Disclaimer: i do not own Twilight. i just don't. i do own some awesome cinnabon cupcakes (vanilla cupcake batter, place cinnabon inside, bake, ice, eat). seriously, someone try to make that. it's fantastic!

chapter sixteen

"Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing."

Adolph Monod

Isabella

My entire life is resting upon these moments - the moment of now, the moments ahead of me and the moments that only the Fates know of. Beside me, Edward stands stoically, observing the gathering of Gods and their children as we sit together on the rough surface of a fallen tree that faces the ocean. Today was the day we were embarking on our quests and though the previous day had been one of planning and packing, I was still buzzing with nerves. Edward had taken the time to lament exactly how vital a role I was playing - and how dangerous the quest was, how it could be a plot to kill Edward and I.

We hadn't been told where the quests would take place or what exactly we would have to do, but we knew to pack weapons, money and layers of clothing. Through the classes at the Academy, I'd come to realize exactly why young Gods were sent on quests - to prove themselves, to prove their powers and to become heroes.

What kind of hero would I become? A killer? A messenger of death with no control over the hunger buried deep inside? Mere months ago I was struggling to hide myself away in a family that had never been mine, trying to hide my curse from everyone and so sure I would spend my life alone. Now I was in love and there was a fairly good chance I was about to lose it all.

I glance over at Edward, noticing that his heavy gaze is resting on his father; I can almost see the gears turning in his brain as he tries to figure out our fates.

Almost all at once, several Gods step forward, their children falling back meekly behind them. In the past, when a hero left on his quest, he often went alone and without guidance - even then, other children of the Gods were unaware of the quest. There were many abnormal factors about this quest and it didn't escape me that the children of the Gods seemed nearly giddy, highlighting the fact that the entire quest ordeal was rare.

The children were excited.

Rhea is the first to speak, her face wiped clean of any emotion though her eyes are filled with anxiety. "It has been nearly two centuries since a quest was needed to determine the rights a child has to be an heir. Today, we send two powerful hopefuls out on a difficult journey. This quest is unique for several reasons - never before have a drawn pair been tested together, never has a child of Hades required confirmation and never have the destinations been so potentially deadly." Rhea pauses, glancing at the other Gods who had stepped forward. "Great power has been invested in this quest. Each of the Gods beside me have special tokens to transport you to each of the destinations."

Apollo, Emmett's father, is a tall man with golden skin, golden hair, golden eyes and golden clothing. There is nearly no resemblance between himself and his son, except for the particular shape of the eyes and the slight humorous twist in his lips. He steps forward and places a gleaming golden pearl the size of a quarter into Edward's hand. For only a spilt second, Apollo makes eye contact with Edward and I and I do not mistake the caution in the golden eyes.

Zeus is next, giving to me a silvery blue pearl and stepping back without so much as a glance to his son.

Artemis, Apollo's sister, is the embodiment of silver from her metallic shoes to her waist length silver hair. The pearl she gives to me seems to be made of molten silver and metal, appearing to move slowly like magma.

Ares thrusts a fiery red pearl at Edward, a sinister smile on his tan face with choppy black hair falling around his face. There is a level of evil in his eyes that sends a shiver down my spine.

Alice's father gives me a reassuring nod when he hands over his bright azure pearl, leaning forward between Edward and I and whispering, "Decapitation will halt their spell." He steps back, his eyes roving between Zen and I before nodding again and standing beside Alice. His message confuses me but I file the information away, knowing deep within my gut that Poseidon isn't one to falsely lead.

My own father gives a black pearl to Edward, a strange expression on his face. I'd grown used to the slightly jovial demeanor of my father and his lack of expression made my own angst spike dramatically.

Athena replaced Hades' place gracefully, giving me a deep green pearl and tenderly touching my face. "All will work out, child."

When Athena is standing regally back in her previous place, Rhea steps forward again. "These pearls work as transportation between destinations. Be careful as the pearls will only transport one person unless you are touching and there is no way to recover your partner if they are left behind." Rhea produces a white leather pouch and hands it to me, directing me silently to place my pearls inside of it and then Edward's. "There is a white pearl inside this purse," she says softly, drawing the strings tightly together. "That pearl will bring you back home. Only use it if you have completed the quest or if there is grave danger."

"Is there a particular order that the pearls must be used?" Edward asks, his voice firm and demanding. I hadn't even thought to ask that question.

"No." Rhea says solemnly. "Except that the white pearl must be last."

Edward seems to absorb that information, standing and silently holding his hand out to me; I allow him to pull me up beside him, marveling at the easy bend in the tight leather pants I wear. Initially, I had worried that the thick material would hinder my movements but both the leather pants and the lightly padded leather jacket felt like a second skin. Even my newly gifted leather gloves felt weightless. The belt that holds the sheath of my sword hangs off my hips, the tip of the blade reaching past mid-calf and hanging on my right side. A narrow black leather messenger bag filled with first aid and other necessities crosses over my chest and lays over my left hip. My feet are secure in solid leather boots with no heel, the laces drawn tight and hidden away.

It was amazing how strong I felt standing before the Gods with Edward at my side - I felt virtually no true fear in the face of these quests. I was confident in the abilities I'd gained from the few training sessions with Hera, Persephone and Rhea - and my confidence was further backed my by curse of a gift. I vowed right in that moment to only use it as a very last resort.

I look past the Gods and let my eyes connect with Esme's. I'd been very surprised last night when, as I was packing, she came to my dorm room and offered me a gift that I was sure would be priceless on this quest. She'd been very adamant that I was to call upon her if there was a serious injury - and she was completely confident that she would be able to find Edward and I in that type of emergency. I had agreed, knowing I could use all the help I could get. Esme seemed to be an eager nurturer and genuinely wanted to help; still, I hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I'm ready," I murmur, squeezing Edward's large hand in my own gloved one before letting go and untying the pouch Rhea had given us. Without looking, I draw out a pearl carefully from the bag, shimmering gold lighting the glove covering my hand.

Apollo's pearl.

I retie the pouch tightly, placing it in the bottom of my messenger bag. Edward's hands cover mine and my eyes fly up to his, calmly realizing the sheer peace in his green-grey gaze. Together, we place the golden pearl at our feet and as I stare down at it, Edward pulls me closer, wrapping his arms tightly around my back and pressing my face into his chest. I watch as his own boot-clad foot stomps on the pearl, grinding it into the ground below us.

Almost instantly, golden mist explodes from the remains of the pearl, enveloping us; there is no way to describe the very sudden feeling of moving faster than light. The disorientation is so much more different from Demitri's teleportation - it's almost as if Edward and I are in a vacuum of swirling layers of golden hues.

Just as suddenly as it began, the gold falls away to reveal a very foreign land.

It is apparent that we are on an island, the coast long and the distance between another coast is short. A complex mixture of white sand, mossy green vegetation and varying sizes of rocks and boulders building up to a set of stone steps. Stone. New stone speckled with sand and pebbles, tiny wisps of grass growing out between the cracks of the slabs.

Hesitantly, Edward lets go of me save for my left hand; he places his body in front of mine and seems to search the area for any threats. Aside from the crashing waves of the blues water I'd ever seen - even more blue than the ocean surrounding Olympus - and the faint noise of children in the distance, we are safe and I tell Edward as much, stepping around him and onto the stone steps.

I feel an overwhelming sense of eagerness as my eyes lay on a far-off city made almost completely of stone and marble. Clearly, an ancient city and one that I am more than itching to explore. Just as I make a move to step towards the city, Edward's hand encloses around my wrist gently.

"Bella, I don't think it's a good idea to reveal ourselves yet."

I feel my brows furrow until I realize that we would certainly not blend in with the population here though Edward's attire is less outlandish than mine - dark thick jeans and a more heavily padded leather jacket.

"You're right. Where do you think we are?" I ask as I step off the steps and begin walking parallel to the shore.

Edward joins me, still remaining tense. "I'm not sure but it's getting dark. We should set up a camp."

I agree and together we find a shallow cave big enough to hold a fire and a makeshift bed of dried leaves and grass. As the sun begins to set over a horizon that seems so much more clear than the one we are used to, Edward starts a warm fire and holds me against his chest while leaning on the back wall of the cave - far enough from the fire to be safe from it, but close enough to feel the heat.

Laying against his chest, I wonder where we are and - from the old architecture of the city - what time we are in. Edward's fingers run through my hair, lulling me into a state of relaxation and opening my mind to memories of the last few days.

Memories of panting breath and dark rooms and the mind blowing feeling of peaking against another body. I'd never even thought to dream about having that kind of connection to anyone. I was slowly becoming in tune with my body and the feeling of Edward's fingers touching the nape of my neck as he stroked my hair was drawing embers through me. Just as I was about to tilt my head up to kiss him, echoes of voices reached our cave.

Edward was immediately tense, slowly moving away from me and into a low crouch, shuffling towards the mouth of the cave. The voices were deep - men - and in a foreign tongue that sounded familiar. Some part of my mind recognized the language as Greek and began to translate the words I could hear quickly.

"Agape said the golden air was near here!"

"I see nothing. Your wife was ly-"

"Silence! I see something."

Edward and I both look down at the fire we hadn't put out, the warm glow clear in the dark night. We both knew it was too late to put it out and hide; we collect our bags and stand in the mouth of the cave. My hand rests on the hilt of my sword and Edward's stance is defensive, slightly ahead of me.

A group of four men, two much older with graying hair and two in their early twenties, approach us with flaming torches and their own poorly crafted metal swords. They are dressed in heavy cloths that are fashioned much like togas and their feet are protected by flimsy sandals that tie around their ankles. The closer they get, the more Edward moves in front of me.

I see the group take in our clothing, eyes widening. "What are you?" One of the older men demands Edward.

Of course, Edward is hesitant to speak the truth - that we are direct descendents of Greek Gods. How would these people react? Luckily, before either of us can stumble through a half-lie answer, one of the younger men speaks up.

"Agape was right!" he says excitedly, motioning to us. "She said we should bring them back to the city and shelter them. That they are supposed to protect the island from the sea monster."

I can feel my face blanch and my stomach drop. Sea monsters was not what I signed up for. I knew for a fact that my curse did nothing to water and I can't imagine that Edward's would have any impact on a water-based creature.

The young man continues, turning to us with a pleading expression. "Please come back to the city with us. You can stay with Agape and I."

"Dareios," the elder man says sharply, almost barking out the name. "Agape is no oracle. These people could be from Crete for all-"

"Agape is an oracle!" Dareios argues, throwing his hands up in the air. "Ignore these old men," he tells us, smiling in what he thinks to be a reassuring way. "Please, stay in the city with my wife and I."

Edward looks back at me and through the bond, we silently communicate our trust in this strange young man who seemed to be absolutely certain that we were some kind of prophesized saviors.

The city, though made entirely of stone and dirt, is new and easy to navigate through. Dareios separates from the other men and leads us through a maze of alleys until we reach a dark wooden door. "My home," Dareios says proudly, gesturing for us to enter first and then calling out his wife's name.

Agape is an intensely beautiful woman with a dark mane of straight hair, olive skin and slightly unfocused almond toned eyes. She trails one hand along a blank wall as she walks forward to greet her husband, smile on her face. They embrace tightly and he murmurs something to her; Agape's face lights up and she turns to face us, twisting too far in the opposite direction to stand directly before us. Dareios gently corrects her and smiles kindly at my confused expression. "My wife lost her sight when she was young."

Agape nods calmly. "There was no room for the double sight I am gifted with. One had to go. Come, I am sure you must be hungry. You have traveled far."

Dareios and Agape lead us to a kitchen made of a large concave fireplace, a stone slab that slides to cover a hole in the floor and wooden table and chairs. Dareios helps his wife sit and then begins to pull out fruits and cheeses and wine from the cool hole in the floor.

Agape begins speaking with a gentle cadence, completely confident in every word she says. "You are from the future, children of our Gods. And this is only the beginning of your journey. There are many more dangerous places you will go and many more deadly creatures for you to discover."

"How far in the past are we?"

"The Egyptians are beginning to build the pyramids."

I nod, watching as Edward continues to take in our surroundings. "Where are we?" I ask as Dareios sets down wooden plates of grapes and a strange white cheese in front of Edward and I.

"You are on Rhodes Island in Greece. It is beautiful, is it not?"

I agree with her, nibbling on the cheese. Edward steals my next question almost straight from my mind. "What is this sea monster?"

Agape's face becomes forlorn as she answers, her gaze steady on the wall beside her. "Charybdis. She has killed many of our fishers and sailors with her whirlpools. Some weeks ago, I saw your arrival and knew that you would save the island. We are running out of resources without the boats and fresh foods."

I remembered reading about Charybdis in one of my classes at the Academy, of course, and new that she was a old naid that had become frustrated and angry with her life - she began to feed on the fear and flesh of sailors, drowning them in her massive whirlpools. It had never occurred to me that she would be one of the monsters I would have to fight with Edward on this quest and I again wondered how we would defeat her.

Agape sighs and turns her eyes in our direction, the blank stare sending shivers up my spine. "It is late and you will want to set out early tomorrow if you want to move on. The citizens of the island are very suspicious of newcomers."

Zen and I are shown to a small room with a made up bed of wool covered feathers and grass, a large rough blanket and a small fireplace. Edward draws me close and shares his thoughts as we settle onto the floor; he thinks the pearls are lined with some type of time traveling magic from an ancient God and admitted his worry over Charybdis.

"I don't fucking know how we would even be able to get past the whirlpools not to mention-"

I turned over and stopped his words with a hard kiss, pouring every ounce of my own fear into it. Edward fed off the emotion, the raw energy of it, pushing me onto the floor to hover over me, his body heavy atop mine and his lips searing into my skin. We exhausted ourselves that way until we could no longer fight against the heaviness of our eyes.

The morning on Rhodes Island came too early; many of the citizens of the Island were up and about, opening their markets and businesses and gathering the children for lessons. Dareios and Agape share a quiet breakfast with us and then lead us back to the shore of the island near where the attacks have been happening. Charybdis had apparently moved inward recently which both made our job easier and more dangerous.

"I do not want to bring Agape any closer, but you should be able to find Charybdis by wading into the water." Dareios hesitates, frowning. "I - we - wish you luck." And with that, he retreated quickly with his wife, leaving Edward and I in the early dawn staring out at the calm ocean.

I am able to take a step towards the ocean before Edward's hands clamp down on my waist. I turn to look at him, startled by his horrified expression. "There is no way I'm letting you go out into the ocean to-"

"Edward!" I cut him off, throwing my hands up and moving closer to him. His hands have now slid around my back in a loose hug. "How else are we supposed to find and kill Charybdis?" I whisper, raising my brows slightly and fighting a smirk when Edward huffs and looks away from me and to the ocean.

"There has to be another way," he mutters, craning his neck to search the area around us. I marvel at the long slope of pale skin, dark stubble just beginning on the edge of his jaw. "Perfect!" he exclaims, drawing my attention back to the matter at hand instead of my rising lust. I needed to focus.

"What?"

Edward nods his head towards something behind me - a small cliff with several large boulders that were balancing precariously over the area where Charybdis was supposed to be attacking. It was perfect.

Edward and I hike up a long hill to the top of the cliff and begin struggling to roll one of the larger boulders closer to the ledge of the cliff. Finally, just as I am losing hope of ever moving the rock, it scoots an inch or two, rolling slowly. I look over to Edward excitedly and shout, "Keep going! We can't lose the momentum!"

It seems like we push for hours but the sun barely moves for it's point in the sky. When the boulder goes over the cliff, it makes a giant splash, shooting foam and sea-spray up into the air.

Almost immediately afterwards, three huge whirlpools emerge, sucking water deeper and deeper into the ocean and the whirlpools grow larger. I had thought it would take longer for Charybdis to appear so the sudden appearance made me take a step back from the cliff. Edward and I watched, amazed, as a woman who seemed to be sitting on a bean bag chair made of water rose from the center of the three whirlpools.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I imagined Charybdis, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. Her skin was made of light blue water, her clothing made of kelp and her hair a dark blue. Her eyes had no iris - instead, they were completely made of white foam. In her own way, Charybdis was beautiful and her fury only made her more enchanting.

"Oh," her voice coos, crystalline water and bells sounding into the air. "A young God! And Goddess. I haven't had a girl to eat is such a long time…"

Edward steps in front of me when she says that and my hand goes to the shining sword at my side but Charybdis merely laughs with mirth, tossing her head back, her dark water hair moving naturally as it gravity had no bearings on her at all. As I am completely hidden, I slowly raise onto the tips of my toes to whisper in Edward's ear.

"How can we kill her?"

Edward tilts his head towards me slightly. "Do you see the center of her chest? That black thing where her heart should be?"

I look and sure enough, there is a pulsing black mass right where a heart would be. It seems to be filtering water instead of blood. "Do you think…a wound to her heart would kill her?"

"Maybe," Edward answers. "I'll distract her."

I creep behind Edward to hide in the shadow of another large boulder, drawing my sword from it's sheath and watching as Edward's arms raise. I'd never seen his gift in action before, with the exception of our last day at the Arena, but it was mesmerizing to watch. Edward's skin seemed to subtly glow silver as faint slivers of light attached themselves to his body.

All at once, the slivers moved to both of his hands and grew into orbs of crackling lightening. By now, Charybdis had stopped laughing and was looking at Edward with interest. I knew my only chance would be to attack right as Edward released the bolts of electricity; my hand tightened on my sword and I took a deep breath, waiting.

With a thunderous clap, Edward released the bolts towards Charybdis, his body slumping forward slightly at the lose of energy. At the same time, I ran toward the cliff and threw myself off the edge directly at Charybdis - she didn't see me as the bolts had blinded her for just long enough. In mid air, I slashed my sword through her chest, nicking her black heart. I was stunned to find that the density of the water held my weight as I quickly and forcefully plunged my sword through the center of the heart.

Whirlpools stopped.

Foamy white eyes grew wider as Charybdis turned to look at me, her mouth handing open as gravity seemed to seep around her. Her form melted into the ocean and I fell into the water, drawing in sea water instead of air.

Something was dragging me down.

I looked at my leather clad ankle, coughing water into water, and saw the ghost of a water-made hand grasping my leg. My sword slashed uselessly in the water, my muscles protesting movement from the lack of air. The hand tugged mercilessly and just as my eyes started to close, a set of familiar hands grabbed me under the arms and against a familiar body.

Edward swam both of us to the surface and the entire way up, I couldn't move my eyes from the black pulsing heart at the bottom of the sea and the lighter blue water surrounding it.

The air burned my lungs on the surface as I gasped and coughed. Edward helped me swim to shore, always careful not to hurt me.

"Are you okay?" he asked sometime later. I'd finally recovered from my near drowning, my hair drying in the warm ocean breeze and my eyes fixed on the water. My gloves were off, drying beside me and Edward was fretting over me.

I nod, turning to look at his handsome worried face, his grey green eyes pouring into me. "Yeah, I think so….Did we really kill her?"

"Yes."

"Should we let the islanders know?"

Edward hesitates before he answers. "No, I don't think so. I think it would be best if he just…disappeared. It would be best not to linger." He pauses again, looking at me more intensely. The bond is on fire with anxiety and guilt and pride. "I shouldn't have let you go onto the ocean alone. Bella, I am so sorry-"

"That's what you're feeling guilty about?" My voice is quiet as I move closer to him, longing to stroke the side of his face but not wanting to take the risk of my hands touching his skin. "Edward, I'm okay. I'm alive."

"Barely."

I move onto my knees so he has to look up at me, his head level with my neck. "Not barely. Completely. And that's because of you, Edward." Before he can protest further, I attach my lips to his, his taste salty from the water and the sun growing hotter above us. His hands wander to my sides and up my neck, holding my face to his until, finally, the bond between us grows warm with accepting calm.

A/N: so, i'd just like to say how long it took me to research everything that was in this chapter. it literally took me four days of near constant Googling to plan out the next...i dunno, six chapters? there will be lots of mythology references and lots of destinations and lots of monsters and beasts just like Charybdis. for the record, Dareios and Agape are legit Greek names. by the way, if anyone is curious to learn more about Charybdis, she's really a very interesting creature and has her own page of Wikipedia.

on with the next order of business, a very kind reader has added this story to a community archive - Awesomest Fics Ever-TwiVampChick's Recommended Reading List. i'd just like to say how awesome it was to find that! it was like an extra special treat so thank you!

shout out to the first review of the last chapter! LordXeenTheGreat, i am so happy that you review all the time and always so quickly! if i could, i would gift you a giant bag of your favorite candy but, alas, i am broke so you'll just have to accept this virtual hug! *virtual hug*

and as always, thanks to my awesome beta/pre-reader IvySnow. she's awesome. really. give her candy!

be brutally honest. i can take it.

~cupcakeriot