by Keegan Long
“I’m sorry to hear that. Give your father my love, dear.”
Sara continued on through the busy streets and started making her way towards the upper ring of the city. The upper ring of the city was where Olympia housed all its greatest physicians and healers of sort. Hopefully she would find some answers there.
It did not take long for Sara to reach the gates of the upper ring. Sara looked up at the magnificent walls that protected the higher officials and the royal palace that had once housed the Phoenix King. The walls stood tall, but this is not what caught Sara’s attention. It was the three statue figures that stood tall and powerful at the main entrance. Two of the figures took the shape of old men with beards. One holding a lightning bolt while the other held some type of staff. Above the two was the third statue, which took the figure of an eagle but the torso of a man. Everyone knew these faces as they were known as The Big Three.
“Truly magnificent aren’t they,” a familiar voice came behind Sara as she turned around and saw the face of the Olympian Guard she had seen earlier that morning.
“Boris?” Sara questioned but smiled at the friendly face. “What are you still doing up and about? Your shift should have been over by now.”
“I was actually on my way home but then saw you taking in the sites of The Big Three so I decided to stop by,” he answered. “Truly magnificent aren’t they? Zeus on the left and Odin on the right and the great almighty Ra flying just above.”
“The leaders of the Olympians,” Sara added showing that she was familiar with the myths.
“You know your myths well,” Boris grinned at the young red headed girl. “Legends says that the Phoenix King got his powers from the Big Three. Infused their power and knowledge into one being so he could lead the lands against the forces of darkness.”
“And what forces of darkness would that be?” Sara asked curiously but still was not completely persuaded that all these myths were true.
“No one really knows I guess,” Boris replied. “Maybe there never really was and it was just a story made up for people to believe in the legitimacy of the Phoenix King and his family line that would soon follow. All I know is that they truly were special and powerful enough to tame a phoenix. Every single one of them.”
“Obviously not powerful enough,” Sara muttered. “Because now they’re gone and the world has now gone to shit because of it.”
Boris closed his eyes. “Yes, turmoil has plagued Terran ever since, but hopefully one day that will all change. At least I hope.”
“None of this helps me today though,” Sara groaned. “I need to get into the upper ring.”
Sara knew from the beginning that she would never be allowed into the upper ring of the city when she belonged to the lower ring. No one was allowed to travel between the two rings unless they had the proper clearance and papers from the High Druid Council.
The lower ring had its own physicians and healers as well, but Sara knew none of them would know how to help her father in his unique situation he was facing. Her best luck would be with the physicians in the upper ring who had better access to resources and even certain knowledge and practices.
Boris looked over at Sara cautiously. “What happened, Sara?”
“It’s my father,” Sara closed her eyes as a few tears began sliding down the side of her face. “Something hit him last night and it is not normal. He’s more than sick. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s dark magic.”
“My gods,” Boris replied horrified. “I have no words what to say.”
“No words are needed,” Sara thanked. “Can you help me?”
“Of course,” Boris smiled back. “I’ll help you as much as I can. Wait here.”
Boris proceeded by slowly walking over to the guards stationed at the front gate of the upper ring and began talking to them. Sara kept her distance but watched cautiously as Boris continued making small talk with his fellow Olympian Guards. It took a long while until Boris finally left the guards and started making his way back towards Sara.
“Sorry, had to make small talk before bringing up the big question,” Boris answered Sara’s questioning face. “Seems suspicious.”
“Smart move,” Sara agreed. “So, what did they say?”
“They’ll let you in under one condition that I go with you.”
Sara’s eyes lit up as she gave Boris a hug. “Thank you so much! I have no words.”
“Like I said, I’ll help you as much as I can,” he returned the hug. “Also I kind of had to lie a little so if they ask, you are my niece.”
Sara teasingly grinned at Boris. “Okay then. I didn’t know you were that good.”
“Oh, shut it won’t ya,” Boris called back embarrassed as the two began walking towards the main gate.
As Boris and Sara approached the gates to the upper ring, the gates slowly began to open as the soldiers at the gate signaled those above on the wall to open them. As the great metal doors slowly crept open before their eyes, Sara could also feel the rumbling of the earth at her feet. She never thought she would live to the day where she would actually be allowed to step foot in the upper ring. She had never even dreamed about it as it always seemed impossible to her.
Sara found herself in complete shock as she stepped into the upper ring with Boris at her side and Rayla still tight around her shoulder. It was beautiful, and the buildings were magnificent. All the buildings here were much taller and better maintained. Even newer by the look of it.
Beautiful courtyards and fountains were spread across as far as Sara could see. She even noticed a large structure that looked like some type of academic building Sara guessed due to the type of architecture she could see.
“The Great Library,” Boris answered Sara as he noticed her studying the building. “Holds all the answers you may ever have in one building. Truly is something special if I do say so myself.”
Before Sara could say anything else she found herself interrupted once again my the unpleasant voice she was too familiar with.
“I don’t think you belong here,” Ashly’s voice called out from behind as Sara turned around to face her and a group of Artemis Hunters by her side once again. “So, tell me. What brings you to the upper ring.”
Jadyn
Titan
“I can’t believe you brought that thing,” June groaned as she saw Jadyn and Raj slowly approaching from behind.
“He has proven to be more than useful on countless of missions,” Jadyn argued back. “So just back off won’t ya.”
Jadyn knew saying those last words was probably not the best idea. Jadyn was known for speaking out before really taking time to think them through. This proved to get herself into trouble more than she would like to admit.
June gave Jadyn a piercing look, but decided to let it slide and that she would deal with her later.
The Daughters of Anubis kept light on their feet as they continued their journey on foot and towards the Labyrinth. As she looked around, Jadyn could not decide rather it was night or day. It had looked exactly the same ever since she had woken up. Pitch dark with an overcast of creepy and unnatural looking clouds above them. Jadyn also noticed a series of unnatural red lightning strikes taking place in the far distance over a range of dead mountains that had turned the color of a sandy red. Reminded her of what mountains may have looked like if they had any back home in the East, but all they had was sand dunes.
“I don’t like the look of this place,” Grace commented as she made her way to Jadyn’s side alongside their other friend Abby.
Grace and Abby were the closest of the Daughters of Anubis Jadyn had come to since the beginning. There were others she was close to as well, like Siera and Kiley, but nothing could compare to Abby and Grace. They were her closest and best friends. They were her family.
“I second that,” Abby also agreed as she continued to cautiously scan her surroundings. “This mission seems like a waste if you ask me.”
“It’s a big gambl
e, that’s for sure,” Jadyn said. “Who knows if Anubis is still even here or alive. It’s been over one-hundred years since his imprisonment. I don’t like our odds on this one.”
“My question is, if he is still alive, how is he the last Olympian?” Grace questioned. “Where are all the others?”
This was true, and many have journeyed out before to see if they could find any surviving Olympians or evidence at least. The last records show that the last time an Olympian was seen was during the time of the Phoenix King. The Big Three had never been seen or heard from since the reign of the Phoenix King but the other Olympians were quite present. Even a number of them served as advisors to the king, but it was during the time of the disappearance of the Phoenix King they had seemed to vanish as well.
“Hopefully far away from here,” Jadyn muttered. “We can’t have any distractions today.”
Raj roared in agreement.
The traveling group had suddenly stopped in their tracks as the earth beneath their feet began violently shaking. It felt as if the island was going to be split in two, but for the time being it did hold together. Then in the far distance, a bright stream of red light erupted from the mountainside and into the dark sky.
“My gods,” said Grace. “What the hell is going on this island?”
“I thought it was supposed to be mostly abandoned,” Abby also commented as everyone continued to stare at the stream of red now acting as a beacon on the island.
“Doesn’t look like that’s the case anymore,” Jadyn said.
“This doesn’t change our plan,” June called out to the girls. “We keep moving forwards!”
“Keep your eyes open, girls,” Jadyn called out to her friends as she began to move her feet across the dead ground bellow her. “Who knows what we’ll run into.”
It did not take the group much longer for them to arrive at the edge of the cliff that would reveal none other than the Labyrinth itself. It was massive and uneasy to the human eye. For this was not any normal prison that most people would probably think of.
The Labyrinth was a massive field that filled up the entire valley bellow the cliff that Jadyn was currently standing over as she looked down at the prison. The field bellow was filled with tress and dark green hedges that created a maze that would be impossible to escape. Meant to keep the prisoners in and anyone else out. Above the maze itself, was a dense white fog and above the fog were the prison guard’s themselves. The Shades.
The Shades flew above the prison dressed in their dark stripped black cloaks. They held no figure or face under their hoods. A creature of nothing but darkness.
“Well, this just got a whole lot harder,” Grace pointed out the Shades that patrolled every corner of the maze bellow.
“There’s got to be at least thirty that I can see,” Jadyn pointed out as she tried to count as many as she could but it proved to be quite difficult as they continued to fly all over.
Jadyn turned around and sat herself down on the rough rocky ground as she looked up at the dark sky filled with violent lightning strikes and began to think. This whole trip she thought was ridiculous from the beginning. Rescuing Anubis from the most guarded and secure prison in the entire world, which was protected by an army of dark forces. What she would do to go back to Wilbro where she spent most of her days roaming the markets and running across the roofs of houses and other buildings of sorts.
“We’re going in,” June called out as she pulled Jadyn back to reality. “Keep your heads down, and whatever it takes, don’t make a sound.”
“Here goes nothing,” Jadyn mumbled as she stroked Raj’s ears.
Jadyn followed the rest of the group as they quietly slide down the cliff side and made their way to the base of the foggy maze with bow and arrow drawn at the ready.
“Stay close,” June said as she lead the charge and lead the others into the maze.
Jadyn cautiously made her way through the maze with Raj close to her side and Grace at her back. She looked around and found herself most unsettled. A series of cages were built into the maze itself that gave its prisoners almost no room at all.
Jadyn noticed prisoners of all sorts. Humans, elves, dwarves, and monsters that she had never encountered before.
“Is that a Centaur?” Grace asked as she looked over at the figure with the body of a horse but the torso and head of a man.
“It looks like it,” Grace said stunned. “Never thought I would ever see one in person. You’ll never come across one in the East.”
Raj did not like the sight of the mysterious creature and growled at its presence.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the centaur sinisterly said. “These are dangerous times. Don’t you feel it.” The centaur closed his eyes and lifted his head up high as if he was feeling some invisibly force coursing through his veins.
“What the hell is that all about?” Grace whispered as she kept her eyes guarded on the prisoner.
“I don’t know,” Jadyn answered. “It’s best we keep our distance and keep moving on.”
The Daughters ventured further into the maze and from time to time had to find coverage from a Shade on patrol. Jadyn noticed that each time they had to take cover they were getting closer and closer to being discovered. Like they could sense their presence.
“Do we even know where we’re going?”Jadyn asked as their trip was getting more and more dangerous.
“Anubis is the Labyrinth’s most prized prisoner,” June scowled back at her. “That means we have to make our way further into the maze where they keep their most dangerous ones.”
Before the group could react, a loud high pitched scream echoed throughout the prison. Jadyn looked around and that is when her heart dropped. A Shade was looking right at them in the far distance at the foot of what looked like to be those most secure prison cell of all.
Jadyn looked up towards the sky and saw a floating metal cell right above the Shade that had spotted them. There were no chains attached to the cell.
“Dark Magic,” Grace commented as she noticed Jadyn’s puzzled look. “That’s how the cell is floating.”
Jadyn looked up towards the cell once again and noticed a group of Shades closely surrounding the cell. Inside was a prisoner like no other as she felt a surge of power rush through her veins like never before when she made eye contact with him.
She immediately noticed the head of the predator animal of the jackal and the body of the strongest man alive. The Olympian gave the most sinister grin that Jadyn had ever seen.
All of her disbeliefs had now proven her wrong.
“I’ve waited over two-hundred years for this moment,” the powerful voice echoes throughout the maze. “My time has finally come.”
Jadyn looked around at her fellow group members and noticed that everyone had become just as stunned as she was. But she knew she did not want to die here either as she quickly loaded an arrow and fired towards the cell’s lock placed on the iron door.
Direct hit.
June looked at her alarmed, but the damage had already been done. As the arrow hit, and destroyed the lock, the cell exploded on impact and shards of metal littered the nearby area.
The Olympian slowly came into view has he descended towards the ground until his feet touched the cold stone floor.
“Finally,” he called out once again as she lifted his back to stand up straight.
The Shades immediately began to scream in unison as they charged towards their former prisoner.
Before Jadyn could react, the Olympian conjured a mass of dark red energy in the palm of his right hand and released it towards the creatures. A ray of red energy shot towards the creatures and they disintegrated on contact with ease.
Jadyn alarmingly looked at her friend Grace as they took in the sight of the raw power they had just witnessed.
The Olympian soon later turned to face towards the group. “It’s customary for you to bow to your king.”
June followed his command and went on both knees a
nd bowed towards the Olympian as the rest of the group followed her lead.
After over two-hundred years, Anubis was now free.
Carter
Crossbone Sea
Carter looked around as his vision became clear once again and he only saw one thing. Death.
The ships all around him had been engulfed in the fiery pit of dragon fire. Most of the ships had been destroyed from Issor’s and Agnes’s fleet, and those that have not had become inoperable and waited for the dragon’s return.
During the destruction and chaos, the ships had slowly drifted towards the shore nearby. The shore was still quite a distance from the wreckage, but those all around saw it as their only way of survival and began to abandon their posts as they plunged into the water bellow.
Carter flinched when an unexpected hand grabbed his shoulder.
“Thank the gods you are alright, boy,” Gibson said relieved. “We got to get out of here. It’s only a matter of time until the beast returns.”
Carter rubbed his eyes to try and clear off the dust from the event but only ended up making it worse. “Was that… what I think it was.”
“Still trying to believe myself as well,” Gibson began ushering Carter away from the middle of the ship. “A fucking dragon. Can you believe it? I guess all those stories and myths must be true.”
“What now?”
“We jump and make our way to the nearby shore,” Gibson pointed out to the nearby sand beach at the base of a small cliff. “It’s our only chance.”
“And where do you think you are going, BOY!”
Carter looked behind him and noticed Agnes limping towards their direction with his eyes bulged and rage coursing through his veins. The left side of his face was covered in blood rushing from his forehead while still holding his war axe at his opposite side.
“TRAITORS!” he yelled again as he continued towards them with much difficulty. “How dare you abandon your king! After all that I’ve done for you!”