“Help me,” the flowing voice of the beautiful Aphrodite made its way to me once again through the lonely darkness, like it had in my dream, as another warning of things to come—that is, if something bad hadn’t happened already.
All I could think was that I knew I should’ve left that damn camp sooner.
Chapter 18:
COUNTDOWN
It was still dark in my head, but I slowly started to regain feeling in my limbs, and the first things I felt were my arms tingling from the warm touch I knew immediately was Alec’s. My heart started to race as I concentrated, trying desperately to hear and see the world again.
“What did you do to her?” I heard Alec hiss angrily, probably directing the accusation at the untrustworthy Jason. As my eyes struggled to flutter open and color returned in place of the blackness, I just barely managed to channel enough energy to squeeze Alec’s hand to let him know I was fine, and he instantly returned his focus to me.
His blue eyes lit up as they met mine, but his eyebrows were still knit together with worry as he carefully helped me sit up on the grass, keeping his arms around mine for protection. I stiffened, knowing that letting him get that close to me was a bad idea in the long run. At least leaving the camp would allow me to put some distance between us, and hopefully some of our problems.
Finally, Jason seemed to wake up from his bewildered trance, and he ordered to no one in particular, “Get her a drink.” Then he asked, “Are you okay, my lady? What happened?”
Alec shot him an annoyed glance and looked back to me before I answered quietly, “I have to go now. Honestly, I should have left sooner.”
Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise and smoothed down his light brown hair, which he had been pulling at in anguish, before protesting, “But you just passed out! Surely you need to rest?”
Alec glared coldly at Jason and said curtly, “If she says she has to go now, then she goes now.” Unlike Jason, Alec knew better than to argue with me at a time like this … well, at any time, actually.
Brushing a few pieces of grass off my white tank top, Alec leaned down toward me and asked again, “What really happened?”
I sighed and whispered into his ear so no one else could overhear; I didn’t want to worry the Knowing people any more than I already had. “Aphrodite” was my one-word explanation, but Alec nodded in understanding because I had told him about my dream early that morning.
Jason gave the two of us a confused look, as if he wanted to know what was going on as well, but he didn’t get the chance to press it because Jan returned, holding a glass of lemonade with ice. She carefully pushed Clara, who had been clinging fearfully onto Jason’s arm, out of the way and handed the glass to Jason, who then gave it to me. Slowly, I took a sip, but started coughing in shock over the taste. The surprised Alec quickly sat me up straighter and started to rub my back, trying to end my little coughing fit. He glanced at me with a questioning look, but instead of a spoken answer, I handed him the lemonade. Alec raised one eyebrow at me, and I just nodded.
The people who were crowded around us only gasped in shock as Alec shrugged and took a huge sip of lemonade from the tall glass. I knew what they were thinking. What just happened? Did Alec really just drink from the same cup as a goddess? Is that even allowed?
But really, it didn’t matter what they thought.
After swallowing the light yellow lemonade, Alec made a very unpleasant face. Looking terrified, Jason sputtered worriedly, “Is something wrong with the lemonade?”
“It tastes terrible,” Alec said, shoving the glass back into Jason’s hands.
Jason’s face turned as white as a sheet of paper in horror and embarrassment. “But,” he started, “it just came from the regular batch of lemonade. What could be wrong with it?”
Alec and I glanced at each other sheepishly. Because truthfully, there was nothing really wrong with it; both of us knew that. But when you’re used to enjoying the very best lemonade in the world, lemonade-flavored powder mixed with water just can’t compare, and it comes as quite a shock when you’re not expecting it.
“Uh, never mind,” Alec responded quickly, realizing that right then was not a good time to be picky. “Just get some horses ready. I will be escorting Lady Athena to the bus stop.”
Jason nodded obediently, though he still looked quite confused about the glass of lemonade in his hand. Meanwhile, Alec helped me up and walked with me to the little tent where I had stayed the night. I quickly collected in my backpack all of my belongings, which wasn’t much—only my clothes and money. I made sure that I had the rock-sword in my pocket and that my pocketknife was still safely hidden in my leather boot. Finally, I slung the black backpack over one shoulder and nodded to Alec, who then turned around and walked out toward the large horse corral, where almost everyone in the Knowing camp was gathered, eager to say goodbye to their lovely goddess.
Jason emerged from the crowd leading two medium-sized horses toward us, one black and one a silvery gray. “Here you go, my lady,” Jason said as he handed me the reins of the gray horse and gave the black horse to Alec.
I gave Jason a quick thank-you and carefully mounted my horse as I prayed in a quiet mutter, “Poseidon, please make these horses behave.” Beside me, Alec did the same. I did know how to ride adequately (every once in a while Zeus took me with him to fly through the puffy clouds with Pegasus), but horses just weren’t my favorite creatures. After all, they were Poseidon’s sacred animals, not mine.
“I am also sending Nicholas along with you, for extra protection,” Jason added, and I nodded because it really was a good idea, although Alec didn’t look very happy about it. Shrugging, I turned around to see Nicholas sitting atop a huge flame-colored stallion.
Suddenly, I heard a loud wail from the mass of people, and Alec’s little cousin, Anna, burst out of the crowd and started tugging at Alec’s leg from down on the ground. Alec blushed, obviously embarrassed, and whispered to her ungratefully, “I’m coming back, you know.” Anna just looked up at him with her big brown eyes and then glared at me like this whole thing was my fault, which I guess it was, in a way. Anna was about to say something, but Clara pulled her away and returned to Jason’s side, as usual. Yes, I thought, the two were definitely more than friends or clan-mates.
Smiling weakly, I cleared my throat and faced the Knowing people one last time. “Thank you for having me. It is unfortunate that I was only able to stay for two days, but duty calls.” I paused to take in the solemn looks on all their faces one last time, and then said, “Good luck, and do everyone a favor by staying alive.”
Sighing, I gave my horse a kick, and then Alec, Nicholas, and I took off into the night, desperately hoping we wouldn’t run into any monsters on our way to the bus stop where Alec and I had first arrived in a taxi.
___________________
The wind blew my long hair wildly around my face even though it was tied back in its usual ponytail. Together, we galloped as fast as our horses could run through the quiet night, the bright stars lighting the way for us across the seemingly endless rolling hills. I supposed if I were particularly bored, I could have used the time and the horses’ approximate speed to calculate how many miles we were from the camp, but my mind was elsewhere. Horrible scenes of a dead, broken Aphrodite covered in dirt and leaves, lying in our forest, haunted me as Alec, Nicholas, and I rode on. I kept shaking my head as if it did some good, and I tried in vain to refocus my attention on just making it all the way to the bus stop quickly and safely.
But of course, even that was too much to ask for.
As the three of us came over a hill, I frowned at the dark, looming figure below us. It was indeed a huge monster, although it did not appear violent and bloodthirsty from afar. It was crouched patiently, like a cat, almost as if it were waiting for us specifically. The strange creature had yet to move a single muscle except for the slight twitch of her lion tail every couple of seconds, though I was certain she had seen us because her bright yell
ow eyes were locked on us.
Yes, this was, in fact, the infamous Sphinx: a lion with the face of a woman, a scaled chest like a snake, and the huge wings of a bird. I exchanged worried glances with Alec as we slowly rode up to meet her, and the Sphinx stood up to her full fifteen-foot height, glaring down at us with merciless eyes, her golden coat shining in the moonlight. Nicholas, Alec, and I quickly stopped the horses, but they began stomping their hooves nervously.
“Hello and welcome. I am the Sphinx, as you probably know. You three look mildly intelligent, so maybe you will be able to answer my riddle,” she began in a low growl, and I rolled my eyes. She had no idea just how intelligent I was. But then her gaze shifted to the brutish-looking Nicholas, and she frowned. “Then again, maybe not.”
Now it was my turn to frown; she had no right to judge him like that. “Excuse me—” I started, but I was interrupted.
“Oh, be quiet, Lady Athena,” the Sphinx said, and I raised my eyebrows, waiting for an explanation about how she knew who I was. Noticing my bemused expression, she explained, “I would know your annoying, radiating aura of wisdom anywhere, in anybody. But unfortunately for you, even gods cannot pass by me without solving the riddle.” I raised my eyebrows again in surprise. I had a radiating aura of wisdom? Cool.
Suddenly Nicholas chuckled, and Alec and I winced, knowing that was a bad idea. “Sorry to upset you, but we could always just walk around you. You’re really not that great of a border patrol.”
Nice job, Nicholas. Way to offend a hungry monster, I thought sarcastically.
“I think I’ll be having a good meal tonight,” the Sphinx hissed angrily through her sharp, clenched teeth, shooting Nicholas a stone-cold glare. If the stare of a Sphinx could kill, poor Nicholas would have died right there on his horse.
I explained quickly, “Please, don’t kill him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. I bet he’s never even been outside of the Knowing camp before. And besides, I’m the only one who will be passing.” At this, the Sphinx slowly turned her huge head to face me, with her bushy light brown eyebrows raised and her hair falling elegantly over her broad shoulders.
“All right, then. But do not be fooled, stupid man,” she said slowly, looking right back at Nicholas, “because an invisible border lies behind me, and you will not be able to cross it unless you solve my riddle.”
Nicholas gulped nervously, and everything was quiet for a moment as the Sphinx thought of the perfect riddle, one she hoped would stump the goddess of wisdom. I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. I couldn’t take anything for granted; if I didn’t guess the riddle correctly, she would most likely eat me alive, and probably Alec and Nicholas too, if they couldn’t escape in time. Talk about pressure.
Minutes seemed like hours as the Sphinx continued to think, wasting my precious time. I was about to ask her to hurry up, but then her pupils dilated slightly, and she finally began, “Ah, this one I think is quite appropriate for you. Ready? You only have one guess.” I nodded, eager to get the whole thing over with.
“A dog runs into the woods. How far does it go?” she asked, and I raised my eyebrows; I had no idea how she knew about the woods, but I didn’t let that distract me.
Breathing calmly, I pictured the woods in my brain. I was running through the tall trees and leafy ferns uncontrollably, and suddenly I realized that this was the same winding path that had led me to the dead Aphrodite in my dream. Gasping in shock, I opened my eyes again before my dream self could reach the poor girl. It was a sight I didn’t want to see any more of than I absolutely had to. So I gulped and closed my eyes to picture the woods again, but this time safely from above.
“Halfway,” I said aloud, barely even hesitating, and I opened my eyes to see the Sphinx tense up, confirming my suspicions. “The dog can only run halfway into the woods before it is heading out of the woods, a phenomenon I’ve experienced on a daily basis for years.”
“Perhaps that riddle was too simple,” the Sphinx mused, though she didn’t seem very upset that I outsmarted her so quickly and easily. “But I will keep my word, Lady Athena.” She gave me a curt nod, lifted one wing, and said, “Until next time.” I sighed in relief and dismounted my gray horse, glad to hear that the Sphinx was on my side, for whatever reason.
Then I turned to Alec, handing him the reins of my mare, and he took them silently. “I want you two to run away right now. I don’t trust this Sphinx,” I whispered to him, and he nodded in agreement. “Just … don’t die.”
Alec nodded again, his blue eyes full of the pain that came from knowing he was being left alone again. “Jason is reinstalling the phone at the camp. I’ll call you every day with an update,” he promised with a tight voice, and I knew an update was just going to be an excuse to be able to talk to me.
I smiled because I suddenly realized that I didn’t even care all that much about an update, just as long as everyone I truly cared about was safe. But I couldn’t let him know that.
“Hurry up before I change my mind,” the Sphinx hissed, and her giant yellow eyes flashed at me. Was that anger or something else in her eyes?
Note to self: Certain monsters can be very impatient, even with gods.
I turned back to face the two guys on their horses. “See you in two weeks,” I said to Alec and Nicholas brightly, as if everything was going to be perfectly fine. Which it definitely wasn’t.
Nicholas just nodded in agreement, but Alec added eagerly, “Hopefully less.”
With that, the two of them started galloping in the other direction, toward the base camp, before I could say anything more. I watched them disappear safely over the hill and into the black night before turning around, hoping that I had helped to change the Knowing’s old-fashioned ways at least a little bit, even though I had only been there for two days. Perhaps all the Knowing really needed was proof or confirmation of their neglected beliefs.
Without wasting any more time, I ran under the Sphinx’s raised golden wing, through the invisible gateway, and sprinted toward the bus stop without a second thought. According to Alec, I wouldn’t have to wait too long to catch a ride to the airport; time was my only enemy for the moment.
___________________
I finally reached the bus stop about half an hour later, sweating only slightly after running so hard for so long. I checked my watch as I sat down on the hard, black metal bench. Five minutes to wait. With a little luck, I would be home in the Woods around lunchtime the next day, maybe a little earlier.
But don’t get your hopes up, I told myself bitterly. Because, in general, we gods were anything but lucky.
A few minutes later, the bus rolled up, and I quickly jumped on, handing the driver the fare on my way to sit at the back of the empty bus. I didn’t really expect anyone else to be on a bus out there in the middle of nowhere at eleven-thirty at night anyway. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, ready for some rest before I had to wake again.
However, sleep did not come to me that night. Every tiny rock the bus drove over jolted me wide awake, but that didn’t even matter. Each time I thought I was finally drifting off to comforting black nothingness, I found myself running along that same dreaded path in my beloved forest toward Aphrodite, hoping that somehow the dream would end differently for once, but of course it didn’t. I ended up gasping for air each time I awoke, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if the driver thought I was having asthma attacks or something. Honestly, I was surprised she didn’t ask if I needed medical attention.
Eventually, I gave up on sleep and resorted to staring out the bus window into the starry night, wondering if Alec was asleep yet. But knowing him, Alec probably wouldn’t get a wink of sleep either, until he knew I was safe, relatively speaking. He really needed to stop worrying about me and focus on keeping himself alive instead, especially since his falling in love with me was definitely not part of my master plan.
About two hours passed before the bus finally arrived at the airport, and I hopped off eager
ly, almost running into multiple people as I rushed through the sliding doors and headed for the ticket line. When I finally made it through security without even needing to say a word, I walked toward the gate, checking behind me every couple of seconds for monsters. Even when I sat down in one of the cheap leather seats in the waiting area, my heart continued to race, and I knew it would not stop until I was home with the gods, the only people I really trusted besides Alec.
My flight was finally called a few hours later, and I boarded the plane at almost six in the morning, hurriedly snagging the window seat in my row. The plane was almost empty, which was good. If a monster had somehow sneaked on board, I would have needed as much room as possible to fight. Taking deep breaths, I reached into the pocket of my jeans, gripping the cool, gray rock for comfort, and then I leaned back in my seat as the plane engines roared to life.
___________________
The flight had been going quite peacefully, with no interruptions by monsters trying to kill me or annoying people trying to talk to me, but, as some say, all good things must come to an end. The plane was less than half an hour from landing when it suddenly shook as if I were on the ground in one of Poseidon’s earthquakes. I gripped the armrests tightly and gritted my teeth, ready for the pilot to tell me to prepare for a crash landing, but luckily, that didn’t happen.
“I’m sorry to inform you all that our arrival time has been delayed due to major turbulence caused by thunderstorms in the area,” the monotone voice of a flight attendant suddenly cut through the silent plane. Many of the passengers who were awake exchanged annoyed glances and checked their watches impatiently, but I knew better than to feel unconcerned or merely bothered. After all, this thunderstorm was not some random weather event brought on by an area of low or high pressure that could be predicted by any capable weatherman; this was the result of an epic war of the gods, something only my father, Zeus, could conjure up at a moment’s notice.
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