Chapter 26

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Hi homines, quin liber? Si tu es, suffragium, et participes comment et cum omnibus tuis vivendi et familiaeque, Im 'non picky. Graecae hodiernae dei est Caerus.

Translation - Hey guys, enjoying the book? If you are, vote, comment and share to all your friends and family, I'm not picky. Today's Greek god is Caerus.

Caerus is the god of opportunity. He is seen as a beautiful god who never ages. This god is always seen as bald except for one lock of hair hanging down on his forehead. This lock is designed to grab an opportunity when he tries to go rushing by. Since it is the only hair on Caerus' head, it is believed that grasping the hair is the only way to get this god of opportunity to stop his fast journey through a scene. If a person misses the opportunity, then Caerus may turn on him and kill him or provide bad luck.

Delivers Good Luck: Once someone caught Caerus, then his spirit would produce all types of good things for the person. If a person failed to grasp Caerus, however, he would sometimes turn on them causing bad luck to occur.

Fast Mover: Caerus is usually seen with wings on his feet and sometimes with wings on his shoulders indicating that he can move very quickly. Again, these items are designed to indicate that a person must act quickly to stop Caerus. It is believed that once Caerus passes by not even Zeus is fast enough to stop him.

Ready for Action: This god is often seen standing on his tiptoes on top of a sphere. He is also often seen carrying a scale and a razor. These items are said to indicate that Caerus will judge a situation before appearing. Only people who have done all that they can do to prepare for something will have the opportunity to grasp Caerus by his forehead lock.

Caeus Fountain: Archaeologists believe that there was a fountain dedicated to Caerus outside Athens' stadium. People were to pay tribute to this god before they entered the stadium in order to increase their luck once they entered.

Caeus Statue: The most famous statue of Caerus, however, was found in Sikyon, Greece, and it was created by Lysippos. This statue was said to be one of the most beautiful in Ancient Greece. The bronze statue is said to closely resemble Dionysos who was the god of the grape harvest and festivities. Many people who saw the statue commented on the forehead which seems to be perspiring from hard work. Many also remarked that while the statue was unable to move, it clearly showed that Caerus could move extremely rapidly and on a moment's notice.

If you need help passing your Greek mythology test or winning a ballgame, then you might want to think about Caerus. Remember, however, that he only appears to those who are well prepared.

.....................................

Cat's POV

Two weeks passed, and my life, such as it was, returned to some kind of normal. I emailed Jason a bunch of notes I had on economics. I sent him links that I thought he should check out. I even went so far as to send him a practice test and I told his mum as well. (I'm sure he loved that one, but whatever.)

I did all the things that I thought I needed to do, or at least the things I thought I should do. Jason Smith might have hurt me, but that didn't mean I had to let him know it. It was bad enough that I'd gone to his house. Even now, my cheeks burned when I thought of how his mum had looked at me when I came running out of his room, trying to keep from crying.

She'd taken one look at me and threw her arms around me like I was hers. She stroked my hair and told me that I needed to go slow with Jason. He had issues to work through. His brain injury. His seizure. It was a lot, and he hurt people without meaning to.

After a few moments I pulled away, and I told her that everyone had stuff to deal with. Everyone had scars that didn't show.

She'd asked if I was going to keep working with him, and I said I didn't think so. I was being honest, and I could tell it wasn't the answer she'd hoped to hear.

          

That was the last time I saw Mrs. Smith.

A few days ago, I'd gotten an email from Jason, but it was obviously an accident since there wasn't anything in it. No "hello," no "hey, I miss you, how are things?" There was nothing. And yet I couldn't help but wonder, had he been thinking of me? Did I care? Stupid question, that, because I cared a lot. Pathetic, I know.

When I was alone at night, huddled beneath the covers, I cared a whole lot. I'd cried so many tears over the past few weeks that I swear my tear ducts were in danger of malfunctioning. I mean, if that was possible.

Jason had pretty much broken my heart, and my dad had definitely broken my faith, but at least he and I were working on it. Not that it was a slam dunk or anything. Not even close. There were days when I couldn't even look at him because of all the things I couldn't understand. Like, how could he love my mother and have feelings for someone else? It didn't matter that it was a guy. What mattered was that he had made a commitment to my mum. A promise. And he'd broken it.

He'd broken it, and he'd been dishonest about the whole thing. That right there had me all kinds of twisted up inside. To me, honesty equals love and respect. So what did that say about my father? What did they say about our family?

I know that love is love. I truly believe that. If all else was a lie, love was true.

Sure, my father being gay was a shock. How could it not be? He's married to my mother. But it's not the gay thing that makes me angry. And maybe it doesn't make sense, but I still can't forgive him for having kind feelings for anyone other than my mum.

Right or wrong, that's what was inside me. That's what makes things so hard.

He told me everything. How he'd been in love with Clark Jon since college. How he'd always thought he was different but he didn't realize he was gay until he met Clark. He just thought he wasn't into girls or he hadn't met the right one yet.

He'd even told me of the night he'd shared his realization with his parents. Of how his father had beaten him so badly that he'd ended up in a hospital with his jaw wired shut.

My dad had lived a lie his whole life because he thought it was what he had to do in order to survive. He wanted to be a politician. He loved the people of Sun City, and he wanted to help them. To be there for his community. But how could he do that if he was outed?

He told me that he loved Mum. Like really loved her. But that there were all kinds of love, and it was different from what he felt for Clark. It didn't lessen it or anything, but it wasn't what she deserved. And still he struggled with the thought of destroying our family, because he loved me and my brother more than life.

He was at a crossroads and he wasn't sure where to turn or which road to take, and I guess I wasn't much help. Some nights I screamed at him for destroying everything that I loved. And other nights, we talked like real adults. He was honest with me, and I was honest with him.

It didn't mean that things were fixed. In fact, they were far from it, and it was only going to get worse. But what it did mean was that his honesty was the first step towards healing, and I hoped it would be enough.

I guess only time would tell.

Just last night, he'd asked me my thoughts on his speech for today. I knew that he was planning on putting himself out there and that it was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done. I might only be seventeen years old, so, you know, my opinion wasn't exactly worldly or anything, but I told him that I thought living a lie was kind of cowardly. And that being honest was the bravest thing a person could do.

"Hey, are you almost ready?"

it was Monday, and Anabeth had slept over the night before. We'd spent most of it watching On My Block and talking about nothing but Caesar and Monse (most annoying relationship ever) and the trashy Latrelle (how could he shoot Olivia and Ruby?). Beth made me laugh, and we'd drank enough soda and ate enough chips to feed a small country.

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