A Greek God In Harlem (6 page)

Percy walked up to the vulnerable beauty and sat down as she had suggested. He had insisted on not leaving until her tears dried.

She wiped the last tear from her face and smiled dejectedly, "Don't let me keep you here. Tomorrow's another school day."

Percy set his drink down and asked tentatively, "Do you want me to leave?"

Tanya shyly shook her head and sniffed again. 
Percy hesitated before continuing, "You have to forgive yourself Tanya."

Tanya's eyes widened and she gulped. What? What was he talking about? He can't possibly know about…

Percy took her hand, "You had named her. You had created a room for her... but he didn't want her...and eventually, neither did you."

There was a long awkward silence and Percy was wondering whether this was the right time to be saying all this. He knew it was a very sensitive topic for her, as it would be, for anyone.

Tanya frowned and looked down, "I guess you got the lowdown on me from the teachers' lounge huh?"

Percy shook his head, "No. No one was talking about you. But I know how much that baby meant to you. Freya. She was Freya right?"

Tanya couldn't hold it in. She burst into tears. Percy felt a pang of sorrow and got a hold of her hand. He hated doing this, but he knew he'd have to reveal himself to her very soon. To explain how he knew all of this.

He knew she had an Afro-Dominican boyfriend named Eric. He worked out of state and was always gone for months on end, though they shared the apartment.

They had met when she had just moved to Harlem, eight years before. He had swept her off her feet, with his Afro-Spaniard good looks and slick talk. A modern day Casanova.

He was the CEO of his own startup, and it had branches all over the East Coast. Tanya was smitten with him and possibly he, with her. At company parties, girls would throw themselves at his feet all the time but one display of Tanya in a short red dress, with his arm around her... and all the vultures would stay away.

They knew who he belonged to. They used to do all sorts of 'white people' things like skiing, bungee jumping. He would take her out every other day, whenever he was in Harlem.

And then she got pregnant. Eric's attitude seemed to have made a 180 from the time she gleefully announced Freya to him.

To keep it short, he was not too pleased, and was not afraid of speaking his mind. This had crushed Tanya's heart, and they separated for a bit. 

Lord knows what he got up to during that time, but Tanya would always try to call his cell and it would divert. His phone was always switched off at night. Tanya was not stupid. She knew he was cheating on her. He was many miles away and separated from her. She was pregnant and could not give him sex. It was inevitable.

As the pregnancy wore on, so did Tanya's doubts about the baby. Freya. At exactly 4 months, she decided to terminate the pregnancy. It had been the toughest decision of her life.

"It was necessary baby," Eric had said, while hugging her. Tanya could smell the perfume on his collar and that was yet another blow. How much disregard he had for her, he couldn’t even bother to cover his cheating behind.

Tanya had hugged him back though. Tightly. And she didn't know why, up to this day, his things were still in her room, his number still on speed dial. Sometimes she hated herself for this.

Percy got a hold of her soft hand and motioned for her to come and sit on his lap. If this was any other man, even Eric at this point, Tanya would have jerked her hand away. But his hand felt so right, so familiar.

She stood up and went to him, settling herself on his lap and in his embrace. He got the blanket she was using and covered the both of them with it. 

Their own little cocoon, up on the rooftop.

Her legs were propped up against her body and she leaned to his hard body. She sighed into his neck and whispered softly, "I know we're both exhausted, but we have to come up with a schedule for class tomorrow. For Greek Mythology class."

"Shhh..." Percy said softly as he enjoyed the feel of her body against his. He looked down at her gentle face and saw her eyes flutter with sleep. She was adorable.

Tanya looked up at the sky once more and could have sworn she saw the stars twinkle extra brightly as he gently squeezed her. What could have caused this, she didn't know.

But Percy was getting to her, and she had to find out exactly who he was. She was not convinced about his 'teacher from Connecticut' story. How had he known about her past? She was too exhausted to become suspicious now.

She fell asleep in his arms in spite of herself.

In a brownstone not too far away, Aisha was picking out her best dress. She was going to get a taste of the Greek hunk. 

And she always got what she wanted at Mount Sinai. Maybe she could get daddy to transfer him to a department closer to hers... she sighed mischievously as she pondered the possibilities. Her and Percy would make pretty Greek-Black kids that's for sure.

And if there was any black woman he liked, why wouldn't it be her, Aisha Mills? He would go places.

Aisha finally settled on a royal blue mini-dress. Tomorrow, Mount Sinai wouldn't know what hit them. 

Percy would definitely have something to ogle at.

Chapter Four

Tanya sat at her desk and watched her students silently reading their scripts, rehearsing their parts.

Donyelle was visibly missing, and Morris had taken up a spot next to Julianna. Tanya sighed worriedly at this.

To get that image out of her mind, she looked to the other side of the lecture hall and smiled at the sight. 

Percy was seated nonchalantly, his long legs propped up on a desk in front of him. He was holding a Reader's Digest. He looked up when he felt her eyes on him and smiled back.

Tanya blushed and looked back down at the novel she was reading, 
Perseus
. She stole one more quick glance at Percy, wondering why he and the book character were so similar, down to the name and physicality. 

She shrugged it off and continued to read the book entitled 
Perseus
. Gods only exist in books like this...

Perseus had never seen a sight more beautiful than this. At the same time, he had never been more scared in his life.

There she was, Andromeda, the Ethiopian princess, tied to a rock. He would have stared at her all day if not for the apparent danger she was in.

"You may have defeated me, but you will not defeat my spirit!" Medusa hissed in his ear. He gulped and refused to turn his head. Ever since he had decapitated the Gorgon Medusa, her ghost had taunted him wherever he went.
 

He was now on the banks of the Nile River, armed with only his sword. He had been to hell and back these last few days, trying to defeat Medusa and plenty of other beasts.

He looked down from the cliff he was hiding behind and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He peered over and saw the naked Andromeda yet again, waiting for him, her hero. Waiting for someone.
 

She was weeping profusely and writhing against the rock. He had to do something. Give me the courage oh father! Perseus prayed to Zeus.

A large sea serpent emerged from the water and showered her with it. She bowed her head and looked up again at the monster, seething with anger. She flipped her braids back and seemed to be taunting the monster.

Perseus looked around and wondered whether he could jump on the serpent's back without it seeing him.
 

The monster submerged again and Andromeda continued to sob and cry out for rescue. It was a haunting sound.

Perseus didn't have to know her language, to know she was crying out at having been 'abandoned' and 'forgotten'. If only she knew.
 

The Nile water was flowing in rapids and the rain was coming down in heavy torrents. The serpent reared its head and huffed menacingly at the tied up Andromeda.

Perseus gulped. His battle with Medusa was over, but this war had just begun. He had to rescue his princess, even if he would surely die doing so... he was not as strong as his brother Hercules…

Tanya was abruptly interrupted by someone making a cough sound. He had stood up. Percy. She gestured asking him what the matter was, and he walked over.

He leant down and whispered in her ear, the closeness and hotness of his breath making her heart beat faster.

What he said though, did not impress Tanya at all. She frowned. He looked at her with the same perplexed look and shrugged, indicating that he didn’t know what to make of it either.

He then excused himself and walked out of the class.

Aisha had called him to her office?!!! And since when did she have an 
office
?!!

Tanya could not help but wonder whether it was curiosity or jealousy that was making her ask these questions. Why was she so concerned about Aisha and Percy?

It's probably just school schedules or scholastic material
, she thought reassuring herself. 

She went back to reading her book and tried to get her mind off of Aisha... and onto the damsel-in-distress, Andromeda.

Percy knocked on Aisha's office door and he heard a cooing sound, probably inviting him in. 

He tentatively stepped inside, looked around the office and when his dark eyes settled on one particular thing, he couldn't help but mouth a silent
wow
...