by Mary Ting
His lips slowly curled wickedly. “The hot, sexy, brave, sweet, generous, likes to repeat what I say kind of girl.”
I lightly slapped his arm. “I don’t repeat what you say…at least I haven’t in a while.”
He tenderly caressed my cheek, changing the mood between us. “We’ve come a long way, Echo. And now we’re engaged. I never thought I would get to this point in my life. I never thought I would fall in love. It happened so unexpectedly. You just popped into my life and awakened me. You made me see that living was better than hiding. And if I died today or tomorrow, my life would be fulfilled because of you. I would die a happy man.”
His words touched me deeply, especially because I felt the same. “I love you, Mason, with all my heart and soul, but please don’t talk about dying. I couldn’t live without you.”
“And I you.” He pressed his forehead to mine. I felt the sincerity of his words as he conquered my lips. Mason pulled away and gazed at the fireplace. “Let’s get a dog.”
“What? I mean…I would love one, but what made you think of having a dog?”
Mason wrinkled his nose and lifted his shoulders. “The monstrous dogs from the underworld made me want a dog.”
He sat up, revealing his ripped chest. I tried to listen to what he had to say, but my mind went some place it shouldn’t. His toned, bared chest glistening by the firelight was a sight not to ignore. Mason, what you do to me!
Still on the ground, with my elbow planted, I supported my head with my fist. “So you want one that looks like a monster?” I asked hesitantly. I knew he wanted a dog, but I’d only heard half of what he’d said.
Mason stretched back, his muscles flexing. His lightning tattoo appeared when he turned to his side. “I’ve always wanted a dog, but I never asked knowing it would be too much. Taking care of a dog can be costly and my mom and I didn’t have any extra money to spare. But now, things are different. What do you think?”
I sat up too, holding the blanket to cover my chest. When Mason’s brows twitched and raised his lips to a smirk, I shrunk shyly. “We should go to the pound. Many dogs need to be rescued.”
“I agree with you. But why are you covering yourself? Don’t be embarrassed in front of me. I’ve seen every part of you. I’ve touched every part of you and loved every moment. I’ll always stare at you, Sky, clothed or not.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Mason,” I squealed softly. I couldn’t believe I acted so shy after all we’d shared. Mason liquefied me, and I didn’t think I could ever get enough of his seductive ways.
I shivered when Mason kissed me, so soft and gentle it felt like a daydream. Next thing I knew, the blanket had dropped. That sly Mason. Giving him the most delicious smile, I tackled him.
“Mason,” I breathed, as tears pooled in my eyes. Pain pierced my heart, digging deeper and sharper. “I miss you so much. We’ll be together, one way or another.” Though he couldn’t hear me, I made a promise to him…to us.
No more tears. I needed to prepare mentally and physically. I hoped the Labyrinth wouldn’t be like the underworld. But an ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach warned me it would be.
Chapter 16
Mason
“Promise me you’ll behave, Mason, and I’ll untie you,” Eris said. As soon as Cronus left, she took a branch from a tree and used her magic to tie it around me with my arms down. It prevented me from touching her. Then she placed a leaf over my mouth so I couldn’t talk.
I didn’t say a word, nor would I look at her. She huffed and cleared her throat to get my attention.
“Very well. Then I’ll do the talking and you listen. Stay right there. I’ll have my servants keep an eye on you. I’m going to meet Skylar. She thinks I’m going to exchange you for the gold water today, but she doesn’t know it’s not going to happen.”
I cursed, calling her all the worst possible names, but the sounds came out muffled.
“I know you’re mad at me right now, but you see, I have other plans for us. I’ve thought of a fun game we can all play.” She clapped her hands and squealed.
I shut my eyes to tune her out.
“Sit right here.” My butt landed on the mattress. Then she yelled for her servants. When they came, she ordered, “Don’t let him out of your sight. And don’t stand near him. He’ll hurt you.” After she warned them, she was gone.
My heart shattered. She left to meet with Sky. Sky would be very disappointed when I wasn’t there to be traded. It was going to crush her as it had me.
After time had passed, Eris hummed a happy tune walking into the room. “Look what I’ve got.”
Eris showed me a small bottle, about the size of my pinky and filled with what looked like gold glitter.
I arched an eyebrow as if to say, “I don’t give a crap.”
“Oh, sorry.” She took the leaf off my mouth. “There, now you can talk.”
I moved my lips and stretched my jaw to ease the stiffness. “Where’s Sky?”
She gave me no expression, but her lips pressed together tightly. “She went back home,” she finally answered. “Like I said before, I have other plans. Anyway…” she tugged the branch around my waist to pull me up to stand. “You have to come witness this exciting moment with me.” She lifted the bottle in front of me. “Do you know what this is?”
“I don’t care,” I replied flatly, shifting my attention to the floor.
“This water is going to turn anything I want into gold.” Her eyes glistened in victory, and her tone rose with elation.
“Like I said before, I don’t care.” I gave her the same dead tone.
She ignored how I felt and tugged me out of her room and into the garden where I had last seen Sky. I pictured Sky standing a few feet away out of my reach, longing to touch me. And I her. But that was a distant memory.
“Watch this, Mason. When I sprinkle a few drops of this, it will turn the tree and the apples into gold.”
I didn’t want to do anything she asked, but her squeaky excitement broke me out of my thoughts and curiosity got the best of me. I’d heard of the gold water in the Land of Reverse before, but I thought it was a myth. Skylar had actually been there. She held up her end of the bargain. Eris made me even angrier and more determined to make her pay for causing so much grief to my Sky.
Opening a bottle, she peered up to the tree next to us. Then with a wave of her hand, several drops fell on the trunk of the tree.
Nothing.
We waited.
Nothing.
She did it again.
Nothing.
“She better not have given me fake gold water,” she snarled. Then her tone softened, whimpering, her eyes filled with hope. “Maybe we just have to wait.”
We waited.
Waited.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but Sky had obviously tricked her, or the gold water really didn’t exist.
“That’s what you get for not keeping your end of the bargain.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Sky must have known you were going to trick her. You have to know one thing about Sky: she is a fair person and keeps her words to those who will do the same. You could’ve had the magic water instead of me. I’m so flattered.” I scoffed.
Eris threw the bottle across the garden and screamed in the highest pitch possible. All the apples on the tree she tried to turn gold dropped from the branches by her magic. I had to duck and cover my head from getting hit. One hit Eris’s head, breaking her out of her tantrum. She cursed and threw several apples. I chuckled at the comical situation.
“She’s going to pay for this dearly,” she seethed. “It’s time for the hunt.” Her eyes pierced mine with so much anger and hatred that for the first time, she actually gave me dire chills down my spine.
Skylar
While everyone researched the possible contents of the Labyrinth, I volunteered to meet with the Oracles about the thread theory. As soon as I took a step into New Olympus, the familiar warm breeze calmed me, and my muscles relaxed. The Oracles mus
t have sensed I was coming. They sat at the meeting room, already seated on their thrones instead of making a grand entrance. The walk toward them seemed longer than it should have as my shoes squeaked on the white, polished floor.
“Skylar, we’ve been expecting you.” As usual, Zara’s tone was soft and motherly.
“Hello Zara, Tara, and Cara,” I greeted them, smiling.
Sitting prim and proper, Tara and Cara smiled politely and tipped their heads as a way of greeting without saying a word. Their long, flowy gowns resembled the dress the good witch from Wizard of Oz wore, fluffy and beautiful.
“I’ve come to ask for your help,” I stated, taking a breath. “I need something only I can detect that will help us find our starting point from the Labyrinth. As you already know, it has been said no one came out of the Labyrinth except for Theseus.”
“Because he had a long thread he used to mark his way back,” Zara finished for me. “Noah filled me in on the details. I’m on top of it, Skylar. I was just waiting for you to ask.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said hesitantly. I didn’t want to sound demanding, so I waited to see what she would say next; however, it would be a long explanation. Zara enjoyed talking.
“My sisters and I have thought this out thoroughly. What could we create to ensure your way back home without others knowing? Others, as in Cronus or whatever creatures that may be placed in the Labyrinth. What kind of object could do such a thing? Theseus had a thread. It could have been broken. It could have run out. He left lots of what ifs. So we came up with something you can easily hold and not lose.”
Zara reached inside her dress and pulled out an item that looked like a pen. A Sharpie? My jaw dropped. It had to be so much more.
“Oh, Skylar, don’t look so shocked. I promise it’s more than a pen.” Zara spread her lips, amused by my expression. “Here. Click it and walk around the room.”
I did as she asked. A silver, misty line followed behind me, every step, every turn, and the line never faded. As I continued to pace and circle around the meeting table, it continued to follow me. I drew my hand across it to see if it would disappear, but it didn’t. A zig-zag of silver, translucent mist covered the room.
“The line is invisible to everyone else, except for the one who holds the pen,” Zara stated. “The person holding the pen will guide everyone back home.”
“Can you see the lines?” I asked, going back to where I’d started.
“Yes, we can, but only because we designed it.”
“What happens if I click it off?”
“Why don’t you try it?”
I did. They disappeared. I gulped. “So, I guess this means I need to keep it on at all times.”
Zara clasped her hands together in her lap. “Yes, you do. You don’t cut off the string and expect to continue. There’s a beginning and an end. Every magic has its flaws. There is no such thing as perfection.”
“I understand.” I nodded appreciatively. “Thank you.” It was far better than a thread and easier to use. I didn’t have to think about it. It would do it on its own.
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “Do you still have the crystal light I gave you before you traveled to the Land of Reverse?”
I tapped my pockets to feel the object inside. “Yes.”
“Take it with you. You might need it. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
My heart suddenly thumped faster. I fretted constantly over the unknown of the Labyrinth and the thought of the condition I would find Mason in. I tried not to fall apart and to stay strong, but something about Zara’s concerned voice broke me.
The tears never came, but my body shivered in terror. It had to be the Oracle’s doing. I was fine a second ago. What was the Oracle doing to me?
Zara stood and took several steps down toward me. “Skylar, give me your worst fears and worries. I will take them from you. You can’t burden your heart, for you will lose focus. Tomorrow, you and your friends will be tested in the Labyrinth. From what we have gathered, all of you will have to face your worst fears. You need to remind them to have peace in their hearts and clear heads. For whatever they fear, it can come to life.”
If she was trying to make me feel better, it wasn’t working. I shuddered even harder. “So, what you’re saying is that if any one of us think of dragons, then the dragons will appear?”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying. But it might not be exactly a dragon but some form of a dragon, if that makes sense at all.”
I pictured a half man and half dragon with a dragon’s tail and blowing fire running after me.
“You have a clouded mind,” Zara continued. “I’m going to place my hands on your head and take them away. I have a feeling your imagination will make the Labyrinth worse.”
When she placed her hands on my temples and closed her eyes, warm waves of light circled around us. Then images of my thoughts flashed in front of me, coming out of my head and settling into hers. It showed me how much stress I had buried deep inside—Mason’s kidnapping, Mom being pregnant, the restaurant needing repair, the dogs, the gods arguing, the Labyrinth, and so much more—she took away every moment that took a toll on me. My shoulders eased and the tension in my body vanished. I felt anew, light, and carefree.
“There.” Zara opened her eyes and dropped her hands. “Do you feel better?”
“Yes,” I replied, sounding a bit more chipper than I had intended.
She sat back down, blinking as if to readjust her eyes. “Good. I wish I could do that for everyone else going to the Labyrinth, but unfortunately I can’t. But knowing you, Skylar, yours would be the worst. You’ll have to stress this point to your group.”
All my worries may have been given to Zara, but she just added one more for me. “I’ll try my best. I think the gods will be fine. I’m worried about the others.”
“Yes. Humans do have quite the imagination. Before I let you go, please tell Zeus, he must defeat his father the way he once did. Free the Cyclopes.”
“The Cyclopes?” I raised my voice. “We have no time. It’s tomorrow.”
Zara wrinkled her nose. “On second thought. Tell him I’ll bargain with the Cyclopes and win back what were once gifts to the gods for freeing them. The Cyclopes might be very angry with the gods. Zeus freed them, and once they defeated the Titans, he put them back in prison in Tartarus. In the process, the Cyclopes stole Hades’s helm and Poseidon’s trident but were unsuccessful with Zeus’s staff, Thunderbolt. I will have to offer them something in return. I don’t know what that will be, but I have to give it a try, or the Titans will have the upper hand.”
Another worry seeped into me, but I brushed it away. I couldn’t think about the Cyclopes and Cronus while I was in the Labyrinth. The last thing I needed was for some version of a Cyclops to appear.
“Are we good, Skylar?” Zara broke me out of my thoughts.
“Yes.” I had no choice.
Chapter 17
Skylar
The next day, a package arrived at the door with one red apple and a note that read: Dead or alive, come meet me at the Labyrinth of Crete. Tick tock, time is running out. By the way, I have something extra special for you for tricking me. Nobody brings chaos except for me.
I could hear her squeaky, annoying voice, nagging at me.
My heart leaped, not only because the time had arrived, and not only because we were about to face the unknown in the Labyrinth, but I was close to being with Mason. I prayed he would be himself and Eris hadn’t done anything drastic to him, like brainwash him. Picking up my phone, I texted everyone: It’s time.
Hermes took me to Mount Olympus, where a portal would be ready for us. It had been a while since I stepped in Olympus. Ever since the gods had reclaimed their rightful ownership, they had rebuilt it bigger and better. Though I hadn’t had a tour, I could tell the same pristine white marble had been used as a foundation for the palace. The gardens, not only filled with various vibrant flowers, were adorned with statu
es of the gods. In the middle, a grand fountain and a huge metal ring reflected the colors of the rainbow.
“Are we all here? Have I missed anyone?” Hermes asked, his wings still fluttering as if to take flight.
We glanced around. I spotted Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Nick, Everett, Noah, Amanda and, to my surprise, Hera, Persephone, Athena, and Ares.
“Don’t forget to count me,” a sweet, gentle voice sang behind me.
I swung around to see Zara wearing all black, even her cape. She looked bad ass and ready to kick butt, kind of steampunkish.
“How do you like my new outfit? I didn’t think I could be useful wearing a dress. What? Why does everyone look so surprised?”
“Zara.” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t know you were coming. I mean, I’m grateful, but…”
Zara tilted her head to the side. “You can’t fight magic without magic. I’ve assigned Tara to find the Cyclopes, and Cara will be looking after New Olympus, so I took this opportunity to pay my debt to you. After all, Skylar, if it wasn’t for you, the gods wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have my sisters back. Mason means the world to you, and he is part of our family.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I choked up.
“Ares and I are coming too. We’re not standing here for the fun of it,” Athena announced, dropping her shield by her side.
“We are Zeus’s trusted warriors. Where there is danger to him, we follow,” Ares added, placing his fist on his chest to his heart.
Then I glanced at Hera and Persephone.
“We’re not going, Skylar. We’re not fit for battle,” Hera explained, placing a hand on Zeus’s shoulder. “We’re here for moral support and wish you all back home safely.”
I nodded; I’d never expected them to go with us. Actually, I was grateful. Having them with us would be a distraction. Our energy would be spent on protecting them. I assumed Hera and Persephone understood this. Besides, who would want to go inside the Labyrinth?