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Zeus: The Avenger Excerpt — Chapter One

The underside of her breast lay against his right hand and her hips swayed with his as they strolled down the cobblestone sidewalk filled with vacationers, vendors, and locals. A light breeze flowed through the crowd and the sun pierced between the swaying tree limbs sprouting tender leaves of early spring as the newlywed couple entered the park. Rick leaned against his wife Joy and kissed the back of her slender neck, oblivious to the sea of people around them.

A sharp piercing in his arm and the nape of his muscular neck interrupted Rick's contentment. His left eye began to twitch.

“Joy, I need to sit down.”

“What's wrong?”

“I'm not sure. I just feel funny.”

“Oh Rick, stop it. Not another one of your premonitions?”

“I can't help it.”

Distracted, he tripped over an uprooted cobblestone. Pulling Joy with him, they collapsed onto a long wooden bench. Sprawled out on the bench, they laughed at his clumsiness.

Joy kissed his left shoulder and smiled. Rick caressed her light brown cheeks and peered into her black irises, transfixed.

“Love me?” he whispered.

“Hell no. How could anyone love a freak like you?”

A shadow fell across them and Rick looked up to find a young woman smiling down at them. Despite the sack-like dress she wore, he couldn't help but notice her voluptuous figure. He quickly glanced away before Joy saw him looking.

“You're a beautiful couple,” the woman said. “How would you like to know more about yourselves and your future?”

“What're you selling doll?” Rick said.

“A little book I have here can put you in touch with yourselves,” she said. “You seem to have a real thing going on. But I bet you really don't know as much ?bout each other as you think you do.”

“Let me see what you have,” said Joy.

“What's your signs?”

Rick frowned. “What do you mean what's our signs?”

“Oh Rick, you know, she's talking about astrology. She wants to know if you're a Leo, Virgo or something like that.”

“You've got to be joking. I don't believe in that nonsense. Let's finish our walk and stop by that little deli we passed earlier. I'm hungry.”

Standing, he grabbed Joy's hand and started walking away from the astrologer.

“Hey, wait a minute,” yelled the astrologer. “Just give me a chance. What's your birthday?”

Rick stopped, clutched his short Afro with his free hand, and turned toward the astrologer. “November the tenth,” he hissed.

“A Scorpio, I knew it. The sign of real depth. A potent force for good or evil. Strong, Independent, Industrious, Secretive, Courageous. Hate weakness in yourself and others. Jealous and sexy. In short, nobody to mess around with. No wonder you've given me such a hard time.”

Rick said. “All those things you've said could apply to people born on any day of the year. I have a good friend who was born in July who fits the description you just gave to a 'T'.”

“Rick, I'm ashamed of you,” said Joy. “Why are you being so rude? She just asked what your birthday was, gave a good description of you, and then you jump all over her.”

“And you, ma'am. What's your birth date?”

“My birthday is July the eighth.”

“Thanks honey. You're a Cancer. Sensitive, Sympathetic, Loyal and Patient. Tenacious, loving, a good teacher. Your maternal instinct is strong and you care deeply about your family and making a good home for you and your husband. You're a good match for your Scorpio man.”

Rick considered the astrologist's words. Trained as a physicist, he possessed a keen analytical mind. Truth was panacea. The vast majority of things were black or white, grays were seldom tolerated. Like most scientists, a considerable amount of his understanding of nature, people and events was intuitive. It was disconcerting that the astrologer's character analyses were rather accurate descriptions of him and Joy.

“Okay, what you said about Joy and me is pretty much on target. But I've taken a couple of courses in astronomy, and nothing I've read or been taught by respected astronomers claims that the stars and planets have anything to do with human personality. What's your proof?”

“Look, I've taken up enough of your time. My books on Scorpio and Cancer cost a couple of bucks each, but I'll let you two have them for free. Fair enough?”

Rick ignored the books the woman held out, so Joy took them and thanked her.

“Here, let me give you some money. For my husband's rudeness,” Joy said, reaching into her Gucci purse and slipping a five dollar bill into the woman's hand.

“Thanks. You won't regret it. There's a card inside if you have any questions.” The astrologer disappeared into the large crowd

“That was interesting. She had us pegged,” Joy said as she looked at the pamphlets. “A couple of my friends at school are supposed to be into astrology, but I've never talked with them about it. I was like you. I thought it was a bunch of superstitious nonsense. But let's sit here for a few minutes and check the books out. I sure want to find out about your sign.”

“Little Bit, sometimes you really surprise me. An educated woman like you getting involved in astrology. If your mom heard about this, she would lay into you. Miss sophisticated Elizabeth would have a stroke if she knew that her baby was involved in astrology.”

“Rick, I love momma dearly, but I'm twenty-two years old and have a mind of my own. She might have helped me through college, but I had a scholarship and worked part-time. I'm not beholden to anyone, not even her.” Rick smiled the big magnetic smile he was known for, the smile that first attracted Joy to him. “Ah Baby, don't get so serious. I was just teasing.” He treasured the little woman he married who seemed so gentle and shy, but who had her own opinions and wasn't afraid to defend them. He didn't want a weakling as the mother of his children. He had made a great choice and knew it.

“I'm starvin'. Let's get some beer and subs, then walk back to the hotel and see if there's anything to this astrology.”

After they left the restaurant, another sharp pain shot across Rick's chest. He stopped and grasped his rib cage above his heart, trying not to let Joy see. Oh no, not again, he thought, more angry than hurt.. He knew that something bad was about to happen, but didn't know what.

Rick's first experience with a premonition was a week before the death of his baby brother, Jamaal. He had been consumed by a dread that left him physically and mentally exhausted. He was very close, almost like a father, to Jamaal. He had adored his only brother. Although they were 18 years apart, they communicated with each other as if there was no difference in age.

For a week, he couldn't eat or sleep. Even Jamaal could not ease the pain. He tried to cheer up his older brother by telling him how much he loved him, but this seemed to send Rick into a deeper depression. Two hours after Jamaal entered the hospital to remove an aneurism on his brain, Rick was struck by a jolt that ripped his nerve endings. Somehow, he'd known when had died. Beautiful Jamaal. Had never hurt a soul. Loved everyone — even complete strangers. How could a merciful God be so cruel?

Joy noticed Rick rubbing his chest. “Do you have indigestion? I told you not to eat so much spicy foods.”

“It's not that. It must be stress,” he lied.

“Honey, do you think it's your job? You've told me that you were getting anxious to move on, that the job just isn't challenging enough and you want more experience on the business side.”

“I don't think it's the job, Little Bit,” he exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. “It's something else.”

They continued walking toward their hotel. “You're right about one thing though,” he said. “I do want to go into business for myself. That's why I'm working on my MBA. I just want to do my own thing — or something with friends, people I trust and respect. Ken, Mike and I are getting it together. The business plan is shaping up better than expected, but it's taking up more time than we expected.”

He paused and looked down at Joy. “You and Sandra haven't helped any by complaining about Ken and me not spending enough time with y'all.”

“That's right. We've been married just three months and you spend more time away from home than you do with me. I get lonely when you're at school or with the boys. I need some attention, too. That's why I'm glad we came to New York for a couple of weeks. I've got you all to myself now, and you better make the most of it.”

“Now you know I take care of business. Just a couple of hours ago, you were telling me how you couldn't take any more.” He smiled. “Are you asking for a repeat performance?”

“You think you're a real lover don't you? You forget about those times when you were too pooped to pop! I haven't forgotten that you admitted that I was the best you ever had, Mr. Champion.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drew her to him and nibbled her left ear. “I'll tell a beautiful woman anything she wants to hear to get into her pants.”

Just as Joy was about to counter his boasting, they were startled by a paperboy yelling, “Extra! Extra! Extra! Martin Luther King has been shot! Read all about it. Extra! Extra! Extra!”

“Unbelievable,” Rick shouted. “You mean they really did it? After all these years they decided to kill him. Dr. King wasn't wounded — he's dead. If the shots didn't kill him, he was murdered by one of the orderlies on the way to the hospital. Or a surgeon made the wrong incision to remove the bullet. In any case, Dr. King is history.”

He broke away from Joy and ran halfway down the sidewalk. “How could they? How could they?” he screamed. I'll make them pay for this. I'll not rest until every one of the motherfuckers is dead!”

Tears and sweat streamed down his face. He paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists. Shifting into a boxer's stance, he threw punch after punch into the air, imagining he was striking the murdering bastards who had killed one of the most righteous men ever born.

Exhausted, he dropped his head and arms.

Joy ran to him, raised up on her toes, wiped away his tears and sweat, and kissed him.