Forge of the Gods 2

by Simon Archer

  Focus will be taken

  By a flash of silk and red.

  Follow the steps learned

  To stop the violent spread.

  Love will stay true

  Through the thick and thin.

  An old trick gone rusty

  Will be needed to win.

  Oh la de dah de dah de dah, la de dah de dah”

  The vision went fuzzy and then widened back out, returning me to the forge with Aphrodite and my friends. While my vision might have cleared, the tune stayed in my head, playing like an annoying jingle over and over. The room swam in silence while Aphrodite looked at me with that wide, smug smile all over again. Sarah, Beth, and Daniella, on the other hand, looked bewildered and frightened all at once.

  “You know,” Beth commented, “I’m kind of sick of watching you zone out like that. First with Harmonia and now with Aphrodite. Is this what we’re just supposed to expect when you meet gods?”

  Aphrodite’s eyes darted up to Beth and got into my friend's face with the same kind of intensity that she had just approached me. “What was that about Harmonia?”

  Beth eked out a pathetic sound as she inched away from Aphrodite’s face. She pointed over the goddess’s shoulder in my direction. “He said Harmonia’s trapped in the necklace.”

  Aphrodite whirled around on me, a desperation in his eyes. “My daughter… she’s… she’s actually trapped in there?”

  “That’s my theory, yeah,” I said, surprised at seeing this vulnerable side of the god. “When I put it on the necklace, I was transported to this weird lake place where Harmonia was trapped.”

  “How? How did you see her? You’re a male!” Aphrodite demanded.

  “I think I have a connection with the necklace because my father made it,” I explained slowly even though I hadn’t sorted out all of the logic of it yet. “It’s not made out of pure gold like the myths claim. It had flecks of other metal in it too. It’s processed.”

  “So you were able to sense what was inside the necklace,” Daniella deciphered, her natural brilliance breaking through and putting the puzzle together. “You were also able to sense Harmonia hiding inside it.”

  “That’s what I think, yes,” I agreed though she expressed it with more eloquence and simplicity that I could manage.

  “Then we have to break that necklace,” Aphrodite said with a renewed fervor in her voice. “What did the Sight tell you?”

  I had to take a second to regain my thoughts because I was thrown off by the god’s urgency and her new stake in the game. Then I relayed the song my mom sang all those weeks ago to my companions. When I got to the last verse, something clicked in my brain, just like it had when I was alone in the kitchens, dancing around the suit. This time I barely was able to finish the verse in my excitement.

  “Love will stay true

  Through the thick and thin

  An old trick gone rusty

  Will be needed to win -- oh my gods! That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” Daniella prompted, latching on to my excitement.

  “The necklace is made of fake gold, and water creates rust on fake gold, which will break it down,” I explained, the science of it all racing through my head.

  “Rust?” Beth said skeptically. “Really?”

  “We need to douse the necklace in water,” I flapped my hands urgently as I spun around the forge. “We need a tin or something to fill with water.”

  Without hesitation, Sarah pulled out one of the clear plastic bins from the workbench and dumped it out on the counter. She raced it over to the safety sink and immediately began to fill it. Without wasting any more time, I darted to the sink and threw the necklace in the bin. Daniella, Beth, and Aphrodite gathered behind Sarah and me as we stared at the Necklace of Harmonia.

  It was like waiting for water to boil. We watched the water bubble over the side of the bin and drop off into the sink, down the drain. A solid minute passed before anyone said anything.

  “This can’t be it,” Beth expressed her doubt. “Rust takes literal years to form.”

  “But that’s the line, An old trick gone rusty / Will be needed to win,” I insisted. “I think this is. We just need enough rust to make the necklace weak, and then I can bang on it and break it.”

  Our attention only deviated from the water and the necklace when the door to the forge burst open for the third time. Hailey dashed in, out of breath, and she clung to the doorway to stop her ongoing momentum.

  “Tell me you’ve got something,” Hailey said, “because we’ve got less than ten minutes until they wipe Jade.”

  “Shit,” I exclaimed. “We have an idea, but it’s going to take longer than that.”

  “I tried to talk to the Elemental Officials, but they threatened to expel me too if I interfered with their proceedings,” Hailey winced. “And I’m sorry, Cameron, but I just couldn’t--”

  “No one’s asking you to do that, Hailey,” I said as I held up a hand. “It’s okay. There’s got to be something else.”

  “Talk to the metal, Cameron,” Sarah prompted. “You said you could sense what’s inside it. Talk to it and coax it along.”

  While my mind created a million and one excuses to refute Sarah’s suggestion, there was no reason I shouldn’t try. We were running out of time, and Jade’s life was on the line.

  So I drove my hands into the water.

  It was cold, and goosebumps prickled up my arms as a result. I was used to heat and fire, not this cold water. Repulsion scraped along my tongue and left a sour taste at the back of my throat. I struggled to concentrate against the freezing sensations wrinkling my fingers. I groped for the necklace submerged at the bottom of the bin and wrapped it around my hands. The minute I latched onto the metal, comfort battled against the repulsion.

  While I didn’t know cold, I knew metal. I rubbed my fingerprints over the chain and searched for the pieces of metal I recognized. They appeared instantly to me, a parade of zings rocketing down my spine. They cried out for help against the onslaught of the water. They were as uncomfortable as I was and begged to be released from this prison.

  As much as I wanted to yank the metal and my hands from the water, I dug deep and shoved more of my arms into the tank. I was up to my elbows now as the necklace circled in my fingers. The metal was irritated, and my touch only angered it more. It fought back against me, pressing against my joints throughout my body, refusing to break.

  I found my concentration slipping. The magic of my father’s curse called to me, demanded that I set it free so it could enact its vengeance like it had been created to. My head spun with the effort, and my stomach sloshed as if I really was at sea rather than just sticking my arms in a pool of water.

  I needed an anchor to hold me still in this crazy tempest. In a desperate effort, I pushed out a hum, raising my voice against the thudding in my brain. It was my mother’s song. I closed my eyes and sang the silly tune, complete with made-up lyrics.

  “Oh la de dah de dah de dah, la de dah de dah

  I’m standing here

  In the middle of the smithy

  With my hands in water

  Feeling like a sissy.

  But I need to free my friend,

  And this is how I do.

  I have to push this metal

  For the rust to come through.

  Oh la de dah de dah de dah, la de dah de dah

  “What is he--?” someone asked, but another person cut them up with a harsh, “Shh!”

  I ignored them and pursued the metal, pushing back against the curse. I began another verse, hoping to coax it into rusting.

  “Oh la de dah de dah de dah, la de dah de dah

  My father cursed this gold

  With a little bit of metal.

  He couldn’t have done something simple.

  For that, he’d never settle.

  Torn between him and her

  This metal pushes me.

  My love is strong for her alone

  S
o his traitor I have to be.

  Oh la de dah de dah de dah, la de dah de dah”

  As I spoke those final words, I knew I had made a choice. I told the metal and the curse embedded within it that I didn’t give a damn that I was my father’s son. My friends were my family, and I didn’t owe it to him to keep his legacy going.

  It was an ugly curse that had harmed so many lives just because of his jealousy. It was time for that evil legacy to die. And I would be the one to kill it.

  I felt the rust before I saw it. It scraped against the pads of my fingers and flicked off into the water. There were shouts of excitement and exclamation around me, but I chose to ignore it. Where I thought I had to pull the necklace out and smash it with a hammer, I sensed how weak the piece of jewelry was beneath my fingers.

  So I yanked on the chain and the metal snapped.

  37

  A burst of gold light blazed out of the tub of water. It shot up like a spotlight and reflected off the top of the ceiling of the forge, blasting through the skylights in the roof. It beamed up through the glass and into the afternoon winter sky.

  As one succinct group, the demigods and the goddess stepped back. Daniella and Beth were on either side of me, and the daughter of Demeter leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

  “What did you do?”

  “I just broke it,” I whispered back. “I didn’t think it would send up the bat signal.”

  The water, then, began to bubble like we’d set the pot on a preheated stove. This time, instead of moving together as one, all of us scrambled for the other side of the forge while the water rose like a fountain up from the center of the tub, culminating into a towering column of water.

  “Hold your breath!” Aphrodite warned just because the water exploded all over the forge.

  A tidal wave of water collapsed around us. It was like being on the side of the pool when a fat kid dove in for a cannonball. Since I was closest to the sink and the glowing beam of water and light, I got the brunt of the wave, like being in the front of a water ride.

  I froze in a state of utter shock, completely uncomfortable. I wanted to scream at how cold I was and wished more than anything that not only was I heat resistant but that I could summon heat or fire or something. I felt like a wet dog, and a moan escaped my throat.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Hailey whined behind me. She was the only other person who hated water as much as I did, which made sense with her being a daughter of Apollo and the nature of her fire powers.

  “How the hell am I supposed to clean this up?” Sarah grumbled as she gestured out to the forge.

  Nearly every piece of equipment had been doused in water. When a forge took on that much water, there was little chance of it working again. Even the Eternal Flame seemed shaken by the ordeal. It crouched, small and low, hidden in the dead center of the forge it had been blazing in just a moment ago. The Flame was an icy blue color and flickered as though it had been shivering.

  I reached out my hand, stretching my empathy over also being cold and vulnerable. The Eternal Flame slinked like a cat out of the forge and hovered over my palm with a black spot in the center which seemed to glower at me.

  Khryseos and Argyreos sat side by side, shivering under the workbench. I sloshed over to the pair of them, my feet wading through several inches of water. Even though they were drenched and smelled wretched, like wet dogs, I wrapped both of them in my arms. They leaned into me, and let my relief and exhaustion melt into them.

  “You always knew how to make an entrance, didn’t you, Harmonia?” Aphrodite said, her voice tight with emotion though she tried to make a joke.

  Through my discomfort, I hadn’t noticed the beautiful goddess standing in the sink. She, like her mother, was completely dry. Must have been a god thing because the five demigods stood soaked in light of Harmonia’s entrance.

  The goddess of desire ran towards the goddess of harmony and held out her hand so she could step out of the sink. She didn’t so much as step as she floated up and out of the container. I should have been surprised, but the goddess did just appear out of an explosion of light and water, so not much was surprising me at this point.

  The mother daughter duo embraced, Harmonia fitting perfectly in her mother's arms, her head coming up to just under Aphrodite’s chin. They didn’t look like one another despite their blonde hair, which were different shades, along with their skin color, Aphrodite’s being a crisp tan while hers glowed like moonlight.

  When they broke apart, Harmonia turned and looked at me, still crouched in the water beneath the workbench with my dogs and my piece of the Eternal Flame. As we locked eyes, I noticed this was Harmonia I glimpsed at the end of my visit, the one with confidence and strength, not the small, childish girl full of confusion and wonder. Here was the true goddess, in her purest form.

  She walked on the water, instead of splashing through it, and crossed the room to meet me. She bent down so that she could be level with me. Her robes scraped the edge of the water, but it didn’t break the surface and get wet. The goddess reached out her hand to me, an offering.

  Knowing better than to refuse, I took her hand. Suddenly, a blast of air whipped around me. In an instant, I was dry. My clothes, my hair, even my skin was refreshed from its soak in the water. The Eternal Flame wiggled but returned to its stagnant orange glow, while both Khryseos and Argyreos stood on all fours and shook their butts, pleased at not being so wet.

  “Cameron Alpin,” Harmonia said, her voice full of wonder. “Thank you for freeing me from that prison. How can I ever repay you?”

  “Can you clear my friend’s name?” I asked without hesitation. “We know she had nothing to do with the Tainted Love ordeal this semester. It was all a misunderstanding and an accident and--”

  Harmonia held up her hand, and I closed my mouth, having learned my lesson about defying the gods. I waited patiently for her response.

  “My arrival was noticed by the whole campus,” Harmonia announced. “The Olympic children are on their way here, with a new understanding of the situation.”

  “Wait, just like that?” I blinked at her, incredulous at the speed of everything.

  Harmonia raised an eyebrow as if to say: “Really?” She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. “Cameron, I am the goddess of harmony and concord. If anyone can resolve a disagreement, it’s me.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Aphrodite said as she approached Harmonia and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

  “Um… well, thank you,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

  “Uh, excuse me?” Beth said as she stepped forward, without an ounce of grace as she sloshed through the water. “Goddess Harmonia?”

  The goddess turned, surprised that she was addressing her.

  “If you would be so kind,” Beth said, lowering herself into a slight bow, “we could use a dry-off like you gave Cameron here. It is but a simple request.”

  I held back a snicker, trying not to laugh at Beth’s overt benevolence. Harmonia looked at Bethany as though she had two heads, enough to discourage her, so she stepped back into line with the three others. Daniella gave our friend a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

  Harmonia turned her attention back to me and opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped and cocked her head to the side as if she heard something.

  “Ah, yes,” Harmonia said with a smile. “Here she comes.”

  “She?” I asked, though a sneaking suspicion snuck into my stomach. But I didn’t dare to hope… could it really be?

  As if on cue, Jade burst through the front door of the forge. She nearly lost her footing as she raced in the room, not expecting the inch or so of water to meet her at the entrance. When I saw her tiny frame, my chest exploded with relief. My breath left my lungs, and a cry left my lips.

  Not caring how foolish I looked, I ran over to my lover, water splashing behind me. I slammed into Jade, nearly knocking her over, but she latched onto me with surprising f
ierceness. I captured her lips in a desperate kiss. When we broke apart, Beth and Daniella joined our group hug, and we all grabbed onto one another for dear life. Even though the girls were still soaked, I didn’t care. It was wonderful to have them back in my arms again.

  As I stood in the middle of this group hug, I felt tears of relief fall from my face, without shame or regret. For the first time in weeks, we had everyone together again and in their right minds. Beth was there, laughing and crying openly, with Daniella chuckled alongside us. Jade was squished in the middle, her face red from having run.

  We gave each other some room to breathe as we cried and chuckled, not quite knowing what to do with our relief. Jade took a moment and looked at each of us in turn.

  “Is it over?” she asked, her voice small. “Is it really over?”

  Beth and Daniella looked to me for confirmation. I took in each of them and really tried to look at them and see them for who they are.

  “Yeah,” I said, “it’s over.”

  “Thank the gods,” Beth sighed as she enveloped us into another group hug. We laughed as one at her exclamation, all feeling the exact same.

  A cough from behind me interrupted our reunion moment. The four of us friends broke apart and looked around at Sarah and Hailey, who sent us encouraging smiles while the godly mother and daughter hovered above the water with grim expressions.

  The relief and joy depleted out of me at the sight of Aphrodite and Harmonia. The pair of them looked like they had to tell us that our pets just died or something just as terrible. I glanced over at Khryseos and Argyreos, who seemed fine now that they were dry. The Eternal Flame settled over an old ashtray, snuggled in the bottom, glowing a happy yellow.

  Once I determined that everyone was settled, I took a deep breath. “What is it?” I asked the gods, even though I was sure I wasn’t going to like their reply.

  “Unfortunately, demigods, it’s not over,” Aphrodite said ominously.