“What on earth was that about?” Zeus wondered aloud, exchanging confused glances with a blushing Alec.
“Nothing,” I lied, quickly deciding that if the Oracle hadn’t told them about the last part of the prophecy, they didn’t need to know. Plus, I had been keeping the big secret for six years already, so why stop now? They didn’t need yet another thing to worry about, anyway. Even though the Oracle’s prophecy wasn’t clear about whose fate would actually be deadly, I was already 98 percent sure. Many years earlier, I had chosen not to reveal my theories to anyone, not even to these pages, for the certainty that my speculations were, indeed, correct would have caused even more chaos than there already was at that point. I will readily admit, however, that sometimes, carrying the great burden of knowledge alone really sucked, even if I knew it was for the best.
“Let’s keep going.”
Chapter 6
THE CENTAURS
When Alec, Zeus, and I reached the army camp about fifteen minutes after running into Eros, not many people were still awake, but it was past ten o’clock, after all. The few satyrs and nymphs that were milling about gave us short nods as we passed by, though they didn’t say anything. Unbothered, Zeus and I slowly walked Alec into one of the large tents that was filled with cots and carefully set him down on an empty one in the corner. I did a quick scan of Alec’s bandages to make sure they were clean enough for the night before turning back around to face Zeus.
Zeus yawned, stretching out his arms. “I don’t know about you, but I’m way too tired to walk all the way back home. We probably wouldn’t get there until almost midnight, anyway,” he said, hinting at the fact that he wanted to spend the night at the camp. I nodded in agreement and he continued, “I’m going to talk to Pan real quick. I think I saw him around here somewhere . . .”
With that, Zeus excused himself and quietly walked outside, careful not to disturb any of the other sleeping soldiers. I sighed and looked back down at Alec, who was trying to hide the pain he was in with the phoniest smile I had ever seen on his handsome face. I rolled my eyes at him and murmured, “You should get some rest.”
“Fine. But you’re staying here for the night, right?” he clarified, his voice hopeful.
I elected not to answer his rhetorical question as my mind abruptly flashed back to Eros and the whole prophecy. It was silent in the tent for a moment as I chewed on my lip thoughtfully, running my fingers through my long, dark hair. Alec narrowed his eyes, wondering what I was thinking about, and stealthily slid his hand over mine in an effort to comfort me somehow, but I moved mine away from his and back into my lap, nervously avoiding his enchanting gaze. I knew now that trying to fight the prophecy was useless, but I also knew what terrible things the future held, and it would have been cruel to give Alec false hope of any kind. As so many Greek heroes of old proved, the Fates must always get their way.
“Back when you were down in Hades . . . you shouldn’t have declared war, Alec,” I whispered solemnly, closing my eyes and lowering my head.
Taking offense at my comment, Alec tensed up immediately. He frowned, tightening his grip on the edge of the cot, and argued fiercely, “Maybe you should have tried harder to stop me. Given me a sign or something like that.”
I just sighed. “I should have done a lot of things. But it’s too late now.”
At this, Alec backed off a bit. He narrowed his eyes, studying me a little closer than before, though I only frowned at my shoes in silence. He probably sensed that I was angrier with myself than with him, and I hoped he knew that would always be the case.
Alec just gulped, scratching his head a bit guiltily. “Do you think that was the only reason the Oracle sent me the vision that led me here? To start the war?”
I bit my lip, wishing yet again that I could tell him about the second part of the prophecy. But all I could do was shake my head and tell him honestly, “I don’t think what you were meant to do matters as much as what you make of the whole situation. Look at it this way: You became a hero and befriended the gods. Not much compares with that.”
I must have said the right thing because the young hero smiled weakly and nudged me in the side with his elbow. I, however, simply stood up, ready to go to bed on my own cot, though his sigh, a mixture of happiness and longing, stopped me in my tracks.
As if from an outside perspective, I heard the sound of my own voice cut through the sound of snoring soldiers and ask, “Alec, why do you love me?” Even though I was pretty sure I already knew the reason, part of me must have wanted to hear it straight from him.
Alec took a deep breath and his blue eyes met my gray ones uncertainly, knowing full well that love is mostly irrational and, therefore, my question was kind of pointless. His fake smile had long since vanished, and he was no longer trying to hide the pain his arm was causing. When he still didn’t say anything, I just sighed. “You know I could never give you everything you would want,” I told him seriously, taking a seat on the dark green cot next to him.
“Maybe not, but you’ve given me everything I’ve ever needed. And that’s all that matters,” he argued, shaking his head. He watched silently as I put my head in my hands, and continued in a softer tone, “You really don’t see it, do you?”
I glanced at him quizzically. “Alec,” I began, but was interrupted.
“Athena, listen. Before I came to the Woods, I was just a rebel, too smart for my own good and hating everything about my life. But when I met you and the rest of the gods, I suddenly had something to live for, and life was actually pretty fun—you know, our endless rounds of reverse hide-and-seek, watching the stars from up on your roof, and even fighting monsters. Plus, I like a girl who will hit back,” Alec stated, the corners of his mouth turning slightly upward. “So, I’m not going to let you sit here and feel sorry for me, yourself, or for anybody else because there’s no place I would rather be.”
I lay down on my own cot. “I just . . . I just wish the war could have been prevented somehow. If only we could have had more time to figure out what this is between the two of us.”
Alec put his hand on my shoulder for a minute then told me brightly, “I promise we’re going to win this war, Athena. But we’re going to need to get some sleep first.”
I smiled weakly, my mind still on the prophecy, then bid Alec goodnight. I fell asleep almost immediately on the cot between his and Zeus’s, still wearing all of my armor. Strangely enough, I slept better on that old, worn-out cot in the army camp than I had in a long time on my own bed at home. Needless to say, Hades did not enter my dreams that night.
The next morning, Zeus shook me awake and I bolted upright. “What happened?” I demanded, immediately expecting the worst.
Zeus rolled his eyes. “Poseidon and Apollo just arrived. We’re going to leave in a few minutes to find the centaurs,” he explained as we walked out of the tent together. Since it was always pretty dark under the thick cover of trees, I had to check my watch to pinpoint the exact time, which was ten in the morning— much later than I usually woke up. Most of the nymphs, satyrs, and Knowing Warriors were already up and about, wandering around the small camp and trying to figure out their orders for the day.
Zeus and I met Poseidon, Apollo, Pan, and Alec by the giant map of the woods. They too were already dressed in their battle armor and looked ready to go. “Morning, sleepyhead,” Apollo greeted me, holding out a wooden bowl full of berries. I smiled and grabbed some, realizing that the berries might be the only food I was going to get all day.
“So, what is everyone else doing while the Monster Watch is with the centaurs?” I asked no one in particular, glancing at all the little figurines of gods and mythical creatures set up at various points on the map.
“One of the other satyrs went out on a scouting trip early this morning and spotted a huge troop of undead warriors by the meadow,” Pan said, pointing to a miniature undead warrior that was standing on the tiny oval meadow drawn on the map. “Alec, Ares, and Hera are going to take so
me of our own over there to face them a little later.”
“We’ll plan the rest of the day by ear,” Zeus added. “Is everyone ready to go?”
Poseidon and Apollo nodded, grabbed their weapons, then followed Zeus out toward the edge of the busy camp. “I’ll be right there,” I shouted after them before turning to face Alec.
“What’s wrong?” Alec asked me cautiously, crossing his arms.
“Nothing, really. I just want to make sure you’re still prepared for anything that might happen and that you’ll keep your hero vows, no matter what,” I said, looking him in the eye.
Alec nodded and whispered, “Athena, I’ve already told you that I would give my life for you and the rest of the gods any day.”
I sighed. “I know that, and thank you. But what I’m worried about is whether you would still sacrifice others, no matter who or how many it may be. And not just to protect the gods, but to protect the entire world before anything else, before me.”
Alec gulped, glancing around the camp at the people around him that he might lose or have to sacrifice in the war. Even though he wasn’t close friends with many of them and probably hated quite a few of them, it was still the hardest question to answer. I knew that possibly being considered a murderer was not on Alec’s original agenda when he first met the rest of the gods and me, but I hoped he understood the gravity of what he was agreeing to.
When he finally spoke, he answered me boldly, “I made those promises when I became a hero, and I intend to keep them. I’ll be honest in saying I’m slightly offended that you felt like you had to ask.”
I smirked at his courage but apologized—something I didn’t do very often. I suppose I cared about him a little too much, and although I knew that was very dangerous, I was never one to let fear rule my life, as you can probably tell.
“Sorry, I just had to make sure,” I said, glancing down at the grass awkwardly.
We were then interrupted by Zeus’s anxious call. “Athena, hurry up!” I turned my head to see him beckoning to me, twirling around a small, bright lightning bolt in his hand impatiently. A white-hot spark suddenly jumped toward the wooden recurve bow Apollo was holding and Apollo had to quickly jerk it away to keep it from being set on fire. Zeus and Poseidon just laughed at him.
“You should probably go before Zeus accidentally electrocutes someone,” Alec whispered with a sigh, reluctantly bidding me farewell. “Good luck.”
Noticing his forlorn look, I decided to give him one last piece of advice. “Before I go, Alec, I want you to remember something for me,” I told him, and he nodded slowly. “No matter what happens, it’s always better to die a hero than a monster. So please, don’t ever let your feelings, this war, or anything else turn you into a monster. The world has plenty of those already.”
Me included, I wanted to add, but didn’t.
Alec smirked in an effort to lighten the mood. “How long have you been waiting to use that line? Those are pretty wise words coming from someone so young.”
“I haven’t felt young in many years and you know it,” I reminded him, rolling my eyes. He laughed and I gave him a soft punch on the shoulder before I grabbed my silver shield and spear from under the mahogany table. “Don’t die while I’m gone, all right?”
“I’ll try not to,” Alec promised, and then I ran to catch up with the rest of the Monster Watch without looking back.
Poseidon, Zeus, Apollo, and I stopped at the edge of the river, glancing to the right and left, looking for a good place to cross. No one in the forest had ever bothered to build a bridge since everyone was usually able to hop across on the rocks. However, due to the recent storms that Zeus had caused during the war, the water level was much higher than usual and there was no way to cross the river without the danger of slipping on a wet rock and possibly cracking our heads open.
Seemingly unfazed, Poseidon stepped out in front of us and the water slapped at his feet as he took a deep breath. Exhaling, he slammed the butt end of his golden trident onto one of the gray river stones in front of him and the water immediately parted, leaving a rocky but dry path in between the two walls of murky liquid. As soon as we stepped onto the muddy riverbank on the other side, the water splashed down behind us in a huge wave then settled slightly, continuing to flow as if nothing had disturbed it.
With a sigh, I took one last glance behind me at the camouflaged camp across the river. Alec waved at us, and then we quietly disappeared into the trees, heading northwest. I couldn’t help but worry that that might be the last time I would ever see my little hero.
Let’s just say it was lucky that I had a photographic memory, since it came with knowing everything. If I had let any of the bickering boys lead the way, we probably would have ended up right back where we started. However, it had been eight years since we had crossed the river and found the centaurs and even though I knew exactly where we were heading, we were still taking a while because so many new trees and mazes of foliage had grown over our old paths.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Apollo asked me as he lazily plucked at the tight string on his bow.
“Yes,” I responded with an aggravated sigh, pushing a large branch out of my way. “This is the fifth time you’ve asked me that question!”
With a mischievous smile, Poseidon bounded up beside me and whispered into my ear so the others couldn’t hear him taunt, “I think the real question is whether or not you’re sure that you don’t love Alec.”
I whipped my head around, shooting Poseidon a quick glare with my stone cold eyes. Forcefully, I slammed my round shield with a golden picture of the head of Medusa into Poseidon’s armored chest, knocking him backward into Apollo and Zeus before the lord of the sea could even begin to comprehend what was happening. “Shut up,” I growled with a smirk, seeing that I had successfully wiped the wicked, arrogant grin off Poseidon’s face for the time being.
But Poseidon just rolled his sea-colored eyes and continued to speak, this time so everyone could hear, “So, I’ve been thinking—” He never got to finish his sentence, however, because just then, the whole sleeve of his blue sweatshirt got caught on a bush full of thorns. “Ow!” he exclaimed loudly and followed up with a long string of curse words.
“Are you trying to attract all of the monsters within hearing range?” Zeus hissed quietly, glancing around for any sign of a mythical creature. But Poseidon didn’t answer, for he was busy struggling to pick out each tiny thorn from his sleeve.
“I think we’re okay. Hopefully all the monsters are at the battle by the small meadow,” Apollo said. “Let’s just keep going.”
“Wait,” I whispered, holding up one hand as I studied the bush a little more closely. Noticing the way that the thorns spiraled out from the thick center in a distinct pattern, I grinned. “This is it.” Then I used my metal spear to hack at the branches, trying to clear a path for us that was free of the prickly thorns. Poseidon joined in with his shiny trident and within a few seconds, a little bit of sunlight was shining through large holes in the shrubbery.
The four of us squinted as we stepped out of the darkness under the trees and into the light of an early afternoon in centaur territory, though it was still quite cloudy. I grinned again as the brilliant purples, blues, reds, and yellows of thousands of wildflowers filled my vision, and I began to wonder why the Monster Watch had never thought to come back to the secret meadow earlier. Although our own meadow was nice, it was mostly long grass with a few scattered groups of daisies, more like a field than a garden.
I was just beginning to think that there was a major gap in the centaurs’ lookout patrols when a group of five half-men, half-horses burst out into the open from across the meadow, galloping straight toward us with bows and arrows at the ready. Simultaneously, the other gods and I dropped our weapons and threw our hands into the air; we knew exactly how hostile and trigger-happy centaurs could be.
“We come in peace!” Zeus shouted loudly, assuring the centaurs that we were
not their enemies. Really, they should have been able to tell who we were by the famous weapons we had been holding, if not by sensing our auras of power.
Thankfully, the centaurs slowed to a stop in front of us and did not shoot, though they did not actually lower their weapons. “Who are you and what is your reason for being here?” asked a palomino centaur with blond hair and blue eyes. I decided that he looked about thirty years old and guessed that he was the leader of the little group. But before Zeus could respond, another centaur cut in with an exasperated sigh, “I knew you four were trouble.”
Surprised, the Monster Watch turned to face the speaker, a centaur with fur as dark as night and eyes as bright as the sun. I instantly recognized him as one of the centaurs we had met on our first trip to the meadow, although his pale face looked much more weathered now. The palomino centaur shot him a quizzical glance then looked back to us for an explanation.
“I am Lord Zeus,” Zeus proclaimed then pointed to the rest of us in turn. “This is Lord Poseidon, Lord Apollo, and Lady Athena. We have come to you to seek assistance in the war, which I am assuming you already know about.”
The palomino centaur bowed his blond head out of respect and the other four centaurs followed suit. “I offer my deepest apologies. We did not realize,” he said. “I will gladly offer you any amount of help you may need, though I do not know much about this so-called war you speak of. It does, however, explain the nasty weather and the extra trouble we’ve been having with monsters these past couple of weeks. A few of our own have been lost, unfortunately. Call me Sunny, by the way.”
“Of course, Sunny,” Zeus began as we picked our weapons up off the ground. “It appears that Lord Hades is trying to take over the world, as if the Underworld isn’t enough for him anymore. He is offended by our having ignored him for many years. We thought we would be able to convince him otherwise, but he is impossible to find with his helm of invisibility on and it seems as if he sends out more and more troops of undead warriors every hour. It will only be so long before they begin to raid the town or something else along those lines.”
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