The rainstorm and the river are my brothers.
Leaneíras snapped her fingers as she was hearing poetry. She had never felt more strongly connected to a line than she did as Skidbladnir burst into the open sea.
"Where are we," Medea asked as Magnus stared in wonder at his hands. The fact that he was the only one that could control the ship just added more proof to the fact that he was a demigod. Turning to look at the other girl, Leaneíras almost shrugged before the world tilted left just a bit.
"We're moving through the Bering Strait," she said, brows furrowed. Leaneíras sauntered over to look out at the expanse of the ocean. "Over there, is Russia and there is Alaska."
"How do you know that," Magnus inquired looking up at her. "I mean, you're not wrong. I can sense that too, but how did you know?"
Medea stared up at her, hands coating in the blue stuff that must have been considered Bomon's blood as she tried to heal the pixie. "They called you the Twice Blessed child of the seas; beloved by the Divine Herald. Those same gods are targeting my family for what... for what Trent did. You admitted to it. Why did you never tell me?"
"The same reason you never told me," Leaneíras snapped, turning fully towards her. "I thought you were a mortal. I thought you were normal. I thought that you and him were a safe place that I wouldn't be considered a freak!"
"I feel like I'm missing a lot of context," Magnus said, looking between the two of them warily.
"It's not important," Leaneíras dismissed.
"I think it is," Medea interrupted. Leaneíras scoffed, walking away. "No, we need to talk about this."
"There isn't anything to talk about."
"You're holding me accountable for something that wasn't even my fault."
"Yeah because your fuckass brother kidnapped and tortured me! You think I'm going to trust you? He betrayed me!"
"But I didn't!" she yelled back. "He betrayed me too."
"I think you both should calm down," Magnus said, but his words went unnoticed as the girls kept screaming at each other. Sparks of mageia kept flickering around them, and the sea churn with Leaneíras' rage.
"FUCK TRENT," Medea suddenly yelled. Leaneíras recoiled just a bit. "You were basically my sister! I can't change what he did and he's going to get his comeuppance, but I shouldn't have to pay for his mistakes, Leaneira. If I could go back and keep him kidnapping you... go back and keep him from switching sides, I would; but I can't. I just... I want my best friend back."
There was a beat of silence as the two stared at each other with Magnus and Salome hovering uncertainly in the background.
"Whatever," Leaneíras grumbled as she turned away. Her eyes moved over towards the glaciers that surrounded Alaska as they moved through the Bering Sea into the Pacific Ocean. She could sense a strong sense of mageia over there. Leaneíras sauntered away with Salome following after her. Medea had sat down close to Magnus, flinging her mageia back and forth like a stress ball as she watched over Bomon's resting figure. Magnus was running his hands over the ship, still looking a bit fearful but there was an expression of awe in his eyes.
Leaneíras stared at him, unable to think of nothing but the prophecy. She thought of the strange sword that hung from his waist and the way that it had changed in appearance just for him. Bomon said that the God of Craftsmen had made the ship. That Ginger Giant had it in the midst of a bunch of weapons. Was he the son of Hephaestos?
She shook her head. Whatever. Not her problem.
Leaneíras scaled the ship while the other two whispered to each other. It was a very lovely ship if she was honest. And well, she figured that it would be the best time for her to regain some control over her mageia. She founded a little secluded spot in a corner, smiling a bit as Salome bounded over to her side. Letting her eyes slip close, Leaneíras slipped into a meditative state.
Hermês stood with Déspoina and Apóllōn as they overlooked Camp Half-Blood under the cloak of mist. The goddess looked around dismissively instead following alongside them as they stride over to her Father's camp.
Drew was on the inside, eyes red as if she had been crying but a subtle fury that Hermês learned to be wary of considering both her Mother and Apóllōn were not enemies to make when they were quiet. She had been in charge of fixing the cabin back up, utilizing her siblings and Hermês' own children to sweep up the broken glass and those of Hekatê's children were tasked with making sure that the potions on the floor were fully gone and to fix the holes that came from her acid potions. The clothes that had gotten destroyed were sewn and stitched back together seamlessly by her own siblings or the children of Athênê. Salome's cat tower was rebuilt and decorated with small compartments that the children of Dēmḗtēr found safe for her consumption while also being nutritious and fulfilling.
With a bit of mageia, the hippocami charms that Tyson had crafted were fixed. Leaneíras had an entire shelf filled with new potion bottles and her mageia theory books were organized by the thickness of each book. All of the spare metal parts that Tyson had were placed in chests within easy reach, organize so similarly to the forges. Perseus' spare weapons that he rarely ever used were sheathed alongside the wall.
The surfboards and skateboards that the twins brought also lined the back wall surrounded by a plethora of pictures that they—though mainly Perseus—had taken.
Déspoina walked around slowly, musing over everything she was seeing while Hermês and Apóllōn watched Drew and Ethan argue.
"I just don't understand you right now," she was saying. "Our friend is gone. And you're so..."
Ethan frowned at her, a hint of anger in his eyes. "I'm so what?"
"I don't know," she snapped. "How about you tell me? You've been sneaking off all the time like you're fucking Batman or something. You're keeping secrets."
"I am not-"
"You don't have to lie," Drew interrupted. "Being the champion of Apollo and my Mother's daughter... I can sense the lie and the guilt you feel about it." Her hand tightened around the feather duster in her hand. "If it's another girl or it's a guy, just tell me that."
"Why is that your first thought?"
"Why are you trying to dodge the question?"
"I'm not cheating on you," Ethan stressed. "I swear it on the River Styx."
In the distance, there was a clap of thunder.
Drew relaxed instantly. "That's good. I'd hate to see what Mother would have done to you. She is very protective, you know." She stared at him if as she could force the secret out of him. Apóllōn stood at her side, staring the boy down even if he could not see it. For a moment, Hermês wondered why she did not used her charm speak for answers, but then he remembered she swore to only use it on them in emergencies and that even then, his Leaneíras regularly refreshed her spell against enchanting voices.
Ethan broke eye contact, turning away. "I can't tell you, Drew. Not yet at least."
"Whatever," she scoffed. Ethan gave her one last look before walking out of the cabin. Drew gave a small scream once she was alone. Her gaze moved to the picture of Leaneíras on the wall. "If you were here, he'd talk to you." She pouted prettily. "If you were here, I'd could talk to you." She sighed once more, turning to look at the rest of the room. His eyes moved to the stack of papers that had yet to be sorted; one in which he knew that the note that Leaneíras wrote.
With the wave of his hands, the papers tilted over. Apóllōn and Déspoina looked at him with raised brows. He shrugged, saying nothing as Drew turned to the piles and sighed. Her hands moved quickly, barely glancing at the words on the paper as she sorted them. And she paused, flipping back through the stack.
She grabbed ahold of the note, taking her time to read the small amount of Kıbrıs-Minoan syllabary that she and Leaneíras both learned and the message that was left a small message in the hieroglyphs of Krḗtē. Her dyslexia was no doubt giving her issues and the stress that she was feeling was making it no better.
"Lea," Drew groaned once she finished. "I swear you have my blood pressure on boil!"
Déspoina laughed lightly. The brothers turned to her. "I will impower the labyrinth," she said, "and make it less harmful for my siblings to travel, but you should ensure that they leave its walls for good. There is a hunger within that longs to strip them of life that even I could not overcome."
"Of course," the sons of Ζεύς agreed. They watched as the goddess walked towards the corner of the cabin before disappearing into the shadows. In the next moment, they removed the mist from themselves as they lounged on the beds of the twins. Drew spun around, a crossbow already in hand.
"Good reflexes," Hermês complimented. She would go far with moves like those. Drew gave them both a curtesy, "Mi'lords."
"You wish to help Leaneíras, correct," Apóllōn questioned rhetorically "Well, we shall send you after her."
They were sailing through a large bay, making their way toward a cluster of downtown buildings. Neighborhoods rolled across a series of hills. From the tallest one rose an odd white tower with a saucer on the top. Leaneíras closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses. Seattle, Washington.
Magnus steered the boat toward the downtown docks. She wasn't sure why he decided that it was the best place to go, but alas; it was where they stopped.
Leaneíras started to feel edgy. She wasn't sure why. It was a bright, sunny day, and Seattle looked like a beautiful place, with inlets and bridges, wooded islands dotting the bay, and snowcapped mountains rising in the distance. It wasn't home and Leaneíras wasn't exactly comfortable with being back on this side of the country. It was definitely better than being on that mountain though. Still, she felt as if she were being watched, but she pushed the thought away. Hermes had admitted plenty of times that he watched her.
They docked at the wharf.
"We can't just leave the boat here," Leaneíras murmured. "But you're not taking me into the sky either." A flying ship? She had to draw the line somewhere and anything above where she could reach out and touch the ground was a line she wasn't crossing.
"Bomon said," Medea started, looking at the pixie still resting peacefully in her arms. "Bomon said that it may be folded up like cloth and placed into one's pocket."
They stared at Magnus who stared at them. "What," the boy demanded. "I don't know how this thing works."
"Talk to it or whatever," Leaneíras said, waving her hand. Magnus gave her a glare before nervously turning back to the ship. Leaneíras rolled her eyes, tapping her feet as she kind onto Salome's back. Geesh, if she knew that it was going to take all of this to get to Trent, then she would have just left him where he was miserable at.
But he did something to her mind and she needed to know what.
A sound not unlike creaking metal echoed around them, and she looked up to see the ship folding into itself like origami. They stared as it bobbled in the water, not moving even as the currents did so.
Well then.
They all shared looks before Magnus reached out for it and pocketed it.
As one, they turned to the city, putting that uncomfortable image behind them and they explored for hours. They found some great salty caramel chocolate at a candy store. They bought some coffee so strong that Leaneíras' ADHD wanted to say what the fuck. They stopped at a sidewalk café and had some excellent grilled salmon sandwiches.
Finally they wandered south of downtown, into a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings. The amethyst pendant sparked to life and so did the hair on the back of Leaneíras' neck. She looked around, sure that they were being watched. She should have dragged them to a store so she could change.
"There," Medea said.
The office building on their left had a single word etched on the glass doors: AMAZON.
Leaneíras stared at it for a moment. Just the tiniest bit confused before it clicked. "No way."
Medea was already walking through the doors.
"I feel like I'm missing something," Magnus said. "Isn't this a company, right? They sell stuff on the Internet."
"Yeah," Leaneíras murmured. "They're not actually Amazons, unless..." She wasn't even surprised anymore. Why not? "Come on. The quicker we get this over with. The quicker we can get you home."
They quickly followed after Medea.
"I got a bad feeling about this place," Magnus murmured. Leaneíras nodded. She did too.
The lobby was like an empty fish tank—glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with bone staight blonde hair and a security guard's earpiece. Her name tag said Doris. She looked like a rent a cop; one of those racist ones that were looking for any excuse to attack.
Doris nodded at Medea and Leaneíras , ignoring the boys. "May I help you?"
"Um...I hope so," Medea said. "We're looking for Amazons."
Doris glanced at Magnus' sword, then at Salome's ferious figure, though neither should have been visible through the Mist.
"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or—"
"I expected more hot women," Leaneíras pursed her lips. "Scanty armor, spears, with sweat glistening across their bodies. Short skirts and gogo boots and boobs."
"That's Wonder Woman," Magnus said. "And this doesn't look anything like Paradise Isl—"
Doris moved so fast, Leaneíras' eyes almost couldnt follow, but the girl didnt get too far in her attack on Magnus. Salome lunged between them, giving a roar loud enough to shake glass.
Leaneíras and Medea both frowned, mageia coating their hands.
"What the hell," Medea said as the two of them moved to flank him. Doris glared at Magnus, ignoring the girls.
"First rule: Males don't speak without permission. Second rule, trespassing on our territory is punishable by death."
A dozen more girls in black flooded up the staircase, swords in hand, and surrounded them.
Doris turned to look at Leaneíras. "You want to see hot women and spears? Fine. We'll take you to meet Queen Hylla. Hopefully for you, she is still in a good mood from her victory last night, and we'll see if this is the Island of Paradise you wish to stay at."
Leaneíras looked around at the group of women surrounding her and shrugged. She could live with that. The Amazons confiscated their weapons, slapped magiea surpressors on she and Medea, and attempted to harness Salome. Leaneíras had scoffed at that.
"Down, girl," Leaneíras told the kitten. "It'll be fine. How about you go back to docks or go free your relatives at the local zoo and if you see PETA come anywhere near you, pee on them and run. "
Salome gave her a look before casting a suspicious glance over all of them, Medea and Magnus included. "I'll be fine," Leaneíras smiled. "You take care of Pixie Hollow, okay?" The tiger huffed lightly, bumping her snout against Leaneíras before bounding out the doors with her head held high.
Leaneíras shook her head. Salome had really been spending too much time with Alabaster.
She followed her example though, holding her own head up high as they were marched down so many flights of stairs. Leaneíras' feet were begging for relief. Finally, they emerged in a cavern so big it could have accommodated ten high schools, sports fields and all. Stark fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling. Conveyor belts wound through the room like water slides, carrying boxes in every direction. Aisles of metal shelves stretched out forever, stacked high with crates of merchandise. Cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments, and taking things on and off the belts. Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theaters scaffolding.
Leaneíras still wasn't seeing hot women in scanty clothes. She was not appreciating the false advertisement.
She understood that it was hard to find someone prettier than her, but seriously... they could make an effort.
The only humans Leaneíras could see were some black-suited security women patrolling the catwalks, and some men in orange jumpsuits, like prison uniforms, driving forklifts through the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes. Was this some kind of roleplay?
The men wore iron collars around their necks.
Wait a minute.
"You keep slaves?" Leaneíras snarled, moving closer to Magnus in case anyone got any ideas.
"The men?" Doris snorted. "They're not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move."
"Can I get a please," she grumbled as they kept going. The Labyrinth didn't even seem this big. They crossed a lane of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts, and ducked under a row of robotic arms that were packing up boxes. Most of the merchandise looked pretty ordinary: books, electronics, baby diapers. But against one wall sat a war chariot with a big bar code on the side. Hanging from the yoke was a sign that read: ONLY ONE LEFT IN SOON! (MOREONTHE WAY)
Finally, they entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination loading zone and throne room. The walls were lined with metal shelves six stories high, decorated with war banners, painted shields, and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions, and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war. An iron-collared male drove each machine, but an Amazon warrior stood on a platform in back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades.
The place was basically Cabins Five, Six, Nine, and Eleven's wet dream. The shelves in this room were stacked with cages containing live animals—black mastiffs, giant eagles, Leaneíras; grimaced at seeing a gryphon; too soon, and a red ant the size of a compact car.
She watched in horror as a forklift zipped into the room, picked up a cage with a beautiful white pegasus, and sped away while the horse whinnied in protest. It looked a little too bit much like her white pegasus.
"What are you doing to that poor animal?" she demanded, feeling the ground rumble a bit under her feet.
Doris frowned. "The pegasus? It'll be fine. Someone must've ordered it. The shipping and handling charges are steep, but—"
"You can buy a pegasus online?" Medea asked. She sounded a bit too interested for Leaneíras' tastes.
"Amazons can," Doris shrugged. "We have followers all over the world. They need supplies. This way."
Leaneíras wasn't a big fan of PETA, but dammit, she was going to find the greek version of it. Maybe the Hunters? No way was she going to allow this to continue which said a lot because she recently discovered that she was not a fan of those demon with hooves!
At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers, and a throne made from about a thousand copies of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women.
At the base of the steps, several Amazons in camouflage were having a heated argument while a young woman—Queen Hylla, Leaneíras assumed—watched and listened from her throne while also going through a bunch of paperwork.
She was, lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown, but around her waist was a strange belt made of interlocking gold links, like the pattern of a labyrinth. Wonderful.
Gorgeous black hair that hung to her waist with dark eyes with an intense expression that reminded Leaneíras of Annabeth teaching combat classes. She was a bit bruise up which Leaneíras figured came from whatever victory that she achieved the night before. Leaneíras kind of had the feeling that she should know her, but Leaneíras would have remembered meeting someone so beautiful! Maybe the stupid outfit was worth something. Leaneíras sent a mental apology to Hermes alongside a wish for him to not smite the girl. Leaneíras was never one to kneel on her knees and pray, but for the Queen... they could work something out.
And then Leaneíras abruptly stopped, lips curling into a sneer. The guards behind her stumbled. A few feet from the queen's throne, two Amazons guarded a cage. Inside was a beautiful horse—not the winged kind, but a majestic and powerful stallion with a honey-colored coat and a black mane. His fierce brown eyes regarded Leaneíras: Well if it isn't my little sister.
"Don't call me that," she murmured before shaking her head. Wait a damn minute—
Dodie scowled in annoyance, but when she saw where Leaneíras was looking, her expression softened. "Ah, yes. Beautiful, isn't he?"
"Is he..." Leaneíras could hardly control her voice, the rage so strong. "Is he for sale?"
The guards all laughed.
"That's Arion," Doris said patiently, misinterpreting Leaneíras' words for fascination. Ha! She was going to burn this place to the ground. "He's a royal treasure of the Amazons—to be claimed only by our most courageous warrior, if you believe the prophecy. He's immortal, you know—the son of the sea god and the mother of grain."
Mother of Grain? That was Demeter, wasn't it? So that made... Leaneíras grimaced. This was Déspoina's full-blooded sibling and was also related to Leaneíras herself.
"Prophecy?" Medea asked, sharing a look with Magnus. They had enough with prophecies.
Doris' expression became pained, almost embarrassed. "Never mind. But no, he's not for sale."
"Then why is he in a cage?"
Doris grimaced. "Because...he is difficult."
Right on cue, the horse slammed his head against the cage door. The metal bars shuddered, and the guards retreated nervously.
"He's the fastest horse in the world," Doris said. "Pegasus is more famous, with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea. No creature is faster. It took us months to capture him—one of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horse will not allow anyone to ride him. I think he hates Amazons. And he is expensive to keep. He will eat anything, but he prefers gold."
Their fear is funny, Arion said as he whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars. Alongside their belief that these bars can actually hold me.
You're staying here on purpose, Leaneíras thought at him. Why?
I got into some trouble with Father, Arion said almost embarrassedly. This is my grounding.
"Just asking," Leaneíras snorted softly, shaking her head as she turned away. "Let's see the queen."
The argument at the front of the room grew louder. Finally, the queen noticed their group approaching, and she snapped, "Enough!" The arguing Amazons shut up immediately. The queen waved them aside and beckoned Doris forward.
Doris shoved Leaneíras and her friends toward the throne. "My queen, these demigods—"
The queen shot to her feet. "You!" She glared at Leaneíras with murderous rage and even then, she still looked hot. Hylla stepped down from her dais of best sellers and drew a dagger from her belt. "You were incredibly foolish to come here," she said. "You destroyed my home. You made my sister and me exiles and prisoners."
Well, shit. Leaneíras just knew that she looked absolutely bewildered.
"I—" Leaneíras was utterly confused. "Sorry dude, do I know you?" Before anyone could even begin to gather their thoughts, Medea was already barking out a laugh.
"Don't try to pull that shit." The queen snapped, fists clenching at her side.
"Leaneira," Magnus said uneasily. "What's the scary woman with the dagger talking about?"
"I don't know!"
"What did Leaneira do?" Medea asked, looking between them.
"What did she do? She and her good for nothing brother destroyed Circe's school of magic! And she stole my own!"
Leaneíras stared. "Dude, that was like a year ago. Get over it." And those mageia pools were so small compared to what Leaneíras could do now. She can have that little meager supply back. It wasn't any skin off her back. "And besides, she turned my brother into a guinea pig!"
"No excuses!" Hylla said. "Circe was a wise and generous employer. I had room and board, a good health plan, dental, pet leopards, free potions —everything! And this demigod with her brother and their friend, the blonde—"
"Annabeth." Leaneíras cut in. "Her name is Annabeth and she helped kick your asses!"
"You released our captives—Blackbeard and his pirates." She turned to Medea. "Have you ever been kidnapped by pirates? It isn't fun. They burned our spa to the ground."
"Hey, I helped recapture them and fix what they destroyed," Leaneíras complained. Geez, get the facts straight before throwing accusations around. "I stayed there for the rest of the summer!"
"My sister and I were their prisoners for months. Fortunately, we were daughters of Bellona. We learned to fight quickly. If we hadn't..." She shuddered. Man, who the fuck was Bellona, Leaneíras thought. "Well, the pirates learned to respect us. Eventually we made our way to California where we—" She hesitated as if the memory was painful. "Where my sister and I parted ways."
She stepped toward Leaneíras until they were nose-to-nose. She ran her dagger under her chin. "Of course, I survived and prospered. I have risen to be queen of the Amazons. So perhaps I should thank you."
"All in a day's work," Leaneíras said, cruel amusement twinkling in her eyes.
The queen dug her knife in a little deeper. "Never mind. I think I'll kill you."
Medea snorted, blinking as she looked between Leaneíras and Hylla. Turning towards the former, she raised a brow, "I know she's not talking to you like that."
Leaneíras shrugged, a smirk dancing on her face. "Clearly, she must be confused. I knocked the sense out of her last time. Maybe she needs another demonstration?"
"No, forreal," Medea nodded while Magnus looked between them and the very scary women surrounding them in horror. "I've seen you fight one on one." She looked at Hylla. "Trust, you do not want to get in a ring with her. I swear it's like she works night shift solo at a Waffle House."
Leaneíras laughed.
Hylla looked between the three of them. "I have a better idea. Escort them to the cells. At midnight, we can proceed with their execution."
She's not following her own laws, Arion said. The Amazon way is to hear out a female warrior before sentencing her or her allies to death.
"Wait," Leaneíras protested as the guards grabbed her once more. "You're suppose to hear us out. That's the Amazon way!"
"I am queen," Hylla hummed. "My word is law."
You can challenge her, Arion said. Over and over again until you get your point. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. Though, um, be careful. Challenges usually ended in death.
Gee, thanks.
Your status as Twice-Blessed protects you. To kill you would bring down the wrath of the gods.
"I am Twice Blessed," Leaneíras stated firmly. The hands dropped off of her quicker than she could blink. Well, damn. Just how far was this twice-blessed status known? "Daughter of the Sea God, the second son of the Titan King! I am the khaos-mate of the Divine Herald, the son of the God King!" She wretched her arm out of the guard's hold to pull the top of her dress down just enough for her mark to show. Her eyes began to glow softly. "I bore the sky on my back! I learned the secrets of Kirkê's isle! It's my rage that shakes the Eastern Seaboard! You will hear me!"
The Amazons looked back and forth between Hylla and Leaneíras, watching for any sign of weakness.
"Very well, I will pass judgment," Hylla said in an icy tone. Hylla turned to Doris. "Take these two to the holding cells. The rest of you, leave us."
Doris and her guards hauled Medea and Magnus away who stared at Leaneíras in worry.
Soon Hylla and Leaneíras were alone except for the queen's personal guards. At Hylla's signal, even they moved out of earshot.
The queen turned toward Leaneíras. "You were very stupid to come here."
Leaneíras rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she had a choice. Casting a glance around the room, she took in everything. Only three guards were left in the room. All of them kept their distance. Hylla was armed with just a dagger. Leaneíras wasn't sure if she could cause an earthquake, but the place had to have indoor plumbing and she saw some of the things Percy could do. If she could cause a distraction, she might be able to escape and find her friends.
The Amazons were a bit foolish to let her keep the ring on her hand, but maybe Hylla didn't know that it was a weapon all in itself.
The queen seemed to be reading her thoughts. "Forget about escape. Of course, we'd respect you for trying. But we'd have to kill you or well, kill your friends. You will be a hostage."
"Thanks for the warning."
Hylla shrugged. "The least I can do. Now what do you want?"
"A labyrinth entrance," Leaneíras said. "I got kidnapped by the brother of the girl that is with me and I'm on babysitting duty for the dude. But we're looking for Trent and then I'm going to kill Trent. The amulet that Medea was wearing led us here."
The queen studied her for a moment. "You know... Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods—especially male demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta's belt—this belt I'm wearing. It took us centuries to recover it. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera, daughter of Ares."
Why was she giving Leaneíras a history lesson?
"The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American—a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. They are Greek, Roman, American—a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?"
"I—I'm not sure. Are all Amazons demigods?"
The queen spread her hands. "We all have some immortal blood, but many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations. Others are children of minor gods. The demigods that you are traveling with have roman blood just as you have greek blood."
Leaneíras felt something shatter within her, but it was still like it was out of reach.
"Why are you telling me this? How do you know that?"
"Circe's island was a safe place for my sister, Reyna, and me," the queen said. "We were daughters of the war goddess, Bellona. I wanted to protect Reyna from all that violence. I learned many things under her guidance. Then you and your brother unleashed the pirates. They kidnapped us, and Reyna and I learned to be tough. We found out that we were good with weapons. The past four years, I've wanted to kill you and him for what you made us endure."
"You became the queen of the Amazons. Maybe this was your destiny."
"I only became queen last night," Hylla laughed dryly. "And one of my first decrees was to kill the Twice Blessed. Someone will come to challenge me. The beginning of a new queen's reign is always the most turbulent."
"Aim for the throat. If they get you on the ground, bite their titties or grab their nipples and twist."
Hylla looked at her a bit unnerved. Leaneíras shrugged. She never said that she was a fair fighter. Hylla shook her head. "Either way, there is no entrance here."
In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars. Leaneíras turned to look at him. He blurred just a bit and for a moment, Leaneíras could see something wispy in the air behind him.
"He is your brother, no?"
Leaneíras hummed.
"We spent years hunting for this horse. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would someday master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet no Amazon can touch him, much less control him."
It's like they just ignore my pedigree, Arion huffed. Pegasus got a child of the Big Three to be his partner so why would I let some second-rate mortal touch me? And then they're starving me. I know that was synthetic gold they gave me a breakfast!
Leaneíras smirked. "Hey, Hylla. It would be embarrassing if you all were overcome by an outsider, right? And cause a prison break?"
"Yes," Hylla nodded slowly, looking between Leaneíras and Arion.
"And this whole twice blessed thing gives me special privileges," Leaneíras mused. "And if your challengers just so happen to be in the way..."
The queen's eyes gleamed. "Of course, foreign magic is not allowed in the Amazon base, but if, for instance, you took one of the guards' Amazon cards, with one-click purchasing enabled," she said, "which will open the jail cells with one click."
"Oh, Aliens' forbid!"
"If—gods forbid!—something like that were to happen," the queen continued, "you would find your friends' weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off in a meeting with the investors...well, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape."
More like used for a distraction.
"Well, then, your highness. I'd like to visit my friends."
WORD COUNT: 5693
COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR:
1) Okay, looking at my notes: it's two chapters left in BOTL with a filler chapter for the year between BoTL and TLO. Now, this is just what my notes says: it can change depending how the plot goes.
2) Is it obvious that Drew is one of my favorite characters?
3) Okay, so Arion eats "anything" but prefers gold and you think a metal cage is keeping him there? No, he is right where he wants to be.
4) Hylla tells Hazel in SON: "The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American—a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons." Which we all know isn't true, but like it fits so well for my verses considering I write that only the Greek and Roman gods exists.