“We should get going.” Hera wiped her eyes and glanced around the clearing outside the armory. “Phanes could return. And time is not on our sides here.”
We finished arming ourselves in silence and stepped cautiously back into dawn’s pre-light. I scanned the landscape for the tiniest of movements, and then suggested our best course of action. “Shade, see if there are some reins and a bridle of some sort in the armory.”
“Why, you have a horse up your sleeve?”
“Better.”
Shade’s face scrunched as he walked off. He trotted out a moment later with ropes and a link chain wrapped in his hands. The chain clinked a little too loudly for my tastes. “Hush that thing up,” I whispered.
“Now what?” Hera looked at me quizzically.
“The best part of shifting into the dragon the other night?” I paused dramatically. “I should be able to do it again. So once I shift into the dragon, you all mount my back and I’ll fly us to the cave’s entrance.”
Shade looked around. “Uhhh …”
“I’m driving,” Hera blurted. “Actually, I take that back ‘cause I don’t want you hanging onto me the entire ride, Shade. And I don’t want Metis hanging onto me either.” She looked at Metis. “Short straw, girl. You’re driving. That way Shade can hang onto you.”
I closed my eyes and tried to summon the fire in my belly and the iron in my blood that I felt while I was a dragon. I clutched my stomach as an ache grew and then exploded within my core. I gasped and dropped to one knee from the knifing pain. My skin tingled, prickled, and then ignited as it hardened into scales. My heart expanded, pushing a hot torrent through widened veins. My chest and shoulders broadened as my neck stretched and thickened. My eyesight became keener. As I looked down and focused on my friends, I realized they were starting to register on some level as lunch.
Metis reached up, and placing her hands on either side of my broad chin, she gazed into my eyes. She then turned to Hera and Shade. “We need to hurry before the dragon overtakes his being.”
Hera gazed at me, and then Metis. “Interesting. I can’t read Zeus’ thoughts while he’s in this form.”
Shade approached me with the rope, chain, and bridle.
I lowered myself so they could climb on my back, just above my wings. I shook my head and slapped my tail on the ground to let them know I was ready. Metis pulled the reins, patted my neck, and said, “Let’s go.”
I stretched out my wings and launched into the air. With powerful strokes, I climbed into the dawn, heading westward. In the east, Hyperion’s chariot pushed aggressively against heavy bands of storm clouds, light splitting the darkness in blood reds and sinister oranges.
I reveled in the freedom of the wind slipping past my face and filling my wings. I knew we needed to hurry though, before Hyperion’s rays set full-bore over the region.
I spotted the river we sought on the horizon. Without warning, the reins yanked my neck with extraordinary force. I jerked my head around, wondering what had happened. A commotion rose right behind my ears, and then high-pitched shrieks pierced the crisp, early morning air.
I swooped down sharply then climbed aggressively into the air again, turning in every direction to see from where the noises had come. Then I saw them.
A murder of heinous winged creatures tracked us. With female heads ringed in manes of serpents, five airborne creatures surrounded us. Their bodies appeared female, but each hand had long talons instead of fingers. Two spears sailed into the air toward them from behind my head. The dexterous beasts dove, swooped, rolled, and otherwise evaded the spears, causing them to fall hopelessly toward earth.
They attacked us from all sides, pure evil glaring from their bleeding eyes. I turned in the air and swatted at them with my wings. Volcanic power roared into my throat. With a strong exhale, I shot a stream of fire straight into the middle of the group. One of the winged beasts exploded in flames as if her blood was made of oil. Another burst into flames as she tried to attack my left side. She disintegrated in midair, smoke and ashes scattering on the wind.
The remaining creatures shrieked, turned, and flew away. They disappeared into the gathering storm clouds. I had no intention of waiting around to see if they would return for more.
Metis yanked the reins and pulled my head back around. I flew faster than before. After gliding just above the treetops, I floated toward the river’s surface. I snaked along the river, dragging my taloned feet through the water until I received another insistent tug on the reins.
The cave we sought came into view. Once I’d landed, Metis gave my neck a quick rub and hopped off. Shade and Hera followed. I tried to shift back to normal, but struggled to find my own self within the beast. My skin and hair eventually returned, but it took longer than it should have. My body’s reluctance to shift back was worrisome. Professor Phoebe hadn’t warned us against that.
I stumbled and collapsed because my legs wouldn’t hold my weight. Metis hurried over to help support me. “The dragon was taking hold, wasn’t it?”
“I’m just a little weak,” I said. “That shift and that flight took a lot out of me.”
“We’re going to need you, brother. Don’t go getting all woozy on us now.” Shade threw my arm over his shoulder. “I got him, Metis.” Shade shouldered my weight and helped me walk.
Hera’s hair was wild from the ride. She pulled it behind her head and wrapped it into a bun after she found a stick to secure it. “We can’t carry you through this.” Hera gazed at me warmly. “Once we get inside the cave, you can rest. But only for a little while. It’s my job to push you.”
I flashed her a knowing smile.
“The sun rises with vengeance,” Metis said, her cheeks blushed from the wind.
“Hyperion is free. And probably angry. We need to take cover,” I said.
The entrance to the cave towered atop a slight incline. The river split just ahead of us, water strangely flowing up the hill over and around boulders. We walked toward the odd flowing tributary and stepped from rock to rock, traveling up the ravine.
Once inside the cave, we followed the water’s edge to where it stopped. The water stopped, but the cave continued. I paused to rest for a moment.
“Now what?” Shade asked.
“How does a river just end?” Metis asked.
Shade scoffed, “How does a river flow uphill? What’s really at work here?”
I peered into the darkness that extended beyond the river’s ending. It reminded me of looking into my cave back home. The same abysmal darkness, but oddly nostalgic.
“Do the maps say anything about this river just ending like this?” Shade asked.
Hera unrolled one of the maps as if she could actually see in the cave. She quickly rolled it back up and sighed. “Maybe this is the wrong cave. Did you all see any other caves outside?”
Metis pointed into the depths. “Clearly the cave continues even though the water stops here. We could keep walking deeper. A lot deeper. Obviously, Tartarus wouldn’t be this close to the surface.”
The water’s surface rippled with slight evidence of current flowing toward us. “But wait,” I said. “So the water flows into the cave, not out of it. The water’s going somewhere. Help me find a rock or something to throw in there.”
“What are you thinking?” Metis asked.
“That there’s no bottom. That the water flows directly to the Underworld,” Hera said matter-of-factly.
“But even if it does,” Shade said, “What are we going to do? Swim the entire way to Tartarus? I’d rather walk, thank you very much.”
“Give me your spear, Shade.” I extended my hand.
“Besides, we can’t carry all our food and gear if we try to swim,” Metis said.
“We might need to make some sacrifices,” Hera said.
“And no maps.” Metis continued.
I took Shade’s spear and tested the stream’s bottom. The spear touched solid
ground with the water coming halfway up the shaft, drifting past the shaft toward the odd ending place. I walked back down stream, tapping the bottom as I went. Growing increasingly curious, I handed Shade his spear. “I’m going to investigate this thing up close and personal.”
“What does that mean—” Before Hera had finished, I plunged into the stream, the frigid water shocking my limbs. I tensed. Every muscle contracted. Then the most insistent force grabbed my legs, pulling me under. I fought my way to the surface just long enough to yelp something incoherent and draw another breath before I was sucked down completely under the water.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
My body was sucked through a small opening in the riverbed. My cuirass breastplate caught on the opening, but only for a moment. My helmet came off and my arms were pinned above my head. I held my breath as I was suctioned down a long, winding chute. Increasing pressure slowly forced the air from my lungs. I could see nothing. I’d no idea how long the chute was, or how long I could hold my breath. My lungs burned as I mashed my lips together. I just had to hold out a few moments more.
As I finally shot from the hole and hurtled through the air, my arms flailing, I gasped in a huge volume of air. My eyes snapped wide and my heart climbed into my throat as I fell for what seemed forever before smacking into a pool of the same water I’d traveled in.
“Great Gaia!” I screamed as I bobbed to the surface. Panting, I looked around. Sheer, black walls enclosed the pool. Treading water, I stripped off my breastplate. Its heft threatened to pull me underwater again.
The hole from where I’d fallen stared down at me like a weeping eye. I was now separated from my team. I had no map and no weapons, no friends and no food.
The water cascaded over another edge in the distance. I wasn‘t prepared for another steep fall, so I swam with all my unspent might to maintain a safe distance from it. But, an insistent pull drew me nearer to the brink. If only I could have channeled Don’s swimming skills.
As I treaded water, Hera’s voice entered my mind.
Zeus, are you all right? She asked. Can you hear me?
I was so spooked by hearing her voice, I didn’t answer straight away. But I’d never been happier to have someone speak to me mentally.
Zeus! She yelled into my mind. Oh Gaia, why did you do such a boneheaded thi—
Yeah, I’m fine, I answered mentally. I assessed my surroundings. I was still alone in the water.
Zeus? Is that you?
Yes.
Good! ‘Cause when I see you, I’m gonna kill you! What did you do that for? Where are you, underwater?
Underworld. I got sucked through some waterfall. I’m a little shaken up from the fall, but I’m good. Where are you all now?
Praise Gaia! We’re still up here where you left us, she said. Is there any way to come back through to us? Shade was going to jump in after you, but we couldn’t risk losing both of you.
Definitely not. There’s no way I can retrace. I looked up toward the hole I’d fallen from again. In fact I’m about to head over another waterfall.
Wait! No! We’ll never find you!
What? Are you coming through the same way? Be prepared to hold your breath forever.
Do we have a choice? I could leave Shade up here.
My stomach churned with laughter, then tightened. At the moment, I needed to focus all my energy on survival. Despite my efforts, I drew dangerously close to the other waterfall’s edge. With no way to see what perils lay on the other side of that waterfall, I tried to swim away with more vigor.
Hey, Hera said. You still there?
Hera’s mind reading had limits. At least at this distance. If I thought something to myself, she couldn’t hear it. But if I directed a thought to her she could hear it.
Zeus! Hera screamed mentally. Are you all right?
Just trying to steer clear of this waterfall.
Answer me when I’m talking to you! She paused for a long while. I was almost afraid to interrupt the silence. That’s it. I can’t take this. We’re coming to you.
You mean you’re all jumping in the water? No! I nearly died coming through there.
We could walk down, which might take eons. Besides, Shade swears he’s memorized the maps. He’s discovered he has the ability to create fire in his palms, so he’s been reading the maps by firelight ever since.
That could come in handy.
Stay where you are. Don’t move a hair. We’re coming. All you have to do is jump in, right?
“Oh my—” I gasped. My limbs felt as heavy as logs as I struggled against the current. But there was no place to swim toward. Only a place to swim away from. Darkness on one side. Dim light on the other.
No matter how hard I swam, I couldn’t claw myself away from the edge. The current’s pull was insistent. I looked over my shoulder and the roar of the falls echoed in my ears. The dimly lit cavern kept me from making out any visual details. I tilted my chin upward to avoid sinking under. Just as I reached the edge, I heard, “Agggh!”
I glanced up to see Shade torpedo from the mouth of the chute, his arms waving wildly. Then Hera flew out next.
“Shaaaaaaade!” I careened over the second waterfall. My soul felt like it was being ripped from my body as I tore through the air for the second time. A translucent shadow of myself lifted out of my body and wisped into the air. I tried to right myself but slammed onto a flat rock below. And then the translucent shadow hammered back into my body.
A thousand hot needles pricked my skin while cool, thick liquid lapped against my lower legs. The impact stole what breath I’d had left. After a pregnant pause, I coughed and gurgled up so much water that I thought my throat lining had risen into my mouth.
I struggled to crawl off the rock, but my body wouldn’t move. My limbs refused to obey my commands, as if I were in a dream where I tried to move or scream and nothing happened. I still couldn’t take a full, satisfying breath.
My entire world faded into muted grays. I stared into the vast haze above, wanting to close my eyes. Only for a moment, I told myself. With one leg hanging in the murky liquid and pain firing through me, I closed my eyes to summon strength to hold onto consciousness.
Someone yelled. The voice was muffled like it came from the far end of a tunnel. They yelled again, and then a nearby splash sprayed liquid all over me. I couldn’t yet open my eyes when someone rolled me over onto my side. My body floated through the air. I opened my eyes just barely enough to recognize that Shade was pulling me onto the riverbank. I’d never been more happy to see him.
“You are one wild and crazy bastard!” Shade yelled. “I can’t believe you just did that. And then after talking to you mentally, Hera pushed me in and I was all … ” Shade waved his arms like a maniac. “What a sweet ride that was! My lungs almost gave out, but so damn wicked!”
I shut my eyes again to gather my faculties.
“Come on, Hera! I’ll catch you.” Shade called out.
He waded to the middle of the dark water where it came up to his waist. I looked upward to see Hera flying over the waterfall. Sure enough, Shade caught her. Clumsily, but he did it. They made a huge splash in the river beside me.
“Dammit, Shade!” Hera scolded. “If you hadn’t been in the way I could’ve shown you some Poseidon-style diving like the ones he performed at the cliff diving championships last summer.”
“Pssht, there’s only one Don,” Shade responded.
“How true.”
“Where’s Metis?” I coughed out when they climbed onto the riverbank. Hera cut her eyes at me. I meant nothing other than wanting to know whether or not she’d made it.
Shade shrugged.
Hera wiped her face clear and smoothed her hair back. “I asked her if she wanted to go next. She shook like a leaf.” Hera paused, perhaps for impact, perhaps not. “So I left her ass standing there. You’re too important to me, Zeus. And so is this mission. I don’t have time for wishy-wash
y. To be quite honest, I simply figured she would follow our lead … as we followed yours.”
“I didn’t follow, you pushed me!”
“Stop whining,” Hera joked. “It really was more of a nudge.”
I tried not to wonder about Metis and her motivations. But it was difficult. Metis was up there alone … or, had she planned to be separated from us all along? I hated doubting her … again.
CHAPTER FORTY
Shade knelt beside me. “Zeus, are you all right? Can you move? Can you function?”
“Barely,” I groaned, rolling to a sitting position.
“What is that putrid smell?” Hera’s face wrinkled as she pinched her nose.
Once my faculties returned fully, I caught a nose-full of the Underworld in all its glory. It smelled like hairy goat’s flank roasting over a spit mixed with rhino’s breath. The stench hit the back of my throat and lingered as if I’d thrown up. The Underworld was definitely a fitting location to punish rule breakers. Incarcerating the Cyclopes for not making Kronos killing weapons was plain crazy, though. I was certain that they would help us bring Kronos down, if we ever found them.
“We need to get moving,” Shade said. “The problem is that we now have no armor or weapons. And no maps. But—” Shade tapped his temples. “I’ve got the maps mem-o-rized.”
“Let’s hope so,” Hera said. “All right, hot shot. Which river is this?”
Shade dug his forefingers into his temples. “This—is—the Styx! That’s it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Ummm, yeah—” He paused and looked in the distance. “Nope. It’s the Acheron, because, around the next bend should be a main entry to The Underworld. Then, it’s days of walking.”
“Days?” I gasped. “What about food? I’m already hungry.”
“We had to leave the food with the girl since you decided to be all impatient and jump into a damn secret whirlpool and get sucked into oblivion,” Hera snapped. “We also had to leave the weapons. All we have now is my beautiful mind.”
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