“Carry on, I suppose,” he replied, unbothered. “On that note…” he reached for Raquel and he helped her climb onto the ladder.
While everyone was preoccupied, Empusa crept up behind me. “It’s starting,” she whispered. “I cannot stay here. I am too afraid of my father. No matter what happens, he will not stop hunting me until he kills me. Please tell my mother that I love her.”
Before I had a chance to even respond, she was running down the coast, splashing through the water. I inhaled sharply. Hecate wasn’t going to take this well. I sighed and grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder and pulled myself up the side.
Hecate looked behind me, then back to me, puzzled. “Where is Empusa?”
“She ran away,” I answered softly. “She was afraid and said to tell you that she loved you. Hecate, once this is done, we can find her. We’ll set things right.”
Hecate’s face drained of color, but she simply nodded, sinking into a nearby bench seat. She pulled her knees up to her chin and sat silently watching the water. I turned from her, unable to stand the pain on her face, and looked around.
It was sparse on board. Bench seating lined the sides and the hull was open. Ares unfurled the sails and shortly thereafter, we were gaining speed as we sailed into the vast oceans. Before we knew it, there was nothing around for miles except for the sparkling water. Ares learned shortly after we set sail that he didn’t need to do anything at all… the ship sailed itself. He and my mother sat curled up on a bench, talking quietly amongst themselves.
Cadmus was engaged in a conversation with Ahmose, so I settled onto the very tip of the bow with Raquel situated on my lap. The wind whipped our hair away from our faces as our boat plunged ahead, riding the waves with abandon. My daughter’s slight body sagged against me and I smiled into her hair.
“You can sleep, little one,” I told her. “It will take awhile to get there.”
“I’m not sleepy, mama,” she insisted. I smiled again.
Cadmus and Ahmose moved closer to me.
“Wife, Ahmose shared some interesting information with me,” Cadmus said quietly.
“I don’t know how much more ‘interesting’ information I want to hear,” I replied wryly.
“This is truly interesting,” he answered, his face slightly bothered. My curiosity was piqued in spite of myself.
“What is it?”
“Well, as you know, Annen and I are brothers,” Ahmose began, his ancient voice tired and hoarse. “We have been the advisors to Zeus for a very long time.”
“I did learn that, yes,” I answered. “And?”
“And when Zeus rendered you mortal, he sent Annen and I with you, to protect you and to protect the bloodstone.”
“Yes, we knew that also,” I replied. “What is the interesting part?”
“If you stop interrupting, I’ll get to it,” Ahmose reprimanded lightly. I smiled. This was the Ahmose that I knew. Crotchety and no-nonsense.
“The Fates and the Keres each had their own agendas, and they each sought to use Annen and I to further their causes. Between the two sets of sisters, we were threatened many times and ultimately, it came down to us having to outwit them all by playing their own game. We were under orders by Zeus to guide and protect you.
“You, however, were so completely manipulated by the Fates, that we had to divide in order to conquer. We were not meant to share the truth with you. So, for every time the Fates used you to make horrible decisions for their entertainment, Annen used Cadmus to try and un-do those decisions.”
I was still for a moment, trying to process that. I turned to Cadmus.
“Annen came to you, as Ahmose came to me?”
He nodded. “But I only vaguely remember it.”
“You pitted us against each other?” I was aghast.
“But not for our entertainment,” he hastened to add. “Only because you were being manipulated. Your decisions were not the wise choices that you thought them to be. We did our best, but usually, you were so determined to carry through with your missions, you did everything you could to make sure that the Fates’ wishes were kept. You are a very loyal person, Harmonia.”
“Cadmus and I were working against each other and didn’t even know it?” I was floored.
“Neither of you knew it,” Ahmose confirmed. “Zeus knew that when the time was right, you would come to realize who you were… and when that happened, the prophecy would be upheld.”
“My love, you’ve always been so good and true,” I murmured, twisting around to cup my husband’s face with one hand. “I’m sorry that I was stubborn.”
“You stubbornly upheld your ideals,” he corrected me. “You thought you were doing the right thing. If the Fates are never released from Tartara, that will be fine with me.”
“Mama, look!” Raquel interrupted, pointing into the water. I peered over the side and instantly recoiled.
Enormous black sea monsters were swimming in circles around our boat. The hair stood up on my neck and goosebumps formed everywhere on my body.
“Hydras,” I whispered.
“There is no need to fear,” Hecate soothed us. “While it is true that we were not granted permission to enter Elyria, our hearts are true. The Hydras will not bother us if that is the case.”
“How do we know that everyone is true?” Ares demanded, his face dark. “Betrayal is an epidemic, I am afraid.”
“Let’s not do this again,” I replied in frustration. “Ares, every one of us here has made decisions that we regret, including you.”
“Does anyone have anything to hide?” Hecate asked the group. “Share it now, if you do.”
Everyone remained silent. I looked into the water again, just in time to see the tip of one long scaly tail disappear under the boat. Within a few seconds, the nose of the same beast reappeared. They were still swimming circles, but they were not bothering us.
“I think Hecate is right,” I breathed. “I think we are fine. They have not bothered us yet.”
My daughter was unfazed by the giant creatures and in fact, she seemed almost mesmerized by them as she watched them swim fluidly beneath us. Cadmus and I exchanged amused looks above her head. Simply observing her was a joy to us. She was such an unexpected blessing to both of us.
Weariness began to take its toll on me, however, and I leaned against my husband, absorbing his strength. He leaned forward, pressing a warm kiss to my forehead.