by Raine, Eliza
‘You plan to free him?’
‘Yes. Do you know where he is?’ I said, figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask.
‘No. Nobody does. He disappeared a long time ago. He left the stone in the palace with my ancestors, with the instruction that a powerful descendant of his may one day come for it.’ Evenus sighed. ‘I vowed that if that day came during my rule I would refuse to let the stone go. I can’t let my people see that I have none of my Titan powers. But if Oceanus were free...’
‘Imagine how much more important you’ll be as the descendant of a living Titan,’ said Icarus, his vice low and seductive. ‘Imagine the respect you’ll get as one of few with a direct connection to one of the most powerful gods in Olympus.’ I watched as the expression on Evenus’s face changed slowly, a faraway gleam appearing in his cold eyes. ‘I’m sure Oceanus would unlock your powers for you,’ Icarus said.
‘Of course he will,’ I added. Evenus took a deep breath in.
‘OK. You can have the stone. I’ll find a way to keep my people occupied for a while, they’ll never notice. But when you find Oceanus, you will tell him I cooperated?’
‘Of course,’ I assured him, while my mind screamed in protest. Cooperated? He made us race him around a lethal track under threat of decapitation! That was hardly cooperation in my book.
‘Here,’ he said, as I schooled my expression into calm, masking my real emotions. Suddenly my water senses were ablaze, a feeling of pure bliss rolling over me, as Evenus pulled a sapphire blue stone out of a pouch on his belt. There was no question at all that this stone was made by Oceanus. And really, stone was not the right word for it. It was a jewel the size of a golf ball, the light refracting off its smooth surface. As I took the gem from Evenus liquid began to dance inside it, intricate swirling patterns making the shapes of water creatures. I gasped in delight, holding it up to my face and watching entranced.
‘It’s stunning,’ breathed Zali beside me, leaning in to look closer.
‘Well, it’s never done that for me,’ huffed Evenus. ‘It belongs in the pommel of Oceanus’s sword. I assume you already have that?’
I snapped my eyes to Evenus.
‘What? How do you know that?’
‘There are paintings of Oceanus’s sword all over this palace. It’s quite obvious,’ he said, his haughtiness slipping back into place.
‘Right. Well, it’s next on our list,’ I said, hiding my dismay as best I could. Every time we made some progress, it felt like we were pushed back again. Maybe the gem would help us find the sword, I thought hopefully. ‘And it’s a long list, so we’d better get going,’ I added, pushing my chair back and standing up. Everyone followed suit.
‘When you find Oceanus, you’ll be sure to tell him everything I did for you?’ Evenus said, standing too.
‘Don’t worry. We’ll tell him everything,’ I said, slipping the gem into my pocket with a smile.
18
It was a relief to step back onto the deck of the Tethys. We hadn’t been living on the ship very long, but it already felt like a safe place to me. Perhaps not home, but definitely something close.
‘Oceanus’s sword has been lost to Olympus for as long as he has,’ my mom said as we all headed towards the hauler. Everyone was covered in dust, and I couldn’t be the only one desperate for a bath.
‘Great,’ I muttered. ‘More lost stuff to find.’
Sinking into the water in my washroom pool felt amazing. I let the cascade from the mini waterfall slosh over me, drawing strength from it, replacing my lost energy. The last few days had been seriously intense. First Ares, then Evenus’s brutal chariot race. And it was far from over. I didn’t know how my nerves would hold if we ever actually found Oceanus. My mind flicked to the water bracelet my mom had made me. If she hadn’t helped me, I wasn’t sure that I would have had the control to help us win the race. I owed her. I suddenly felt a burning desire to talk to her, about her life. To ask her what her name meant, about where she lived, about what she did every day. Did she have a husband? Or even other children? I felt a trickle of shame that I knew none of these things. But then I remembered my birthday, sat on the freezing beach, wondering why my mom had abandoned me. The many, many birthdays wondering the same thing. Dad and Mandy were what mattered, not a woman who was practically a stranger to me. I had no responsibility to care for her. And besides, I needed to focus on finding a long lost Titan sword. I had enough on my plate, I resolved, standing up and climbing out of the delicious water.
After I dried off and got dressed, I got Nix’s feather out and plonked myself down on the huge seashell bed.
‘Hey Nix,’ I said as I felt my mind connect with the red feather.
‘Did you find Evenus?’ he asked, quickly.
‘Yup. He challenged us to a chariot race.’ There was a long pause.
‘I assume you won?’
‘Course we did.’ I enjoyed injecting a bit of bravado into my voice. I couldn’t be cocky around Vronti and Arketa. They made me feel too small and silly.
‘And? Did he give you information?’
‘He gave us the gem from the pommel of Oceanus’s sword,’ I told the phoenix. He let out a long mental whistle.
‘Alifthoros.’
‘What?’
‘That’s the name of that weapon. And mighty it is too.’
‘Do you know where it is’
‘Well I imagine it would be on this ship somewhere,’ he said, as though it were blindingly obvious.
‘What? Really?’ I sat up straight.
‘It was lost at the same time as he and the ship, and if he left the gem for someone to find, then he wouldn’t have taken the sword with him.’
‘That makes sense I guess,’ I said, thinking fast. ‘What about this locked chest at the end of the bed?’
‘Hmmm, maybe. You’re the only one who can unlock this room, so it would be a safe place to put it.’
‘Where could the key be then?’
‘It won’t be a normal key. It’ll be something else, something less obvious.’
‘Like what?’
‘Another gem, or something important to him. Has he left you anything else on your quest?’ I screwed up my face, thinking.
‘The pearl form the attic!’ I shouted suddenly, and Nix gave a little squawk deep inside my head.
‘There’s no need to yell, girl!’
‘Sorry Nix, but I’ve got to go, thank you!’ I dropped his feather on the pillow and leapt off the bed, grabbing my backpack up off the floor. I pulled it open, digging inside. There, in one of the lining pockets, wrapped in paper, was the little pearl I’d found in the attic of the academy. It felt cool in my hands, and I carried it carefully over to the chest, excitement fizzing through me. As I moved it towards the padlock I felt a little pull, and I was sure I could hear the distant sound of roaring waves. My hands almost shaking in anticipation, I tipped the pearl into the hole in the lock. I heard a tiny click, and held my breath. Nothing happened. I frowned and picked up the lock, trying to peer into the hole. As soon as I tipped it there was a rushing sound, and then water began to gush from the lock. I cried out, but before I could jump backwards out of the way I realized that the water was warm, and it didn’t seem to be making me wet. I sent out my power, trying to gather it up, and as soon as I connected with it I discovered it wasn’t real water at all. It was an illusion. I watched as it whirled around me, looking exactly like real water, then suddenly it all rushed back into the padlock. The chest made a creaking sound, then the lock fell open with a loud clunk.
I couldn’t help the little fist pump as I leaned forward, yanking the lock away from the chest. I knew the pearl was important! I took a deep breath, savoring my small victory, then pushed open the lid of the big chest. It was heavy, and I had to stand up to heft it back all the way. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked down into the box. There were reams and reams of fabric, fading through blues and greens and purples, and it instantly made me think of the sea. The
delicate colors washing together were clearly representative of the ocean, and the material gleamed and glistened like drops of water did. And nestled in the middle of it all, catching the light, was another sapphire blue gem.
I had been expecting a sword, not another gem. I lifted it carefully out of the box, feeling the same shot of joy as I had when I’d been given Evenus’s gem. The water creatures leapt to life within the stone, and I watched, my mind racing. Another gem for the sword pommel. But still no sword... Was Nix right? Was the sword somewhere on the ship? We would have to search the Tethys, I thought, laying the gem carefully back in the chest, on top of the beautiful fabric. I took the other stone out of my hoodie pocket, and placed it next to its partner. The roar of the ocean sounded around me again. I felt like the gems were happy to be reunited, if gems were capable of feeling such things. I wondered how they’d feel if they were set back in the sword they belonged to. I let out a deep breath as I looked down at them, sparkling. It was my duty to make sure that they were.
19
’I’ve called you all here,’ I began, looking around at everyone assembled on the quarterdeck.
‘Again,’ muttered Vronti, rolling his eyes.
‘Again,’ I said, glaring at him. ‘Because we need to find Oceanus’s sword, Alifthoros. And I have reason to believe it’s hidden on this ship somewhere. Has anyone found a chest they can’t unlock, a hidden door, a secret passageway?’ Zali, Thom and Icarus shook their heads. Arketa said nothing but shrugged her shoulders.
‘Wouldn’t we have mentioned it if we had?’ she asked, annoyed.
‘You never know,’ I said, staring at Vronti. He wouldn’t catch my eye. ‘Vronti? Have you found something?’
‘No,’ he said. I knew he was lying to me. I didn’t know how, but I just knew.
‘What have you found?’ I demanded.
‘Nothing, I just told you.’
‘Vronti, if you don’t help me, we can’t help Astra,’ I said, clenching my teeth in an effort to control my rising temper. Why did this boy keep going out of his way to make my life harder?
‘Astra wouldn’t need helping if it weren’t for you,’ he spat back. I flinched at his words.
‘I’m trying to fix that,’ I ground out. ‘I know you found something in the cargo deck days ago. What was it?’ I pushed every ounce of authority I could into my voice, and I was surprised to hear how assertive my words came out. Vronti hesitated.
‘What is it?’ asked Arketa, stepping towards him. ‘If you have something that can help us-’ Vronti cut her off, the venom back in his eyes as he shouted.
‘Freeing Oceanus is a fool’s errand! Zeus is the only one who can save my sister!’
‘Then why are you here?’ I shouted back, my anger spiking, fire prickling under my skin. ‘If you don’t believe in what we’re doing why did you come?’ I realized I knew the answer as I yelled the words.
‘You’re spying for Zeus,’ said Icarus, quietly.
‘The only way I can get him to listen to me is to take him something of worth,’ Vronti hissed.
‘Like evidence that some Titan descendants are trying to free a trapped Titan,’ my mom said quietly. He glared at her.
‘You are all traitors to Olympus, and the Lord of the Gods will punish you, and reward me by saving my sister.’
‘And what about the other souls? Will he free them too?’
‘If I ask him too, I’m sure he will.’
I let out a snort.
‘Vronti, if your lord of the gods was so worthy, he would have freed the souls when you asked him the first time. He is letting your sister’s soul stay trapped for no good reason! How can you possibly still want to help him?’
‘And you think a Titan will be more reasonable? More compassionate? You are mad!’
I scrabbled for a response. The unsettling truth was that I didn’t actually know if Titans were any better than Olympians. I knew less about this world than anyone on the ship, and I had no idea what Oceanus himself would be like. But as I felt the ocean below us, as I drank in the power in the ancient ship, I knew that the creator of that life-giving force must have some compassion. He had to. Or I was making an even bigger mistake than my first.
‘It is time that Titans and Olympians worked together,’ I said, as calmly as I could.
‘You would say that,’ he sneered back. ‘Titan scum like you are too dangerous to be allowed in our world. There’s a reason Zeus locked them all up.’ Anger and fear and an overwhelming sense of injustice swamped my thoughts, and the fire inside me roiled, desperate to be free.
‘What did you find, Vronti,’ said Icarus loudly.
‘You need to tell us. It’s the best way to save your sister,’ added Zali, her voice soft and kind.
‘Don’t speak about her!’ he yelled, and I realized his eyes were shining with unshed tears.
‘We all want the same thing,’ I said, lowering my voice, trying to calm my boiling temper. ‘We all want to save everyone taken by the Keres demon.’
‘We need to work together,’ said Zali. ‘We’re a good team.’
‘Team? Don’t make me laugh! She won’t let me do anything!’
‘Arketa was the right choice for the chariot race,’ I said slowly. My patience was stretched as thin as I thought it could go. If he knew where the sword was, he needed to tell us. ‘For the last time, Vronti, what did you find?’
‘You think you can boss me around? You? Scum from the mortal world more important than aristocracy?’ Purple energy crackled dangerously from his splayed hands, and the fire inside me reacted. Flames leapt to the ends of my fingers.
‘Don’t test me, Vronti. This isn’t sword class anymore,’ I said quietly.
‘You would use fire on a wooden ship? You’re more of a fool than I thought you were,’ he scoffed. Somewhere in my mind I knew his words made sense. I knew I shouldn’t have the fire at my fingertips. I knew I couldn’t control it like water. But that was the very reason it was there. It responded to my anger and my frustration. It rose up and rallied against the bully, the boy who treated me so unfairly. The flames danced higher, as though trying to reach him. He raised his own hands. ‘I’d fry you before you let off one bolt,’ he sneered.
‘Just try it.’ The world was becoming narrow, and I could only see and hear the silver-haired boy in front of me, the ship and the others fading from my awareness. Heat, warm and inviting and fierce, was engulfing my body.
‘Dora!’ Icarus’s voice pierced my haze. ‘We can work this out, I’m sure.’ He was wrong. We were past working things out.
‘He tried to kill me, Icarus,’ I said loudly, not taking my eyes off Vronti. ‘More than once. And I have no doubt whatsoever that he’ll try again.’
‘Maybe you’re not as stupid as you look,’ Vronti said.
‘Tell me what you found, now.’
‘I found your precious sword,’ he said, a nasty grin taking over his face. ‘And I’m taking it straight to Zeus.’ Fire shot from my hands towards him and then something smashed into my side, knocking me to the planks. I cried out in pain as my head hit the wood hard, and big black spots began to crowd my vision. The angry heat died away as I blinked, trying to clear my head. I heard shouting as I pushed myself to my hands and knees, still unable to see properly.
‘Stop him!’ I heard Zali’s voice, then hands were under my armpits, lifting me roughly to my feet. I squinted through blurry eyes. Arketa was shooting green vines towards Vronti, who was racing across the deck of the Tethys. Manticore Thom was galloping after him, his red wings beating as he thudded across the deck. Vronti was going for the longboat, I realized. I whirled, looking for Icarus, but I couldn’t see him, and I stumbled on my feet. The rough hands caught me again.
‘Easy now.’ It was my mom. I gripped onto her arm gratefully, watching uselessly as Vronti reached the prow of the ship. It was a large deck and I could only just see him vault over the railings, I presumed into the longboat. ‘Where’s Icarus? He’s the o
nly one who can go after him!’ I said desperately as Thom roared in frustration. Zali was running towards him, keeping her hands out and speaking quietly and calmly.
‘The manticore has wings,’ mom said simply.
‘Thom hasn’t learned to fly yet.’
‘Oh. Then this is bad.’
‘Can you do something?’ I asked her, feeling confused and frantic. My head was pounding so bad. But if we lost that sword...
‘You don’t need to do anything, he doesn’t have it with him,’ panted Icarus from behind us. He was jogging out of the hauler and I gaped at him.
‘How do you know?’
‘For a start, there’s no way he could fit a sword in a backpack,’ he said, breathing heavily. ‘So I just ran and checked his room, it’s been locked with magic.’
‘Is the sword in there? How did you have time to break in?’
‘I didn’t,’ he said. ‘But if he’s been that careful about locking the room, I’m sure it’s in there.’
‘Gods, I hope you’re right,’ I breathed. Another pulse of pain gripped my head and I winced. ‘What happened?’ I asked. My mom pointed to the planks where I had been stood before I fell. A big burning spot on the wood was still smoking. ‘Did I do that?’ I asked, aghast.
‘No, Vronti’s electricity did.’ I sagged in relief. ‘You did that though, she said, and pointed to where Vronti had been standing. A similar scorch mark seared the deck. Guilt washed over me at the damage to Oceanus’s ship. ‘Thom knocked you out of the way. I think he saved your life,’ she said. She was peering hard into my watering eyes. ‘We need to get you to the infirmary,’ she announced.
‘But we need to make sure Vronti didn’t take the sword!’ I protested.
‘We can’t catch him now. And this is far more immediate,’ she said, and her voice was so surprisingly gentle that I let her lead me to the hauler.
20
When we got to the infirmary my mom started asking me a bunch of questions to make sure I didn’t have concussion whilst she rummaged around for some pain relief to stop the headache. But the more detailed the questions got, the more I wondered if she was just asking them to find out the answers.