Standing naked at the edge of the ocean, surrounded by Nature’s merciless beauty, I felt only awe. Fear had long since peaked and died away. I was free to appreciate the white-foamed tide as it rolled in to greet me. I could laugh as the rising waters tickled under my arms. When saltwater stung my eyes, I simply closed them to hurry the darkness.

I had planned my death with meticulous care and yet I was still surprised to awake in his embrace. His lips were warm on mine as he breathed something akin to life back into my body. He was just as my mother had described, strikingly handsome with unblinking sapphire eyes.

"You laugh in the face of death. How interesting." His voice was rich and warm, like brown velvet. "By the way, it was not your time to die," he noted solemnly.

"You are Death?" I asked, looking around. We were alone on a white sandy shore, the ocean a blue-green strip beneath a cerulean sky. "Am I dead?"

He smiled. "No, you are in between and, yes, I am Death." At my noticeable relief, he raised a well-shaped eyebrow. "This pleases you?"

I nodded. "I was looking for you."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Then you took quite a chance that I would find you. My other forms are very different."

"I had only your image in my mind," I admitted.

"I see," he said softly, though clearly he did not. He frowned. "Why were you looking for me? Has your life been so difficult?"

"No," I admitted again. "My life has been wonderful. I am here to make a request for someone else."

"A request?" he repeated. His eyes darkened. "Death does not bargain, child."

"You did once."

I refused to cry out as his hands tightened on my arms. He stared at me and through me into the past. What he saw was not completely unpleasant because for a moment he smiled. Then, abruptly, he stood, dropping me into the sand.

"You are Annabeth’s daughter. Only her child would be so bold and so foolish," he said, his tone sharp. "Are you here to trick me as she did?"

"My mother did not deceive you." My voice trembled. "She just wasn’t ready to die."

He laughed, a harsh sound. "Very few of you ever are. Even fewer try to change their fate once they stand before me."

I could not help but smile. "My mother does not believe in fate. She believes we make our own choices." Standing up, I continued, "She must have convinced you. You did agree to her game of chess. If you weren’t prepared to lose why did you play?"

An icy wind slammed into us cutting off more words. Emotions raced across his face, first anger, then embarrassment, and finally sadness. He turned his back to me to look intently at the azure waters.

"I was intrigued by her offer and by her … passion to stay with you," he confessed. Mother had alluded to his passion as well. I knew that she and Death had shared more than a chess game.

Suddenly aware that I was naked, I cleared my throat. He turned to me. "You did not truly return her life," I pointed out. On an impulse I grasped his hand. "She couldn’t touch me. I couldn’t touch her."

He would not meet my eyes. Gently, he pulled away. "She asked only to remain at the side of her daughter."

I remained silent until I could speak without anger. "Time passes and needs change," I conceded, paraphrasing my mother. "I’m all grown up. But, Mother is still…"

"At your side," he finished. He looked around. "She let you do this?"

"She’s only a shadow. She really couldn’t stop me."

"No, I suppose not," he said. He closed his eyes. The cold wind died down to a gentle breeze. Goose bumps peppered his arms. He seemed very human and very lonely, standing with his back to the sea. Finally, he opened his eyes.

"Annabeth shall have her freedom," he promised, his face grave. "But what shall you give me in return?"

And so history repeated itself. "Let us play a game, as you did then," I suggested. My father had taught me to play chess as well as he had taught my mother.

Death shook his head. "No more games," he said slowly. "Your mother taught me too well." Without warning, he pulled me into his arms, tenderly kissing the curve of my jaw, the hollow of my throat.

"Now you know how your mother truly beat me." His blue eyes glowed. "Stay with me one night, Annabeth’s daughter. Will you do that?"

Desire and fear waged war in my stomach. I closed my eyes. Despite the consequences, Mother had never regretted her time with him.

"Your answer, child. Your time runs out." He teased, but the underlying threat was clear. He was, after all, Death.

Not trusting my voice, I simply nodded.

Artwork courtesy of and copyright by Daniel B. Holeman, who invites you to visit his Visionary Art Gallery web site - Awaken Visions

 
That night I lay in Death’s arms in a seaside bed he manifested out of the air. As he slept, I ran my fingers through his curly hair and traced the fullness of his lips. When his lips curved in a half-smile, I felt warmer than I had at any point in life. Near dawn, my mother’s spirit came to me.

"Mother, he’s agreed to free your spirit," I whispered. She smiled. Tears spilled down my cheek. "When do you think he’ll release you?"

Her smiled widened. In her breathy voice, she replied, "He has already released me." She blew me a kiss and then vanished.

Death’s arms tightened. Gently, he kissed my tears away. In his velvety voice, he said, "So you see, child, I am not so horrible."

*

We lay in bed until sunrise. I slipped from his arms to splash in the surf. I delighted in the world around me, a world that could show mercy to a mother and her child. When Death reached for me, I did not hesitate to take his hand.

I ignored the change in his face, which was more beautiful, but a little less human. He pressed his lips against mine and I held him close. Amazing memories from the night before replayed in my mind. How quickly joy became terror as he offered not mercy, but truth.

He was Death and my life was his. A cold dark shroud crashed over me. After an eternity, the darkness lifted. Though he had brutally reminded me of what he was and why we were together, still, I could not walk away from his touch. Nor could I walk away from the emotion so clear on his face.

"Time should have no meaning for me," he said in a soft voice, "but last night passed far too quickly. Regardless, one night was our agreement and so I will keep my word."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he placed a cool finger against my lips. "There have been enough words, child. I look forward to our next meeting. On that day, there will be no bargaining."

He began to fade. "Until then..."

*

I awoke on the beach surrounded by lifeguards. I half-heartedly answered their questions. Crabs skittered across the sand, children laughed farther down the beach. When a loud cry pierced the air, I looked up to see a lone seagull circle several times overhead and then fly out to sea. I watched him until he disappeared beyond the horizon.

No one understood why I began to cry.