The Descendant

Mom finally got back; she'd authenticated and purchased a few pieces for the museum, been to a symposium, done... museum stuff, I guess. She'd also stopped by Themyscira since she was so close, and brought back some souvenirs, including a beautiful embroidered wool saddle blanket for Deri and a short dagger, iron blade with a bronze hilt, for me. I didn't quite know what to make of it, but Mom said that the General Aunt Antiope felt that it was a good weapon to have in a crowded city with a lot of crime and that I could practice knife skills with the crimefighters of the family. I had no idea what she thought New York was like; the crime rate wasn't that bad. But the little dagger was pretty and well made, and Grandpa Xander said he'd teach me how to use it. I didn't know what all the fuss was about, there hadn't been any more kidnappings, not even a busted plot.

Shortly after she returned, and before Dad left for his big business trip, after Alan had served the after dinner coffee and retired (he'd taken to making me decaf, which was so much better than tea), she stopped me when I was going to go up to my room. I was tired, it had been a long day and I was wrestling with yet more trig that I didn't understand. "No, stay, Lys. We have to have a conversation as a family." I sat right back down. Shit. Were she and Dad going to get a divorce? They both traveled a lot, so maybe their marriage had fallen apart? Mom wasn't the demonstrative type, so I couldn't tell anything from that.

"Derinoe, it has come to our attention that you have been using your gift away from home. I have investigated some complaints from your friends' parents, and it seems as if you lead them into trouble, but evade the consequences yourself with little or no punishment." I relaxed a bit. This wasn't as bad personally for me, but geeze, my little sister can be a dumbass. What on earth was she thinking?

"This is problematical on several levels," Dad said. "One of those friends is the daughter of our butler and and your Grandma Alex's close friend. The other children are not so close to our family, but they deserve no less respect. That's not being a good friend, Derinoe, that's being a user, and you know how I feel about that."

"You know that you are not to use this gift lightly, my daughter," Mom said, her voice like granite. "Yet you persist. Your reputation is is changing to something I don't like to hear, at least among the parents, and a few of them have told me that they are going to forbid their daughters to associate with you unless things change. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Deri, incredibly, rolled her eyes. "I don't see what all the fuss is. It was just a few little pranks."

"Pranks that embarrassed other kids," Dad said, frowning. "That's not right. That's not what we're about. We try to give our girls all the advantages we can, but balance them out with expectations and responsibilities. There are some who feel that we've been too easy with you, and I think that perhaps they're right. I'm ashamed that my daughter is a bully, a troublemaker." I thought back to what Grandma Alex had told me and wondered how strongly she'd put it to Dad. Probably pretty much a lot, because she has high expectations since she has a real soft spot for him.

"Both your father and I have been alone or lonely for significant parts of our lives," Mom said, and reached out to Dad, who took her hand. Whew, it didn't look like their marriage was on the rocks. "Family is a treasure that means everything to us. And I know that I am more reserved with you girls than perhaps I should be. It is not due to lack of love, but a feeling of isolation. While I love you dearly, you do not have my lifespan, and I know that I will see you in your graves while my years go on, that I only have you for a short time, overall. But I have had conversations that have changed my perspective, and I vow to show you more how precious you are to me. However, I cannot allow you to misuse your gifts, Derinoe. And tomorrow, both of you will be excused from school to come with me. We will take the family sub-orbital to Greece, where we will be meeting with temple representatives, priestesses who communicate with their goddesses, and action will be taken. If you will not voluntarily curb your abuse of your gifts, Derinoe, they will be bound. And Lys, I am concerned about what the Pharaoh said to you. I would know what other gift you have. It worries me that you have power that you don't recognize or understand."

"No, you can't take it away from me," Deri said, both angry and fearful.

"No, only the goddess can, and it is not clear that she will. Yet what the gods give, they can also take away, a lesson I thought you would have learned when hearing of the history of our people. But misuse of the power of love, a great and necessary good, cannot be tolerated, and it can be taken out of your reach through the use of a binding. But we will see what the priestesses say, and what Aphrodite directs. I give you this time so that you may think on your actions and urge you to be contrite. Regardless of your personal feelings, you will be polite and humble tomorrow."

I went to bed with mixed feelings. Finally, the Deri smackdown she deserved. But yikes, I didn't really want to be the focus of any god. I'd been hoping that that second blessing thing had just slipped her mind. I racked my brain to think of some impressive godly power that I had demonstrated, but nothing came to mind. Well, I would find out tomorrow.

I got to sleep in a little, dressed nicely, and had a good breakfast before the reluctant Deri was herded down by our implacable mother, and Dad drove us to the port. I didn't realize he was coming with us, but he said that he needed to shoulder his responsibilities as a parent too. The ride was mostly silent, and I read the class assignments that had been forwarded to me by my teachers as they got the notification that I wouldn't be in school today. I'd texted my friends that I had a family obligation so that they wouldn't worry that I was gone. It took about an hour, start to finish, from going to the port to exiting in Athens. We took a cab to the Classical Agora, where the Altar of the Twelve Gods had been rebuilt, home to the Olympian gods.

When we went inside the building, we found a few surprises waiting for us. The first was my grandmother the Queen Hippolyta, dressed in a traditional linen chiton and himation. Delicate small gold brooches held the chiton on her shoulders and arms, her golden hair was curled and artfully arranged, and only her wide silver metal bracelets detracted from the perfect elegance of her appearance. The expression on her lovely face was serene. She had a trace of god-touch to her, the residue of having carried Zeus' child, Menalippe had once told me. But everybody else there matched my mother in the strength of the god-touch. I couldn't see them at all, and the only way I could tell male from female was their dress; since they were here on business, they wore classical garb. The light emanating from the person obscured the fine details of their dress for me. In contrast to my grandmother, each priestess wore a peplos, which are traditionally made of thicker woolen fabric and had a lot of over-girding.

We were greeted in ancient Greek, language of the gods, by the priestess of Athena, who indicated that the other figures were the priestess of Aphrodite and the priests of Apollo and Hephaestus. It was explained that the priest of Hephaestus was here in case an artifact needed to be made for the constraint of Deri's ability (since Hephaestus was Aphrodite's husband, he knew more than a few ways of dealing with her) and the priest of Apollo was here to represent the god in his identification with truth, prophesy, and healing. That seemed ominous.

But after the greetings, I was up first, I guess to get the small matter out of the way. The priest of Apollo took my chin and was maybe looking at me? I couldn't tell, his face completely obscured by the power of his god. The power flared, and the priest's voice was warm when his hand dropped from my chin. "The lovely Lady Hestia is sadly neglected in the modern age," he said. "It would benefit all to honor her more faithfully, for is the hearth not the center of the home? She concerns herself with the right ordering of domesticity, from the home of the family to the state, home of all families. She also concerns herself with the physical embodiment of domesticity, the hearth and architecture. Fortunately, she cares little for acclaim, and do not mistake her concern with the domicile with passivity; the woman has the strength of iron at her core! She chose to refuse her seat on Olympus because of the tiresome, quarrelsome nature of gods, so often in opposition and conflict with each other, refusing marriage and the concerns of her own hearth for the concerns of all, and Aphrodite's arts cannot sway her. Her gift to you is something of her true essence; the creation of the home as a sanctuary for the family, where all will wish to gather. But be aware that this gift also has its harder side, expressed as a ruthlessness to keep the family well-ordered, some disruption in the present for the future stability of all.

"Your gift from the Lady Athena is much more straightforward in general; principally clarity of the gaze that reveals the workings of the gods in mortal life. Straightforward, yes, but be aware that not all gods wish to have their influence known. The influences of the two goddesses can work to your benefit, as Lady Athena also has her domestic attributes, like weaving and handicrafts, and also of the strategy of warfare; there is certainly that in families. You have been distinguished by her power, and although clarity of sight is your primary gift, you have faint echoes of her other attributes in your life." He seemed to study me. "And there is the influence of my student, Terpsichore, as well. The muse of the dance has brushed you with inspiration and ability." He turned to Deri.

"Your gift is also plain and true, one great blessing. But so troublesome! The power of love is vast and primordial, having its light side in unselfish and sacrificing love of one for another, but also the darkness of obsession and oppression. Since the gods themselves cannot tame it, it is unsurprising that mortals fail as well. It is a difficult gift, and I wonder at Lady Aphrodite, giving such strength to a child. She has much faith in its power and what it can accomplish. Still, you will grow to womanhood, and perhaps you will understand the balance and grace of your gift better with time."

"Toy not with the hearts of others, child," the priest of Hephaestus said, a faint echoing of his voice indicating the presence of his god along with the brightness he wore as a shroud. "Love can inflict great pain and suffering and despair. If you cannot be gentle in its use, you should not use it." Deri looked completely cowed, but then gods can do that. The presence of their power is so heavy that even people who aren't god-touched bow before it.

"Leave the child out of your complaints with me, husband," Aphrodite said sharply. Yikes. It was getting crowded in here with all the Olympian power being thrown around. I edged to the side, back by Dad, although he wouldn't be much protection if there was a godly brawl in progress. Mom and Queen Hippolyta stood by Deri. "At heart, she is a good child and can become better. A check for her powers is present in the gifts of her sister, for love is strongest where it is not compelled. Love may be the greatest gift of all, providing strength and support, a beacon where hope is lost. And there may come a time when this child's gifts are needed. She must learn not to abuse her gift."

"And here is the heart of the matter," Athena said, getting up and pacing over. "She lacks self-control. The power corrupts her rather than her controlling it. What do you propose to do about it, Aphrodite?"

"I thought you were the goddess of wisdom," Aphrodite shot back.

"But this is not my doing. I chose the child with strength of will, not airy vanity, to bear my gifts."

"The younger is not weak, but perhaps simply tempted beyond her restraint." She--or rather, the vessel of her priestess--walked over to Deri, who started to tremble. She seemed to regard my sister, and Dad's arm went around my shoulders and drew me close. Apollo's priest came over.

"Shall I?" he asked, and Aphrodite nodded. His power flared uncomfortably, and I averted my eyes.

"I see it," he said after the moment had stretched out, the voice of the god light and merry, the strength of the sun in its core. "It is insecurity at its heart, fear of being left by those she loves, unsure if her abilities are enough to draw friends and allow success, fear that she is not sufficiently special to earn these things on her own. A bit of laziness as well, the use of the gift as a shortcut."

The priestess was silent, the aura of the goddess retreating as she considered the situation. Then Aphrodite sighed. "Child, you must know the evils of misusing your power before you can wield it effectively. Unless you understand the responsibility I have given you, the ramifications of my gift, you may not use it at all." She stroked Deri's cheek, then briefly laid her hand on her head. "I do not choose to take it back. At this time. But I will not have you abuse it. Grow in wisdom, little one."

And with that, the mortals bore away their gods.