“Wait! I’m still hanging onto your world by a tree branch. My arms will tire soon.”
Pan just gave a casual wave over his shoulder as he clopped away toward his upside-down cave.
* * *
Gaia wanted to sound the alarm, but how did she do that without upsetting everyone on this special occasion? Besides, humans couldn’t really do much except keep an eye out for him. Aaron… She hoped he knew that wherever he was, she wouldn’t stop looking for him. She could tell he was alive, but his energy was faint, that was all she knew for sure.
She didn’t know why this was happening, but she could guess who was behind it. She set down the plant, put her hands on her hips, and called her sisters. “Fate! Karma!”
The other goddesses appeared quickly. Karma was carrying a surfboard and wearing a bathing suit, while Fate was in a fluffy bathrobe and looked like she had been at a spa or had just awakened. Either way, two cucumber slices fell off her eyes.
“What’s the matter, Gaia? You look awful.”
“Thanks, Karma. I needed that like a hole in my head. Aaron’s missing.”
Fate and Karma glanced at each other in shock. “Missing?” they asked at once.
“Yes. I can tell he’s alive, but very, very far away. I can’t lock onto his energy. I don’t know where he is.” She dropped her gaze, and tears welled up.
“Oh, Sister.” Fate stepped into her personal space and enveloped her in a hug. Gaia didn’t usually hug, but the welcome gesture was exactly what she needed. She just held onto her sister for a moment while she thought of possible explanations.
When she stepped away, she looked over at Karma. “It’s got to be Pan’s work. Correct?”
Karma snapped her fingers, and the surfboard disappeared. “Yes, I’m sure of it. Unless there’s someone else you pissed off with the power to shield your lover from you…”
“Not as far as I know.” Gaia let out a long sigh.
“Well, how do we find him?” Fate asked.
Gaia said, “Take my hands, Sisters. And then take each other’s hands. We need to form a triad. Our energy combined is stronger. All of us need to reach out toward Aaron’s energy signature and concentrate on locating him.”
Karma and Fate did as she asked without comment for once. Gaia couldn’t help being grateful right now to have sisters who would help. Hopefully, they could. She wished her powers were enough, but since that didn’t seem to be the case, she dearly hoped the three of them together could find him. Aaron meant everything to her.
They let their minds meld and radiate out farther than they could have alone. Each one’s mental forces reached out like tendrils feeling their way through the atmosphere, circling the globe, looking for any tingle of recognition. They stood that way for several minutes, searching, probing, until finally, Gaia dropped their hands and leaned over. “It’s no use.”
She slumped onto the earth, and her sisters grabbed her arms before she fell backward.
“Gaia.” Karma shook her. “You can do this. We can do this. Don’t give up.”
Fate was rubbing her arm and looking concerned and sympathetic. Two very different approaches, but at this moment, she preferred Karma’s tough love. Gaia stood up straight and tall. Raising her chin, she announced, “Yes. We can do this. He is somewhere. We will find him. Even if you leave, I won’t stop.”
Fate squeezed her hand. “I’m not leaving. I’m here for you as long as it takes.”
Karma put her arm around Gaia’s shoulder. “As am I. The jerks of the world can wait until we deal with the biggest jerk of all. How do we find Pan?”
“Sisters, we were locking onto the wrong energy. Let’s lock on Pan. Wherever he is, I’m sure he knows where Aaron is.”
The women reformed their triangle, held hands, closed their eyes, and concentrated again, this time letting their energies reach for and locate the little horned god they were all familiar with. Gaia suspected he would probably be having an orgy with nymphs in the mountains, but she had to wipe out any preconceived notions and just open her mind and let the energy take her to where he was, not bring him to where she thought he should be.
It took a long time, but eventually, she locked onto Pan’s energy signature. “I’ve got him!”
Her sisters cried out, “Yes, he’s…”
“Here!” Pan said from down a tunnel-like walkway. He clopped toward the three powerful goddesses. “You’re looking for me.” He said it as a statement, not a question. “I assume you’ve come to your senses and realized a human is not worthy of your affection. Whereas I”—he swept his torso into an exaggerated bow, then straightened and looked her in the eye—“I am at your service. I would be delighted to show you the kind of relationship you deserve.”
Gaia laughed. “What did I do to deserve you? And how do I undo it?”
Pan folded his arms. “Insult me all you like. Soon, you’ll discover I’m the only one left who can tolerate you.”
