she would remain inside Eli forever.

“The first step is finding her body.”

“I would suggest talking to the dark ones to see if they have any ideas,” Apollo said.

I looked at Ares and he left the room without me giving him any instructions. He just knew I wanted to talk to Phobos. I didn’t miss Apollo’s frown when he witnessed the interaction between Ares and me. Apollo said, “I didn’t know you and Ares were so connected.”

I smiled and told Apollo, “We have spent time together recently.”

“Lady Athena, you are not very good at lying.”

I sighed. “I cannot talk about it, Apollo.”

“I am guessing you have a power partnership with Ares and probably this human and maybe even Hermes and, of course, Helios.”

Whatever look was on my face made Apollo and Memory laugh. I know I felt confused and was ready to deny the whole thing. Instead, I asked, “How did you know?”

“I can almost see the lines of power between you. It is a very strong bond you have forged and for you, it is likely a good thing.”

I looked at Memory and asked, “Did you know about it, too?”

“Of course. And so does everyone else. Why else would a human and your favorite rival, Ares, suddenly be in close contact with you at all times? Not nearly as clever as you think.” Memory winked at me.

Bill said, “And here we are with tape all over our mouths and everyone knows anyway.” He shook his head as if he didn't believe it. Then, “So, you are Apollo. I don’t mind telling you that I am thrilled to meet you. I mean just think about this. You guys are famous. Zeus, Hercules, and now Apollo. They named an entire space program after you.”

“Yes, they did,” Apollo agreed. “It gave me several years of bragging rights. Now, that honor has shifted to Ares since Mars has come into sharp focus.”

Bill and Apollo laughed.

Bill leaned against the counter in the kitchen with his arms comfortably crossed over his chest. His board shorts and hoodie sweatshirt looked better on him than his ill-fitting suits ever did.

“Tell me, Bill,” Apollo said. “What is it like fraternizing with us Olympians and Titans?”

“Mostly, I stand around and watch everything happen. I don’t feel like I can contribute anything, but Athena, there, says I do. It must be true. You are a fascinating bunch, I don’t mind telling you. So, I don't feel cheated.”

“Cheated?” Apollo asked.

“I am sorta out of a job at the moment. Not much call for a police detective around you guys.”

“It may take a bit of time, but you will find a way to fit in,” Apollo assured him.

“Yeah, that’s what Hermes says, too. I guess you both can’t be wrong.”

I glared, not wanting to join in pleasantries, but rather I was thinking hard about ways to get my husband back.

Ares returned to the kitchen with Phobos. I said to Phobos, “Has Ares explained to you what has happened?”

Phobos nodded.

“Any conclusion to be drawn?” I asked.

“You ask for my advice. You just released me from prison this morning and now you want advice from Phobos,” my nephew said.

Ares slapped him on the back of the head and then said, “Just answer the question, tough guy.” Even Ares was starting to sound like Bill. Was I next?

“I don’t know what Circe thinks because she is a witch. Her darkness, if you will, is different from my darkness. She is a twisted demon, even from my perspective.”

“You can offer no suggestions?” I asked.

“You should talk to another witch who hates Circe. They would probably be able to tell you what you want to know,” Phobos said.

“And who hates her?” I asked.

“Hecate,” Phobos said, simply.

“Why?”

“Because Circe killed Demeter.” Phobos watched my face for a moment and then walked out of the kitchen.

“So, who knows how to contact Hecate?” I asked and received no answers.