“Okay,” I finally said, forcing myself to sit straighter. “If this is what you all think is best, then I’ll do it.”
“So, this is our final decision?” Kate asked. “Me, Blake, and Nicole will try for the sword? If you don’t agree, speak up now.”
No one said a word.
“Okay,” she said, standing up from her seat. “Let’s let the ice nymph know that we’re ready to speak to Chione.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I hear you’ve reached your decision,” Chione said as she strolled back into the dining room. “What’s it going to be?”
“We’re going to try for the sword,” Blake said.
“Really?” Chione’s expression remained neutral. “What makes you think you’ll have a better chance than everyone else who’s tried—and failed—in the past?”
“Because we’re not doing this for selfish reasons,” I said, the explanation rolling off my tongue. “Everyone else who came here for the sword most likely wanted it for personal gain and power. But we’re not here for ourselves. We’re here because the sword could be the key to saving the world. That has to count for something, right?”
“Indeed it might,” Chione said, smiling thoughtfully. “Let’s be on our way, then. We have no time to waste.”
* * *
She led us to the back of the palace, where a single, unassuming door appeared to have been carved into the icy wall. At least, I would have thought it was a door—if it had a knob.
Chione pressed her palm against the place where the doorknob should have been. The perimeter of the door glowed blue at her touch, and then it swung open, revealing the bottom of a narrow circular stairway.
“I hope you don’t mind walking,” Chione said, hiking up her gown and placing her foot on the first step. “The sword is kept in the tallest tower in the palace. It’s five hundred steps to the top.”
“Five hundred steps, and you never thought to build an elevator?” Chris asked.
“The steps are for security purposes,” Chione explained. “We have no idea who will venture here to make an attempt for the sword. Not everyone comes here with good intentions, but if they do make it here, it’s my duty to give them their three attempts. Afterward, there’s no way out of the tower room except for going down the steps, where my nymphs await at the bottom with the chains. To put it plainly—this setup ensures that there’s no way to escape.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw nymphs filling up the room behind us, grinning maliciously. Three of them held chains with cuffs on the ends.
The chains that would bind us here for seven years if we didn’t succeed in getting the sword.
The metal glistened, and I realized that it was covered in a layer of ice. The nymphs caressed the chains, their smiles gleaming, as if they couldn’t wait to snap those cuffs around our wrists. I didn’t know what would happen if they put us in those chains, but I had a sinking feeling that I didn’t want to find out.
Then I didn’t have to imagine any more, because I saw it. Or rather, I saw him—if he was still even alive. A frail, thin man who appeared around my dad’s age stood behind the nymphs, his wrist bound by the icy cuffs. His skin was so pale that it was practically translucent, and it was covered in ice crystals. His hair was frozen stiff, and he shivered relentlessly, as if he would never be warm again. His eyes were cold and hollow—devoid of life. The way he looked at us made me think he was warning us to turn back now, when we still had the chance.
“Who’s he?” I asked Chione, tilting my head toward the man. “I thought you said that no one had come for the sword in over a hundred years.”
“They haven’t,” Chione said. “That man is Robert Falcon Scott. Over one hundred years ago, he led one of the first expeditions to the South Pole. He made it there, although he failed to properly prepare for the return journey, and his men starved and froze on the way back. When my nymphs found Robert, he was surrounded by the corpses of his frozen team, on the verge of death himself. They brought me to him, and I gave him an option—die in the cold, or return to my palace and serve me for all eternity. As you can see, he chose the latter.”
He stared back at me, his eyes bleak and hollow. Would death have been a better option? And why was Chione showing him to us now? Was it meant as a warning?
“If we fail, that’s what will happen to us?” I asked, unable to keep my voice from trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold, or from fear. It was probably from both.
“Yes.” Chione smiled wide, a glint of challenge in her eyes. “You are sure about this, right?” she asked. “There’s still time to turn back if you don’t feel up to the task. I can make the portal for you now, if you’d like.”
Looking at that poor man, I remembered what it felt like to traverse outside in the negative forty-degree temperatures. How the air had frozen my lungs, burned my skin, and chilled me to the core. Being frozen like he was would be torture. How long would we be able to keep our sanity? And how would we possibly be able to escape in that condition?
Was this truly worth the risk?
Yes, I thought. It was. It had to be. Because if we didn’t do this, the Titans would return and everyone I loved could die. Earth as I knew it would no longer exist. This was our destiny, and we’d fought hard to make it to this point. People were counting on us. I refused to run away now.
“Of course we’re sure.” I held her gaze, sounding much more confident than I felt. “We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t.”
“Very well,” Chione said, resting her hand on the rail and starting up the winding steps. “Then please, follow me.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I’d assumed that five hundred steps would be easy for us, given all the training we’d been doing recently. But I’d failed to factor in the elevation of the South Pole. At 9,000 feet up, the air was significantly thinner—this was according to Kate, who informed us about this during our climb. I gasped for air when we finally reached the top of the tower, and I had to focus on steadying my breathing until my head stopped spinning.
Another knob-less door was at the top of the tower, and Chione used her snow goddess magic again to open it. We walked through, into a small, empty room—the only thing inside the room was a block of ice with the Golden Sword inside of it. The handle of the sword stuck out of the top, ready for us to grab it and see if we were the one s destined to pull it out. The bottom of the ice block was connected to the floor, which, like the rest of the palace, was also made of ice. Luckily the floors were covered with a layer of snow so we wouldn’t trip.
Clear windows—also made of ice—provided a 360-degree view of the continent. It was an endless plateau of snow. Other than the boxy buildings of the South Pole base station, there were no other landmarks in site. The only signs of life were the water horses lounging around the moat down below, catching fish from the water and eating them.
“I take it you didn’t climb all the way up here to enjoy the view,” Chione said, motioning to the sword. “Who’s going to try first?”
“I am.” Blake stepped forward, his gaze locked on Chione’s. If he was worried, he didn’t show it.
“The one with power over fire.” Chione nodded at him. “Interesting choice. Please, go ahead.”
He flicked on his lighter and created a fireball, balancing it in his left hand. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his other hand around the hilt of the sword. He lowered the fire until it was just above the ice, and the color of the flame went from red, to orange, to yellow, and finally, to blue.
He grew the fire until it was as wide as the block of ice itself and lowered it to touch the ice, but the ice refused to melt. He gripped the handle of the sword, his knuckles white with effort, his muscles tight as he strained to pull it out. It didn’t budge. He held his breath and tried again, but still, nothing happened. Finally, the fire in his hand snuffed out, and he screamed, letting go of the sword.
“It didn’t melt.” He glared at the ice, which was a
s frozen as ever. “How is that possible?”
“The spell placed on the ice by Aphrodite made it impervious to the elements,” Chione said. “As you just discovered.”
“You couldn’t have told us that before I tried for the sword?” he asked.
“You didn’t ask.” She smiled, not looking sorry in the slightest. “Now… who’s next?”
“I am,” Kate said, stepping forward to take Blake’s place in front of the sword.
“The descendent of Athena, trying for Athena’s Golden Sword.” Chione nodded. “Very logical.”
“How did you know that I’m a descendent of Athena?” Kate asked. “I never mentioned that.”
“I may only be a minor goddess, but I’m not completely out of the loop.” Chione laughed. “Now, please, go ahead. Your ancestor’s sword is waiting.”
Kate wrapped both of her hands around the hilt and pulled. Nothing happened. She pulled again, harder this time, grunting with the effort. The sword remained frozen in the block of ice. Finally, she pulled with the weight of her entire body, but despite her best effort, her hands slipped from the sword and she tumbled to the ground.
She sat up, pushed her hair off her face, and huffed. “So much for that theory,” she said, standing up and brushing the snow off her butt. “That sword was not coming out.”
“Which leaves your group with only one more chance to try.” Chione looked at each of us who remained. “Who will it be?”
My heart pounded, and I stared at the sword, not ready to step forward. It hadn’t come out for Blake or Kate. Why would it be any different for me?
Maybe there was some other answer—some other way to get the sword—that we weren’t seeing.
Or maybe I should try to believe in myself as much as the others believed in me. They’d chosen me to be the final one to try for the sword. Yes, I would let them down if I didn’t succeed, but I would let them down more if I didn’t even try.
“Me,” I said, stepping in front of the ice. “I’m the third one who’s trying for the sword.”
“The demigod herself,” Chione said. “I hoped you would give it a try.”
“Why?” I asked her. “Do you know which of us will get the sword? Do you even know if any of us will get the sword?”
“I do not,” she said. “Only the one who cast the spell knows that information. I simply hoped you would try because personally, I would find it silly not to select the one demigod in the group to give it a go. Now, don’t keep us waiting.” She looked at the sword, her eyes gleaming. “Unless you’re scared, of course? I can’t imagine the pressure you must be under right now. All of your friends, counting on you—”
“I’m not scared,” I said, quieting her immediately and reaching for the sword.
I wrapped both hands around it and pulled… but it was stuck. I adjusted my grip and widened my stance, but it still wouldn’t budge.
I wasn’t the one meant to pull out the sword. My heart dropped at the realization. Yes, I’d had my doubts, but I’d hoped they would be wrong. As I’d watched Blake and Kate try and fail, I’d thought it might be signs that they were right, and that I was the one meant to do this. Now I knew that wasn’t true.
I couldn’t look at any of them. I just hung my head and gave the sword another unsuccessful pull. It was pointless—it wasn’t going to move. But I kept my hands wrapped around it, not ready to let go. Letting go would mean admitting I’d failed. And I wasn’t ready to do that yet.
“There’s no point in using up your strength, dear,” Chione said. “You’re not the one destined for the sword.”
“No,” I said, hoping that she was wrong—that with enough determination, I could force the sword out of the ice. “That’s impossible. I have to be the one. I was our final chance.” I narrowed my eyes and pulled on the sword once more, my grip around the hilt so tight that my fingernails dug into my palms. A tear fell from my cheek and onto the block of ice—I hadn’t even realized I was crying until then. But as hard as I tried, nothing changed. The sword wasn’t coming out.
Unless a miracle happened to get us out of this, I’d sealed our fates for the next seven years. We would be trapped in this palace, frozen, with a slim chance of escape.
I pulled a hand off the Sword and wrapped my fingers around my pendant. If there was ever a time when I needed help from Apollo, it was now.
But no matter how many times I called for him, he didn’t come. Why did I keep trying? Clearly he didn’t care about me at all if he was going to leave me and my friends here to be ice slaves for the next seven years.
We would have to figure a way out of this ourselves. But how? Our weapons had been confiscated when we’d entered the palace. We had nothing here except for the sword, which was useless since it was trapped inside the ice. And as a goddess, Chione’s powers were far stronger than ours.
There was only one option—I had to get close enough to touch her without her suspecting anything. Then I could use black energy to kill her on the spot.
“Let go of the sword,” Chione commanded, her voice frostier than ever. “The five of you are going to have to come with me downstairs. Once the three who attempted for the sword are bound to me, you’ll be unable to use your powers until your seven years of service are complete.”
“You mean when your nymphs put those chains around our wrists and turn us into your ice slaves?” Blake asked, his eyes ablaze. “Never.”
“A deal is a deal,” Chione said. “You knew what the consequences would be if you tried for the sword and failed. You agreed to them. Now, you must pay the price.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You never told us that we wouldn’t be able to use our powers,” I said, trying—and failing—to swallow down my fear. I took a deep breath to steady myself, and loosened my grip on the sword to stop my hands from shaking. “We never agreed to that.”
“You never asked.” She shrugged, not looking sorry in the slightest. “But yes, that’s how it works. It wouldn’t do to have my slaves able to fight back, now would it?”
“You can’t do this,” Kate said, desperate now. “We’re the only hope this planet has to save the world from the Titans. Nyx told us herself. If you keep us here, you’re ruining our chance to stop this war.”
“I live in Antarctica,” Chione hissed, sending a wave of snow flurries up from the floor and around the room. “The forgotten continent. What happens in the rest of the world hardly concerns me. And the way I see it, if you were meant to stop this war, one of you would have freed the sword. But that didn’t happen. So clearly, you must not be as important as you claim you are. Now, you can either follow me downstairs like civilized little mortals, or I will force you down there myself. Your choice. But make your decision now—we don’t have all day.”
She was too far away for me to touch, and I eased my hands off from around the sword, hoping that slow movements wouldn’t startle her into using her powers on us. But then Danielle rushed forward and pushed me to the side, wrapping her hands around the sword and sliding it out of the block of ice.
“Wow,” she said, admiring the sword and raising it above her head. The sunlight streaming in from the windows glinted off the golden metal, reflecting around the room like a disco ball. “I didn’t think that would actually work.”
“Aphrodite was always so narcissistic.” Chione sneered. “It figures that she would choose one of her descendants to pull the sword out of the ice. However, I’m afraid you’re going to have to put it back.”
“Put it back?” Danielle held the sword closer. “Why on Earth would I do that?”
“Because you violated the terms of our agreement,” she said. “Three of you were allowed to try for the sword. Three, not four. If you were one of the original three who had tried for the sword, you would be walking through that portal to go home this very moment. But that’s not the case. You may try again for the sword once your seven years are up. For now, you must put it back and come downstairs with me.”
> “I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible.” And then, swifter than water, Danielle leapt for Chione and swung the sword through her stomach, slicing the snow goddess cleanly in half. Both halves thumped to the ground, Chione’s eyes staring blankly up at the sky. No blood came out of her body, as if her insides were made of ice itself.
“Did you just kill a goddess?” I asked, glancing back up at Danielle. “I thought they were supposed to be immortal.”
“I thought so, too.” Danielle held the sword in front of her, studying it as if she was just realizing the enormity of what she’d done. “It sliced through her so easily that I could barely feel any give.”
All was still as we looked upon the sections of Chione’s body. Had we really killed her? I thought so… but then both of the pieces rattled, and they slithered together to meet up at the seams. They started to stich together, and Chione’s eyes blinked, her mouth twitching as she came to.
She sat up, but before she had a chance to speak, Danielle was standing over her with the sword raised like the Grim Reaper himself, and she sliced Chione’s head clean off her shoulders.
“Throw it down the steps,” she instructed, pointing the sword at Chione’s head. “It’ll take more time for the pieces to find their way back to each other if they’re farther apart, and by then, we better be long gone from this place.”
We all stared at the head—I imagined that none of us wanted to be the one to touch it. But then Blake stepped forward, grabbed it by the hair, and threw it down the center of the winding stairwell. It hit the railing a few times on its way down, clunking when it hit the bottom.
“Done,” he said, stepping away from the door. “Now, what’s the plan for getting out of here?”
“We can’t leave the way we came,” Kate said. “The ice nymphs are waiting for us downstairs, and we can’t risk them getting those cuffs around our wrists. Which gives us only one option.” She looked at Chris, her mouth set in determination. “We’ll have to jump. Can you fly us all down from here?”
Elementals 3: The Head of Medusa Page 8