I dive into the water, my gills form on the side of my neck. I barely see Phoenix in the distance. I scream his name, but he doesn't hear me. He won't hear me, he won't ever hear me. I dive deeper, if Pearl was here she could swim faster to save him. I scream on top of my lungs, my voice screeches and pierces the silence of the water. Phoenix turns he sees me, but it's to late he's sucked into the hole to Morphina.
"Phoenix!" I sob. My whole being shattered, I can't breathe for a second. I suck up my worries, Jodryn or Phoenix? I have to get to her. I swim back to shore, and see her sitting on a beach log. She's lonely and solemn when I reach the shore. She runs to me and throws her arms around my chest. I hug her back. She looks up her eyes twinkle with fret and anxiety. All I can do is manage a shake of my head.
"I'll take you to it. It's not hard to navigate through, you just have to know where everything is…was." Jordyn says her eyes willing.
"Do you know…?" I try to say, but my voice is choked and a lump is growing in the back of my throat.
"I do, last night I had a dream that I visited Morphina once more. I was with a goddess and she was on a mission, to find someone. She kept that a secret and wouldn't tell me, now I know it was you. Because your face, I didn't know who is was, but I do now… I'm determined to get him back for you. Because I couldn't stand the thought of the good of great Apollo, being crushed."
"Thank you, Jordyn." I smiled then hugged her once more. The night sky was becoming darker.
"I can light our way, if you can guide." I said, she gave a little nod. Then she grasped my hand and walked towards the water. As the daughter of one of the top military humans as she was, they were also allowed the ability to breathe underwater, a gift from Poseidon. She dove in the water her strong little arms bending in the blue ocean. I saw the moon light reflect off the glimmering surface, and I followed in after her. I unleashed a light from my soul light, which glowed through out the ocean depths. I watched after her for a few moments then took off after her. She had inherited Nevleon's strong swim pattern, and was able to drift through the currents with ease. I tried to keep up with her, but I always a small distance behind her.
We finally reached the black hole, it was deeper then I expected. It was deep, but at the bottom was a shimmering image, a city in ruins. I gasped it looked worse then Jordyn had described to me. She reached for my hand, her eyes were sad and solemn but she just dove into the darkness of the hole. We were sucked into this force past the little window to the other world.
I landed on something hard, the world got blurry but quickly I got up anyway. I glanced around the city was in wreckage and a unique smell wafted through it. Like clean water and fresh roses. I saw great buildings were decaying; a building structured in many ways like the Empire State Building only had the metal frame. I shuddered at the thought of the great cities of our world being destroyed. The streets were lined with dead roses, some already blown away from years of death. Skeletons rested on the cracked and broken pavement. I felt my heart twist into a knot. I was disgusted in a way that puke made me gag.
"This was my home…" I turned and saw Jordyn staring at a broken down building. She went in I followed her and found her standing in a room with pink wall paper and stuffed animals. "That was where I did my homework, I hated school…I can't believe I said that, because now I can barely stand a day without missing my stupid hard yellow chairs." I saw her wipe a tear away. I patted her back awkwardly. In the same sense I knew how it felt. It sucked. That was it. No one could console you, it was a matter of whether you decided to get over it or not. Some couldn't…
"Come on we have to find that boy of yours, this place isn't my home anymore." She got up from her kneeling stance and walked to the door, I hesitated for a second. Greatness comes with the strong heart of a child…Whoa! What was that! I twisted my torso around. I saw that nothing was there. My goddess senses are sure jacked up at times. I jogged out of the debris, stubbing my toe on one board of wood. I push it out of the way blowing one hot breath. I found Jordyn by the harbor. "It's one continuous route, this harbor links to Earth."
I looked down at the murky water below the harbor. Something floated up, a boy with blank eyes and dulled blond hair.
"Phoenix!" I yelled running to the dock.
"Penelope! Penelope, it's an act! It's a trick stop!"
"Huh?" I stood at the edge of the dock looking into it. He sunk below, disappearing into the deep. A tear slid down my cheek, and dropped into the water, it rippled and a color faded into it, blue.
"Lake Summit contains the tricks and acts of loved ones we have lost; only the strong can survive it…otherwise, you will become like all of the others. Phoenix is not out there, because Lake Summit only things that are alive."
"Dead…?" I gulped down a fear rising in my throat or I would fall to the ground crying.
"My mother isn't in there because she actually is dead… That's how I know." Her voice echoed in my thoughts.
"How does it kill gods?"
"Chemical reactions, there are toxic chemicals that dissolve the skin from you, then your muscles, and finally your bones. Acid, I guess you could call it, but it's the godly kind. It killed everything, everyone…even part of me." She was quiet, "Do you know how many people lived to see the next day? Just one." She gazed at me her pretty brown eyes hard and serious. She walked farther down the boardwalk. A blackened sooty mark on the sidewalk had a red feather resting on the sidewalk. It was still smoking. He's here.
"Is it safe to fly up in the air?"
"Yeah, I guess. Just be careful." I grew my wings and shot upward into the air. I soared into the blue sky, it was so crisp and open, and it looked so much like a normal day in the city Morphina. I soared over ruins and parks that had been depleted for a long time. I landed on a lamp post, and watched over the city. My heart pounded against my chest. I spotted a movement in one of the dark parks. I flash of light. Then fire. Then a blue electric slide…then fire. Electric? Fire…? I hopped back into the air and dove down to the park. My wings sunk back into my back. I sink to the ground, the dead grass becomes alive under my feet. I touch a tree, seeing its vision. A fiery red bird flew fast past the tree, making a mark in the dead grass. It erupted in flames, but then died down. A blue glow filled through the grove of overgrown weeds. Then the world became silent once more. A hiss started to claw through the grass, electric streaks began to weave around the green blades. They both leapt at the same time toppling over each other, Phoenix trying to pour an acid type of juice down her throat. But Fiona fought back with a blow to his head. He flew back into a dead tree. His head rolled to the side, he was unconscious. I took my hand away.
"You looking for him, aren't you?" I turned around she stood there. Her face beautiful, her long black hair swung around her shoulders.
"What did you do to him?" Anger rising in my blood, my heart pumping.
"Nothing, well I didn't, Eros, might had had other plans." I looked at her; I wouldn't fall for her tricks.
"Where is he?"
"Eros…well he's around here some where." She looked at a man that flew down from the sky and landed next to her. He wrapped his arm around her. He had perfect red hair, powerful blue eyes, and pale skin. He looked on me his eyes cold, and protective. His mother, I had once shown respect for. But now I didn't, I absolutely hated her for having him. Eros smiled the tips of his sly lips forming upward into an amazing smile. It took all of my power, my self-control, and endurance not to fall under the spell he had.
"Nice try, my turn." I flicked my finger nails, and the dead trees intertwined creating the eighty foot monster. The dead branches cracking in some parts, I realized it needed to be alive to be at the height of its power. I pressed my hand against the leg of it. A lush green ran up the warrior's leg and throughout the rest of the body. Eros was about to fly off with Fiona, when my warriors grabbed hold of his wings and clung to it. Fiona pressed her hand against the chest the green began to fade; she was taking away its life energy. Two could play at this game. I started to climb up the tree warrior's body, reaching its hand height and had it give me a lift to its head. I pressed both hands into the brains. It opened two very green glowing eyes and ran after Fiona and Eros. Its massive footsteps erupting the everlasting silence of Morphina. I took my medallion from my neck and started to climb down the massive arm, it slowed so I could climb easier but I just smiled at it and to my surprise it showed its wooden teeth back. The more reassurance it felt the faster it went.
Soon we were at top speed the city flashing past us. I found Eros, about to dive into the water. I let loose a note that had been resting in my throat. It was like a call of a bird, but more powerful. Everything froze. The beads of sap that had started to leak from the tree warrior froze and I jumped onto a building roof. Only Fiona wasn't frozen, she smiled.
"Once more, eh Penelope?"
"You fooled him, you killed him if anything! You're going to die!" The water of Lake Summit lapped against the building's mortar below us.
"Come on then." She smiled, I went for her neck with my sword, but she blocked easily with her own. I ducked her next stab, but it grazed my leg as I rolled. I took a second to look at it, but noticed it was just a simple cut. I smirked, still can't beat me rightful bitch! I hollered in my head. She became angered by my face and went straight for my neck, which was my technique so I had practiced well for this. I blocked it with my sword, her strength and mine combining, sweat creased on our foreheads. We held our swords tightly together, until finally Fiona's slid off the gold colliding with the bronze. I smiled kicked her in the chest, just another move from my good friend, and then held the sword to her heart.
"Tell me where he is, I will not kill you here if you tell me where he is. Now!"
"You wouldn't kill me, or you know what that means don't you, Penelope?" My heart stung, Jake.
"You tell me where he is now!" My voice echoed off the empty city. It came out powerful and strong, only been able to use it once back when I was a demi-goddess. She had a look of supreme fear, but it calmed down.
"He's there, in the water." I looked at him he floated right next to a dead Lona Rondervin.
"You think I'm that stupid Fiona! My mother's not dead, and neither is Phoenix." I took out my whip* and slapped it against her leg, she yelped. "Now where is he, we can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. I'm willing to do it both ways, but you just have to choose which one you want."
"Eaas-y." She managed to choke out from my painful grip.
"Good, I'm glad you would choose that," I even scared myself a little I sounded like insane lunatic, my voice horribly calm, "Now where is Phoenix?"
"He-s i-i-nn the r-r-iiver boat!" She managed to choke out. I unleashed my grip on her and ran to the side of the building and took a leap into my warrior's open palm. I directed it to the boardwalk by the bay, Jordyn sat studying some book that lay on the ground, torn and ripped.
"Jordyn! Come, we have a little rescue mission to do." She looked up at the massive giant. I made him kneel for her; she climbed up his long arm and into his palm and sat down next to where I was standing. I smiled at her. "It wasn't that exciting without you, you know? Fighting gods isn't really my thing." She laughed at my stupid joke; at least it cheered her up a little bit. We reached the bay and sure enough a small boat floated in the acid water. I jumped down eighty feet to the ground, landing in a stealthy pose. I flipped onto the boat, I saw a small amount of the poisonous acid had leaked into the boat, a little surrounded Phoenix's throat. He coughed, his tongue was swollen. Bad sign. Really bad sign. That meant some had gotten into his mouth.
"Oh no Phoenix…" I said softly, I didn't know what to do. For once I felt so powerless, all I could do was watch him die…I sobbed into his soft cotton shirt, his warm body so comforting. I wanted him so bad to open those blue eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that caught mine off guard at times that caught my soul in their trap so much more times then I could count. I pictured him strong and powerful, the first time we actually had a conversation. He was lighting arrows with fire and shooting them straight into the targets, his muscles had rippled under his tanned skin. I wanted so badly to hold him in my arms. But if I touched him, I would burst into tears. If I simply brushed my lips on his cheek I would have a break down.
*since Penelope has the power to control plants, and cool plant like fibers, it's a rope with fiber in it so, get the jist?
This was her birthplace, look to the child. You have an amazing gift, look to the child. What child? Jordyn? I looked to the warrior, she sat watching me. She saw I looked to her, she gestured to the stomach. She then pointed to a leaf that was braided into my hair. I kept different types of leaves in my hair, just in case. All I had was a stomach absorbing gummy leaf, lilac, oak, maple, and pine needles. She gestured to her right hand, I held two of the five leaves in my right, I held up the lilac, but she shook her head wildly. I held up the gummy then she nodded, waving her arms frantically I desperately stuffed the leaf down Phoenix's throat, making sure even with his oversized tongue he was able to do it. He breathed in, the swelling went down. It was silent, but then that once glance from those deep blue eyes from him was the only reassurance I needed. I threw my arms around him. Sobbing happily into his shoulder.