"Confidentially," Venus said, "at times, the All-Mother can be an
absolute bitch."
She went over to one of the light-swirled walls, and a part of the light
seemed to fade as she did so. Of course, she did nothing so crude as
opening a door. When she started for the wall there was no closet
apparent there, but when she arrived it was there, solid, and open.
It was just that simple.
She took out a white robe and started back. Forrester took his eyes from
her with an effort and watched the closet disappear again. By the time
she had reached him, it was only a part of the swirling wall again.
And the hospital attendants were nowhere in sight.
She handed Forrester the robe. He took it warily, but it seemed real
enough. At any rate, it was as real as anything else that was happening
to him, he thought.
It was a simple tunic, cut in the style of the ancient Greek _chiton_,
and open at one side instead of the front. Forrester turned it in his
hands. At the waist and shoulder there was a golden clasp to hold it in
place. The clasp wasn't figured in any special way. The material itself
was odd: it was an almost fluorescent white and, though it was perfectly
opaque, it was thinner than any paper Forrester had ever seen in public.
It almost didn't seem to be there when he rubbed it between his thumb
and forefinger.
"Well, don't just stand there," Venus said. "Get started."
"Started?" Forrester said.
"Get dressed. The others are waiting for you."
"Others?"
But she didn't answer. Forrester looked frantically around the room for
anything that looked even remotely like a dressing room. As a last
resort, he was willing to settle for a screen. No room, no screen. He
was willing to settle for a chair he could crouch behind. There was
none.
He looked hopefully at the Goddess. Perhaps, he thought, she would leave
while he dressed. She showed no sign of doing so. He cleared his throat
and jerked at his collar nervously.
"Now, now," Venus said sternly. "Don't tell me the presence of your
Goddess embarrasses you." She raised her head imperiously. "Hurry it
up."
Very slowly, he began taking off his clothes. There was, after all,
nothing to be ashamed of, he told himself. As a matter of fact, Venus
ought to be getting used to the sight of him undressing by this time.
Somehow, he finally managed to get the _chiton_ on straight. Venus
looked him over and nodded her approval.
"Come along now," she said. "They're waiting for us. And one thing:
don't get nervous, for Hera's sake. You're all right."
"Oh," Forrester said. "Sure. Perfectly all right. Right as rain."
"Well, you are. As a matter of fact, I think you'll make a fine
Dionysus."
She led him toward a wall opposite where the closet had been. As they
approached it, a section of it became bluer and bluer. With a sinking
feeling, Forrester told himself that he knew what was coming.
He did. The wall dissolved into the shimmering blue haze of a Veil of
Heaven, just like the one that had transported him from New York to his
present position. Where that was, he wasn't entirely sure, but
remembering his one look out the window, he suspected it was Mount
Olympus.
But there wasn't any time for thinking. Venus took his hand coolly as
they reached the blue haze. Then both of them stepped through.