The Heir of Olympus and the Forest Realm

by Zachary Howe

  “Gordo!” Atalo rose to his feet and rushed to meet his grandson.

  Just before Gordie was wrapped in a hug he thought would kill him, his mom stepped between them and held up a hand. “Hang on, Dad. He’s hurt.”

  Atalo stopped and looked at Gordie, placing a large hand on his good shoulder. “Come on, boy. Let’s take a seat. We’ve got some roasted veggies you can munch on.”

  Gordie gave him a tired smile. “Thanks, Grandpa.”

  Atalo led him to the table and sat him down. He pulled over a large ceramic bowl of steaming vegetables. It was a medley of cucumbers, eggplant, carrots, potatoes, and more. Gordie was not usually an herbivore, but this smelled wonderful. The second his grandfather filled his wooden plate, he started shoveling the warm salad into his mouth.

  After he pounded down two plates in as many minutes, Gordie released an enormous belch and sat back in his chair, a blissful smile plastered on his face as he closed his eyes. He felt like he could fall asleep right there, but he heard the clip-clop of horse hooves before he had the chance, and he opened his eyes to see Chiron entering through a side passage.

  “Gordon,” the centaur greeted him in his soothing rumble. “You have returned. I am glad.”

  “Er, thanks.” Gordie wasn’t sure how to respond to this. Had Chiron expected him to die?

  “Did you retrieve the fruits?” Chiron asked.

  Gordie’s heart sank. He shoved his right hand in his damp pocket and pulled it out, covered in a thick jelly. He did not do the same on the other side due to his injury, but he assumed the result would be similar.

  “Look,” Gordie started to explain, “I had them all. I had more than enough! My pockets were full of ‘em, but—”

  “No excuses, Gordon,” Chiron said. “When you are healed, you will go back to the forest and retrieve the fruit.”

  Gordie jumped to his feet. “I’m really sorry!” he screamed, mustering as much sarcasm as he could. “Obviously, I failed miserably! I guess I just got distracted when I was attacked by a goddamn werewolf!” Spittle flew out of his mouth and he panted like the beast he had slain.

  Chiron’s expression remained unchanged, infuriating Gordie even more.

  “What?” Ellie snorted, while her dad stared at Gordie with slack-jawed awe. She looked back and forth between her son and the centaur, noting the anger in her son’s eyes and the sternness in his adopted tutor’s. “Hang on. That’s not true, right?” She rose to her feet, and her voice rose with her. “Werewolves aren’t real. That’s ridiculous. He didn’t fight a werewolf, right?”

  “Lycanthrope’s do exist, yes,” Chiron stated. “But I had thought, after you killed the beast, that you would have plucked a couple new fruits, Gordon. You let your fear and fatigue cloud your judgment.”

  “What?!” Gordie and his mom screamed in unison.

  “Chiron, you told me he would not be in danger! You promised me! And now you tell me there are werewolves out there?”

  “Cloud my judgment?” Gordie ranted in turn. “I killed a werewolf!”

  “You did, after I gave you specific directions not to harm anything in the forest.” Chiron remained calm, so Gordie nearly lost his mind.

  “You . . . I . . . you can’t . . . are you . . . you can’t be serious? Are you out of your mind?!” he spluttered.

  “No, but perhaps I overestimated you.” Chiron’s cool disappointment cut through Gordie like a knife. It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him again.

  “Just hang on a minute!” Ellie interrupted again. “You sent my son into a werewolf infested forest to retrieve fruits and you are reprimanding him for coming back with squashed figs?”

  “I sent Gordon on a task—a rather simple task at that,” Chiron added. “He failed. He will not get second chances on those tasks appointed by the gods, and I assure you they will not involve fruit gathering. You can be angry with me if you wish, but it will not further your pursuit of your ultimate goal.” He fixed Gordie with an onyx gaze, who fell into his chair feeling overwhelmed by betrayal.

  “As it so happens, Gordon was in very little danger.” Chiron turned back to Ellie. “I was there the whole time and I would have intervened had it been necessary.”

  Gordie looked up from the floor in disbelief. “You were there the whole time?” he asked in a whisper. “You were there the whole time and saw me get chased up a tree by a frickin’ wolf-man before falling a thousand feet, and you thought I was not in any danger?”

  “It was a good fight. The lycanthrope fought and died bravely. As for the tactics you employed, they were completely illogical. Please explain to me why it would be a good idea to climb a tree when being hunted by such a creature?” Chiron looked at Gordie, patiently awaiting an answer.

  “My bad!” Gordie shot back to his feet. “The last time I fought a werewolf it was in downtown Chicago, so I guess I was out of my element!”

  “You jest, but you will face graver dangers than a single lycanthrope. You lack discipline and wits. In such a situation, you would have been best served making for the river. It was not far and his kind fear water.” He sounded like Gordie’s biology teacher giving a lecture about the hunting habits of dingoes in the Outback.

  Gordie looked at him in shock. Logs popped in the fire and echoed around the chamber.

  “Now let us talk about your arm.” Chiron moved on as Gordie looked down at his dead limb. “I am guessing that you did not perform that attack deliberately, correct?”

  Gordie had thought Chiron was talking about his injury, but then realized he was referring to the Stygian ice that shot out of his skin to kill the monster. “No, I didn’t. So maybe you could stop blaming me for killing the wolf.”

  “You are still at fault for putting yourself in that position,” Chiron said. “But that is not the point. That is a useful skill and you will learn to wield it. Achilles was also imbued with the power of the Styx, yet he could never harness the full potential of that power . . . his arrogance ran too deep. It seems there is hope for you, yet.” He smiled. “Now come here, Gordon.”

  He walked over to Chiron and craned his neck to look up. Chiron placed his hand on Gordie’s right shoulder and looked at him warmly. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  Gordie wasn’t sure at the moment, but he responded in the affirmative.

  He then decided the answer was a resounding ‘no’ when Chiron slapped him across the face.

  “What the f—”

  As Gordie was expressing his dismay, Chiron grabbed his left arm and shoved it back into its socket. His knees buckled as the pain nearly knocked him unconscious. Chiron grabbed him under his right arm and steadied him. Gordie felt the sting in his face dissipate along with that in his shoulder, and he realized that Chiron’s crude tactic had worked . . . to a degree.

  “Better?” Chiron asked.

  “A little,” Gordie breathed.

  “Sit down.” Chiron led him to a chair. “I will go get something for a sling.” Chiron walked back through the passage from which he had entered.

  Atalo then spoke for the first time since greeting Gordie. “You killed a werewolf, Gordo? And not even on one of your power days! Man alive, you’re unstoppable!” He beamed. Gordie smiled back.

  “It was lucky,” Gordie said, and he meant it.

  He relived the fight in his mind and realized with a stab of annoyance that Chiron was right: climbing a tree and leaving himself with no escape was about as stupid as it got. If it hadn’t been for the Stygian ice, he would not be sitting here.

  “Gordon,” Ellie whispered as she touched his arm, “you don’t have to do this anymore. We can just go home.” The pain in her voice was almost tangible.

  “Mom, you have to stop.” Gordie felt impatient, but tried to keep kindness in his voice. “I know you’re scared, but we can’t just go home. You know what is going on. If I don’t stop Zeus, we won’t have a home to go back to.” His brow furrowed. “Well, we already don’t, I guess, but it will only ge
t worse. Mom, I killed a werewolf,” he shook his head and laughed to himself, “give me some credit.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” she whispered.

  “Tell us about it, Gordo.” Atalo sounded like a child begging for a bedtime story.

  Gordie recounted the tale, starting with the instant he woke up and realized he was being hunted. His mom sat in disbelief and his grandpa hollered with excitement, pounding the table from time to time.

  The familiar sound of echoing hooves reverberated around the chamber as Chiron returned to the hall at the close of Gordie’s tale. He was carrying some kind of silky cloth, but the material looked even more lavish than silk. It almost looked like it was alive as it flowed and danced in the firelight. Chiron approached Gordie and lowered himself onto his knees from which position he still had to bend over to tend his shoulder.

  Gordie winced as Chiron lifted his elbow, but the great centaur was surprisingly gentle. This, coupled with the feel of the radiant silk pouring over his skin, made the procedure feel more like a spa treatment than a doctor’s visit.

  “What is this stuff?” Gordie asked, as Chiron continued to wind the silk over his shoulder and around his elbow.

  “Arachne’s silk,” Chiron said. “It will keep you cool when overheated, and it will keep you warm when you are cold. It will heal your shoulder by teaching your ligaments a thing or two about tensile strength.” He smiled as he tied a knot that rested upon Gordie’s shoulder.

  “Arachne?” Ellie asked. “The woman who out-wove Athena?”

  “The very same.” Chiron nodded as he rose back to his feet.

  “Man, what other cool stuff you got in here, Ronnie boy?”

  Gordie looked at his grandfather and mouthed ‘Ronnie boy,’ with one eyebrow raised.

  “What?!” Atalo said. “He doesn’t mind if I call him that, do ya, Ronnie boy?”

  “Not at all.” Chiron grinned. “In fact, I am quite partial to the new moniker. It is very whimsical.”

  “There ya have it, Gordo . . . whimsical.” Atalo waved his hand like a model on the Price is Right displaying a new tea set.

  “There are a number of odds and ends around indeed, Atalo, but let us further discuss young Gordon’s foray into Dasos.”

  “Dasos?” Gordie repeated.

  “Yes, the Forest.”

  “The forest is called Dasos?”

  “Yes and no. The forest is Dasos as Dasos is the forest. As it so happens you also met Dasos.” Gordie was completely lost by this point.

  “I met . . . the forest?”

  “You met Dasos, the satyr, who is also the forest.”

  “I . . . what?”

  “Dasos means forest in Greek, but the satyr is more than just an eponym. Dasos the satyr is Dasos the forest. The two are one. They are symbiotic.”

  “I thought the satyr I met was named Laktizon?” Gordie was further perplexed.

  “He was, but you also met his father, Dasos. Do you not remember the rather large, goat-legged man you encountered?”

  “No, I do.” Gordie remembered him vividly. “He was not a fan of me.”

  “I should think not. You entered his realm uninvited and stole his fruits.”

  “You told me to!”

  “I had hoped for a little more discretion on your part.”

  Gordie decided to let this one go. He could only be incensed so many times in one day.

  Chiron watched him for a moment. “You are learning already, Gordon. Well done.”

  The compliment lifted Gordie, but he hid his pride.

  “So I met Dasos. He didn’t seem to be a big fan of you either, come to think of it.” Gordie tapped his chin as he spoke. Chiron dropped his gaze to the floor, looking troubled.

  “No, I suppose he is not, and I cannot blame him.” Gordie watched Chiron, not sure how to feel about this down-trodden mood swing. “I have sent too many trainees into his forest and they have all created some form of destruction. It is a necessary evil, I believe, but evil all the same.”

  “I killed a werewolf,” Gordie shrugged his good shoulder, “he can’t be too upset about that.”

  “You got a point there, Gordo!” Atalo chimed in.

  Chiron looked up at Gordie. “That lycanthrope was a creature of Dasos—maybe a dangerous and violent creature, but does that mean it has less right to live than you or I?”

  Gordie put his head down to mull these words. He didn’t know what to think.

  “Where was this forest anyway?” Ellie broke into the conversation.

  “Actually, yeah.” Gordie realized how apt the question was given his means of getting there. “I don’t even know how to get there, I mean, without the naiad.”

  “Pompeia,” Chiron interjected. “Her name is Pompeia, and her river is one of the means to reach Dasos from this plane. The question of its geographic location is a very complicated one. It lies in the heart of every forest . . . one must learn how to locate it.”

  Ellie looked at Gordie for affirmation and he just shrugged and mouthed, ‘I don’t know.’

  “So, her name was Pompeia? That’s a nice name.” Gordie smiled to himself, thinking back on his encounter with the playful water nymph.

  “Rein it in.” Ellie saw the glazed look in her son’s eyes.

  “Ho ho!” Chiron chuckled. “Yes, Gordon, you are not the first to be charmed by her wiles, but I assure you she is quite harmless.” He smiled at Ellie.

  “She was a looker, hey Gordo?” Atalo winked at Gordie from across the table. Gordie smiled a toothy grin.

  “She is lovely. And fortunately for you, Gordon, you will be seeing her again. In two days you will return to Dasos and retrieve the fruits as per our agreement.”

  “Two days?” Ellie asked. “He won’t be healed in two days. He needs more time.” She held Chiron’s gaze.

  “You doubt my abilities?” Chiron raised his eyebrows. “You have my word—he will be at full health when he returns to the forest.” Ellie scowled, but did not argue further.

  “On that note, why don’t we tend to that shoulder, Gordon? If you would please follow me.” Chiron turned and headed for the passage from which he had recently emerged. Gordie looked from his grandfather to his mother, who both nodded, and he stood up to follow the centaur.

  As they walked deeper into the corridor, the light from the Great Hall began to fade, but a bluish light shimmered in front of them. Gordie felt the path slope downward as he walked, and he wondered in amazement at the first torch they passed, which held a dancing blue flame.

  “Why is that fire blue?” Gordie asked.

  “Because blue is my favorite color. And it is very soothing, don’t you think? You need relaxation at the moment.”

  “Can’t argue with that.” Gordie watched the blue flames like he was watching a fireworks display as they pressed deeper into the mountain. They reached a fork and headed left. Gordie squinted down the other corridor trying to see what it might hold. “What’s down that way?”

  “My chamber, my workshop, some other rooms.”

  Gordie looked at Chiron’s massive back with an eyebrow raised, wondering what secrets this cavern hid.

  In a few minutes, Gordie heard the sound of bubbling water ahead. As they came nearer, the gurgling grew louder and it reminded him of a hot tub. Sure enough, they turned a corner and stepped through an archway leading to a high ceilinged cavern containing a giant pool.

  Steam rose from its surface as bubbles burst across it. Almost as if Chiron knew what Gordie was wondering, he explained the spa. “We are deep in the mountain, you see. This is a natural pool, heated by the earth’s magma, but do not worry, it is not too hot,” he added as Gordie looked up in alarm. Still, he approached and dipped one toe before pulling it out quickly. He tested it with his whole foot, then his shin, and realized with delight that it was comparable to any hot tub.

  The pool sloped away like a lake beach. The water stretched across the chamber laterally and away to a distant wall. “How de
ep is it?”

  “That I do not know, but I believe it travels into the mountain. I never wade past my shoulders.” Gordie tried to imagine what Chiron considered his shoulders. He shook it off and walked into the steamy water.

  “What’s that stuff?” He pointed at greenery floating in the water.

  “Eucalyptus—that is what you are smelling. Very soothing, no?”

  “Yeah, it’s nice.” Gordie looked around. “Um, I didn’t really bring a bathing suit.”

  “A bathing suit? I do not understand.”

  “You know, like something to wear in the water?”

  “Why would you wear clothing in the water? It would get wet.” Chiron stared at him blankly, and heat started to rise to Gordie’s face that had nothing to do with the steam.

  “Well, do you have like towels or something?”

  “I could get you a robe if you wish?”

  “Yes! Please.” Gordie tried to sound cool despite his discomfort.

  “Very well. Why don’t you get in while I retrieve your garment.” His hooves clopped on the rock as he turned to walk back through the corridor.

  “Thanks!” Gordie called after him, before tearing off his clothes and rushing into the water for cover.

  When the water reached his waist he sat down and hugged his knees. The rock beneath his bare butt was not exactly comfortable, but he didn’t notice because of the immediate relief he felt coursing through his body. Every muscle sighed as eucalyptus leaves floated in front of and around his body, the scent exploding in his sinuses as they neared. He could feel the cut on his leg tingling, the sting melting away. He felt both a cooling and warming sensation in his injured shoulder like menthol, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

  Suddenly overcome with emotion, he lifted his hand to his face as tears rushed forth. Two loud sobs escaped into his palm, but then the mood extinguished as quickly as it had set in. He shook his head like he had just been slapped as the tears evaporated in the steam. He looked right and left to ensure he was alone, confused about his momentary breakdown and concerned that there might be a witness. Once he allowed himself to accept that he was alone, he unwrapped the sling on his arm and rotated his shoulder.