by Linsey Hall
I turned back. He was right. We were already there, as if the boat had sped up, anxious to plunge us toward our deaths.
The bow of the boat tipped over the edge of the waterfall, and I looked down, hundreds of feet toward the pool below.
Holy fates, we were dead.
8
As the boat plummeted toward the pool below, the scream died in my throat, killed by the wind and sheer terror. Water rushed around us as we fell, the waterfall roaring. I clung to the boat, unable to look back at Maximus to see if he was still there.
Why had Ladon sent us this way?
There was no time to contemplate as we fell. Seconds passed, the longest of my life as my stomach leapt into my throat and my skin iced with fear.
Embrace your power.
Hell yeah, I had to embrace it. Right now.
I had power over water, thanks to Poseidon, and if I was ever going to use it, now was the time.
I reached deep inside me for the water magic, finding it easily now that Ladon had given me a drop of his blood. It surged within me, feeling cold and wet against my insides, and I forced the magic outward, commanding the river below to rise up.
It happened quickly, more quickly than it ever had before, and the waterfall rose, forming a gradual slope. My muscles ached and my breaths heaved. Manipulating the magic was a physical task as well as a mental one, and damn, was I feeling it.
The boat rose up with the water, surging along amongst the waves that rushed us gradually downward.
“You’ve got it!” Maximus shouted. “Keep going!”
His voice was a balm on my soul. I couldn’t see him, but hearing him… He was alive. Still here, thank fates, not fallen to his death on the rocks below.
The horrible thought almost made me lose control of the water, distracting me from the magic. The wave beneath us wobbled, and we were still at least a hundred feet from the real river below.
I shook away the awful visions and focused on my magic, controlling the water and keeping us alive. Gradually, we glided lower, following the slope of the waterfall down toward the main river. When the hull of our boat touched the natural water, I sagged, grateful. A massive splash sounded from behind us as the rest of the water fell, sending up a wave that pushed us forward.
“Crap!” I clung to the seat as the boat rocked along with the waves. Finally, we drifted to a calmer pace. I sagged, looking at Maximus. “You okay?”
“Fine. Well done, there.”
“Thanks.” I trembled from adrenaline, and I felt like a limp noodle.
We floated down a wide, deep river that flowed more slowly than the one above. On either side, the bank was flat and peaceful, covered with long grass that waved in the wind. The watery sun was filtered through clouds, and the light breeze that blew my hair back from my face smelled of a spring meadow.
If we hadn’t just plunged to our almost-deaths, I’d have called it a lovely afternoon.
“Any idea when we should stop the boat?” Maximus asked.
“Nope. Ladon didn’t say.” I squinted ahead at a spot where the water rippled slightly. “You see that?”
“The water is moving. There’s something in it.”
My muscles tightened.
Oh, crap.
No way it was friendly. Not with our luck.
Whatever it was moved quickly toward us, pushing up the water in front of it. The mound of water grew and grew, until a massive head burst forth.
Green scales, a huge mouth filled with fangs, and bulbous eyes.
My heart slammed against my rib cage.
“A sea monster,” Maximus said.
Cetus.
The word echoed in my head. “It’s the Cetus. A Greek sea monster.”
And it was massive.
The thing was so big that it would swallow our boat whole. The mouth was at least ten feet across. Panic iced my veins as it neared, pushing through the water like a bulldozer.
It was only thirty feet off now. The inside of its mouth gleamed red and black, and I could just imagine us heading straight down its gullet.
My heart thundered as I looked to the shore. It was about fifteen feet away. Too far to jump. Too far to swim.
Behind me, Maximus stood.
He was strong as hell, so he could probably crush the life out of the beast if he could get a good enough grip. But what if the monster took him deep below the river? In the time it took to crush the life from him, Maximus could be lost under the water.
Seconds raced by as the monster neared. It reeked of fish and dead bodies, and its milky white eyes never left us.
I needed to shock the hell out of this thing.
My magic was the only way.
It was still fifteen feet off.
I rose to my feet, calling upon the magic within me. “I’ve got this.”
“No, let me,” Maximus said.
I ignored him, and since I was in the front of the boat already, I had the advantage.
Lightning crackled through my veins as I gathered up the magic of Zeus. I’d love to throw a lightning bolt like Bree, but my specialty seemed to be of the human bomb variety. I felt like I was filled with a thousand volts of electricity, and I was ready to light up that fish.
I climbed onto the bow, my eyes on the Cetus, which was almost to us. I embraced Zeus’s magic, which sparked within me, lightning coursing through my muscles.
The plan was insane, but we were still only about fifteen feet from shore. So it could work.
Please work.
Right in front of our boat, the monster reared up, its mouth open wide and ready to strike. I leapt as high as I could. Shock flashed in its white eyes as I jumped toward the beast.
Ha! I bet prey never jump right at it.
I grabbed onto the monster’s lower lip. The beast shrieked as I touched it, my lightning coursing through its body. I tightened my hands, determined not to let go. The monster thrashed in the water, its head still raised high as it lit up like the Fourth of July. Pain tore through my muscles, too, and it took everything I had to cling to the Cetus.
Fates, I hated this power.
Beneath me, the water surged and roiled. I couldn’t see Maximus, but prayed he was still in the boat. I didn’t want to fall into the water and electrocute him. He was impervious to most injury, but still…
Still hanging from the monster’s lip, I began to swing left and right, trying to force my body weight toward the shore. The creature, vibrating from my electricity, swayed with me, then finally collapsed with its head on the shore.
I let go immediately, rolling aside and panting. The magic faded, taking the pain with it. My muscles melted as I lay in the grass next to the stinking Cetus. It wasn’t dead, but stunned. No way I wanted to be lying there when it woke.
Aching, I dragged myself upright, searching the river for the boat.
Shock lanced me as I spotted the bottom half of the Cetus. It was a huge snake-like beast that was far bigger than I’d even realized. The bottom half of its tail stretched all the way across the river, bobbing on the surface and blocking the boat from traveling downstream. Hundreds of spikes ran down its back, each one black and glinting in the light. River water built up against the creature’s body, and the empty boat was pressed against it.
Maximus had jumped onto the Cetus’s long body and was running toward me and the shore. He moved so fast I didn’t have a chance to ask what he was doing.
Next to me, the Cetus blinked its milky eyes. It opened and closed its mouth once, then twice. Then faster and faster, like it was trying to eat the air. Giant nostrils quivered as it caught my scent, and it wriggled to try to get to me.
I lunged backward, stumbling against a lump of dirt and going to my butt. Panicked, I scrambled upright and ran from the monster. It wasn’t as fast on land, but it moved toward me unerringly, its mouth constantly opening and closing, as if it were determined to get a bite of me.
It was an eating machine with breath like dead bodies.
<
br /> I could light it up with electricity again, but I really didn’t want to. My muscles still ached like hell.
When Maximus reached the shore, he leapt onto the grass and grabbed one of the long spikes that stuck up off of the Cetus’s back. Then he pulled, his muscles straining and veins popping.
The creature was so huge that it had to weigh two thousand pounds, but he yanked it across the grass, dragging it away from me and out of the water entirely.
Water that had built up behind the monster’s body poured forward, rushing down the river.
Maximus had dragged the creature entirely out of the river, but it was still moving. The head was still chomping, and it was pretty damn spry for having just been electrocuted. It could probably wriggle back into the river if it really tried.
Maximus let go of the monster’s back spike and sprinted to the tail. He grabbed it and dragged it to the monster’s head. Quickly, he shoved the tail into the mouth. Fangs chomped down on the tail, and the monster didn’t even flinch. Then it chomped some more.
“Moron.” I sprinted toward Maximus.
“Hurry! The boat is fast.”
He was right. It drifted away from us on the current about twenty yards ahead. I joined him, and we raced for it. My muscles ached and my legs wobbled, but I pushed hard, desperate to reach the boat that the dragon had given us.
We sprinted through the waving grass, gaining on the boat. It was about twenty feet from shore, so way too far to jump.
Damn it, we needed it closer.
As if the boat had heard me, it veered toward shore.
“Are you doing that?” Maximus asked.
“I think so.” I panted, running toward the water as the boat pulled up alongside us.
When it was only a couple feet away, I jumped and landed in a pile in the bottom of the boat. As quickly as I could, I scooted out of the way so Maximus could join me. He jumped in far more gracefully and landed in an elegant crouch.
Gasping, I scrambled onto a bench as the boat rocked. It veered back toward the middle of the river. My muscles trembled.
“Nice work with the human lightning bolt,” Maximus said.
“Thanks.” I grinned. “I like how you turned him into an Ouroboros.”
“He just wouldn’t stop biting.”
“Miserable beast.” I peered back toward the monster, which was currently still eating its own tail. “I guess he doesn’t care what he eats.”
Maximus grinned and pulled me to him, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I leaned into him, absorbing his warmth and strength.
But just for a moment.
This place was far too dangerous for any distractions.
I pulled back and turned to face the water.
“How did Zeus’s magic feel?” Maximus asked. “Are you getting it under control?”
“I think.” I nodded. “It felt better this time than last time. Easier to call to the surface. And it hurt, but not as badly. And at least it didn’t explode out of me.” Like it had in class.
I didn’t mention that bit, though.
Ahead, the water rippled again. I pointed toward it, exhaustion snaking through my bones. Whatever was coming, I didn’t want to fight it.
“The ripples are smaller, at least.” I squinted, trying to see what was beneath the river.
As it neared, a head broke through the surface of the water. A beautiful woman, with a crown of red coral sitting on her gleaming blonde hair. White silk waved around her in the river, and she turned to us and smiled. She was still about twenty yards away, but I could sense no threat from her. No dark magic.
“Hello!” I called.
She smiled wider and swam closer. “You defeated the Cetus.”
“Miserable jerk,” I said.
“He was such a menace.” She kept pace with our boat easily, though I could see no legs or fins beneath the water. “What are you doing here in the Garden of Hesperides?”
“Looking for the Hesperides, actually.” I grinned. “I’m Rowan. And this is Maximus.”
“I am Actaia, a Nereid.”
I frowned, searching my memory for the term. “A sea nymph?”
It seemed as good a guess as any.
Her smile lit up her whole face, and she really was pretty. “Precisely. We are part of Poseidon’s entourage. We symbolize everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea.” She laughed and spun in the water, a vision of pure joy. Sure, she was a bit nuts, but she seemed nice and that was all that mattered.
“Why are you in a river if you symbolize the sea?” Maximus asked.
She scowled a bit. “It was getting crowded in the Aegean. There are a lot of us, you know.”
“So you struck out on your own,” Maximus said.
She beamed. “Yes, exactly. I wanted adventure.”
I hiked a thumb back toward the Cetus. “Well, you’ll get it here.”
She scowled in the direction of the monster. “He was the bane of my existence. Always swimming around, looking for something to eat. Preferably me.”
“Now he’s out of your hair.” I glanced back at the Cetus, who had almost disappeared from view. He was still eating his tail. “Looks like he’ll be busy for a while.”
She smiled again—she was literally the smiliest girl I’d ever met—but this grin was tinged with evil glee. “Yes, that was clever.”
“Is there any chance you could help us find the Hesperides?” I asked.
She turned to me, her blue eyes glinting. “I’d be delighted. I’ve taken it upon myself to perform a Nereid’s duties upon this river.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “It would be very kind of you to show us the way.”
“Indeed.” She inclined her head, then grabbed onto the bow of the boat. “Come, I will show you the way.”
She pulled us along, surprisingly strong for such a normal-sized woman. Fish. Woman-fish. Whatever.
I glanced at Maximus and shrugged, smiling.
The boat moved more quickly with her help. As she swam, she began to sing. At one point, she looked over her shoulder. “Our voices are very melodious, aren’t they?”
“Very.” Yep, she was a bit odd, but I liked odd.
“The dragon Ladon must have favored you if he gave you this boat,” she said.
“What does he do here?” I asked.
“He guards the grove. Be sure to take the boat with you when you go. This is a wondrous gift.”
Take it with me?
She veered toward shore.
“We’re here!” She shoved the boat onto the shore, then smiled. “Head away from the river directly. I must be off, now. Safe travels.”
With that, she plunged into the river, gone as quickly as she’d come. I didn’t even have a chance to ask about taking the boat with me.
I turned to Maximus. “Well, that was a lucky break.”
“That’s the truth.” He jumped out of the boat and pulled it onto the shore with ease.
I climbed out, grateful to be on solid ground. As soon as my second foot left the boat, it began to collapse. The scales folded in on themselves until the boat had returned to its original size of just one scale. It sat in the grass, glinting black and diamond.
“Whoa.” I bent to pick it up, inspecting it. “Freaking amazing.”
“The dragon chose you,” Maximus said. “It believed in you.”
I met his gaze. “I don’t know if that should make me feel so good, but damned if it isn’t awesome.”
He grinned.
I tucked the scale into my pocket and turned to survey the land around us. The field gave way to forest in the distance, and I pointed to it. “Since Actaia said to head directly away from the river, I bet she meant to go toward that forest.”
“Let’s go quickly, then. The sun is getting low.”
I glanced toward it. We only had a couple of hours of daylight left. Three, at most. “Yeah, I want to be out of here by nightfall.”
As soon as I stepped away from the river, the com
ms charm at my neck vibrated with magic.
“Rowan? You there?” Bree’s voice whispered out.
“I am. Safe to talk.”
“Good.” Her voice came through louder this time. “We’ve got an update. Hedy found a spell that allowed us to see through the barrier.”
“But not break through?” I cut in.
“Unfortunately, no. But we saw the Stryx. They’re both in there, along with an army of almost a hundred.”
“A hundred?” Shit.
“Mostly demons. They’re helping them dig into the earth, like we thought. Explosives mostly, and some magic.”
“Damn.”
“With that many workers, they’ll move fast,” Maximus said. “Did you get any clue as to what they’re after?”
“No,” Bree said. “Can’t see that far. And since we haven’t found a way to break through the barrier, we’re counting on you, Rowan.”
I swallowed hard, the pressure settling on my shoulders like a heavy cape. “I’m on it. I think we’re getting close.”
“Good luck, then. And be safe. We’ll keep you updated.”
“Likewise. Love you.”
“Love you.” She cut the connection, and the magic in my comms charm fell dormant.
I looked at Maximus. “Let’s hurry.”
We strode across the field, grass waving against our legs as birds chirped from the sky above. It was all so lovely. I didn’t trust it.
The forest itself was creepier, the trees casting a dark shadow within. A layer of dead leaves crunched underfoot as we stepped inside. The air changed, growing cooler without the light of the sun. A protection charm prickled against my skin, and I’d bet big bucks it meant we couldn’t transport in or out of this place.
I veered closer to Maximus, who reached for my hand.
“The Romans believed the forest was dark and full of terrors,” Maximus said.
“They might have been right.” I shivered as a tree branch scraped across my arm.
“I’m not sure they were. Their cities were bad enough.”
“Good point.”
“To them, the forest represented the unknown. But to me, it was escape. When I was in the Colosseum, I dreamed of the forests of my home.”
