Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (26 page)

“Go on.”

“According to one of the myths, Zeus created Anesidora and gave her a beautiful container she was never to open. Her curiosity got the best of her. When she opened it, the evil contained within spread across the earth. She quickly closed it, but the only thing left in the box was the spirit of hope.” Legacy sighed. Gods, this was all so weird. “This Anesidora is also known as Pandora.”

Adin sighed and shook his head.

“The night you asked me out, I found a box in Lissa’s room. When I opened it, it had the word
Elpis
carved in the bottom. That words means hope. Do you see how this is adding up?”

“You think that container is Pandora’s Box?” Legacy couldn’t decipher Adin’s expression, so she slowly nodded. “And I take it River agreed to this.”

Okay, so Adin wasn’t very happy. It would be downhill from here.

“Yes. He also confirmed some of my research where I discovered Persephone was created by Demeter and Zeus. Demeter hid her from several gods who wanted her, but then she was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. I asked River about his theories, and he thinks there are a couple of possibilities.”

Adin’s expression was hardening, but he was staying calm. “What did he say?”

“Either Demeter created Dora, who created me, or the original Demeter, Anesidora, whatever, is my mother, and I’m actually Persephone. Either I am her or a likeness of her.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know. When I asked him why gods would create a similar god, he said something about changing destiny. So he thinks if I am Persephone or like her, then my mom, whichever one she is, created me to stop the abduction. That’s why my mom left when I was a baby. Not because she was in danger, but because I was.”

Adin’s eyes softened. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“I know this sounds weird. I had a really tough time believing it myself. But you have to look at all the connections. If I am a goddess, I’ll reach my full power by my eighteenth birthday. If I make it until then.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Besides the threat of Hades, I think it’s River’s family that’s after me. His mom specifically. He said he thinks my mom created a powerful god with a pure ability—me. Most gods don’t know how powerful a new god is until that god reaches maturity. But that there are some who know, and if that knowledge gets into the hands of a vengeful god, then that god may try to destroy the new god. The weather has been acting weird this summer, and River thinks it’s his mom’s doing. Ms. Gorgos is powerful. If she can destroy me before I turn eighteen, then she’d assume my powers on top of the ones she already has. Plus, she doesn’t like my mom, so killing me is just another incentive. One of many.”

“What does that mean?”

Crap.
“You’re really not going to like this.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” He sighed.

“Just don’t get mad, please.”

Adin looked at her calmly. “Legacy, I won’t get mad at you, I promise.”

She nodded and took a big breath.
Here goes nothing
. “River said the night Lissa told me about my mom he also found out about a prophecy, and it’s the same night you showed up at my birthday party.”

“Me?” Adin looked confused.

“Yes. River said the three of us are bonded together through a prophecy. Which is that I would end up with River as long as
you
were alive. He thinks that’s why you finally asked me out after being friends all these years. Maybe my turning seventeen triggered the prophecy.”

“That’s absurd! No one knows what the future holds. Asking you out had nothing to do with a freaking prophecy. He probably just likes you and wants to be with you.”

“He does like me,” she said, looking down because she actually believed River’s feelings were stronger than that. “He said he already feels attached to me. That’s why he’s told me all of this. He said he wasn’t supposed to, and he’s fought with his mom over it. But he couldn’t deny me anything, so he gave me what I wanted,” she whispered.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” Adin said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands on his head.

“I asked River what his part in all this was. He wasn’t sure, but he thinks he was created out of the likeness of one of the gods that originally pursued Persephone before she was abducted. He’s that god’s attempt at a real chance with her…with me.”

Adin shook his head. He probably couldn’t trust himself to open his mouth without yelling.

“River said he thinks you’re the link in the prophecy, since whether you live or die will determine if he and I will be together. His mom doesn’t like me, so River thinks she may come after you. Killing you would keep me from being with him. Plus, it would destroy me emotionally before she could destroy me physically. He wanted me to warn you…somehow.”

“I—” He stopped, shook his head. “Do you believe any of this?”

“I believe parts of it. I think River is trying to help me. When I talked to Lissa, she didn’t deny any of it. In fact, Demeter also had priestesses who were titled Melissae. I came right out and asked her if that’s what she was.” She looked at Adin. “You even mentioned it was odd that she didn’t go out with my mom the night of her supposed death if they were such great friends.”

“What did Lissa say?” he asked cautiously.

“She was shocked, but when I mentioned the box in her room, she freaked out and ran to her bedroom, but it was no longer there. From the way she and River acted about the box, it can’t be anything good.”

“So what parts do you believe, specifically?”

“I think I am like Persephone. I think my mom left me here in Lissa’s care to keep Hades, or his likeness, from coming after me, so I could have a better destiny than Persephone did. I think my dreams are trying to warn me or help me—I’m not sure which one yet. I think Ms. Gorgos is going to try to kill me, and I think River is in love with me,” she whispered.

Adin’s eyes turned sad. “How do you feel about him?”

“I think he’s nice, and I consider him a friend.” She looked down at the table. Gods, this was hard. “I feel like I can talk to him without being judged, and I feel like I need to protect him from people who’d want to hurt him for being open with me.” She glanced at Adin, and he looked confused. “I don’t feel about him the way he feels about me. He knows how I feel about you, and it hurts him, but I’ve been very honest with him about that fact. He knows I want to be with you, and he’s okay with just being friends.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Legacy,” Adin said. “If he feels only half as strongly as I do for you, I know he won’t stop until he finds a way into your heart. I know this because that’s what I’d do. That’s what any man in that position would do.”

“I told him if he couldn’t keep his feelings in line, then we couldn’t even be friends. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being friends, so he agreed. I think it was hard for him at first, but he’s been doing pretty well lately. I think, for him, the prophecy doesn’t necessarily mean
now
. He believes we’ll be together someday, but he’s not sure when that’ll happen. Until then he’s okay staying friends.”

“What do you think about the prophecy?”

“I don’t know what to think. I can understand if his family was responsible for your death how I would despise him and not want to be his friend at all, much less anything more. So I can totally see that part. But I don’t understand how I could not be with you if you were alive.” She looked down at her hands on the table. “I already feel like we were meant to be together. Forever.”

Adin lifted up her head to meet his gaze. “I feel that way too,” he murmured. “And I felt that way long before the night of your birthday party.”

She smiled at him, but it wasn’t a happy one. “I don’t understand how everything else can make so much sense, but I can’t accept what he said about the prophecy. I mean, I know you care about me, and I know River does too. So I can see how River thinks we’re all bonded. He feels bonded to me, and I feel bonded to you…”

“We are bonded to each other,” Adin corrected. “River isn’t part of that.”

“I know. But he’s still my friend.”

Adin took her hands into his and looked down at them. “I don’t want you to be friends with him.”

“Why?”

“Legacy, I don’t trust him. I know you think he’s helping you with your mom, and he might be. But his intentions are not, um, honorable.” Adin’s jaw ticked.

“What do you mean?”

“Whether or not he’s telling you the truth, he’s helping you to gain your trust. Once he has that, there’s no telling what he will do. He could turn on you and help his mother and you wouldn’t see it coming. Or,” Adin paused, “he could use that trust to get into your heart. I’ll be in college while he’s there with you every day at school. He has an ulterior motive, Legacy.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen, and I don’t think he’d purposely try to take me from you. He knows that would hurt me, and he doesn’t want to do that. Besides, why would he want me to warn you about his mother?”

“Because he wants me left alone since that’s apparently the only way he’ll get you,” Adin snapped.

“But even when I was upset about you being at your dad’s, he wanted me to talk to him about it even though I could tell it hurt him to hear me talk about you like that. He wants what makes me happy, and he knows that’s you. He wants my happiness no matter what it costs him.”

“Of course he does. If you go crying on his shoulder, he gets to be the one to console you. Then you’ll always turn to him when you need support. Legacy, he has an agenda.”

She took a deep breath and looked away. She felt like she wasn’t getting anywhere with Adin. She wanted him to know
and
understand.

“Legacy,” Adin whispered, and she looked at him. “You said something earlier that bothers me.”

“What’s that?”

“When I asked you how you felt about River, you said you feel like he doesn’t judge you.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think I judge you?”

“No.” She shook her head, but she wasn’t entirely sure if she was being truthful. “I think you don’t understand. I want you to understand. That’s why I told you. I was really upset at the thought of making you angry, but I needed you to know. If any of this is true, then I wanted you to know about it because I want you to know about me.”

Adin looked deep into her eyes. “You can always, always come to me. I will always be here for you. I will always listen to what you have to say. You have no idea how much I care about you. I will always try to understand whatever it is you want to tell me. But because I…because of how I feel about you, I will always,
always
try to protect you. Even though I will do whatever it takes to protect you, that does not mean I don’t understand.”

She nodded, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“I just told you that you can always come to me,” he whispered in her ear. “Now, I want to ask you to do just that. Please, Legacy. Please come to me whenever you need to, whenever you want to, whatever the reason. I want to be the one you turn to. Always. Forever,” he breathed.

“That’s what I want too,” she whispered.

Adin held her in his arms, rocking her gently. Even though this hadn’t been easy, she was glad to have it all out in the open.

What seemed like an eternity later, Adin finally spoke again, but did not let her go. “What about your dreams? Are you still having them?”

“Yeah.”

“Are they always the same?” he asked, stroking her hair.

“No. Parts of them are, but I’ve been dreaming about my hands too. They’re always different temperatures.”

“And?” He seemed like he was waiting for her to say more.

“And it’s odd. I’ve never dreamed about that before.”

“But your hands are always different temperatures, Legacy.”

She yanked back away from him, startled. “What?”

“Er, your hands. One is always hotter than the other.” He stared at her like he didn’t understand why she was shocked about that.

She pulled her hands away from him, touching each one to the other arm to feel the difference. Her right one was freezing, and her left one was blazing hot. Even looking at them, she could tell the fingers on her left hand had a red tint to them.

She grimaced. She didn’t know what to say.

“You didn’t know this, did you?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “How long have you noticed this?”

“Um, I don’t know for sure, but when I held your hands the night of your birthday party, I noticed it then. I guess I’ve noticed it ever since. I can’t say for sure if I noticed before your birthday. Before then I tried not to be too obvious about my feelings, so I tried not to touch you too much.”

“Hmmmm…” She wondered if this was relevant.

“Do you think it means something?”

“I don’t know. It’s interesting, though.”

She sat in silence while she pondered it. It had to mean something, but what? She couldn’t figure out what her hands had to do with anything. Unless this was part of the changes she was going through.

“River said there are no coincidences. I’m wonder what this means.” She rubbed her hands together.

“No coincidences,” Adin mumbled.

She looked over at him to read his expression, but it was unfathomable. He flashed his eyes at her and smiled. Then he lifted his hand and rubbed her arm.

“If the different hand temperatures are new, then maybe that has something to do with the changes Lissa mentioned.”

She smiled back at Adin. He was trying and that meant a lot to her. “Possibly.”

“What are you smiling about?” he asked, his lip twitching.

“I’m just happy that you’re trying to understand this. I know you don’t like River, but you’re making an effort and that makes her happy.”

“I don’t like River for many reasons, one of which is the fact that he seriously thinks he’ll take you away from me. Any man would feel threatened by that. But this isn’t about River. He may be a source of information for you, but to me, that’s all he is. This is about you, not him.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and leaned in to kiss his neck.