Chapter Twelve: The Rainbow Arch

Hestie sat beside Jinsoo on Jinsoo’s twin bed watching Naruto with him on her phone, which they’d plugged in. Mina sat beside Hermie on Mina’s bed watching the same episode on Hermie’s phone. Poros had gone to take a shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. Hestie planned to do the same when he was finished but was waiting because the water pressure on the ship was poorly affected by two people showering at once.

Unless, of course, they were in the same shower.

Hestie blushed, hoping she hadn’t accidentally prayed that thought to Poros. It was something to get used to, the difference between thinking about someone and praying to them.

It wasn’t long before Poros rejoined them. She could smell his clean hair, still wet and a little curly where it hung over his ears and at the nape of his neck. The wetness of his hair made it appear darker than its usual blond and made his stunning gray eyes even that much more spectacular. Without realizing it, she was thinking, You are one fine specimen, Poros.

I think the very same of you, Hestie.

She averted her eyes and cursed herself for not being more careful.

Let’s go to my quarters, he said to her telepathically. I want to talk to you.

Nervously, she handed her phone over to Jinsoo and followed Poros from the room.

“I need to take a shower,” she said, once they were in the hall and entering Poros’s room. She felt self-conscious, even though she’d come to realize that gods can go much longer without showering before they smell.

Poros closed the door behind them and sat on his bed. “I just want to say something to you first.”

He patted the bed beside him, indicating to her that he wanted her to sit.

She hoped he couldn’t hear her heartbeat speed up as she sat next to him. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“Does that mean you’re a seer?” He laughed.

“No.” She thought of Lynn. “Of course not.”

“Then hear me out.”

“It’s just that now’s not the time.”

He shook his head. “And why is that?”

“Um, because, hello, we’re at war.”

“The gods are always in conflict with one another,” Poros said. “That’s one of the reasons Prometheus keeps to himself.”

“We can’t just keep to ourselves.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“This is your destiny,” she reminded him.

“I know that.”

“Then what are you trying to say?”

He took her hand. “If you make me wait until the conflicts are over, I may never get to kiss you.”

She pulled her hand away, overwhelmed by his touch and his words. She stood up and fidgeted near the door. She’d never been in a relationship before. Kissing a boy was no small thing to her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

She turned to face him “I need time. I’ve had a lot to take in, lately.”

He grinned. “No worries. I can wait.”

She heaved a sigh of relief.

“But you do want to kiss me,” he said, still grinning. “Even if you don’t know it yet.”

It was true. She did. But she was scared. She’d rather rush into battle with a million monsters than kiss a boy.

“I’m going to take my shower now, smartie pants,” she said bravely, even though his words had left her trembling.

***

 

Morpheus followed Iris through her rainbow arch from the Underworld to Mount Olympus, but when they reached the end of it, they found it blocked.

“Someone has sealed it shut with wards,” Iris said.

“Can you unseal it?”

“I don’t think so.” Then she added, “This could be a trap.”

Morpheus’s stomach clenched. “They knew we’d come back to spy on them.”

“We should go.”

“Wait,” Morpheus said. “I can hear them talking. Listen.”

Zeus’s loud voice exploded from the great hall of the palace below. “You of all people should know that I never lose, Hades!”

“It’s not over yet,” came the voice of Poseidon.

Zeus laughed a horrendous, arrogant, and malignant laugh. “Oh, I’d say it’s over. I’ve got the trident and the helm and the two of you trapped. All I need now is a seer.”

Morpheus gave Iris a worried look. “We’re doomed.”

“Don’t say that. Let’s get out of here before someone catches us.”

As they turned to go, Morpheus felt a presence emerge near the sealed end of the arch. He turned back to see Nike grinning at him.

“Go!” he shouted to Iris as he flew through the arch toward the Underworld.

He stopped short when Deimos appeared and blocked the path.

Morpheus grabbed Iris’s hand and was about to god travel away, when Nike struck him with her spear and threw adamantine cuffs around Iris’s wrists.

“You’re coming with us,” Deimos said haughtily.

Deimos cuffed Morpheus before he could remove the spear, and then he and Iris were hauled through the arch down to Mount Olympus, to the great hall, where many of the gods were gathered. Morpheus gaped at the troubling spectacle of the great Lord Hades in one bird cage and the formidable Poseidon in the other. Without those two powerful gods, the rebellion was surely lost.

“Ah, Morpheus,” Zeus said coolly. “Just the person I was hoping to find.”

“You set me free, remember?”

“Well, yes,” Zeus said. “But, you see, now I’ve captured you again.”

Morpheus glanced at Iris.

“Morpheus,” Zeus continued. “You never told me the name of that seer you found in Colorado.”

“I can’t remember her name,” Morpheus lied.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Zeus taunted with his tongue. “That’s too bad. I suppose I could rip the wings from your girlfriend, to see if that jogs your memory.”

Iris broke into tears. “Please my Lord.” Then to Hera, she said, “My Lady, please don’t let him take my wings.”

“Let her go,” Morpheus said. “Let her go, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

“Keep your mouth shut!” Hades growled from his cage.

As much as Morpheus wanted to obey Lord Hades, he couldn’t allow Iris to undergo the same excruciating pain as he had a few days ago. And there was a chance she’d never get her wings back.

“Ares,” Zeus said. “Pull off one of Iris’s wings. Just one.”

As Ares moved toward Iris, Morpheus shouted, “I’ll talk!”

“Then quit stalling!” Ares shouted back.

Full of desperation and self-loathing, Morpheus said, “Her name is Lynn. She’s Therese’s little sister.”

Through his tears, Morpheus was mortified by the smiles that crossed the faces of Zeus, Hera, and Ares.

Ares turned to Phobos and Deimos. “You boys know what to do.”

***

 

Hermie laughed at the scene from Naruto playing on his phone. Mina did, too.

“You’re cute when you laugh,” he said.

“Only when I laugh?”

“Get a room,” Jinsoo teased.

Hermie did wish he and Mina were alone. Now that things were relatively calm, he wanted to kiss her.

“You get a room!” Mina said to her brother.

Jinsoo was about to get up and leave when Hermie’s phone rang. It was Lynn calling, so he answered it.

“Thank goodness,” Lynn said. “Hestie didn’t answer.”

“Oh, I think she’s taking a shower,” he said into the phone.

“I just had the weirdest vision,” Lynn said. “It was so real, and I was awake this time.”

“What was it?” Hermie asked.

“Your parents turned into monkeys and ran through a jungle.”

Hermie laughed. “Are you sure you were awake when you saw that?”

“I’m sure,” Lynn said. “They were being chased by a herd of giant Cyclops.”

“It’s Cyclopeez,” Hermie said.

“Huh?”

“The plural for Cyclops is Cyclopeez.”

“Hermie, I’m trying to be serious here. I think your parents are in danger. It’s a very strong feeling. Even stronger than the dream I had of you getting your head chopped off.”

Hermie stopped breathing.

“Hermie? You there?”

“Uh, huh,” he said, dazed. “So, I get beheaded? That was your dream?”

“Oh, I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that,” Lynn said. “Oops.”

“No,” Hermie agreed, his throat and chest suddenly tight. “I don’t think you were.”

“What’s wrong?” Mina asked.

“Listen, Hermie,” Lynn said over the phone. “You need to find those Cyclops—uh, Cyclopeez and save your parents. I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“And exactly how am I supposed to do that?” Hermie asked.

“Wait,” Lynn said. “It sounds like someone’s here…Who is it?”

Over the phone, Hermie heard the muffled sounds of a skirmish, followed by screams.

“Lynn?” he said into the phone. “Lynn, are you there?”

The call ended. Hermie called Lynn back but got no answer. The phone rang six times and then went to voicemail. Then he tried his Grammie’s phone. No answer. It was the same when he tried calling his Grampie.

“Something’s wrong,” he said to Mina and Jinsoo.

“What happen?” Jinsoo asked.

“I don’t know.” Then Hermie shouted, “Poros! Hestie, come here!”

Poros arrived first. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Lynn,” Hermie began, just as Hestie arrived in nothing but a white towel, with her wet hair plastered down her face, neck, and shoulders.

“What about Lynn?” Hestie asked.

Hermie told them why Lynn had called—about the vision of their parents running from the Cyclopes—and then about the skirmish and screams. “And now she’s not answering. Neither are Grammie and Grampie.”

“We have to do something,” Hestie said to Poros.

“I know where Cyclopes Island is,” Poros said. “But Prometheus will kill me if I leave the ship.”

“God travel isn’t safe right now anyway,” Hermie added. “Especially to a place we’ve never been to before.”

“Then we won’t leave it,” Hestie said. “Let’s set sail. We know how to do it.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Hermie said, thinking of Mina and Jinsoo. “Plus, if we’re going to go into danger, shouldn’t we check on Grammie and Grampie and Lynn, too?”

“Maybe we should split up,” Hestie said.

“Also not a good idea,” Hermie complained.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Hestie said. “What do you think, Poros?”

“It’ll a take a few hours to get to Cyclopes Island. While Hermie and the twins man the ship, you and I can pop over to your grandparents’ place.”

Hermie didn’t like that idea either. “And if you get taken? What will I do about Mom and Dad?”

“We won’t get taken,” Hestie insisted. “We’ll be extra careful.”

Hermie sighed, resigned to the truth that nothing was safe anymore, and they had to do something.

Poros turned to Jinsoo and Mina. “Are y’all okay with sailing across the sea?”

“Sure!” Jinsoo said.

Mina smiled up at Hermie. “Let’s go!”

Hermie followed Mina and Jinsoo to the rigging to check the lines and hoist the sails, while Hestie followed Poros to the cockpit to pull up the anchor and start the engine. Once Poros turned the boat into the wind, he and the twins hoisted.

The sky was overcast, and the wind was strong. Hermie hoped they could manage the ship without Prometheus. He sent out a prayer to the Titan, asking why he hadn’t yet returned, but he received nothing but silence in reply.

As Hermie worked, he also worried about his parents. They hadn’t been gods in fifteen years. What if they’d lost their groove?

“Break the main!” Poros shouted from the cockpit.

Mina and Jinsoo went to work, looking happy to be doing something they knew how to do. Hermie just hoped he and the other gods weren’t leading them into danger.

Once the ship was stabilized and moving in the right direction, Hermie and the twins joined Hestie and Poros on the upper deck, in the cockpit.

“We need a plan,” Hermie said as he scooted onto the couch beside Mina across from where Poros and Hestie were sitting in the swivel chairs. “If we sail straight up to the island, the Cyclopes will see us coming. We should anchor a few miles away and take the dinghy.”

“Good idea.” Poros took a pen and pad from a compartment in the dashboard and drew a map. “Once you get past the Cyclades here,” he pointed to his map, “look for a cove near the tip of the mainland, like the one we just left, somewhere around here. It’s just a few miles away from Cyclopes Island, which is here.” Poros drew an x. “Meanwhile, Hestie and I will go see what’s going on at your grandparents’ house.”

“Shouldn’t I come with you?” Hermie asked. “The twins can sail the ship.”

“We shouldn’t leave them without protection,” Poros said.

“We’ll text you with updates,” Hestie added.

“That is, if we can’t reach you telepathically,” Poros added.

Hermie nodded, feeling conflicted about staying. He wanted to stay. He was afraid to go into danger. But was it really the right thing to do?