Free The Gatekeeper's Promise: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Six (The Gatekeeper's Saga 6) by Eva Pohler Page A

hands. She was surprised by his gentle touch. He stroked her, and this show of affection in spite of her repulsive appearance made the tears flow from her eyes like rain.
    “Oh, Than!”
    He lifted one of her center heads, wiped away the tears, gazed in the one eye, and pleaded, “Don’t do this. Let’s go to Circe now.”
    “ She uses black magic that makes her as powerful as any god,” Therese screeched, hating her monstrous voice. “With their help,” she pointed to the three other gods with one of her claws, “our chances improve.”
    “But what if the real Scylla has already told her parents?” Hip asked.
    “She wouldn’t,” Poseidon said. “Circe transformed her once before, and Keto rejected Scylla and was outraged that she wanted to change her natural form. I highly doubt she would suffer the same rejection from her mother again.”
    “But we don’t know for sure,” Than said. “Let me go and scout it out. My duties take me near the castle all the time. In fact, I’m there now, and I can see the old man and his wife dining with Echidna.”
    “Licking their wounds. No doubt,” Ares scoffed.
    “No sign of Scylla?” Poseidon asked.
    “Wait,” Than said. “I see a girl hovering outside the castle. She has black hair, pale skin, and turquoise eyes.”
    “That’s her!” Therese screeched.
    “Damn!” Poseidon shouted. “I was sure…”
    “Wait!” Than said. “She’s looking at her parents through a window.”
    “Why?” Hip asked.
    “I do n’t know. I can’t tell for sure, because we’re underwater, but I think she’s crying.”
    “She must feel conflicted about her improved form,” Poseidon speculated. “She has to choose between beauty and her mother’s acceptance.”
    “It’s so unfair,” Therese screeched.
    Hip shook his head. “You feel sorry for her ?”
    “She’s such a bleeding heart,” Ares complained. “She swims with baby penguins, for heaven’s sake.”
    “I’ ll watch to be sure she doesn’t stay,” Than said, ignoring Ares’s remark.
    After several long minutes, Than finally said, “Poseidon was right. She doesn’t want to face her mother. She’s swimming away.”
    “Can you stay there and watch my back?” Therese filled with fear at the realization that she was about to go down into a house of monsters alone.
    “I won’t leave without you,” her husband promised.
    “I’ll hide nearby , too,” Hip said. “If things get out of control, I can put Phorcys and his household into the deep boon of sleep.”
    “Why don’t we do that to begin with?” Therese asked.
    “Because we need information,” Ares said. “We’ve already searched the castle.”
    “ I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” Poseidon said.
    “Something bad already has,” Therese moaned.
    “Just find out all you can,” Ares said.
    “First call Artemis t o make sure the babies are okay.” Than pointed a finger at Ares. “That was part of the deal.”
    “I’m searching for her now,” Hip said. “I left as soon as the idea was mentioned.”
    Than clamped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You’ve always had my back.”
    “And I always will, bro’.”
    Arte mis appeared with an arrow fitted to her bow. “Is this a trap?”
    Therese rolled all four of her eyes and shook her heads in frustration. “It ’s not, Artemis. It’s really me. Therese. Can you sense if I’m still carrying my babies?” That’s all that really mattered to Therese: She needed to know her babies were okay.
    Artemis returned her arrow to her quiver. “So help me, Hypnos, if this isn’t Therese, I’ll never help you again.”
    Ares laughed, and Than gave him a dirty look.
    Artemis extended her palms out toward Therese and closed her eyes. Therese filled with anxiety and prayed to every god she knew to let her babies be okay. She didn’t know if anyone could hear her, since she could no longer hear the prayers of others. Perhaps this monstrous body was incapable of prayer. But