by Eliza Raine
‘Abderos?’
‘I’m fine, Cap. Only you and Epizon were affected,’ Abderos wheeled his chair around the tank so she could see him as he spoke.
‘Affected?’ Lyssa mumbled, and focused on the tank being. She was glowing blue, her shimmering scales dazzling if you looked at them too long, and her eyes still hidden behind closed lids.
‘It seems likely she has something to with this,’ Len said, trotting across the deck from the back of the ship, carrying a small black pouch. Lyssa moved quickly out of his way. ‘This should do it,’ he said, and brought out a small vial. He pulled out the tiny cork and waved the bottle slowly under Epizon’s nose. Lyssa watched anxiously as his eyelids twitched. Then he took a huge, heaving breath and Lyssa let hers out in relief as his eyelids fluttered open.
‘Ep, are you all right?’ she asked, leaning close over him.
‘Tenebrae,’ he said, as dazed as she had been.
‘What?’
‘Tenebrae. That’s her name,’ he said and eased himself onto his elbows as he started to sit up.
‘Whose name?’
Epizon pointed at the tank. The creature’s scales were dimming, her tail was swishing back and forth, and her brilliant eyes were fixed on Epizon’s.
‘Hers. She’s called Tenebrae.’
5
‘I…’ Epizon paused, looking meaningfully at Lyssa. ‘I know this might sound crazy. But I was back where I grew up. As a child.’
Lyssa blinked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘There was a massive pain in my head, and then I was a child again. And I…’ He looked away. ‘I saw things I haven’t remembered in a long time.’
Lyssa’s heart lurched. She knew little of his past, as he rarely spoke of it, but if he had seen anything as unpleasant as she had, then she felt for him.
‘Me too,’ she said quietly. ‘I saw Hercules, right after…’ She shrugged. ‘You know.’
‘I started yelling stop!’ Lyssa flinched at the thought of him in pain. He was a good man. The best she’d ever met. Len and Abderos looked away as he spoke, clearly uncomfortable seeing Epizon vulnerable. ‘And then I was in a room full of columns and she was there.’
‘I was in a room full of columns too!’ Lyssa cut in.
‘I asked who she was and she said the word Tenebrae.’
Lyssa turned to the satyr. ‘Len, have you ever heard of telepathic creatures like this before? Do you think it’s connected to exposing her to light?’ Len looked at the creature, who was still staring at Epizon.
‘No, Captain. I’ve never heard of anything like this before. But it does seem that she gets her power from light. Surely she would have communicated earlier if she could.’
‘Why just you two?’ asked Abderos. Lyssa shrugged.
‘She didn’t speak to me,’ she said. ‘I think we should get her below decks again, at least until we know she isn’t dangerous.’
‘I agree, Captain,’ said Epizon and stood up. He put his massive hand on the tank and Tenebrae’s eyes flicked towards it momentarily, then settled on his face again.
Nobody spoke as they wheeled the tank back into the hauler and down to the cargo deck. Epizon announced he was retiring to his cabin early, and Len and Abderos quickly followed. Lyssa was relieved to be by herself as she sat in her chair on the quarterdeck. With the Alastor motionless there was no breeze. The huge skies rolled and tumbled softly around her, though, limitless. The feeling of freedom washed over her.
‘I knew this was a mistake. I should have let you drop me off on Libra,’ Phyleus said as he stepped up onto the quarterdeck in front of her.
‘The option is still there,’ Lyssa scowled at him.
‘It’s one thing after another.’ He shook his head as he spoke. ‘I knew the Trials would be dangerous, sure, but that lion was massive. And those giants, they’re idiots! They don’t listen to anything you say! How can you reason with them? And now, just to add some more danger to this endeavour, we have a telepathic creature nobody knows anything about who is able to knock out the best fighter on the ship.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ she said quietly. He looked at her.
‘About what? You were there; Epizon was completely out,’ he answered, walking to the railings.
‘Are you sure about him being the best fighter on the ship?’ Phyleus raised his eyebrows.
‘Oh. Sorry, Captain. That’s probably you, is it?’ His tone confirmed that he didn’t believe it. She sighed. Epizon was wrong; this guy was not worth it.
‘You chose to be here, Phyleus. If you back out now, you get none of your drachmas back.’
‘Whoa, whoa. I’m not quitting.’ His chest was puffed out and he was wearing the defiant expression she didn’t mind so much as his arrogant one. The one that made him look like he had a backbone. She leaned back in the wooden chair.
‘Then why are you up here, whining to me?’ He scowled.
‘I’m not whining. I’m…’ he fixed his eyes on hers, really looking at her. ‘I’m trying to work some things out.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Sounds like whining to me. Go to bed.’ She stood up and made for the hauler at the back of the ship.
‘I can help you win, Lyssa. There are things you don’t know about me. Things that could help,’ he said.
She stopped. She knew she should reprimand him for calling her Lyssa instead of Captain. She knew she should be annoyed by his arrogance. But she wasn’t. She wanted to believe him.
She turned around slowly. Phyleus was wearing clean clothes now, dark leather trousers tucked into supple boots and a tight white shirt open halfway down his chest. His caramel hair was pushed back from his tanned face and his lips looked soft and full even from where she was standing. She didn’t want his help, but why did she want him? She scolded herself mentally. She was just having a bad few days. Sharing her bed with an arrogant noble who thought he was better than her and her ship was not the answer.
‘Good night, Phyleus,’ she said firmly and turned back to the hauler.
‘Night, Captain,’ he answered softly.
6
Hedone had worked hard not to let the smile show as they watched Hera in the flame dish. Joy had spread through her like warm liquid when she had seen Hercules, bloody, naked and victorious. She felt like his passion and fierceness was just for her. She was desperate to see him again.
‘It’s not ideal that he won. Not surprising, but not ideal,’ Theseus was saying. They were all on the quarterdeck, waiting for the next Trial announcement. Theseus wasn’t taking any chances this time. He had believed her, without question, when she told him she had fallen asleep and missed the last announcement. He hadn’t even been angry with her. It wasn’t in his nature to be angry. She looked at his soft dark hair and perfectly proportioned face. Was he as beautiful as Hercules? She felt a pull in her gut. No, she decided. He was too pretty, too gentle. She needed a man who could take care of her, fight for her, set her soul alight with passion.
‘We’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t win the next one,’ said Bellerephon. He was sharpening arrowheads on his lap, sparks flying across his leather-clad thighs. Bellerephon was bigger and more muscular than Theseus, but his eyes were not as warm and his smile not so easy. She felt the tug inside her again and focused on the thought of Hercules. She needed to help him win. She needed him to know how she felt.
‘Where do you think the next Trial will be?’ she asked Theseus. He shrugged.
‘The only thing we know for sure is that it won’t be on Cancer.’
‘Captain,’ said Psyche. They all turned. The flames in the dish were white and a foot high. Bellerephon stood up quickly, his arrows clattering to the ground. He ignored them and moved closer to the dish. Hedone stood too, moving around him for a better view. The man in the blue toga materialised in the dish.
‘Good day, Olympus!’ he beamed. ‘Are you ready for the second Trial?’ Hedone held her breath. The smiling man faded slowly, then Athena appe
ared in the bowl. She was wearing white, as she always did, and her blond hair was braided in a crown around her head. The goddess smiled.
‘Good day. Congratulations to the previous victors, the crew of the Hybris.’ She nodded her head. ‘The next Trial will be somewhat more difficult, I believe. Deep in the centre of my sky realm lurks a monster with three heads and a voracious appetite. It is as tall as a building and cannot listen to reason. It will kill indiscriminately and without remorse. Please, heroes of Olympus, kill this monster, the Hydra.’ She bowed her head again, and vanished.
Theseus rubbed his hands together as he turned and looked at his crew.
‘Excellent,’ he said.
Psyche frowned at him.
‘How is a massive, violent, three-headed monster excellent, Captain?’
‘First, we made the right choice staying at the Void. We’re closer to Libra than the other ships. Second, Hercules will get cocky because this is another brute strength challenge. And people make mistakes when they get cocky.’
7
Hercules watched the cat stretch languidly, then curl up at the end of the chair, carefully tucking its small paws beneath itself. Evadne thought the hairless cat ugly, with its triangular face and massive ears. He didn’t care what she thought. He looked at the soft folds of skin on its neck thoughtfully. So different to the hide he had removed from Gata. He had been testing it since having a tanner on Cancer fashion it into a long cloak, with everything he had at his disposal on the ship. He had so far found nothing that could penetrate it. It would serve him well against a three-headed beast, he thought, lifting a glass of ouzo to his lips and leaning back into his seat.
‘Captain?’ A gruff voice rang in his head.
‘I asked not to be disturbed until we reach Libra,’ he said quietly.
‘Right. We’re one hour away.’
‘Asterion, if you value all parts of your anatomy, don’t bother me again until we are ten minutes away,’ he growled to the minotaur.
‘Yes, Captain.’ His first mate was trying too hard to recover his standing after making such a fool of himself on Cancer. A minotaur should not be so thoroughly beaten by a bunch of dim-witted giants, and Hercules was in no hurry to let him forget that. As he raised his glass once more, intense light filled his vision. He swore and turned his face away, closing his eyes tight.
‘You won’t be the first one there, you know,’ boomed a voice. Hercules turned back.
‘Hello, Father. I thought I’d see you sooner after my victory. Ouzo?’ He gestured at Zeus with his glass.
‘Your victory?’ the lord of the gods replied. His brows knitted together and purple energy crackled in his eyes. He was a foot taller than Hercules, only just able to stand straight in his living quarters. ‘You call being shot by a girl half your size a victory?’
Indignation filled Hercules and he slammed his glass down on the table.
‘I won! I won the first Trial! How is that not a victory?’
The purple energy rolling off Zeus crackled out loud, and Hercules smelled the tang of electricity in the air. Zeus’s eyes locked on his and he was unable to look away.
‘You know as well as I do the risks in me coming here. Do not test me. You put on a pitiful display in the last Trial. You were blindly seduced by the beast herself, lost in a cave until that girl of yours freed you, and then shot by your own daughter. You may have won the Trial but you have not won anybody’s respect.’ Zeus words smashed into Hercules one after the other, causing his face to heat with anger.
‘What do you mean, freed me? I had everything under control the entire time! Lyssa shot me after I had killed the beast, in an act of cowardice,’ he spat.
‘She shouldn’t have shot you at all. If you were a better hero, she would not have been able to. And the girl on your crew, Evadne, convinced one of the giants to remove the tree blocking the cave for you.’
‘I could have done that myself,’ he snorted.
‘While fighting a man-eating lion? I doubt that very much. Listen to me. As I don’t trust you to cope without it, I am bringing you something to help.’ The god held his arm out in front of him. Purple lightning began to roll and race around his forearm. It built, crackling and pulsing, racing faster and faster until Zeus flicked his wrist hard. The lightning shot down his arm to his hand, instantly solidifying in the form of a massive sword.
Hercules stared. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Other than Hedone, perhaps. Zeus held it out to him and he stood up to take it. It was as tall as most men, the handle cold smooth glass and the blade gleaming silver. A lightning bolt was carved into the hilt.
‘She is called Keravnos. You must tell nobody I gave her to you, though most will guess. Say you found it somewhere on Leo before the Trials began.’ Hercules swung the sword slowly, testing its weight. ‘The handle is made from diamond. It will never break or shatter. And she has the same magic as your ship. She will respond to your thoughts and absorb your power. With her, you should be unstoppable.’
‘Thank you, Father,’ Hercules breathed.
‘Thank me by not making such a mess this time. And wear that lion skin,’ Zeus said, and vanished.
Hercules’s bitterness at Zeus’s harsh words warred with the delight of wielding the incredible weapon in his hands. He tentatively reached out with his strength, in the same way he controlled the Hybris. The blade thrummed to life, a deep red glow forming around it. It felt lighter and he swung it easily towards the cushions on the opposite armchair. Without a hint of resistance Keravnos cleaved the entire chair in two. Hercules pulled the blade up in surprise, then began to laugh. With this, he really would be unstoppable. And he would prove to his father that he could win the respect of all of Olympus, without any help at all.
8
‘But, Captain—’
Hercules cut Evadne off with a wave of his hand.
‘I have made my decision. Go and get Ati.’ He looked at the girl expectantly. She was clenching her teeth. ‘I said, go and get the cat. She is in my cabin.’
‘I don’t think she likes being up on deck much,’ Evadne answered quietly.
‘Nonsense. Go and get her. I want her with me when we arrive on Libra.’
‘Captain, I don’t think you realise how much Asterion and I can help you,’ Evadne said. She held out her hands as she spoke. Annoyance began to prick at Hercules. Evadne had been so helpful, so compliant, so… young last night. He didn’t want to get angry with her now but she was choosing to ignore him.
‘I will not tell you again. I am doing this Trial alone. That is final. Go and get my cat.’ He spoke slowly, his voice low and the menace clear. Evadne dropped her gaze to the floor and took a long breath.
‘I think you are making a mistake,’ she said.
Hercules tensed. ‘What did you say?’
She looked up at him. ‘I said I think you are making a mistake. Athena is the goddess of warfare and strategy; she would never design a Trial that could be beaten by one person alone. It’s not how she works.’
Anger rolled though Hercules. This girl thought so much of herself and so little of him? He stepped towards her but she held both her ground and his gaze. That angered him even more than her words.
‘You saw what I did to the lion, yes?’ he hissed. Evadne nodded.
‘You are aware that I am imbued with the strength of the lord of the gods, yes?’
‘A Trial set by Athena will require more than str…’
He struck her across the face and she stumbled backwards with a yelp.
‘Do you see my control?’ he roared. ‘I could knock your head from your shoulders if I wished! This is the perfect Trial to prove to the world that I am their true hero, and that the mighty Hercules needs nobody.’ Evadne stared up at him, her hand across her cheek. He could see the anger in her eyes but now it excited him. He wanted her to defy him. He wanted to push her further. He stepped towards her and bent down so his face was in front of hers. ‘Do you wish t
o challenge me?’ he breathed. Her eyes narrowed and he smiled.
‘No, Captain,’ she muttered. Slight disappointment mingled with satisfaction as he stepped back.
‘Go and get my cat,’ he said and sat down in the captain’s chair behind him. Evadne walked slowly past him, towards the hauler at the back of the ship.
Hercules liked to think of the captain’s chair on the Hybris as a throne. It was upholstered in red and was nothing like those wooden spindly things most ships had. The thought gave him an idea. ‘Bring her a cushion,’ he said, without turning around. If Evadne was right about the cat not liking it on deck, maybe a cushion would help.
‘Yes, Captain,’ the girl replied sullenly.
9
‘I’m not staying here!’ roared Eryx, banging his fist against the rear mast of the Zephyr.
‘You’ll do whatever the captain tells you to do.’ Busiris smirked.
Eryx widened his stance, his heavy boots thudding on the deck, and felt some grim satisfaction as the smirk fell away. When the scrawny idiot thought it was going to come down to a fight he was a lot less smug. ‘Look, Libra is less than an hour away. I’m sure the captain will have made his decision by then,’ he said.
Eryx looked over Busiris’s shoulder, past the railings of the Zephyr, at Libra. It was one of his favourite realms in Olympus. It was made up of hundreds of flat floating islands, clustered together in a loose sphere. Even from a distance he could make out some of the larger platform-like islands that hung together around its edge.
‘You’re all coming.’ Antaeus’s booming voice carried across the massive deck of the Zephyr. ‘We don’t need anybody on the ship.’
Busiris gave Eryx a slimy smile, the black ink that lined his eyes cracking as his face moved. ‘That settles that, then,’ he said.