“No.”
“I understand you are apprehensive about the risks, Poseidon…” Cannon tried to reason with the god.
“No! If you know this is the man, then we just…”
“You just what. Exactly.” Cannon asked firmly. He tried to keep his legs from shaking and was amazed that his voice didn’t quiver.
“Justice will be had,” the god of the sea and earthquakes stated firmly.
“What kind of justice? I imagine this isn’t the sort of thing that is going to involve a trial by jury.”
“Detective Cross,” Poseidon stood up, stretching to his full height and loomed over Cannon. “Do not push me. This man has murdered, you have seen it yourself. He will face justice for crossing into our realm and committing the gravest of acts against us.”
“We don’t know it’s him, or even how he has done this! He may be mentally ill or…”
“Cannon, Poseidon,” Cannon was interrupted by the arrival of Zeus. “will you please explain to me why the heavens ring with your angry voices?”
“Brother,” Poseidon grumbled.
“Sorry,” Cannon replied sheepishly.
“Poseidon, do as he asks, ask for a volunteer though. If there are none forthcoming, Cannon will you concede?” Zeus arched one white eyebrow.
“Yes, sir.” Cannon replied curtly.
“Once guilt has been assessed and the suspects intentions made clear, you will allow us to dispense justice in our own fashion,” he continued, holding up a hand to Cannon’s yet unspoken objections, “there is no way this can be dealt with by your courts of justice. The man shall be punished.” Poseidon smiled triumphantly. “What that will entail, is yet to be determined,” Zeus finished glaring at Poseidon, which deflated his brother’s grin somewhat.
“Yes sir,” Cannon grated his teeth. “But I ask one more favour.”
“Speak it,” Zeus replied.
“There is a reason this man can see the muses, we have to figure that out too,” Cannon stated calmly.
“Ha, you demand more that you should, Detective,” Posidon’s voice was scathing.
“If only for your own sakes, if there’s one there could be another. You, more than me, need to know why if you want those muses ever to be safe.” Cannon saw Poseidon seethe somewhat but then give in.
“Detective,” the god of the sea sighed, “I’ll go ask for your volunteer. If one is willing, they will meet you at the opera house at the specified time.” He grasped the detective’s shoulders, “you are the most insistent and irritating mortal I have ever had the fortune to meet.”
Before Cannon could reply he felt the now familiar feeling of the ground slipping away from him.
——<<<<>>>>>>———
Cannon was pacing at the bar nervously. It was another five minutes until intermission and there was no sign yet of a muse. He was kicking himself inside for demanding so much, they were gods! What did they care of mortal justice and legal systems. What had he really thought was going to happen? He pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes shut. It felt like he had not slept in ages; his body felt tired and his mind unfocussed.
“A worthy mortal, huh,” he sighed.
“A very worthy mortal,” said a familiar voice from behind him.
“Euterpe,” he smiled but was seized with apprehension at the same time. His head slumped forward. Of course it would be her.
“Didn’t think it would be me?” She said appearing from behind his shoulder.
“I didn’t want it to be you,” he grinned sheepishly.
“Oh Cannon,” she smiled at him, her face angelic and mischievous at the same time. She darted forward and hugged him tight. “I would have fought the others to be here.”
“Euterpe…” he began but was cut off but the sudden influx of people into the lobby for intermission.
“Keep a sharp eye out, we need to catch him not give him another opportunity to…” Cannon stopped. Oh god. Oh Gods. He swallowed hard. This would be the only occasion to prove that Anton was their killer and the only way to do it was provide another opportunity for him to strike again . He was going to get swift and harsh judgement and punishment, a very heavenly retribution for his attacks and Cannon needed to make sure he was delivering the right man to the gods.
Euterpe nodded and squeezed his hand before leaving Cannon. It was part of the plan, to lure him out and not revealing the fact that he was being watched. Cannon leaned against the bar with a soda water and nonchalantly looked around. He knew that Zeus, Poseidon and a few others were not far off and watching the scene as well.
The fifteen minutes were flying by and there was no sign of Anton. There were other floors, other bars where Anton could have gone to; Cannon felt the opportunity slipping through his fingers. He imagined Poseidon smirking to himself counting down the seconds to the second half of the opera.
The bell went for people to return their seats the flood reversed, people crushing together to be the first back to their seats. For a moment, Cannon lost track of where Euterpe was amongst the mess of people. There was always an unconscious gap left for the muses when in a crowd but there were so many people that he couldn’t even see that.
He saw a hand reach up above the crowd and wave frantically. Fear gripped his heart and he plunged into the crowd.
“Fuck!” He swore loudly and the crowd gave him angry looks. He gripped the amulet around his neck hard and let his emotions do the rest.
“Cannon! Cannon!” He could hear her frantic voice amongst the theatre murmurs, laughs and shuffling, background noise.
He could see the gap a little ways ahead of him. The crowd was so dense and almost impossible to move, even when he started flashing his badge about. He caught sight of Euterpe, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the man ahead of her.
“Anton Ferrial!” Cannon shouted loudly. He wanted to catch him off guard but he couldnt’ let anything happen to Euterpe. He saw a face turn in the crowd just ahead of Euterpe, the profile was unmistakable. The crowd surged and Cannon tried to break through the last wall of people.
Then she screamed. It was musical, harmonious, melodic, and unmistakably in pain.
The crowd had pushed Anton forward and he had taken the moment to strike out, even in this crowded area. Anton grabbed his collar and his knife hand from behind.
“What is this?” Anton struggled in the Detective’s grip but Cannon held fast. Anton Ferrial you are under arrest for the murder and attempted murder of Calliope, Erato and Euterpe.”
Anton laughed loudly.
“You are one crazy copper,” he snarled, “you and I both know there are no such thing as muses.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” said a familiar voice from behind them both. “Cannon, we’ll take him from here,” Zeus’ voice was controlled but angry. Poseidon grasped the knife from a very surprised and frightened looking Anton.
“You can’t be real,” his eyes were wide and the gravity of the situation was hitting him hard.
“We are very much real, just as much as the women you tried to murder,” Poseidon said grabbing his other harm. “And we aren’t the forgiving kind of gods either.”
The crowd had all passed by them, looking confused at first but Cannon saw the familiar glazing over eyes like that of his captain whenver the details of the case came up.
“Euterpe,” Cannon breathed and fell down next to the muse.
“Cannon…Cannon, it is alright,” she smiled beautifully and lifted a hand to his face.
“I’m sorry, I should have been here sooner,” there was a faint chorus around the fallen figure of Eutrepe, she bled music and not blood just like the other muses. Cannon put pressure on the wound, it didn’t look too bad but he didn’t want to take any chances.
“Cannon, it is not your fault. She cradled his cheek in the palm of her hand. He felt her frame tense and the muscles cramp; only a slight twitch in her smile betrayed her pain. Her eyes still danced to some internal song that was now trying to escape through a stab wound.
“Sing to me Cannon,” she asked quietly.
“I…I…” Cannon wanted to say so much to the beautiful entity in his arms but felt giddy and foolish. “I don’t have a great voice,” he said instead and grinned.
“Sing to me Cannon, everything will be okay.” Her eyes closed and she squeezed his hand. She started humming a soft tune. He vaguely realised that Poseidon was behind him but Anton and Zeus had disappeared. At this moment he couldn’t care less what happened to Anton Ferrial. He sang.
“In all of heaven down to the earth
Through the spaces unknown and unseen
If you’ll listen, I’ll sing you a melody
A tale, a dream, a song of you and me
And the stars will shine and echo
celestial spheres will be dancing
As I weave the story, the melody
Of the history of time inbetween
Your gentle touch on this world
that changes dreams into reality
and songs blessedly come to be
will be sung throughout eternity
I know I am no worthy mortal
for such a entity such as thee
All I have is my simple, rough voice
to whisper to you this melody
From humble mortal to celestial muse
All the tales of beauty throughout history
That have been written or will soon be
cannot capture how lovely you are to me.”
He trailed off and opened his eyes, to find himself surrounded by gods back in Olympus. Euterpe was sleeping soundly, pain free but still grasping his hand.
“I…usually I’m ill when you bring me here,” he muttered, turning bright red.
“Come,” Poseidon said smiling, leave her Euterpe to rest.
They walked out to the central square, with the brilliant fountain and ambrosia smelling sweetly in the cool air. Poseidon looked happy, the tautness in his bearing was gone and he sauntered casually.
“Zeus will be here shortly,” he said suddenly, “to tell you the verdict.”
“Huh,” was all Cannon could say. What was there to say? He knew that Anton was guilty but his notions of justice were a bit muddled after Euterpe had been one of his victims. Cannon shook his head, he would have to leave it with the gods. They were probably in a better position now to judge Anton than him now anyway.
“We have been fair,” Posieden replied.
“I somehow think our ideas of fairness slight differ from each other,” Cannon said wryly, running his hand through his hair. Poseidon laughed loudly.
“Even after all that I have seen of you, and all that you have seen of Anton, you still surprise me. Any other man would have liked a few hours in a room with him with brass knuckles.” Poseidon looked at Cannon closely. “It was good to have met you Detective Cannon Cross. Never a more worthy mortal has entered our home.” He offered his hand and bowed his head slightly in thanks.
“Brother,” Zeus spoke from behind Cannon, “may I have a work with the Detective?”
“Of course,” Poseidon smiled once more and then wandered off into Olympus.
“I heard you guys have a verdict,” Cannon said calmly. “Bit quick?”
“Our sense of time is slightly different than yours, Detective,” Zeus replied calmly.
“Everything seems slightly different up here,” Cannon replied, “is it up here? I’m a bit confused where celestial planes actually are.” Zeus laughed. “Detective, I am glad the threads of fate have brought you to us. You will be reserved a place in the Elysian fields if you so desire.”
“No needing to be virtuous until my death bed? Pretty good deal, that,” Cannon replied calmly. This was all getting a bit weird for him.
“Ah, well, I know a guy. My father, so to speak,” Zeus replied.
“I didn’t think you guys got on to well, you know, with the overthrowing and taking over of Olympus and all,” Cannon recalled from the mists of his university classics class.
“Ah, well, mythology, bunch of old stories you know,” Zeus winked. Cannon grinned, as weird as it was, he liked the gods and the muses. “But anyway, I thought you should know what we found out about Anton.”
“How he could see the muses?” Cannon asked.
“Yes. It seems that his parents both had a unique lineage. They both were descendents of gods,” Zeus began. “I don’t know if I can adequately explain to you how this all works but think of it as genetics. They each possessed a dominant gene that was godly.”
“And because they had that kid, he inherited them both. Does that mean he’s a god?” Cannon asked incredulously.
“Not exactly,” Zeus replied. “But he had some traits, like the ability to see others like him. But instead of being awed but this, his character was warped. He saw the muses touch both his parents and he saw that after being touched, they separated. They each became famous for the arts and so he shunned them. His hatred festered and when he saw the muses again, the bitterness was intensified their interference in the lives of mortals but more so because of what the interference did to his life. He believed that if there had never been the muses, his life would have been different.”
“I thought you knew who all the gods and children of gods were, how come you didn’t know him?” Cannon asked.
“Well, you know,” Zeus said gruffly, “there are always indiscretions amongst even the celestial.” He cleared his throat.
“You know there are an awful lot of myths about your indiscretions,” Cannon teased.
“It’s always the swan story. Honestly, even in allegory. A swan? Really. You people can be so very weird,” Zeus shook his head and Cannon laughed deeply.
“So what are you going to do to him?” Cannon said once the laughter had stopped.
“He could not remain a threat to the muses,” Zeus said seriously. “To be fair, in the old days I would have just struck him down at the merest hint of guilt.” He sighed and faced Cannon. “He will not be permitted to live. He’s going to have an accident, that covers this all up, so that he will not be remembered in his world as a murder of muses.”
“I understand,” Cannon said slowly, “I don’t agree but I understand.”
“You do not have to carry the burden of judgement, or the burden of remembrance if do not wish to,” Zeus said gently, “I know we are never very clear on our demands of mortals and our judgements are not always seen as the best ones.”
“You can say that again,” Cannon sighed. “How is all this going to look back home? The Captain never seemed to really know what was going on.”
“There will be a commendation in your file, it will be obscure but have recommendations from the highest of sources,” Zeus replied, “but no one will ever know. There once was a time when gods and mortals could be on the same plane but that time has passed. We are in the twilight of our time, Cannon but we will do what we can until we are completely forgotten.” Zeus looked like a very old and tired man in the fading light. Careworn lines etched deeply around his eyes and he for once, looked small.
“We will be at a loss when that day comes,” Cannon replied. They walked in silence for a bit, gazing upon Olympus. “Can I see Euterpe before…” Cannon finally asked. Zeus smiled.
“I feel you will be seeing a lot of Euterpe,” the chief of the Olympian gods said with a twinkle in his eye. “After all, the muses still exist between the worlds.” He turned and faced Cannon, his hand on his shoulder. Cannon knew what was going to come next. “If you wish to retain that burden of guilt than you shall have the blessings and freedom afforded to gods to enter and leave this plane. You can retain the amulet we have given you so that you may still know us. That is your reward and your punishment if you so wish it.”
“I do,” Cannon said solemnly, the weight of the decision settled on his shoulders heavily.
“So be it,” Zeus said “Cannon Cross, until we meet again. Blessings of Olympus be upon you, with our deepest gratitude we thank you.” Zeus layed his other hand on his shoulder and Cannon’s view of Olympus and the god of thunder dissolved into his office back at the station.
He sat down heavily in his chair. Things were going to be a bit odd from now on. Someone knocked on the door and the Captain’s head followed quickly.
“Nice job on that case, Cannon,” he said grinning, “looks like you are going to be smiled on from high places.”
“You have no idea how true that is,” Cannon thought.
“Anyway, if you aren’t too busy, I’ve got a case for you,” the Captain flashed a file at the young detective.
“Isn’t it still my day off?”
“Well, I suppose so. But it’s interesting,” the Captain’s eyes twinkled. Cannon’s mouth hitched up into his familiar grin.
“How interesting?”
—-Fin—-
Hooray! All done. Hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the massive Vacation Delay on the final episode. Have a new serial all lined up for your consumption to start in a week or so!
