Trek

The journey to Methana begins.

As Solution and I silently make our way to my chamber, we pass none of the gods. Once we enter Solution immediately goes into the bathing room. To wait for her I sink into the comfortable chair. The soft leather cradles my body as I go over everything that has occurred today. Ana’s dream, the battle with Erebus’ monsters both replay in my mind. So much fighting, has the Resistance been fighting anything? I can feel myself slipping into unconsciousness when a pain erupts in my wounded leg.

“I am not gonna deal with that smell all night.” Solution says, I open my eyes to see that her hair is wet. Had I been musing for so long? “Go bathe, right now.”

Slowly I get to my feet and limp into the bathing room. It is still steaming from Solution’s bath, and the smell of flowers fills the air. The bath had been drained, fortunately, so I turn on the water and wait as it fills up with steam refilling the air. I remove my clothes and turn to the mirror, trying yet again to decide if I am good looking or not. I have toned my muscles since I awoke so long ago, and yet I am still so thin. I play with my white hair, noting the length to which it has grown. The bath fills rather quickly, and I step into it and lay in the hot water to think about all that has transpired.

I see now that I enjoy being alone with my thoughts. It feels…familiar, somehow. Before I took on a human form, perhaps I was always alone. That thought confuses me. On one hand, I feel the familiar comfort of solitude. On the other, I cannot imagine not being around people anymore. Yet again I wonder what sort of man I was before I became human.

If that statue of me is in a volcano, that means that I prepared for this. That means that Erebus did not take my memories or my power. Have I done this to myself? I reflect onto my first awakening, and wonder about what that strange blue energy was.

I raise my hands from the water and study them. I wanted this? I desired a human body that becomes consumed by pain, worry, and limitation? For what end? It has not helped me defeat Erebus and I must have known that it would not. So why would I do this?

I drop my hands as well as the questioning for things that have no answers, instead turning my thoughts to the Resistance. What is going on with them right now? I worry about Ana’s safety. Something tells me that she is not altogether alright. That cat, Ganny, it is only meant to protect her from the corruption of Erebus. I do not think that it can do anything else. Darren is now one of my enemies. Or so he claimed. Should he discover that Ana is no longer under his rule…I do not want to think about what he will do to her.

These thoughts are unsettling, and I feel clean now, so I let the water out and dry myself off. I dress myself in my pants, but pull on a different shirt I find tucked into the corner of the room, short sleeved and unarmored to be more comfortable.

I find Solution upon the bed when I exit the room, staring up at the ceiling. I sit down next to her and stare at the scar on her cheek. It adds something to her, I think. Unfortunate how it happened, but still. She fixes me with a look I cannot identify and then lies down; she turns away from me and curls into a ball. I lie there, staring at the ceiling and wondering what will happen on this quest until sleep pulls me away as well.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

Her eyes open slowly, and her head is filled with a slowly fading pain. She wonders what had occurred before she fell unconscious. All she remembers is a flash of gold. She sits up slowly and sees Zayin talking to the other two, though his words are muffled.

“Looks like she’s awake.” Ana says, turning to face her. Her head clears at Ana’s words, though she still feels dizzy.

Zayin whirls around and moves forward to kneel before her.

“How do you feel, Maranda?” He asks.

“Bubble.” She corrects, “I’m a little dizzy, but I think I’m okay.”

“What about…the other thing?” Zayin inquires. “About Darren and Aether.”

She isn’t sure. She always felt that Darren was a good leader. And since Aether’s arrival weird things have been happening. She flashes back to when Darren had last spoken to the Resistance, that moment, brief but noticeable, where his eyes became black. Fear grips her, and her eyes widen. She lunges forward, burying her face into Zayin’s strong chest. He doesn’t know how to react, and so pats the poor girl’s head, letting her embrace him. He whispers assurances that all will be well to her, until she calms down and pulls away.

“What do we do now?” She asks, wiping her tears away.

“We’ve already got something figured out.” Jack answers. “We’re getting out of here.”

“To go where?”

“Survival.” Zayin says. “Beyond that, we don’t need to know. As long as we make it out alive and keep ourselves in that condition, that’s all that matters.”

Maranda isn’t sure if she agrees. She tries to sit up and only then realizes how sore she is. Her body hurts more than it ever had. She wonders how Ana, who had been doing more forceful training, is even standing up. Her admiration for the girl shows on her face, and Zayin swears he can almost see sparkles around her. Ana feels uncomfortable, and looks away.

“How do we start?” Maranda asks.

“We need to save more people.” Zayin answers. “I’ve been watching everyone for a while, so has Ana. We’ve made up a list of members we think will join us and those who are too far gone.”

“Is Luke one of them?”

Zayin smiles, “Yeah, we think Luke will join us.”

“Why don’t we try to overthrow Darren?” Maranda wonders aloud.

Jack shakes his head. “Because we’d be outnumbered and outclassed. Barth is the Dark God. That means that he’s here, among us, and has been for years. Do you honestly think we can take him on?”

“Our numbers will be small no matter what.” Zayin explains, “We can’t stand up to Darren because we’d lose and probably die. I considered fighting, but flight is our only option.

“Can we try Luke first?” Maranda asks.

“Yes.”

 

ɂɂɂ

 

“You felt it too.” Darren says to Barth. The Bakery’s snake heads are directly behind Barth, and it is all Darren can do not to stare at the horrid things.

“Yes I did.” He responds, “A powerful flare of Aether’s power and the removal of mine from somebody.”

“From whom?”

“I can’t tell.” Barth answers, “Something’s blocking my sight.”

“Damn it.” Darren says. “I bet it was Zayin. Something’s been going on with him.”

“Yeah,” Barth says, sipping his drink and refusing to meet Darren’s eyes. “Definitely.”

“What do you know?” Darren inquires.

“It’s nothing.” Barth says, “Really nothing.”

Darren fixes Barth with an accusatory glare.

“Fine, he may have attacked me and he might have ingested some of my ichor.”

“Are you bullshitting me?” Darren shrieks. Barth shakes his head, “Damn it! What the hell do we do now?”

“Now Darren, don’t blow a gasket. It’ll be fine. All is going according to plan.”

“How is losing soldiers a part of the plan?”

Barth smiles and again sips his drink. “It’s nothing much. I just wanna see how something works out.”

“What something is that?”

“Don’t stray were you aren’t wanted, Darren.” He warns.

“Tell me.” Darren demands.

In an instant Barth loses the smile and reverts himself to his true form. “Do not think you can overstep your boundaries because I am patient. If you cross me, or venture for yourself to dare a plan, I will let Death take you.”

Darren backs away, looking down at the floor. “Ana ran off.” He changes the subject, “I don’t know where she went.”

“You failed to take my advice about leaving alone what would happen.” Erebus says.

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just…Aether pisses me off, and seeing Ana just reminds me of him.”

“They met each other while you were in my Tower. You haven’t seen them together once.”

“I know, but I can feel it. I can almost sense his power within her, like a constant reminder of what he’s done.”

“It all worked out.” Erebus says, “You wouldn’t be who you are today if it weren’t for him.”

“You’re right.” Darren grasps his glass, and with his next words shatters it, “I would be so much more.”

“But you would not have Krista.”

That causes Darren pause, he looks over at the counter, where Krista hides behind the curtain doing what Darren does not know. A real smile spreads through his scarred one. In one motion he stands and pulls out his hook swords. “I’m going to go train.” He tells Erebus, who melts back into the shadows without a word.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

When I awake I try to sit up, but a weight on my right arm keeps me down. I turn to see what it is and am startled by Solution’s sleeping face right next to me. Her arms are wrapped around mine. I try to move as a test, but she grasps it tighter to her, snuggling closer to it and burying her face into where my shoulder meets my bicep. The cuteness of the movement makes me flutter inside, and I just barely stop myself from exclaiming “aw”.

I would feel terrible to stop this, so I lay back down and stare at the ceiling. A knock on the gate startles me and I look back over at Solution, but she does not stir. Whoever it is knocks again and I force myself to answer it. I remove my arm from Solution as gently and as slowly as I can. Her brow furrows and slowly her eyes open.

She looks up at me and a question shows on her face. I am about to say something when a louder knock pounds the door. I sigh and lower my head for a moment before crawling out of bed and going over to it.

Hermes stands there, tapping his foot impatiently. “Dude, come on. It’s already past noon! What the hell is taking so long?”

“Apologies, Hermes.” I say. Wait, past noon? Have I slept so long? “I have only just woken up.”

“Well…get your a*s in gear and get to the palace, alright?”

“But a moment.” I assure him.

I turn back to the bed and see Solution rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She gets to the ground and goes to find her armor and boots. I smile as more flutters go through my stomach. I have never seen Solution look so cute before.

I go into the bathing room and splash water on my face. Looking at myself in the mirror, I notice a few wisps of white hair lining my chin and upper lip; I do not like the look, so I take a knife and shave it off. I wash my face again, and find a comb to brush my hair. As I had noticed last night, my hair now reaches to the midpoint of my back. I decide it is not practical or good-looking, so I take the knife and cut it back to shoulder length.

More quickly than I had last night I decide I have seen enough of my own face. I turn and find myself staring directly into the dark purple eyes of Solution. I all but jump back and hit the sink.

“Sorry,” She says, “But you were taking forever.”

“Oh, you startled me is all.”

“You cut your hair.” She notes.

“Yes, I did not like it that long. It is not practical for battle.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s much better this length. Can we leave now? Or do you have more primping to do?”

I do not respond and go to put on my clothes. Looking all around the room, I cannot spot them. I look all over once again, but still do not see any sign of them.

“Oh, the goddess in the brown cloak brought these for you while you were bathing last night.” Solution says, holding up a bundle of black and white cloth.

I thank her as I take them and ask her to look away as I dress.

“She said she and Hephaestus spent all night on it.” She says after turning. “They considered your preferences as well as what may happen on the quest.”

I pull on a pair of white pants, and then find a black sash which I tie around my waist. It hangs down like a kind of kilt, and I like that. The boots look identical to what I had before, almost enough to make me wonder if they were even changed out. The same white shirt I have put on three times now is next; only with this one the gauntlets are black, though still fingerless. Finally, at the bottom of the pile, I find a long, hooded trench coat that starts white at the top before fading into black at my calves. The sleeves are black at the shoulders, and fade into white at the midpoint of the arm. I fold the sleeves back so that they seem to billow out and end just below my elbows.

Solution reaches into her bag and pulls out a long cord of leather. I take it from her, curious, but as it touches me it expands into three cords with a buckle to connect them. Where the cords connect is a sheath with a rod of silver about a foot in length inside it. I take the rod out of the sheath and immediately it expands into the staff Hephaestus made for me. I find the button and a spearhead grows out at one end. I smile at realizing the function, and strap the leather across my torso, connecting them with the buckle just below my left breast. I replace the staff in the sheath and as I do it shrinks back into a foot of silver.

“You look great.” Solution says. I am not sure if she is serious or not. I turn to her and without trying to be obvious about it look her up and down. She has on an outfit similar to the one she had worn before, though now her pants are a dark purple and the armor looks new. Her xiphos hangs from her belt opposite her bag, and a pistol is sheathed in a holster on her back.

“As do you.” I return the compliment.

“Are we leaving now?” She says, arms akimbo and foot tapping the floor.

“Honestly, Solution,” I say, “I am dreading this. I have no idea what could happen, or what we will face. Anything bad could happen.”

Solution’s face softens; she comes over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Or anything good can happen. It’ll be okay, Aether. You’ll see.”

My lips spread into a smile, but it is a hesitant one. “Thank you, Solution. But I still fear the possibilities.”

“You’d be stupid not to.” She replies, taking her hand back. “I’m nervous too. But it’s worth it if it helps us beat Erebus.”

I smile half-heartedly and almost respond, when again Hermes pounds on the gate.

I sigh, “Even I have a gate.” I mutter. I go to answer, but Solution grabs my wrist and holds me back. I turn back to see her staring into my eyes.

“It’ll be okay, Aether, Got it?” She sounds almost angry, “I’m gonna make sure of it.”

I nod and my smile widens, “Yes, this will work out.” Solution smiles and goes to open the gate. Hermes is standing there, tapping his foot.

“Guys.” He says, “What the even f**k? Dionysus is pissed, as are we all.”

“My apologies, Hermes.” I say. “We were preparing for the coming trek.”

“Fine, but you better haul a*s to the palace.”

Solution and I start heading off, but Hermes puts his arm in front of me. I look at him and he smiles mischievously. My eyebrow rises inquisitively.

“Preparing huh?” He says, elbowing me playfully, “Does that mean…”

“It means nothing.” I say, “May I please go now?”

“Alright fine.” Hermes says. “But one of these days something is gonna happen between you two.”

“And I am certain that just before it does, you will be there to interrupt it.” I cut in.

“Well, I do my best.” He replies, and then starts laughing.

“What is funny?” I ask him. He starts walking and gestures for me to follow as he goes.

“I’m just wondering. What do you think is gonna happen on this quest?”

“Regarding what?”

“Well, think about it. You and Solution are going to be spending a great deal of time almost alone together. Fighting monsters, depending on each other to survive. Do ya see where I’m going with this?”

“You think that this quest will bring Solution and I closer.” I say.

“In a nutshell.”

“Wonderful.”

“You don’t seem too happy about that.”

“I am worried about what could happen should I regain my godhood.”

“Oh, right.” Hermes says, “Gods can be with mortals, but you’re looking for a relationship. That doesn’t happen often and when it does, somebody ends up unhappy.”

“Is it possible to make Solution immortal?” I ask.

Hermes perks up at the thought, “Hey, you’re right! We did that for Dionysus when he fell for a mortal. Even Dionysus himself was mortal for many years before we made him a god.”

“He was?” I ask.

“Yeah, he was born the demigod child of Semele and Zeus. But Hera got jealous and convinced the chick to ask Zeus to prove he was who he said he was. So he showed her his true form, and in doing so, he killed her. But he took his unborn child from her womb and sewed him into his own leg.”

“That is repulsive.”

“You do what you gotta do.” He replies. “Anyway, Dionysus was born from Zeus’ leg when the time was right, and spent most of his life as a demigod, traveling the world. His travels took him throughout most of Asia. Eventually he made his way back to Greece, and we decided to make him a god.”

“So, long story short: It is possible to turn humans into immortals.” I say.

“Yeah, that was the point of the story. But that still leaves the problem of Ana, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, I am unsure of what do about this.” I hang my head as I walk, and Hermes puts his hand on my shoulder.

“It’ll be alright, Aether. You’ll see. Everything’ll work out for the best.”

“Thank you, Hermes.” I say.

“But now we’re left with another problem.” Hermes says.

“What is that?” I ask.

Hermes points ahead and I see Solution waiting for us at the door to the palace.

“Now you get to deal with Dionysus.”

“What makes him so bad, exactly?” I ask.

“You could blame a lot of things. Alcoholism is the most accepted cause. You could also pin it on grief.”

“For what?” I ask.

“He lost his wife a few years ago.” He answers.

“I thought you said she was made immortal.”

“She was,” Hermes replies, “But when Erebus came to power, he destroyed a lot of the minor gods and immortals, Dionysus’ wife included.”

“Terrible.” I say.

“Yeah, but he was an a*s before he even met her, so don’t focus on it too much.”

“Is there anything else I should know?”

Hermes strokes his chin, “Hmm, he may try to flirt with Solution a little. But from what I know about her, that won’t be an issue.”

“Thank you for the warning.” I say as we reach her.

“Why did I beat you here?” She asks us.

“Sorry.” Hermes answers, “I just wanted to talk to Aether a little.”

“What about?”

Hermes and I do not respond for a few moments. “We were talking mad s**t about Dionysus.” Hermes finally says.

“And you couldn’t let me join?” Solution asks.

“You can come up with your own crap later.” Hermes replies, pushing us through the door.

Solution and I tumble over each other and fall to the floor ungracefully, and Hermes runs up to take his throne. As I get to my feet, I see Zeus smirking at me.

“While it is customary to bow before a king in his palace,” he says, “You haven’t done it once. Glad to see the change of heart.”

“Forced change of footing, not heart.” I reply, helping Solution stand.

“Aether, you look great.” Hestia says from her place at the hearth. I offer her a smile before turning back to Zeus.

Hera sits up straighter and looks me in the eye with an icy stare, “Are we going to have to wait for you every time you want to talk to us?”

“Now, now, Hera.” Zeus says, laying his hand on her knee. “We called him here.”

Hera fixes Zeus with the same icy look she greeted me with, and he turns to me “But really, you should’ve gotten here quicker, what’s with you taking so long all the time?”

“I was speaking to Solution about the quest we are undertaking.” I reply.

“Any revelations?” Zeus asks.

“None that will be significant to any of you.” Solution answers for me, “Now, why are we here? We need to get going as soon as possible.”

“That’s exactly why you’re here.” Zeus says, “We’re gonna prepare you for the quest.”

Zeus tosses me a leather bag sealed with a bronze wire. Peering inside, I see two knives, a smaller leather bag, two clay jars, a triangular piece of glass, and several golden coins.

“What is all of this?” I ask.

“Knives, medicinal supplies, a prism and golden drachmas.”

“What are the prism and drachmas for?” Solution voices my next question.

“The rainbow goddess Iris is another messenger god. Hermes is good, but Iris can send messages instantaneously. Just shine a light through the prism, and toss a coin into the rainbow it produces. Then say who you want the message sent to, and finally, speak the message.”

“Then what happens?” I ask.

“Well, if Iris is in a good mood, she’ll send your message.”

“And if she isn’t?” Solution asks.

“Then the rainbow will spit the coin back at you. It won’t do any damage, but depending on her mood, it could leave a nasty bruise.”

“Good to know.” Solution says, “Thank you everyone, Dionysus, let’s go.”

“Yes ma’am.” Dionysus says fearfully as he jumps down to follow Solution and I. This reminds me of Darren, which saddens me. I shake it off and continue.

“Good luck, Aether.” Zeus says. I turn my head back to him and offer a nod before facing Solution.

“You have him well trained.” I whisper to her.

She pushes the door open and whispers back “Like a dog, this’ll be easy.”

Dionysus is dressed the same as he was yesterday, with sparse armor and a spotted cloak. He is carrying a leather bag similar to the one Zeus gave me over his shoulder.

“What kind of cloak is that?” Solution asks him.

“It’s leopard skin, my sacred animal.” He replies.

“What’s in the bag?” she continues.

“Provisions, but they’re mine, none for you!”

“What if I wanna look?” Solution challenges.

“Then I’ll turn you into a dolphin and spear you to death.” He says.

“If you do that, I will light you up brighter than the sun.” I warn.

We reach the gate of Olympus and Dionysus steps forward to open it. The light around the edges flashes dimly as it opens, and Dionysus steps through and begins heading out.

“Hey, Dionysus!” Solution calls out.

“What?” He replies.

Solution stops walking and sits down on the ground as the gate closes behind us.

“I’m not taking another step until you tell us where we’re going.”

“Why do you need to know?” Dionysus says.

“Because I don’t trust you.”

“We’ve been over this.” Dionysus replies. “Even if I wanted you to know, Aether made me promise not to.”

“This is ridiculous.” I say. I face Dionysus, and place my hand on his shoulder, “Dionysus, if I am the one who made you promise, then by that right I release you from your oath.”

“Is it that easy?” Solution asks.

“I’m…not sure.” Dionysus answers. “But, you know what? I think it might be.” He comes forward and kneels on the ground in front of Solution. Solution beckons for me to sit down as well and I reluctantly oblige.

Dionysus picks up a stick and begins to draw in the sand. A strange shape is formed, with a multiple misshapen dots underneath it.

“Alright, this is Greece.” He says. He then draws a small triangle in the upper right side of it. “And here’s Mount Olympus, where we are now.”

He draws another triangle at a lower point of the map.

“This is Mount Methana; the volcano where Aether and I hid his statue. It’s where we’re currently heading.”

“One question.” Solution says. “There’s a huge gaping strait of water separating that island from the Greek mainland. How do you propose we cross it? Do we swim across?”

“No,” Dionysus says, he draws a line from Mt. Olympus to the nearest shore. “We’re gonna head here, where Poseidon has promised there will be a ship waiting for us.”

“A ship?” Solution repeats.

“Yeah, Poseidon also promised us safe sea travel. So we should be safe.”

“I am not comfortable with ‘should’.” I say.

“We’re travelling by sea to this place?” Solution says, “How long will that take? Can we spare that amount of time?”

“Aether.” Dionysus says, standing, “Could you please settle your b***h girlfriend?”

After a moment I look at Solution, who gets to her feet slowly. “I’m sorry; I couldn’t hear you from…way down there on the ground. Could you repeat that for me one more time?”

Dionysus gets in Solution’s face, and speaks slowly, “B***h…girlfriend.”

Suddenly, Dionysus is on the ground in front of me with Solution on top of him, pushing his face into the map. She pulls out a knife and holds it at Dionysus’ neck.

“You wanna repeat that one more time?” Solution says, sounding frighteningly calm.

“Not really.” Dionysus says, “But you should be aware that I can make your mind snap with barely a thought.”

Solution immediately stabs her knife straight into Dionysus’ eyeball. Dionysus stands quickly and whirls around screaming, holding his face as he turns away. He turns back toward us and to my shock the golden blood flowing from him stops as his eye heals itself. Quickly, he fixes us with both of his purple eyes filled with rage.

Breathing heavily, he raises his hand toward Solution and says “You’re gonna pay for that.”

This is getting out of hand. I grab Dionysus’ arm and squeeze it tight. Focusing, I pour energy into it through my fingertips. White lines start spreading throughout his arm and he screams in pain, louder than before. I stop suddenly and throw his arm down.

“Both of you calm down.” I order. “We are not enemies. Our enemy is Erebus, so fighting each other is foolish. So both of you get a grip, or I will personally throw you off this mountain!” By the end of it I am screaming, and Solution and Dionysus both grow quiet.

“Okay, fine.” Solution says.

“We need to work together if this quest is going to be successful.” I continue calmly. “Dionysus, you are going to lead us to where we need to go as quietly as you can, we are going to follow you without argument.”

“But…” Solution says, but I hold up my hand and she stops.

Dionysus nods and starts walking down the mountain.

“I’m sorry, Aether.” Solution says. “But he deserved that.”

“He did not.” I say, heading off, “He deserved perhaps some minor bruising, but not being stabbed in the eye.”

“We both knew he would heal.” She says, following with her arms crossed.

“Irrelevant,” I reply, “That was too far.”

Eventually we reach the cliff where Solution and I first appeared here. Looking down the mountain, I can appreciate the power of this place. Below us, I cannot see the ground through thick black clouds.

“What an incredible sight.” Solution says. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was.” Dionysus says, crossing his arms. “Now all you can see is those damn clouds, you used to be able to see all of Greece from here.”

“Hold on,” I say, “When we first got here, there were no clouds.”

“That’s because with your arrival came a shockwave of white energy that dispersed them. It didn’t last, though.”

“Pity,” Solution says, “I was hoping we could get our bearings from here.”

“We can,” Dionysus says, “We just need to go further down.”

And with that, we begin to hike down the mountain. The steep mount of red rock offers few places to step down to, and what few trees we see threaten an abrupt stop followed by a painful fall to a great distance below. Eventually, we reach the black clouds and can no longer see, at all. In pitch darkness, we go even slower, feeling where we are going before we move. We are forced to remain crouched or risk slipping.

A noise calls my attention to the left. There should be nothing there, with my companions both to my right. I turn my head to the noise as I step forward, and without paying attention my foot catches on a rock. I fall forward, and am beyond lucky to fall onto a patch of dirt with only tiny pebbles scattered about it.

“Who goes there?” I call out from my place on the ground.

“What’s up?” Dionysus asks.

“I heard a noise.” I answer. I repeat my question, louder. Hearing nothing, I grow angered at these damn black clouds that make me as good as blind. A quiet growl rumbles within my chest and I can feel energy course through me. As it pumps faster and with more strength, a roar erupts from deep within me. When it passes I see nothing but a clear blue sky above.

Around me I can see the rocky landscape, covered with large rocks resting on dead, grey grass on a steep incline. Dionysus and Solution stare at me from a short distance away.

“The clouds were making me angry.” I say as I regain my footing. The two share a look, and then together turn and continue their trek. I start jogging to join them, when a movement catches my eye.

 As I turn my head I see a strange creature staring at me from behind one of the various rocks scattered about. At first I think it is a man, but he steps forward and a shaggy hide and cloven hooves make up his bottom half. Just as I open my mouth to point him out, he disappears behind the rock. I shake off the strange sight, and run to join my companions.

Spread out before me, from down the mountain, is an expanse of green forest and beyond it, blue water as far as the eye can see. Dionysus sees it as soon as I do, and when he does, he takes off running.

I reach Solution and ask her with my eyes what she thinks.

“It’s a beautiful view.” She says. I nod and then start running toward Dionysus.

“What sea is that?” I ask as soon as I catch up to him.

“The Aegean!” he yells back, he sounds elated. “Oh, it’s been decades since I’ve been able to appreciate this view!”

From this height, I can see a port far to the distance, and there I see a ship anchored. I can only see the outline of the vessel, but it looks colossal.

“What sort of ship is that?” I ask Dionysus.

“Looks to be…a lot larger than we need it to be.” He replies. “Should be fun.”

 

ɂɂɂ

 

Pain flares throughout Darren’s body, awakening him. He rolls off of his bed and falls to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself. This pain has torn through him since he left Erebus’ tower, causing him a constant lack of focus and constant anger. It subsides enough for him to move and go to his closet to change. Dressing in his usual outfit, he yet again looks at himself in the mirror. Though disgusted by what he sees, he cannot look away and stares at the various scars that decorate the face of the hardened man that glares back at him. The smile carved into his cheeks is simultaneously his favorite and least favorite of them.

As he studies his face, he sees a flash in the mirror behind him. He whirls around to find whatever it was has vanished. Turning back to the mirror, he definitely sees a face behind him, staring at him from behind his bed. Using the mirror to watch the thing, he slowly backs up before diving onto the bed and grabbing at…nothing. He looks back at the mirror and sees the face vanished. He sighs, feeling foolish. Before he would have made a joke about grabbing smoke or something else stupid, but now he chides himself for the ridiculous action.

When he stands, he immediately sees the face merely inches before his own, the nose nearly touching his own. The face is that of an old, ugly woman, almost skeletal in a deathlike state of decay. She wears a white robe that envelopes her frail figure, and in her left hand is a pair of gleaming scissors of black metal.

“Who and what are you?” Darren asks without moving an inch.

“Atropos.” She answers. Her breath, while not unpleasant, tickles Darren’s nose. “The inexorable cutter of the thread of life.”

“And what do you want with me?” He asks.

The woman’s pale grey eyes turn into a sickly green shade so dark it is almost black. She holds up her scissors, and points them at Darren’s chest. When she does, a thin line of blue energy appears, circling in and around his body. Atropos touches the line with her scissors, and when she does a horrible feeling of emptiness goes through Darren.

“You’re death was decided.” She tells him. “But your father ordered your life string not be cut. You have an empty feeling of pain inside, don’t you?” Darren says nothing, the look on his face informing the woman she is correct. “That is because your life string has run out of energy. You should be dead, but I am not allowed to cut the thread, as I should have done weeks ago.”

“So what do you intend to do about it?” Darren asks.

She swings her scissors and with a speed Darren finds shocking she closes them around the string, cutting directly through it. When she does the hollow feeling leaves Darren’s body, replaced by a kind of peace he has not known in his life. The cut string mends itself and starts glowing faintly. When it does, so the pain returns with a vengeance and Darren crumples to the floor.

“How do I stop the pain?” He asks the woman as he clutches his chest.

“There is one way.” She says. “But it will take a long and difficult journey to accomplish.”

“What is it?” He asks.

“Ambrosia.” She says.

“What is that?”

“Who, not what.” She answers. She goes around Darren and takes a seat on his bed, settling into the uncomfortable mattress as though it were a soft cushion. “In the Golden Age of the world, when Zeus was still an infant, a beautiful nymph transformed herself into a goat. She called herself Amalthea and from her horns food and drink flowed, granting baby Zeus and later the other gods their immortality. If you want the pain to end, you must seek out Ambrosia, and convince her to grant you the same blessing.”

“How and why must I do that?” Darren asks.

“To remain living, and to seek out your destiny.”

“My destiny.” He repeats. “What does the cutter know of my fate?”

“Everything.” She answers. “My mother is Fate herself. It is from her my sisters and I know the length of a man’s life, and through her we know the depths of his soul.”

“His soul.” Darren repeats. “How does one measure the soul?”

“By his proximity to Heaven and Hell.” She answers, looking directly into the young leader’s eyes.

“And where do I stand in that capacity?” He asks.

She looks down. “You do not yet need to know.”

“And there I have my answer.” He replies. “How do I go about finding this…Ambrosia?”

“You will find her in Crete. On the Mount Ida where the young Zeus was kept hidden from his cannibalistic father.”

“How do I get there?”

“You are a clever boy.” She says, smiling slightly, “You shall find a way.”

“One final question.” He requests, at her nod he continues, “Why are you telling me this? Or better yet, why do I deserve it?”

“Ah,” She sighs, looking at the floor. “That I can’t share with you. I have not been informed of the purpose or the end. All I know is that it has been willed.”

“By whom?”

“By the one above all others.” She answers.

“Why would someone like that want someone like me to be healed?”

She shakes her head, “I only know that your fate is tied with that of Aether’s. You are as important as he is. Be he your enemy or your friend, you will fight together.”

“But my father…”

“Is not tied in to your destiny.” She interrupts. “He has set you on a path, but it is not the one you are meant to take.”

“Does he know of you?”

She nods. “My sisters and I…he has been keeping us at his tower, and forcing us to do our work from there.”

Darren remembers how Aether had described his first memory as being a thin line of blue energy leaving him and traveling into the hand of Erebus. Could it have been…?

“Erebus will soon know that I am here.” Atropos says. “Our time together draws to a close.”

Darren looks to the floor before returning his gaze to the elderly woman. “Thank you.” He says to her, bowing his head after doing so.

Atropos smiles, and then vanishes, leaving Darren with a decision to make.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

As we find ourselves having reached the bottom of the mountain, I survey the dense wood we are now surrounded by. The canopy of trees filters only enough light from the dark sky that we are only just not in complete darkness. Solution and I turn in unison to the mountain now behind us, trying to see the top. Try as we might, the height alone is enough to make seeing the top an impossible task from this vantage point.

“We made it down pretty quickly,” Solution says, “Considering the height.”

I nod and revolve on my heel to see Dionysus already quite a ways ahead. I tap Solution’s arm and point out the distance between us and the wine god. We jog to catch up to him, and when we do we find him humming a pleasant tune. After a few minutes we fall out of step as the wild flora grows more and more difficult to walk through and eventually climb over. We trip and stumble our way through, a trek that should have taken an hour at most has already been going on for three.

Finally we find a small clearing in the woods, and all but fall to the ground, rejoicing in the clear patch of grey grass. Dionysus raises his hand and from the ground a grapevine springs forth, growing and folding in on itself until it becomes a chair. He falls down into it and curls his body in obvious comfort.

“Whew.” He exclaims, “Last time I made this journey it took an hour.”

“How long ago was that?” Solution asks from her sitting position on the ground.

“It was…let me see.” He places his forefinger and thumb on his chin and closes his eyes, “Must have been a century, at least.”

“Is that enough time for a forest to become dense as this?” I ask.

“Probably.” Solution says, “But without sunlight, I can’t imagine how anything could grow.”

“Erebus’ clouds must only affect the light, not the actual rays from the sun.” Dionysus suggests.

“That would explain why it’s still warm.” Solution agrees.

I look up through the trees to the dark sky. Looking more closely than I had before, I realize they are right. The sun and even the sky itself are not being blocked by the clouds; it is only that the light is being drained away.

“I was wondering...” Solution says to Dionysus.

“What is it?” He responds.

“Why are we walking to Methana?” She levels her gaze at him, “Can’t the gods teleport?”

He looks down, as if unwilling to answer. “We can. If I wanted to we would have been to Methana already.”

“Then why are we still here?”

“Because…” He says. He sighs and looks us in the eye, “It’s been thousands of years since I was able to travel as a mortal. I wasn’t bullshitting back there, I really do envy the mortals’ ability to go on quests and be heroes. When you said there weren’t any stories of my heroism…well, I want there to be. Using my godly powers for something as simple as travel would be cheating myself out of that glory.”

“Is that all?” Solution challenges.

“No,” he answers, “Erebus can probably sense us, especially Aether. If we go teleporting around the world, making our displays of power obvious, he’ll find us and this whole thing will have been for naught.”

 Solution looks around the clearing, as if ignoring the conversation. “Is this forest too dense, or are we lost?” She asks.

I look around the clearing again for myself, and turn around in circles, trying to figure out which way we came out from. Oh…s**t.

“We are probably lost.” I say.

Dionysus takes his turn to look around, and then nods, “We’re definitely lost. We must have circled back somewhere without realizing it.”

“That’s why this is taking so long.” Solution says. She shakes her head in frustration, and tries again to ascertain our location.

Just then, I hear a noise like the crashing of a thunderstorm.

“What the hell is that?” Solution asks, getting to her feet.

Dionysus’ grapevine chair withers and falls to the ground. He stands as it falls, and brushes the dust from his cloak.

“Beats me.” He says, “I haven’t left Olympus in years.”

Without warning, an arrow appears in Dionysus’ chest. He does not react for a moment, almost comically not noticing it. After he finally does he screams in pain and falls to the ground, clutching at the wound. Solution and I pull out our weapons and crouch into fighting positions. As we look around, frustration fills me with the only things in my sight being the fleeting images of quickly moving creatures I cannot identify. A rope is thrown from the ring around us and wraps around Solution, making her fall to the ground, leaving her weapons in midair to clatter beside her when they fall.

“Solution!”  I yell. I start to move toward her but another rope is thrown and I find myself in her situation, unable to move. I do not manage to keep hold of my staff, and it falls beside me, lying before my face.

From the ring of trees I see one of the creatures emerge. Confusion replaces my frustration as I try to understand what I see above me. The top half of him is that of a man. But at the waist, his body elongates behind him, covered in white fur with brown spots about it randomly. Four legs carry him, thin and with hooves resting on the ground.

“What are you?” I ask him, struggling to bring myself up so I can look at him properly.

He steps forward and looks down at me, tilting his head as if confused. Lightly he taps me in the head with his hoof, though he does it so that the blow will look more forceful than it is. Though unsure of why, I play along and jerk my head to the side, grunting in false pain as I do.

“Silence.” He orders. His voice strikes me as odd. Intimidating, but that sounds almost…forced.

“B*****d.” I hear Solution say.

I look up at his face. Handsome and bearded, he has kind eyes, but they carry a sadness within them. On his human half is a cloak hanging off of him like a cape, and pieces of armor rest on his shoulders. Slung across his back is a bow and quiver of arrows. Around his waist hang two scabbards. He pulls out one of the swords and points it at my throat. His other hand flies into the air, and six or seven other creatures emerge, like him only these all have brown fur. At the leader’s nod, one of them goes forward and ties up Dionysus, who complains loudly about the arrow.

“Alright,” I say, “If you will not tell me what you are, will you at least show me the courtesy of saying who you are?”

The creature looks down at me, and a look of confusion crosses his face. “To gain the name of another, you first must give your own,” he says, “That is the custom, is it not?”

“You are correct, my apologies.” I say, “I am called Aether.”

The creature laughs, “Aether? The Aether? Surely ye jest.”

“There is no joke.” I say, “I am him, though my former glory has been taken from me by the one who has corrupted this world.”

“Aether!” Solution hisses, “What are you doing?”

“Quiet the wench!” The leader says, and one of the other creatures ties a rope around Solution’s mouth.

“I apologize on her behalf.” I say to him. “She is violent, but I promise she will be no threat to you. My companions and I only seek passage through this dense wood.”

The leader looks back at me; and with a quick swing that startles me, he cuts through the ropes that bind me. I pick up my staff as I get to my feet, and make a show of holstering it before the creature, nay, the man.

“Surely you are a good man, Aether.” He says, “Good manners are hard for me to come by these days, especially from my own people.”

“I thank you. Now, if you would return the favor and introduce yourself, I should like to shake your hand.”

The creature holds out his hand, as I take it to shake. “Most pleased to meet you, good Aether. I have been known as Chiron, and I am the leader of the Centaur race.”

Author's Note

As always I'd appreciate a review telling me what you think.