by Eliza Raine
‘I could lose them again, if you like.’ He raised his eyebrows at her, eyes sparkling. Lyssa forced herself to hold his gaze, willing heat not to rise to her cheeks. She could play this game.
‘I’ve seen better, to be honest,’ she said, with a tilt of her head.
‘You obviously weren’t looking hard enough. Here, try again.’ He stepped towards her and began pulling his shirt up his chest.
‘Whoa,’ Lyssa said, waving her hands, eyes fixed on his bare stomach. ‘That won’t be necessary.’
‘It’s not supposed to be necessary. It’s supposed to be fun.’ He let go of his shirt but took another step towards her. ‘Ab’s alive and well, Epizon is on the mend and we have time until the next Trial. It’s the perfect time for fun.’
‘Phyleus, I don’t think I’m in a position to be thinking about fun. We’re on our way to the realm of war. Doesn’t exactly scream fun.’
He sighed.
‘Gotta take fun where you can get it.’
‘Is that one of your lines? I bet a few young ladies have fallen for that haughty charm of yours.’
‘You think I’m charming?’ His mouth quirked into a smile and Lyssa rolled her eyes. But she did think he was charming. More than charming. How had that faint physical attraction she’d felt when he first joined the crew turned into the overwhelming desire she felt now? Every time she had needed somebody during these Trials, he had been there. He’d pushed her from the longboat mast when her powers might have overcome her on Sagittarius. He’d dived into the ocean and pulled her from the water on Scorpio. He’d given his own blood to save her best friend. He’d held her when she thought she’d lost Abderos. He’d kissed her when she’d needed to escape. Why was she fighting him?
‘Yes,’ she said. His eyebrows flew up in surprise and she laughed. ‘What are you going to do if I start being nice to you? You won’t know what to say to me.’
‘Lyssa, all I want is for you to be nice to me,’ he said quietly. ‘And I don’t mean, you know, physically. I mean I want us to… to…’ His cheeks were turning pink and Lyssa’s heart pounded in her chest.
‘I know what you mean,’ she told him. ‘It’s not something I’ve ever thought about before, though. Sharing myself, my life with someone.’ She looked away as she spoke and he crouched down in front of her, taking her hand.
‘You already do that, with your crew,’ he said.
‘That’s not the same.’ She met his eyes.
‘Well, given the things I want to do to you, I hope not,’ he said, and a thrill shuddered through her at the look in his eyes. ‘But seriously, you don’t need to do anything differently. I’ve never met anybody like you. You’re so incredibly strong.’
Lyssa gave a small, involuntary laugh.
‘Granddaughter of the lord of the gods.’ She smiled.
‘I don’t mean strong like that! Although that is quite sexy. I mean, I’ve had spoiled princesses and pretentious academics pushed at me since I was sixteen years old and you… You’re fierce and bold and real.’ He squeezed her hand hard and fixed his eyes on hers.
‘You’re my captain.’
In that one sentence, Lyssa made her decision. Phyleus didn’t want to change her, to challenge her, to conquer her. He just wanted to be with her. She leaned forward, slowly, and felt his hand tense around hers as she brought her lips to his.
‘Say that again,’ she murmured as she closed her eyes.
‘You’re my captain,’ he breathed, and kissed her.
‘Sorry to interrupt, Captain.’ Lyssa leaped back from Phyleus, her back slamming into her chair, and he stood up quickly. She turned, seeing Epizon smiling as he walked stiffly across the quarterdeck towards them. ‘It’s been just about an hour, we should hear from Ares soon.’
‘Right, course, yeah,’ Lyssa stammered, getting quickly out of the chair. ‘Sit here,’ she told him, hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt. Her skin was vibrating with energy and she felt like she had the strength to lift the whole ship. She needed to do something, burn off the energy. She avoided looking at Phyleus as Epizon nodded thanks at her and lowered himself slowly into the captain’s chair.
‘I might do a few laps around the deck,’ she said, flexing her fists.
Epizon laughed.
‘Save your energy. See what Ares is about to say. You might need to give the ship a boost.’
Gods, she hoped not. She didn’t trust her control just now.
‘Cap,’ said Abderos, rolling onto the quarterdeck with Len at his side.
‘Abderos,’ she answered, the sight of him bringing her back to reality a little. ‘How are you feeling about going to Aries? We’ll make sure you stay on the ship if it’s possible.’
‘To be honest with you, Cap, the gladiator pits are nothing compared to these Trials.’ He shrugged as he said it but his eyes were dark.
‘Hopefully the Trial will have nothing to do with the pits. There are many tribes and regions on Aries,’ Epizon said.
‘The giants should do well in this one. They all live on Aries,’ said Phyleus.
‘Yeah. Well, them or Theseus, as long as it’s not Hercules,’ Lyssa said.
‘We will win on Aries,’ said Nestor, hooves clicking as she came up the slope to the quarterdeck. ‘We are all warriors.’
The flames crackled loudly over their conversation and they all turned to the dish as Ares appeared, large and looming in the fire, his face covered with his shining helmet.
‘Heroes. You will journey to the southernmost tip of my realm, to Themiscyra. There Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, will receive you. Your task is to win her magic belt, imbued with her tribe’s fierce strength. She will host a tournament of three tests, one of strength, one of speed and one of skill. A different crew member must perform each. The games start as soon as you all arrive.’ The god vanished from the flames without another word.
‘Well, that seems simple enough. Who wants to be involved?’ said Lyssa, turning to her crew. ‘Unfortunately Ep, you’re going to have to…’ She froze mid-sentence when she saw his face. He was pale again and staring slack-jawed at the fire dish. ‘Epizon, what’s wrong?’
‘The Amazons…’ he said quietly and looked at Lyssa. ‘I never thought…’
Lyssa crouched down in front of him, concern overriding her restlessness.
‘Is it Tenebrae?’ she asked.
Epizon shook his head.
‘No. It’s my mother.’
7
Evadne had always wanted to visit Aries. The crescent-shaped island was notoriously dangerous and that in itself had been enough to fascinate her. Not as much as the underwater world of Aquarius, but enough that her chest ached as they flew closer to the speck of land below them. Yet the excitement she longed for, the thrill of seeing such a land, of meeting a tribe like the Amazons, just wasn’t there.
She groped for it, recalling the things she’d read about the secretive tribe of warrior women, fierce and strong. They didn’t allow men to live among them. What would that be like? Evadne had never had female friends. She tucked a strand of her blue hair behind her ear as she leaned on the railings of the Hybris. She’d always told herself that other women didn’t like her because they were jealous of her looks and intellect, or intimidated by her ambition and forwardness. But now she knew that wasn’t true. The lonely, bitter child in her had deliberately kept her alone. She’d honed her standoffish attitude, reserving it for girls she saw as a threat to her own progression, and turning on her charm for men who could further her cause.
And now she didn’t even know what her cause was worth. Immortality. The ultimate fame and fortune. For what? She would still be alone, friendless and fearful of her captain. She stared down at the ocean, watching Aries grow larger, rocky cliffs faintly discernible at the island’s edge. She wanted to talk to Eryx. She needed him to know she wasn’t like Hercules. He was the closest thing to a friend she had and he thought she was a monster.
Suddenly she found thin
king of him unbearable. Anger filled her, and though Hercules’s face filled her mind, nausea twisted her gut as she thought about aiming that crossbow at Lyssa. The overwhelming hatred was for herself, she realised. She needed someone to know she was sorry. She needed to say the words aloud, absolve herself of the brutality that could have overcome her. And it had to be Eryx who heard her say it. He had to believe she could be saved.
‘Evadne.’ Hercules’s voice made her jump and she spun around, heart hammering.
‘Captain.’
He walked across the deck towards her, his huge boots thudding on the planks. He wore his lion-skin cloak over his shoulders and Keravnos was strapped to his belt. He was ready for action.
‘You will be taking the skill test.’
She blinked at him.
‘There’s no choice. I must take the strength test and Asterion is much faster than you.’
‘Right. Of course, Captain,’ she said. He was talking about the Trial. She had to take part in it.
Abderos’s broken body lying amongst the vicious mares flashed in her mind. If this Trial was a dangerous as the last, her worries about the future might be for nothing.
It took another hour for the Hybris to reach Themiscyra, most of which Evadne spent fighting her growing self-hatred and trying to work out what skill she might be tested on. She felt no more prepared, though, as the ship descended gently alongside a rocky cliff that dropped straight into the ocean. Lining the clifftop, running all the way around the southern peninsula of the island, was what had looked like a stone wall from a distance but was actually a building, with windows and ledges lining both the cliff- and the desert-facing sides. A series of long piers ran out from the cliff wall and Hercules expertly manoeuvred the ship so that its deck lined up perfectly with an empty pier. The only other ship Evadne could see was the shabby Alastor. She glanced at Hercules but he said nothing.
‘Captain Hercules,’ called a female voice as they came to a stop. Hercules climbed quickly down the stairs from the quarterdeck and Evadne hurried after him. Asterion was waiting by the mast and fell in behind them both as they approached the railings.
Two women were standing on the pier, waiting. They were wearing brown material strapped over their chests with coarse ropes, and had similar skirts tied around their waists, their stomachs bare and rippling with muscle. Metal guards were secured around their wrists and they had long leather boots laced up to their knees. Both had blond hair pushed back from their tanned skin by heavy-looking metal headguards.
‘Queen Hippolyta welcomes you to Themiscyra. Please follow us,’ one of the women said, gesturing towards the clifftop structure with the long wooden spear she was holding.
‘I look forward to meeting her,’ said Hercules, and vaulted over the railings. Evadne and Asterion followed him over the edge of the ship and their guides turned and set off up the pier. Evadne couldn’t help gaping at how muscular the two women’s broad shoulders were as she walked behind them. She wondered if these women had been chosen deliberately, to be intimidating, or whether all Amazons were like that.
She got her answer quickly.
As they reached the building, Evadne saw that most of the bottom floor was made up of arched tunnels, leading straight through. They entered the closest one, dark and cool inside, then her eyebrows shot up as they emerged on the other side. She had expected barren desert beyond, but she found herself in an earth-floored courtyard, surrounded by lush green trees. More stone archways jutted out of the building, vines with brightly coloured flowers wrapping around them. Their guides turned left and they followed, walking through another connected courtyard that hugged the main building. This one was filled with women, identically dressed, throwing spears at targets, wrestling on the ground or standing in lines, kicking and punching the air to shouted commands.
They walked straight through the middle of the training ground, and Hercules kept his gaze fixed ahead. Evadne tried to copy him, but she couldn’t, her eyes drawn instead to the activity around her. Every single woman Evadne could see was immeasurably stronger, harder and fiercer than she could ever hope to be. As nervous as they made her, she felt awestruck watching them. A woman with deep brown skin roared as she loosed a spear, her eyes narrowed and sharp. Her expression didn’t change as it thudded into the centre of a disc hanging against a tree thirty feet away, and Evadne raised her eyebrows as she dropped into a crouch, than sprang forward, covering half the distance in one leap and landing running. The Amazon flew at the tree, wrenching the spear out of the wood and streaking towards another target in the next tree without slowing.
Evadne let out a long breath. If her skill test was to be against a woman like that then she stood no chance of winning.
8
Relief and excitement pulsed through Hedone as she saw the Hybris, moored at the next pier over. He was here. She would see her love soon enough.
The giants were mooring on the other side of them, proving how agonisingly slowly they had made their way to Aries. Theseus had insisted they take the maximum time they could to rest, as the Trial couldn’t start until they were all there. Hedone knew it was just to keep her away from Hercules as long as possible. She’d barely spoken a word to either Theseus or Psyche since their fight.
‘Which test would you like to do?’ asked Theseus, coming to stand beside her as the ship stopped. Two women dressed in ropes and rags were standing on the pier, and Hedone frowned at them. They were armed with spears and looked even stronger than Psyche.
‘Whichever.’ She shrugged.
‘Hedone, please.’
She sighed.
‘Not the strength one.’
‘You’re decent with a spear now and you can run fast, so either skill or speed would suit you. You choose,’ he said.
‘Speed,’ she said. She didn’t care. She wasn’t staying on this ship. She wasn’t planning to compete at all.
‘Captain Theseus. Queen Hippolyta welcomes you to Themiscyra. Please follow us,’ one of the women said. Her hard face softened as she smiled at Theseus, and Hedone barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. They all thought he was so perfect. So beautiful and wise and kind. They were all idiots. He was as selfish and vain as everyone else.
They walked in silence up the pier and through the long cliff building. Hedone expected to see desert on the other side, but the passageway led to lush gardens. There were women dressed in little more than scraps of fabric and metal armour everywhere she looked. She’d grown up in a temple surrounded by women, albeit significantly more gentle ones than these seemed to be, and she stared around in fascination.
‘Men are not allowed to live among the Amazons,’ Theseus said quietly. Hedone didn’t mean to respond but his words surprised her.
‘No men? What about love? Pleasure?’
‘Not all women need men for that, you know,’ snapped Psyche.
Hedone scowled at her.
‘I’m well aware of that. But most do.’
‘Love makes warriors weak,’ Theseus said as they approached a long, glittering pool. Water flowed into it from a huge statue of a minotaur tipping a large jug, standing at the far end. An ancient-style building with no walls, the roof held up by ornate columns, occupied the area behind the pool. It was filled with daybeds covered in plush, bright cushions. Women lounged on the beds, eating and drinking.
‘Love gives warriors something to fight for. It makes them stronger,’ said Hedone quietly.
‘No. It gives them something to fear,’ replied Psyche. ‘It gives their enemies something to use.’
Anger rose in Hedone at his words. She would make Hercules stronger, not weaker. He would fight harder knowing she was there for him, that he had something to live for. She gritted her teeth and pushed her chin out, determined not to waste her words on these fools. They didn’t understand.
They veered left, to walk around the pool, and as they got closer to the building she saw him. He was sitting on one of the daybeds, his lion skin wr
apped around his hulking shoulders, a stern expression on his beautiful face. As if he knew she was there, he turned around and their eyes locked. There was no doubt in her mind. He knew her. He loved her. She wouldn’t be apart from him any more.
The tribe of Amazons were not a polite or gentle people. Rather they were aggressive and brutal and were mostly driven by a need for war. But war ran in their veins, as they were daughters of Ares and the nymph Harmonia; who lay with him in the woods, then gave birth to girls who fell in love not with men, but with fighting.
EXCERPT FROM
Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius
Written 3 BC
Paraphrased by Eliza Raine
9
The last thing Lyssa had expected Epizon to say was the word ‘mother’. She sat back and stared at him.
‘Your mother?’
He closed his eyes and took a long breath.
‘The Amazons are such a secretive tribe I never thought for a minute that the Trial would involve them.’
‘Your mother is from Themiscyra?’ Len’s voice rang with shock.
‘Yes.’
‘Forgive my ignorance, but why is that so shocking?’ asked Phyleus hesitantly.
Epizon looked at him.
‘The Amazon warriors are all women, and men are not allowed to live amongst them. In order to continue their tribe they are allowed to visit with the nearby Gargarean people once a year. If an Amazon falls pregnant and the baby is a girl, then the tribe celebrates, and keeps the child. If the baby is born a boy then they either send the child back to the father, or kill it.’ Lyssa swallowed a choke of protest. ‘When I was born, by the colour of my skin it was obvious I was not a child of a Gargarean. My mother was exiled and we lived like nomads in the south of Aries. She fought, in the pits, in arranged matches, wherever she could, to win lodging or food. She… she kept me alive but even as an infant I knew she was repulsed by me. When I was five, she competed in a gladiator trial and an Amazonian chief was watching. She was so impressed with my mother’s skill that she offered her a chance to repent, and re-join her tribe. The price was leaving me behind. She sold me to the pits and left that day.’