The Gods' Pawns.
🌊
THE FOUR OF THEM WERE FORCEFULLY USHERED INTO THE DIMLY LIT ROOM, their eyes darting around as they absorbed their surroundings with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity. The oppressive silence was punctuated only by their own hesitant footsteps echoing off the walls. As they ventured further inside, each gaze lingered on the imposing sarcophagus that stood prominently in the center of the room, casting long, eerie shadows that danced in the flickering torchlight.
This casket had its surface adorned with intricate engravings that depicted harrowing scenes from Ancient Greek mythology, mirroring the thematic decor found throughout the Princess Andromeda. Cities engulfed in flames, their inhabitants fleeing in terror, and heroic figures meeting grisly fates at the hands of vengeful gods and monstrous creatures were all captured in painstaking detail. The artistry was both breathtaking and unsettling, drawing the onlookers into a visual narrative of chaos and despair.
The sarcophagus's golden exterior, though resplendent, exuded an unnatural coldness. This chill seemed to penetrate the very air around it, creating a palpable sense of dread. Its lustrous surface, though alluring, had a magnetic pull that demanded attention, compelling each of them to step closer despite their better judgment.
"Well," Luke said, spreading his arms proudly as he took a step forward, his smile wide and confident. "A little nicer than Cabin Eleven, huh?"
The kids, although they had been eavesdropping at the door, seemed stunned to actually see them in the flesh. Percy appeared unusually pale, his gaze darting nervously between Luke, Rory, and the sarcophagus. His fingers twitched slightly, as though itching to reach a weapon. It was evident that the sight of them had rattled him deeply, shaking the fragile composure he tried to maintain.
Annabeth, usually the epitome of calm and collected, couldn't tear her eyes away from Luke. Her disbelief was palpable, her brows furrowed as she struggled to reconcile the person standing before her with the boy she had known. She hadn’t seen him since last summer, and a part of her had maybe clung to the hope that it wasn't true, that Luke hadn’t truly betrayed them. But now, faced with the stark reality, her hope was fading fast.
In the corner, the cyclops – who looked no older than a child – was cowering pathetically. His large, single eye was filled with tears, and he trembled as he cast fearful glances towards the twins. It seemed he was more concerned by their presence than the immediate danger posed by Luke and Rory. His sobs were soft, almost muffled, as if he feared drawing attention to himself.
And then there was Maddie. Maddie, who never cowered. Maddie, who never backed down. She stood defiantly, her glare fixed on Rory with a fierceness that could melt steel. Maddie’s small frame radiated pure, unadulterated rage, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. Rory found herself unable to meet her eyes. The intensity of Maddie’s fury seemed to weigh her down, making her shrink back, her confidence faltering under her unyielding stare.
"I've seen better," Maddie spat at Luke, her gaze never wavering from Rory. Her voice dripped with contempt and challenge. "Is this really the best you can do?"
Luke's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but he quickly regained his composure. "Always a delight," Rory muttered, not at all shocked that Maddie had kept her attitude.
Attempting to regain control of the situation, Luke gestured toward some ornate dining chairs that were placed against the far wall. "Please, have a seat," he insisted, his voice attempting to convey authority. However, defiance filled the air, and none of them complied. They remained standing, their postures rigid with distrust and defiance.
Sighing slightly, Luke switched tactics. "Where are my manners?" he said smoothly, attempting to lighten the mood. "These are my assistants, Agrius and Oreius. Maybe you've heard of them." At their silence, he continued, unperturbed, "You don't know Agrius and Oreius's story? Their mother... Well, it's sad really. Aphrodite ordered the young woman to fall in love. She refused and ran to Artemis for help. Artemis let her become one of her maiden huntresses, but Aphrodite got her revenge. She bewitched the young woman into falling in love with a bear. When Artemis found out, she abandoned the girl in disgust. Typical of the gods, don't you think? They fight with one another and the poor humans get caught in the middle. The girl's twin sons here, Agrius and Oreius, have no love for Olympus. They like half-bloods well enough though..."
"For lunch," Agrius growled.
"Hehe! Hehe!" Oreius laughed, his fur-lined lips parting to reveal sharp, yellowed teeth. His laugh was grotesque, sounding more like an asthmatic fit than genuine amusement. The sound echoed off the walls until it was abruptly silenced by the disapproving glares of the others.
Disgust painted Luke's face as he shot a glance at Rory, a sentiment mirrored in her own expression. She couldn't believe they had to work with these morons. The disdain in their eyes was clear, a mutual understanding that they were surrounded by unreliable, unsophisticated brutes.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Agrius growled his patience with his brother wearing thin. "Go punish yourself!"
Oreius whimpered, his expression shifting from grotesque amusement to fearful obedience. Without another word, he trudged over to the corner of the room. The transformation was almost pitiable, a hulking creature reduced to a cowering, obedient figure. He slumped onto a small, worn-out stool and began to bang his forehead rhythmically against the edge of the dining table. The dull thuds of his skull meeting the hard wood reverberated through the room, causing the silver plates and cutlery to rattle with each impact.
This bizarre and unsettling display had become so commonplace over the past few months that neither Luke nor Rory spared him more than a passing glance. They had grown accustomed to Oreius’s self-punishment rituals, finding them more an annoyance than a concern. The sight of it no longer elicited any reaction from them. The younger kids, however, looked on in shock at the strange spectacle.
Luke, making himself comfortable on the sofa, propped his feet up on the coffee table and casually slung his arm around Rory's shoulders. She offered him her glass, and he willingly took it, downing the rest of her drink with a nonchalant demeanor, the bitter liquid barely registering as it burned its way down his throat.
"Well, Percy, we let you survive another year. I hope you appreciated it. How's your mom? How's school?"
"You poisoned Thalia's tree."
Luke sighed dismissively, waving his free hand as if swatting away an annoying fly. "Right, straight to the point, huh? Okay, sure, I poisoned the tree. So what?"
"How could you?" Annabeth's voice crackled with anger, each word trembling with the intensity of her emotions. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and her eyes blazed with fury. "Thalia saved your life! Our lives! How could you dishonor her—"
"I didn't dishonor her!" Luke snapped back, his voice rising in frustration. "The gods dishonored her, Annabeth! If Thalia were alive, she'd be on my side."
"Liar!"
"If you knew what was coming, you'd understand—"
"I understand you want to destroy camp!" she yelled. "You're a monster!"
Luke shook his head in disbelief, his expression one of exasperation mixed with a twisted kind of pity. "The gods have blinded you. Can't you imagine a world without them, Annabeth? What good is that ancient history you study? Three thousand years of baggage! The West is rotten to the core. It has to be destroyed. Join us! We can start the world anew. We could use your intelligence, Annabeth."
"Because you have none of your own!"
Maddie, standing a few steps behind Annabeth, crossed her arms and let out a derisive snort. "Nothing says 'bright future' like world destruction," she muttered, her disdain evident.
Luke ignored her, his focus zeroed in on Annabeth. His eyes, however, narrowed slightly at each of their quips, a clear sign that their words were not without impact. "I know you, Annabeth," he began, his tone almost coaxing. "You deserve better than tagging along on some hopeless quest to save camp. Half-Blood Hill will be overrun by monsters within the month. The heroes who survive will have no choice but to join us or be hunted to extinction. You really want to be on a losing team... with company like this?" He gestured toward the cyclops with a nod, his expression a mix of scorn and mockery.
"Hey!" Percy interjected, his voice rising defensively. But Luke continued his taunts.
"Traveling with a Cyclops," he chided with a sly grin. "Talk about dishonoring Thalia's memory! I'm surprised at you, Annabeth. You of all people—"
"Stop it!" Annabeth's voice cracked as she shouted. She buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking as if she were on the verge of tears. Maddie placed a reassuring hand on Annabeth's arm, shooting a fierce glare at Luke.
"Leave her alone," Percy said, stepping forward protectively. "And leave Tyson out of this."
"Tyson," Rory sneered, the name rolling off her tongue with contempt. "What kind of hero allies himself with a monster? You think that makes you noble? It makes you weak, Percy. It shows just how desperate you are."
Luke laughed, the sound echoing mockingly around the room. "Oh yeah, we've heard all about that thing. Your father claimed it." Percy looked momentarily surprised that they had such information. "Yes, Percy, we know all about that. And about your plan to find the Fleece. What were those coordinates again... 30, 31, 75, 12? You see, we still have friends at camp who keep us posted."
"You're probably blackmailing them, as if anyone would want to work with you," Maddie hissed, her voice dripping with contempt. She was never one to stay quiet.
"You just always have to get a word in, don't you, Maddie?" Luke turned to her, the provocation just too easy to pass up. His eyes sparkled with a twisted delight. "Must be the Ares blood talking. Speaking of which, how is your dear old dad? Been on any good family picnics recently?" Maddie was rendered silent, her defiant stance wavering for just a moment. Luke seized upon her hesitation, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "How many insults from the gods can you stand? You think they're grateful to you? You think they care at all what happens to you?"
"My dad loved my mom," Maddie said quietly, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. The statement hung in the air, heavy with unspoken pain and memories she rarely let surface.
Rory, sensing an opening, didn't let the moment pass. "Then why'd he abandon her?" she asked, locking eyes with Maddie. The question was sharp, precise, and cut straight to the heart of Maddie's deepest wounds.
This time, Maddie's gaze shifted from anger to resignation. Her eyes, previously filled with fire and defiance, softened and dulled, as if the weight of Rory's words had finally crushed the last of her resistance. There was no spark, no fight left in them. It was as though she were finally acknowledging the betrayal of not just anyone, but her friend, her sister even. Rory, to whom she had shared all of her deepest and darkest fears. Rory, who knew everything there was to know about her. Who knew all about her mom and her dad and her life before camp.
Rory wasn't nobody. She wasn't somebody Maddie could just lash out at to make herself feel better. Rory was the one person who had always been there, the one who had seen Maddie at her worst and still stood by her. And now, Rory's words were a mirror, reflecting Maddie's own buried doubts and sorrows back at her.
Maddie couldn't keep up the act any longer. The walls she had built around herself, fortified with anger and sarcasm, crumbled in the face of Rory's piercing question. She was too much in despair to keep being so angry. She felt the anger drain from her, replaced by a profound sadness and a sense of betrayal so deep it left her feeling hollow.
For a long moment, Maddie had nothing to respond. The silence enveloped her, a tangible thing that seemed to press down on her shoulders, making it hard to breathe. The realization finally struck with those few words, shattering her defenses. She looked away, unable to meet Rory's gaze any longer, her eyes focusing on a spot on the floor as if it could provide some sort of escape.
Percy however, seemed to only grow more and more frustrated as Luke's words stung, targeting each of his friends one by one. His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white with the effort to keep his temper in check. "You don't know anything," Percy retorted, a fiery determination blazing in his eyes. He stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of Maddie and Annabeth.
"Oh yeah?" Luke responded, his voice dripping with condescension. "Tell me, do you even know what's in store for you if you reach your sixteenth birthday? Has Chiron even told you about the prophecy?"
Percy seemed to falter at that. "I know what I need to know," he managed, his tone defensive. "Like, who my enemies are."
"Then you're a fool."
The cyclops, Tyson, reacted violently to Luke's insult, his temper flaring instantly. With a roar of indignation, he grabbed the nearest dining chair and smashed it to splinters, his massive fists trembling with anger. "Percy is not a fool!" he declared, his voice thundering through the room.
In a burst of protective rage, Tyson charged toward Luke, fists aimed at his head with the intent to deliver a crushing blow. However, before he could reach Luke, the twins, Agrius and Oreius, moved swiftly. With synchronized precision, they intercepted Tyson, each grabbing one of his arms and stopping him in his tracks. Despite Tyson's immense strength, the twins managed to overpower him, pushing him back with force. Tyson stumbled, his momentum carrying him until he crashed heavily onto the carpeted floor.
Rory couldn't help but tense up at the close call. The sudden eruption of violence had caught her off guard, and the thought of what could have happened if the twins hadn't intervened sent a chill down her spine. Luke, noticing her tension, began rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder, his touch both calming and possessive.
"Too bad, Cyclops," Luke said coolly, his gaze fixed on Tyson with thinly veiled disdain. "Looks like my grizzly friends together are more than a match for your strength. Maybe I should let them..."
"Luke," Percy cut in urgently. "Listen to me. Your father sent us."
The mention of his father triggered an immediate reaction from Luke as his expression twisted into a sneer. "Don't—even—mention him."
Percy persisted, his voice unwavering. "He told us to take this boat. I thought it was just for a ride, but he sent us here to find you. He told me he won't give up on you, no matter how angry you are."
Leave it to Hermes, the wonderful father that he was to try and send a group of children to go clean up after his own mess, to make up for his own mistakes.
Luke's anger flared. "Angry? Give up on me? He abandoned me, Percy! I want Olympus destroyed! Every throne crushed to rubble! You tell Hermes it's going to happen, too. Each time a half-blood joins us, the Olympians grow weaker and we grow stronger. He grows stronger." Luke's voice rose, his eyes blazing with fervor as he removed his arm from Rory's shoulder to gesture dramatically at the imposing gold sarcophagus in the center of the room.
The sarcophagus gleamed ominously, its intricate engravings seeming to pulse with an otherworldly energy. Percy's eyes flickered nervously towards it, sensing its importance but unsure of its true nature. "So? What's so special about that thing? Whoa, you don't mean—"
"He is reforming," Luke declared. "Little by little, we're calling his life force out of Tartarus. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears—"
"That's disgusting!" Annabeth interjected, her voice laced with a mixture of horror and disbelief.
Rory turned to her, a smirk playing on her lips. "For the daughter of the goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship, you'd think you of all people would recognize the brilliance of it. Then again, you're one to talk. Wasn't your mother born from Zeus's split skull?" Her words intending to unsettle Annabeth even further.
"Soon there will be enough of the titan lord so that we can make him whole again. We'll piece together a new body for him, a work worthy of the forges of Hephaestus," Luke proclaimed proudly.
"You're insane," Maddie said with a shake of her head.
"Join us and you'll be rewarded. We have powerful friends, sponsors rich enough to buy this cruise ship and much more. Percy, your mother will never have to work again. You can buy her a mansion. You can have power, fame—whatever you want. Maddie, you can finally go back to your mother, and not have to worry about your father's awful curse. Annabeth, you can realize your dream of being an architect. You can build a monument to last a thousand years. A temple to the lords of the next age!"
"Go to Tartarus," Annabeth snapped, her sentiment echoed by the other two.
Luke sighed audibly, the disappointment evident on his face as he leaned back against the plush couch. "A shame," he murmured, shaking his head slightly.
Unfazed by their rejection, Luke's demeanor shifted swiftly. With calculated ease, he reached for the remote control on the coffee table, his fingers pressing the red button that triggered a silent alarm.
In a matter of moments, the stateroom door swung open, revealing two uniformed crew members who entered briskly, their presence commanding attention. They were armed with nightsticks, their expressions neutral.
"Ah, good, security," Luke greeted them casually. "I'm afraid we have some stowaways."
"Yes, sir," they said dreamily.
Rory turned to the twins. "Oreius, take them below, I'm sure they'd love to see the Aethiopian drakon."
Oreius grinned stupidly, his laughter echoing oddly in the tense silence. "Hehe! Hehe!"
Agrius, however, grumbled discontentedly, his brow furrowed with annoyance. "Let me go, too. My brother is worthless. That Cyclops—"
"Is no threat," Luke interjected sharply, his attention briefly flickering towards their prisoners before settling on the imposing casket in the center of the room. A troubled expression creased his features.
"You'll stay here, Agrius," Rory commanded firmly, cutting off any further protests. "We have important matters to discuss."
"But—"
Luke's interruption was swift and decisive. "Oreius, don't fail. Stay in the hold to make sure the drakon is properly fed."
Oreius nodded eagerly, his dim-witted grin widening. "Yes, yes! Make sure drakon not hungry!" With an almost childlike enthusiasm, he prodded the demigods forward with his javelin, urging them out of the room. They were accompanied by the crew members who acted as their escorts.
As Oreius herded them away, Maddie gave Rory one last fleeting look, as though saying goodbye to the girl she used to know, although Rory knew well that this would not be the last time they crossed paths.
Meanwhile, Luke's abrupt shift in demeanor caught Rory off guard as he stood up from the couch. She couldn't help but tense at the intensity in his gaze and the underlying threat in his voice. Luke had always been a master of controlling situations, and now his patience seemed to be wearing thin. "Was it your intention to counter our orders in front of our prisoners or are you just stupid, Agrius?"
"I—I apologize, sir..." Agrius stuttered, his words faltering under the weight of Luke's scrutiny. "But my brother couldn't possibly handle such an important task, I—"
"Are you as dense as he is, then?" Rory interjected sharply, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. "They're supposed to escape, that's the whole plan. How else did you think we were getting the Fleece?"
Agrius recoiled slightly, his face flushing with embarrassment as he finally grasped the magnitude of their strategy. He exchanged a glance with Luke, who regarded him coolly, waiting for a response.
Before he could respond however, the ship was engulfed in chaos. Red lights flashed urgently, casting an eerie glow throughout the room, while blaring sirens pierced the air, signaling a full-scale security breach. The crew scrambled to contain the situation, their footsteps echoing loudly against the polished floors.
The heroes had escaped. The trap had been set.
•••
I'm on time!! (For once...)
I do hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, it was a bit longer than usual too!
•••