Ice

by M.S Watson

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘I believe in the uncommon, the unusual and unlikely, even the miraculous. I believe in nearly all things except impossibilities. That I can’t fathom.’

  Richelle E. Goodrich, ‘Smile Anyway’

  Movement was all I saw, a blur as it passed me.

  I felt a million worlds away as Hades moved to Xanthias’ side, shaking his shoulders as though it would wake him. He was unconscious, the room empty of Poseidon and Zeus as they tried tracking down Cronus. Thunder boomed loudly, trembling the earth. Or maybe that was me, my body shaking like I was in an earthquake. The lights flickered, pulsing with dodgy electric currents before finally puckering out. The only form of lighting came from the lightning bolts, dancing across Xanthias’ inert form as my sister tumbled down the stairs and over to Chris and Nevada, fumbling with their ropes. When she broke a fingernail, however, she cursed under her breath and snatched a knife from the block on the kitchen bench.

  With my sister uncharacteristically sawing away at the ropes and Hades hovering over Xanthias, I swayed in place on the steps. I reached out to the banister to stop myself, but my arms were like jelly. I could do nothing else except watch as Poseidon and Zeus returned, the lightning flashing more frequently as they surged over to Hades and Xanthias.

  ‘He’s injured,’ Zeus announced, void of emotion. ‘We managed to speed up the process of his decomposing form, but he vanished in a motor vehicle of sorts before we could reach him.’ He crouched over Xanthias, placing his hand with his brothers’ as they began to pulse with multicoloured light. While Zeus’ was yellowish, Poseidon’s radiated a calm pale blue and Hades’ mixed in with pinkish tones. My sister finally finished with the ropes and strode over, using the nearest surface as support as she watched with shaky legs. Xanthias’ breathing was shaky and shallow, small breaths that barely touched his chest.

  ‘I’m not strong enough,’ Hades groaned, his teeth gritted as his light began to flicker. ‘Get Amphitrite!’ He barked that order at my sister, barely removing his gaze from Xanthias’ body to direct her before returning his full, undivided attention. Surprised, Lainie nodded fiercely and bit her lip before moving outside through the back door. With her gone, the focus of the room fell completely on Xanthias and his battered body. With their healing power, the three Gods were able to build his strength to breathe, but even I could see the way how they couldn’t sustain his life force. Hades was struggling, obvious by the shaking of his arms as he fought to remain upright whilst pouring his life into Xanthias’ body.

  A million different possibilities flitted through my mind as the prospect of him dying soared throughout my thoughts. With shaky hands, I managed to half-crawl half-tumble down the stairs and over to a small space left between Poseidon and Zeus by Xanthias’ head. His eyes were shut, almost peacefully so had his skin not been pale and bruised, stark white from blood loss. It felt terribly slow as I placed my fingertips to his temples. I didn’t really need to for what I planned on doing, but I felt it would work so much better. If not, it simply added to the atmosphere.

  Though the others didn’t stop, their gazes fell on me with curiosity burning in their eyes. They didn’t try to hide the fact that they didn’t seem to know what to do, aside from pouring their energy and power into Xanthias’ body. It was a painstaking process, but as I cleared my mind and shut out the colours and shapes around me, I was able to harness the power of time manipulation. It bent, like light had turned into an invisible liquid and I could move it with the simple flicker of my mind’s flame. I felt it dancing through my fingertips, waiting and pulsing as it grew in power. It simply needed to be released.

  I aimed it carefully, pulling back on the majority of the power surges as it leaked into Xanthias’ body. I was careful for it not to touch his veins, brain, heart and anywhere else that could mean his death. Sweat lingered on my brow, dripping from my fringe and onto the floor beside his head. I could feel the others’ gazes on me, burning into my body as I slowed his dying body. It also meant that the others were able to speed up the healing process, but even so, I doubted it’d be enough. Already, only a minute into the process, I was tiring. My body wasn’t used to using the power in this intensity, so controlled and manipulated.

  ‘Concentrate on the fatal wounds,’ Zeus demanded, though we all knew that was what they were doing. ‘It doesn’t matter if he has scrapes and bruises. He doesn’t have to be perfect. He simply needs to live.’

  ‘Stop wasting your energy on orders then,’ Poseidon countered, earning a fierce look from Zeus as his power pulsed even brighter. Lightning stroked the sky outside, crashing into trees and power lines. I barely jumped as they crashed to the ground outside, though. I was too focused on Xanthias, his eyes flickering as his consciousness started to return. Footfalls sounded on the back porch as Lainie returned, followed by the glowing presence of Amphitrite. Her power was almost palpable as she strode over to us, so full of purpose and white gold beauty.

  Tonight she didn’t appear to have changed into ‘human’ clothes, instead choosing a mix of swirling aqua bubbles of water that moulded with a luminescent white robe. It was knotted at the waist with gold rope, her arm wrapped in a matching gold arm bracelet with aqua bubbles identical to those in her robe. They flashed as she moved toward us with purpose, not even hesitating as she knelt beside Poseidon and placed both of her pale hands on Xanthias’ bare skin.

  She started murmuring something repetitively in Greek as a myriad of colours burst from her hands and interwove with Xanthias’ body. In shock, I barely managed to maintain my hold of the time manipulation enough to speed up her work. Xanthias’ body was beginning to repair at a miraculous rate, and when Lainie joined in on Zeus’ side, the power from all of our combined efforts working overtime. When I finally saw Xanthias’ flesh wounds start to cover over, though, it became clear that he would survive. Relieved, I sat back and cut off the link between my power and his body. It swept a bittersweet feeling over my body, relieved to be free of the exhausting effects but longing for the high of finally releasing the power. I hadn’t realised how much I missed using it, especially in such a concentrated form, until then.

  It was dangerous.

  ‘I cannot do it anymore!’ Hades cried, falling to the ground. He panted with exhaustion, his eyes shut against the pain as I saw how raw and blistered his hands were. Blood ran freely from them, staining the floor and intermingling with Xanthias’. I was surprised to find that it was the same colour, such a mortal tone of red rather than something otherworldly, like white or black.

  ‘That’s okay,’ Amphitrite gritted through her teeth. ‘You’ve done more than enough. Now heal. Cronus is your responsibility when he returns to Tartarus.’ He nodded with thin lips pressed together, looking almost as gaunt as Xanthias had when he’d been on death row. Now, though, he was beginning to gain colour in his cheeks. It was almost as though one couldn’t live with the other, tipping on a constant see-saw.

  ‘Concentrate, Goddess,’ he replied, waving his hand dismissively. ‘I removed him of the toxicity of the hell hound’s bite.’ She nodded, and it became obvious that she already knew when her cheek ticked in annoyance. She didn’t appear to enjoy being told what to do, long lashes lowered as her eyes flashed in defiance. With nothing else to say, Hades rolled to face away from Xanthias’ body. He groaned when he moved, his bones clicking and muscles slack as they struggled to do his bidding. Though he maintained the appearance of a man in later life, I had imagined him to be as an all-powerful, middle-aged man reaping the benefits of immortality. Yet now, as he struggled to move, I knew that they tired severely when pushed to the limits.

  ‘He’s waking up,’ Lainie gasped, distracting me from the God’s creaking body. ‘Is he healed yet?’

  All eyes fell on Amphitrite as she focused on him. Her healing power continued to waver around his body, illuminating it from within, but it soon became clear that he was no longer dying. His breathing had regained its measured strength, risi
ng and falling in great swoops that were so relieving it brought tears to my eyes. When I looked up, I found my expression mirrored in Lainie’s eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. It intermingled with her mascara and eyeliner, dragging it in grey clumps that stuck to her skin. A low groan escaped through Xanthias’ lips, drawing our attention back but not before I saw her move to quickly fix her make-up into something more presentable.

  ‘God, that’s going to hurt in the morning,’ he muttered, taking a shuddering breath. His eyelids flickered, eyes roaming around the circle of beings that surrounded him. He rolled them then, smirking a little before wincing from the pain. ‘Now, now. There’s more than enough of me to share, people.’ I snorted.

  ‘Please,’ I countered. ‘You were hardly a bite-sized meal for that hell hound.’ Another groan.

  ‘Don’t remind me,’ he gritted out. ‘I’m pretty sure that these muscles would have given those jowls of his a run for their money.’ I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything else, instead fixing my gaze on the Gods as they got to their feet and Zeus brushed himself off. He looked over at Poseidon with a focused gaze, as though he wasn’t just down on his hands and knees to save a mortal. No, once more he was the untouchable Zeus, above everyone except himself - or so I felt.

  Poseidon seemed to understand whatever Zeus was communicating without having shared spoken words. With a simple, slow nod Poseidon watched as his brother crossed the room and stepped out through the back door. The moment his feet touched the porch, a stroke of blinding white lightning encompassed him and he was gone. I looked for any signs that he’d been there, any smouldering ashes or even licks of flame, but the porch was untouched. Zeus was gone.

  ‘He’s gone to track down Cronus,’ Poseidon explained, gaining my attention. He stood next to me, looking down with what appeared to be relief reflected in his gaze. He offered me a small smile as he opened his hand to me. I grabbed it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I wavered slightly, still shaky but I managed to stabilise myself using the sturdiness of his arm. When I was able to stand on my own, he released me and knelt with Xanthias, aiding him into an upright position. Xanthias moved with stiff limbs, his body groaning in protest whenever he used even the slightest of movements.

  Lainie crawled over to Xanthias, hands glowing slightly as she rested them over his knees. A moment later she moved away, watching with wide eyes as Xanthias moved his arms cautiously, then his legs. When he was sure that it wasn’t going to hurt, he launched himself to his feet and stretched, releasing the kinks that had formed from lying on the cold, hard floor.

  ‘Certainly not five star luxury,’ he commented, ‘but it’ll do.’ He turned then, offering me a small smirk that soon faded as the sounds of skidding wheels came to a halt outside. Poseidon cursed under his breath, muttering his goodbyes as he moved to the back porch. He swooped his arm to the side, a grand arch that shut the door soundlessly just seconds before Chrysabelle and the Davies tumbled into the room. Pearl and Lisbeth appeared to be puffed, using the door and kitchen bench for support but Chrysabelle was simply furious.

  ‘Are you two crazy?’ she ranted, pointing an accusing finger at us. I understood, then, what had attracted Poseidon to her in the first place. She was older now, but back when they’d met she would have been approximately my age, wrinkle-free and youthful. She was a strong figure, worried despite the careful front she fastened into place. Then, just like that, I understood why that was so. She would have undoubtedly been hurt severely by Poseidon, taking into consideration that he was not only immortal, but he was married and clearly only interested in short-term affairs.

  Sympathy coursed through me, not only for Chrysabelle but also for Amphitrite. No wonder Poseidon had been so fast to leave. The awkwardness I felt rose impressively in the moment that I realised the situation Poseidon had left behind, and I wondered if Xanthias felt it too. After all, his mother - Poseidon’s illicit lover and mother of his child - was standing not three metres from Poseidon’s wife. The rivalry was almost palpable between the two, only broken apart when Xanthias excused himself from the room, taking his mother’s ranting with him. With the two of them crossing the threshold and out onto the back steps, I turned to face Amphitrite, my sister and the Davies.

  ‘If you’ll excuse us,’ Amphitrite addressed the Davies, hardly noticing the two older women’s death glares, ‘I have some private matters I wish to discuss with Lainie and Iris.’

  ‘Of course,’ Lisbeth spat bitterly, grabbing Pearl’s arm - not unkindly - as she steered her and the three younger witches outside. To me she added, ‘Let Chrysabelle and Xanthias know that we will be waiting in the car.’ It wasn’t a request. It was an order. I nodded nonetheless, glad to simply be rid of the tension the moment they exited.

  ‘Come, girls,’ Amphitrite murmured, gesturing to the dining room table. I hadn’t noticed that Chris and Nevada were removed from the chairs that had sat in the kitchen. Instead they looked peaceful as they lay across from the television, wrapped in each others’ embrace as a black and white movie flickered across the screen. Noticing my gaze, Amphitrite said, ‘They’ll be fine. They only have some inconspicuous bruising that won’t raise too many questions, and their memories have been swiped and replaced with those that correspond with a simple night of watching movies together.’

  I bit my lip, feeling guilty for inadvertently putting them in danger. If only we had stayed home, we could have avoided the entire situation. We could have planned better, sent them away to a safe place until Cronus was captured. I sighed, turning away from them. It wouldn’t help if I lived with regret. It would only help to try and plan a way to capture Cronus. I looked across at Lainie, taking in her posture. She sat upright, shoulders back but it was clear that she wasn’t untouched by tonight’s events. We each wore our own battle scars, but I wondered if she had actually considered accepting Cronus’ offer. With a shake of my head, I dismissed it. Surely not. I doubted my sister’s ability to make selfless decisions, but would she really go that far in the face of greed?

  ‘Girls,’ Amphitrite began, lacing her fingers together. She rested her hands on the table top, eyes level with ours. ‘I have an offer for you, one that I hope you will accept.’

  ‘Oh no,’ Lainie groaned. ‘No more deals! We’ve already turned down Cronus tonight. Don’t make us do it again.’ Some of the doubt dissipated. Lainie sat back in her chair with arms crossed. I, however, leaned forward.

  ‘I would like to hear this deal,’ I prompted. Amphitrite looked at me levelly, surveying my reactions as she drew out the silence. On the couch behind us, I heard Nevada stir slightly, but she simply repositioned sleepily and returned to her land of dreams. I looked back at Amphitrite to find that she hadn’t changed.

  ‘Very well then,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll get straight to the point then. Cronus is still at large, but Poseidon and I would like for the two of you to make a semi-permanent move to the water. We will provide a cover for you both with Chris and Nevada. We’re thinking of Latin school, however, that is your own choice. We simply wish to provide protection for the both of you in an environment that is completely under our control.’ Lainie and I looked at one another, her eyes glistening with hope. It was only then that I found that Lainie really did love her fins - or at least appeared to - and she turned to Amphitrite with a firm nod.

  ‘I accept,’ she said.

  ‘I don’t,’ I said at the same time. They both looked at me as though I had grown three heads - which, apparently, might be a possibility. I rushed to explain. ‘I don’t feel right leaving Chris and Nevada here alone. What would stop Cronus from trying the same trick again?’

  Amphitrite shook her head before I even had a chance to finish. ‘He wouldn’t,’ she said. ‘He never does the same trick twice.’

  ‘I still don’t feel right,’ I repeated. I stared her down, unflinching, until she finally sighed and lowered her gaze.

  ‘Lainie,’ she addressed my sister. ‘We leave at dawn.’