Page 52 of Heroines of Olympus

The silence stretches on for a few more minutes, and then there is a gentle knock at the door. It opens, and Chloe appears, eyes rimmed red from tears, choking back sobs as she informs them the ship has cleared the Strait.

“Who?” is all Cadmus has to ask.

Chloe’s chest heaves with a large sob as she simply says, “Deonn,” and leaves, closing the door behind her.

They sit there in shock.

Deonn was warm and had a bright personality to be around. He made her feel welcome when others wanted to shun her.

Another knock sounds at the door. This time, it is Iris.

“I came to check on you both as soon as I got the all-clear from Chloe. Glad to see you’re both alright, at least physically. I bumped into Ajax on the way to you and based on what they told me, you’re going to want to sit tight down here a bit longer. If you’re restless, I’m sure it would thrill Zephyr to see your faces in the galley, but you should steer the decks clear of for the time being.”

“What the Fates happened?” Medusa asks.

“I was up there,” they start and take a breath, running their hand over their shocked face. “I’ve never been through before without being on an official ship,” they gulp. “Their voices, they filled my head, and I immediately felt both at peace and desperately craving something. It was like my heart had both filled with elated air and left my body, and all that was left was a hollow cavern where it used to be. It was bliss, torture, ecstasy, and longing all at the same time.”

A tear runs down their cheek, a monument to the emotion of what they just experienced.

“We were clinging to the masts, to each other, anything to maintain our grip on reality and remind us not to go. It was too much for Deonn. The shackle around his ankle was closed completely, and he got loose of his bindings. We tried to stop him, screaming at him not to listen to them, but he was gone, lost in their spell. Ajax even tackled him. They fought, but it was useless.”

A shudder escapes them as they finish. “All he did was lean over the rail to get a better look. They yanked him over the edge, but he gripped the railing tight, hanging on for dear life. His fingers finally slipped, and he was gone, only to be followed by a forceful spray of blood.”

Medusa pictures the scenario despite her best efforts not to. She thought she was struggling with not being able to help while she was just hearing what happened. The sirens viciously killed someone they cared about, right in front of them.

Iris exits the room, leaving Cadmus standing there, shifting his weight from one leg to the other awkwardly, unsure what to do with himself.

Medusa offers, “Would you like to stay here with me for a short while?”

Medusa tells herself it is because Psyche always seems to enjoy his company and because he was there for her during the Strait, but the voice in the back of her head suggests that Medusa might not mind Cadmus as much as she thinks.

Thinking about Psyche’s interactions with Cadmus brings the reality of the goddess’s absence crashing to the forefront of Medusa’s mind.

“We have to get Psychenow!”

Cadmus rubs his hand across his face. “I know. We already are.” At her blank look, he continues. “Think it through. Everyone is gathering for the gala. If Nicodemus is going to take her somewhere to hand her over to the Pantheon, the gala is the first place to start.”

Medusa nods her head and breathes.Deep breaths. He’s right.

Cadmus turns the lone chair in the room around to face away from the bed and sits backward in it, folding his arms over the back and resting his chin on them. The move is almost childlike and Medusa recognizes a boyish nature to him when he is nervous.

“I’m scared,” Medusa says quietly. “We may not get her back, and it’s my fault. I am constantly letting everyone down. I will never forgive myself if she isn’t okay.”

“So let’s talk about it,” Cadmus says. “I know the Allegiance values Psyche and Hestia, but I don’t know if most of them would make Psyche’s rescue their top priority. We can do everything like we are supposed to for the Allegiance plan, but you and I should be on the same page about how far we are willing to go to get Psyche back.”

30

MEDUSA

Medusa listens to Cadmus as he and the other council members go over the plan. Knowing what they need of her is crucial to getting Psyche back safely, but it is hard for Medusa to concentrate on anything other than Psyche’s absence.

Medusa tries to smile when she sees Alec, but the motion feels empty, hollow. He has kept to himself most of this voyage and she knows he is worried about Hestia.

Worry eats away at her. Worry for Psyche, for Hestia, for the mission.

The assembled party is a mix of Council members, and hand selected Allegiance members. Galen, Irene, Linus, and Alec comprise the representatives from the Council while Cadmus, Ajax, and Cyril round out the rest of the group. Everyone will dress for the gala and slip in amongst the masked guests. The Pantheon believes only those invited know of the party, so no one should check names, plus that increases the anonymity which is likely necessary for events like this.

Once through the doors, the Council members, minus Alec, who will be with Medusa’s group, will disperse amongst the crowd and loudly mingle as they pose as buyers while the rest of them look for the nymphs.

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