“Time will tell,” I murmured.
“No,” Cadmus said harshly. “I can tell you right now. This is not right. We will be victorious, but you will be fine. You have faced death already in Camelot. Remember? Perhaps that is what this is referring to. You came back from that. You are fine.”
I had a feeling that Camelot was not what this prophecy referred to, but I didn’t say it. Instead, I folded into Cadmus’ side and allowed him to hold me for just a moment.
I closed my eyes and inhaled his strength, his scent, even his heart beat. I picked up his hand and held it to my heart.
“My love?”The anxiety in his voice pulled at my heart strings and I opened my eyes.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I only need to see my mortal mother- and then I will be ready.”
“Harmonia, we should talk about this prophecy further. I don’t think—“
I cut him off.
“Cadmus, I’m fine. There is no use in talking about it. Whatever happens will happen. It is what it is. I will not worry about it now- there are too many other things to be concerned with.”
I nodded curtly at the falcon and strode across the room for the door. As I entered the hall, I was met by Hecate.
“You saw?” she raised her eyebrow.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“You’re fine?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I know you would like to see your mother before we depart. Come with me.”
Without questioning her or how she knew that that was exactly what I had been intent on, Cadmus and I followed her to the courtyard to a small pond in the center. Koi swam leisurely in circles in the clear, cool water. Hecate waved her hand and they froze. The water rippled only once and then Calypso’s island appeared on the surface.
My mortal mother, Allison Lockhart, was walking on a pristine beach with Calypso. She was healthy and well, her dark hair blowing in the sea breeze as she laughed at something that Calypso said.
The island was clearly being kind to her. Her skin was sun-kissed, her cheeks pleasantly flushed. I knew that she didn’t even remember who she was at this point. Calypso’s Island was enchanted and it stole the consciousness of anyone who entered. It was as if a strange fog descended onto one’s mind there.
My stomach tightened as I watched and I suddenly desperately missed my mother. I still had to decide what to do with that situation. My mother had no idea who I truly was. When I returned from this quest, I would have to deal with that. If I stayed here in Olympus, I would miss her so much. But the thought of returning to the mortal world simply didn’t seem feasible anymore. I no longer felt like Macy Lockhart in the slightest bit. I had reclaimed my true goddess identity and I didn’t see any way that I could realistically go back.
“We’ll think on that later, love,” Cadmus murmured as he read my mind. I nodded. He was right. There was no reason to focus on it now.
I turned to Hecate.
“Thank you.”
She waved her hand at the small pool and it returned to normal. The koi circled it once again, swimming lazy circles.
“We should go,” she prodded me. “We’ve delayed long enough. There is much to be done.”
I nodded and took Cadmus’ arm as we returned to the palace. Hecate’s filmy white cloak fluttered in the breeze as we walked and I stared at it absently, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was to come. Whatever it was, it was not going to be pleasant.
Ares, Ortrera and her warriors and my mother were all congregated in the great room of the palace when we arrived. Ares was holding Zeus’ sword, turning it over and over as he spoke with Ortrera. When we walked in, he plunged it into a sheath at his side before crossing to me.
“You’re fine?” he demanded. It was more of a dictate than a question. I nodded.
“I’m fine.”
“You take after me,” he noted, his handsome face clearly reflecting his pride. My mother scowled.
“Perhaps in her bull-headedness,” Aphrodite acknowledged.
I grabbed her hand.
“Are you ready?”
“Not really,” she admitted, her beautiful face troubled. “But it is time.”
Hecate stepped forward.
“Yes, it is time. What we do now will not be easy, that we know,” she began.
The Amazons murmured their agreement.
“But it is necessary and we will do it. We are strong and we will prevail. Harmonia, you have seen the prophecy. Let us prove the undesirable parts wrong. You will be fine and we will make sure that you return safely here… no matter where this journey takes us. Let us finish this.”
We all joined hands and stood in a circle as Hecate began to chant. I felt the familiar weakening of my limbs as we faded out of the Spiritlands and reappeared on a barren hillside in the mortal world.
It was approaching nightfall and there was no civilization as far as I could see. Cadmus clenched my hand tighter. The grass beneath our feet was thick and lush with scattered stones and boulders throughout the hills. There were no trees, just rolling hills and waving grass all along the banks of a wide river.
The Acheron river. It was said that it continued from the mortal world into the depths of the Underworld. It was known as the river of pain. I gulped and took a deep breath, glancing up the hill.
The temple ruins stood at the top on the edge of the banks. They were made from crumbling stone and seemed as much a part of the landscape as the natural rocks and grass.
“We cannot approach yet,” Hecate pointed out as she followed my gaze. “First, we must spend two days fasting here, clearing our minds and purifying our hearts.”
She held out her hands. In each one, she held dried herbs.
“To help clear your mind,” she answered my unspoken question. We all took a dried leaf and dutifully chewed it up. I felt no different.
“We must separate,” Hecate instructed. “We should each find a different location on this hill and spend the next two days reflecting on ourselves and our plight. And then, hopefully, we will be in the right frame of mind to summon the Oracle.”
We all nodded and separated into different directions. Cadmus grabbed my elbow and drew me in to him.
“You will be fine,” he assured me. I stared into his eyes.
“I know,” I answered. “I am not concerned- you are.”
He smiled. “That’s true,” he admitted. “I am concerned about you. That is my job as your husband.”
“Hmm,” I pondered with a smile. “I seem to recall that I saved your hide in the not so distant past. Perhaps I will be saving it again- I am the Chosen One, after all.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “You are a cheeky one,” he chuckled. “It’s one of the reasons that I love you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I told him seriously. “We all will. Let’s just get this over with.”
He pulled me closer and kissed me soundly. I melted into his strong body for a scant moment before pulling back.
“I’ll see you soon,” I promised.
“Not soon enough,” he mumbled as he disappeared into the dark. I watched the outline of his tall shape for as long as I could until he was completely gone before I turned and studied my surroundings.
There was simply nothing here.
The rushing sound of the river drew me to it and I decided to choose a spot close to the water. There was a little horse-shoe shaped inlet filled with sand and rock and I dropped onto it from the banks, allowing my bare feet to sink into the cool sand.
It was still and peaceful here and I lifted my face to the night breeze. It smelled of damp earth and river water. I tossed my pack onto a nearby rock before I conjured a small bonfire. Curling up next to it, leaning against a boulder, I allowed myself to become mesmerized by the flames. Ever since I had learned that I controlled the Phoenix, fire had become such a fascination. It was almost like I was drawn to it. Unbidden, the words of the prophecy returned to me.
Will she perish in
the flames of the Phoenix,
Never to rise to the land of the living once more?
What in the world did that mean? I shook my head, trying to shake the troublesome thoughts. I was supposed to be clearing my mind, not muddling them up with worries. So once again, I stared into the flames.
I startled awake. I had fallen asleep without even knowing it. Somewhere in the distance, I heard an owl hooting into the night. And then there was no other sound but for the rush of the river. My campfire had gone out, so I conjured it again. Soon, orange flame lit the night and warmed my skin.
I was also surprised to find my vision just a little blurred. Since assuming my true goddess identity once again, I had become accustomed to the startling clarity that came with that. Normally, my vision was perfect, my mind was sharp and my body was agile and strong. But right now, it almost felt as though I had had too much to drink.
I staggered to my feet and leaned against the river bank. The prickly grass poked me in the back, but it didn’t matter. I scarcely felt it. The rumble of the river had turned into a vague hum in the back of my consciousness as the inky blackness of night enveloped me.
Help me.
The whisper hissed from the shadows and I spun, clumsily losing my balance and tripping in the wet sand. I righted myself and shoved the hair out of my face with shaking fingers.
Help me.
I felt warm breath graze my ear and I spun again.
The young woman from my dream stood in the moonlight directly to my right. She was beautiful in a fragile, ethereal way. Her skin was pale, her hair dark, her eyes a clear gray. But her face… her face is what grasped my attention and held it. It was delicate and lovely, but the expression was so tortured that it wrenched at my heart. What was causing her so much pain?
“Who are you?” I whispered. She stepped toward me with one slender hand outstretched.
“Save me,” she murmured. “Please.”
“Who are you?” I cried again. She shook her head sadly and stepped from the bank into the river. Wading away from me, she looked over her shoulder one time before she faded into the night.
I was shaken and I slipped to the ground in a crouch as I tried to catch my breath. Who the heck was she? Why was she asking for my help?
“Mama?”
A small, thin voice rose from the darkness, interrupting my frantic thoughts and causing the breath to catch in my throat.