by Linsey Hall
“I’m going to need more than that.”
Maximus conjured a few in his hands, and the golden cakes gleamed inside their wrappers. “We’ll make it worth your while.”
Nestor’s tongue snuck out to lick his lips. “All my magic, and I still can’t get my flippers on Twinkies unless some human gives them to me.”
“That’s why you’re lucky to have me,” Nix said. “Along with my winning personality and loyal friendship, I keep you stocked in Twinkies.”
Nestor inclined his head. “You have been good to me, Phoenix Knight. For you, I will help these humans.”
Maximus tore the wrapping off one and tossed the cake into the air. The turtle lunged out of the water as if he were a great white shark, snagging the Twinkie and then splashing back into the water. I lunged backward, avoiding the spray.
Nestor surfaced a moment later, a contented grin on his face. “I will lead you to the tunnel, but I warn you—it will be dangerous.”
“Always is,” I said. “But if you can get us into the fortress, we’ll pay you handsomely.”
Nix pointed into the distance. “Your submersible is almost here.”
I turned to look, and spotted the top of the vessel chugging through the water. Caro pulled it up alongside the dock, and the top hatch popped open a few moments later.
Caro emerged from the hatch, a big grin on her face. “Ready to go?”
“We’ve got our guide.” I pointed to Nestor. “That’s Nestor.”
He bobbed his head.
“Hey, I’m Caro. Good to meet you.” Caro grinned at him, then disappeared back into the boat.
I let everyone else climb in first, and turned to Nix. “Thanks again.”
“You can do this, Rowan. I know you can.” She reached out and squeezed my arm. “Call on us if you need help.”
“We will.”
I followed my friends into the cramped confines of the submersible, squeezing onto a tiny U-shaped bench that sat in front of a domed window. I sat between Maximus and Bree. All six of us were pressed in like sardines, but at least we had a good view. Nestor flitted around in front of the viewing window, doing loops and showing off. After a moment, I realized that he was spelling a word with his movements.
“Twinkies,” Maximus murmured. “That’s what he’s spelling.”
Everyone laughed.
“We’d better be prepared to pay up with those Twinkies, then,” Bree said.
“Everyone ready?” Caro asked. She was situated behind a control panel, with a headset over her bright hair.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
As the submersible sank below the surface, the water grew darker.
“Lights on.” Caro flipped a switch that made two massive beams of light cut through the water.
I gripped Maximus’s hand, remembering the attack by the hydra in the lake. There were no hydras in the ocean, though, right? Nestor swam in front of us, leading us through the dark sea. Occasionally, a school of fish would flit by.
“Anyone else feeling a bit claustrophobic?” Bree’s face was pale.
“Just a bit,” I said. “You’re probably too used to flying through the wide-open sky.”
“You’re in good hands with old Bessie here.” Caro patted the complicated dash in front of her.
“Bessie?” Maximus asked. “You’ve named your high-powered submarine after a cow?”
“Well, she’s reliable,” Caro said.
“That’s pretty much the most important quality I can imagine for an underwater death machine,” Maximus said.
Caro chuckled.
“Nestor’s turning.” Cade pointed to the turtle, who was quickly adjusting his trajectory toward the left. Cade tilted his head to look toward the right. “But what’s that?”
I blinked, using my extreme vision from Artemis. “Oh crap. It’s a great white shark.”
The thing had to be twenty-five feet long. Maybe thirty. Way bigger than a normal shark. A megalodon?
But weren’t those extinct?
Whatever it was, the giant shark was headed right toward our turtle friend. Nestor might be big, but he was no match for a shark like that. My heart pitched.
If we didn’t do something, we’d watch Nestor meet a grisly end.
Chapter Fourteen
“What are we going to do?” Caro asked. “This thing doesn’t have weapons. And we’re three hundred feet deep.”
Nestor was swimming in a frantic pattern now, trying to evade the shark.
I stared hard at the shark, trying to get a feel for his life force. If I could just use my gift from Artemis…
I closed my eyes and focused on the beast, trying to separate my consciousness from my body and send it to the shark. It took a moment, perhaps because he was cold-blooded. Or maybe because of the water.
Tension sweat dripped down my spine as I tried, until finally, I could see through the shark’s eyes.
Whoa.
This looked different. The water was another shade of blue, and I could almost predict where Nestor was going to swim. Worse, I could feel the shark’s ravenous desire to eat Nestor. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but he loved turtles. Something about the crunchy shell.
Jerk.
Hey! Don’t eat that turtle.
The shark’s mind jolted. He sensed me within him, but didn’t quite know what to make of it.
He resisted the suggestion, swimming faster for Nestor. Panic fluttered at the edges of my mind. This shark wouldn’t agree out of the goodness of his heart. He was a predator and Nestor was prey. He didn’t feel bad about eating his dinner. Second dinner, in this case, since he definitely didn’t feel hungry.
My mind raced for a solution. Just think, damn it.
He’s poison, I said. Look how big he is. Totally not natural. Full of growth hormones. It’ll give you terrible diarrhea.
Did sharks get diarrhea?
I could feel the shark’s revulsion. So yeah, it seemed like they did. And this guy did not like it. He kept swimming, though, determined.
It’ll be the worst. You’ll probably end up pooping yourself in front of a lady shark.
That did it. I could feel the shark’s horror at the idea. Apparently he had a lady he liked, and he did not want to get sick off of turtle in front of her.
The shark turned in an abrupt 180 and started to speed off. He was so fast that it threw my mind into a tailspin.
Where was my body?
I’d lost track of it. The shark was too fast.
Fear exploded within my mind. For the briefest moment, it nearly overtook me. Forcefully, I shoved it back. No way I was going to be hitching a ride with this shark forever.
I calmed my mind and reached out for my body, using my gift over the sea to help locate it. Once I found the submersible—which was really easy to find, given how much it disrupted the ocean—it was easy to find my body.
When I returned, I gasped, opening my eyes.
“What the heck was that?” Ana asked.
“My Artemis power is evolving,” I said. “I basically mind-controlled the shark.”
“Wow, awesome.” She grinned, then pointed to Nestor. “He appreciates it.”
The turtle gave us a quick wave with his fin, then kept swimming. My heart thundered as I watched him, and I took slow breaths to calm myself.
Deeper and deeper we went, until the water began to shimmer weirdly.
“What’s that?” Cade asked.
The submersible shook and dropped, the current sucking us down. In front of us, Nestor flailed, his fins whirling as he tried to fight the current.
“Where’s that coming from?” Bree’s voice was high-pitched, one of the few times I’d heard her sound afraid.
My stomach lurched as the sub plunged through the water, going deeper and deeper, out of control.
“I have no idea.” Caro’s voice was tense. “But the sub is underpowered. It can’t fight this.”
We had to control the water, but I wasn’t s
trong enough alone. Not for this.
I looked at Ana and Bree. “Together?”
“Gotta try,” Bree said.
All three of us had some kind of control over water. Bree had gotten her gift from a Norse water god, whereas Ana had power over the elements. I reached for their hands, gripping them tight, then used my gift.
The power of the ocean slapped into me, tearing a gasp from my throat. The current was so strong that I could feel it inside myself. Whether it was natural or magical, I couldn’t tell. But it was insanely strong.
I fought it, trying to calm the ocean. At first, nothing happened. Both of my sisters looked tense and pale. I could feel their magic in the air as they tried to slow the flow of the current.
My muscles ached and my mind felt sluggish as I gave it everything I had. Long seconds passed, and sweat dripped down my spine. Ana and Bree gripped my hands tightly.
The first clue that it was working came when Nestor slowed his frantically spinning fins.
“I think you’re getting it,” Caro said, her voice strained.
My magic joined with my sisters, and we forced the ocean to stop dragging us into the depths. I was so grateful to have them here with me, all three of us working together. Without them, I’d never have stood a chance.
“We’re good,” Caro said. “I’ve got control again.”
“Nestor looks better,” Maximus said.
I sagged against him, but didn’t dare let go of my control over the water. I could still feel it pulling against me, wanting to drag us down.
As Caro steered us through the ocean, following Nestor closely, my sisters and I kept the water calm. When the submersible’s lights finally shined on a massive rock wall, gratitude welled within me.
We’d found the island.
“Thank fates,” Bree said.
“There, ahead.” Cade pointed to the far right of the window.
I leaned over to get a good view, finally spotting a dark hole in the huge rock wall. Nestor seemed to spot it at that moment, too, and he careened for it.
He led us into the dark passage, and Caro expertly steered the vehicle through a tunnel that was covered in incredible rock formations. I let go of my control of the sea—there was no current in here—and dropped my sisters’ hands. We shared a grin.
Slowly, Caro drove us through the tunnel. I couldn’t help the sense of awe that filled me as we powered through the passage. When it made an abrupt upward turn, Caro expertly changed our course.
Nestor swam up through the tunnel, leading us toward the Titans. As we rose, the water became darker. Almost as if it were polluted.
“The Titans’ dark magic,” Maximus said.
I shuddered as it seeped into the sub, making the air stink of rot and decay. Without thinking, I gripped Maximus’s hand. It seemed that I was doing that a lot these days—reaching for him for comfort.
When the submersible popped up into a darkened cavern, Caro announced, “We’re here.”
I scrambled to the hatch, then popped the locks and pushed it open. Carefully, I tested the air. It was stale and humid, but breathable. Green light glowed from the ceiling, illuminating the large cavern that was filled with dark water. On one side, there was a ledge. I squinted up at the green light, using Artemis’s gift. It looked like some kind of plant life.
“How’s it up there?” Caro asked.
“Fine. There’s a ledge we can jump out at.”
“Roger.” She steered the sub toward the ledge.
The vehicle stopped, and I climbed out onto the rock, my friends joining me. Caro followed last and tied the sub off to a little rock outcropping.
I looked around the room. “There’s no exit from here that I can see. No wonder she said it’d be hard to reach the Titans.”
“I’m going to do some recon higher up in the cavern.” Bree’s silver wings flared from her back, and she took off into the air.
I turned around to see Nestor floating in the water, staring at us. His emerald eyes blazed through the dark. I grinned at him. “Thanks for the help.”
He bobbed his head. “Pay up.”
I laughed and strode to him. It didn’t take long to hop into the sub and grab the bag of Twinkies. As Bree flew around the top of the cavern looking for an exit, I handed the Twinkies out to my friends.
Cellophane wrapping crinkled as they unwrapped the cakes, and one by one, we threw them into Nestor’s mouth. He leapt into the air, snagging them with delicate accuracy.
He looked so happy that my heart warmed.
I glanced at Maximus. “Saving the world can be fun.”
He grinned and threw a cake. “Nestor’s a good one.”
In total, we probably fed him about thirty Twinkies, and by the time he was done, he had a blissed-out expression on his face. I waved at him as he left.
“Hey, guys?” Bree shouted from the ceiling. “I’ve found our exit, but you’re not going to like it.”
Chapter Fifteen
Bree landed gracefully in front of us, folding her silver wings into her back.
“Well, what does the exit look like?” I asked.
“It’s maybe an exit. I couldn’t see where the thing goes. It’s basically a rocky tunnel that leads straight upward, so we’ll have to wedge ourselves in and climb. If we fall, though…”
“Splat.” Ana grimaced. “I freaking hate heights.”
“But it’s the only way out of here that isn’t underwater, correct?” Maximus said.
“Exactly.”
“Then we have to try it,” Ana said.
I nodded, feeling for her. She really hated heights.
“I’ll stay with the sub as planned,” Caro said.
“Thanks.” Just in case we needed an escape route, we couldn’t lose the sub. If someone showed up down here, Caro would have to fight them off.
Maximus looked up toward the ceiling. “How will we get up there?”
“I’m strong enough to carry Rowan up,” Bree said. “But for you guys, I think Ana and I might tag team it.”
“In a pinch, I could manage alone,” Ana said. “But you’re all so damned heavy.”
Lachlan grinned and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Here.” Maximus’s magic swelled as he conjured sets of climbing gear, just like the ones we’d used back at Atlas’s fortress. He gave a quick demonstration.
“Safety first.” I grinned as I took the harness and equipment. “I’ll go first.”
Bree held out her hand, and I grabbed it. She pushed off into the air, silver wings carrying us high. My stomach pitched as my feet dangled, and I squeezed my eyes shut for just a second.
“Nearly there,” Bree said.
I opened them and looked down. My friends appeared tiny. Maximus stared up at me, his brow furrowed. The others looked up, too, though Caro sat on the ledge talking to Nestor.
“Okay, you’ll have to grab that rock outcropping,” Bree said.
We were all the way up amongst the strange rock formations on the ceiling. I could see straight up into a dark crevice that glowed with green light from the same stuff that clung to the main cavern walls.
Bree carried me toward a protrusion of rock near the vertical tunnel, and I grabbed on with my free hand. “I’ll let go of your other hand, then give your butt a boost.”
Since pulling myself up into the tunnel would be the equivalent of a pull-up, I wouldn’t say no to that. She let go of my other hand near the same ledge, and I grabbed on. Then she shoved on my butt, and I hauled myself up into the tunnel, wedging myself in the narrow rocky space.
“I’ve got it!” I said. “You can get the others.”
“Be back soon.”
I climbed a little farther into the tunnel, hammering in the first spike and hooking off my rope. My friends could hook off to the same safety spots, and if we fell, we’d hopefully avoid the splat that Ana had predicted. Safely attached to the wall, I peered down. Ana had shifted into her giant crow form an
d was helping Bree carry Maximus up. Her dark feathers gleamed under the glowing green light that filled the cavern. Maximus had grabbed onto one of Ana’s talons, and his other hand was gripped in Bree’s. He wore the harness with the rope coiled at his waist.
I grinned. “Good teamwork, guys!”
“Thanks, Coach!” Bree said.
They got Maximus close enough to grab the rock, and he hauled himself up into the tunnel behind me. He didn’t need a butt boost. Probably because he looked like he did pull-ups all day long.
“We’re going to get started,” I said to my sisters, who were headed back down.
“See you up there,” Bree said.
I began to climb through the tunnel, my hands slipping on the slimy green plant that glowed with a strange light. Maximus kept pace behind me. At one point, I nearly slipped, but he reached up and stopped me, pressing one big hand firmly to my butt.
“Thanks.” Despite the chilly sweat that formed on my skin as I climbed, his touch warmed me. Every ten feet or so, I hammered in more of the safety spikes.
“Any time.”
I glanced down to see Ana, Bree, Lachlan, and Cade following us in a line. The tunnel was so narrow that I could only spot parts of them at any one time, but they were all here.
By the time I reached another large room, I was panting. I scrambled out of the tunnel and onto a stone-paved floor, unhooking my harness and ropes. There was no glowing green plant life, so I shook my hand to ignite my lightstone ring. It gleamed golden, and I scanned the space, making sure we were alone. We were, thank fates.
I stood and inspected the large room more closely, looking for an exit. No luck. Just one humongous rock against the wall. Otherwise, it was totally empty.
Maximus climbed out of the tunnel behind me, and I turned to look at him. Grooves were carved in the stone ground leading toward the hole from which we’d climbed. The rest of the team climbed out.
“I think we just climbed through a drain.” But for what? There was no water in here.
“This space is no longer used though. And since there are no doors…” He walked to an enormous stone boulder as the others climbed out of the drain. “I think this is the exit.”