Amorous Goods: CheckMate

Stunned by this latest unforeseen development, Nick wandered into the kitchen to, once again, see Hestia happily humming away and preparing yet another meal. Spotting him, she rushed over, kissed him on the cheek again, and returned to her cooking. "Welcome home! I hope you do not mind that I cleaned. I walked to the store and got some supplies to care for your home, including some hearty meals."

Nick, again displaying his characteristic quick wit, responded with a simple, "Huh?" This triggered yet another adorable giggle from Hestia, who had finished plating a roasted chicken and was now spooning the gravy into a cow-shaped gravy boat that Nick didn't realize had survived his childhood. "Go sit down and I will bring the food out shortly," Hestia said.

Nick sat where directed and watched as Hestia brought out the chicken and some roasted potatoes. She then set down the gravy boat and a salad before sitting at the other plate that had been set out. After loading up his plate, Nick took a bite of his salad.

"What kind of dressing is this?" he asked her. "Green Goddess, of course," she replied, smiling warmly. Nick, unsure if that was a real answer or a joke, simply nodded, shoved another bite into his mouth, and hummed appreciatively.

"Why did you do this?" he asked after a moment. "How did you do this?"

"You do not like it?" Hestia asked nervously. "I wanted to take care of things around here for you and I thought that this would be a meal that you would enjoy."

"I love it," Nick hurriedly reassured her. "I just don't understand how you were able to get the groceries. Or how you managed to cook this meal and clean the entire house when I was only gone for a couple of hours."

"I am the goddess of the home and the family, after all," Hestia explained. "This is my area of expertise, and I love taking care of such things."

"Well, I want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done around here, but you don't need to do anything like this if you don't want to," Nick explained. "I'm enjoying your company very much and getting some takeout sometimes or living with a bit of clutter won't take anything away from that."

"Understood and appreciated," Hestia replied, blushing slightly. "And how was your day? Did you get everything done that you had planned?"

"It was actually pretty great," Nick said, pleased to have someone to share his day with. He launched into a discussion of what he had found that afternoon and dinner flowed with easy conversation.

As midnight approached, they found themselves sitting in the living room in front of a fire, sipping warm mugs of cocoa and watching the four Athena pieces on the mantle. Suddenly, the pieces vanished and reappeared on the board, right next to the Hestia pieces. Hearing a clatter behind them, Nick turned to admire his second beautiful goddess of the week. Athena seemed to be a bit taller than Hestia and was built much more like an athlete, with minimal curves and lots of well-defined muscles. Her movements were both graceful and powerful as she pushed her shoulder-length light brown hair back from her face and moved towards them.

"Athena," cried Hestia, rushing over and hugging her.

"Auntie Hestie," chuckled Athena with a surprisingly deep and raspy voice. "It seems that we are being freed at last. How many have been released and how long do we have to finish it?"

"You always were quick on the uptake," responded Hestia. "You are the second to be freed and we need that mind of yours to finish this in time. I was released yesterday so we have just under 15 days to go." Gesturing to Nick, she continued, "Athena, this is Nick Pappas. He is the one who released us and will be working to set the rest free before the deadline."

Nick stepped forward, sticking his hand out towards Athena for a handshake. Surprising him, Athena clasped his wrist, not his hand, and gave it a firm shake while saying, "Well met, human."

Seeing the weariness on Athena's face, Nick responded, "It's been a long day and it looks like we could all use a good night's sleep before we try to figure out how to tackle the rest of this project. I don't have class tomorrow, so we can spend the day figuring out what we need to do and how we can accomplish it. In the meantime, do you guys mind sharing the room I put Hestia in last night?"

Nick again woke to the smell of breakfast. Knowing now what to expect, he headed downstairs and confirmed that Hestia was happily working away in the kitchen. Athena, in the meantime, was sitting at the dining room table and separating the chess pieces into groups.

Sitting across from her, Nick said, "If I'm going to be any help to you guys, I'm going to need to know more about the rest of the trapped Olympians. What can you tell me about them?"

Pointing at the six piles of pieces in sequence, Athena said, "the six remaining are Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, and Hephaestus."

"OK, and what are their areas of influence?"

"Zeus is the god of the sky, lightning, and thunder. Hera, his queen, is the goddess of marriage, women, and childbirth. The two of them have two sons together, Ares and Hephaestus. Ares is, like me, a god of war, though his realm is less strategy and more bloodlust, brutality, and courage. Hephaestus, on the other hand, is the god of fire and volcanoes, though he is also associated with metalworking, sculpture, and technology. Hephaestus is married to Aphrodite, who is the goddess of love, lust, and beauty."

"Finally, you have Apollo. His twin sister Artemis gave up on humans a long time ago, when she couldn't stand your penchant for destroying wilderness in the name of 'progress.' As far as his areas of influence go, it is almost easier to ask what he does not cover. I suppose his main areas would be prophecy, music, healing, poetry, and archery. Also the sun, of course. Really, not one for focusing on one thing, to be certain."

As Athena finished her lecture, Hestia brought in three plates with scrambled eggs, sausages, and hash browns. "You can't make a sound strategy without a good meal in you," she insisted.

While eating, Nick tried to gather his thoughts and make some sort of coherent plan. "Is there any reason we can't involve some other people in this?" he asked. "Do I have to be the one to bring the pieces into their proper environments? Because I don't see how I can get to every one of the necessary places in time."

Athena and Hestia shared a nervous glance before Athena replied "I suppose we could involve other mortals if we must. They would have to be people that you trust implicitly. Most would think you were mad if you tried to tell them about gods and goddesses trapped in a magical chess set."

Nick nodded thoughtfully. "I think I'm going to have to lean on a couple of good friends for this," he mused out loud. "I'll have to take the risk in order to get some of these covered." Seeing no objections from either goddess, Nick called Brad and asked if he and Janet could come over for dinner that night. Brad conferred briefly with her and then confirmed their availability. He also offered to bring some beers as thanks for the dinner and the use of his truck, which Nick happily accepted.

As Hestia turned her attention to planning for the upcoming meal, Athena decided to sate her curiosity. "Why do you need to involve these other two mortals?" she asked. "And how do you know that they can be trusted?"

"I've known Brad since I was a teenager," Nick responded. "When I was 12, my parents were killed in a plane crash coming back from a conference in New York. My grandparents lived in Arizona, but they uprooted their lives and moved into this house to take care of me. They felt that it was important that I stay in my normal environment, so they braved the snowy winters and spent the next 6 years living up here in Wisconsin."

"And how does Brad fit into all of this?" Athena inquired.

"Despite their best efforts, I acted up in school, got into fights, and just generally lacked direction. That all changed when I was 16 and went on a class trip to see a group of historical reenactors at an event near here," Brad continued."

"Reenactors?" Athena asked, looking confused. "I am not familiar with this concept."

"Brad was part of a living history group that gets together and reenacts or role-plays pre-1700 life, mostly Medieval European, though not always limited to that region. Their events include costumes, feasts, music, crafting, archery, and melee combat. As I said, my class was at this reenactment event, and I got bored. I wandered around until I came across a blacksmith working his forge and was completely captivated."

"I don't know how long I watched him work before he tossed a second piece of metal into the forge and told me to pick out a hammer that felt comfortable. He showed me the basics of working with hot metal and taught me how to turn a lump of iron into a functional tool or a work of art. I was completely enchanted with the whole thing. That day changed my life."

"I still do not see what this has to do with your plan for tonight," Athena said.

"That blacksmith was Brad. He was several years older than me and was home on leave from the Navy before heading out to flight school. He told me I had a gift for working with my hands, and we met up several more times to talk and to learn."

"I finally felt like I had found my calling. I took every hands-on shop or technical class I could find in high school. I also joined the local reenactment group and got lessons on smithing, among other things. My grades improved, I stopped getting into fights, and I was just generally a happier person. Not to mention, doing all that physical work finally put some muscles on my gangly frame." Nick chuckled.

While Athena now understood Nick's background better, she still didn't see what role Brad or Janet would play in freeing the remaining Olympians. Shelving her curiosity, for the time being, she rose from the table with a quick, "Thanks for the explanation" and went to see if she could help Hestia with anything.

The sound of Nick's doorbell woke him up from the nap he had accidentally been enjoying on his textbook. Wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth, he quickly went to the door and welcomed Brad and Janet into his house. As they passed, each gave him a warm hug, with Janet adding a brief kiss on the cheek as well. Thankfully, Brad hadn't skimped on the drinks, bringing several six-packs with an array of beers from the local microbrewery.

"What the hell smells so good in here?" Brad asked, taking several deep sniffs of the air in the entryway. "I know you're a decent cook, but I've never smelled anything quite so appetizing here before."

"Like that's ever stopped you from wolfing down seconds, or even thirds, of my food," Nick joked back.

At that moment, Hestia bustled into view with Athena trailing behind. They placed four large bowls of steaming beef stew on the table. Athena returned to the kitchen for the last bowl and a basket of sliced bread while Hestia approached the newcomers with a warm smile.

"Greetings! I am Hestia, and that is Athena. Please, join us in the dining room and enjoy the meal."

Seeing the confusion on Brad and Janet's faces, Nick quickly said "let's sit down and start eating and I will try to explain everything." Trusting Nick's assurances, Brad led Janet to the table, pulling her chair out for her before taking the seat next to her. Nick sat at the head of the table between Brad and Hestia. Breathing in the lovely scent of the stew in front of him, Nick quickly took a bite, moaning quietly in pleasure.

"This stew is amazing, Hestia. It's even better than last night's chicken. You are an exceptional chef." Seeing the level of his enthusiasm brought an indulgent smile to Brad's face, while the genuine compliments made Hestia blush in both embarrassment and pleasure. They swiftly started eating their food, and the table was silent apart from the clinking of silverware and the sounds of satisfied eaters.

As Hestia was shuttling bowls back to the kitchen to dish up seconds, Brad's self-control finally broke, and he couldn't contain himself any longer. "OK, Nick. What the hell is going on?" he burst out. "Everything about tonight feels weird and awkward. And who are these women and why did they cook dinner for us all? Just ... WTF man?"

Everyone, including Brad after a moment, burst out laughing at his uncharacteristic outburst. Getting himself under control, Nick explained. "Well, 'these women' as you called them," Nick began, gently mocking his friend, "are Hestia and Athena." Before Brad could interrupt to say that he remembered their names, Nick continued. "I mean, they ARE Hestia and Athena. Like, Greek goddesses Hestia and Athena."

Unsurprisingly, this remark brought confusion and concern to the faces of Brad and Janet. Nick quickly continued, outlining the background of how the Olympians were trapped in the chess set, how Nick had bought it at that strange store, how he had accidentally released Hestia and then intentionally released Athena, and how they had a limited time to release the rest of them. Nick even brought down the board and showed them that the Hestia and Athena pieces were completely fixed on the board and could not be budged, no matter how hard they tried.

Finally running out of things to say, Nick sat back, took a deep breath, and said, "So, do you believe me? Can you help me? I don't think I can get this done without the two of you."

In the ensuing silence, Brad and Janet just looked at each other. Despite the tension of the moment, Nick was pleased to see that they were close enough as a couple to have developed that silent communication that some long-term relationships produced. Seeing Janet's small nod, at last, Brad turned back to Nick and said, "We believe you. It's too crazy a story to be made up, honestly. You just don't have that much of an imagination."

Nick breathed out a sigh of relief and finally relaxed in his chair. "Thank God. I wasn't looking forward to a weekend in a padded cell if you guys didn't believe me."

"Tempting as that idea may be," Brad joked, "what do you need from us?"

"The way I see it," Nick explained, "there are two gods that each of you should be able to help with." Turning to Janet, he slid a pile that contained two small ravens and two figures of a young man playing a stringed instrument across the table.

"These pieces are for Apollo, whose areas of influence include healing. Janet, if you can take these to the hospital with you, I think that should be enough to release him." He then slid over another pile with two majestic peacocks and two figures of a woman holding a scepter in one hand and a pomegranate in the other. "And this is Hera, goddess of childbirth and protector of women. If you can keep these pieces in your pocket while working on the labor and delivery unit, I'm hoping that should be enough to free her."

"That would be fine, except for one thing," Janet replied. "My scrubs don't have pockets."

Nick was at a loss for how to respond. Pants without pockets were an entirely foreign concept to him. Thankfully, Athena stepped in, saying, "Weaving and sewing are specialties of mine. Bring some of these 'scrubs' here and I can add a small pouch to hold these pieces."

"Works for me," Janet replied. "I have tomorrow off and will be in L&D on Thursday. I'll come back tomorrow with a couple of pairs of scrubs, and we can get them all ready, just in case this takes more than one day."

"Good thinking," replied both Nick and Athena at the same time, causing the whole table to burst out laughing once again.

"And what do you need me for?" Brad asked.

"Well, Mr. Helicopter Man," Nick joked, sliding yet another pile of pieces forward. "These are the Zeus pieces." Brad picked up the pair of pieces and examined the eagles and the figure of a bearded man holding lightning bolts in each hand. "He's a sky god, so I figured that you could just put these into a pocket on your flight suit and take him with you on your next Life Flight shift."

"Easy enough. My flight suits are practically made of pockets," Brad replied, nudging his girlfriend to gloat. "Anything else you need from me?"

Nick slid forward a fourth pile of pieces, saying, "This last one should be easy. These pieces are pretty much you, in a nutshell."

Brad picked up the two small donkeys in this pile and joked, "You calling me a jackass?"

Shaking his head in amusement, Nick responded, "Of course not, Jackass. I meant the other ones are you." Picking up one of the other pieces from that pile, Nick showed the table the figure of a blacksmith working a forge. "Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, should be easy for you. I assume you're going to the reenactment event this weekend?" Seeing Brad's nod, Nick continued, "Just keep his pieces somewhere in your forge for the day, then. It doesn't need to be too specific, I don't think. I just brought Athena's pieces to a lecture and the library over at the University and that worked well enough."

"You have plans for the last couple?" Brad asked, pointing at the two remaining piles on the table.

"I figured that I would carry the Ares pieces with me when I participate in the armored combat tournament on Saturday. Should fit with his war motif well enough." Brad nodded, having seen several such tournaments before.

"I'm not sure about Aphrodite, however," Nick continued. "The only idea I've had is something I really don't want to do. If I don't have something better by next weekend, I'll have to go with what I've got..." Nick's musings trailed off as he grimaced. "Anyway, I think we all need a few more beers after a night like this," he proclaimed, retrieving another round for everyone. After a couple more hours and several more beers, Brad and Janet decided to head home. Thanking Nick for the use of his truck, and for providing such an interesting evening, Janet gave him another hug and cheek kiss, while Brad simply waved.

The next morning, Nick again went downstairs and enjoyed the pleasantly domestic scene, eating breakfast and joking with the two women. In these unguarded moments, he could almost forget that they were goddesses and could think of them as friends.

Pulling into his driveway late that evening, Nick saw Janet's car parked in front of his house. He walked through his front door and heard the three women laughing and chatting in the dining room, a pile of pants sitting between them. Listening for a moment, he quickly learned that Janet was telling the others about how she and Brad had met and started dating.

"He started working as a pilot at our hospital about a year ago, right after he left the Navy, and was the meanest, grumpiest person I'd ever seen," Janet said. "He was just getting out of a nasty divorce. They married in college, while he was in ROTC, and moved to Virginia when he was stationed in Norfolk. When he was deployed, she decided to go back home to Florida and stay with her parents. While she was there, she started going out with an old boyfriend. Once Brad got back from his first deployment, she moved back up there but things were rocky. During his second tour, she headed right back down to Florida and started living with the guy, and ended up getting pregnant. Served Brad with divorce papers while he was still overseas."

"That does not sound like the man we met last night," remarked Athena.

Nick stepped into the room at that point and said, "that's mostly because of Janet, actually. Once she heard about Brad's history, she decided to make it her mission to bring back the smiling, laid-back guy that we both knew from before. They started dating maybe six months ago and she just moved into his place last weekend."

Hestia jumped up and gave Nick a hug and a kiss on the cheek, saying, "Welcome home. We have been having a lovely discussion with Janet while waiting for you to get home. Sit with us and I will bring out your dinner."