Fated by Courtney Cole

necklace. Harmonia’s Necklace was just one.
    "Cadmus, " I whispered, testing the name out on my tongue.
    It felt right. Obviously it was an old, old name and it should feel that way to me ... .
    Antiquated. But it didn’t. It formed on my tongue as though it was meant to be there.
    Probably because it was. Cadmus was Gavin and I was a goddess. But if we had been sent to Elyria for eternity, then what was I doing here now? Why had I been acting as a Keeper of Fate for so many millennia?
    My mind was spinning. This was too much craziness for any one person to handle without ice cream. I padded into the kitchen for some chocolate chip banana therapy. I didn’t even bother with a bowl, I just sat with a spoon and the ice cream carton. As I ate, I stared at my hands, my arms, my legs, the way my hair curled around my shoulder. It felt so odd to know that I had been around for thousands of years and that apparently I was a goddess. But now I was human.
    What had happened in the meantime to put me here? I had no idea. But I knew someone who did. Annen.
    I set aside the ice cream and picked up my bloodstone, silently willing Annen to appear.
    Nothing.
    I pleaded.
    Nothing.
    I sighed.
    Still nothing.
    I gave up and put my dirty dishes in the sink and returned to my bedroom before my mom got home. I loved my mom like crazy, but I wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat. There was so much to figure out. I started in the most logical place of all.
    I dialed Gavin’s number and felt a rush of relief when his husky voice flooded into my phone.
    "Hey, beautiful, " he answered.
    "Hey, " I sighed, settling back into the pillows of my bed. "Want to come over? " I asked hopefully.
    If anything could help me right now, it would be him. Seeing his familiar face, holding his hand ... it would make everything better. I knew it. Out of all the craziness in all of my lives, he had always been a constant. Well, he and Ahmose. And Ahmose said that I might not see him again. Cryptic words. I sighed again.
    "What’s wrong? " Gavin asked. He knew me so well.
    "Nothing. I just miss you. "
    "I wish I could come over. But I’ve got to cram for that stupid history final tomorrow. "
    Gavin was regretful and I instantly recognized the humor in this situation. I was a goddess and Gavin had been the King of Thebes, slayer of dragons. And here we were in Pasadena worrying about high school. What kind of hell was this?
    "It’s okay, " I replied softly. "It’s almost as good hearing your voice. "
    "Macy, what is wrong with you? " He sounded so concerned that it warmed my heart. "Did your dad call or something? "
    "No, " I answered. "I haven’t heard from him in weeks. Nothing’s wrong. Really. I just wanted to see you. I’ll see you tomorrow though. Want to pick me up for school? "
    "Of course I do. I want to make sure you get there in one piece. I love you, you know. "
    "I know. I love you, too. "
    I hung up the phone and laid it gently on the bed stand. Gazing around my room, I just couldn’t bring myself to do homework. That was just too trivial with everything else going on.
    Crossing the room, I grabbed my laptop and returned to my bed. Some thorough research of my ancestry was in order, beginning with my father. My real father. Ares, the god of war.
    Hours passed. I heard my mother come home and barely lifted my head when she asked if I wanted any dinner. Thankfully, she left me alone the rest of the evening while she had a movie night with a friend. My eyes had begun to burn from so much online reading by the time I finally closed the lid to my laptop. I lay quietly staring at the wall, pondering my new history.
    My true and original history.
    My thoughts flew back to Alexandria when I had saved Hasani’s (Gavin’s ... Cadmus’ ... ) life. At the time I had no idea how I had done it. Strength from within me had just exploded into that cave and the next thing I knew, Hasani was opening his eyes. It had to be because of who I was ... not because of