by Raine, Eliza
‘Well, um, we have to,’ Icarus said, a hint of regret in his voice. The huge dockmaster shook his shiny head.
‘Fine. You crazy kids do whatever you want,’ he waved his hand at us. ‘Evenus is about two hundred miles due north of ‘ere in Aetolia. If you reach the Sparta fighting pits, then you’ve gone too far.’
‘Thanks,’ said Icarus.
‘You can’t miss it. It’s the palace decorated with heads on spikes,’ the dockmaster added, then chuckled and ambled away. Nobody spoke for a moment, then Vronti cleared his throat.
‘We’d best get going then,’ he said.
Just minutes after I’d asked the Tethys to take us to Aetolia, Vronti was trying to round everybody up to listen to him.
‘If we are going to be challenged to a longboat race then we should make sure The Tethys’s longboat is in good condition,’ he said. I felt another stab of defensiveness on the ship’s behalf.
‘Of course it is,’ I said indignantly, then glanced sideways at Icarus, praying he would tell me what a longboat was without me having to ask.
‘Well, longboats are usually kept up on deck, or just over the side. It’s probably here somewhere,’ he said.
‘Yeah, I’ve seen it,’ said Thom and began to walk towards the front of the ship. I scuttled over to Icarus.
‘Is a longboat like a dinghy?’ I asked quietly.
‘A dinghy? I don’t know what that is, but a longboat is just a very small ship that flies, and you connect with it the same as the main ship. You control it with your mind. All proper ships have them.’ I looked at him in alarm.
‘Does that mean if Evenus challenges us to a race, I have to steer? I don’t know anything about flying ships yet!’
‘No. Longboats are much easier to control, so if anyone has had much practice with them they might be able to do it.’ I looked over at Arketa in front of us. She and Vronti were from wealthy families, they might have had flown a longboat before?
‘I’m guessing you haven’t had much practice?’ I asked him hopefully. He gave me a bitter look.
‘For most of my life I would have given up this stupid arm to have had a longboat that I could fly away in.’ He glared at his sling. My heart beat hard in my chest as my stomach knotted. It was the most he’d said about his childhood since our argument, and I laid my hand gently on his shoulder. I wished I could ease his pain somehow.
‘Are you coming or are you just going to hang out there chatting?’ called Arketa cattily from the prow of the ship, and we both looked at her.
‘Let’s get a look at your first longboat,’ Icarus smiled at me, the brief moment of anguish gone.
It turned out that a longboat was a bit better than a dinghy. It was strapped to the side of the hull, hanging over the side of the railings like the dinghies always were on pirate ships in the movies. It had a little mast in the middle and a tiny solar sail hung from it. The fabric shone in the light and I wondered how I had missed it. I supposed I hadn’t been at the front of the ship much, I’d mostly been at the back on the quarterdeck, or under the main sails in the middle of the deck.
‘Has anyone spent much time in one of these?’ I asked tentatively, as we all looked down at it. We could probably all fit in it, but I wasn’t sure how comfortable that would be.
‘Yes,’ answered Vronti and Arketa in unison. My hunch had been correct, I thought.
‘Arketa, if we’re challenged to a race, I want you to fly the longboat,’ I said assertively.
‘What?’ hissed Vronti, turning on me. ‘You don’t even know who is the better of the two of us. You are letting your personal feelings about me get in the way of our success!’
‘No, I’m following my instincts,’ I told him, pushing my shoulders back as he advanced towards me.
‘There’s no point in arguing about this until we find out if he’ll actually challenge us to a race,’ said Zali quickly. ‘If he’s really Oceanus’s son he’ll probably be pleased to see you, Dora. You’re related to him. I’m sure he’ll just tell us what we need to know.’
‘I doubt that,’ said my mom. We all turned to her. ‘Evenus is one of Oceanus’s cruelest offspring.’
‘How many does he have? Offspring, I mean?’ I asked, unable to help myself. Mom shrugged.
‘Many hundreds.’
‘What? Many hundreds!’ I stared at her, my jaw slack. ‘Am I related to all of them?’ I couldn’t get my head to process the idea of having a family that large.
‘As am I, yes. Many are water nymphs of some description. As I told you before, very few are human demigods, like you and Evenus.’
‘If he’s also a demigod, could he fly this ship?’
‘Perhaps. I don’t believe he possesses much water magic though. He may not have been able to raise the Tethys from the ocean floor as you did.’
I couldn’t help the bolt of pride I felt at her words.
‘I would have thought all Oceanus’s descendants could control water,’ said Zali.
‘No. As I’m sure you know from your academy, everybody has different strength powers. Dora and Icarus have unlocked their powers with help from the Titan himself.’ I felt Arketa’s angry gaze on me, and shuffled my feet.
‘Which was a massive mistake,’ I mumbled, and took a breath. ‘Anyway, I think we should try and be prepared for anything. Can we test the longboat now, before we get there?’
‘Good idea,’ said Icarus.
It was clear that Arketa had controlled a boat before. She wasted no time climbing into it, untying the ropes, and zipping about above the deck of the Tethys. Vronti insisted on having a go, and I found an excuse to leave the top deck.
‘I’m going to talk to Nix,’ I said, and darted off the hauler. I didn’t care how good Vronti was, he wasn’t going to be in charge of anything. I knew he wouldn’t listen to me when I needed him to. As I headed towards my room I decided that it was probably a good idea to follow through on my excuse, and speak with the grumpy old phoenix.
‘What’s new?’ Nix asked me as soon as I closed my fingers gently around his feather.
‘We’re going to see Evenus,’ I told him.
‘Evenus? Horrible man,’ Nix muttered.
‘You know him?’ I didn’t know why I was surprised, Nix knew everyone.
‘Not personally, thank the gods. But I’ve heard much about him. Is that what Ares told you to do?’
‘Yeah, right before he tried to stamp on us with his giant statue foot.’
The phoenix gave a wry chuckle in my mind.
‘I didn’t think he would be acting on Oceanus’s behalf willingly. I wonder what the Titan had over him that made him keep his end of the bargain? Something scandalous, I’m sure.’
‘Nix, I’m worried about Vronti,’ I said.
‘And so you should be. The boy and his sister tried to kill you, twice.’
‘Hmmm. Right now, I’m worried that he’s found something in the cargo deck of the Tethys. Would there be anything that could hurt Oceanus here?’
‘Here on the ship? No. I highly doubt it. The only thing that can hurt Oceanus is the Olympians. And Vronti has a direct line to strongest of them all, Zeus. He’s likely just found something expensive and wants to keep it.’
‘But his family are so wealthy. Why would he need to steal something?’ I frowned. It didn’t make sense, and I was sure he was hiding something.
‘Search his room,’ Nix suggested. My frown deepened.
‘That would make him angry if he caught me.’
‘Ridiculous girl, he tried to kill you! You are entitled to exercise suspicion.’ I tilted my head as I thought about that. The phoenix was right. What was the worst Vronti would do to me if he found me searching his room? Especially if I found whatever it was he was hiding. He would have to explain himself. ‘You could call it captain’s prerogative,’ Nix said. My frown eased into a smile.
‘I’m beginning to like that expression,’ I said.
12
It was anothe
r hour or so before the ship began to slow, and a high walled stone palace came into view below us. The Tethys began to descend, and only then did I realize there was no pier here.
‘How do we land?’ I asked my mom, who was standing beside me.
‘We don’t. The ship will stay just above ground and we will take the longboat down,’ my mom answered. She was even more tense than usual, I thought, and an instinctive part of me wanted to ask her what was wrong, to try to help.
‘Are you...’ I faltered, emotions warring inside me. She hadn’t asked me if I was OK at any point on this trip so far, and surely as a mom that was her job, not mine?
‘Am I what?’ she asked me bluntly, thin eyebrows raised.
‘Never mind,’ I muttered.
‘I believe we need to be extremely careful here. I fear Evenus will see you as a threat.’
‘A threat?’
‘Yes. As far as I know, he has never unlocked his true Titan power, and he is famously jealous and paranoid. I do not believe he will want to help you if he doesn’t have to.’
‘If Oceanus has ordered him to, he’ll have to, won’t he? Ares did, and he’s much more powerful.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ she said, and looked back out over the sand.
‘A curse on this dry and dusty realm,’ she hissed, and let out a long breath. ‘I miss the water. Very, very much.’ I tilted my head, looking at her.
‘Why did you come then?’
She regarded me, face stoic as always.
‘I have my reasons.’
I rolled my eyes.
‘Right. Everyone on this ship has their reasons,’ I sighed. Turning, I sought out someone I could actually trust, and headed towards Zali and Thom, both leaning over the opposite side of the quarterdeck.
‘So, are you both ready for this? Nix says Evenus isn’t a nice guy,’ I said, filling my voice with false bravado. Anxiety was sending jitters across my skin, and my stomach didn’t feel quite right.
‘Yes,’ answered Zali, though her face didn’t match her optimistic tone. ‘Thom’s practice has been going well.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help you out,’ I said, guilt filling me. I’d been so caught up in everything else I’d forgotten I’d said I’d help with the shifting practice.
‘That’s OK,’ shrugged Thom. ‘Arketa’s been helping. Her vines are pretty strong.’
I blinked in surprise.
‘Thom can shift back to human most times now,’ Zali said enthusiastically.
‘Not always though,’ he said, and I recognized the self-disappointment.
‘Well most times is loads better than no times,’ I smiled.
‘True.’
‘Where’s Icarus?’
‘I’m here,’ he said, and I span around at his voice. He was holding up a vial. The vial of ambrosia, I realized as I looked at it. ‘We have two Titans with unlocked powers, and I need to know if mine still work. It’s time I tried to fly.’
I opened my mouth to protest, but the look on his face was clear. This was happening. I sent my mind out to the Tethys, asking the ship to stop its slow descent and hover where it was. I felt us slow to a stop.
‘And if you can’t fly, you’ll drink the ambrosia?’ asked Zali, quietly.
‘Yes.’ He let out a long breath and his big wings fluttered behind him. Then they expanded and he took a couple of long, fast strides, propelling himself forward and up. For a brief second he was airborne, but then he gave a small cry and crashed sideways. Thom rushed forwards, catching him as he stumbled back onto the planks. ‘I’m off balance,’ he said tightly.
‘But both wings are working,’ I said hopefully. ‘Maybe you just need some practice?’
‘We don’t have time for him to practice,’ said Vronti, stepping onto the quarterdeck with us.
‘Yes, he does,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘Try again, Icarus.’
He looked between me and Vronti, then moved backwards, giving himself some space. Again he took a small run up, and this time he stayed a few feet off the ground before starting to veer off to the side. His wings beat furiously though, and he righted himself, lifting higher into the air. He wobbled slightly, looking like a toy dangling on a string, then suddenly his wings spread wide and he shot upwards, soaring towards the sails. I heard him let out a whoop of joy, and a huge smile took over my face. Before I knew it, I was whooping with him, and then Zali and Thom joined in, cheering and clapping as he wooshed around the shimmering sails.
As he landed, a little clumsily, I took in his beaming face and my chest swelled with more happiness than I’d felt in weeks. Icarus could still fly. He still had his freedom, so precious to him.
‘What about your air powers?’ said Vronti, sapping some of the joy from the moment. Icarus held out his good hand, and a whirlwind burst from it, the ship sails stretching taught as the magic wind caught them.
‘Easy there!’ I laughed. ‘You’ll blow us back to Egypt.’ He grinned at me and the whirlwind vanished.
‘If you do not drink the ambrosia, then you may never regain the use of your arm.’ We all turned to my mom at her words.
‘We don’t know for sure that it won’t heal on its own,’ Icarus said firmly. ‘If there’s a risk that the ambrosia will become addictive or send me mad, then I’m not taking it. Not if I can still fly. I can manage with one arm.’
‘Fine,’ she said.
‘If you’re all done?’ Vronti asked sarcastically. ‘We can finally go and see Evenus.’
We piled into the longboat and I looked regretfully at the Tethys as Arketa untied the ropes and we zoomed off towards the palace. I hated to leave the ship. What if it was stolen? I knew everyone said that I was the only one who could control it, but what if Evenus could? Or what if people got on board and stole our stuff?
‘Are you sure we shouldn’t leave somebody on the ship to guard it?’ I asked again.
‘Like who?’ Vronti said exasperatedly. ‘Nobody is going to volunteer to do that. The ship will be fine.’
‘What about our stuff?’
‘All the rooms lock. It’ll be fine,’ said Icarus gently. I frowned but stayed silent as we approached a huge set of wooden doors set into the tall palace walls. When we had been on the ship we were too far away to make out details, but now that we were close...
‘The dockmaster was telling the truth. Those are heads,’ I whispered, my stomach roiling as I saw the row of heads atop the wall, on spikes. Most were human, but not all. Mercifully the longboat dipped straight past them, so we couldn’t see them for very long. I caught Zali’s anxious glance, her dark skin paler than usual. I tried to give her a reassuring smile but I was pretty sure it came out as a grimace.
‘This is why nobody visits Aries,’ muttered Thom.
‘I certainly won’t be coming back,’ Zali whispered.
The doors flew open as our longboat got close, and we passed straight through, now almost at the ground. A massive dusty courtyard lined with open-sided buildings held up with columns greeted us, and inside each one were rows of longboats. In front of us was another set of wooden doors, set in a grand looking building with a triangular roof like the academy had. Arketa guided our little boat into one of the buildings, sliding into a gap between two smaller boats. We all climbed out, and I looked around for signs of life. There was nobody around and it was weirdly quiet.
‘Where is everyone?’ I asked. Nobody answered. We walked towards the second set of doors, and I jumped as I heard cheering suddenly, and the clash of metal. Then a voice boomed in the distance, like a sports commentator.
‘And the win goes to Lord Evenus!’ More cheering erupted and then a chant began, low and menacing.
‘What are they saying?’ said Arketa, moving closer to the doors. I listened hard.
Death to the minotaur. Death to the minotaur.
‘Your wish is my command, loyal subjects,’ boomed another voice, then there was another roaring cheer. My skin crawled and my stoma
ch lurched as my brain pieced together what was happening.
‘I don’t want to go in there,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to see what’s about to happen to that minotaur.’ My words trailed off as there was an echoing howl, and then another eruption of noise from the crowd.
‘Sounds like we’ve already missed it,’ shrugged Vronti, and stepped towards the massive doors.
13
The wooden doors swung open as Vronti reached them, and a wave of sound hit me as I stared. I stepped forward, moving through the doors after the others, trying to take it all in. We were standing at the top of a huge ring, set deep into the ground. The sides were steep and lined with rows of benches around a clearing at the bottom, like an amphitheater, and they were filled with people all wearing ancient style clothing. At the bottom of the pit, in the very center of the clearing, was a track, circling a ring of columns that were holding up a stage. Longboats that looked nothing at all like the one on the Tethys were scattered about on the track, but I could hardly focus on them. Instead my gaze was drawn to the stage on top of the columns. A large man, with tanned skin and a shock of black hair, was turning in slow circles, bowing and waving at the crowd. At his feet I could just make out a dark furry body, unmoving.
‘Is that Evenus?’ I whispered.
‘Yes,’ answered my mom, equally as quietly. ‘And I guess that’s the minotaur.’
‘I’ve never seen longboats like those,’ said Vronti, squinting down at the scattered wooden debris.
‘I have,’ said Icarus. ‘I’ve read about them. They don’t call them longboats, they call them chariots, like the ancients did.’
‘Does anyone else here wish to challenge the almighty Evenus?’ boomed he commentator’s voice again, and I jumped in surprise. Adrenaline was surging through me now, every instinct in my body screaming at me to leave this place. I was acutely aware of the dry, dusty surroundings now that my power was thrumming through me, unable to find the ocean to lock onto and use to help calm me or strengthen me. In fact, I could barely sense any water around me at all.