The Anomaly

“Help me up,” I said.

He picked me up and held me steady as I concentrated on the date.

“Zoë?”

I think my response was “Hmm?”

“What exactly happened when you collapsed?”

That broke my concentration. “I had another vision. Let’s go and just drop the vision.” I knew he wouldn’t let it drop.

“What was it about?” (See)

“I don’t want to talk about it, alright?”

He probably thought it was something important to my memory, but it just reveals I have an older brother that was taken away and a man disappeared and was so mysterious to me. Now, I felt a missing piece in me whenever I tried to picture his face. And I didn’t know what has happened to my brother or the man. My brother was my major concern. He could be dead or worse. Emphasize on “Worse”.

“Okay then. Well, let’s get going,” he said with a we’ll-talk-about-this-later tone.

I waved my hand and the rip through time opened in front of us. We walked into it and were whizzed back farther into time.

“Jump! NOW!” I yelled at Calvin.

“Why?”

I pointed ahead of us. There was a figure ahead and 500 B.C. The figure was moving toward us and looked hunched over.

“Oh. That’s why.” I heard him say. I whacked him upside the back of his head. “What was that for?” He rubbed the back of his head for a second and then let it down, narrowing his eyes at me.

“That was for not looking,” I answered and then hit him again.

“What was that one for?”

“That was for being stupid and not thinking,” I answered, “ You want another reason that I could hit you again?”

He shook his head.

“Good. I didn’t think so. Now! Jump!” We started to fall as we jumped into 500 B.C.

* * * *
We landed on our backs in sand once again. My eyes were closed but I could hear and smell the ocean. The waves kept crashing on the shore like thunder from a storm. I opened my eyes and sat up. The island looked like a paradise. There was a palace to the right of us. It was huge and was sturdy enough to probably hold off a high tide before it gave in. The island was one that philosophers talked about for thousands of years. The island was…

“Crete,” Calvin mumbled, “Home of the Labyrinth.”

“Which is home to the Minotaur. Hopefully, Hermes will help us out. The Labyrinth is said to be able to go anywhere in Greece. Where’s Mount Olympus?” I think that gave Calvin a shock because his bottom jaw dropped.

“You know if you keep your mouth open like that, it’s going to stay that way.” He still had his mouth open. “What’s wrong?”

He pointed behind me.

“What is… Oh crud,” I said when I turned to see a guy in a tunic (I always think they’re funny on a guy since it is a dress) with a crown on his head had two guards with him. “Oh great. Here’s King Minos. The one who ordered the building of the Labyrinth.”

“Where do thee come from,” the king asked in Greek. I am still guessing he’s King Minos.

“What is he saying,” Calvin finally asked.

Before I could answer Calvin’s question, two spear points came to my throat.

Both guards growled at me and said in Greek, “Answer the King’s question.”

“Fine. I’m Zoë and this is Calvin. Sorry if I don’t bow your majesty, but I have spear points at my neck,” I hissed to the king.

“What a feisty attitude. You must be Spartan and I’ll guess the boy is Athenian. Thank you for bringing him her.” One of the guards spear points left my neck and went to Calvin’s.

“Whoa! No! I am not here with anything. I didn’t steal anything. I’m not a thief,” Calvin tried to explain. He did know his history.

“Your majesty, he is not Athenian and personally I am not Spartan. I come from the future. He’s from it too but he is from America and I am from the second Dark Age.”

“The future? Bah! You’re not from the future. Guards! Seize them and prepare them for the Labyrinth,” the king ordered.

I was right. It was King Minos. One guard dragged me to my feet with my hand up ready for the shackles around his waist. I struggled to get free from his hands but it was like fighting a statue. He shackled me and then knocked me out. Weird people in the past.

* * * *
I woke up shackled to a chair with what seemed to be the same predicament that we were in with the Jackal except we were behind bars and the only source of light was from a barred window above us. I found out that my backpack was still with me and I was tied to Calvin’s chair. Weird.

“Calvin? Calvin! Are you alright?” He groaned. Well, at least he was alive. “Hey Calvin! Wake up,” I thought of something that would wake him, “Hey watch out. It’s Zar.” That made him jump.

“Who? What? Where’s Zar?”

“Zar is not here. But we’re being prepared for the Labyrinth.”

“Great. What did you say to him?”

‘Well, let’s see. I was about to answer your question and got spear points to my neck. I answered King Minos’ question of who we are. I said it with a little bit of an attitude because I’m a little tired with being chased and threatened. Then King Minos said that I was Spartan and you were Athenian. Then he told one of his guards to put a spear at your neck. I told him we were from the future…” I continued on.

“Whoa! The King Minos? The one who claimed to have built the Labyrinth? That Minos,” He asked after I was finished.

“Calvin. Don’t you know your mythology? Daedalus constructed the Labyrinth. His workshop is in the heart of it. If we are sent into the Labyrinth, we have to look for his workshop and ask him the way to Mount Olympus. The time crystal must be in the Council of the Gods.”

“So how are we to find Daedalus’ workshop?”

“Calvin. The Labyrinth is a maze to trick the mind. It holds mysteries inside of mysteries. You might see other mythical beings. The only way to find Daedalus’ workshop is to find the youngest stone in the walls of the maze. Then we try to find his mark.”

“Are you sure you have lost your memory? And how are we going to know what his mark is?”

“Yes. I lost most of my memory. You’ll find out what it looks like.”

“Well, how are we going to avoid getting killed and eaten by the minotaur and other mythical beings,” He asked. A little bit of concern was in his voice.

“If you hear anything that doesn’t seem… Human, run away from it. Don’t try to get killed while running.”

“Great. Well, what do we do when we get to Mount Olympus,” Calvin asked before another voice interrupted.

“Shut up, you two. Get ready.” A guard unlocked the bars and called his buddy to help prepare us. He unshackled us and started to put gear on us.

While one was getting me prepared, he said something to me in English. “You want to find old Daedalus’ workshop, eh? When you enter, follow the stars. Night is when they will send you in.”

“Who are you and why are you helping me,” I whispered to him so I would not draw the other guard’s attention.

The guard preparing me looked up. His eyebrows were upturn and a sly smile came across his face. He had a glint of trickery in his eyes. I could feel power radiating from him. I remember a book picture that looked similar to what the guard’s face looked like. The only things he needed to have was a winged helmet, winged sandals and a caduceus. Then he would like… like…

“Hermes?” That sly smile stayed on but his eyebrows twitched.

“Now, how did you know that Zoë? Most people think I’m just a regular guard,” Hermes snickered. Calvin was having an argument with the other guard.

“Lord Hermes,” I said respectfully, “You radiate great power and your face reminds me of a book that had your picture in it. Items of power if I am remembering correctly. Wait. How do you know me?”

“Zoë,” he shook his head. Still smiling, “I’ve been watching your journey from the very beginning (Of course). I’ve also been watching Dot. She’s doing fine by the way. She recovered a crystal from Egypt and England. You need to start catching up.”

“Well, that means that you probably know what happened to my brother, hmm?” He strapped my breast plate on.

“Your brother has been lost to worse than death. You’ll need to consult with my half-brother Apollo’s Oracle of Delphi to find out more. You have to reach your goal first,” he explained, “But you have help.” He pointed to Calvin who was still arguing with the other guard.

“Why can’t you take us to Mount Olympus, Lord Hermes?”

“Gods or goddess are not allowed to help directly to a mortal. I can only give you one thing to help,” He dropped something in my backpack, “Just say the Greek word for fly and they will activate. I hope to see you on Mount Olympus, Zoë.”

He walked over to the other guard and said something in Greek that I missed and than something that sounded like good luck. Calvin looked like hell (Underworld here). His breast plate was bloody like the rest of his armor. My armor was like the one they used on the TV show called Xena. It was black and had the regular cuts at the bottom with the breast plate that had a gold lining swirling around it.

My splint, (which was on my leg when we were on that beach) was now gone. My scratch that ran up my calf was now exposed behind my leather boot.

Calvin chuckled. “You get nicer armor. Who was the guard you were talking to?”

“Lord Hermes. He told me a way to get to Daedalus’ workshop.” I told Calvin how we were suppose to get in there. Calvin kept repeating himself saying ‘why is he not helping us get to Olympus?’ and ‘what are we going to do?’

“Look. We have to follow the stars when we enter the Labyrinth. It will help us in our quest to Daedalus.”

“What stars do we look for?”

“The one that points the way you want to go.”

“What is it,” he said impatiently.

“The…” I was cut off.

“Let’s go. Nightfall is upon us. You shall be sent into the Labyrinth in moments,” the guard said.

* * * *
Okay, not a good idea even though the Minotaur is Diurnal. Or is it Nocturnal? Hard question to answer. Anyway, they dragged us to the entrance path of the labyrinth. It looked like an old mine with letters etched into the frame.

“What does it say,” Calvin whispered to me.

“It says, ‘Enter if you dare, stuff inside are quite a scare. To find what you desire, you must face the sire. What looks right is wrong and what looks wrong is right, you must end with a fight.”

“Oh. Is that all?” Calvin replied before the guard punched him in the side. Calvin was leaning over, coughing with anger flashing in his eyes.

“Keep Moving!”

We were huddled with Greek people, probably Athenian, ready to go in. Some were trembling, some were panicking. Only one had a bit of courage. I am guessing that he is Theseus. He was 6,1” with light brown hair and in a tunic. He was the gentlemen sent to kill the minotaur in Mythology. I was helping Calvin when Theseus came over to help out.

“You took that punch like a man,” Theseus said as he helped me pick Calvin up.

“Calvin, this gentlemen just said you took that punch like a man,” I translated.

“Well. Thanks man,” Calvin muttered.

“No problem,” Theseus said in English.

“Whoa! You can speak English?” I was more surprised when I said this.

“Of course. My father taught me English.” During the our conversation, Calvin just fell over. No warning at all. Just fell over.

“Could, uh, one of you help me up?”

“Yeah. Sorry Calvin,” I said as I squatted down to help him up.

“Ah. Your name is Calvin and what’s your’s my lady?”

“I’m Zoë. Nice to meet you, uh, Theseus, right?”

“Now how do you know my name, Zoë?”

I picked up Calvin and told him to lean on me. Then I gently touch his side.

“Your going to make a great hero, Theseus. You’re going to make history when you defeat the minotaur.” I pushed my fingers into Calvin’s rib cage.

“OW! Zoë!”

“Shush! His rib cage is broken on the last bones. The guard has a strong punch,” I mumbled onto myself.

I went to my backpack and rummaged through it to find a roll of a rags.

“Theseus, lift his breast plate.”

Theseus untied the breast plate to expose Calvin’s bare chest. Where his broken ribs were, was a bruise that ran clear up his side.

“How bad is it,” Calvin asked as he kept his gaze up at the sky. He didn’t want to see it.

“Um. Pretty…uh…bad,” I stumbled, “you broke a couple of bones out of that punch.”

I started to wrap the rag around him.