I couldn't stop breathing so intensely. I guess that's what riding a waterfall will do to you. And seeing your life flash before your eyes.
Meanwhile, Helen sulked in the corner. "I already miss Calypso."
"We'll see her again," Elena said. "Once the gods go to war, nobody will be keeping an eye on her. She can flee the island. And stop panting so much, Yiannis. You're scaring me."
"How can a little hyperventilating scare you more than THAT FALL WE JUST WENT THROUGH?"
"I've seen scarier," Elena shrugged.
"Atlas was scarier," Helen said in agreement. "The flesh-eating horses are still the scariest."
"How can horses be scarier than a giant?"
"How can a waterfall be scarier than a giant?"
"Hmm...you have a point. If only we didn't ride the waterfall back to the ground."
"Well, look on the bright side. We're alive and out of the maze."
"What a low standard."
Calypso said the boat would take us wherever we wanted to go. As it stands, Elena and I need to go to Mt. Saint Helens, but Helen probably wants to go back to DGH. Did Calypso give the boat a built-in democracy function? Could you even draw something like that?
"Elena, how long does it take for the boat to go somewhere?"
"It depends on where we landed. If we're lucky, a few minutes. If not...we may never get there."
"Why are you so calm then?"
"It'll be fine. It went well last time."
"I wish I could be that carefree."
As night settled in, we were approaching a mountain. With clouds in the way, I couldn't tell if it was the one. I did hear a faint noise - an occasional growl. Sometimes, it got louder, and sometimes, it was dead silent.
Helen was sleeping, so I crafted some letters out of shadow to send a message(potty break). When it's nighttime, shadows are everywhere. My powers also get a boost, as it only took a second to write the words when it would've taken a minute in daylight. And I wasn't lying about the potty break. I've been holding it in ever since we rode down that waterfall.
Different things radiated a unique shadow. I don't know how they were distinct, but I could feel it. It functioned as a crude GPS. I could also "see" through the shadows I felt, constructing a mental map around me. All thanks to Calypso. I grabbed Elena's hand so she would know where I was.
Elena took my arm and tugged me to her. "What do you want to do about Helen? She'll look for us eventually."
"Vittoria's already instructed the army to capture her alive and keep her in confinement. It's not ideal, but it'll keep her out of this."
"So she won't see you working with them?"
"That's not-" No, Elena was right. That was why. I didn't want Helen to learn the truth and be devastated.
"You know we can't let Helen see us. She'll be killed."
"You don't want your sweet little sister to be heartbroken either. I've always wondered something, Yiannis."
"What is it?"
"Why do you fight alongside us?"
"I already told you, I-"
"Yes, you want Helen to live a life where the gods won't try to kill her. But I'm sure you realize Kronos is using you, too."
"Kronos won't be interested in Helen after the gods are gone."
"According to the prophecy, a child of Kronos will destroy Olympus, but a child of Hades will save it. If you keep walking this path, you'll likely overthrow the gods. But then Helen could be the one to save it, as long as she's alive. Kronos isn't known to be kind or careless. He will go after your sister if he can't control her."
"Then I'll go against the Titans if they do." Elena's eyes widened when I told her the pact I made with Persephone.
"So your true loyalty lies with the House of Hades?"
"I wouldn't say that...Persephone's just trying to use me too. But I'm grateful for what Hades did for Helen when I wasn't with her and for trying to be an actual dad. I guess...I want to help him because I love him. He'd help us in a heartbeat, and Persephone's not all that bad. Even she shows some care, unlike Kronos."
"Then why be so intimately involved with Kronos's army? You could fight for Hades instead. I'm sure your sister won't be as upset learning that. And that wouldn't put you at odds with your friends at DGH."
"I've realized that."
"Then why?"
"I..." I tried thinking, but nothing came up. When I thought of my mother's face, I shuddered. A trembling rage surged through my body.
"That bastard Zeus killed my mother. He ruined my life, and now he wants to go after Helen, too? I'll slit his throat before he gets a finger on her. Him and anyone else that tries. Death to Olympus! I'll hang them-"
I fell to the ground, breathing heavily and sweating all over. What was that? It was worse than when I thought about the past in the Underworld.
Elena wrapped her arms around me. "Are you alright, Yiannis?"
"I am, thanks to you. Sorry about that."
"I shouldn't have pushed too much."
"It's alright. And I remember another reason for joining Kronos's army. I also want the people of Lemnos to thrive. It's not as much I'm fighting for Kronos as against the gods."
"To tell the truth, I don't want to fight against the gods," Elena said.
"You and your people could've remained hidden on the isle forever. But I'm sure Kronos promised you something. Otherwise, your soldiers wouldn't be here."
"Yes, he promised to give us a seat on Olympus and elevate some of our own as a god if we fought. I was against it, as we'd have to become a base for his troops and be under his thumb, but Morgan and the nobles were all for it. The idea of one of them sitting as a god in the heavens was too good to refuse. Actually, they were the ones who got him to promise that. Even the Amazons were for it, although they wished for our people to stop having to hide behind Artemis."
"And because the Amazons were keeping you in power, you had no choice but to accept. If you got a chance, would you try to back out, even now?"
Elena weakly smiled. "I'm not sure. Once Typhon joins us, victory is all but ours. But I still wish to be spared the sight of seeing my people die. Am I just too soft?"
"Well, I think that's a good thing. Even if the cause is right, people are never tools. Their lives matter. And the gods have a habit of using us like tools."
"Yiannis?"
"What's up?"
She wouldn't look me in the eye. Her mouth opened to say something, and then it abruptly closed. "No, never mind. Just a silly question. It wouldn't be fair to ask you."
"If it's something about Lemnos, I'll see what I can do about it."
"No, it's... not a big deal. Why'd you stop?"
"We're here."
If I remember correctly, Vittoria sailed with two thousand troops from Lemnos. The rest were monsters who'd come from the Underworld when Mei commanded them to. Our base...it was more accurate to call it a village of tents, reminding me of a beginner clash of clans base. Except this was set up in a valley near the mountain, providing us with cover.
"Do you think they're sleeping?"
"If the gods haven't already dealt with them. This is Hephaestus's backyard. Maybe they're all dead and undergoing agonizing torture."
"With an imagination like that, how can you have any hope for the future?"
Hypsipyle chuckled. "Wait here. I'll go speak to someone. If a man like you open those tents and speak to them, they'll rid you of your future."
"Don't your people know what I look and sound like? I thought we'd at least become a little friendly."
"That won't save you. We Lemnos women don't have a good history of men peeping into places where they don't belong, even if you're an exception. Now be a good boy and wait here."
"Ok."
Hypsipyle talked merrily with another woman as I slumped on a log. Probably one of her soldiers. After they caught up, we were directed to an unused tent. She bowed to Hypsipyle after we thanked her and left after giving us a lamp.
"Did she run off because of me?" I asked Hypsipyle. "If you want, you could talk to her some more while I sleep."
"I can do that tomorrow. I'm grateful there was a spare set of clothes. I should've asked Calypso."
"While you change, I'll set up the sleeping bags. Are there any clothes for me? Mine are filthy."
"I've got two pairs of chitons."
"Give me one. I need new clothes."
When Hypsipyle went to turn off the lamp, I noticed she wasn't wearing any clothes either. "You're not wearing the chiton she gave you?"
"It's rather hot in here. And I've come to like sleeping naked after doing it in the labyrinth."
"Yeah, I enjoyed cuddling with you too."
"Would you like to do it again?"
"Can I?"
Hypsipyle laughed. "Yes. That's what we normally do."
"Well, I'm sure you want more space sometimes."
"Oh, I always do. But I'll tell you when I'm sick of you."
"How kind of you." I hopped over to her as she laughed again. She pulled me towards her, and I held her in my arms.
While Hypsipyle snored, I couldn't sleep. We'd launch our ambush at the crack of dawn. We'd down Hephaestus and free Typhon...or die trying. Or Typhon would eat all of us. And I would be the lynchpin of this operation.
Hypsipyle poked my face. "Maybe I should sleep in my own bag. You still drool a lot."
"Ugh, it's already time?"
"Yes. We'll eat on the move, so hurry and get dressed."
Breakfast was a bag of dried fruits and nuts alongside a snack bar. Sleepy and very underfed, I already wanted to go back to bed.
After asking around, I found Vittoria, whose baggy eyes and crumply auburn hair suggested eternal sleep deprivation.
"Sup," she meekly whispered. "Have you slept?"
"You seem awful. You doing ok?"
"I'm hanging in there. What about you? Ready to kill a god for us?"
"Either I do that or die trying."
"Good."
"What's the plan?"
"You'll take on Hepaestus, and Mei will back you up with empusai. Hypsipyle, Morgan, and I will bust into his lair and find a way to reach and communicate with Typhon without getting killed. Depending on how much you struggle, I might send some support."
"Can I get a guarantee? It wouldn't be very nice of you to leave me hanging when my life is on the line."
"You should manage. Especially after I've weakened Hephaestus."
"And why haven't you told me about this?"
"Well, there's a chance it won't work, so I didn't want to get your hopes up too soon. These are gods we're up against. But this poison is powerful enough to incapacitate even them."
"So why don't we use that poison to get all the gods out of our way?"
"It's not something you can just get your hands on, not with the gods observing every nook and cranny of the world from up high. And the plant that produces it only sprouts once a thousand years."
"I'm guessing Kronos helped you acquire it. But how are you going to use it?"
"This poison's so dangerous that a little dip with an arrow tip should get him good."
"What's it called?"
"Aqua Tofana. You're a history geek, so I'm betting you heard the name from a book somewhere."
"I did, and I'm not a geek. History's just cool."
"So you're a geek. Anyway, I'll make sure your odds of winning are high. If you fail this, we might as well surrender to the gods."
"Could've left out the second part. Now I feel very pressured."
"You should."
The ones who would follow me into battle formed the first battalion. The others would join the fray after I engaged Hephaestus, but only a few would stay with me. Most of them would focus on breaking into Mt. Saint Helens. Unfortunately, neither Hypsipyle nor Vittoria would be with me.
"Vittoria told you what to do?" Mei asked.
I nodded. "Those empusai...when will you summon them?"
"Whenever I deem appropriate. If you disappoint, I'll have no choice."
"That's the second time I've heard something like that today."
"Then you should understand how important you are. Now get ready to fight."
Boring Mei, all stern and absolutely no fun. How does Vittoria manage to date her?
But even Mei could be shocked. Although, the news was serious.
An empusai sprung from a shadow, and Mei admonished her, as she didn't summon her.
"My lady, Athena was seen approaching the mountain. One of the empusai on reconnaisance spotted her, and was burned instantly."
Do we have enough poison for two gods?