by Mary Ting
From the corner of my eye, I could see Amanda and Everett. They were fast, strategic, and graceful with their swords. A part of me wished I could use one and look cool like them. Amanda and Everett leaped onto a beast from behind and stabbed the knife into the center head, then moved to the other two. They jumped off just as the tail came swatting at them. The beast dropped on the ground to its death.
Zara and Tara were telekinetic. Waving their hands in the air, they directed the beasts to slam against each other or against the boulders. They, too, turned to ashes.
Lightning, fire, and water were everywhere, as I heard the ugly, horrid sounds of death from the beasts. When it seemed like we had won the battle, more came charging out. There was no end. I could tell my friends were getting tired and so was I. Our clothes were tattered, burnt, and some of us looked like we’d been playing in the mud. I had to do something or the outcome would be bad; but what?
Since our circular protective formation had moved away from the center, it would be easier to take cover near the boulders. The beasts were pacing with menacing looks on their faces and their tails slithering like snakes…they were getting ready to attack at the right opportunity. They were intelligent creatures. I could tell they were calculating from the way they moved and pierced their eyes at us. While the first group had come at us as if we were their meal and they had been starving for weeks, this group was the opposite. They toyed with us. It seemed that they were looking for our weaknesses, finding that perfect spot, the perfect opportunity to strike, either with their teeth or the poison from a bite from the serpent’s tail.
“Maybe you should have picked door number two.” Ian’s fingertips sizzled.
“Where do you think the second batch came from?” Mason snapped. “This was never a win situation.”
“Run to my right,” I instructed. Recalling what Poseidon’s descendant had done before, an idea suddenly came to me.
When we backed up against the boulder, I kneeled down in front of them. Harsh air blew in my direction from the beasts’ hiss. They seemed confused by our position.
“Sky. What are you doing? Get up!” I heard panic in Mason’s voice, but I knew what had to be done if we wanted to get out alive.
“Noah. Tim. Let’s freeze these suckers. Mason. Ian. Nick. Zap them with your light as soon as we’re done. Go!”
From our powers, the mist turned to ice and started to spread. The beasts whimpered and retracted, unable to balance on ice. Some escaped, but the ones that couldn’t, turned into ice sculptures.
“Now.” I nodded to Mason, Nick, and Ian.
The three of them extended their arms as their lightning broke the crystal like sculptures in rippling effects. We had to protect ourselves as ice particles darted out like bullets. Then…all was quiet…all was still.
Mason spun me around and kissed my lips. “Great job, Sky.”
Everyone looked so relieved, but it was short lived when Zara spoke. “Don’t celebrate yet. Time is running out. We need to get going.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Through the door.”
“No way. I’m not going in there,” Amanda retorted. “That’s where the beasts came from. What if they’re waiting in there for us?”
“I think we’ve killed plenty. I don’t think they’re coming back, at least not this soon.” Tara sounded hopeful, running her hands as if to brush her hair. The Oracles always looked so proper and prim. It must have driven them crazy that they might not look as such.
“Fine. You can stay here.” Nick started walking ahead, followed by the rest.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.” Noah placed his arms around Amanda, giving her security as they headed forward together.
“I’m so glad Amanda has Noah.” Mason accentuated the word “so.” Interlinking his fingers through mine, we rushed to catch up with the rest of the group.
I didn’t know what we would face on the other side, but I didn’t expect to see a banquet of dishes laid out with assorted gourmet food. Either the table was following us as we walked, or the table was that long. I couldn’t tell. I kept seeing the same things over and over again. I was sure I had passed the same turkey five times. Though it felt like my mind was playing tricks on me, I was more worried about my stomach.
From the aroma, my stomach was churning, prickling with hunger pains. I could tell my friends felt the same by the way their eyes were glued to the table. The layout and the types of food displayed was tantalizing, taunting us. I just hoped we didn’t give in to our temptation.
“Where did this come from?” Aaron leaned closer to the biggest turkey I’d ever seen. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “It sure smells like the real thing.”
“Is this real?” Colin’s finger was inches away from the steak.
“Don’t touch that.” Nick slapped Colin’s hand. “It’s a trick. Didn’t you hear what Zara said? But Ian can touch it.” He arched his brows. “He can eat all he wants.”
“Thanks,” Ian spat, with a sarcastic tone. “I can tell how much you care about me.”
“Anytime. After all…that’s how we treat traitors,” Nick accused.
“I’m not a traitor,” Ian rebutted.
“Whatever you say. Whatever makes you feel good.”
“I’m so hungry.” Amanda looked like she wanted to dive into a plate of the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen.
“Don’t look at it, Amanda.” Noah pulled her away. “It’s an illusion. The longer you look at it, the harder it will be to turn away.”
“Look at all these desserts.” I didn’t know Aaron was a dessert kind of guy.
“Whatever you do, don’t pick it up. If you take something from here, you must give something back,” Zara warned again. “You will be trapping yourself down here without a way out. It wants your soul. Now, run before the temptation overpowers you.”
It didn’t matter how fast we ran, the table kept expanding with us.
“What’s going on?” Noah sounded worried. I could hear the shuffling of his feet right behind me. “It keeps following us.”
“Stop thinking about food and it will go away,” Tara said, looking over her shoulder at us.
Finally, one by one, the plates disappeared. It seemed as though it had showed us what our minds desired to eat at that moment. Walking further, we came to another cave, but a lot smaller this time. Not only that, there were several more entrances, leading to who knew where. Strangely, it was bright, but when I looked up to see the source of the light, I gasped. Fire!
Fire hovered beautifully across the ceiling. There was something mesmerizing about the way it burned in the colors of yellow, orange, and red. Thank goodness it wasn’t massive, but just enough to give light, and unfortunately…heat. Oddly, there was no smoke and we didn’t have difficulty breathing. It was no wonder I didn’t noticed it till now. But I could feel the burning heat seeping into my lungs.
“Stay close,” Zara warned. Covering her nose and mouth with her hands, she led us forward cautiously.
With each careful step, I tried to minimize the sound of my footsteps and looked for anything that would cause an explosion or set off a trap. It was so quiet that I could hear the thumping of my own heart beating mercilessly. There was so much adrenaline pumping through my body that I needed something to happen to relieve this rush. I didn’t have to wait long.
The ground started to rumble. The sound echoed through all the entrances, booming like a thunderous storm. Light flashed like high beams, getter brighter. Then the heat intensified.
“Fire!” Ian burst. “It’s coming for us.”
The flames hugged the surrounding walls, filling the cave as they spread.
“I don’t want to die.” Those were Amanda’s favorite words.
“Put it out, Noah!” Nick shouted.
Noah and Tim did the best they could, but the air was too dry and thick. They had no source to draw water from. There was no way out. Zara and Tara tried to build a shield ar
ound it, but it didn’t seem to be holding. This couldn’t be the end. There was a reason why Hephaestus thought I was ready. Then it came to me…tame the flame and it will all be yours.
“Everyone, get close to me and get down!” I ordered.
Just as the flames were about to reach us, I stuck out my hands. Like a massive hose, water flowed out from them. I turned like a propeller, putting out all the fire. It was so hot that the ground sucked up the water. The fire disappeared as if it had never happened.
“Clever girl,” the voice said. Every time it spoke, it gave me aching, terrifying chills.
“Who said that?” Everett spun around.
“The same voice that asked you for all your memories.” Zara stood up to straighten her cape. When she turned to me, the look on her face told me that this wasn’t over.
“Battle formation,” Mason ordered.
“Not the beasts again.” Colin got his sword ready.
I didn’t know why he had thought it was the beasts until I heard their roars.
At that point, we were all tired, and I’d had it with these crazy games. Enough was enough. Tame the flame and it will all be yours wasn’t meant for the water. It was meant for something else. I wished the gods wouldn’t speak in riddles.
“I got this. Everyone down!”
“Sky, what are you doing now?” Mason gripped my arm. “They’re coming from all the entrances. You can’t take them by yourself.”
“I can, Mason. Trust me.”
That was all I had to say. With a nod, he got down. Extending my arms like I did before, instead of water, fire came out from my hands. I didn’t know how I did it, I just knew it had to be done, and my body automatically tuned in with my mind. It was the first time I had done this, and I was overcome by what I was doing. The flames poured from my hands and traveled around us like a protective barrier; it was dangerously beautiful. My friends didn’t fear it; instead they embraced it, making it easier for me to control it.
For some strange reason, besides having fire between us, the countless beasts positioned to attack stopped from advancing. I was sure they could have dashed through the flames or jumped over them, but they didn’t. They barked, growled, and snapped their jaws, but they didn’t dare come any closer.
When I stepped toward them, they took several steps back. I kept doing this until they were a good distance from my friends. I had to show these creatures that I was the boss. Not really knowing what I was doing, but using my gut feeling, I held the fire in front of me and blew out my breath like I was blowing candles out. The fire quickly dispersed around them and then disappeared. Unexpectedly, they folded their hind legs and sat with their heads down, then a few seconds later they dropped to the ground. Seeing movement from their chest meant that they were still alive.
“Are they dead or just sleeping?” Sarah’s tone was shaky and scared.
I poked one of them. “I think they’re sleeping.” Stepping back, I was shocked at what I had done.
“Why didn’t you do that before, Sky?” Ian hesitantly took a step closer. He bent lower to take a closer look at one of them.
“Boo.” Nick chuckled, appearing from the other side of the beast Ian was by.
“Shit! Nick.” Ian grabbed his chest.
Nick sure knew how to bring sunshine to the rain.
“Don’t ever ask Sky that question,” Mason warned Ian. “Next time, you’ll be grabbing something between your legs.”
Though this was no laughing matter, I had to snicker at that, but it was very short lived.
“Now what?” Everett asked, dropping his sword by his side.
“We pick a cave,” Tara said.
“What? Really? Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.” Nick pointed to the one on the left. “I guess we’re going to that one.”
When we approached the first entrance, fire exploded from the ground, preventing us from going in. I tried to put it out like before, but I couldn’t do it.
“Okay,” Nick sighed, with a hint of disappointment. “I guess we go to the next one.” Nick led us to the second one and the same thing happened, then repeated on the third.
“What now?” I asked in frustration.
“You know what to do,” the voice rang menacingly around us.
His wicked laughter vibrated through the walls. This time, the voice sounded different, a little less forceful, a little less intimidating, and strangely a little less evil. And it was definitely not the voice we had been hearing since the start of this journey. My gut feeling told me that this voice belonged to Hades.
As if he’d put the thought into my mind, I knew exactly what to do. Even knowing Mason would be extremely mad at me for it, there was no choice. We had come this far. I had to do it to save my parents and get us out of there.
“If I come alone, you have to promise me you won’t harm my friends. You have to give them a clear path to home,” I requested, talking to the fire. I had no idea why I was. To me, the being was the flame.
“You dare to bargain with me?”
“Yes, I am, so do it,” I gritted through my teeth in anger. I was surprised at myself for being brave, but I’d had enough. We were down to our last straw, overwhelmed with fatigue.
“Very well. I promise,” it assured.
“You swear it?” I asked sternly.
“You have my word.”
Feeling the weight of everyone’s stare, I turned to the one that mattered the most. Mason looked at me as if I had just told him I didn’t care about him anymore.
“No,” he whispered under his breath, shaking his head. “I have to go with you.” Holding my hand, he spoke again. “I have to go with you, Sky.” He turned to the flame. “You let me go with Sky or there’s no deal.” Mason’s eyes were full of rage. His fists were tight, glowing through the space between his fingers and mine.
“Very well. If you can pass, you can come. That is the deal.”
I let go of Mason’s hand and caught my friends’ eyes one by one, as I prepared for my speech. “My friends, this is where our journey ends. Thank you for coming with me. There are no words to tell you how grateful I am. We all have lost loved ones in the past and in the present, and now it’s time to put this to an end…to a better future. You are ensured a safe road back home. Zara and Tara will lead you back.”
“Sky.” Zara took off her cape and placed it around me. Like magic, the cape that was once purple with strips of blue was now red. I probably looked like Little Red Riding Hood. “This won’t help you much, but it will keep you cooler in the heat. It will also help you become invisible when you need it.”
“Thank you, Zara. I won’t need it, but I will leave it on.”
“Be safe. We believe in you. You were born to do this. Whatever happens, it’s your destiny.” Zara kissed my forehead, then Tara did the same.
Everyone surrounded me. There were no words to say. I was basically walking into a death sentence. It was going to be either Hades or me that would come out alive. Their smiles gave me reassurance, but their eyes were deathly afraid for me.
Inhaling deeply, I steadied myself, then turned to Mason. “Mason, I don’t think you can walk through fire.”
“Sky, I have to try. I’m not letting you go alone. I can’t.” He looked so worried that it was tearing me to shreds. His love and concern for me was outweighing every rational thought that should be running through his mind, like knowing he couldn’t go through fire.
“Mason…you and I already know…only I can pass. I’ll be fine.” I tried to make my tone light and full of confidence that we’d be together again soon, but it was nearly impossible when he was holding me tightly in his arms.
“Sky….” Mason said my name with so much pain that it hurt me to hear it. “I can’t lose you.” He buried his face in my hair. “I swear. If something happens to you, I will never forgive myself. I need you to come back to me, you hear me? Or I might as well die.”
Tears were streaming down my face and sadness squeezed my heart.
It felt like I was saying goodbye. “I love you, Mason. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you. I’m coming back to you. Send me a love shock before I go.”
I quickly wiped my tears before Mason could see them, but I knew he could tell that I was crying when he looked at me.
Placing his hands on my arms, he spoke again. “I don’t care how you do it, you get out of there if you think you don’t have a chance, do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“I know you have to go, but I don’t want to let you. I know you can take care of yourself, probably better than I can, but I just need to be there.”
“I know. But you can’t be there all the time for me, Mason. I’ll be back. Love will bring me back to you, and I have tons of love for you.” I smiled.
“Sending you a love shock, baby,” Mason said somberly.
The charisma and the playful tone with which he usually said those words were replaced by sorrow. Then he crushed my lips. His hands gripped the back of the cape in desperation. Feeling energy weave through my body, I knew it was from Mason. But strangely, this time, it wasn’t pleasurable; it was dull and full of sadness. I was feeling his pain. When Mason broke away, I glanced at my friends one last time. They looked worried and hopeful at the same time.
“Kick Hades’s ass,” Nick sneered. “Give him back a dose of his own doing.”
“Maybe you can negotiate with him,” Everett suggested.
“Whatever you do, Sky, make sure he doesn’t trick you,” Zara advised.
“Just know that we will be thinking of you.” Mason’s tone was different this time around. He was encouraging, rebuilding my strength. “Know that we are waiting for your return. Know that I’m with you. And Sky…kick his ass. Don’t hold back. Get the asshole that started this war.” Mason winked.
Mason’s words had given me courage. It was time to go. I had wasted too much time saying goodbye. The flame erupted higher when my body made contact with it, but I passed right through. Though the urge to look back to see Mason one last time was strong, I didn’t do it, for his sake. I didn’t want him to see the doubt or the terrified expression on my face.