Chapter Fourteen– Homeward Bound

Wow. I really needn't tell you that it's been a long time! I am a slow writer, and my apologies go out to all of the faithful who continue reading despite this. Thanks again for all those following and especially those reviewing, who continue to give me inspiration and motivation to continue!

24 hours earlier..

Neil's success was obvious - his arms looped through half a dozen shopping bags, a fragrant chai latte in hand and a glow to his already golden smile. His day at the 'office' was unlike any other, shooting in the bustling Parisian streets for designer labels and receiving flattering comments from on-lookers. The photographers and designers were professional, but courteous and instructive, quite dissimilar from the ridiculous commentary by New Olympian directors.

After his job well done, Neil cleansed his face, changed into his boxers and slippers and plonked himself upon the couch, ready to indulge in some light romantic-comedies. Scrolling through the channels, he searched for familiar titles, Clueless, Grease, Bridget Jones' Diary, or his personal favourite, Love Actually. The search proved unsuccessful, as Neil groaned at his confusion of foreign custom and lack of English-speaking programs to his liking. The lounge room at the Brownstone on Tuesday nights were usually dominated by Theresa and himself, who shared common film interests. They had bonded over Audrey Hepburn's greatest films, classics like Gone with the Wind and favourite Walt Disney pictures, and the rest of the seven had learnt to vacate the room with no chance of watching their own preferences.

He missed her. He missed home.

It was the first pang of guilt and homesickness he had felt in his fortnight in Paris. The busyness of the city with all of its magnificent sights, sounds and smells had kept him readily distracted.

Instantly he regretted the letter, at the time so consumed with disappointed hopes. Atlanta's words had stung, but now it seemed that time was healing the wound.

Unconsciously done, Neil looked down at himself, and realised his blanket had wound itself around into a crude toga. He allowed himself a shy smile, and tied the two ends together around his shoulders, completing the look.

His phone rudely interrupted his fun, 'Hello, this is Neil.'

'Bonsoir, Monsieur Maverick. Comment êtes-vous, ce soir?'

Neil clearly hadn't paid enough attention in his elementary French classes. Greek he knew well enough, but French was lost on him.

'Uurrh.. pardon? I don't speak.. I.. ME CANADIAN,' he shouted into the phone.

There was a slight delay from the other end of the phone line, some background chatter before another woman came to the phone. 'My apologies, Neil. I told her to speak in English, but she was slightly confused. This is Martha calling. Leave us, Sophie!' She commanded the French-speaking receptionist, who grumbled and began protesting in French. 'How are you doing this evening? I heard you had a photo-shoot with Gucci today?'

'Yes, it was.. it was great! Good experience,' he replied, unable to keep his thoughts off of how alien he felt in this country.

'Well I'm glad to hear it! We're all certainly glad you changed your mind - had a call from the director who's very pleased with your work, and is keeping an eye on you. How are you settling in? I know it's a bit daunting moving house, but who could complain with your view! And the French desserts - please tell me you've treated yourself with a few pastries, not too many of course. We wouldn't want you to lose that trim physique of yours!' She giggled femininely.

The reference to pastries instantly brought up a memory - a Brownstone eating competition sponsored by Athena. Theresa had tapped out after three danishes, Jay after four and a half, with Odie just beating the leader by a mouthful. Atlanta and Archie were ruthlessly competitive, both struggling to down eight desserts each, before Herry promptly ate the rest of the pastries from their plates without so much as a belch or sickened look on his face. He had won with seventeen, and was the undefeated champion. Neil himself had refused such a challenge, vainly terrified of the damage it would do to his body.

Another memory. Another regret.

'Neil?' Martha interjected.

'Yes? Sorry. What was the question again?'

'How are you settling in? Have you made some friends or acquaintances? Any contacts?'

'No. Not yet.' Not that he hadn't tried. The other night attempting to gain some companions in his neighbours, he organised a party in his apartment. The music was playing at a reasonable level for everyone to become excited when he announced mattress sliding down the common stairwell. It had been a fun night, Neil making plenty of friends amongst the bruises and the bumps. However, when the landlord arrived on scene, his 'friends' soon scattered, and those left identified Neil as the instigator.

'Don't worry, you soon will! I can hook you up with some other models in your same area if you'd like. Most are single? That's what you need! A girlfriend!' She exclaimed, and began ruffling through papers, despite Neil's adamant protests. 'Here we are! A block away from you is Sugar Fields - she's very pretty, platinum blonde and a gorgeous smile. There's a redhead, Melanie, who, when she's not busy modelling, is attempting to break the world record for the fastest sprint in stilettos! Isn't that neat?'

His mind flashed to another redhead, whose speed was only matched by her wit, and would never be caught dead wearing any level of platform shoe. The chuckle he emitted at the thought unfortunately only encouraged Martha, 'So Melanie it is! I'll send her by your apartment in the morning, and you two can go out for coffee or something! Isn't that lovely! Aww.'

'If you send her by in the morning, I won't be there.' His thumbs were scrolling through the pictures taken on his PMR, and stopped when he'd found it.

'Sorry, honey? What do you mean? You don't have any shoots lined up for the morning?'

'I won't be here in the morning. I'm flying back to Canada. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore. This was a mistake. I'm needed at home.'

The photo was taken after defeating Sybaris all those months ago. Atlanta had her arm wrapped around his shoulders, a massive thumbs-up and a proud, ecstatic grin that only matched his own. Although it wasn't much, her genuine, 'You did good, Neil,' was all that he needed to hear then.

That was all he needed to remember now.

Present time…

'Another coconut before you go, sweetie?' Calypso stroked his bare shoulder and offered him a drink from the shell.

Odie smiled, but refused the offer, 'The coconuts here are so delicious, I probably would never leave if I had another. But I have to get going. I didn't realise how long I'd been away for, and my team need me.' Calypso had been certainly less… clingy than his last departure, showing understanding at his need to leave her island.

The raft he had constructed half-heartedly had taken a few days, merely because of the interruptions of dolphins to swim with, or exotic birds to study. But this morning, an message from an unexpected messenger pressed upon him the urgency of his return, and the raft was completed in a matter of hours.

It was the break of dawn when Odie had awoke, feeling surprisingly chilled. A mist was draining the warmth of the sun, and seeping closer and closer to where they slept upon the beach. He walked closer to inspect, leaving Calypso to continue dozing.

The closer to the waves he walked, the more distinct the muttering and bickering of women became. The mist finally revealed itself as the three withered Grae sisters, whom he had an understanding with. 'What? What on earth are you three doing here?'

'We came to find you,' said Alarm on the left, currently in possession of the eye.

'We need your help,' added Horror, before snatching sight off of her sister.

'You need our help,' all three interjected.

'What's happened? I haven't had any emergency alerts on my PMR from the gang. No earthquake, hurricane or other disaster warnings.'

'It is Cronus,' started Dread, fumbling around for the eye upon her sister. 'He came to us.'

'He tricked us!'

'And now he plans to hurt you and your kind.'

'What did Cronus want? What did you tell him?' asked a startled Odie, who was beginning to fear the worst.

'He knows what you fear.'

'What you all fear.'

'And has planned for your downfall.'

Odie choked, and sat down upon the sand, feeling faint. 'You told Cronus our fears? Now he can cripple us enough that we'll never defeat him.'

'He lied to us.'

'He tricked us!'

'And we are sorry.'

'It doesn't matter now. I need to return home. But first would you show me Cronus?'

Alarm, who was now back in control of the eye, handed it to him without hesitation. The Titan he saw was dressed in pit-black armour and a boastful crimson cloak followed him as he strode, inspecting six identical duplicates of himself, each as terrifying as the last. He grinned and cackled manically, before yelling to Agnon to commence the invasion.

Odie pulled himself away, heart hurtfully pounding in his chest and short of breath. His thoughts were tangled and unfocused. As eerily as they had appeared, the Graes slunk away across the sea, all the while muttering and fighting over the Eye, and Cronus' deception.

By the time Calypso awoke from her peaceful slumber, Odie had nearly finished assembling his raft, securing the bamboo slats together with string from the hammock, and covering it with palm fronds.

'Do you have to leave so suddenly, honey? I'm sure if you waited another day or two, the winds wouldn't be so severe for you to return home?' Odie occasioned a glance to the sea, which had been relatively settled at dawn, but was now tempestuous and choppy. 'I'll have to chance it, Calypso. Besides, I don't plan on being on my raft for too long.'

'Ahh!' Jay hissed as the rope slipped through his hands and left a burn. He was untying his yacht from the latest marina he had called 'home', and was off once again. Although a small town, Newman hadn't been altogether pleasant, nor its people the most inviting. Not that anywhere had embraced him with open arms and a genuine smile, but that dream was all he could chase now. It had replaced the other ambition, one both toxic and imperative, but it too had been denied to him.

The captain made his way back up the coastline, and quickly lost sight of land, hoping to find a splatter of islands just off the mainland. The wind was favourable, and Jay quietly reflected on the events of recent as the Discovery sailed him away.

'No person can defeat immortality.' The Oracle's words swirled around in his head like a never-ending carousel.

'No, stop it!' Jay shouted at himself aloud, 'Stop thinking about it. Let it go.'

A seagull cawed in response. Jay shook his head pitifully.

The idea that he had been not only expelled, but replaced, had gnawed at him for every second since his departure. His dreams were plagued by Hera's words, of Theresa's screams and bruises, and of the fellowship he was no longer a part of. Despite the depression, the late nights, and the constant search for a new town, deep down was the desperate need for redemption. He felt that if he could crack the Oracle's riddle, if he could finally weaken or destroy his nemesis once and for all, he could bandage the wounds he had caused. Especially to Theresa.

But it was a frail hope, a pipe-dream. And one he knew he needed to let go.

The wind had shifted slightly, with the change staining the clouds grey. The seas had become a little choppier, and Jay adjusted his boat to the conditions. Land was far out of sight, and he had not spotted another vessel for several hours.

The Oracle had ever so slightly emphasised the word person in his riddle. No person.

Could something other than a person defeat immortality?

Giants? No. If mortals could defeat a giant, it was unlikely to do any everlasting damage to a titan. A Gorgon? Probably not. The gods seemed unaffected by the cold gaze of the Gorgon sisters. The kraken? Typhoeus? A chimera?

Was he missing a detail? Was there a beast more ferocious than any they had faced? One they would be able to tame to their side?

A gust of wind snatched up Jay's maps and scattered them across deck. He lunged, arms stretching and clawing at the many papers, yet only catching one before the rest flew treacherously into the waters. Gathering himself and smoothing out the paper he'd caught, he cursed when he realised he'd caught a worthless section of the map, no where near his positioning.

All around him was an array of greys and navy blue, with the heavens and ocean below him blending in the harsh conditions. The yacht was taking a beating, slamming heartily into each oncoming wave, with the wind and swell now against him.

There was a sudden vibration in his pocket, accompanied by a familiar tune almost drowned out by the surrounding noises. He reached for his PMR reluctantly, expecting to see Herry or Archie's caller I.D. Instead, it was Odie beaming up at him, a face he hadn't seen in weeks. Was he back with the gang? Had they told him what happened? Or was he still with Calypso? Despite his better nature, he answered, 'Odie? What's going on?'

'JAY! JAY! I NEED YOU! ARE YOU NEAR YOUR YACHT?' Odie's voice boomed out of the speakers.

'Slow down, what's going on? I'm on my boat at the moment. There's a storm brewing where I am. Are you back at New Olympia?'

'I just left Calypso's island. My raft isn't strong enough to last this kind of weather.'

'No worries buddy. I've got your coordinates. I'm on my way, hold on.' Jay's protective instincts went into overdrive, as his PMR secured Odie's position. Calypso's island was unfindable on any human map, but Odie's red dot was not far from his present location.

Adjusting the sails to the oncoming wind, the Discovery sped forward as its Captain willed it. Jay's anxiety was further heightened when he noticed Odie's symbol moving unpredictably on the map. He was within a mile of its location, but he wondered whether he would get there in time.

Jays' boat pulled up alongside a mangled raft, its planks of bamboo broken and half submerged in water. There was no sign of its owner.

There was a sickening drop in Jay's stomach, and the overwhelming urge to retch. 'ODIE! ODIE! I'M HERE! WHERE ARE YOU? ODDDDDDIIIIIIEEEEE!'

Nothing answered but the elements.

He scrambled to the bow of his boat, to the back, looking frantically overboard for anything hint of Odie's location.

And then he heard it.

'Jaay,' something croaked.

His head whipped around, and found his withered friend clutching to the starboard side, a goofy but weak grin on cue. 'ODIE!' Jay beamed, and lifted Odie on board as if he weighed no more than a leaf. They sat there for a while, catching their breaths and grateful smiles, until Odie broke the silence, 'Jay, we gotta get back to New Olympia man. It's urgent!'

'I don't understand? We can just find a cove in the coastline to wait out the storm.'

'And you remember who controls the weather and the seas, don't you?'

Jay's curiosity snagged, and his eyebrow pulled upward quizzically, 'Why would Zeus and Poseidon be creating the storm?'

'The gods are angry, Jay. Cronus intends to strike us when we are weakest, and the Olympians might have to turn to all out war if we can't defend the city against him.'

'The gods are preparing to fight? No! It's our destiny to stop him. We can't fail or risk the gods' exposure.'

'Then we have to hurry home. We have to warn the others and prepare.'

The others. The team he was no longer a part of. Although he'd never openly admit it, it was never fear or weakness he felt when they met Cronus in the field. It was always pure adrenaline. And he'd missed what being alive felt like.

'I'll get you home in no time. Don't worry.'

The Brownstone coordinates were permanently stored in each PMR, and Jay's Discovery was making quick time now with the wind behind them. Odie had messaged each member with a distress signal, alerting them of what awaited them. He made no mention of his meeting with Jay, upon his request.

'What are you going to do? How are we meant to alert the people? We have to protect them too,' Jay asked over his shoulder, whilst at the helm.

Odie was rapidly hitting buttons on his PMR, its antenna extended to full reach. 'I've been trying to hack into the town's radar system, and pretend that something unfriendly is incoming. The alarms would then sound and everyone runs to find shelter, keeping the streets clear for us. However, there's only limited things one can do on a PMR device. I really need my laptop. How long until we can dock?'

'We've sighted land, and the wind is behind us. We'll be there in under 10 minutes.'

The moment he spoke, they saw smoke burst dramatically to the city's north. 'I hope that'll be soon enough.'

Just a side note, I went by the 'official' Greek names for the Grae sisters, Deino, Pephredo and Enyo for Cronus' confrontation in Time Flies (Chapter 12), but here have them called Alarm, Dread and Horror as they are named by Odie in the show.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it, and leave a review if you'd like!

Ebony