Mystic Island

☼☼10☼☼

Raine

I trailed behind Sierra as she led me through the night-shadowy forest. The trees palm leaves’ canopy was so thick that I could not see the moon or the stars. That disturbed me; my one last piece of comfort gone. The only light in the forest was the magic yellow ball of flame that Sierra sprouted in her hands. She used it as a lantern to guide me, but she seemed to know the way so well, she didn’t really seem to need the light.
The two dogs padded at my side, not loyally, but as a guard to make sure I didn’t try to run while Sierra’s back was turned. Laliapas, the silver-tongued dog and the one who carried my sword (I asked Sierra about that), was shaggier than Cheimon. Apparently both of their names meant ‘storm’ in Ancient Greek, and they were a mix of hellhound and the gold-and-silver dogs that once belonged to Olympus, which would explain their colorful tongues. They even slobbered gold and silver. Because her mother, though I still didn’t know who it was, was the patron for canines along with sorcery, she had stolen the dogs from Mount Olympus and bred them with hellhounds to create immortal, powerful, and beautiful dogs. She called them shinytongues…how creative. She kept up talk, and I allowed her and didn’t tune her out because she might’ve given away a clue about who the witch was.
Nope.

Eventually we reached the shore…which confused me at first, but I realized the view was different. The shore curved in to make the beach a crescent moon shape. The trees were skinnier, and there was someone else here. She was staring out at the moon with a frightening ambitious gaze, like she was waiting to be rewarded a million dollars. She was wearing a simple black dress and she had Sierra’s hair---or rather, Sierra had hers: straight, dark coffee-brown and pale skin. She seemed unreal in the silver light of the moon. What scared me the most was her eyes. I knew who I was looking at. She had eyes like a swirling rainbow. This was the girl from my dream…grown up, of course, but I was certain it was the same girl. When Sierra coughed, she turned her overly-bright rainbow eyes on us. She smiled faintly.
“Hello, Sierra,” the women said flatly. Her entire essence was cold and dark; her clothes were cold, her eyes were cold, her voice was cold. Even the silver moonlight around her turned cold when it neared her. She raised her head a little. “And this would be my cousin Artemis’ little spy?”
I knew I shouldn’t have shown any fear. I had to remain strong, proud---if my enemy thought I was weakened or frightened, I’d be in a bad shape. But fear was shaking me on the inside, like this being before me was my deepest nightmare come to life. She radiated power like an immortal, her eyes vibrant with that power. The fiery colors glared at me.
“Yes, mother,” Sierra said proudly. “I brought her here, just as you said.” Dignity much?
The goddess narrowed her eyes. “Really. Because if I can recall, I ordered you to either make her join Hades’ army or kill her. And I can see neither has happened.”
Sierra’s eyes clouded. “How can you be certain? She might’ve decided to join…”
The rainbow-eyed goddess hissed. “Don’t give me that, Sierra; I can see that she has kept alliance with the Olympians. Just look at her proud expression.” She stared at her daughter distastefully. “So you have failed me again.”
Sierra opened her mouth to speak, but the goddess waved her hand. A sky blue shimmer appeared around her daughter’s mouth and held it shut. “Enough out of you. I’m tired of listening to your pitiful excuses.”
Sierra shook away the magic on her face. “But, mother…”
The goddess’ eyes were harder than diamonds. “I told you I don’t want to hear it! I’ve assigned you important missions before, and you always come back with the exact opposite of what I wanted. Laliapas and Cheimon have accomplished more than you have by herding this nuisance here.” The immortal glared at me, and Sierra hung her head to look down at her feet.
I was somewhat amused by Sierra’s shame, but I was still frightened by the goddess. She clearly wasn’t the nicest immortal out there and she looked as if she’d try to destroy me any second. I glanced back at the silver-tongue dog, and there it was, holding my sword and staring up at me with killer eyes. The goddess walked past me, scanning my face, and kneeled down by Laliapas. She scratched the dog’s ear and the dog spit out Lightning Strike. It was covered in silver slobber, but the goddess didn’t seem to mind it. Cheimon arfed and rubbed its head against the goddess’ hand. She fed the hellhound-gold dog mutt some kind of monster food. I didn’t know what it was…and I really didn’t want to know.
“So?” I asked. “What now? Why did you bring me here?” The goddess sent the two shinytongues off into the forest and she looked at me.
“You were sent here by my kin, weren’t you?” the witch goddess asked me.
My gold eyes were flat and emotionless. “Maybe.”
“And that is why I have brought you here,” the goddess said coldly. “If the thief sent anyone to help her…well then I’m afraid I cannot allow you to leave this island.”
I took one step back. “Thief? Who…Artemis?”
“Yes,” the goddess said like I should have known that. “She took something valuable that was rightfully mine and I will not rest until it is returned.” Two wings unfolded from her back. “And you will be the key to that stolen object.”
“What was stolen?”
“The moon,” the goddess hissed.
That startled me. “Wait, what? The moon? Like, the moon that’s above us right now?”
“No, some other moon,” she snarled. “Yes that moon! Unless you know of another one?”
Well, yes. But I didn’t say that. “How could Artemis steal the moon from you? She is the moon goddess after Selene died. She was a moon goddess before that too!”
“As am I,” the witch said softly. “And when I was young, I was promised the moon by the goddess of stars, my mother. And I was not ever given that, not after three-thousand years!”
“I’ve never heard of the star goddess,” I said.
“I’m sure you haven’t,” the apparent minor moon goddess said. “Most have not. Most have not heard of me either and for that, they do not fear me.”
“If it’s any consolation,” I said. “I’m a little freaked out right now.”
The minor goddess bared her fangs. “Please. I am not like those others. I am never challenged by heroes in the old stories. I am never mentioned very often. The people would only honor me by using my face on the door to their city to scare off outsiders! Even my daughter Circe has faced greater warriors than I, like Odysseus. Never I!”
“Your daughter…Circe…” I muttered. My eyes widened. “You’re Hecate. Goddess of magic.”
Hecate rolled her eyes. “You see? Heroes hardly know me, even when my name is right in their face!”
“But you aren’t a moon goddess,” I pointed out. “You only control magic.”
Hecate snarled. “Most immortals have a variety in their spheres of power. Yes, I control magic. And I am also a moon goddess. Not to mention I have power over canines, doors to cities, and death as well.”
How pleasant, I thought. “What do I have to do with anything?”
Hecate hissed, “You were sent here by my nemesis. You were to retrieve one of her little hunters, weren’t you?”
“So you did take her,” I growled.
“Take her? Oh, no, I did not take her,” Hecate said. “I do have more dignity than some that I have already mentioned to steal something that already belongs to another.”
I was puzzled. If Heather wasn’t here, then…where could she be? “Do you know where Artemis’ hunter is?”
Hecate narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps I do and perhaps I do not.”
I wished I had Lightning Strike so I could get rid of this annoying goddess now, but Lightning Strike was by Hecate’s foot and she could probably kill me faster than I could get my sword. Well, it was worth a try. I lunged to grab my weapon, rolling in the sand, and Sierra rushed forward. But Hecate simply snorted and held out her hand. A sphere of swirling cool-colored magic encased me and held me in the air. I could not move. I could only breathe and blink.
“Foolish demigod,” Hecate cackled. “One could admire your bravery and determination. Or, is it just stupidity?”
I found that I could also speak. “Where is Heather?” I demanded.
Hecate stared at me, mildly amused. “I told you I would not say. What kind of immortal would I be, to spill all of my secrets to a simple hero?”
She leaned down to pick up my now very sandy sword. Hecate held it out for me, but of course I couldn’t grab it. “What a pretty little sword. It would be a shame for anything to happen to it.” She tossed it out into the surf. It made a plop when it hit the dark waters. “Oops.”
I stared in horror at where Lightning Strike had disappeared into the sea. Now more than ever I wanted to turn Hecate to dust. But she just stood pleased. “Too bad about your only weapon. I suppose now that you are left defenseless, you will hear my proposition.”
Sierra coughed. “She isn’t defenseless, my lady.”
Hecate glared at Sierra. “I ordered you to remain silent.”
Sierra furrowed her eyebrows. “But she still can use her powers…”
Hecate looked back at me with devil eyes. “Oh, really? And you are not still afraid to use those powers, Strike?”
A cold claw grasped my heart. “How would you know anything about that?” I said inside my magic bubble.
Hecate tilted her head. “Ever heard of a psychic?”
“I-I’m not afraid,” I said bravely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Spare me,” Hecate said, “but I thought you had been absolutely terrified to create even a spark after than incident with the serpent.” How could she know about that? Oh, right, psychic. “But if I am incorrect, and you are not afraid of using your gifts…”
I didn’t like where this was going.
“Then create a lightning storm now,” Hecate said.
“Now?”
“Yes,” Hecate snapped.
I thought up an idea. “Well, if you want me to create lightning, then you’re going to have to let me out.”
“Right,” Hecate said. “Do you think I am stupid? I’m an all-knowing and all-powerful goddess! I can kill you on the spot or you can make a storm that I know you don’t need freedom to do.”
Damn. There went my first plan. If the goddess couldn’t fall for trickery, than she would have to be taken down by force. I closed my eyes and imagined something I didn’t want to ever do again. I pictured cloudy, black skies and a roll of thunder. I could hear thunder boom in the background and suddenly the light of the moon faded away. I didn’t dare open my eyes to look---I would not let myself lose control again. Then I imagined a flash of lightning, powerful, but only aimed at the goddess. I heard a crackle, and I could feel the heat of white fire. This time the storm obeyed my command, and I heard a shriek. My mind ordered the lightning to pause, and I opened my eyes.
Hecate was sprawled on the sand in the circle of orange flames. Because she was injured, my magic bubble broke. She hissed at me, and attempted to stand. She succeeded, sort of, but stumbled. She waved her hand and the fire died away. The sparkling obsidian dragon wings on her back fluttered, smoldering from the lightning’s fire, and Hecate herself seemed a little winded.
“Mother!” Sierra shrieked, rushing to her, but the goddess growled at her. She bit her lip, hiding disappointment, and stared at me with eyes of fire. “Cheimon, Laliapas! Ophio, Shadow!”
Four shine-dogs leaped out of the bushes with slobbery snarls and silvery-sharp teeth. They themselves led a pack of hellhounds and other mutt canines and advanced on me. I took a few steps back, and glanced at Hecate. She still seemed injured, but her eyes were just as violently strong. They were redder than blood. She hissed something in Ancient Greek and a flock of empousae vampires rose from the shadows. Oh, how I wished I had my sword. Oh well. I summoned another bolt of lightning and sent some hellhounds down to Tartarus.
“Attack!” Sierra yelled, and the packs of devil dogs ran forward. The empousae flew at me with good speed, but the lightning was faster. I took down one…two…five…eight. The remaining vampires slowed their pace, a little nervous. I still had to take care of the dogs, and one was already ready to claw at me. It pounced, but I shook it off. I backed off as fast as I could into the shallow water. I kept backing away until I was knee-deep in water and I felt something cold and metallic against my leg. I reached in the water to haul out ‘ole Lightning Strike. When a line of hellhounds charged me, I swung my celestial bronze sword for all it was worth. With dying yelps, the demon dogs turned to ashes.
Hecate hissed impatiently. “I don’t have time for this.” She waved her hand, and more empousae accompanied the three that had survived. Now thirty Greek vampires where diving from the air at me, and thank the gods lightning was quicker than the monsters. I heard only dying demonic screeches.
Now Hecate looked like she’d burst into flames any moment. She herself flew out into the water and hovered before me. “You would not listen, Daughter of Zeus. You would not hear my proposal.”
I readied my sword in case the witch attacked again. “And what would that be?”
“Bring that thief Artemis to this island before the longest day,” Hecate said, “and perhaps I can help you find your missing hunter.”
I was going to say no. I would not betray Artemis, especially not for a despicable immortal like Hecate. “And if I don’t?”
“Then I shall find you and kill you and your friends,” Hecate snapped. “Either way, Artemis will die, and I will have power over the moon finally.”
“It’s just a moon!” I protested.
Hecate bared her fangs. “It is not only that! I was supposed to become an Olympian when Artemis did, but she broke her promise. If you were in my position, Raine Strike, perhaps you would not be so incredulous.”
“I am not going to bring anyone to this island for you, Hecate,” I spat at her. “Not an immortal, not a demigod, not even a stupid hellhound.” A demon canine growl echoed from a pack of furry black bodies.
Hecate raided her eyebrows. “Oh, no? I am psychic. I know what will happen. But, since you will not accept my terms now, prepare to perish.” She signaled to the monster army and legions of hellhounds and empousae charged at me. Hecate herself rose far above the sea to watch my destruction. I held out my sword to try to desperately fight these hundreds of monsters until I heard a familiar voice.
“Raine!” Appearing out onto the beach were Brooke, Rose, Andrea, and Kayla. Each of them had a weapon, bow-and-arrows or sword, and was running towards the monsters. Brooke stood, firing arrow after arrow at the monsters, who were just beginning to realize they had more than one target now. Rose’s blue eyes glowed and tsunami waves surged high above the monsters, completely avoiding me, and drowned many of them. Kayla and Andrea just shot arrows, some going to the totally wrong place, some hitting the monsters. I continued to slash at whatever monsters Hecate threw at me, but they all received the same fate.
Hecate snarled above us, and two balls of fiery magic appeared into her hands. She tossed them down at me, and one of them hit my shoulder. I quickly doused the flames out, but I still felt as if I was on fire. Most of my energy was drained. I summoned another bolt of lightning, which Hecate dodged barely. She yelped with surprise and glared down at me. The monster army was all dead, leaving me to run back to the shore somewhat safely. Rose was in combat with Sierra using the gift from her dad, Cascade. Sierra had forged a sword made from magic, and she was clearly a skilled sword master. Rose seemed to have met her match.
Brooke yelled, “Come on!” and nimbly dashed in the direction from which they came. Kayla and Andrea followed after her, and I had to help Rose get away from Sierra. I slashed a good-sized cut on her arm and used my hilt to knock her down.
“That’s for before,” I told her, but I was pretty certain she was unconscious. Rose and I took to the woods too, but I could hear Hecate’s angry calls behind us. I looked back for a second, and the witch’s eyes were burning fire-red until she waved her hand and the air folded, engulfing the goddess. I commanded the storm to recede and the sky to clear. It obeyed and I could feel the moonlight on my wounded shoulders again as I ran after everyone else.
Eventually we stopped by a creek when everything was silent. The night was still and the stars twinkled quietly over the palm trees’ canopy. The only noise was our breathing and the rustle of the water running over the pebble streambed. Soon, someone broke the silence.
“Who was that?” Rose asked. “What happened?”
I told them about Sierra by the fire and then about Hecate. Brooke was startled when I told them about Heather, but she looked thoughtful.
“I don’t think Heather is on this island,” the daughter of Athena said.
“What?” I asked. “Why not?”
“Immortals do not often lie to insignificant mortals,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“No,” Brooke said. “I didn’t mean to call you insignificant, but they don’t. It’s beneath their dignity.”
“Oh,” I said. “But they’re just fine with attacking us.” Brooke shrugged. I furrowed my eyebrows and faced the dark trees behind us. I flinched when I heard a twig crackle, and apparently, so did the others. My hand flashed instinctively out with Lightning Strike, and Brooke shouldered her bow. But Kayla’s dark face darkened even more, which was hard to notice, especially in this shadowy, gloomy forest, but it was evident. She moved her foot to show a small kindling branch that was now snapped in two.
“S-sorry,” Kayla muttered sheepishly.
“Gods, Kayla,” I breathed. “I nearly had a heart attack.”
“I said sorry!”
I shivered once, and heard Andrea beside me shuffle. “Just be happy it wasn’t one of Hecate’s minions,” she growled. I turned to her and found her brown eyes boring into mine, fiery and searching, like this was entirely my fault. I noticed something different about her. Her hair, usually so short, like a boy’s, was longer and her face wasn’t happy and cheerful. Not that I expected it to be, after what had just occurred, but the demigod’s face was not even fearful. She was as intimidating as our pursuers.
“Because I have a lot to be grateful for,” I hissed back at her. I didn’t like her mood.
Andrea narrowed her eyes to slits.
Rose mumbled with wide blue eyes. “Don’t fight.”
“Mind your own business, Rose,” I snarled. Rose was taken aback, flinching.
I didn’t even see Kayla move. She was like a shadow, flitting unseen in the night-cloaked woods. But suddenly she was standing between Andrea and me. “We shouldn’t fight among ourselves. We still have an enemy following us.”
“We did,” Andrea growled. “But they’re gone.”
“No,” Kayla insisted. “They haven’t left.” Her head raised in the direction we’d fled. “I…I just have this feeling.”
Andrea snorted, but not in her old amused way. She snorted more like she had just smelled something foul. “Why should we believe you? You’re not like Brooke or Rose. You don’t even know what you’re doing.”
“I do!” Kayla insisted once more. “I can sense their presence. It’s like…I can see them.”
“See them?” Rose echoed.
“Their forms are little flickers of light. The vampires are purple lights, the hellhounds are dark gray---they are the hardest to see---and…Sierra’s light is golden.”
“Gold, huh?” I snorted. “Like she did anything to deserve that.” I was trying to be good-humored, light about the situation, but I was frightened. How could Kayla do this?
“She is half-human,” Kayla explained. “So her light is yellowish, not as bright as a god, but since god’s lights are pure gold, she is shiny.”
“Wonderful,” Andrea said darkly. “Rose can make waves, Raine can shoot lightning, and Kayla can see colors. What a gift.”
Kayla glared at her. “It’s just something I can do.”
“That’s useful information,” Brooke said helpfully. “We can tell where they are. They’re shining you say?”
“Yes! They are shining more than the sun!”
Brooke smiled satisfactorily. “Then we shall know when they are coming. Easy.”
I frowned. Kayla must’ve been imagining things. No one, not even the goddess Hecate, had been shining. We didn’t know how far away Sierra and the army was, but if they were shining more than the sun, we should have been able to see them.
“How close are they, Kayla?” Rose asked with new respect.
“Not far. We should leave. Now.” Kayla’s eye widened. “I can see their light through the trees…”
I looked around and saw nothing. I was almost certain Kayla was going crazy. But then a heard a dog bark and an empousa hiss. “Let’s go.”
And there we went, fleeing once more.

Andrea was as swift and fleet-footed as the most of us, but now she was lagging behind. I slowed myself to her pace, and nudged her forward. Andrea glared at me, and stopped dead in her tracks, arms folded across her chest.
“You idiot!” I hissed under my breath. “Do you want to get caught?”
Andrea opened her mouth and her eyes flashed indignantly, as if she was going to say, ‘Yes. Yes I do!’ But her pursed her lips, and took off after me.
It was not long before we reached our original shore. It looked like all the rest, minus the ravenous goddess and the gaining army, but they would be here soon. But standing with two demigods behind her was our old friend Lea, her brown hair blowing in the faint, warm breeze. Her brown eyes were black in this light. She looked expectant, her eyes saying, ‘Where have you been? You’ve kept me waiting for so long.’ I clenched my teeth at her annoying attitude, but I was sure it was just me. I didn’t like the daughter of Iris anyway.
Iris’ child looked over us with thoughtful eyes. “What happened to you?”
I shook my head. “No time. Get us out of here.”
Behind Lea, Piper, the child of Thetis, and Caden, the Hermes boy, stood on either side of her, like bodyguards. That was probably what they were. But Caden looked strange, a dark, hard-as-stone look on his young, boyish face. He couldn’t have been more than nine. So young to wear such an adult, hard face. Too young to be facing death.
“Why?” Piper piped up. “We heard screeching about a half hour ago…”
“Silence, Piper,” Lea ordered. Her eyes were stony and flat. “First you don’t want me here. Now you want my help. Choose, Strike.”
My heart was racing and Kayla was stricken with horror. She gasped. “The lights…so bright!”
Lea’s eyes were wide. “What is wrong with her?”
“Lights!”
“She’s…afraid,” I explained hurriedly. Sure, sure, I suppose that’s a good word for her.
“What was all of that about lights…”
“No time!” Brooke hissed. “An army is after us. Please, Lea, for all that you hold sacred, get us away from here!”
Lea looked back at Caden and Piper. Piper tugged at the bottom of her silvery teal shirt while little Caden pouted. Her eyes softened when she gazed at Caden’s face, now growing fearful, and she bit her lip. Lea raised her head with a determined expression. She turned back to us. “Alright, demigods. You can come along.”
I sighed with relief. “Thank the gods. Now, come on, we have to…”
That was when the first line of monster enemies jumped onto the beach.
I readied Lightning Strike, still wet from its trip to the ocean, glinting gold in the darkness. Brooke had out her bow, but when she reached for an arrow in the quiver, there were none. She hissed in frustration, and pulled out an old gray training sword, something she’d thought she’d never need. It looked unbalanced and heavy and completely useless. I took a step to the right to stand protectively in front of the daughter of Athena. Rose was at my side with Cascade glowing a beautiful cerulean blue. Andrea…well, she was standing beside Brooke, no weapon and the most at ease gaze on the entire island. Kayla was horrified, muttering, “Lights, lights!” She would be no use to us.
Lea shouted a command to Caden and Piper, barely heard over the barks and growls of the hellhounds, the shrieks and hissing of the vampire empousae. The two demigods were upon the ship in an instant, and the Dapple was being readied for battle and a quick escape.
Lea herself was wielding a black-iron sword, long and thin, and she was next to me with fierce brown eyes. Suddenly there was a glow and I had to shield my eyes.
I did in fact see a glow, as Kayla had predicted. But unlike her ‘sightings’ of gold/yellow, black and dark gray, this was dark, yes, but distinctly silver, like the moon if it were evil. If this wasn’t the moon’s dark side, I didn’t know what was. And then Hecate appeared in the glory of the dark silver.
Sierra was near her mother, the mutts Cheimon and Laliapas by her legs, barking and snarling.
“You thought you could escape,” Hecate hissed. “You thought you could defy me, the all-powerful, immortal Hecate? Think again, puny hero.” Her now mostly-red eyes shone with pure hatred. Two snakes made of magic fire rose from the sand: cobras the size of palm trees.
Caden had fluttered back to the sands, and he stared up at the colorful snakes with wide, frightened young eyes. One of the snakes spat venom at the little child of Hermes, a clear enemy to them, and the young boy screamed at the fiery sting of the acid. Lea flew at them with open rage, but instead of attacking the monstrous snakes, she stood in front of the twitching wing-foot boy, crouching over him protectively. “Touch him once more, goddess, and I’ll destroy you.”
Hecate looked upon the fierce demigod with a venomous glare. “Oh yes, daughter of Iris? What would you do? Harm me with rainbows?”
The empousae hissed with snaky laughter.
“Nothing more than mist and color?”
Lea’s eyes were daggers, but I gave her a warning look. I hated Hecate…but attacking wasn’t the best idea---I knew first-hand. Kayla was still cowering, muttering, and she was visibly shaking. I wondered if she was going insane.
Andrea looked back at the Dapple. The ship had a bronze cannon aimed at the shore, and Piper was staring down at me, calling something out. I met her silvery blue eyes. She was telling us to duck.
“Hit the sand!” I told my friends, and I threw myself to the ground. The others, though confused, did the same, all except for Kayla, who I had to pull down. There was a loud bang and a celestial bronze cannonball burst out of nowhere. Monsters were destroyed, and Hecate was even more furious. “Attack them!” she shrieked.
A surging wave of demons charged us, and we scrambled to our feet, retreating to the Dapple. Sierra hissed gleefully, “Cowards!”
I was swifter than most of the others, especially Caden and Lea. Caden was limping and eventually Lea swept his feet off the ground and caught his head, carrying the injured son of the messenger god to their vessel. And then there was Kayla. She was shivered, hardly running at all. The army was nearly upon her.
I stopped short and let the others pass me. Rose looked back for a moment. “Are you crazy?”
I didn’t answer.
“This is no time for heroics!” Brooke yelled.
I said nothing. I was next to Kayla while she trailed towards the ship, protecting her back, slicing anything that dared come near. But soon the army was becoming too much.
Artemis, help me! I prayed to the moon goddess, hoping she’d hear it. But then there was a wave of silver, covering the monsters. At first nothing happened…but then the monsters were rushed sharply backward back to Hecate. They laid sprawled on the sand, whatever was left, and Hecate snarled up at the moon. “Curse you, goddess!” She eyed me with horrible eyes. “I shall kill you myself.” The purple-black wings appeared and she was flying with the swiftest speed toward us.
“Kayla, run!” I yelled, and I seemed to wake her from her trance. The dark demigod opened her eyes wide, and ran as fast as she could. I followed her at her now-quick pace, and soon we reached the ship. The wave rose to bring us to the deck, and we splashed on the sleek wooden floor. Hecate was gaining.
“Get us out of here, get out!” I yelled at Lea. The Athena boy, Conor, was at the wheel.
“The ship won’t start!” he yelled back desperately.
“What?!” I shrieked. “How could it not start?!”
“It just won’t!”
“Sabotage,” Lea murmured. Andrea’s dark eyes were glittering.
“We’re dead,” Piper said softly but fearfully.
“No!” Rose said gleefully. “I-I can get the ship to move. Piper, I need your help.” And soon the two demigods were controlling the waves to send the ship like a speedboat over the waves at the speed of light.
Hecate wailed behind us; apparently even the goddess was not fast enough to keep up. I wondered why the witch couldn’t just teleport like most. I smiled at the moon. Artemis must have preventing her from doing that.
Thank you…

I was sitting by Kayla on the moon-washed deck. Everyone else was asleep---Rose and her Thetis-child friend had practically set the waves on autopilot. The demigods slept on beds on a lower deck, something I was still not ready to do. I had not slept in a little while and I was exhausted---I couldn’t do it yet. And neither could Kayla.
“I feel so useless,” Kayla told me quietly.
“You’re not useless.”
“Yes, I am!” she insisted. She scanned my face with her deep brown eyes. “While you were ready to fight I was having a freaking fit!”
My gold gaze clouded. I didn’t know what to say about her weird trance. But then something clicked. “maybe that has something to do with your dad.”
Kayla frowned even more. “What?”
“Your dad,” I repeated. “How you could see those lights…like the future. Maybe you’re the daughter of Apollo.”
“Apollo?”
“The sun god.”
“I know who Apollo is,” Kayla said, rolling her eyes. “But I’d like to know why.”
“He is also the god of prophecy, the god of oracles,” I explained. “That would make sense, like what you were doing before. That could be your power.”
“I guess…” Kayla murmured. “Maybe. Thanks, Raine.”
“And you aren’t worthless,” I promised firmly. “If you hadn’t sensed Hecate’s monsters near, then we might not have run in time.”
Kayla smiled softly at that. “Yeah. Hecate’s monsters…and Sierra. You forgot about her.”
I smiled. “No, I didn’t.”
Kayla laughed. Then her smile faded and she gazed at me earnestly. “Thank you, Raine. I needed a little spirit-lifting.”
“We all do.”
“Still,” Kayla said. “Thanks.”
“You helped me when I was down. Now I’m helping you.”
She grinned again. “At least you’re using your powers again.”
“I have it under control. I…think.”
“That’s something,” Kayla said, shrugging one shoulder. She yawned a wide yawn.
“Good night, Raine,” Kayla told quietly. She started towards the door leading downstairs, and looked back at me. “You coming?”
I hesitated, but then I gave in to my tiredness. “Yeah, I’m coming.”
I followed Kayla into the nearly-utter darkness, glancing once more at the comfort of the moon. And then I ducked into the black.
I found myself a bed a little away from everyone else’s. I wasn’t sure why---I just felt comfortable. I settled down and closed my eyes.
I fell asleep instantly.