“How does that feel?” I asked him. I didn’t know if it would work, but I hoped it would at least cool it off, or maybe even remove some of the poison.
“A little better,” he said, giving me a small smile. “Thanks.”
“Do you think the pain will affect your fighting?” I asked him. “And be honest with me. It’s no good trying to be manly and brave about it if it’ll just put you in danger.”
“It’s my right shoulder, and it feels stiff, so it might affect my fighting a bit,” he admitted, rolling it around a few times. “But I can still use my lyre.”
“We have to remember what Apollo said about the lyre,” I reminded him. “Every time you use it, it’ll go more and more out of tune, until the magic is gone completely. We have no idea how many times you’ll be able to use it before that happens. So we need to save it for when we’re up against more creatures than we can possibly fight on our own—like what just happened with the merpeople. If it’s only one or two—or even three—creatures, then Danielle has her sword and I have my arrows. We also all have our knives. We should use those weapons before you use the lyre.”
“How many arrows do you have left?” Danielle asked.
“Three—all of them still unused,” I answered. “And I know to be careful with how I use them.”
“Good.” Danielle nodded. “So, here’s how I think we should go about this. Since the Golden Sword works as long as I have it, the first priority should always be to use the sword. If I need backup, fight with your knives if you can. If we’re far away and the creature doesn’t look like the type we can win against in close-up combat, then use an arrow. The lyre is only for if we’re so overwhelmed by enemies that we have no other choice.” She looked at Chris, and then at me, her eyes full of determination. “Got it?”
“Yes,” I said, and Chris echoed my sentiment. “Got it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
An hour later, Erebus docked the boat at the start of an open, winding path. Out in the distance was the mountain—looking much farther away than it had when we’d first come to Kerberos through the portal.
“This is where we get off?” I asked, trying to figure out how far away we were from the mountain. It was impossible to tell.
“Yes,” he said, and the moment he spoke, thunder echoed overhead. Suddenly, the sky was pouring down buckets of rain—so thick that it obscured the view of the mountain. But the rain wasn’t above our heads. It started at the bank of the river. Once we exited the boat, we would have no choice but to step into it, as if passing through a curtain.
I stuck my hand out to feel the temperature of the rain. It was so cold that I gasped and pulled my hand back.
“How are we supposed to walk through that without getting hypothermia?” I asked Erebus. “It’s freezing.”
“You might be mortals, but the three of you have the blood of the gods running through your veins,” he reminded us. “You can withstand far more extreme situations than humans. Think about Antarctica, when you were coming back from Chione’s ice palace. You rode through negative forty-degree weather without proper attire and still managed to make it to the South Pole station alive. No human could have done that.”
“We were barely alive,” I reminded him. “If I wasn’t able to heal myself and the others, we probably would have died.”
“If you were human, your death would have happened before you were able to use your power at all,” Erebus said. “Yes, the hike to the mountain will be uncomfortable, but as long as you remain focused on the purpose of this mission, it will not kill you. Now, as promised, I’ll lead the way.”
He dropped his oars and stepped out into the rain. The three of us followed him. The rain poured down, so cold that it felt like ice on my skin. But we had to get through this.
And so, I gathered my focus, remembering what Erebus had said about the blood of the gods giving us strength, and forced myself forward.
CHAPTER THIRTY
I wasn’t sure how long we walked through the storm. It felt like hours, and since it was one long plain, there were no places to stop to take cover. We had no option but to trek on.
It wasn’t close to as cold as in Antarctica, but the rain was so icy that I suspected it was nearly freezing outside. My body hurt from shivering so much, and every step felt heavy. I assumed that making us uncomfortable, but not to the level where it killed us, was on purpose—it wouldn’t be much fun to torture creatures in the hell dimension if those creatures died.
My time here so far had taught me that the worst type of torture wasn’t the type that killed you. It was the type that barely allowed you to go on alive, so that you could live and be conscious through the anguish and the pain.
We continued along the path, saying nothing. Not like I could speak given how much I was shivering. I was soaked the bone—if we ever made it out of this rain, I doubted I would ever feel dry again. All that kept me going were thoughts of my family at home counting on me, and of Blake up at the top of that mountain needing our help. Without that drive, I surely would have collapsed and succumbed to the cold by now.
Then, when I was seriously contemplating falling into a heap on the ground and curling up into a ball until the rain stopped, the downpour lightened.
“I don’t want to speak too soon,” Chris said, his teeth chattering. “But does it seem like the rain is letting up?”
“Yes.” Danielle looked ahead, and she brightened. “Out there.” She pointed. “Look. It’s not raining.”
As we’d been walking, I’d been keeping my eyes on my feet—it helped me focus on the task of putting one foot in front of the other. But when I looked forward, I saw what Danielle was pointing at. The base of the mountain was within sight, and right ahead of it, the rain came to a sudden stop.
Filled with a newfound vigor, I bolted into a run, eager to escape the rain. Danielle and Chris ran as well. Erebus turned into a shadow and disappeared—I assumed he’d had enough of the rain and was going to meet us at the place where it stopped.
I was right—when we reached the end of the rain, Erebus waited in front of a looming gate at the start of the mountain. He was dry, which wasn’t fair, but it was miraculously warmer here, so I was in no place to complain.
“If you can travel by shadow, why’d you stay in human form when we were walking through the rain?” Danielle asked him.
“I thought it would boost morale if I endured the journey with you.” He shrugged. “It was less comfortable, but I knew I would survive.”
“And you knew we would survive too, right?” Chris asked. “Since we have the blood of the gods in our veins?”
“I was pretty sure of it.”
He sounded more sure than that before we’d started off, but I ignored him for now, instead enjoying my time in the sun. This was the first place we’d been in Kerberos where the sun shined through the clouds. The sun here was dimmer than the one on Earth, more of a dark amber than a bright white-yellow, but it warmed my skin just the same. I held my face up and closed my eyes, relishing in its rays. After those hours of trekking through freezing cold rain, it felt amazing to take a few seconds to breathe and take in the light.
For the first time since arriving in Kerberos, things finally felt like they were looking up.
“Umm, you guys?” Chris asked, the panic in his voice breaking through my thoughts. “What’s that?”
I opened my eyes and saw three bird-humanoid creatures—harpies—flying through the air and heading straight toward us.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“Watch out!” Danielle screamed, unsheathing her sword and readying herself to fight. I did the same with my bow, although I hoped I wouldn’t have to use any arrows, since I only had three left.
But the harpies didn’t attack. Instead, they landed a few feet ahead of us, their yellow eyes studying us suspiciously. I kept an arrow strung, warning them not to come closer, but didn’t shoot. Danielle and Chris kept their weapons raised as well.
“You come from Earth,” the harpy in the center finally said. “Descendants of the gods.” She looked at me specifically, observing the Golden Bow. “Judging from Apollo’s weapon in your hand, you’re the Daughter of Apollo—the one attempting to re-seal the portal between Earth and this hellish prison world.”
“How do you know who I am?” I asked, keeping my arrow aimed straight at her heart. I couldn’t miss, and she must have known that too, or she probably would have attacked by now.
“The Titan goddess Phoebe prophesized your existence centuries ago.” The harpy smiled as much as she could through her beak. “She said, ‘led by Nyx, the Daughter of Apollo will ignite elemental powers in four other descendants of gods, and with the guidance received from the Book of Shadows, the five of them will work together to seal the portal to Kerberos.’”
“You’ve known about me all this time?” I was so shocked that I couldn’t move. But it explained why so many monsters had attacked me after they’d escaped Kerberos. They wanted to stop the prophecy from coming true.
“It was infuriating to be trapped in this place, unable to interfere,” she said. “But of course we knew about you. How else would my sister have known to search you out after she escaped?”
I swallowed, barely able to breathe. The harpy I’d killed in the cave—the one who had kidnapped Becca and I’d killed using black energy—was this creature’s sister.
There was no way this confrontation could end without a fight.
“You met her,” the harpy observed. I hesitated, and she added, “Don't try denying it. I can see it in your eyes. And I wouldn’t recommend shooting me, either.” She eyed up my arrow, not looking scared in the slightest. “I can see from looking at your quiver that you only have three crystal arrows left. And you haven’t even started up the mountain yet! Using them now would be a grave mistake, don’t you think?”
She was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. So I held my ground and said nothing. She wouldn’t dare step any closer if she thought there was a chance I would shoot.
“My sister was determined to destroy you,” the harpy continued, apparently taking my silence as agreement. “She said it wouldn’t take long, and that once the job was finished, she would come back to retrieve us and we would escape into Earth together. We waited, and waited… but she never came back.” She eyed me up, her gaze glinting with suspicion. “All I ask of you, young demigod, is to tell us what happened to her. Once you do, we’ll let you through the gates.”
“I recommend you listen,” one of the other harpies said from behind her. “Without us letting you through, the only way to open those gates is if we’re dead.”
“I thought this was supposed to be the easy way up the mountain,” Danielle muttered, glaring at Erebus. He, of course, smirked and said nothing. So she turned away from him and re-focused on the harpies, her sword poised and ready to kill.
“You want to know what happened to your sister?” I asked the harpy, leveling my gaze with hers and putting as much confidence into my voice as I could manage. “I killed her. Just like I’m about to do to you.”
With that, I pulled back on the string of my bow and shot the crystal arrow straight through her heart.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The arrow killed her instantly. I don’t even think she had time to realize what had happened. She toppled to the ground, and dust billowed out around her, so thick that it hid her body.
The other two harpies squawked and ran toward me. Their eyes flashed with anger, and their wings expanded, giving them more speed. Danielle sprinted toward one of them, swinging her sword in a perfect arc that chopped the harpy’s head clean off. But the other harpy was moments away from running into me. I didn’t have time to reach for my knife, so I grabbed another arrow, strung it through my bow, and shot it through her heart.
She toppled to the ground in front of me, and all was still.
“So… that went well.” I took a few steps forward so I was standing over the harpy. Her back was toward the sky, and the arrow hadn’t come through—it must have lodged itself in her heart.
I leaned down to roll her over, but she was nearly three times my size, so heavy that she didn’t budge.
“I could use some help over here!” I called over my shoulder.
Chris ran over and positioned himself over the harpy. When I’d asked for help I was hoping that Erebus would come, but he’d walked to the gate and was running his fingers over the metal. Danielle stood over the harpy she’d killed, using its feathers to clean her sword.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Chris. “I’m sure one of the others can help.”
“I have a scratch,” he said. “I’m not an invalid. At least not yet.”
We worked together to roll over the harpy, maneuvering her so she was on her back. Her eyes stared up at the sky, the shock of her final moment plastered across her face.
The arrow stuck straight out of her chest, and I pulled it out, studying the dulled crystal. It was covered in blood. Following Danielle’s idea, I used the harpy’s feathers to clean it off. Once it was as clean as it was going to get, I stood back up and placed it into my quiver, catching sight of Chris massaging his shoulder. His eyes met with mine, and he lowered his hand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked him.
“I’m fine,” he assured me, flexing his hand at his side. “Come on. Let’s get the other arrow.”
The first harpy—the sister of the one I’d killed in the cave—had landed on her side. The arrow stuck out into the air. We didn’t have to turn her over, but Chris hurried ahead of me and placed his foot on her stomach to hold her still, yanking the arrow out of her chest. He used his left hand—not his dominant one, since his right shoulder was the one that had been injured.
I didn’t know what he was trying to prove, but I said nothing, since the task was already done.
He rubbed the arrow on his jeans to clean off the excess blood and walked over to me, placing it into my hand. “Use these next time,” he said, his eyes serious. “You only have one active arrow left. You have to save it for when you really need it.”
“I know,” I said. “But that harpy was going to kill me if I didn’t kill her on the first shot. I had to use one of the crystal arrows.”
“What about the first harpy?” he asked. “Did you have to use one of the active arrows on her, too?”
“I didn’t want to miss.”
“You’re a daughter of Apollo,” he reminded me. “You don’t miss.”
“That’s not entirely true,” I said. “I missed when we were fighting Medusa.”
“How could I forget?” He smirked. “You got me straight in the other shoulder. But that doesn’t count. Because in case you don’t remember, Ethan spiked our drinks with gray energy that night. All of our powers were off.”
“Which is exactly my point,” I said. “Our powers were off then, just like they are here in Kerberos. None of us can access our elemental powers. Why should my ability to shoot be any different?”
“Because your power to shoot isn’t an elemental power,” he said. “It’s inherited. You shoot like you do because you’re Apollo’s daughter. Being in Kerberos can’t take that away from you.”
“Maybe.” I shoved the used arrow into my quiver, since looking at it reminded me that I only had one active arrow left. “But I didn’t want to test it out when my life was on the line.”
“So let’s test it out now,” he said.
“Are you serious?” I asked, even though I could tell from his impish smile that he was. “What would I even shoot? There aren’t any trees around here to use for target practice.”
“Hey, Erebus!” Chris yelled to the god, who was still over at the fence, deep in discussion with Danielle. “Come over here for a second!”
Annoyance crossed over his face, but he disappeared into a cloudy shadow, re-appearing next to us a few seconds later. “You called?” he said, his tone dripping with sarc
asm.
“I need your help with something,” Chris said. “What would happen if you were shot with one of the used arrows?”
He glanced up at the sky, contemplating the question. “It would hurt for a second,” he said. “Then I would remove the arrow, heal, and pulverize whoever had the nerve to shoot me.”
“Stop being ridiculous,” I said to Chris. “I’m not going to shoot Erebus.”
Danielle arrived at our side, needing more time than Erebus to get there since she actually had to use her legs. “What are you talking about?” she asked me. “Why would you shoot Erebus?”
“Relax,” I told her, unable to stop myself from laughing. “I’m not shooting anyone.”
“But you need to shoot something,” Chris said, and then he turned to them to explain. “Nicole’s avoiding shooting the used arrows because she’s afraid she’s gonna miss.”
“I’m not afraid.” I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. “I’m being cautious.”
“Because you’re afraid that being in Kerberos made you lose your ability to shoot along with your ability to heal.” He stood straighter and crossed his arms over his chest, not backing down.
“Fine.” I grabbed a used arrow from my quiver and slid the bow off my back. “What should I shoot?”
Erebus reached for the dead harpy at our feet, grabbed her wing, and pulled her up to standing position as if she weighed nothing. “Aim for the same spot you shot her last time,” he instructed, holding onto the monster so she didn’t fall down. “Her heart. I doubt your aim will be so terrible that you’ll miss and shoot me instead. If it is, then at least you know I won’t die. And I promise I won’t pulverize you.”
“Well, at least there’s that,” I said, spinning and walking away to give myself room to shoot.
“Although I can’t promise that I won’t tell Apollo!” Erebus added. “I hate to think what he’d do if he found out that a child of his missed her target that badly.”
“It won’t be an issue.” I positioned myself fifty feet away from the harpy and strung the arrow through my bow. “Because I won’t miss.”
Elementals 4: The Portal to Kerberos Page 9
