by Eliza Raine
EXCERPT FROM
The Library by Apollodorus
Written 300–100 bc
Paraphrased by Eliza Raine
17
‘I think we should go this way,’ said Phyleus, pointing as they came to a stop at a junction of four corridors.
‘But we need to keep turning the same way,’ answered Nestor, and Lyssa could feel the centaur’s tail flicking behind her.
‘I know that was the plan, but trust me, we should go this way,’ he said, pointing down the middle path of the three ahead of them.
‘Why?’ asked Lyssa.
‘I just… I have a feeling.’ She raised her eyebrows at him.
‘A feeling?’
‘Yes. A strong feeling.’ He glared up at her.
‘Phyleus, Nestor’s plan has been working up to now; why would we start doing something different, just because you have a feeling?’
Phyleus made a strangled noise and closed his eyes.
‘I can’t tell you here,’ he said quietly. Lyssa scowled.
‘Why not?’
He opened his eyes and stared meaningfully at her.
‘The whole of Olympus is watching,’ he said through gritted teeth. She raised her eyebrows. ‘Please. Just trust me.’
‘What are you not telling me that means you know how to navigate a labyrinth?’ She stared at him, confused. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Lyssa, do you want to win this Trial or not?’ he said, exasperated.
‘Of course I do, but I’m not going to let your ego destroy the progress we’ve made so far, following Nestor’s plan.’
He glared at her.
‘This has nothing to do with my ego. Why don’t you trust me?’
‘Why should I trust you if you can’t give me a good reason?’
Both of their voices were getting louder with each retort but she couldn’t help it, he was so infuriating.
‘The whole point of trust is that I don’t need to give you a good reason!’
‘No, the point of trust is—’ she started, but Nestor cut her off.
‘Shhhh. Did you hear that?’ the centaur said, turning her head from side to side and raising her hand.
‘No,’ Lyssa and Phyleus answered in unison.
‘Listen,’ she whispered and they all fell silent.
Lyssa couldn’t hear anything. In fact, when she thought about it, it was abnormally quiet. There were no trees overhead, so no jungle noises, and nothing else moving in the stone maze. She sighed. She needed to get to the bottom of whatever Phyleus was on about.
‘There,’ Nestor said suddenly.
‘I can’t hear anything,’ said Phyleus.
He’d barely finished speaking when a distant snort cut through the silence. Phyleus whirled around and Lyssa looked about quickly. A red gleam far down the right-hand path caught her eye.
‘Down there, on the right,’ she said, pointing. The gleam was moving. In fact, she realised, it was getting closer, quickly. Another snort rang through the maze and a black mass surrounding two red eyes became clear.
‘It’s the bull,’ breathed Nestor. ‘Run!’
18
Eryx peered cautiously around the next bend in the labyrinth, wondering where the grunts and snorts he could hear were coming from.
‘It sounds like it’s getting further away,’ said Antaeus, strolling past him. Eryx trotted after his captain, adrenaline dancing through his veins, keeping him on his toes.
‘If we can hear the bull, then we’re getting close,’ said Busiris, looking over his shoulder nervously. Eryx rolled his eyes.
They kept walking, Antaeus seemingly picking their path at random. Dead end after dead end greeted them and Eryx was becoming sick of the pale yellow stone that surrounded them on all sides. Every now and then they would hear the grunts of the bull in the distance and they started trying to head towards the sound. The sky was darkening above them, deep blue swirls now mingling with the burnt-orange clouds.
‘Where is this blasted gem!’ Antaeus suddenly shouted beside Eryx. He jumped, his body tense and poised for action. ‘Busiris, there must be a way to solve this maze,’ Antaeus barked, turning to the half-giant. Busiris blinked up at him.
‘If there is, Captain, I’m afraid I don’t know it.’
‘Gods be damned, I can’t stand this place!’ Antaeus punched the stone wall beside them as he shouted, and the crunching sound echoed dully around them. As he watched the stone crack and crumble, Eryx wondered briefly if Antaeus could punch their way to the middle of the maze. Then a very loud snort drew his attention from the wall.
‘Is that…’
‘Bull!’ shouted Busiris, darting behind Antaeus. Eryx threw himself out of the way as a charging mass of black hurtled towards them, red eyes gleaming in the dimly lit corridor. Antaeus smashed his fists together and bellowed at the creature, anger and frustration all but visibly pouring from him. Eryx was sure the bull slowed down but it wasn’t enough. The giant planted his feet and grabbed its pointed ivory horns as it dropped its head, lifting the creature off its feet and swinging it as he crouched. The massive animal squealed as it crashed into the wall, stone crumbling and raining down onto its body as it slumped. Antaeus roared and pulled it up, still gripping its horns, then swung it towards the opposite wall. The corridor was too narrow for the beast to go anywhere else, and Eryx actually felt a stab of pity as it collided with stone again, squealing even louder.
‘Captain!’ Busiris was shouting over the animal’s shrieks. ‘Captain, wait! Don’t kill it! Hermes said it was his own pet bull, it would not do to kill it!’
Antaeus let go of the bull’s horns and it scrabbled to its feet, causing a cascade of rubble from the ruined walls. With a furious snort it turned, limping fast back down the path, away from them.
Antaeus breathed heavily, watching it go, and Eryx looked at the broken walls. A faint light was coming from behind one of them and he moved towards it. Standing up on his toes he tried to look over the crumbling top part of the wall, but it was too high.
‘Captain,’ he said. Antaeus turned to him, anger still contorting his face. ‘Captain, can you see what’s over this wall?’ Eryx asked him.
Antaeus took two long strides towards him and lifted his head to look. Eryx watched his captain’s expression change.
‘The biggest sapphire I’ve ever seen,’ he breathed.
19
It hadn’t taken Theseus taken long to work out that they needed to catch the solitary silver fish that was darting around under the water’s surface. It had taken him another net, though. Every time he tried for the right fish he either brought the net in empty or scooped up a different one by accident, launching it back into the water before it could explode. Psyche and Bellerephon had tried, but neither of them did any better. Theseus had offered the net to Hedone, but she had refused.
She didn’t think she would be quick enough to throw the fish back in if she caught the wrong colour. And besides, she was quite happy, sitting by the pool, watching the fish, wasting time. Hopefully Hercules would get the gem soon and they would all be transported back to their ships. Maybe the next Trial would be somewhere a long way off, like Pisces or Virgo, and there would plenty of time for Hercules to visit her again. Her mind drifted off as she thought about him, about their visits, about his fierce eyes and powerful body…
‘Yes! Captain, you’ve done it!’ Hedone’s head snapped up at the sound of Psyche’s jubilation. Theseus was pulling the net towards his other hand, a small silver fish thrashing frantically inside it. She forced a smile onto her face.
‘Well done, Captain!’ she said, through her fake beam. He grinned back at her and put his hand into the net. As soon as his fingers connected with the fish it shimmered, and turned into a shining silver orb.
‘That’s both keys; let’s go,’ said Psyche, heading quickly to the growing doorway in the wall. Hedone pushed herself to her feet slowly. Her muscles were beginning to ache. All the training she w
as doing was making her stronger, but it would take time to build up the sort of stamina her crew-mates had.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Psyche as Hedone stretched her arms high above her head and winced.
‘Of course. That first test was a little draining.’ She smiled.
Psyche’s expression was warm.
‘It would have been for anyone,’ she said, before turning back to the door. That same pride she had felt before swelled within her and she wondered why the increasing approval she was getting from the older woman caused such a reaction in her. It wasn’t Psyche she was trying to impress, she reminded herself as she followed them out into the corridor. It was Hercules.
20
Eryx was sure that even the folk on the north island of Gemini must have been able to hear Antaeus’s roar as he hit the wall. He had used most of the corridor for a run-up, dropping his shoulder and turning into the stone at the last minute. The ground shook as he made contact and the cracking rubble began to thunder down around him. Dust and sand flew up in huge clouds around them and for a long moment Eryx could see nothing at all. He waved his hands in front of his face, coughing and spluttering, able to hear Busiris doing the same.
As the dust finally settled, he peered through the huge gap in the broken wall. In the middle of a square courtyard stood a beautiful circular fountain, water cascading around a glass pedestal rising out of the middle. It was carved in the shape of mermaids, their bodies entwining in a kind of dance. And atop the pedestal, on a raised plinth, was a sapphire the size of a fist. Not a giant’s fist perhaps, but definitely as big as a human’s.
Antaeus stepped through the wall and reached the sapphire in a few strides. Light reflected off the gem, throwing rich blue shadows across the giant as he reached for it. A foot away his arm stopped abruptly, as though he’d hit something solid. He pushed harder but his hand didn’t go any further.
‘There’s some sort of barrier,’ he growled.
‘The keys, Captain,’ said Busiris, fishing in the pouch at his belt. Eryx stepped through the wall, making his way to the fountain. He looked at the glass mermaids on the pedestal. They were intricately detailed, smiling, their playful eyes clear on each face.
‘I think the keys go here,’ Busiris muttered, coming to stand beside him and pointing at the edge of the fountain. A groove ran around its circumference, starting on the outside edge, then spiralling around the bowl, under the water, all the way to the pedestal in the middle.
‘Do it,’ said Antaeus. Busiris carefully dropped the first orb into the start of the groove. They all watched as the ball rolled, picking up speed as it swirled around the bowl, shining under the clear water. When it hit the pedestal at the bottom there was a clicking sound and for a second it vanished. Then Eryx drew a breath as the little orb began to travel up the centre of the glass statue, its shape distorted through the carved mermaid figures. Finally, it reached the plinth at the top and vanished. Busiris dropped the second orb in and they watched it do the same, disappearing too when it reached the top.
Antaeus slowly reached his hand out for the sapphire again. This time, nothing stopped him from closing his fist around the glittering gem.
21
‘Congratulations, Captain Antaeus.’
Lyssa blinked as she looked around. They were standing in a large courtyard with a beautiful round fountain in the middle and one of the surrounding stone walls smashed to rubble. Antaeus was standing next to the fountain, holding a sparkling blue sapphire in his open palm.
Lyssa’s eyes flicked to the red-haired man who had just spoken. It was Hermes. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. The giants had won. She gritted her teeth as she reminded herself that Antaeus’s crew were the good guys. Better them than Hercules, she told herself, trying to squash her disappointment. But her own crew had been so close, she was sure.
She looked around the courtyard at the other heroes. Theseus, Psyche, Bellerephon and Hedone were to her left, and Psyche looked as annoyed as Lyssa felt. Hercules was on the other side of the courtyard, standing unnaturally straight and stiff. Fury poured from him so strongly that she could feel his power pulsing through the air. Hatred sharpened her gaze as she thought about Epizon, floating lifelessly in the water in a haze of blood. Hercules’s cold grey eyes were resolutely fixed on Hermes alone. Evadne shifted uncomfortably by his side.
‘You defeated my bull, without seriously harming it, and you collected the keys. A worthy victor,’ Hermes said, and Lyssa’s attention snapped back to the god. She blinked, flexing her fists, trying to focus. Her eyes were drawn to the small white wings fluttering restlessly at Hermes’s ankles, on his boots. ‘For some, this Trial was not particularly dangerous, just frustrating. So let’s add a little bit of drama, shall we? You shouldn’t expect anything else from the god of trickery and deceit.’ Lyssa frowned, looking back at the god’s face. His eyes twinkled as he spoke. ‘I am going to choose one crew member, completely at random, and they will be sent home. To their own home, safe and sound, but they will no longer be part of the Immortality Trials.’
Gasps filled the courtyard and Lyssa looked at Phyleus, her gut constricting. Nestor shifted underneath her. Send someone home? But her crew… Her crew lived on the Alastor. They didn’t have homes to go to, and she needed them. She needed them all. Dread began to trickle through her, like ice in her veins. Hermes didn’t know what this would do to the Alastor, it wasn’t fair! The other captains had all found ships to take part in the Trials, they had gathered crews appropriate for the challenge, they had homes elsewhere. But it wasn’t like that on the Alastor. They had been a crew before this ever began.
Phyleus reached up to her and she looked dumbly at him. Indecision flashed across his face, then he grasped for her limp hand. She stared at his fingers as he gripped hers hard. He could be ripped away from her by Hermes. Any of them could. Her breathing was becoming shallow.
‘Obviously, I shan’t take any of the captains, and I would like to offer the winning crew a deal.’ Hermes looked at Antaeus. ‘Give me back that sapphire you just won, and your crew will be removed from the selection. They will all stay with you.’
Antaeus didn’t hesitate, and respect pulsed through Lyssa despite her mounting anxiety.
‘Here,’ he said, and thrust the gem at the god. Hermes cocked his head at him, then reached out and plucked the sapphire from his palm.
‘Though it’s not really my thing, I do admire loyalty,’ he said quietly. He waved the hand holding the sapphire and Antaeus cried out in surprise as a shower of sparkling gems rained down on him. Stones of every colour were falling from the sky and littering the dusty floor at his feet. Busiris crouched, quickly gathering the gems up with his hands, brushing off the sand he scooped up with them. Antaeus smiled, open-mouthed, and nodded at the god.
‘Thank you, Hermes,’ he said. Hermes shrugged, then walked slowly around the fountain, looking at each of the other captains in turn.
Lyssa felt sick. Please. She projected the thought at the god as hard as she could. Please, please don’t break up my family. They have nowhere to go. If he took Epizon… Or Len… Epizon needed the medic’s care. His life depended on it.
‘Bellerephon,’ Hermes said. Lyssa blinked. ‘Sorry, Captain Theseus, but the selection has been made. Bellerephon will not be on your ship when you return.’
Theseus’s mouth set in a thin line, but he nodded respectfully at the god as Bellerephon spluttered beside him.
‘You have one hour until the next Trial announcement.’ Hermes vanished, and before tears of relief could spill from Lyssa’s eyes, everything went black.
Aphrodite
The Immortality Trials
Book Eight
1
Lyssa was on the deck of the Alastor again, still mounted on Nestor’s back. The desire to feel the wood of her ship pulled at her so hard she almost fell off, Phyleus’s grip on her hand the only thing steadying her.
‘Whoa,’ he said.
> ‘Help me.’ She couldn’t keep the pleading note from her voice and he reached up quickly with his other hand, concern on his face.
‘I’ll always help you,’ he said quietly, as she slid from the centaur’s back, into his arms once more. The tears threatened again, burning at the back of her eyes, but she struggled out of his embrace, planting her boots firmly on the planks. She took a long breath, reaching out to her ship mentally, drawing its steady thrum into her mind, filling herself with its solid strength and protection. They were all here, on the Alastor, and they were all safe.
‘You were really close, Cap,’ said Abderos, as she opened her eyes and turned to see him rolling across the deck towards them. ‘Like, you were definitely second.’ He shrugged as he spoke. ‘But Antaeus winning is all right, I s’pose.’
Lyssa closed the gap between them quickly and leaned over him, wrapping her good arm across his chest. He laughed and hugged her back, avoiding her wounded right side. ‘I’m still here, Cap,’ he whispered. She took a long breath, then straightened up, nodding.
‘How’s Epizon?’ she asked.
‘Erm, awake,’ Abderos answered slowly.
Concern creased her face at the hesitancy in his voice.
‘Is he all right?’
‘He’s… not quite himself. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you, though.’
Lyssa turned to the hauler, then caught herself and turned back.
‘You did great, Nestor. We couldn’t have done so well without you.’
The centaur scowled back at her.