Ami's Odyssey
"If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, ally them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to th' welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out....
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or ere
It should the good ship so have swallowed and
The fraughting souls within her."
-William Shakespeare
"The Tempest" 1.2.1 13
Chapter 2- Tempest
"Hey, mortal, wake up. We're here."
Ami stirred stiffly, rolling onto her side. Hermes pulled away as she stretched, arching her back, rubbing it from sleeping on the deck all night. Wait. I fell asleep at the rail. How did I get....
"Are you coming or do I have to talk to the Hags alone?" Hermes threw the anchor over the side, and she heard it splash and hit with a dull thud against the wharves. He leaned against the rail, waiting for her. Ami pushed the folds of blanket back, folding it and laying it atop Hermes's already neatly piled one. She pulled her sandals on quickly, tying them. And I fell asleep wearing my sandals, too. Did Hermes...? "Come on, Princess."
"My name is Ami."
"Whatever. Come on."
And to think a moment ago I was suspecting he was being nice.
He kicked the plank over the side, and it shunted into the sand, sinking a moment, then settling. Ami slid down to the water, splashing her way up the final few feet to the rocky shore.Athena must have sent us a good wind to get us so far so fast... Ami set out after Hermes, who was quickly striding up the beach. He clambered over the rocks, outdistancing her.
The beach was covered in fist sized rocks, grey and lumpy. It was a strange place, the beach sloping narrowly upwards to the maw of a cave. Boulders of various sizes dotted the shoreline, projecting their broken crests at odd angles. The light here was not the morning light she would have expected on waking. It was purple and red, stained with shades of orange rust. A land of twilight, perpetually locked in a bloodred sun. Shadows pulled across the rocks, shading the beach. From ahead, the sounds of screeching revibrated out of the inky blackness inside the cave. The sound of rocks clattering against one another echoed down to Ami's ears, accompanied by continued screaming. She flinched, covering her ears at the high pitched sound. Nails on a chalkboard, that. Louder than Usagi-chan on her worst days....
She stumbled over the rocks, drawing closer to the cave. In the corner of her eye, on the ground, she saw a slight shimmering. She cast a glance to Hermes' tanned back, which was already nearing the cave entrance. Hesitating a moment, she went to the gleam, and found a high placed conch shell, half broken and twisted between two rocks. The glimmer she had seen was that of golden webbing, spun from the spinnerets of a lady spider, who was sitting comfortably in her cats cradle. The web had been spun around and between a strange looking round object. Ami leaned closer, and in her mind she began to hear the words,
...Her body
Became a tiny ball.
And now she is all belly
With a dot of a head. She retains
Only her slender skillful fingers
For legs. And so for ever
She hangs from the thread that she spins
Out of her belly.
Or ceaselessly she weaves it
Into patterned webs
On a loom of leaves and grasses-
Her touches
Deft and swift and light as when they were
human.
"Arachne," Ami breathed as she watched the tiny spider wave her slim fingers at her. The multiple eyes watched her a moment, then the spider picked her way around on her many legs, vanishing into a crevice between the rocks. The object she had sewn into her loom remained, and Ami scooped it up, turning it over in her hands, feeling the smoothly cut facets of what she realized she would need here. She clutched the gold encased object, holding it fast, scrambling up after Hermes, who had now entered the mouth of the cave.
"Aiee! You lost it! How could you, sister!"
"I never lost it! It was her! She did!"
"Liar! You did!"
Hermes bellowed into the screaming match, "Enyo! Pemphredo! Deino!"
The racket of the screaming sisters ceased instantly, and the three Hags turned towards the sound.
One of the sisters turned and said in her scratchy pitched voice, "Who knows our names? No mortal man may hear such words."
Ami reached the cave then, to hear the Graeae speak. She stared, blatantly, at the faces before her. Their bodies were the shapes of ragged birds, grey feathered and molting, leaving bits of bird fluff floating in the air. Their necks were distended in length, long and loping, but held tucked close to their bodies. Human heads sat atop them, and they did have human arms and hands. Their rickety wings scraped against each other as they jostled away from their positions around the cave, the sound of shearing metal. Ami stood behind Hermes, keeping the web covered item close, watching the blind women, each sitting at a pile of stones. Their eyes, unlike Themis', were not white, but gone, leaving gaping blood encrusted holes in their sockets.
"Hermes. God of Messengers."
The three sisters sneered, lips curling thickly up, dribbles of saliva drooling down onto their black, rough hewn clothing. They responded in turn, finishing one another's sentences. "Hermes God of Messengers."
"Comes seeking our knowledge."
"What delicious irony that it was he who took our Eye!"
"Now, we See no longer!"
Hermes sighed, folding his arms. "I didn't take it. Perseus did. And I come seeking your aid, wise ones."
"Under your influence, and your sister Athena's!"
"Your fault! All your fault!"
"Took our Eye, our lovely Eye!"
Ami took a tentative step forward. "You cannot give us any information without the Eye?"
The Graeae stopped at the sound of her gentle voice, turning their blank eyes towards the sound. "Another joins us."
"So we hear," the other two chorused.
"No, we See nothing without our Eye, lost by the interference of that one!" she pointed somewhat inaccurately at Hermes, who rolled his eyes in response.
Ami looked at the round object in her hands. "And if I return the Eye to you, would you tell me-?"
She was interrupted instantly by shrieks by the three Graeae, who leapt closer together, abandoning the piles of rocks altogether. "You have it! Give it back! We want it! Anything! Anything! Give us the Eye!"
"Don't!" Hermes grabbed Ami's wrist. "Give it to them, and they won't tell us anything!"
"But if they can't See anything without it-" she began to protest.
"They're lying!"
"We are not, son of Zeus!" the three shrieked. "Give it to us!" They began to inch closer, arms and sightless heads pleading as their brown nailed fingers implored. Ami looked at the golden swathed object in her hands. Athena knew. Somehow, she knew. Arachne. Whether that was the actual Arachne or not, it doesn't matter. That spider kept it safe. Like in a fairy tale. But this is not a fairy tale. I must get back home!
"Swear it by the Styx," Ami stated, looking Hermes in the eyes as she said it. Surprise filled his eyes, and he grinned suddenly, a happy, lopsided smile that lit his face. He released her wrist, and she looked at the three bent women. "Swear it to the Styx and to Zeus Oathkeeper that you will tell me what I wish to know if I return it to you."
The three grumbled a moment, shifting, stopping in their creeping advance. Finally, they gloomily promised, "We swear."
Ami took a deep breath, stepping forward nervously. "Careful," she heard Hermes breathe behind her. The three Grey Women sidled closer together, and she placed the cobweb covered globe in the center one's outstretched hand. The instant it was in her palsied fingers, the three screeched in triumph, hurriedly brushing the golden webbing away. The center of activity froze a moment.
"Cobwebs," the three rasped in unison, touching the orb they held. They hesitated a moment, then returned to clearing away the golden webbing. The center one held it aloft, then cackled loudly. "Returned! And so, young travelers, we See again!" They hovered back a moment, drawing further into the cave. Around them, the walls seemed to hum, vibrating as the orb they held glowed. "The Eye!" Brightness radiated out from it, and the three turned their sightless sockets to the orb. "State your question and be answered!"
Ami drew a breath, asking, "Where does Poseidon hide, with the timekey and the Mercury Crystal that is not his?"
The Eye began to pulsate in the fingers of the center Graeae, fragments of light cutting out from the facets of the revealed crystal within. Each sister lifted her hands to the pulsating crystal, and it turned in their hands, glowing softly. The empty holes in their faces began to flame bloodily as each intoned, "Past familiar shores you must seek the lair of the Earth Shaker."
"Within the realm of water you will find him!"
"Sail through the bones of Gaea, blasted by the wrath of the gods of creation."
"Perils of the sea you will face."
"The one who will be the clever tactician will point the way."
"Find him, and find the path to Poseidon."
It was with these words the three Graeae told them of their course, falling into a lapse of palpable silence. Hermes was the first to test it, venturing to say, "Good ladies, we thank you for your wisdom."
The three Hags rustled their feathers, saying not a word to the pair that stood before them, letting their empty eyes fill the gap of silence. The first Graeae shattered the glassy silence by scratching faintly, "Go, now. Leave three old women to their Eye and Sight." Three backs were then turned to them, huddling and dragging off deeper into the black cave.
"Come on," Hermes said to Ami, tapping her
on the shoulder lightly. They backed away from the cave, stumbling down
the rocky embankment to their moored ship. The twilight filled place had
drawn into deeper shades of purple, yet the sun still hung redly on the
horizon. Hermes pulled the plank up behind them, and Ami pulled the rope
binding up the mast taut. It billowed outward, and they crested over the
rocky shoals, passing sandbar and wharves, again taking out to sea. "Great.
Now we get to go searching for some guy who we don't know," Hermes muttered
as he took the tiller.
The one who will be the clever tactician? That could be any number of men...or boys for that matter. They said would be, not is. And they said 'he' not 'she' so we are looking for a male. But still....
"Where should we head then?" Ami asked Hermes, who was pulling the boat around.
He shrugged dismissively. "Your journey. You pick."
This is going to be a long trip if he keeps up like this. "Well...for now, lets head back to Zacynthius."
"Fine. Nothing better to do," after a moment, Hermes added, "How'd you find the Eye?"
She glanced at him over her shoulder, shrugging delicately, straightening the boom out as they caught a easterly wind. "It was on the beach. A spider kept it with her."
Hermes gave her an appraising look, measuring her again. He seemed to come to a decision about something, nodded once, then gave her the lopsided grin again, this time even brighter than in the cave. He tilted his head to the side, leaning back. Then his face grew serious. "It won't take long for Poseidon to find us now that we're back on his territory. Can you swim?"
"Of course," she responded somewhat stiffly. Never in a storm or what Poseidon may throw at us, but in the ocean nonetheless....
"Good. Poseidon can throw one Tartarus of a party when he puts his mind to it. Hope you don't get seasick."
In response to that, Ami turned away from him, coming to the prow, leaning forward, enjoying the salty spray as the ship crashed into the oncoming waves.
Makoto leaned forward, placing her chin in
the cup of her hands, elbows on her knees, waiting patiently. She checked
her watch. Usagi was in detention again, as usual. She had been waiting
calmly for the last half hour since school let out, her empty lunchpail
beside her, the extra sandwiches eaten at lunch by the delinquent she was
waiting for. With a sigh, she leaned back into the park bench, opening
her bag and rustling through her papers. She might as well get to work
on her history assignment. As she finally located the paper, buried under
a brilliant idea for white chocolate cake she had thought of at lunch,
the doors to the school burst open, and the twin odangoed blonde form of
Usagi tore out, shouting, "Mako-chan! I'm sorry I'm late!" Makoto laughed
and said,
"You're always late. I expected it. It's okay,"
she stuffed the history back into her backpack, this time on top of the
new recipe. "Minako ran off early. Something about a sale," Mako shrugged
and swung her backpack over her shoulder. "But, Usagi-chan, have you seen
Ami-chan? She didn't meet me after school today to wait for you."
Still catching her breath, Usagi shook her head. "I was going to ask you the same thing. She wasn't in class. I don't think she's missed a day of school in her life. And we had a test in math today."
"Ami-chan missed a test? Is she sick?"
Usagi shrugged. "I thought we could stop by her apartment to make sure. Ami-chan missing school...It must be serious."
Makoto stood from the bench, gathering her things. "If she is, I'll make her some lemon rice soup. The kind with chicken in it. That's better than plain old chicken noodle."
"Oooo...will you make me some?" Usagi begged, smiling and waiting as Makoto picked up her empty lunchpail.
"Sure. Hey...Usagi-chan. Look." Mako pointed to a small pink haired figure that was running rapidly towards them, a round, cat headed toy tucked under her arm.
Chibiusa skidded to a halt before them. "Hi! I came to see you!" she announced.
Usagi and Makoto stared. It was Usagi who recovered first, shouting, "You came all the way from your elementary school to see us! All across town by yourself?" she yelled down at the younger, equally pigtailed girl. Chibiusa folded her arms and smiled sweetly up at the irate teenage version of her mother. "You could have been killed!" Usagi continued to rant. "What possessed you to get off the bus and come here?"
"This!" Chibiusa grinned, pulling a large piece of pink construction paper out of her bunny-shaped bookbag. She unfolded it and held it up for Usagi and Makoto to see.
In the center of the picture stood a man in a violet tuxedo and a woman in a flowing white dress, a young pink haired girl between them, also in a lovely dress. In one hand of Neo-Queen Serenity, she held the Scepter, and with her other, she held the young Small Lady's. King Endymion was beaming at his wife and daughter. In the background, four women smiled. Minako was throwing her usual victory/peace sign beside Rei, who was looking generally annoyed because Minako was pushing her back somewhat. Makoto was winking and grinning beside Ami, who was sitting and appeared to be glancing up from a book. "My teacher wanted us to draw pictures of our family and show it to our parents. So I brought it to you!" she beamed up at the two older girls. Usagi's anger melted away as her eyes widened, and she grabbed Chibiusa, hugging her.
"That is so sweet! But...didn't your teacher want to know why we're all in dresses and Mamo-chan is wearing a purple tux?"
Makoto added dryly, "And why we all only look about twenty...?"
Chibiusa shifted uncomfortably and scratched her head. She shrugged. "I said I wanted us to look cool." Switching the subject quickly, Chibiusa looked around. "Hey, where's Ami-chan?"
"We think she's sick," Usagi told her absently. "We were going to her apartment. You'd better get home before mom wonders where you are."
"I was going to go find Mamo-chan next..." Chibiusa began as she was cut off by the whistle of Usagi and Makoto's communicators.
"Hello?" Usagi demanded into the comm.
"Usa..." the voice of Mars crackled through the static. "...University Hospital...NOW!" In the background, they heard the sound of Venus screaming "...Beauty Shock!" The line was abruptly cut off.
Usagi, Makoto and Chibiusa gave each other worried glances, then broke into a run. At the first clear alleyway, Usagi and Chibiusa grabbed their brooches, lifting their hands into the air to complete the double henshin.
"Moon Crisis! Make-up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power! Make-up!"
Sailor Mars cast a furtive glance behind her, and did not find the face she was afraid of seeing. Grandpa had come to the hospital that day for a check-up. He seemed in relative good-health, but at his age, anything could go wrong. She had arrived as he was waiting in the lobby, coming straight from school. A few minutes later, she had gotten that uncomfortable feeling that precluded an attack. She excused herself, claiming she needed to use the bathroom, and began to investigate. A few steps out of the lobby, she heard the first shrieks, and hospital security was shutting the emergency doors. Several large...things...that Rei couldn't quite identify had begun to dive-bomb the front gate. Dodging into a handy bathroom, she had transformed, and contacted the first person she could. Minako, in this case, who had hurried off from school that day, leaving Makoto to wait for Usagi.
Now she stood outside, having leapt through a pane of shattered glass sliding door. One of the creatures had gotten close, its hooked beak ramming into the bullet-proof glass, turning it into a waterfall of shards in an instant. Mars tore outside, screaming, "Aku Ryo Tai San!" and the burning wards fled from her fingers, sealing the gate magically as well as physically. Venus arrived as this happened, twirling her Venus Love-me Chain to begin her battle. There appeared to be dozens of the creatures cawing overhead, yelping cries filling the air.
And they smelled.
Bad.
Really, really bad.
Like a toxic waste dump had just deposited itself in front of University Hospital.
Snakelike bodies coiled in the air, shades of mossy green. Red tinged vulture wings flapped wildly, talons poised to strike.
"Burning Mandala!" The rings tore outward, but the strange snake-birds scattered. Two of the rings flew true to mark, but barely singed the wings of the attackers, hissing and steaming as they impacted.
"Mars!" Venus called. "What are those things? Venus Love-me Chain!"
"I don't know, Venus. Just hold them off! I'm going to contact Sailor Moon!"
"Venus Love and-"
"Usagi-chan! We need you at University Hospital! NOW!"
"-Beauty Shock!"
The whip cut across the air, slicing through a thick tangle of the beasts, but several of them apparently were able to regroup, tucking their wings close, and the wind screamed around them as they banked closer. "Mars Flame Sniper!" The fiery arrow cut through the center of the creatures, forcing them to veer to the sides. The gate still stood, and Mars cast a hurried glance behind her. No Grandpa. But she did recognize another form at the glass entrance, a woman doctor. Dr. Mizuno, Ami's mother, with a horrified and panicked look on her face, who was struggling with two security guards. They were trying to hold her back. "Get back!" she waved sharply at the guards and Dr. Mizuno. Shock registered on her face and she complied, slowly allowing the guards to pull her away from the action.
It was then that the sound of sirens ripped into the air, their loud wails making the attacking youma spin cartwheels midair. Fire engines and police spun into a circle, blockading the street off from any traffic. Red, blue and yellow lights spun in dizzying circles around them. The squawking grew more frenzied, and another knot sped towards the awaiting Mars and Venus.
"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Two familiar voices called out at once. The twin blasts of light slammed into the creatures. Several were hit, but most broke off, gathering wind under their wings and soaring back up into the frothing numbers above.
"About time!" Mars shouted at the late arrivals. "We've been able to hold them off, but..."
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
The swelling mass above was forced upwards,
tumbling over each other to evade the oncoming winds. They cried all the
louder for their setback.
"What are they?" Sailor Moon shouted at the
other senshi, not really caring who in particular answered her.
"I don't know!" Mars screamed again. "How are we supposed to fight these things? Where is Mercury? We need her here, now!"
"Out sick!" Sailor Moon responded, wrapping her fingers tighter around the Moon Kaleidoscope. "We think."
"You think?!"
For a response, Sailor Moon shouted her attack again, aimed at a single winged snake that was plummeting at Chibi Moon. Jupiter appeared out from behind a van, conveniently parked at a fire hydrant, and grabbed her as the Meditation blast flung the creature across into an opposing building. It hit hard, and slumped down the brick wall, curling up onto the pavement. In retaliation for this, the creatures broke apart above them, abandoning their usual dive-bombing of the front gate to focus on each individual senshi. "Oh, no you don't!" Chibi Moon shouted. "Get away from my mama! Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Her attack pulsated out, striking into the tangle that was streaking towards Sailor Moon. "All right!" She cheered when they broke apart to reassemble.
But the attack was far from over. Again the creatures circled overhead, and again they attacked at once, this time not avoiding the diminutive pink pigtailed girl. Venus this time blocked Chibi Moon as Jupiter ran to take a position closer to Sailor Mars as several of the creatures were sloping in, aiming past Sailor Moon. "Mars! No!" Sailor Moon cried as Mars drew breath to call out her attack, but two of the winged serpents banked suddenly, flipping midair, their coiled tails stretching out behind them as they arrowed forward. It was a feint. They switched directions, their shrieks tearing from their throats as their sharp beaks slashed open, their talons splayed, each aiming straight for Sailor Moon.
A black blur flew forward then, rolling as it hit the open-mouthed Sailor Moon. They hit the pavement hard, the two breakers backwinging too late to slam into the cement. "Perfect timing, as usual, love." Sailor Moon gave Tuxedo Kamen a peck on the nose as he lay sprawled on top of her.
"This isn't exactly the time to get romantic. Come on," he hauled her to her feet, his top hat knocked askew on his head. He flung it off, since it was getting in his way. She snatched up the Kaleidoscope from where she had dropped it when Tuxedo Kamen had rolled her out of danger's path. Again.
"We can't figure out how to stop them," she informed him as they watched the creatures soar back up into their flock. She grimaced. "And they smell real bad, too," she added as an afterthought, even though this was already pretty apparent. Several of the police and firemen, who usually had strong stomachs, were leaning against nearby buildings, attempting to restrain their roiling stomachs.
"Do we know how to fight them?" he asked, holding the edge of his cape over his nose.
"Mercury's gone."
He frowned at that bit of news, and then he looked at the waiting firetrucks. Then at Jupiter, who was now standing beside Mars. "I've got an idea. Hold them off. And keep them together! Jupiter! To me!"
He took off running, cloak winging out behind
him. Jupiter abandoned her position, giving Mars an encouraging look. She
took off after Tuxedo Kamen.
"All right!" Sailor Moon shouted, brandishing
her weapon. "You heard him! Keep them together! Mars! Chibi Moon! Venus!"
she ran beside Mars, taking place before the glass doors. "Champion of
Justice and Love, Defender against Evil..."
"Ah, Sailor Moon?" Mars interrupted. "I don't think they understand speech."
"But..." she spluttered. "It sounds good for everyone else!"
"Guys!" Venus broke in. "Can we worry about this later?"
The youma had completed their regroup, and were now angling towards the awaiting senshi. "Fan out!" Sailor Moon commanded, and the three other senshi obeyed, Chibi Moon to the left, Venus to the right, and Sailor Moon following Chibi a few steps behind. "Keep them together!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
And two voices called out, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"
The flying snakes broke apart, cawing loudly, then swarming together again. From the side street, a sirenless fire engine roared forward, skidding and turning to the side. Three firemen, accompanied by Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Jupiter, leapt off, the firemen going straight for the largest hose. They hauled it off as the creatures began to tighten up for another dive. Tuxedo Kamen flipped open the nozzle of the hose, and a massive blast of water thundered out of the coils. The three firemen behind him wrestled with both leaping hose and leaping stomachs. The stench was becoming incredible. "Now!" Tuxedo Kamen called, and the nozzle was abruptly shut off as Jupiter let the last words of her attack come out.
"Supreme Thunder!"
The multiple streaks of lightning arched between her hands, her ball lightning impacting on the water that was even then hitting the flying creatures. Soaked wings became heavy with water, and they struggled to stay afloat on the air. The lightning hit them, and water, ever a good conductor, spread through their ranks, electrocuting them as they hovered. The stink of charred feathers added to the already present smell, but the flying youma, now cooked, crashed into the ground.
Venus wrinkled her nose. "Kentucky Fried Winged Snakes. Not going to be a hit. Eww...."
Strangely, though, the smell began to dissipate with the death of the birds. Tuxedo Kamen moved closer to Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon, placing a protective arm on both of them. "Well..." Sailor Moon announced nervously, looking around. The security guards had opened the gates, and had cautiously moved outside. Dr. Mizuno was being held back again by one of the more burly guards. She was looking around at the various senshi very strangely. "Looks like we had an audience this time," Sailor Moon finished weakly. Venus waved and smiled at a news van that was pulling up.
"Do you think we'll make the five o'clock?" she asked, hurriedly straightening out her red bow.
"We'd better go," Jupiter urged, stepping closer.
The street had been silent until then, and as the group drew closer together.
As the group looked for a quick exit, a generally held breath suddenly
expelled, and the onlookers broke out into wild cheers.
For two days Ami and Hermes sailed eastward. The swift wind sent by Athena was gone, and they traveled far more slowly, relying on winds of a less divine nature to send them forward. It was in the evening of the third day at sea that Poseidon found their tiny boat, cresting steadily through his seas. The Earth Shaker, true to his name, struck his trident into the water, turning it in circles, stirring his depths into a cyclone of sea spray. The tiny boat was tossed high in the waves, a tiny toy fighting the master of the Mediterranean and Exuine seas. Mountains of water in tempestuous rage swelled high above them, pummeling down onto the deck, flinging their craft round in a furious spin. And above them, in the sky, lightning flew by, and drumming of thunder rolled. Through the onslaught of squalling rain, the gale winds struck with great force, shredding the sail to ribbons.
Hermes leaned against the steering oar, desperately trying to bring some direction to the rudder. Ami flung her weight against his, lending her strength to bring their ship through. Resistance from the rudder broke as the wooden oar cracked, shearing off from its bindings. They were flung against the rail, thudding into each other. Hermes grabbed her wrist, pulling Ami into the cranny that held their supplies. She heard him shout something to her, but in the tumult of the sea, the words were lost. He pulled out a braided hempen chord from one of the bins, tying it to his waist. Another wave crashed over them, and Ami's fingers scrambled to find a hold on the storage containers. They failed. She and Hermes alike were swept down the deck, water slicking their way. She slammed into the mast, wildly reaching for Hermes as she clutched the pole. Fortune gave a sardonic smile for a moment, letting her wheel turn, and Ami found a fistful of silky cloth in her hand. Hermes scrambled upward, wrapping his arm around the mast, tying the chord around it, then pulling Ami close, wrapping the chord under her arms as they tightly held the crackling shaft.
Each strained against the torrential breakers,
kicking their way back to the surface. Ami shoved her head up through the
waves, Hermes a moment later, only to be knocked below again. She felt
him jerking against the chord that bound them, fighting his uncle's fury.
She managed to surface, this time to see the fingers of broken deckboards
fold together in outraged prayer, sinking into the watery graveyard that
would now be its home. A sharp jerk downward brought her attention back
to survival, back from the loss of their ship. Hermes was under again,
herself, tied to him, a moment later. She pulled against the rope, kicking,
hoping that the fuzzy light above was not a trick of her eyes, but the
reality of the sky. Together they reached the air, and fought each pell-mell
wave as they were tossed down the currents. Each wind tossed them between
the other, a cruel sport to play, even for the gods, harrying them ever
forward.
~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~
The quote from 'Arachne' this chapter is from the
"Metamorphoses" by Ovid, trans. by A.D. Melville, Oxford ed. 1986.
