Io and I start planning the trip (No 8)

Synopsis

No one believed in the ancient Greek gods any more. So Zeus and his cronies were a little worried (when they were not drunk). So they were not worried a lot. However the wind god Aeolus discovered in his travels that there was a different belief system that perhaps they should investigate that might get people enthused once again so that their temples would be rebuilt, offerings made and supplications considered as in the old days.

Aeolus said the name of the god was Io which coincidentally was the name of a female dignity in the pantheon of Greek gods whom Zeus himself had pursued much to Io’s cost and Hera’s irritation. It all turned out well in the end as she finished up swimming across the Bosporus along the coast of the Mediterranean to the Nile so the Egyptians adopted her and named her Isis a benevolent goddess who kept the masses happy; and then three and half thousand years later, me happy too.

Before I met her Grecian Io was summoned to help Zeus as she had the same name as this new god and was to select a suitable human with the Oracle’s advice to help her in her quest to meet up with other Io to see if his doctrine could be useful in Greece.

However the Oracle indicated that an old Australian traveller flying home from a holiday in England was the one to help them…me! As the oracle tended to give advice in riddles it is possible she didn’t mean me at all. But Io just latched on to me and here I am.

It was necessary for me to be very strong and not let Io seduce me yet again.

I just had to retrieve some self respect. I had purchased the latest Sue Grafton novel V is for Vengeance at Heathrow Airport on the way home so I insisted on reading that when I got into bed. Unusually for the author reading this book required a lot more concentration than normal so by the time I put the light out Io was fast asleep.

In the morning however when I woke, we were as usual stark naked curled up together and as before I couldn’t remember a thing…damn it! However she had such control over me that she had implanted at feeling of utter love for and reliance in her, in my brain. But enough of that, you don’t want to know that do you? Our plan however was to find this elusive god Io her namesake in the Pacific region.

I told her straight away as we were discussing it in bed that there was no way I could afford another holiday just now. This was because we were not just doing a package tour of Fiji for ten days all organised on some resort island but an in depth research project to discover the roots of religious beliefs in the area.

“How much do you think we need then?” asked Io. I think I have some money with me. She reached for her red handbag and fossicked around inside and drew out a little pouch of coins. My heart fell; even if they were rare Greek coins from 3000 years ago we could never get rid of them, except one at a time under the counter as it were, so long as they weren’t freshly struck but looked as though they had been dug up and worn down with many transactions.

But they weren’t ancient Greek, they were British gold sovereigns worth their weight in…gold, probable value $1600 each. They were all dated in the last 50 years. So they were completely legitimate for virtually any transaction. I could have been a collector buying one or two a year for the last 20 years and now with their value so high I could make a killing on the market. Total value? About $150,000!

The family were coming down to see me that afternoon. I glanced at the bedside clock. Still only a quarter to eight. So there was plenty of time to sort the house out and plan our strategy with them before then. I wondered whether Io would be willing not to wipe my memory if we played around a bit now.

She put the bag of coins back in her bag. Turned back to me and nodded, reading my thoughts and showing me an ample glimpse of her flesh..

“On one condition” she said, “If you ever get to speak with any of our gods, not that you are likely to, never, ever let on we were lovers.” She paused, “Especially Zeus, or Hera, or even Hermes as he is such a blabber mouth; and not even Poseidon because he has a soft spot for me too. Well absolutely no-one as they have so little to do now all they do is gossip and get drunk. While she was still naming all the tattlers I got out of bed, had my shower, used a new razor blade and dressed. I would just have to be satisfied that I had made love to her but I would never remember any of the details afterwards. As I went into the kitchen wondering what a goddess would like for breakfast I could still hear her mumbling other god’s names with whom I shouldn’t discuss my closeness to her. While I searched the cupboards for ambrosia, I could still hear her as she wound up with, “Robin, the very worst person to talk to is Echo.”

To be continued