by Raine, Eliza
Now this was the cabin I was meant to be in, I thought as a huge grin settled on my face.
‘How did you even get into that room? It was locked!’ Arketa whined as she listened to me telling Zali about my cabin a few hours later. We were all in the galley, with the exception of Icarus who was still too weak to get out of bed. I’d taken him his dinner, which was a fairly tasteless stew that Thom and Zali had done their best with, and it had pained me to watch his frustration when he tried to eat. He said he couldn’t even feel his arm, let alone move it. That didn’t sound good at all to me, but I said nothing as I helped him slowly spoon stew into his mouth with his good arm. I was just glad he was alive.
‘The door wasn’t locked when I tried it,’ I told Arketa.
‘Whatever,’ she sneered, and returned her attention to her food.
‘We will need to get better rations than this when we reach Gemini,’ said Vronti, letting his own stew slide off his spoon and into his bowl, an unimpressed look on his face.
‘We will. And don’t be so rude,’ I said, casting a sideways look at Zali. ‘The stew is nice. I’d like to see you do better.’
‘I do not cook,’ he said, looking at me disdainfully. ‘We employ people to cook for us.’
I shook my head.
‘Of course you do.’
‘I like it,’ said Arketa quietly, and I turned to her in surprise. ‘Thanks, Zali, Thom,’ she said as she finished the last mouthful. ‘I’m going up to the top deck.’ She stood up, cast a withering look around the room at us all as though to counter the kind comment, then strode from the room, aloof as ever again. I stared after her.
‘Where’s your mom?’ Thom asked me, snapping me out of thoughts about how confusing Arketa was.
‘I’ve no idea,’ I shrugged. That wasn’t strictly true, I’d seen her head to the hauler with her bowl of stew, but I didn’t want to look like I cared. To be honest, I didn’t know what to think about the whole situation. I wanted to talk to Icarus about her, but he got tired so quickly, and I felt bad whining about my family when I had an inclination that his were much worse. I turned to Zali. ‘I could really do with one of our chats after dinner, if you’ve got no plans?’ I asked her. She laughed.
‘Plans? Like what? It’s not like there’s a lot to do up here.’
‘There’s plenty to do,’ said Vronti. ‘There are cases and cases of weapons in the cargo hold. You could be practicing your skills.’ We both looked at him.
‘What else is in the hold?’ I asked, trying to suppress the possessive feeling that rose up in me at the thought of him digging around in the belly of the Tethys. It wasn’t my ship, I reminded myself. It belonged to Oceanus.
‘All sorts,’ he answered, a little too evasively, dropping my gaze.
‘If you find anything useful or valuable, you’re to tell everyone else,’ I said, as assertively as I could. ‘Nothing on this ship belongs to any of us.’
‘Right. Sure.’
We all finished our food in silence, the distrust I was feeling growing with each mouthful. I practically dragged Zali to my new cabin the moment she dropped her spoon into the sink full of dirty dishes.
‘He’s found something, I’m sure of it,’ I said, at the same time Zali gasped.
‘Dora, this room is... it’s unbelievable! It actually feels like the sea!’ I paused my rant, as her big amber eyes took in the beautiful room.
‘It does, doesn’t it,’ I said, the cabin slowly coaxing my smile back. ‘You should see the washroom.’
After I had given her the tour, we flopped onto the seashell bed and I tried to arrange my chaotic thoughts enough to tell Zali what I was worried about.
‘I don’t trust Vronti, or my mother,’ I said.
‘What about Arketa? I thought you didn’t trust her either?’
I sighed and rolled onto my back, noticing for the first time that the ceiling planks were painted with long green reeds.
‘She wants to save Kiko. I don’t think she means us any harm, at least not until she’s done that.’
‘Doesn’t Vronti want the same for his sister?’
‘Maybe, but I think he’ll try and make sure that as soon as he has her back, he’s in a position to win Zeus’s favor again.’
‘You mean... by killing you?’ Zali sounded alarmed, and I rolled back onto my front so that I could look at her.
‘Maybe. Or by harming Oceanus. Zeus hates Titans, it would be a good way to impress him.’
‘Vronti couldn’t harm a Titan though, surely?’
‘I doubt it, but what if he finds something on this ship that could help him. What if he already has?’
‘Hmmm. I don’t know. He’s probably just found some drachmas or something.’
‘His family are rich, he wouldn’t care about money,’ I said. I was convinced he was dangerous.
‘We’ll keep an eye on him,’ Zali promised, then sat up straight, reaching for my hand. ‘Your mom on the other hand...’
I groaned.
‘I know. Why is she here?’
‘I’m not sure. But Dora, I noticed something earlier. She asked if Icarus was the boy with wings.’
‘Yeah, so?’
‘Well, you last saw or spoke to her when she dropped you at the academy. You didn’t even know Icarus then. So, how could she possibly know about a boy with wings?’ I stared at Zali as her words sunk in. She was right. ‘If your mom really did sense Oceanus’s ship being dredged up from the bottom of the ocean like she said, then that explains her being here now on the Tethys, but it doesn’t explain anything else.’
I felt my heart race in my chest as I thought about that.
‘Do you think she’s been speaking to Chiron? Secretly?’ I couldn’t keep the hope from my voice.
‘Maybe, but then she’d know Icarus’s name, surely?’
‘Do you think I should ask her?’
‘I don’t know, she’s... prickly.’
I snorted.
‘That’s one way to put it. She’s downright cold,’ I said bitterly.
‘She tried, today,’ Zali protested. ‘She wanted to teach you about the ship.’
‘She wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction, that’s all. She wants to find Oceanus. She’s not here for me.’
‘Hmm, I’m not so sure. It can’t hurt to give her a chance.’
‘Why should I? She never gave me one.’
‘Maybe she really does have a good reason for that. Don’t take this the wrong way, Dora, but she’s not human. And she doesn’t live with mortals like most Olympian citizens. She probably doesn’t think like you and I do.’
I looked at Zali.
‘I’d never thought about it like that,’ I said quietly. ‘Do you know a lot about sea nymphs?’
‘Yeah,’ Zali shrugged. ‘Quite a bit. I have a few in my family by marriage.’
‘What are they like?’
‘Blunt, and not very emotional or affectionate. So far, like your mom,’ she said, a reassuring smile on her face.
‘It doesn’t feel like I’m a half cold, emotionless fish-person,’ I scowled. Zali laughed.
‘Maybe your dad had enough emotion and warmth to make up for both parents,’ she said, and tears sprang to my eyes unbidden as dad’s face filled my mind. ‘Oh Dora, I’m sorry,’ Zali said, her face falling as she pulled me towards her. ‘That was a stupid thing to say,’ she said, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
‘I miss him so much,’ I breathed, as the tears spilled down my cheeks. ‘He was the warmest man you’ll ever meet. Do you think he misses me? Gods, what I’d give to talk to him now.’ More tears, hot and wet, slid down my face and Zali squeezed me tighter.
‘You will talk to him again, Dora. And I’m sure he misses you as much as you miss him.’
3
I woke up the next morning feeling a million times better. I wasn’t sure what it was about the huge seashell bed, but I didn’t think I’d ever had such a good night’s slee
p, despite my overwrought emotions and piling up concerns. A long shower in my incredible marble washroom left me feeling determined to tackle this new day differently. I would be civil to my mother, and I would learn from her what I could, because that was what we needed to do to heal Icarus and to reach Oceanus and save the souls. To save Tak’s soul. I had to keep in my mind what was most important, and that was repairing the damage I’d done, not crying about things I couldn’t control or had happened in the past. I pulled on a pair of jeans and my favorite red hoodie, then rubbed my short hair dry with a towel before leaving my cabin and heading straight to Icarus.
‘Dora?’ I halted, mid-stride, and turned to the open galley to my left. Thom was holding out a bowl of porridge over the long table towards me. ‘Could you to take this to Icarus?’
‘Sure,’ I answered, stepping into the kitchen room and reaching to take the bowl from him.
‘Thanks. I don’t think he’s ever pleased to see me when I take him anything,’ he said quietly.
‘I’m sure he doesn’t blame you, Thom,’ I said reassuringly. Tom’s eyes met mine.
‘Dora, he still can’t feel his arm. What if he never regains use of it?’ His words were barely a whisper and I could see the fear and regret in his eyes.
‘Then it still wouldn’t be your fault. You warned us of the danger.’
‘It was stupid of me to be involved at all. I mean, I didn’t even do anything helpful.’
‘That’s not true. I don’t know about the others, but I felt much much stronger having you behind us.’
‘Well, you shouldn’t have,’ he said and turned back to the stoves behind him.
‘You’ll get better at controlling it. Let Zali help you.’ He just grunted, clearly not wanting to talk anymore, so I took the bowl of porridge and left him to his thoughts.
‘Knock, knock?’ I said aloud as I rapped my knuckles Icarus’s door. I heard a mumbled response and pushed it open. ‘How are you feeling today?’ I asked Icarus, as I entered the dimly lit room. I set the bowl of porridge down on an empty shelf and hurried over to the huge picture windows to pull back the drapes.
‘Less sore, but I still can’t feel my arm,’ Icarus said blearily as light flooded the room. I bit back my anxiety and turned to him with a bright smile on my face.
‘So it’s getting easier to move between your bed in the washroom?’
‘Yes, thankfully.’
‘You’ll be up on the top deck, admiring the solar sails in no time,’ I beamed. The corners of his mouth quirked up into a smile as he eased himself into a sitting position.
‘You seem very… perky this morning.’ He raised his eyebrows at me. ‘What’s new?’
I shrugged as I picked up his porridge and took it to his bedside.
‘Nothing. I just realized that we’re not going to achieve anything by dwelling on the past or holding grudges. I’m just going to focus on what we need to do, and not let anything else get me down.’
‘Good idea.’
‘And I need to talk to you about something. My mom says that ambrosia would heal your arm instantly.’
Icarus’s eyes snapped suddenly to mine, and his hand froze in midair as he reached for the porridge spoon.
‘ambrosia? I thought that kills demigods.’
‘Apparently it can just become fatally addictive to demigods. It’s fatal to mortals. But mom thinks that Titan blood could handle it.’
‘And what do you think?’
I bit down on my lip and frowned.
‘I think that if your injured arm meant you couldn’t fly again, you would be very unhappy. But it’s a risk only you can weigh up and make a decision about.’
‘Is there any rush to decide?’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ I shook my head. ‘We can buy some in Gemini and only use it if your arm shows no sign of healing, I guess.’
Icarus’s bright green eyes bore into mine for a few seconds and then he said, ‘good idea,’ and began spooning porridge into his mouth.
As soon as I reached the top deck I knew something was going on. Zali, Arketa and Vronti were lined up along the railings opposite the hauler and my mom was standing a few feet away, gazing into the direction they were all pointing at.
‘What’s going on?’
‘We’re there!’ squeaked Zali as I reached them, my converse almost silent on the planks.
I couldn’t help the grin that took over my face as I leaned over the railings with the others. We were flying low, the sky mostly a pale blue now, and just below us, looming larger every second, was an island covered in lush dark green jungle, the ocean lapping against sandy shores.
‘Trees,’ I breathed. After months of living in the academy, the novelty of trees was still not wearing off.
‘And sand,’ beamed Zali.
‘Trees and sand are what you are excited about?’ Vronti stared at us both like we were idiots. ‘I assume you have never visited Gemini?’ Neither of us really needed to answer his question, and he carried on before we could. ‘Gemini is Hermes realm, and he is the god of tricksters and thieves. The cities are hidden in the jungle, but so are secret treasures, precious gemstones, piles of gold and magical artefacts. But the jungle is also packed with wild creatures and traps that would kill you without hesitation. Treasure hunters from all over Olympus have been killed on Gemini.’
I gulped.
‘And traders have safe access to the capital,’ said my mom, eyeing Vronti. ‘There’s nothing dangerous about Corinth.’
Relief washed through me and I gripped the wood of the ship and closed my eyes. Take us to the port for Corinth, I thought at the ship. A warm, restless feeling floated across my skin and I opened my eyes to see the ship veering slightly to the left side of the island.
‘Vronti found something in the cargo deck,’ said Zali, and I turned to him. He reluctantly pulled a pouch from his belt and handed it to me. It was heavy, and I loosened the tie around the top excitedly. Drachmas.
‘There was a small crate full of money,’ he said. I narrowed me eyes at him.
‘Did you take any for yourself?’ He snorted at me, scowling.
‘I do not need you dirty Titan gold,’ he sneered, and turned his back to me. I glared at the back if his stupid silver head, then tied the pouch to my own belt. This would pay for everything we needed to stock up the ship. But… I had a feeling it wasn’t what Vronti had been so shifty about the night before in the galley. I would have to keep a sharp eye on him.
We were close enough to Corinth now that I could see glimpses of yellowing stone through the dark canopies of trees. Then I saw a series of long raised piers jutting out from one of the beaches, each one lined with ships that looked nothing like the Tethys, but all floating a few feet above the sea. Some were much smaller, with only two masts, and one was enormous, with four masts and a quarterdeck at each end. It was a Zephyr, I remembered from my classes, the largest class of ship and often used as cargo ships or as pleasure barges, which I thought were like cruise ships back home. I began to search the piers for ship classes that I had learned about. I spotted three metal-clad Whirlwinds, looking every bit ready for battle, and four long Typhoons, reminding me of the Viking ships from my history classes before I came to Olympus. They had long pointy masts at the front and triangular sails that stood out from the others.
‘What class of ship is this?’ I wondered aloud.
‘The classes didn’t exist when this ship was made. The Tethys may attract some attention while you are here. Say nothing to anybody about your heritage, even if they guess,’ my mom said, still staring out over the island.
‘Are you coming with us?’ I asked.
‘No. I am not welcome on Gemini.’
‘But you said you would help us get some ambrosia,’ I protested.
‘For Icarus?’ asked Arketa, her voice startling me.
‘Yeah,’ I answered, still glaring at my mom.
‘I know where we can get that,’ Arketa said.
> ‘Really? Thanks.’
‘Only because he saved Kiko’s life,’ she muttered, then turned back to the railings.