High School Again? Ugh! Ch. 05

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JoeDreamer
JoeDreamer
6,293 Followers

"The Fates sent me," she shrugged.

"Not again!" I groaned. "What's so special about me that they keep sending gods to interfere with my life?"

"You think this is all for you?" she grinned.

"Who else?" I frowned.

She shook her head and laughed. "Men! You all have such big egos. What makes you think you're anything more than a bit player in this saga?"

"Nemesis said that I could cause Armageddon," I replied.

"Indirectly," she frowned. "I guess it's possible."

"You know more than she did," I said thoughtfully. "Tell me."

"You humans!" Aphrodite laughed. "Always so curious! You just had a gift most men would kill for and all you have is questions."

"A gift?" I frowned.

"I haven't come to Earth with my entourage in hundreds of years," she replied. "You should be honored. You're the only human alive who has had sex with the goddess of beauty, love and lust."

"I can barely remember it," I said without thought. It was true too. I could remember my time with her entourage far better than my time with her, but it all was getting hazy now.

"Of course!" she laughed. "I am a goddess after all and you're only a mere mortal."

"Thanks," I said, shaking my head. This conversation was going nowhere and I was worried about Tara.

"Then go to her," Aphrodite said, reading my thoughts once more. "I'm not holding you here and she needs you."

"Needs me?" I asked, and suddenly I remembered where Tara was and who she was with.

"John, she has even less choice in what's happening than you did," the goddess replied. Her eyes were sad and she was serious for the first time. "It's going to be difficult for her to get past it as well. Her past will make it so."

"Damn!" I snapped, remember what I suspected about Tara's past. This was going to be bad, very bad.

I was still angry at Aphrodite and curious about what was happening, but now was not the time to ask questions. Besides, I was suddenly certain that whatever the reason, what Aphrodite had done was the Fates attempt at helping me, as twisted as it seemed. "Tell your entourage I'm sorry for what happened at the end."

"Euphrosyne, Thalia and Aglaea? Don't worry about them. The Graces are far stronger than you'd expect. You just surprised them."

"Graces, right," I sighed and reached for the door. Now was not the time. I had to stay focused on Tara. She hadn't chosen the woman over me. She needed me. That was all I needed to know.

"John, be careful," Aphrodite said as the door opened. "You do not want to anger the woman with Tara. She has a very bad temper."

I suddenly realized who the woman with Tara was. She was beautiful, bad tempered and liked peacocks. There was only one goddess like that.

"Hera," I said.

"Very good," Aphrodite said. "Just be sure to show her respect. What she's doing is wrong and against the rules, but she is a goddess and Zeus' wife. The Fates have already informed Zues and he's very angry. If it helps, keep in mind that she'll pay for what she's done once she returns to Olympus."

"It doesn't help," I replied. "Not if Tara is going to be as bad as I expect."

Aphrodite didn't bother to comment. Even a goddess had no answer to that. I left the suite and found myself on the same floor as my room, but on the opposite side of the hallway. I ran.

I used my key and threw open my door. It was worse than I expected. Hera was there, but so was the bartended I didn't like and two of his friends. The three were using Tara badly. It took all my strength not to run in and stop them. I probably would have anyway if I didn't know it would be better for Tara if I stayed calm, or at least rational.

"Ah, you're back," Hera said in disappointment. She did something and suddenly she and I were out in the hallway with the door shut between us and what was going on in the room. "Let's not interrupt their fun. I have such few priests left these days. This is a special gift for three of my best."

"Zeus wants to see you," I said without preamble, fighting for control. "Now."

"Ah well, I've had my fun," Hera said, smiling at the door cruelly, as if she could see what was happening beyond. She probably could. "Besides, I think my job here is done." She was suddenly in the black dress once more. "I can't wait to see how my husband reacts this time. It's always so interesting." I grit my teeth and held my tongue, or at least tried to.

"I hope he makes you feel exactly what Tara does once she's herself once more," I nearly growled. It was the worst thing I could hope on her.

"Humans," she sighed, barely seeming to take offense at my words. "Zeus isn't nearly that imaginative."

"Maybe he's listening," I said, offering up a small prayer that he was. "Or maybe the Fates will tell him."

"You know," Hera said thoughtfully. "I was going to order my priests out when I left, but I don't like your insolence, so instead, I'll let them stay and enjoy themselves some more. You can have what's left of her when they're done." The goddess literally disappeared right in front of my eyes which was a good thing because I completely lost it.

I don't remember opening the door again. I don't remember much of what happened next. I do remember seeing Hera's three priests' expression when I entered. One face was in ecstasy as he came inside of Tara. The second was grinning cruelly as he hurt the woman I loved. Oddly, it was the third's expression that got to me the most. He was looking at me and smiling in contempt. I launched myself at them.

The next few minutes went by in a blur. What happened should have been impossible, but I was too angry to think clearly. I attacked. I let out all my anger at Hera, Aphrodite and every god and goddess who insisted on interfering with my life. Poor Tara was an innocent bystander and they'd used her in the worst way. They'd hurt the woman I loved, and now I was going to hurt them.

I don't remember much of the fight. I guess the men were humans and not demigods like the Graces, otherwise I'm sure I would have been killed. As if was, they gave me a bad beating, but as bad as it was, I gave them worst.

I lifted Tara and wrapped her in a sheet before carrying her out of the suite. I hurt and could barely walk, but I didn't put her down until we were at Angelo's door. I still had his key from earlier. I opened it and carried her in.

The door to Angelo's bedroom was closed and I was sure he was still asleep. That was probably for the better.

I removed the sheet covering Tara and saw the damage Hera and her priests had caused. If she didn't need me I think I would have gone back to my room and done far worse than hurt the priests, but she did. I took Tara to the bathroom.

It was difficult for me to see with one swollen eye, but I did notice that the hot tub was already filled. The water steamed. There were candles and a tray with a decanter and two glasses. I guess the gods felt a little guilty. They must have known I'd come here and what shape Tara would be in. I didn't know if I should be angry at them for letting it happen or appreciative of the effort they put in.

I glanced at the mirror and saw just how bad Tara and I looked. I was bleeding from more than one place and my body ached. The only thing keeping me up was adrenalin. I needed to make sure Tara was okay. I stripped my clothes and took her into the shower and rinsed off what Hera and the men had done to her, or at least the parts I could remove. Some of it would stay with her for life.

My own blood also rinsed down the drain as I washed Tara. She was still out of it, but I knew it couldn't last much longer. It was probably better this way. When we were both as clean as I could get us I helped Tara into the tub. I had to get in with her to keep her steady. The water actually felt pretty good. There had to be something special about it because all of my aches and pained dulled once I was in it.

The glasses on the tray were filled with liquid. I took one and sipped from it. I can't explain what it tasted like, but it was truly amazing. The pain dulled even further. I took the other glass and held it to Tara's lips. She drank, but her eyes didn't focus. I watched her in concern. There wasn't anything else to do now. Slowly the built up adrenalin dissipated and everything that happened hit me at once.

"I should never have left you with Her!" I groaned. "I'm sorry!" My mind was racing and the guilt was nearly overwhelming. I hadn't known it was Hera and I was drunk, but I was supposed to love Tara. Besides, if not for me the gods would never have interfered in Tara's life. I should have...

"...not your fault," Tara said softly. "You didn't know I was drugged."

Drugged? I guess that made sense. Whatever Hera had done did make Tara act like she was drugged. For all I knew maybe she was. That didn't make me feel any better. This was all my fault!

"Tara! I'm so sorry!" I cried, pulling her to me. She came willingly despite what she'd been through. I didn't kiss her. I didn't dare. I had no idea how she'd react, but I did hold her.

Tara started crying, but it didn't last very long. My own tears fell as well.

"I remember you leaving to bring Angelo to his room," she said slowly, gathering her thoughts. "I also remember the brunette leading me back to our room. She must have slipped something into my drink."

"Is that all you remember?" I asked hopefully. She looked at me. Her eyes were haunted.

"No, I remember it all," she said, swallowing hard.

"I'm sorry," I said again, knowing it didn't help but needed to say something.

"John, I need you to hold me." Tara's voice was still fragile. I was afraid to say anything else. So instead I did as she asked. I held her for what felt like hours. The water never became cold and we finished the decanter slowly. By the time it was done I felt much better physically. Signs of the beating I'd taken from the three men were all but gone. So were the signs of what happened to Tara. Yet, both of us were still beat up on the inside.

"I think it's time you lay down," I said softly as I stood. I helped Tara to her feet and dried her with the oversized towels that were folded and on the ledge. We moved back to the living room. There was a pull out bed. It didn't take very long to set it up.

There was no comparison between what I'd been through and what Tara had. Yes, we'd both been under someone's control, but Aphrodite's control had been benevolent while Hera's had been anything but.

"John, you're right. I need to sleep," Tara said. "Please hold me. If you don't I'm afraid the nightmares will return."

I did as she asked. She flinched at first, but then cuddled into me. I held Tara while she drifted off. I continued to hold her until the sun rose. I was exhausted and should have gone to sleep myself, but I couldn't for some reason.

I had no idea what to do. I loved Tara and she loved me, but with the gods involved in my life it wasn't safe for her. On the other hand, the thought of living without her was beyond me.

"What do you want with me?" I asked softly, wondering which god or goddess I was even asking. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"John?" Tara said, opening her eyes.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay." She noticed how I was still sitting up and holding her. "Have you slept at all?"

"No," I smiled. "I was too busy watching your beautiful face."

"Are you going to be okay with what happened?" she asked suddenly.

"Me?" I frowned. "What about you?"

"John, as long as I have your love I'll be fine." I knew she was being brave. No one went through what she did and was fine, but she obviously needed to know I'd be there for her. "In time."

"You have my heart," I said gently. "And you always will."

"But you saw what I was doing," she said, her eyes darting around the room.

"No," I said strongly. "I saw what was being done to you. There's a big difference." And there was. I'd lost my ability to control myself last night as well. Despite my experience being far more enjoyable than Tara's, I still felt awful. I realized that I felt violated. Poor Tara had that, the fact that her experience was far worse and her history to contend with. "Tara, I love you."

"I'll need time," she said, looking at me carefully. "Perhaps a lot of it. I may never..." She couldn't finish her thought. I knew she was remembering the night before from her expression.

"Tara, take all you need," I said gently. "Only remember what happened last night wasn't your fault. It also had nothing to do with what we shared the night before."

"I know," she said, suddenly crying. "And I'm old enough to know better, but it so hard!"

"There's no rush," I smiled, though all I wanted to do was hold her tight and cry as well. "I'll always be here for you."

Tara somehow drifted off to sleep again. I held her for another hour, gently playing with her hair before giving in to my exhaustion.

**********

I woke up to an empty room. I felt oddly unsurprised when I saw the letter Tara left for me on the desk. I knew it was bad news. Why else would she leave a letter? I got out of bed and dressed. After that I started cleaning up from the night before. I'm not sure why I was stalling, but eventually there was nothing more to do, so I read it.

"John, first and foremost, I love you. Never doubt that."

I swallowed hard. A 'Dear John' letter. Great. I continued reading.

"I told you when I arrived that we couldn't be together unless we were ready to tell each other our darkest secrets. I was ready at the time, but what happened last night took away my resolve. I can't tell you. Not yet. Not until I figure out some stuff."

Poor Tara. I wished that she was here so that I could hold her again and tell her it would all be alright in time. She'd had a tough childhood and now I brought this upon her to ruin her teenage years. I went back to reading.

"Don't think this is a 'Dear John' letter. I haven't given up on us. I can't. I love you too much. I just need time. The fact that you love me has given me the strength to go on. I'll be ready in time to tell you everything. You'd better be ready to do the same. Love Tara."

I stared at the letter in silence. This was for the better. The gods wanted something from me and until they got it, it wouldn't be safe for Tara. I knew that, but it didn't help. I frowned and continued to stare at the letter until there was a knock on the door. I opened it without thought. It was the police, or at least hotel security.

"Oh boy," I sighed. This was going to be interesting.

"Hey?" Angelo said from his bedroom door. He still looked a little green. "What's going on?"

**********

"Now stay out of trouble!" Angelo grinned. "My flight's leaving. I have to go."

"Mine is schedule for an hour from now," I replied. It was time to go home. Despite my resolve, I couldn't be this far away from Tara. Besides, I wasn't welcome in Vegas right now anyway. "Angelo, thanks for staying an extra day and being there for me."

"I didn't do much," he shrugged. "The three guys' story about a fight with you was ridiculous. There wasn't a scratch on you. Your knuckles should have at least been bruised based on the damage to them."

Hera's priests were found by a cleaning lady. They were quickly taken to a hospital. I heard that they were pretty bad. It didn't make me feel bad in the least. The police said that their story was that Tara flirted with them and invited them up. Their story was that I walked in on their fun and I lost it.

I think they wouldn't have even bothered to make the story up if they weren't found in my room. They clearly expected me to be hurting from our fight and Tara to be in even worse shape and were trying to come up with a story to cover it all.

They modified their story when the police told them I denied ever meeting them or being in a fight. The police showed them a picture of me and at least one of them was smart enough to say it was someone different.

That should have been the end of it, but the police weren't satisfied. First, this all did happen in my room, and second Tara was gone without taking the small bag of clothes she brought with her. I told them I was going to take it back with me. They didn't buy it.

I was as close as I guy could be to being under arrest before Angelo finally got in touch with Tara after she landed. She verified my story for the police, which was that the three of us got drunk and when Tara and I helped Angelo to bed we decided it was too far to go back to our room, so we passed out on the pull out couch. It sounded hokey, even to me, but with Angelo's help and Hera's priest changing their stories, the police could only hold me so long.

"OF course, something did happen in your room. One of these days, you'll have to tell me what really happened," Angelo said. He was a pretty smart guy. I wasn't surprised by his statement.

I nodded. I hated lying to him, but it was for the best.

"Remember, you're scheduled to visit next week," I smiled, changing the subject.

"I'll see you and Tara then," Angelo smiled and passed through the gate to his plane. I frowned to myself afterward. What was I going to tell him next week when he saw that Tara and I weren't together anymore?

The flight home was uneventful. I nodded off once or twice and looked out the window the rest of the time. The plane landed and I took a cab. My parents didn't know I was coming and I wasn't necessarily expecting my homecoming to be pleasant, but so be it. This was where I belonged for now.

I wasn't sure what the gods had planned for me, but I hoped whatever it was happened soon. Tara had said she just needed time. That was perfect. Hopefully I could get whatever they wanted from me out of the way before she was ready because I had no intention of giving her up forever, gods be damned!

"Make a left here," I said to the cabby. "We need to make one stop before I go home." He shrugged and turned. It wasn't long before we were in front of Tara's house. "I'll be right back."

I left the cab and walked to her front door. I knocked and waited impatiently. I don't know what I would have done or said if her father answered, but thankfully he didn't. It was Tara.

"John," she said nervously, but she wasn't surprised. I guess she knew me better than I did because I hadn't planned on coming here.

"Do you love me?" I asked without preamble. She looked at me and I knew the truth before she answered. I smiled.

"Yes," she admitted. "But..." I cut her off before she could continue.

"You need time," I interjected. "I understand that. I'll give you all senior year, but when it's done, you're mine. In fact, I want you to come to the prom with me. Two people who love each other should go to their prom together."

"Okay," she smiled for the first time since seeing me.

"One more thing," I said, looking at her meaningfully.

"Yes?" she asked, looking concerned again.

"I disappeared on you when you were at my parent's house and now you disappeared on me at Vegas. We're even. Let's never do that again. When we finally do get together, it has to be forever."

"I can live with that," Tara replied, looking at me in a way that made me want to kiss her.

"What the hell?" I shrugged. I reached for Tara and pulled her into my arms. She flinched, but her lips searched for mine with the same intensity as mine wanted hers. The kiss didn't last long, but it helped.

"That's cheating!" Tara cried, obviously confused by her own emotions. "You said I had until the prom."

"I just wanted you to remember the difference between me and what happened to you," I said. She looked at me oddly and then surprised me with another kiss. I lifted a hand and touch her shoulder. She flinched.

"I think maybe we'd better stay away from each other as much as possible. I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from doing that again until prom."

JoeDreamer
JoeDreamer
6,293 Followers