A/N
I am so sorry about the long wait! My life got so busy during the past few weeks, and I literally wrote this entire chapter this morning. Anyway, I hope you like it!
All she knew was darkness. Cold and suffocating, she was pulled through the slimy soil by the inhumanly strong grip on her ankles. At first, she had thrashed and clawed at the mud in a vain attempt to free herself. Now, exhausted by her struggles, she let herself be dragged limply through the depths of the earth.
Suddenly, the ground vanished, and Calypso fell for several heart-stopping moments before landing hard on bare rock. She gritted her teeth as she peeled her face off of the now dirt-smeared floor (leaving what felt like several layers of skin behind).
She had landed in a dimly lit stone room. Several torches adorned the walls, illuminating a dark pool of water in one corner of the room. Columns lined the walls, and faint designs etched into the ancient marble depicted terrifying scenes of destruction.
A flicker of movement caught Calypso's eye, and she shot to her feet as a tall woman stepped out from behind one of the columns. A long bronze knife glinted in her hand.
Terror rose in Calypso's stomach as the firelight shone on the woman's face. Although it was beautiful, the half-closed eyes and small smile did nothing to reassure Calypso.
"W-what is the meaning of this, Gaea?" Calypso queried, furious at the slight tremble in her voice. "Why bring me here, instead of just contacting me on Ogygia?"
Gaea laughed softly. "It was so easy for you to turn me down, where you were always within sight of the gods. But how brave are you now, knowing that there's no one to protect you?"
She made a beckoning motion, and a leonine shape stalked out of the shadows. Huge muscles rippled under its dark golden coat, and its long claws scraped on the floor. Half-hidden in the shadows of its mane, a man's face sneered out at Calypso. The manticore halted at Gaea's side, letting out a low growl.
Gaea smirked. "It's time to prove yourself, granddaughter. Either fight and win, or die under the claws of my manticore. It's your choice."
Gaea tossed the dagger to Calypso, and she caught it reflexively. Then, the manticore started forward, and the world narrowed down to her and the beast's feral yellow eyes.
This is a time lapse, because my computer is being dumb
Calypso stared in disbelief as the manticore slowly crumbled to dust inches from her right arm. She couldn't remember the last time she had yielded a weapon, and yet she had killed the manticore easily. Power had surged through her limbs, and she had dodged each swipe and leap like a seasoned warrior.
But she felt no pride in her success. She had never been that talented in hand to hand combat, but she had defeated the manticore without breaking a sweat. What have I become?
A pair of sandaled feet entered her line of vision, and a cool hand lifted her chin. Gaea looked down at her approvingly. "Well fought, Calypso. I think you are more than ready to join my forces."
Calypso opened her mouth, ready to protest, but Gaea quieted her with an upheld hand. "Think of what we could do all the things we could accomplish! When have the gods treated you well? Why do they deserve your loyalty, when they have imprisoned you for three thousand years?"
Calypso jerked backwards, raising the dagger slightly. "Why do you deserve my loyalty? Where were you in those three thousand years? The gods have been kind to me, more than you would believe. Isn't that worth something?"
Gaea's smooth features creased in a frown. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm. "This is your last chance, Calypso. If you choose to fight with those petty Olympians, you will be destroyed with them."
Calypso smiled faintly. "So be it." She threw the dagger at Gaea as she spun towards the dark pool. Plunging into the still water, she let power fill her up once more and pictured the clear waters that surrounded Ogygia. She let the magic go in one big burst, and closed her eyes as the water pulled her down and away from the dark room.
Here is another line break.
Calypso stared into the depths of the flickering fire, watching the molten bronze within shape itself into a sword. She had never worked in a forge before, but she had learned a bit by watching Leo. Apparently, her magic could make weapons as well as wield them.
Her newly made armor sat in the sand behind her, next to a short spear and a dagger. The metal was still warm to the touch, and it gleamed dangerously, unlike Calypso. The water had washed off most of the mud and monster dust, but she still felt just as grimy as she had when she first landed in the cave.
The last bit of bronze pulled itself into shape on the sword's hilt, and Calypso levitated it out of the fire and into the pail of seawater that rested beside her. A cloud of hot steam swirled up around her, blocking her vision for a second. When it cleared, Hephaestus was standing beside her.
Calypso hastily yanked the sword out of the water and laid it beside her other weapons. "Lord Hephaestus! I wasn't expecting to see you; what brings you-" She broke off as she noticed the dove automaton perched on his shoulder.
A cold pit of dread settled in her stomach. She could only imagine how this looked to Hephaestus; her vanishing into the earth, only to re-emerge from the water and start forging weapons. "Listen to me, please! It's not what you think! Just let me explain."
Hephaestus's expression was grim as he stared down at her. "It's not me you have to explain to."
Thunder rumbled across the clear sky, and Calypso gulped. Hephaestus held a small bronze device to his ear, then transferred his steely gaze to Calypso. "You might want to step back a little."
She obeyed nervously, staring up at the sky as massive thunderheads appeared above the island seemingly out of thin air. Thunder rumbled again, much louder this time. Less than a second later, a massive bolt of lightning forked down from the sky, touching down on the beach a short distance from Calypso and Hephaestus. It crackled there for a second before shooting upward into the thunderclouds again, leaving a menacing figure behind.
The man strode down the beach, clenching a smaller version of the massive lightning bolt in his right hand. Calypso cringed slightly as he drew closer. His stormy gray eyes were full of rage, and his hand gripped the lightning bolt with barely suppressed anger.
Hephaestus inclined his head as the man reached them. "Zeus."
Calypso took an involuntary step backwards as Zeus turned his stormy gray eyes on her. Her mouth was dry, and she could barely think for the fear that swamped her mind. She jumped as Zeus levelled the master bolt at her throat in one smooth, deadly motion. Her throat was tight with fear as her eyes met Zeus's, but she forced herself to keep the contact.
The god's face remained impassive as he continued to hold the bolt by her throat. His deep voice was menacing when he spoke, his gaze never leaving Calypso's face. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."
A/N
Ooh, she's in trouble now! I know, it's another cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist! I'll hopefully be able to update again this weekend, but don't get your hopes up.
Remember to review and recommend to your friends!
