Chapter 10

A few weeks later, Chiron let us go with a quest. We were to find The Goddess. We had to find out the meaning of this whole mess. We had to find out if the gods would still survive. It sounded really stupid when the old horse man gave it to us, but I couldn't complain. At least we were getting out of the camp. Percy and Annabeth were coming with us too. Dionysus wouldn't let us go without at least two demigods accompanying us. He was really getting on my nerves, but since he's a god, there was nothing I could do about it. Sure, I may be immortal, but reforming takes a while and a lot of energy that I wasn't about to waste tangling with him.

The morning we left was clear. White puffy clouds drifted lazily across a blue sky, while the air smelled of strawberries. The grass waved gently in the breeze the brushed the valley. Birds called to each other from the trees and once or twice from the air. Vagnor was waiting for us by the pine tree. He blew a puff of smoke into the air when he saw us walk towards him with our backpacks slung across our shoulders. The dragon made the giant tree look like a shrub next to him. Towering over it by several stories, he stretched his wings and bent down for us to mount him.

I helped Annabeth get on after Jink was seated just behind the wing joint. Percy sat just behind her and wound his arms around her waist in a protective manner. The daemons and I did not mount the dragon, even though he could have seated the rest of us and more by this time. The great red dragon spread his wings and roared. Then with a great sweep, he lifted off into the air. The force of the takeoff almost knocked us backward. Lyvani was able to manipulate the winds and thus keep us standing however.

"Alright," I muttered. "Let's go."

Firedancer, Lyvani, Theo, and Halithla dissolved into pillars of black smoke and shot after them. I bit my lip nervously. Deep within my consciousness, I felt something awaken. It stirred restlessly. One could call it my own personal daemon. But I preferred Anatkah. I surrendered my mind to her who was really I. My vision flickered and my control slipped. Then I too was dissolving. With speed that would make even Lyvani envious, we shot off the ground and into the sky.

Speeding past the daemons they were nothing more than black blurs on my right hand side. Clouds rushed past my line of vision and I felt myself buffeted by air currents unfelt from the ground. At last, we were beside Vagnor. The dragon knew who we were, even in this form. Fortunately, we did not scare him. Together, we lead the way to the place where we had emerged last year. The wind stung her rippling form, but she paid no heed. They were close. She could sense it. The air charged with magic as they hurtled northward. Anatkah tugged at her consciousness, and she turned westward. Vagnor followed her with the daemons flanking her on either side.

Darkness came all too quickly, but by the time the sun was just sinking below the earth, I knew. Signaling to the others as best she could, Anatkah landed and I felt the darkness recede from her mind. Theo materialized next to me and his brothers resumed human form a moment later. Vagnor folded his great wings and a moment later, landed lightly beside me.

Percy swung off first, and then turned and helped Annabeth dismount. Jink jumped down beside me. His black hair was swept back away from his face and his bright blue eyes were dancing. "Hey," he said tiredly. "How was your flight?"

I grinned at him happily. "Anatkah enjoyed it. I felt as if she would never let me free."

He laughed. "Ours was as smooth as you could wish. So much so, in fact, that I almost fell asleep."

I smiled. "I wish I could say the same. I don't think she wanted to recede to tell you the truth."

"I'm glad she did then," Jink said in a tone of mock seriousness. "Anatkah isn't nearly as much fun as you." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently. He turned and called to the demigods, "Alright." He clapped his hands together. "This is it. The amount of aura radiating from this spot precedes all we have felt since day one. As darkness is falling fast, I hope you two are well rested and ready for action. We can summon light for such an occasion, but I'd really rather not have to do that."

"How long will we be here?" Annabeth asked.

"Good question," he said with a nod. "I estimate that we will be here as long as it takes."

She frowned. "But-"

Percy trampled over whatever she was going to say, "So we're here until we receive a sign or find out whatever it is that we need to know?"

"Yes. Vagnor will stay here. He's much slower over ground and would attract far too much attention if he came after us." Jink looked around. "Any more questions?" There was no response. "Good." He turned to me. "Lyra will take the lead; she's the one who was chosen for all this after all."

He flashed me a wink. Nervously, I addressed our party. "Okay. We're looking for a gateway. Something that can be used to travel between worlds."

"This is Alaska," Percy said mildly. "The rule of the Olympians doesn't extend this far. Its prime territory for such a place."

"Americans call it the final frontier," Annabeth said helpfully.

"That's a good thing then," I replied. "It would be easier if the portal was in a place largely left at peace from mankind." I wished I had Nature's Edge on me, but no matter. Deftly, I summoned a salamander to my side. It was made entirely of flames, green and translucent. Golden eyes looked into our own out of a face that seemed encrusted with precious stones. Indigo claws gripped the tundra as it rose to its hind legs with a shrill whistle. It landed all four feet together and blew a puff of smoke into the air. I didn't wait to see their reactions. I turned and marched off, the salamander at my side. I let the elemental take the lead as we walked further and further away from the relative safety, ensured by Vagnor's presence.

After about an hour, the creature stopped. It raised its head and looked up at the sky. Its eyes reflected the light of the millions of stars that sprinkled the night sky. It whistled softly and their light concentrated on a place just a few meters in front of us. It thickened, twisting into a column of light. Light pulsed and quivered. A shape began to form.

I fell to my knees. Beside me, Jink did the same. Even the daemons and Percy and Annabeth seemed to understand that something important was taking place. So long had we awaited this moment. I almost didn't want to believe that it could really be. But it was, and I could have sung with the joy that all was not lost.

"Ah, my child. It's been a long time."