Andy had never fought in single combat outside of camp. So taking on the queen of a warrior tribe who was the daughter of the god of war and had probably been raised by lions or tigers or bears (or all three) was possibly the bravest or stupidest thing Andy had ever done. She knew what Robin would say if there wasn't a knife to Oenone's neck: stupidity and bravery were often the same thing.
Penthesilea smiled patronizingly at Andy and twirled her spear, it instantly shrank and became a double-sided battle sword. Andy wasn't even sure she could rely on the high heels to slow the Amazon down.
"So... do we bow or something?" Andy said. "Cause I'd prefer to just get down to business."
"I like that," Penthesilea smiled. "But it won't save you." The Amazon raised her sword and charged Andy, who dropped to the ground and rolled away, making Penthesilea follow her away from her friends.
Andy heard the tell-tale whistle of a blade through the air and she turned on her back, her sword raised to block the descending blow. It jarred her and her teeth shocked together; Penthesilea looked down at her, jaw set and eyes hard. She may have been laughing before, but now that she was fighting, she was all seriousness.
Andy kicked up, aiming for the stomach, and realizing too late that the combined height of the Amazon and her heels meant that Andy's short legs couldn't even begin to reach the stomach. But it was slightly satisfying to hear Penthesliea's knee pop out of socket.
The Amazon wailed, but she didn't fall. Her sword did lose contact with Andy's and the girl was able to struggle to her feet. Penthesilea growled, and swung at Andy. She blocked and parried. The Amazon, inhibited by her injury, didn't manage to stop the blade in time: a gash open on her arm.
Penthesilea threw her sword aside and leapt at Andy with the ferocity of a wild dog. She grabbed Andy's shoulders. In desperation, Andy's hands scrabbled at the taller woman and her hands found purchase. Pulling on it, Andy heard a pop and the Amazon fell backwards.
"Andy, RUN!" Nasim shouted. She did, fleeing into the shelter of the vine-draped wood. And off to the side, she saw Robin and Nasim running as well; but Nasim was facing backwards as purple strands of fire leapt from his fingers.
There were shouts behind them, but Andy didn't look back. She only ran, one hand clutched around her sword and the other clutched around whatever she had snatched from the Amazon.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Andy and pulled her off to the side and down. Another hand clamped around her mouth.
"It's us," Nasim's voice breathed in her ear and the hands let go.
The boys had taken at the base of a tree where the vines covered a hallow between the roots. Robin's face was lit by the green light that filtered between the leaves. The picture reminded Andy of the first time she met him in the green wood. But then he had been laughing and smiling, now he looked tense and worried.
"I could have killed her," Andy whispered hotly.
"But not the fifty or so schoolgirls who were getting pretty ticked that you were killing their principal," Nasim retorted in a hushed voice.
"Don't know what their issue was," Andy frowned. "I would have loved it if someone killed my headmistress. But then again, she did turn out to be a fury, so..."
"Robin son of Martin!" Penthesilea's voice, clear and angry, rang through the trees. "I will kill the naiad - unless the girl gives my sister's girdle back! If she does not do so within the week, and give me the Palladium, we will see the color of a nymph's blood."
Robin turned to look at them, but his face was not afraid or even angry. He was curious and he tugged the belt Andy had taken out of her hand. He examined it carefully and even gave a wan smile. "The Girdle of Hippolyte," he said. "And look, it has writing around it."
"It is not unseemly to die fighting," Robin read in Greek. As soon as he said it the belt fell away from the buckle and the silver buckle began to change, shrinking and twisting until it formed a small silver key. Hopefully one that matched the lock upon the Palladium.
"Strange," Robin said, running his thumb along the key. "The inscription is corrupted, it should say 'it is not unseemly for a man to die fighting for his country'. But then again, this would have been very inspirational for her sister as she went into battle." He held up the leather portion of the belt. "Unfortunately, we cannot return the girdle to Penthesilea. Because it's gone."
They moved a little further away that night and slept fitfully. Andy had a feeling that Robin didn't sleep at all, but she couldn't blame him. The only ransom he had to give for the return of Oenone had fallen apart in his hands.
When it was light enough that they could just see each other's outlines, they returned to the stream. The stream's naiad was waiting for them and she began to push them back into the swamp.
By the time dawn had fully come, they were already almost halfway to the sawgrass marsh and about five of the nymphs were helping them along. The egret had come as well and perched on the side of the canoe. Robin absently stroked the bird's back, fingering the key.
The nymphs vanished as soon as they hit the sawgrass marsh. The egret remained on the canoe, watching them like a wise sage. Robin gave Nasim the key; Andy could see that Robin's hands were trembling. She guessed that he didn't think he could remain steady enough to unlock the chain - either that, or Robin remembered that Hecate was the goddess of keys. No, she was pretty sure that it had to do with the shaking of his hands.
Nasim carefully inserted the key into the lock and turned it. With a tinkle like crystal, the chain fell away and Nasim was able to lift the statue off its pedestal.
There was no thunder, no dramatic scenes (Andy had half-expected the pedestal to sink into the marsh) in the early morning light. The only sign that the object of their quest had been reached was a soft call and the flutter of wings as the egret took off and flew away over the cypress trees.
"I guess this is it," Robin said hollowly.
"Robin..." Andy said as Nasim carefully placed the Palladium safely in the canoe. "Maybe we can go back and... and try to rescue her."
He looked at her with hopeful hazel eyes. "You really think we can?" he asked.
"We can try," Andy said.
"Hello, just ignore the fact that I'm holding the image of a goddess over here," Nasim commented.
"Okay," Andy told Nasim agreeably.
"It's not a goddess, it's Pallas," Robin corrected, running his fingers through his hair. Andy noticed that the scratches on his face his gone, but his hand looked infected. That was odd; hadn't it healed before?
"We need a plan, if we're going to sneak in to the school," he said.
"Can the naiads help us?" Andy asked.
"They can't leave their source or they begin to dehydrate," Robin told her.
"What about Oenone?" Nasim pointed out.
"Oenone is... special," Robin said, smiling slightly. "You really think we can save her?"
"If anyone can, we can," Nasim assured him, slinging one arm around the taller boy's shoulders. Andy took Robin's hand and smiled at him.
Apparently the nymphs had decided that now they had helped Robin twice they didn't need to do so again. At any rate, both the guides (the egret and the naiads) were gone and they had to find their way back to the path outside of the swamp by themselves. Luckily, the three of them remembered enough of the way to make it there with only one or two wrong turns.
By the time they made it to the abandoned mine it was late afternoon and the sun was shining, but the interior of the mine was pitch black.
"That mine gives me the creeps," Andy admitted and Nasim nodded. But before they could pass the entrance there came a soft call from within and Robin stopped.
"Did you hear that?" he asked them.
"Almost," Nasim replied. Robin frowned as it came again and he moved closer to the entrance of the shaft.
"Robin, don't go in," Andy said, her voice tight and frightened.
"Someone needs help," he said. "Here." He took off Star-shooter and his quiver because he wouldn't be able to fit into the tunnel with them. Giving them to Andy he ducked inside.
"Robin, stop," Nasim begged, but the other boy moved as though in a trance.
"Just a few feet," he promised. "There's a voice in here."
Suddenly the arrows in Robin's quiver began to tremble, clattering together. Robin turned to look back at the sound, and then there came a ripping sound, like roots being torn from the ground.
And without warning, Robin vanished. The ground where he'd been standing was broken up, and boiling in chunks.
"ROBIN!" Nasim and Andy screamed, running forward. But both of them stopped just outside the doorway. Even from here, they could see one thing for certain: there was no hole or pit which Robin had fallen into, the ground - while churned up - was solid.
Star-shooter began to hum and quiver anxiously. Andy held up the longbow and stared at it.
"Watch out!" Nasim warned and at the same time the bowstring snapped. The bow straightened with a spring.
"What's going on?" Andy asked, gazing at the unstrung bow with horrified eyes. "Where's Robin?"
"I don't know," Nasim whispered. "It looks... like the earth swallowed him."
"Robin?" Andy called, her voice cracking. "Robin?" She began to cry and call his name hysterically. She wasn't even aware of Nasim wrapping his arms around her and begging her to calm down, to stop screaming Robin's name... because he was gone.
They sat outside the mine all night, staring into its dark, mouth-like entrance. Andy had no idea when they fell asleep.
A/N: Footnotes:
Hippolyte's Girdle: one of Hercules's tasks was to retrieve this belt
"It is not unseemly...": a line from the Iliad of Homer.