“Then I’ll stay back with Chris,” Rachael said, smiling sweetly. “If that’s okay?”
Kate crossed her arms, her lips set in a firm line. “What if something goes wrong on the island?” she asked. “Like what happened on the Land of the Lotus Eaters. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
“You all would have gotten off that island with or without me and my brother,” Rachael said. “Weren’t we actually a detriment to you? After all, I was still under the influence of the lotus fruit and had to be knocked out so I didn’t try to kill you for taking me off the island…”
I looked back and forth between Rachael and Kate. The instinct I’d had before must have been right—Rachael was interested in Chris. She loved adventure too much to stay back for any other reason.
“Fine,” Kate eventually said. “Stay here. What do I care?”
But from the way her eyes welled up with tears that she quickly blinked away, it was obvious that she did care quite a bit. And from the looks of Rachael—who was an Amazonian golden girl—I couldn’t blame Kate for being upset. That was tough competition.
I wished I could honestly tell Kate not to worry, but I couldn’t tell her that when I couldn’t be sure of it myself.
“So Rachael will stay back with Chris,” Danielle said, marching toward the exit of the yacht. “Now, can we all get going? The cows aren’t going to wait all day.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Once we got off the yacht, we headed straight to the hotel lobby. The lobby was its own bungalow—the biggest one of them all—and it also extended over the water. The gleaming hardwood floor had a few clear tiles in it that looked down into the sea, and elegant waterfalls flowed down the sides of the walls, reminding the guests that they had entered paradise.
The group of us—five high school students dressed in workout gear, all carrying various weapons—was enough to make the receptionist’s mouth drop open. But she straightened and clasped her hands over her desk, quickly composing herself.
“Good afternoon, and welcome to Thrinacia, the island of eternal youth,” she said, her voice overly perky. “May I please have your names so I can find you reservation?”
Blake stepped forward to take the lead. “We’re not here for a vacation,” he said. “We’re here to speak to Lampetia.”
The receptionist said nothing, instead simply looking at us as if we’d lost our minds.
“You do know who she is?” Blake continued. “The daughter of Helios? The owner of this resort?”
“Y-yes,” she stuttered. “Of course I know who she is.”
“Good.” Blake nodded. “Because we need to speak with her.”
“You can’t just walk in here and ask to speak with Lampetia,” the receptionist said. “She’s a nymph—which as you know, means she’s a minor nature goddess—and a very busy one at that. She would have let us know if she was expecting anyone. But if you need to speak with someone in charge, I can call in my manager and she’ll be happy to assist you.”
“Will your manager be able to take us to Lampetia?” Blake asked.
“We know she’s on the island,” Kate added. “She never leaves, since she has to be here at all times to guard the immortal livestock.”
“Please make yourself comfortable in the sitting area,” the receptionist said, blatantly avoiding answering our questions. “The manager will be right with you. Feel free to enjoy the fresh fruit while you wait.”
We all took a seat, and Danielle reached for a pear. But Kate stuck her hand out, stopping her.
“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” she warned. “Remember what happened on the Land of the Lotus Eaters? I doubt there’s anything wrong with the fruit here, but we have plenty of food back on the yacht. It can’t hurt to be safe.”
“Okay,” Danielle said, dropping her hand to her side. “Fair point.”
We sat there for a few minutes, silent as we waited. To pass the time, I leafed through a booklet on the spa treatments offered at the resort. Apparently, they had the best anti-aging milk bath in the world. Which made sense, since that milk was exactly what we were here for—it must be from the immortal cattle themselves.
As the receptionist had promised, the manager came out to meet us in less than ten minutes. With tanned olive skin and dark wavy hair, she looked like she came from a family who had lived in Greece since the ancient times. But despite her friendly smile, her no-nonsense suit made it clear that she meant business.
“Good afternoon,” she said, shaking each one of our hands. I couldn’t help noticing the red scabs around her fingernails, as if she had a bad habit of biting them. “I’m Calliope—the manager of this resort. Maria here told me that you’re interested in learning about our owner Lampetia?”
“We don’t want to learn about her,” I said. “We’re here on a very important mission, and we need to speak with her.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” Calliope said, her bright smile never leaving her face. “But I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have about the resort. Are you interested in booking us for an event? A graduation party, perhaps? Or a spa day? We’re famous for our luxury milk treatments.”
“Enough.” Danielle huffed and raised her arms in the air, palms out. “Since you obviously won’t take us seriously, perhaps this will change your mind.”
The sound of trickling water that had been a constant in the background stopped. I glanced at the waterfalls—there were four of them in the lobby—and saw that instead of the water flowing down, it now defied gravity by moving in horizontal streams, straight to the center of the room. Once reaching the center, the streams twisted around themselves, forming a growing sphere. The water sparkled in the light, and it was breathtakingly beautiful—like a shimmering planet. Then the sphere exploded upward, scattering into a rain shower that drenched the entire lobby. Danielle held her arms out and raised her face to the ceiling, smiling as the droplets poured down on her. She looked completely in her element.
Just when Calliope’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, all of the water evaporated, leaving the lobby completely dry. The waterfalls flowed normally, trickling down as if nothing had happened at all.
Maria sat still at her desk, her mouth wide open. The pen that she’d dropped on the floor rolled until it hit the wall.
“How…?” Calliope said, her eyes darting around the room. Finally, she focused back on Danielle. “How did you do that?”
Danielle smiled smugly, and for once I was glad that she always looked haughty no matter what. “My friends and I aren’t just any common witches,” she said. “The gods have gifted us with powers over the elements. As you saw, my element is water.”
“I’m fire,” Blake said, flicking on his lighter. He balanced the flame in his hand until it was the size of a basketball. He divided it into four and sent each one flying into a waterfall, where they sizzled out in the water.
Then, all of the rocks that decorated the waterfalls began to shake, until the rumbling filled the entire room. With a wave of Kate’s hand, they stilled again, and it was silent. “Earth,” she said simply.
Calliope just nodded in response.
“And I’m the aether,” I said, stepping forward and taking Calliope’s hands in mine. I gathered white energy, sending it out of my palms and into hers, the warmth of it buzzing through my veins. When I pulled my hands away, the scabs around her fingernails were gone, her skin now soft and smooth. “The central element,” I explained. “Otherwise known as spirit. I have the ability to heal.”
“Wow.” Calliope examined her hands, awestruck. “Thank you. Not even the best milk treatments have been able to do that.” Then she turned to Ethan, her face relatively calm given everything we’d just thrown at her. “I would assume that you’re air?” she asked him.
“Actually, no,” he said, smiling sheepishly. “I’m a son of Zeus. The Elementals rescued me from the Land of the Lotus Eaters. My sister and I were trapped there for two
and a half years… well, it’s a long story. But the guy who’s air is resting right now. He needed to recharge after he flew our yacht over Charybdis.”
Calliope opened her mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again. “He flew… a yacht… over Charybdis?” she finally said. “Our guests are all allowed to portal in.”
“Why take a portal when we can fly the yacht?” I waved away the feat, as if it were no big deal. No need to bring her attention to the fact that we weren’t approved guests. “Once Scylla noticed, she got mad and tried to attack us, so we blinded one of her heads and blew up another one. That held her off long enough for us to pass through the strait. Anyway, we’re on an important mission for the gods, and we need to talk to Lampetia.” I leveled my gaze with Calliope’s, hoping I looked intimidating and commanding. “Now.”
“Of course,” she said, taking her phone out of her bag. “I’ll call her on her private line. Just… give me a second.” She hurried toward the back room, her heels clacking against the tile. She only looked back at us once, and when she did, I swear I saw fear in her eyes.
“Do you think it worked?” Kate asked after a few seconds.
“Well, she’s calling someone,” Danielle said, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. “If not Lampetia, then I’m guessing it’s security.”
“If she does call security, we’ll fight them,” I said, ready to grab my bow at a moment’s notice. “Because we’re not leaving this island without that milk.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Calliope came out ten minutes later, looking markedly less frazzled than she had when she’d rushed out of the lobby. “Lampetia will meet with you in thirty minutes,” she said. “Cars aren’t allowed on the island—the exhaust is terrible for the skin—so like everyone who lives here, she travels by golf cart. She hopes you understand. In the meantime, you can wait in our deluxe overwater bungalow suite. I’ll lead you there, so please, follow me.”
She led us out of the lobby and onto an overwater dock that passed by the bungalows. The water around us was topaz blue—so bright that it hardly seemed real. The dock curved farther and farther out into the sea, until we reached the largest bungalow at the very end.
“Here we are,” she said, opening the door and motioning for us to enter. “This is the nicest room we have to offer—a few celebrities have stayed here, although of course I can’t name names.” She winked, as if we should know who she was talking about. “Make yourselves at home. There’s food and drinks in the fridge, and a plunge pool on the back deck. Lampetia should be here shortly. In the meantime, is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No,” I said, walking to the back and sliding open the door. The stunning view took my breath away. The crystalline sea appeared to go on forever, the sky was perfectly clear, and the towering green mountains looked like they’d come straight out of a fairy tale. “This is great. Thank you.”
She just smiled in response, and then she left the bungalow, closing the door with a quiet click.
“It’s too bad Chris isn’t here,” Kate said. “He would have loved this.”
“Why don’t you take some pictures?” I suggested. “Then when we get back, you can show him what he missed.”
And that’s how, despite the pressure of being here on a dangerous mission to save the world from wrathful gods, the group of us spent the next half hour taking silly photos together in the bungalow. After all, we were in one of the most luxurious resorts in the world. This bungalow probably cost more for one night than most apartments did for an entire month. It would be a crime to leave without photographic evidence that we were here.
Although, we would never be able to show the photos to anyone, since our parents all thought we were on a school trip to Washington DC. I hated not being able to be honest with my family, but it was for their own safety. I had to remind myself of that to keep myself from feeling too guilty.
Eventually someone knocked on the door, and we put our phones away, sitting quietly on the sofas as if we’d been waiting patiently this entire time.
“Come in,” Danielle said, as cool and refined as ever.
A woman walked inside, and she was so beautiful that we could do nothing but stare in awe. Her skin glowed with ethereal luminance, her frost-blonde hair flowed down to her thighs, and her eyes gleamed as if they held the light of the sun within them. Her long, white gown flowed and shimmered behind her as she walked, like she was a Grecian princess who’d stepped right out of the ancient times.
She stopped in front of us, clasped her hands together, and met each of our eyes. Her pleasant expression didn’t falter for a second. “Hello,” she said, her voice light and musical. “I hear you’ve requested my presence—and that you have quite an interesting story to share with me.”
“Yes,” I said, sitting straighter and taking the lead. “Although, it’s kind of a long story. We know you’re super busy, and we don’t want to take up too much of your time, so maybe we should get straight to it and tell you why we’re here.”
“Don’t be silly.” She laughed—the most tinkling, lovely laugh I’d ever heard. “Here on Thrinacia, we strive to bring happiness and serenity to every guest who stays with us. And what makes people happier than hearing an entertaining story? So please—tell me your story. I would so love to hear it.”
Ethan got up from his armchair, tripping slightly as he stood. His gaze was so fixated on Lampetia that I supposed the location of the floor was the last thing on his mind. “Would you like to sit?” he offered, motioning to his chair.
“Yes.” She nodded, giving him an approving smile. “Thank you.”
She situated herself on the armchair, and Ethan headed to the dining room to bring over another seat. He placed it right next to Lampetia and sat down. He was transfixed by her—he hadn’t seen anyone else in this room since she’d entered.
Lampetia sat straight on the chair, as if she were a queen and it was her throne. “Now,” she said, turning her focus back to me. “You said it was a long story. So please, start at the beginning. I want to hear it all.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Together, the four of us—me, Blake, Danielle, and Kate—told Lampetia about who we were and how we’d gotten there. We started from the beginning—the day I’d first arrived in Kinsley—and continued on from there. The sun had finished setting by the time we’d completed the story, the last hints of light sneaking their final peeks over the horizon.
“And now we’re here on Thrinacia so we can retrieve the second ingredient we need—the milk from Helios’s immortal cattle,” I concluded. “We thought you might get angry at us if we tried to steal it, so we figured it was best to speak with you directly to see if you would be willing to help.”
She eyed me up for a few seconds, and I feared she might say no. “It was a risky move, coming to me,” she finally said. “Since, as I’m sure you know, my father Helios is a Titan.”
My stomach dropped, and I said nothing. I’d always assumed that Helios was a minor Olympian god. Why did no one mention that he was a Titan?
I reached for my bow, ready for a fight. We might not stand much of a chance against a goddess, but we owed it to ourselves to try. After all, we weren’t supposed to have a chance against Scylla, and we’d blown up one of her heads. Who knew the full extent of what we could do?
“It’s not risky at all,” Kate said, although her voice shook slightly. “Helios fought with the Olympians in both the Battle of the Titans and the Second Rebellion. And since you’re here and not in Kerberos, you must have fought with him, too.”
“Correct.” Lampetia laughed, shaking her hair over her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s just… things get rather dull around here sometimes, and your reactions to that were quite entertaining. Although, fierce daughter of Apollo, it would take more than an arrow to slay me.”
I dropped my hands onto my lap. “I would never do that,” I said, although my voice faltered.
&n
bsp; “Yes, you would.” Lampetia’s small, amused smile never left her lips. “And I would expect nothing less of you. But don’t worry! Of course I’ll help you. Or at least I’ll try. I take it you want me to give you access to the immortal milk, do you not?”
“Yes,” I said. “We keep hearing about your milk spa treatments. So the immortal milk must be in the resort, right?”
Lampetia threw her head back and laughed, loud and musical, filling the entire room. “Silly girl,” she said between breaths. She finally managed to get ahold of herself, but her eyes still danced in amusement. “You don’t want that milk. It’s powdered garbage that we ship in from the mainland!”
Danielle arched an eyebrow. “You’re supposed to have the best milk treatments in the world,” she said, pointing to the brochure on the coffee table. “I read about it in there. ‘Bathe in the sacred milk, and then have it massaged deep into your skin to unveil a fresh, youthful glow like the immortal gods themselves.’ Everyone who comes here expects the milk to be from Helios’s cattle. But you’re ripping them off?”
“It sounds so awful when you say it like that.” Lampetia flicked her hand in the air, as if tossing the thought away. “I’m not ‘ripping them off.’ I’m simply making a smart business decision. Our spa treatments make us the prime destination for witches all over the world. If people knew that Helios’s sacred cows refused to share their milk with anyone… no one would come here anymore! They would jet off to Tahiti, or Bora Bora, or somewhere trendy like that. We had to do something to make us stand out. And what stands out more than an exclusive opportunity to bathe in the milk of Helios’s immortal cows themselves?”
“Except the milk isn’t really from the immortal cattle,” I reminded her. “It’s powder from a bag.”
Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra Page 14
