Book of Myths, Chapter 10

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Cassie rubbed her eyes. She saw darks spots in front of her eyes, her head was pounding and there was a strange ringing in her ears. Where am I? She raised herself slowly to a sitting position and took stock of her surroundings. She seemed to be in a clearing of a wooded area. Sunlight dappled through the trees and a soft breeze wafted through her hair.

Her vision began to clear and she was startled to see a magnificent bird on the other side of the clearing. It stood silently, watching her, tail feathers fanned outward displaying jewel toned colors: turquoise, gold, emerald green. Its body was a rich royal blue and its eyes seemed to hold a keen intelligence. A peacock, Cassandra thought. Had she ever seen anything so breathtakingly beautiful? She gazed at the stunning creature, barely breathing, and wondering if this was all a dream.

As her mind slowly cleared, Cassandra began to knit the scraps of her memory together. She was in the book. Jake was in danger. She entered the book to help him. But what chapter was this? Had she had the time to properly choose a chapter? Groaning in pain and frustration, she rubbed her temples and tried to remember. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing deeply.

"What ails you, child?"

Cassie was so surprised by the voice that she nearly fell over. Heart thundering, she looked up to find the peacock was gone. Standing exactly where the bird had been was a tall, slim woman. Her glossy brunette hair held a touch of gray. Her face was patrician, unlined but with the look of wisdom that age brought. She was not beautiful in the classic sense, but her features were attractive and she seemed to radiate kindness.

"Are you injured? Unwell? Can you speak, little one?"

Realizing that she had been sitting there on the ground gaping and probably looking like a village idiot, Cassie felt her face flushing with embarrassment. She climbed unsteadily to her feet and greeted the older woman.

"Hello. I do beg your pardon. It was not my intention to be rude. To be honest, I really am not feeling well today."

The woman studied her at length before replying. "Yes, I do see a darkness within you but this is not a sickness that I recognize. Are you cursed?"

"Cursed?" Cassie exclaimed. "No, of course not. I have a brain tumor. Some days are better than others and this just isn't a good one."

Cassie didn't like talking about her cancer, not even with her friends. How did this happen? Did she really just blurt that out to a total stranger? Granted, the woman had a nice demeanor- kind, maybe even motherly- but to simply spill her most private business without hesitation, was absolutely not the norm for Cassie. And it seemed that the mention of cancer made this kindly woman uncomfortable as well, judging from the odd look she was giving Cassie.

This was not an auspicious start to her plan to save Jake. If this woman was going to be an ally, Cassie would have to turn this conversation around quickly.

"Oh, I do apologize, madam. I don't know what got into me. Of course, you don't need to hear about my tumor. Please forgive me."

The woman tilted her head and pursed her lips. "What nonsense is this, child? Tumor? Is this another language? Your clothing is odd, you use words I do not recognize. You are wandering my woods, alone, and you apparently are cursed. My patience grows thin. Explain yourself without delay."

Cassie gulped. The woman's mood had certainly changed in a flash. Gone was the warm, motherly charm. Cassie felt an uneasy trickle of fear at the sight of the woman before her, now angry and intimidating.

"Oh, my. I am so...sorry…I didn't mean to upset you. I just…" Cassie knew she was stammering and could see the affect she was having on the woman. Pausing to take a deep breath, she marshaled her thoughts and tried again. "Yes, I am from a place very far away. I am ill, and I guess it is a type of curse. I traveled here in hopes of meeting Zeus. Where I am from, no one can help me. I have heard that Zeus is powerful. I came to beg his assistance." Cassie wasn't comfortable with lies but she guessed that this was close enough to the truth.

The woman's eyes softened and her fury seemed to drain away. Once again, she appeared to be a gentle and nurturing mother figure, though this time Cassie wasn't quite so trusting of the image.

"Ah, I see," the woman replied in her 'compassionate mom' voice. "I believe I can help you. I am Hera, goddess of marriage and family, wife of Zeus."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Cassie said. "I would be so grateful if you could take me to Zeus."

"Then come along, child. Let us see if my husband can help you with that cold, dark thing you harbor. I must confess that I have never encountered such a thing before. I will be most interested in his thoughts about this. Let us hasten to Olympus."

With a long legged stride that Cassie struggled to keep up with, the goddess Hera left the clearing and stepped briskly onto a path winding through the trees. Cassie was breathing heavily with the effort in under a minute.

"Is it far?" Cassie asked. "Olympus? Is it far?"

"Olympus is not of this world, child. Far and near have no meaning."

Oh, no. Not now. Please, not now. Cassie felt the familiar and unwelcome sensation of a rising pressure in her head. Her vision swam, and the greens and browns of the forest blurred together. Dimly she felt a jolt as she fell to her knees in the grass. Far. Near. Moss on the trees, traveling east. Sun directly overhead. Mid-day. Far. Near. Traveling two miles per hour. Far. Near.

With excruciating effort, Cassie forced her mind back into the present. These spells were so hard to pull herself out of. She realized how much she missed Jake, who always seemed to know just how to talk to her, to bring her back to reality. But Jake couldn't help her now. Once again, she focused on her breathing. One deep breath in, now let it out slowly. Another breath in. Let it out slowly. Ignore the pounding in my head. Just breathe! I can do this. I have to.

Gradually, the words and images and random thoughts began to fade. She could see the blades of grass under her fingers, feel the dirt, hear the breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees. With a sigh of relief, Cassie stood, brushing her hair from her face and addressed Hera.

"So sorry. Sometimes that happens to me." Cassie's smile froze. Hera's mood had clearly changed again. Her rigid posture, crossed arms, scowling mouth and narrowed eyes left no doubt that Cassie had somehow incurred her wrath again.

"Did you just have a vision?" Hera's speech was clipped.

Cassie was unsure of how to explain her spells to a mythical Greek goddess who had never heard of a brain tumor. If 'nice mom Hera' was here, she might attempt it. But with "scary mad Hera" standing before her, perhaps it was best to keep things simple.

"Yes, I guess you might think of this as a vision," Cassie said.

"I don't believe you told me your name," Hera said.

Cassie was momentarily caught off guard by the change of subject, and she was getting tired of constantly apologizing. Straightening her spine, lifting her chin, and making direct eye contact with Hera, she replied, "My name is Cassandra."

If Cassie thought Hera was frightening before, she could now see how naïve she had been. This version of Hera was truly terrifying and almost certainly dangerous. Her face was flushed, hands fisted and teeth clenched. Her body seemed to vibrate with rage and her voice was as cold as ice.

"You! You are Cassandra the Seer! Temptress! Breaker of hearts! Destroyer of sacred marriage vows! I will not have you in my presence, you foul, evil thing!"

"No! No!" Cassie cried out. "I am not that Cassandra! I am not a seer!"

Her desperate pleas were silenced as Hera swung her arm forcefully in Cassie's direction. A dreadful pain shot through Cassie's chest as Hera's hand pointed in her direction. Her body was lifted in the air and she saw the trees flash past her as she was tossed like a ragdoll. With a shockingly painful crash, she hit something solid and slid to the ground. She saw Hera advancing in her direction with fury clearly evident just as her vision darkened and awareness slipped away.

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Pain. Darkness and pain. Cassie couldn't think clearly. Pain was her entire world. Pain and- in the distance- voices? She struggled to understand but the words made no sense to her.

"Are you certain it is her?"

"I saw her have a vision. She told me she was Cassandra."

"They say she is mad, you know. She has visions but they are false. She is no true oracle."

"She is a strange girl. I felt for her at first."

"She is evil! You are patron goddess of marriage. You cannot condone her behavior. She stole away my husband, Agamemnon. She destroyed my marriage."

"I am aware. I do not condone her behavior. It is why I called you here. But you should watch that sharp tongue of yours before I tear it from your mouth. I will not be disrespected by the likes of you!"

"A thousand pardons, mistress. It is my grief that loosens my tongue so. It is the heartbreak that this woman gave me."

"Heartbreak? Do you take me for a fool? You have already moved on, Clytemnestra. You consort with Aegisthus behind your husband's back."

"Only to console myself, mistress. Only to put salve on my unbearable pain."

"I have no tolerance for home wreckers, as you well know. But you sicken me with your insincere half truths. I want you gone. Now."

"And what of her?"

"Take her. She is the author of her own fate. I do not care to have either of you in my presence a single moment longer."

"Thank you, great mistress. Thank you for this gift."

For the briefest moment of time, Cassie felt a pang of sadness for the fate of the woman the voices spoke of. A sudden crushing pain burst upon her and she felt nothing more.

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Jenkins was alone. It was late. It was very quiet. Earlier, Flynn had declared that there was nothing more anyone should do until Cassie returned. He instructed everyone to go get some rest. Eve and Ezekiel left wordlessly. Flynn had followed. The annex was silent.

Jenkins wasn't fooled by the silence. He knew they were out there. Thinking. Worrying. Researching. Planning. But not sleeping. Jenkins knew what they were all thinking even though none of them had voiced it.

"…until Cassie returns" Flynn had said.

But that was exactly the thing, wasn't it? Cassandra had not returned. Eve and Ezekiel had returned instantly. Their time in the book was in their past, so they were here in the present. But not Cassandra. And why was that? This was important. This might be the key to solving the entire mess.

This was the puzzle that Jenkins needed to solve. And the answer to the puzzle was surely in this book. If the answer was not between the pages of the Book of Myths, then it was unlikely to be found at all. And that was not an outcome Jenkins was willing to accept.

With more trepidation than he cared to admit, he gingerly turned the pages to the Atlas chapter. His breath hissed out in relief as he saw the illustration. Jake was still there, still holding up the world in jeans, boots and that silly plaid flannel shirt- really, shouldn't a Librarian dress with a bit more professionality? Wait. What was that expression? Why is his mouth open and his head angled back? Is he screaming? No. Body language too relaxed. No tension in neck muscles. No squinting around the eyes. Something else. Singing? Is he singing?

Jenkins huffed and shook his head. Must move on. Jake was fine for the moment.

He had reviewed the chapters prior to the one Jake was in and found no clues to the disappearance of Cassandra. Carefully paging ahead, he studied the next chapter. His breathing stilled and his heart skipped a beat.

"Flynn?"

Flynn leaned over the mezzanine railing and looked down at Jenkins. "How did you know I was here?"

Jenkins growled to himself under his breath. "The same way I know that Mr. Jones is lurking just outside that door and that Col. Baird is behind the bookshelf to your left. You should all come here. We need to talk."

Three sets of footsteps echoed and three sets of voices blended as the Librarians and the Guardian emerged from their positions to join Jenkins at the table.

"You found something?"

"What is it, Jenkins?

"Is it Cassie?"

Jenkins turned the book so they could all see the illustration.

"I don't get it. What is this about?" Ezekiel asked.

Jenkins cleared his throat. It seemed a bit dry suddenly and it was difficult to speak. "This is a chapter about the fall of Troy. After the city fell, the king's loveliest daughter was given to Agamemnon as spoils of war."

"Yes, of course," Flynn said. "They left the Trojan Horse outside the city gates. The Trojans thought it was a concession and brought it in, not realizing it was filled with enemy soldiers who came out after nightfall and attacked the city. King Prius had a daughter named Cassandra who received the gift of prophecy from Apollo and…wait. What has this got to do with our situation?"

"Look at the picture again. Look closely. Tell me what you see." Jenkins said.

They leaned forward and examined the picture as instructed. Ezekiel was the first to break the silence. "Oi. Is that Cassie?"

Eve groaned. "That is Cassie and that is a prison she is in."

Jenkins nodded. "Agamemnon's wife took exception to his new acquisition. She took a lover herself and together they murdered Agamemnon and jailed the king's daughter."

Flynn was uncharacteristically quiet. Eve looked at him with concern while Ezekiel stared at the picture with a blank look on his young face.

"Flynn? Jenkins? What happened to the king's daughter?" Eve asked.

Waves of emotion crossed Flynn's face but words did not come. Jenkins responded.

"The king's daughter Cassandra was first imprisoned and later beheaded."