by Linsey Hall
Strangely, the enormous cavern was filled with fallen trees. Their roots protruded upward from the ends, grasping like claws. The wood was bleached by age, making the trees look more like giant bones.
“How could a forest grow underground?” Maximus asked. “This must have once been on the surface.”
Prometheus nodded. “I believe so. Something has reshaped this part of the mountain.”
“But why?” I asked.
Prometheus shrugged. “War? Building a home? Your guess is as good as mine.”
Prometheus pointed upward toward the ceiling on the far side of the cavern. “I think there may be an exit over there.”
I squinted toward it, spotting a thick layer of vines twisting over the cavern wall.
“There’s an exit behind the vines,” Prometheus said. “I remember climbing the cliff behind the waterfall—though there was no waterfall at the time—and then ascending another cliff. I think this cavern is part of that.”
“Let’s try it, then.” Maximus strode toward one of the massive fallen trees and bent over to pick it up. The thing was at least three feet in diameter and had to weigh thousands of pounds, but he didn’t so much as break a sweat.
He swung it around and lifted one end high, then propped it against the far wall like a slanted ladder. He looked back at Prometheus. “How’s this?”
“Move the top end a little to the left.”
Maximus did as requested.
“Good enough.” Prometheus strode toward the log ladder and began to climb, moving nimbly toward the top.
I waited at the bottom, watching. Maximus joined me.
Prometheus reached the vines that covered the wall and pressed his hands to them. He waited a moment, then turned back to us. “I think this is it. I feel a slight draft.”
“Should we come up?” I shouted.
“Let me blast these away first.” Fire glowed orange around his hands, and he shot it toward the vine.
Instead of burning and withering away, they absorbed the fire, growing thicker.
Prometheus cursed. “Second time my fire has backfired.” He looked back at us, a sour twist to his mouth. “No pun intended.”
“I can try something.” I stepped forward.
“Good.” He sprinted back down the log. “Because I need to come up with some new tricks.”
Maybe. But with illusion magic like his, he was still loaded for bear.
I traded spots with him on the log and hurried to the top, feeling like a gymnast—a very unskilled one—on a balance beam. I reached the vines and eyed them warily. They were thick and green, looking like they might want to reach out and grab me.
I raised a hand and pressed it to the smooth surface that was as wide around as a two-liter Coke bottle. Immediately, I felt the strength in the vine.
Whoa.
This thing was strong. It fairly pulsed with life. I closed my eyes and called on my death magic, sucking the life from the vine. It flowed up my arm and into my soul, filling me with immense energy.
Once the transfer started, I opened my eyes. The vine withered in front of my face, shrinking away to nothing. I touched another vine, drawing out more energy. I kept going until I’d revealed a tunnel and my limbs vibrated with power. I was so full of it that I felt like I could jump to the moon.
I turned back to the guys. “We’re in.”
Maximus and Prometheus approached the log. I looked back at the tunnel, which was entirely dark, and entered.
The air smelled wetter here, almost alive. I raised my lightstone ring and shined the golden glow on the tunnel’s interior.
Dozens of eyes stared back, and I stifled a scream, lunging backward. Strong hands gripped my back, stopping me from going any farther.
“Oh, fates.” Maximus sounded horrified.
I blinked once at the enormous spider-like monsters that stared at us. No, not spiders. Scorpions.
And they were huge.
Giant stinger tails and pincers—even fangs that dripped with green venom.
They lunged, so fast that I almost missed the movement. My heart leapt into my throat, nearly choking me.
Instinct drove me. I called on the magic that I’d just absorbed, flinging it outward at the scorpions. The power sizzled as it left my fingertips, hot and bright. It exploded out of me as a flame, driving the scorpions back.
Prometheus joined me, throwing his own fire at the monsters. He grinned as they scuttled backward, avoiding the blast of our flames.
“Pretty handy now.” He glanced at me. “I didn’t know you could control fire.”
“Neither did I.” I watched the stuff bursting from my fingertips. “I think I got it from you.”
His brows jumped. “Well, I certainly didn’t give it to you.”
“No, I think it came from the vine.” It had absorbed his magic, and when I’d sucked the life out of the plant, the magic had come with it. Just another way the death magic was changing within me—and remaining my most useful power. “Let’s move forward. Maybe we can sneak past the scorpions.”
I’d kill them if there was no other choice. But I didn’t want to if I didn’t have to. Once again, this was just a case of monsters being monsters.
Prometheus and I took the front, while Maximus took the back, drawing his shield and sword to protect our flanks. Slowly, we moved through the tunnel, keeping the flames blasting in front of us.
The scorpions continued to scuttle away, hissing and thrusting their spiked tails at us. As we got deeper into the tunnel, one snuck around the side and attempted to strike from the back.
My stomach dropped. Maximus lunged, and I heard him more than saw him. A scorpion hissed loudly, and I glanced backward.
Maximus had severed one claw, and the scorpion was glaring at him.
“There’s more where that came from,” Maximus said.
I chuckled at the dad joke.
The scorpion seemed to get the gist and stayed back. We made our way through the tunnel, finally reaching a spot where it diverged into two.
“Right or left?” I asked Prometheus.
He squinted at both, clearly debating. “Let’s try right.”
He didn’t sound very confident. “Still looks different than last time you were here?”
“Yeah. But it feels like the right one.”
“Good enough for me.” I moved toward it, directing my fire to keep the scorpions to the left.
They scuttled out of the way, and we hurried into the second tunnel.
“There aren’t any in this one.” Prometheus killed his flame and turned to face backward. He lit up again, blasting the fire back at the scorpions.
I mimicked his movements, and we kept it up until we were out of harm’s way.
“I think we’re good,” Prometheus said.
“I’ll hear them if they try to approach.”
We killed the flame and Maximus stowed his weapons, then we continued on through the tunnel. Our footsteps were silent, and I heard no other sounds but the slight huff of our breaths.
Gradually, the slope of the tunnel ascended, and the air began to smell of cooking meat.
I sniffed deeply. “Man, that smells good.”
“Who would be cooking down here?” Maximus asked.
“There are a few options,” Prometheus said. “Most of whom we probably don’t want to meet.”
“Let’s take a diverging path if we find one.” I raised my lightstone ring higher, hoping to see another split in the path.
I didn’t, and the route we were on led into another enormous cavern. Huge rock formations filled the space, and it took me a moment to realize that they kind of looked like furniture.
“Oh fates,” I murmured.
“Giants,” Maximus whispered.
I looked at Prometheus, whose brow was creased with worry. “Let’s move quickly. Quietly. Keep to the shadows.”
I gestured for him to lead the way, and he did. We skirted around the side of the cave at first. I
spotted no one. Halfway through the cavern, we darted to the middle, where we could hide beneath the massive table.
Once again, I felt like a mouse. Sneaking up on the giant Titans had been hard enough. This was extra freaky since I didn’t know exactly what was coming.
Fortunately, the cavern remained empty. Whoever lived here was gone.
We hurried to the edge of the table and peeked out into the open cavern. There was a stone couch covered in massive cushions about forty yards away.
Prometheus pointed to it, and I nodded. As a group, we sprinted toward it, then slipped underneath. Whoever had built it was so big that the space under the couch was five feet high. I could nearly stand upright.
We moved quickly through the shadows and headed for the other side.
When the ground began to vibrate slightly beneath my feet, I stiffened.
Prometheus and Maximus did the same, each turning to look at me.
“Company,” I whispered.
We snuck to the edge of the couch, and I peered out just in time to see an enormous Cyclops enter the room. He was huge—at least forty feet tall—and his one eye was a brilliant blue. An animal hide was draped over his shoulder, and he carried a club in one hand.
Oh man, he looked strong.
I shrank back into the shadows of the couch.
“Who’s there?” the Cyclops bellowed. His voice was so deep and scratchy it sounded like he was speaking through a throat full of gravel.
I froze, my heart thundering. Had he heard me?
“I can smell you, intruders.”
Crap!
I had no way to make myself not smell like a human. I met Maximus and Prometheus’s gazes, but before we could even whisper a plan, there was a loud thud.
I whirled toward the noise, spotting the face of the Cyclops pressed right against the ground. He glared at me with his one eye, then reached under the couch and wrapped a meaty hand around my waist. He moved so fast I didn’t have a chance to run.
He yanked me out from under the couch, and my skin chilled. Then he reached down with his other hand and grabbed someone else.
Maximus.
Damn.
He stood, raising us into the air. My head swam as the earth rushed away from me, and I tried to gasp in a breath.
“There’s another one,” the Cyclops said.
Oh, crap. Who was he talking to?
I peered around to the side, spotting a second Cyclops. He was just as big as his buddy, but with blond hair instead of brown. He bent down and snatched up Prometheus.
Dang it.
There went our backup.
I dragged in a ragged breath, barely able to fill my lungs with how hard the Cyclops was gripping me. “Lighten up.”
He just glared at me.
I called upon my magic, debating which power to use. Should I suck the life from him? There was probably so much inside him that I’d explode from it. I could try the sunlight power to blind him, or the lightning.
“Don’t attack!” Prometheus gasped.
Did he mean me?
I twisted my neck to look at him.
Overhead, the Cyclops said, “I should hope not. Guests in my home, attacking?”
Guests?
I shot a quizzical look at Prometheus, and he repeated the command. “Don’t attack.” He turned to look up at the Cyclops. “But could you loosen your grip, please?”
What the heck was going on?
The grip around my chest loosened, though, just enough to let me breathe freely. I sucked in a deep breath and looked up at the Cyclops. He was looking down at me with confusion, but not menace.
Okay, were we guests here?
The truth was, we were intruders. But maybe he could see past that. Prometheus seemed to know something was up.
“Hi,” I said.
“Arges, Steropes, it’s good to see you,” Prometheus said. “I didn’t realize you lived here, now.”
The Cyclops holding me looked between me and Prometheus. He squinted toward Prometheus, then grinned widely, his teeth yellowed and chipped. He had to be thousands of years old, and he definitely needed a trip to the dentist.
“Prometheus!” he boomed. “It’s been a long time. You look quite different.”
Prometheus rubbed a hand over his smooth chin. “No more beard.”
The Cyclops nodded, then stomped toward the big table in the middle. I bounced in his hand with every step, and managed to catch Maximus’s eye. The corner of his mouth quirked up.
The Cyclops set me on the table, along with Maximus. The one holding Prometheus did the same.
Prometheus stepped forward, gesturing to me and Maximus. “I’d like to introduce you to my friends. This is Maximus Valerius, the gladiator, and this is Rowan Blackwood, the Greek Dragon God.”
The Cyclopes each sat heavily in a stone chair and nodded at us.
The one who had been holding me said, “I am Arges.”
“And I am Steropes,” said the other. He turned to look at Prometheus. “What are you doing in our home, sneaking around?”
Prometheus grinned, and I was grateful to see that he didn’t look very nervous. Which was good, since I was plenty nervous. These guys seemed nice, but they were still big enough to eat me in one bite.
“Well, we didn’t realize it was your home. You lived in mountains farther west when I knew you last. And we were sneaking because we needed to pass through, but we didn’t know that friends lived here.”
Steropes nodded. “We came here two thousand years ago and built this place.”
Prometheus nodded. “I noticed the changes.”
Ah, so these were the ones who’d diverted the river and built the caves.
“There was nothing big enough, or safe enough, for us.” Arges swept his hand around the room. “But now we have this place.”
“Where is Brontes?” Prometheus asked.
I looked at him, confused, and he silently mouthed, “Third Cyclops.”
There were three? Fantastic.
“Off foraging,” Steropes said. “But we have some nice wild boar roasting in the other room.”
So that was the smell of cooking meat I’d gotten a whiff of. My stomach grumbled.
The Cyclops grinned down at me. “Hungry, human?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
He glowered, and I winced.
“Of course she’s hungry!” Prometheus smiled widely. “Just not used to Cyclopian manners.” He glared at me. “I, too, am famished.”
I nodded quickly. “What he said.”
The Cyclops stopped glowering and stood, slapping his hands on his knees. “Good. Then I will be right back.”
The two Cyclopes left the room, and Prometheus turned to me. “Always accept a Cyclops’s hospitality.”
“Gotcha.” A thought occurred. “It won’t be poisonous, right? And if we eat it, we won’t be forced to stay here?”
“That rule only applies to Hades.”
“You’ve known these Cyclopes for years?” Maximus asked.
“Many years. And even better, we parted on good terms.” He grinned. “I’m about to prove very useful.”
“You stopped me from getting eaten, so yeah, I’d say you’ve proven your worth.”
The sound of stomping footsteps returned, and the Cyclopes entered, each carrying a tray of glistening meat. The haunches of boar were enormous. Far bigger than any animal I’d ever seen.
Maximus and I scrambled out of the way as they slammed the platters down onto the table. The boar was taller than I was.
“Olympian boar.” Arges smiled widely.
Prometheus walked toward the huge tower of meat, grabbed a piece with his bare hand, and tore the flesh away.
I wasn’t super picky about manners, but grabbing a handful of boar meat was outside of my usual, to be honest. But I mimicked his gesture, grabbing my own handful of steaming boar.
The first bite was divine, and I got over my squeamishness quickly. I figured it was best t
o follow Prometheus’s lead in this, so I ate until he stopped. Maximus did the same.
Finally, when everyone was sated, Arges sat back and looked at us. “You never answered why you were here.”
“I have to get to the top of the mountain,” I said. “Three of the Titans have escaped Tartarus, and if we want to put them back there, I need to complete my transition to Dragon God.”
Both of the Cyclopes scowled. “The Titans?”
“You know them?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized it was a dumb question. I’d read something about the Titans and Cyclopes a while ago. There was so much to Greek myth that it was sometimes hard to keep it all straight, but they didn’t like each other, as I recalled.
“Of course we knew them!” Arges bellowed. “Those bastards kept us chained up in Tartarus for millennia.”
“Only Zeus saw fit to free us,” Steropes said. “So now we protect him.”
That sounded fair.
“Will you help us stop them, then?” I asked. “Help us get to the top of Olympus. Please.”
Both Cyclopes pursed their lips, clearly thinking.
“Yes, we can do that,” Arges said. “And if you ever need help on the field of battle, we would like to be there.”
Steropes cracked his knuckles and grinned. “It would be an honor.”
“Nay, a pleasure,” Arges said.
I smiled back. “Excellent. We could use all the help we can get.”
“Good. It is decided.” Steropes nodded. “We will take you to the top of the mountain now.”
A smile split across my face. “Thank you.”
They both stood, surging to their feet in one swift motion.
Arges gripped me around the waist and set me on his shoulder, then put Maximus next to me. I crouched down and gripped the animal skin tunic that stretched over his shoulder. Maximus knelt next to me, grabbing on as well.
Once Prometheus was settled on Steropes’s shoulder, the giants took off, striding through their cavern and down a massive tunnel. The air smelled damp but relatively clean, and the Cyclopes obviously took very good care of their underground lair. Not what I’d expected, but I was grateful.
When they strode out into the sunlight, I took a deep breath.
Onward.
7
The Cyclopes climbed up the mountain, which seemed to have tripled in size. The boulders were bigger, and so were the cliffs. It would have been an enormous endeavor without their help.