by Eliza Raine
‘We achieved nothing at all,’ Nestor said. Lyssa winced at her words. She was right. Coming second meant nothing.
‘Next time,’ she said firmly and turned back to the hauler.
Phyleus jogged across the deck, coming to a stop in the hauler beside her. She looked at him as they began to move down, suddenly very aware that they were alone together.
‘We need to finish the conversation we started,’ he said. She nodded.
‘Right. The one where you explain how you can navigate labyrinths.’
He shook his head.
‘I can’t navigate labyrinths, Lyssa.’
‘Then why did you say you could?’
‘I didn’t. I said I knew which way to go to get to the gem.’
‘Captain?’ Len’s voice sounded in her head and she realised they had stopped moving. She yanked open the door and stepped onto the cargo deck. Tenebrae’s tank still dominated the space, her shining scales catching the portholes’ light and casting weird purple shadows across the wooden walls. Laid out ten feet away, surrounded by crates and boxes, was a makeshift bed. Len was crouched over Epizon’s prone form, and his head snapped up when Lyssa approached.
‘Ah, you’re here,’ he said quietly. Lyssa looked at Epizon’s face as she crouched down beside him.
‘He’s asleep,’ she murmured.
‘He’s sedated. The treatment will work faster if he is unconscious. And he was very confused when he awoke just after you left.’
‘Confused?’ Lyssa frowned at the satyr.
‘Yeah. Kept talking about going to Virgo.’
‘Virgo?’ asked Phyleus, and Lyssa was sure there was slight panic in his voice.
‘Yeah. He wasn’t really talking sense, though. We’ll wake him up in a few hours.’ Len laid his hand on Lyssa’s shoulder. ‘I’m really, really glad I’m still here, Captain,’ he said quietly.
Lyssa smiled warmly at him. ‘I’d have got you back if he’d taken you,’ she said.
‘But then I wouldn’t be immortal, like you lot.’ Len grinned.
‘You know, we actually have to win Trials to become immortal,’ she drawled.
‘We’re joint winners! Two wins each, for us, the giants and…’ he trailed off instead of saying Hercules’s name.
‘Yeah,’ Lyssa said, watching Epizon’s chest rise and fall gently. They all fell quiet.
‘How’s your arm?’ Len asked eventually.
‘Numb, mostly. Painful if I move fast.’
‘I’ll go and make up some more ointment,’ he replied, and picked up his small medical bag. ‘He’ll be right as rain in no time, Cap,’ he said, then trotted towards the hauler.
‘Len’s so different when he’s working,’ said Phyleus.
Lyssa looked at him. He was standing in front of Tenebrae’s tank, watching her tail flick gently in the liquid. The creature’s intense gaze was fixed on Epizon and it made Lyssa feel uneasy. She stood up, moving between Epizon and the tank, then sat down beside him, on the wooden planks.
‘You were telling me something,’ she said to Phyleus, drawing her knees up and resting her good elbow on them.
‘Yes. I was.’ He sat down too, leaning his back against the tank. ‘I knew which way to go to get the gem. This is going to sound strange, so…’ He trailed off.
‘Phyleus, look around you. I’m used to strange,’ she said impatiently.
‘I guess. I’ve never told anybody this,’ he said, pushing his hand through his hair. ‘How much do you know about Virgo?’ Lyssa’s eyebrows drew together.
‘As much as anyone knows. Hardly anything,’ she answered.
‘There’s a test, held on Virgo every year. It’s called the Elysium Mysteries. The gods invite powerful families to take part, and they are sworn to secrecy. No doubt your family would have been asked if… You know.’
Lyssa looked at her hands.
‘Yeah. I know.’
‘Most turn the invitation down, because very few survive the Mysteries. My father accepted it.’
Lyssa looked up at him.
‘He sent you,’ she said quietly. Phyleus nodded.
‘My mother cried for a week before the test, but she didn’t stop him or speak out against him. There was a ceremony on Taurus, where my family as good as said goodbye to me, then I was taken to Virgo. I was blindfolded and given wine to drink that makes the stuff Dionysus brews seem like water. It induces madness so brutal that most people kill themselves. Thankfully, I can’t remember anything I saw. One of the perks of surviving. My skin was shredded when I came around and all of my fingers and toes were broken, but the hallucinations and all memory of them were gone.’
Lyssa’s stomach turned.
‘Why? Why would your father put you through that?’ she whispered.
‘The rewards if you survive,’ Phyleus said, meeting her eyes. ‘My injuries were healed instantly and I was made stronger than I was before. Those who survive the Mysteries are given power.’
‘Given power? On Virgo? You don’t mean…’ Lyssa stared at him. ‘Power from Hades?’
Phyleus nodded and her mouth fell open.
‘Nothing too epic,’ he said, his mouth quirking in a smile. ‘I can’t talk to the dead or turn invisible. Sadly.’
‘What can you do?’
‘I can sense precious metals and stones,’ he said. ‘Hades was god of the underworld in ancient Olympus, living underground, and has an affinity with gifts of the earth.’
‘So you knew which way the sapphire was,’ Lyssa said, understanding.
‘Yeah. Also…’ He bit his lip.
‘What?’
‘Erm, this is going to sound a bit morbid, but… I know when someone is about to die.’
Lyssa gaped, then leaped to her feet.
‘How the hell have you not mentioned this already?’ she exploded. ‘You knew this whole time that Epizon would be OK?’
Phyleus scrambled to his feet, waving his hands.
‘No! No, no, I only know right before it’s about to happen, it’s a mostly useless power!’ he insisted, stepping towards her. ‘Honestly, the only time it’s ever been useful was when we were on Sagittarius.’
‘What?’
‘When we were flying through the spikes on the longboat. I didn’t stop you because I knew that if we were about to die then I would know.’
Irrational emotion fired inside her.
‘So you didn’t let me carry on just because you believed in me?’ she said, before she could stop herself. Phyleus blinked.
‘I believe in you now,’ he said quietly.
She hissed and turned away, sitting back down hard and cursing herself mentally. Why had she said that?
‘It’s true, Lyssa. I told you, I can help you. And we have more in common than you thought.’
He was right. On both counts. A boy sent to endure lethal, torturous madness by his own father, strong enough to survive and endowed with the power of Hades. How had her judgement of him been so wrong?
2
Hercules stared at the flame dish, without seeing the orange flickers dancing across the metal. Ati was sitting on his lap, and he ran his fingers over her smooth, hairless skin. There was a vivid scene playing out in his mind.
He was standing in Zeus’s throne room, gleaming white marble under his feet and the walls and ceiling open to the glittering, swirling skies. He could see the mansions of Leo in the distance, nestled in the thick grey cloud that circled the towering mountaintop where he stood. Zeus beamed at him from his throne, and the other gods bent their heads deferentially. Hedone, standing beside him, ran a silken soft finger down his arm.
‘I pronounce you, Hercules, the winner of the Immortality Trials,’ his father boomed, purple lightning flashing around them in celebration. Hercules shivered as he imagined the moment. What would ichor would actually feel like, running through his own veins, fuelling endless life?
‘Captain?’ asked a quiet voice, snapping him from his vision. ‘Can I get y
ou anything?’ He looked up from the flames at Evadne. She had her head bowed and her hands clasped together meekly. Her subservience stirred his desires, but he called Hedone’s beautiful face to his mind. He would not share his bed with Evadne. Not any more.
‘Wine,’ he grunted.
‘Of course,’ she said and turned to go, but the flame dish sparked to life. The flames leaped white, then faded, leaving the image of the Trial announcer, perky and beaming. Hercules ground his teeth.
‘Good day, Olympus! It was a shame to say goodbye to one of our competitors today, but what a reward for the Orion! And now, a reward for all of you.’ He winked as he dropped his voice conspiratorially. ‘The heroes of the Trials have a very exclusive invitation… To a feast thrown by none other than the goddess of love herself! Tomorrow night, the heroes will all attend Aphrodite’s palace on Pisces, where they will feast, drink and dance, before finding out what they must do for their next Trial. Enjoy!’ he sang, then vanished from the flames.
Hercules narrowed his eyes at the flame dish, annoyed. Another feast on Pisces. He had attended hundreds, and he didn’t feel like feasting. He felt like… like winning. Like fighting and winning. Unspent rage and power roiled through him and he looked up at Evadne again.
‘I’ll get your wine,’ she said quickly, and scurried towards the hauler. Power pulsed through him and he shifted restlessly. Pisces was a long way off, hundreds of leagues, and it would take more than a day to get there. He directed the ship east with his mind, feeling the slight pull under him as she changed direction. He stroked Ati again and took a long breath in. At least the feast would give him time with Hedone. He was desperate to see her. And when he did, he would make sure that the wait had been worth it.
3
‘What did you do with the gems?’ Eryx asked Busiris over his mug of ale.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’ The half-giant smiled back at him.
‘We all get a share!’ Eryx exclaimed, banging the tankard down on the galley table.
‘I have the gems,’ boomed Antaeus across them both. At the other end of the massive table, the brothers Albion and Bergion stopped arguing and looked over. ‘They stay on the ship until the end of the Trials, then they will be shared out.’
‘What if we don’t survive until the end of the Trials?’ asked Albion. Busiris snorted.
‘Then you won’t care if you miss your share,’ he sneered.
‘What if I want mine now?’ Bergion said, standing up and glowering at Busiris.
‘You won’t have a chance to spend them,’ pointed out Eryx, taking a long drag of his drink.
‘At a party on Pisces? There’ll be plenty of women interested in a couple of rubies,’ answered Bergion, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. He was right, realised Eryx. Everybody looked at Antaeus.
‘Fine. One gem each,’ the captain sighed. The brothers cheered and clanked their mugs together, then downed the contents. Eryx smiled.
‘What a waste,’ Busiris muttered.
‘What is?’
‘Giving those idiots gems to spend on women.’
‘And what would you spend yours on?’ asked Eryx.
‘Mine will be replacing what I spent on this ship,’ he answered haughtily. Eryx rolled his eyes. Busiris never missed a chance to remind them that he paid for the Orion.
‘So you’ll be all by yourself on Pisces?’
‘No. I just won’t be paying for it,’ Busiris answered. ‘You forget, Eryx, that I’m royalty. The king of Egypt does not need to pay for company.’
Eryx snorted.
‘Nobody has even heard of Egypt. Giants don’t get human women for free, even on Pisces.’
Busiris glared at him.
‘Of course they’ve heard of Egypt. Just because you’re untravelled and ill-educated doesn’t mean Aphrodite’s courtesans are,’ he snapped.
‘I’m travelling now,’ shot back Eryx. ‘How many folk will be able to say they’ve seen all twelve realms? At the end of all this, I’ll be one of the best-travelled citizens in all of Olympus!’
Antaeus laughed.
‘Eryx is right, Busiris,’ he said, smiling.
The gold-skinned half-giant narrowed his eyes and stood up. ‘I’m going to read,’ he said, and stalked out of the galley. The brothers ignored him as he passed, rolling dice and arguing.
‘Why did you make him your first mate?’ asked Eryx, feeling bold after the ale.
‘He paid for the Orion,’ sighed Antaeus. ‘He’s not so bad, Brother.’
Eryx frowned. ‘He thinks he’s better than us.’
‘He is. He’s royalty. And he won the last Trial for us.’
‘Hmmm,’ said Eryx. He knew he shouldn’t push Busiris. He wasn’t sure why the black-eyed half-giant hadn’t already told Antaeus about Evadne’s visits. But nor could Eryx control how much he disliked him.
4
Evadne rolled over in bed with a sigh. Maybe she should read a bit more, she thought. It was better than just lying there, unable to sleep. But she’d read all the books in her own room. She would have to sneak into Hercules’s quarters to get more.
She screwed up her face at the thought. Once, she’d been in his rooms all the time, able to get out of his bed, sit on his armchair and read his books as much as she pleased. What had changed?
Hedone, she thought, frustration welling inside her. Hedone was the reason she was no longer welcome in his bedroom. She would never have guessed that he would want to be loyal to one woman. But then again… Hedone was no ordinary woman. If they were serious about a relationship, then Hedone would have to join the crew of the Hybris. And then Evadne would be even less important.
She sat up in bed, pushing her hair out of her face. She needed to prove she was useful. Hercules still had every chance of winning immortality and she needed to be part of his crew when he did.
A flash of doubt struggled to the surface of her thoughts. What if he keeps losing? You may not survive until the end of the Trials. She rubbed her bare arms. She had a back-up plan. Eryx would help her, if she needed it. But right now she needed a plan to keep Hercules happy. To keep her relevant. She needed to turn the tables, to make sure they could win more Trials.
She pushed the sheets away, and swung her legs off the bed. Somewhere she had a book by Athena, about competitive strategy. Maybe she could get some inspiration from that.
Evadne walked silently across the room and scanned the bookshelf in the dim light from her porthole, until she found the book she was after.
The problem was, Hercules was unpredictable. She knew now that he had a bloodlust. A desire to kill that made him dangerous. But unless there were more Trials with beasts to slay, that wouldn’t help them. She needed to be smarter. She needed help.
5
‘Epizon?’ Lyssa whispered.
His eyes fluttered open, his pupils expanding quickly in the dim light of the cargo deck.
‘Captain?’ he croaked.
She beamed at him.
‘Yes, Ep. I’m here.’
His peaceful face contorted quickly and he tried to sit up. ‘Whoa,’ she said, pushing him gently back down. ‘You shouldn’t be sitting up yet.’
‘But Captain, we can’t go to Virgo,’ he said, his voice frantic. She frowned as she leaned over him.
‘We’re not, Ep, don’t worry. We’re going nowhere near Virgo.’
He relaxed back into the makeshift bed.
‘Good. We can’t. Ever.’ His dark eyes fixed on hers.
‘Why?’
He opened his mouth to answer but confusion crossed his face.
‘I don’t know,’ he said eventually.
Lyssa raised her eyebrows. She decided not to point out that they would have to go when Hades’ Trial was announced.
‘How are you feeling?’ she asked him instead.
‘Awful,’ he answered, closing his eyes. ‘Len said the crew gave blood to save me.’
‘Yep. You have some of Abderos’s and…’ Sh
e trailed off, thinking about what Phyleus had just told her. Did he have ichor in his blood? Did that mean Epizon did now?
‘Phyleus,’ Epizon finished for her. ‘You’re struggling to say his name now?’
‘No, sorry, I just… You were right,’ she said. Epizon opened one eye. ‘There’s more to him than I realised. And he does deserve a place on the Alastor.’
He gave her a small smile.
‘I’m glad to hear it. How did the Trial go?’
‘Er, we came second,’ she answered, as he closed his eyes again.
‘Second?’
‘Yeah. So not great.’
‘How’s your shoulder?’
‘Good. Really good. I don’t need the sling any more. I haven’t tried to do any heavy lifting yet, but… Len’s potions work magic.’
Epizon grunted.
‘Where are we going now?’ he asked.
‘Pisces. I need your help.’
‘I’m in no state to help anybody, Captain.’
‘I need your advice,’ she said awkwardly.
‘Ah. OK, I’ll do my best.’
‘Thanks. Keep your eyes closed, though, it’s easier.’
Epizon smiled widely this time.
‘I see. Let me guess… Your feelings for Phyleus are getting stronger and you’re about to go to the realm of love and you’re worried they’ll get the better of you.’
‘You’ve been to Pisces, you know what it’s like!’ Lyssa wailed. ‘Even people you don’t fancy that much become gorgeous.’
‘Lyssa, if you like him, just enjoy the feeling! Go with it. See what happens.’
‘I can’t,’ she grumbled.
‘Why not?’
‘Lots of reasons.’ She held up her hand and ticked them off her fingers as she spoke. ‘One, I can’t be distracted by anything at the moment; the Trials are the most important thing. Two, he’s a prince, and seriously, can you see me with a prince? Three, while I’m admitting that there’s something there, he still irritates the hell out of me. Four.’ Lyssa dropped her voice to a whisper and closed her own eyes. ‘I’m worried about controlling my power.’
