by Eliza Raine
‘Maybe Nestor is already doing well,’ she said and nodded, reluctant to step further back from him, to take her hands from his chest and the back of his neck.
‘She is not.’ The nymph’s voice was like ice water dousing her hot skin, and she dragged her hands from Phyleus as he turned back to face the beautiful blonde.
‘Then we must go and help her. Thank you for your time,’ he said politely, inclining his head. Lyssa scowled, refusing to follow suit.
‘Wait. What you two have found is more than any of us could dream of,’ the nymph said, her voice soft. Lyssa narrowed her eyes and gripped Phyleus’s hand in her own.
‘We are privileged to see the power of real love,’ said another nymph, and Lyssa was surprised to see tears rolling down the young girl’s face.
‘To sacrifice yourself for another is truly heroic. This man you seek to stop, he would put an end to your love?’
‘Yes. He has promised to kill her,’ Phyleus said, gesturing at Lyssa. Muttering rippled through the crowd of nymphs, their pretty faces creasing into frowns.
‘Very well. You may take this, on the condition that you nurture your love above all else. It is precious and you must never forget that few are so lucky.’
Lyssa’s breath caught as the nymph’s hands began to glow, brighter and brighter gold. When the light faded, a single, gleaming golden apple lay cupped in her palms.
Phyleus stepped forward, and Lyssa went after him, refusing to let go of his hand.
‘We are honoured,’ he said, bowing his head again, firmly tugging her hand down. Lyssa reluctantly bowed her head too. Phyleus may have been a prince, but she was a smuggler. Her manners were reserved for folk who didn’t try to steal her crew members. ‘This may save many other lives, along with those that they love,’ he said, and closed his hand around the apple.
A familiar dazzling white flash engulfed her vision, and when she blinked the light away Lyssa found herself somewhere she had only been once before: Zeus’s throne room. She instinctively flexed her hand, confirming Phyleus’s fingers were still entwined with her own, before looking around her.
A shout drew her attention to her right, where Hercules was slamming Keravnos into the shining marble floor, bellowing in rage. Hedone was sprawled a few feet from him, her hair and dress dishevelled and her skin covered in shallow scratches. She was breathing hard, tears rolling down her cheeks as she gazed imploringly at Hercules. Lyssa looked around quickly for Nestor, relieved to see the centaur uninjured on her left, a warhammer held tightly in each of her hands.
‘Congratulations,’ boomed Zeus’s voice, and everyone’s eyes snapped to the front of the room as the lord of the gods materialised on his throne. Zeus’s throne room had no walls, just columns holding up a grand ceiling, and a panoramic view of the whole of Leo. It was at the very top of his palace, at the peak of Mount Olympus, and god-created wind whistled through the building. The floor, columns and huge throne were made from smooth marble and were all intricately carved with images of storms. Colour shimmered and rippled like light under the surface of the stone, making the carvings look surreally lifelike. Swirling silver clouds emitted blasts of violet and yellow lightning as Zeus lowered himself into the massive throne, and Lyssa dropped to one knee at the same time as Phyleus and Nestor did. Sparkling white light corkscrewed across the clouds on the floor beneath her, making her stomach lurch with disorientation.
‘Captain Lyssa, you have gained a golden apple from my Hesperides. I am impressed,’ Zeus rumbled, and Lyssa didn’t dare raise her eyes to meet his. She straightened up, though, still clutching Phyleus’s hand.
‘Thank you, mighty Zeus,’ she said. If he was as powerful as he claimed to be, then Zeus must be able to sense the roiling emotions that standing before him this way triggered inside her. The last time she had been here was when Hercules was pardoned for the murder of his family. Pardoned by him. Lyssa knew it wasn’t wise to hate someone so powerful, and her own grandfather at that, but her seething anger was teetering on the edge of uncontrollable. Zeus had chosen Hercules as his hero and armed him with Keravnos. He was her enemy.
‘Look at me, Captain Lyssa,’ Zeus said, and cold dread filled her. She raised her eyes slowly to meet his. As she stared into them, she was surprised to see that they looked nothing like Hercules’s cold grey ones. They were filled with life and power, sparking with violet energy. ‘You have exceeded all expectations in these Trials, granddaughter,’ he said softly. Lyssa heard a hiss from Hercules’s direction, and felt a flash of smugness. ‘You may keep the apple. It has no special properties, but it will be worth a fine sum of drachma. After all, I highly doubt there will be any others like it on the market.’ A wicked grin flashed across his lips. ‘You should be able to make some upgrades to that fine ship of yours.’
Lyssa’s eyebrows flew up, her mouth dropping open. Zeus was praising the Alastor? Or was he mocking it? She blinked, and dipped her head again.
‘Thank you. I am most grateful,’ she stammered. She wasn’t foolish enough to challenge him.
‘Of course,’ he said, his voice like silk. He paused a moment, his scrutiny almost unbearable, then straightened up on his throne. ‘Heroes, Busiris is dead, and as such the Orion forfeits. The Alastor and the Hybris are the last two crews standing, and each have three wins. The last Trial will be hosted by my brother, Hades.’ Zeus’s beautiful face twisted into a snarl as Lyssa tried to process what he had just said. The Orion was out. ‘Unfortunately, he is refusing to expose himself, or his precious Virgo, to Olympus. He wants his Trial to take place elsewhere. So, I have devised the last Trial for him.’ A cruel grin danced across the god’s lips. ‘The first crew to kill the beast guarding the entrance to his realm will win the Trials. I will transport both of your ships to the entrance to Virgo in exactly one day’s time.’
Hades
The Immortality Trials
Book Twelve
1
The cheer that rose up when the white light faded and Lyssa found herself on the deck of the Alastor was deafening.
‘You won! You won!’ Len sang, beating Abderos and Epizon to the spot where she, Phyleus and Nestor had materialised on the planks, bouncing on his hooves.
‘You aced it! I knew you would!’ called Abderos, wheeling towards them quickly.
‘Well done, Captain.’ Epizon was stood behind him, beaming. Lyssa couldn’t help flushing as her best friend’s eyes flicked from her to Phyleus and back. Their hands were still locked together.
Lyssa’s emotions tumbled over one another as she stared around at her smiling crew, adrenaline, love and passion merging and fizzing through her body. They had won. And more than that... Phyleus was hers.
‘Cap, that apple... it’s going to be worth a fortune,’ Abderos said, his chair coming to a stop next to Len.
‘The second golden apple to have ever left Zeus’s impossible-to-get-to secret garden? It’s likely worth ten times what the ship is,’ Phyleus said, turning to her.
‘Nothing’s worth ten times what the Alastor is.’ Lyssa scowled at him and he laughed. The sound made her heart beat faster and her skin heat.
‘I’m just talking drachmas here. Seriously. You’re rich.’ His deep brown eyes bored into hers and, try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself care about drachmas.
‘You mean we’re rich,’ snorted Len. ‘Equal profit on this ship, I think you’ll find. Except maybe the newcomers. Not sure how that’ll work.’ The satyr’s words snapped Lyssa’s attention away from Phyleus.
‘Where are Evadne and Eryx?’ she said, realising she couldn’t see the ‘newcomers’.
‘Poseidon sent them to the Orion,’ Epizon said into an awkward silence.
‘Poseidon was here? On the Alastor?’ Lyssa’s heart began to hammer against her ribs in alarm. ‘What about Tenebrae?’
‘He just appeared, gave Eryx a longboat and told him to go and get the Hydra key he won in the second Trial,’ said Abderos with a shrug. ‘I saw it.’
/>
‘I don’t think he was aware of Tenebrae. If he was, he didn’t care or let on,’ said Epizon.
‘Athena said Eryx was important. Maybe the Hydra key was the reason,’ said Lyssa, relieved that it seemed Tenebrae had evaded the god’s detection. They already knew she could hide herself from Athena, but Poseidon? He was one of the three most powerful Olympians.
‘Well, we’ve not got long to work out why,’ said Phyleus. ‘Just a day until the last Trial.’ The word ‘last’ cut through her torrent of thoughts, stilling them all.
‘One more day and it’s all over...’ she breathed. This really was their final chance to stop Hercules.
‘We’re going to win this,’ said Abderos. She looked at his grinning face, doubt and fear warring against her buoyant hope. There were two crews left. The Trials and Hercules had wiped everyone else out. And she had no doubt that the last Trial would be the most lethal yet. But reminding Abderos of that now was pointless. What harm could some positivity do them all now?
‘Yeah? And what are you going to do with eternity?’ she asked him.
‘Build my own ship. The apple will help with that,’ he said.
‘I’m going to buy my way onto Pisces and surround myself with an endless supply of beautiful wood nymphs,’ announced Len.
Nestor tutted behind him and Lyssa looked at her.
‘What would you do with immortality, Nestor?’ she asked.
‘I don’t age,’ the centaur replied. ‘So this is not a new concept for me. I will continue to serve Artemis as I always have planned to.’ Lyssa nodded.
‘I want to start another refuge on Libra for the homeless,’ said Epizon. Lyssa knew of this plan, he’d told her about it before. ‘Ab’s right. The money from the apple will help a lot of us.’
‘What about you, Cap?’ asked Abderos.
‘The farthest into the future I can think right now is being in my bath-tub in the next five minutes,’ she lied, then started as she heard a shout from overhead. They all looked up to see a pale blue longboat descending towards the deck, Eryx leaning over the side.
When the little boat landed, Eryx leaped quickly from it, his face pale.
‘Did you win?’ he asked, breathlessly.
‘Yes.’ Lyssa nodded, and the big man’s scarred face collapsed in relief as Phyleus held up the golden apple.
‘So that bastard isn’t immortal yet,’ he said, releasing a long breath.
‘Nope. Not yet.’
‘Thank the gods. We got the Hydra key,’ said Evadne, stepping out of the longboat. ‘Did you talk to the Hesperides? Did the plan work?’ She met Lyssa’s eyes hopefully.
‘Yes. You were right. We’d never have got past Ladon.’ Lyssa paused, then said, ‘Thank you. You’re welcome on board the Alastor as long as you need to be here.’
Evadne smiled, a real, true smile that changed her face completely.
‘I’ll do whatever I can to help you stop him, Captain,’ she said.
‘Good.’
‘I, um...’ Eryx said, and she looked at him. ‘Busiris is dead,’ he said quietly, dropping his gaze to the planks. ‘I... I didn’t mean to kill him, but he would have killed Evadne, and...’ He trailed off. Lyssa said nothing. Who was she to judge Eryx’s actions? As far as she could tell, he was a far better man than Busiris had been. The guilt pouring from him confirmed it. ‘Anyway,’ the half-giant continued awkwardly. ‘The Orion is empty. I thought you might find a use for it.’
Lyssa stared at him, her mouth falling open slightly. ‘You don’t want your own ship?’
Eryx shook his head.
‘It wasn’t my ship.’
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean there’s a Zephyr over there just floating about, up for grabs?’ said Abderos, his voice disbelieving.
‘Yes.’
Abderos gave a bark of laughter.
‘Cap, now we’re seriously rich.’
‘Slow down, Ab. What would we do with a Zephyr? Eryx, it’s a giants’ ship. And you served your captain loyally. The Orion should belong to you.’
‘That’s what I think too,’ said Evadne, reaching for the half-giant’s hand. He dropped his gaze again, shifting his weight from foot to foot, the planks creaking under him.
‘I don’t know what to do with a ship,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t know how to be a captain. And besides, I want to be here, to help you kill Hercules.’
Respect and compassion for him swelled in Lyssa’s heart. She had no doubt at all that Eryx was one of the good guys.
‘Even more reason you deserve the Orion,’ she said. ‘Look, we’ll do what we can to secure the Orion now, but if we survive this, then you need to consider the ship yours. Evadne will help you learn what you don’t know.’ She looked at the blue-haired girl.
‘Of course I will,’ she said. Eryx glanced sideways at her sceptically. ‘How will you secure the Orion?’ Evadne asked, turning back to Lyssa. ‘I imagine the pirates are already on their way, given that the Trials are broadcast to the whole of Olympus. Unlike you, they’re not going to turn down an opportunity to acquire an adrift Zephyr.’
‘We can’t tow it, it’s far too big. And I’m not sparing a crew member,’ Lyssa said, turning to Epizon. ‘Reckon you can summon us up a little favour from our magic-wielding guest in the cargo deck?’
‘I can ask her,’ he said, and his eyes instantly unfocused. There was a flash of gold light, and the Orion suddenly appeared a hundred feet away from them, dwarfing the Alastor. The whole ship pulsed with the same gold glow for a few seconds, then the light faded. Evadne spluttered in shock and Eryx’s mouth fell open.
‘Man, she’s good,’ breathed Abderos, staring at the Orion.
Too good, thought Lyssa. No wonder she was sought after. What was she?
‘The Orion will move with us; Tenebrae has created some sort of tether. But she wants light, Captain,’ said Epizon, his eyes sharp again.
‘She’s earned it,’ Lyssa said. ‘Can you and Eryx manage her tank on your own?’
‘Sure.’ His eyes twinkled as they darted to Phyleus again. ‘You get to that bath-tub,’ he went on, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly.
‘I will,’ she answered, willing the rising heat in her cheeks to cool. ‘And we can talk about how much better your communication with Tenebrae has got later.’
‘Sure thing, Captain.’
It was an effort of will to untangle her fingers from Phyleus’s, and Lyssa tried hard not to look into his eyes as she stepped towards the hauler.
‘Five minutes,’ Phyleus’s voice sounded in her head. She kept her eyes on the hauler and her stride steady as her pulse began to race. ‘I’ll be at your door in five minutes.’
2
As soon as she entered her cabin Lyssa ran to the mirror in her washroom, anticipation fizzing through her body. She didn’t just want Phyleus any more. She needed him. She needed to prove her love for him, to feel his in return. She watched her reflection, red curls falling around her face as she untied her headscarf. What did she need to do before he got here? She wasn’t used to entertaining men; she didn’t know what she was meant to do. She glanced down at her leather trousers and shirt. Was she supposed to be waiting for him on the bed, naked? That wasn’t really her style. Nerves made her stomach flip as she looked around the little washroom, hoping for some inspiration. She had said she’d wanted a bath... She leaned over and turned the taps, warm water slowly beginning to fill the copper tub.
A knock at the door made her spin around quickly. Surely it hadn’t been five minutes already?
‘Who is it?’ she called, half jogging to her door, heart pounding.
‘It’s me.’ His voice sent a fresh wave of butterflies flitting through her stomach.
‘You said five minutes!’
‘I missed you. Three minutes is suddenly an unbearably long time.’ He didn’t expect her to do anything in particular, she realised with a rush. He just wanted to be with her. Her nerves melted away as she opened the
door and looked into his intense brown eyes.
‘Then you’d better come in.’ She smiled.
‘Are you actually running a bath?’ he asked, stepping past her into her room.
‘Yes.’
‘Excellent,’ he said, turning to face her. The heat in his gaze was enough to make all the muscles in her core clench. She kicked the door shut behind her as he wrapped his hands around the bottom of his shirt and pulled, revealing smooth, tanned skin, taut across his muscular stomach. Lyssa bit down on her bottom lip. ‘I need a bath,’ he said, dropping his shirt to the floor. His eyes were locked on hers as he took a step towards her.
‘Me too,’ she breathed, and then she was kissing him, her hands on his chest, his in her hair.
‘I love you,’ he said, sending the words through the ship, never breaking the intense hunger of his mouth on hers.
‘I love you too,’ she sent back fiercely, passion tearing through her as she pulled at the hem of her own shirt. His lips moved from her mouth to her jaw, then her neck, as he trailed kisses towards her open collar, and she gasped. Power roared through her body, her core aching and her skin alight with energy. He paused long enough for her to pull her shirt over her head, and she heard his ragged intake of breath as he saw her. Then his lips were moving across her breasts and the Alastor lurched beneath them.
‘Phyleus,’ she breathed. ‘Phyleus, I don’t know what my power will do if I...’ She floundered, looking for the right words through her haze of lust. ‘If I have a moment of strong... release.’
He paused his kisses again, looking up at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
‘Then you’re about to find out, Captain,’ he said, and she shrieked as he bent down, scooping her up into his arms, and carried her into the washroom.
‘I think the crew may have an idea of what we’ve been doing,’ Phyleus whispered into her ear, rousing her from hazy sleep. She wiggled backwards, pushing herself against his naked body, pressing as much of her own skin against his as she could. A wave of contentment washed over her.