Amorous Goods: CheckMate

Athena latched onto something that he had just said. "You said 'we both knew' just now. Did you know Janet before she started dating Brad?"

"Janet and Brad both grew up around here, just like me," Nick explained. "They are both several years older than me, of course. Janet's brother Rocky was actually in my class in high school, though we were never particularly close. He was more of a jock, and I was more of a shop kid."

Hestia returned to the dining room with a plate of food for Nick. Seeing a thick sandwich with leftover chicken and a small bowl of stew, he eagerly accepted the plate and happily tucked into the meal. All three women gaped at Nick's ravenous appetite. He managed to mumble, "What?" as he tried to swallow down a large mouthful, causing them all to laugh warmly. Janet stood up, kissed him on the cheek, and left, saying "thanks for the sewing and the conversation, ladies. I'll bring my pieces to work tomorrow and hopefully tomorrow night there will be a couple more of you around this house."

Nick had a Thursday seminar that started early and lasted most of the day, so he was up and about bright and early. Walking down the stairs, he noted that he was the first one up, and felt a pang of regret that he wouldn't be enjoying a delicious meal from Hestia. He also realized, to his surprise, that he was missing the pleasure of her company at least as much as her food. Forcing himself to remember that he would have to get used to this type of morning again in a couple of weeks, he grabbed a granola bar and headed out, pleasant mood ruined.

Nick dragged himself back through the front door, exhausted and out of sorts. His nose was again treated to delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. Heading in that direction, Nick saw Hestia bent over, checking on something in the oven. Taking a moment to admire the view, he said, "Smells delicious. What's for dinner?"

Closing the oven door and turning to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, Hestia responded, "Welcome back! I made lasagna. I found a recipe on a notecard in one of the drawers. I hope that was alright."

"That was my mom's recipe actually," Nick answered. "Sounds great. I'm going to go up and take a shower before dinner if that's alright with you."

Hestia simply nodded and turned back to her cooking, so Nick trudged upstairs and took a cold shower, trying not to fixate on that view.

Gathering in the living room just before the clock struck midnight, the three watched as more pieces appeared on the board, but nobody appeared in the house. Confused, they looked around the room, until Athena noted a problem with the board.

"Look," she cried. "Only one set of pieces appeared, not two." As the others turned to look at the board, they noted that Apollo's pieces had appeared, but there was no sign of Hera's pieces. At that moment, Nick's cell phone started ringing.

Seeing Janet's name and photograph on the screen, Nick quickly answered the phone and put it on speaker.

"Nick? Um, we've got a bit of a situation over here," Janet said to the room. "A minute or so ago some dude in a toga just suddenly appeared in my laundry room and started freaking out. Brad's on duty until 7 tomorrow so I'm here by myself. Can you guys get over here ASAP?"

"We're on our way," Nick assured her, and the three piled into his pickup and drove quickly to Brad and Janet's nearby house. Walking through the door, they were greeted with a loud, "Athena! Hestia!" from a younger-looking blond man in a toga.

"Brother!" cried Athena, rushing over to give the man a warm hug. Turning to the room, she continued, "Everyone, this is Apollo. Apollo, this is everyone."

Hestia added, "This is Nick, who has been working to release us. And this is Janet, a good friend who has been helping us. You are in her house." Turning to Athena, she asked, "Why did he appear here, and not at Nick's house as we did?"

"I suppose the location of the pieces might control where the trapped Olympian is released," Athena deduced. "We will have to make sure that the pieces are returned to Nick's house before midnight in the future."

"OK, but why did it work for Apollo and not for Hera?" asked Nick. "Janet, were you able to bring her pieces to a delivery?"

"Three, actually," Janet replied. "It was a busy day for us. I brought all eight pieces with me everywhere I went in the hospital for my entire 12-hour shift."

Lacking any clear explanation, they all decided that it was time to go to bed. Athena and Hestia climbed into the cramped back seat of Nick's truck, while Apollo bounced enthusiastically out of Brad and Janet's house and into the front seat. He couldn't stop gazing amazedly around on the drive home, pointing at various things and gasping excitedly. Nick could see why this young man had ended up covering so many different areas as a god.

Upon returning home, Hestia gave Nick a tight hug, murmuring, "Thank you for all of your help." She then pulled his face down, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then hurried after Athena and Apollo. More confused than ever, Nick headed upstairs and went to sleep.

Friday morning was busy. Nick had an early class and then had to get everything ready for them to head to the reenactment event that evening. Nick and Brad had always chosen to go out the night before to get their stuff set up. They usually ended up camping nearby.

After class, Nick headed straight home to find organized chaos spread throughout his house. Hestia was packing food and drinks into Nick's cooler, while Athena and Apollo were sorting through his stockpile of camping gear.

Deciding to leave them to it, Nick announced, "I'll be down in a minute, guys. I need to get my gear on and make sure it's all still in good shape before I pack it up." Laughingly, he added, "Maybe you can even offer me some tips to make it more accurate since apparently, you guys were all around back in the day."

After examining his equipment in detail and finding no issues, he was ready to show it to his guests. Dressed as a Viking warrior from the height of the Eastern Roman Empire, he strode confidently into the living room where the three gods were waiting. "Well, what do you think?" he asked them. The three of them simply sat and stared at him.

He supposed it was an imposing outfit. His armor had a base layer of chainmail with a layer of lamellar, leather-backed steel scales, across his torso and fanning out past his waist. He wore leather leg and arm guards topped with long metal strips over a loose tunic and pants. His brown leather boots were comfortable and well-worn. He had a simple conical helmet atop his head and a chainmail face-covering. His armor was accompanied by a red and white round shield strapped across his back, a simple longsword at his waist, and a menacing, two-handed axe in his hand.

"A Varangian?" Athena asked, stunned. "A gods-damned Varangian? You look just like them. I feel like I might have seen you walking through Constantinople in the middle of the 13th century, ready to fight or pillage at the slightest provocation."

Lowering his metal veil to reveal his close-cropped beard somehow made the attire of a Viking mercenary seem even more appropriate. Grinning, Nick introduced his persona. "Ragnar Bjornson, at your service. Member of the Varangian Guard in the year 1230. Paid my enlistment fee with the last of my squandered inheritance. Not allowed to show my face in Denmark again unless I can bring honor and riches to my name to redeem our family's legacy."

The three gods, who had all met actual Varangians, circled around him and admired the details of his appearance. Hestia ran her hand down his arm fondly, while Athena was more outspoken. "Who crafted these items?" she asked, her admiration for the craftsmanship apparent.

"Brad forged the metal components for me, including the head of my Pelekys axe. I tanned the leather, did the woodworking, and did all the sewing and assembly myself," Nick said.

"I am impressed," admitted Athena. "And you said that there will be fighting at this event tomorrow? You are permitted to fight with naked steel?"

"We use non-metal replica weapons for the fighting, but I will wear this armor for the tournament," Nick explained. "I carry the steel sword and axe for when I'm doing demonstrations or interacting with the public."

"Very cool," chimed in Apollo, trying out a new word he had learned and not wanting to be left out of the conversation. "What is the plan for tonight?"

"Are the food and drinks all packed?" Nick asked. Seeing Hestia's nod, he turned back to Apollo and asked "Do we have three tents ready to go? Sleeping bags and pads for all five of us? Cooking and eating gear?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Apollo replied proudly.

"Excellent. Then you guys can toss the gear into the back of my truck while I go upstairs and pack this away and grab some clothes. We will head out in about 10 minutes or so, once everyone is ready to go," Nick said, heading back towards his bedroom.

Thirty minutes later, after several last-minute tasks were remembered and completed, the four were headed for the campground hosting this month's event. Pulling alongside Brad's truck and trailer, the group hopped out and spent the next several hours unloading and setting up. Athena, Brad, and Nick assembled Brad's forge in its proper location, while Hestia, Janet, and Apollo set up their tents and other supplies at the campsite.

The sun went down over the horizon. Hestia found them under a banner reading "Goibniu's Blessings" in an ornate script. "Alfric the Simple, Proprietor" was written underneath in a simpler font. "Come back to the campsite," she said. "It is time to eat."

Settling into their makeshift chairs around the campfire, the hungry workers eagerly awaited whatever mouth-watering food Hestia had prepared for them that night. "I thought that I would treat you all to a taste of our home," she explained. "Souvlaki, grilled vegetables, warm pita, and cold cucumber and feta salad. Simple, but hearty. And hopefully delicious."

"You cooked this on a campfire?" Brad sputtered, his mouth full of food. "I'm taking you on every camping trip from now on. I'm serious, this is amazing!"

"She's not going to be here the next time you go camping, Brad," Nick said, the sincere tone of regret apparent to his good friends. After a long pause, he opted to change the subject, asking, "Did you bring your pieces, Brad? We don't want Zeus appearing back in your house when we are all out here."

Janet shook her head fervently in support. Brad, accepting the change of topic, replied, "I've got the Zeus and Hephaestus pieces right here. Do you have the Ares pieces with you? Wouldn't want you to have to go get in a bar fight or something next week to release him."

Nick reached into his jacket pocket and held up a Crown Royal bag, saying, "Right here. No bar fights for me. I prefer my fights to come with a full suit of armor."

As midnight drew near, Brad set the Zeus pieces on a nearby stump and everyone's attention was drawn in. Nick checked his watch and then counted out the final thirty seconds to midnight. Once he reached zero, however, everyone continued to stare at the chess pieces which stubbornly refused to vanish.

"Huh," Brad said. "That was anticlimactic and not nearly as exciting as I would have thought. Especially considering what Janet said about Apollo's appearance in our laundry room."

"What went wrong?" Nick wondered, turning to Athena. "This is the second time that a set of pieces was exposed to the right kind of environment and nothing happened. First Hera, and now Zeus. Any ideas?"

Athena looked troubled, the flickering firelight casting strange shadows over her frowning face. "I have some...thoughts," she responded slowly. "I am not certain about anything, however. I will need some time to think about this." Her voice trailed off and she continued to glare at the Zeus pieces.

"OK everyone," Hestia interjected. "It has been a long day and a stressful night, and we all have to be up early tomorrow. Let us all go to bed, and we can think about this again in the morning after a hearty breakfast."

Apollo, secretly pleased at having his small tent to himself, quickly agreed and led the way to the tents, followed by everyone but Nick and Brad. The two men double-checked their supplies and then doused the flames. Nick's thoughts were troubled by the strange failures and by the sense of melancholy that descended whenever he contemplated the Olympians leaving his life for good.

Nick woke just after dawn to the pleasant sounds of music lilting through the air. Poking his head out of the tent, he spotted Apollo sitting by the newly rekindled campfire, strumming some sort of stringed instrument. Spotting him, Apollo smiled and said, "I always like to greet the sun with some music, if I can."

Nodding, Nick ducked back into his tent and got dressed in the pants, tunic, and boots from his reenactment outfit.

Nick and Brad finished preparing the forge for the day's activities. Hestia, assisted by Athena and Janet, prepared breakfast burritos for the group. Janet brought a couple of burritos to where Nick and Brad were working and the two men happily bit into them. A trickle of grease from the spicy chorizo dribbled down Brad's chin, and Janet wiped it off, laughingly calling him an uncivilized barbarian.

Returning to the campsite to put on the rest of his outfit for the day, Nick was greeted by Athena. She offered to help, saying, "Armor is always a chore to put on alone. I am familiar with this type and have helped many men put it on before." Pausing to give Nick a conspiratorial nudge, she continued, "and helped many take it off, as well." Laughing uproariously at her bawdy joke, Athena assisted Nick. Once fully armed and armored, Nick and Athena rejoined the group.

Brad had, in the meantime, put on his costume. Simple loose trousers and a tunic were covered by a thick leather apron. With his arms exposed for the first time, the Olympians could see the thick muscle and many burn scars of an experienced blacksmith.

Brad and Janet headed back to his forge, while Nick took the others on a tour of the area. He showed them where the various activities would take place, and promptly lost Apollo to the archery range. Nick, accompanied by Hestia and Athena, continued to stroll around the field.

Their tour ended at a large roped-off section where armored men and women were warming up. Nick handed his axe to Athena and his scabbarded sword to Hestia. Picking up a practice sword and sliding his shield from his back onto his arm, Nick stepped out into the field. He began doing his own warmups, including some practice swings with his sword and blocks with his shield. Athena and Hestia had significant experience with armored fighters, and they could tell from his easy movements that Nick was both comfortable and skilled.

A trumpet blared and the various combatants gathered in the middle of the field to receive instructions from the Knight Marshall in charge of the tournament. Soon, all but three of the armored figures moved away from the center of the field. The Marshall gave the two combatants some final instructions before stepping back and joining the onlookers. At the Marshall's signal, the two warriors launched into violent action.

Nick's opponent was fast, launching a sweeping overhand strike with his sword at Nick's head. Nick was able to get his shield up in time to block, diverting the sword out wide and forcing his opponent to take a stumbling step to the side. Using this moment of imbalance, Nick struck quickly with an upward swing of his sword followed by a savage chop downwards. Having landed two solid blows to his opponent's midsection, Nick stepped back sharply. The other fighter acknowledged the "killing" blows, giving him a brief bow before rejoining the onlookers.

Nick returned to where Hestia and Athena stood, gratefully accepting the bottle of water that Hestia offered. "You are a born warrior," remarked Athena once he had caught his breath again. "You move much more smoothly and naturally than these others," she added, gesturing at the ongoing rounds of armored combat.

"I've spent a lot of time practicing," Nick explained. "Over the years, I've faced off against all sorts of opponents, using all sorts of techniques and weapons. I like to think it gives me a well-rounded view of armored combat. I'm sure that the people from your time were far more gifted than me."

Throughout the day, Hestia and Athena watched Nick fight several more times. In each battle, he proved to be fast, creative, and decisive. No matter what weapon or strategy his opponents used, Nick was able to adapt and overcome, reaching the final match of the tournament undefeated.

As the participants in the upcoming final match were announced, Nick had a brief rest period. Athena had watched several of his final opponent's bouts and offered her observations of his tendencies. Hestia, meanwhile, provided him with more water and a protein bar.

As he entered the combat field for the final battle, Hestia admired the strength, skill, and perseverance that he had shown throughout the day. There was something attractive about the kind and welcoming gentleman's transformation into a fierce and determined warrior. She doubted that she would look at his broad shoulders or powerful arms in quite the same way, even after they returned to his home and his normal life.

Nick's opponent in the final battle was, unsurprisingly, his most skilled foe yet. Adopting a Scottish clansman persona, Seamus MacDougal fought with a giant two-handed Claymore sword, forgoing the protection of a shield. With long red hair and a chiseled jawline, the man looked like he had stepped right off the front of a bodice-ripping romance novel.

Nick had not managed to watch the man's previous bouts today, but he had seen him at previous events and had also absorbed Athena's observations. With strength, skill, and a healthy dose of luck, Nick was able to deflect or duck MacDougal's powerful two-handed swings, though his arm was going numb from the repeated blows. Seeing an opening after a particularly wild attack, Nick was able to circle behind his opponent and drove a hard horizontal swipe at his lower back, connecting solidly.

Seeing the decisive hit, the onlookers cheered and booed loudly in equal measure. Both men shook hands and then waved good-naturedly at the crowd, enjoying the well-fought battle.

Once the tournament was over and the crowd had dispersed, Nick, Hestia, and Athena returned to Brad's forge. Arriving there, they found that Apollo, eventually bored with the archery, had already returned.

While Brad was working the forge, demonstrating techniques, and chatting with visitors, Janet and Apollo worked the small sales table that they had set up the night before. Brad earned a surprisingly decent return from selling small hand-forged items such as cooking utensils, decorative hooks, and even small knives.

Nick scooped up the Hephaestus pieces from the shelf near Brad's forge and dropped them in the bag with the Ares ones. Waving tiredly at his friends, he trudged back to his truck, Olympians in tow. Apollo climbed into the back seat with Athena, while Hestia claimed the front seat. She engaged him in easy conversation, keeping him alert and focused as he drove them home.

Finally arriving home, Nick wearily hauled his bag out of the truck. "You look terrible," Apollo said to him. "Leave the rest of the unloading to us."

"I'm beat," Nick confirmed. "Can you guys handle the two new arrivals tonight without me? I'd love to just take a long, hot bath and then pass out immediately." The others agreed and so Nick executed his plan and was unconscious in less than an hour.

Nick woke to the sounds of angry shouting coming from downstairs. Stumbling blearily down the stairs and into the dining room, he froze at the bizarre scene laid out before him. On one side of the room, an ugly, broad-shouldered man with thickly muscled arms was laughing hysterically behind a set of small catapults fashioned from household goods. On the opposite side of the table, a tall, shirtless man with chiseled abs was straining against the combined efforts of Athena and Apollo to leap across the table at him. A second glance revealed that the handsome man had some kind of slimy juice dripping down his face.