Chapter 25 - Psyche

I stirred when I felt covers tucking in around me. Flitting my eyes open, I could tell dawn was just running her rosy fingers across the horizon, spreading a hint of light through my window.

"I have to leave," Aris whispered before sealing his lips against mine.

That's right. We do that now.

A flush raced across my body, leaving me hot and cold at the same time. If I hadn't been so exhausted, I might've pulled him back to me; refused to let him go. The touch of his lips against mine was an addiction I didn't want to kick.

His lips brushed my temple as he pushed the curls back from my face. "Sleep tight, Love. I'll see you tonight."

As I drifted back to sleep, replaying the past two blissful nights we'd shared, something he said jumped out at me. When I'd asked if he was really a harpy's child, he'd said "yes and no."

That meant something.

Then I thought back to the gardens and the way Alexa had said his mother was such a harpy. I'd thought that was a pretty dumb thing for her to say at the time. I mean, if he was a son-of-a-harpy then obviously his mom was a harpy.

But what if they were using harpy as a metaphor? What did that make him?

“So, Alexa," I asked when I finally pulled my tired carcass out of bed nd plodded to the dining room for breakfast, "I was wondering how your magic works. I mean, how come you can be invisible?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I just think it, and I am. Same with oing visible. It's just a matter of intent."

"Would you be able to make just part of yourself visible?" I plopped onto a couch and grabbed a bowl of strawberries. "Like, if you wanted to how one of us mere mortals just your hair, could you think that too and nake it happen?"

"How naive do you think I am, Psyche?"

"What?" I bit into the strawberry and widened my eyes, trying to look innocent.

She heaved a heavy sigh. "I cannot tell you anything that would give way his identity." She recited the words in monotone as if it was some redo she'd been forced to memorize.

"Oh come on," I said, biting into another berry. "You can't blame me for being curious. I mean, if you were interested in someone, wouldn't you want to know everything about him?"

"You have got to be the most stubborn person I've ever met."

"Well, wouldn't you?" I insisted.

I heard Alexa drift over to the window. "Sure I would. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you anything."

"Just some clue. Give me something," I said, setting the strawberries aside and moving over to her. "All I'm really asking about is what powers a nymph has, right? You should be able to tell me about yourself."

"No," she said.

"No?"

"No, I can't just show part of myself. I'm either all the way visible or not”

Feeling around for Alexa's shoulders, I gave her a quick hug. "See, that wasn't so hard." She snorted. "Okay then," I continued, "could a demi-god be partly invisible if he wanted to?"

"I don't know, you'd have to ask one," she said. "Go eat your eggs before they get cold."

Not a chance. I had too much new information to digest to want food

"I'll come in for a snack in a bit," I said. "I want to visit the gardens before it gets too late." I practically ran away from Alexa.

Plucking a hibiscus flower, I twirled its little stem between my fingers.

The soft pink blended into a muted blur as the petals spun as fast as my thoughts. Working with my new information and some pretty solid assumptions, I was narrowing down the list of possible identities.

I crossed gods off the list -- the only one I knew of with wings detested the sight of me. And the feeling had pretty much been mutual. No way my mystery guy was Eros.

It seemed unlikely that Aris was a demi-god since Alexa had answered my question about whether they could be partly visible: "I don't know, you'd have to ask one," she'd said. I didn't think she'd lie to me, and her answer implied she didn't know any demi-gods, which would include Aris.

I abandoned my initial theory that he might be a hero since I'd never heard of a hero who had wings, or could create palaces, or disguise himself.

Which left nymphs. Wouldn't it make sense for a nymph to have another nymph in his employ? And I now knew they couldn't be only partly visible, which explained why he had to hide the rest of himself under a cloud to show his eyes.

Of course, I could still be falling for a monster, but I didn't think so. Not anymore. Not after feeling those lips...

Sinking onto a bench with a sigh, I brushed the flower under my chin. Damn, I wish I knew more about nymphs. Could one be mischievous enough to frighten the gods? Was there some metaphor there that I was missing? Not like the Oracle was known for clarity, but still. I felt like I was so close to something and still missing it.

And I was also bothered by the fact that I'd never seen Alexa create anything. She had amazing hearing, but I hadn't noticed any other powers.

Was she hiding those too? Or maybe there was some super-nymph that I'd never heard of. Like a nymph prince who was more powerful than the others.

"Ugh," I tossed the flower into a manicured hedge and lay back across the bench, folding my arms over my eyes. Now I was inventing nymph
royalty. Very productive.

Chapter end