Chapter Twelve: The Marcella

 

Hermie offered to help unload the wagon the captain had pulled along the dock to the boat. It contained boxes and sacks of supplies—canned and dry goods, meats, fruits, vegetables, jugs of fresh water, paper products, and medical supplies, from what Hermie could see. Hestie carried his shopping bag of clothes for him while he picked up a heavy box, and they followed the others aboard.

Little did the others know that Hestie was just as capable of carrying heavy boxes, but Hermie wouldn’t rat her out.

Once the wagon was unloaded, Poros left to return it to whichever shopkeeper they’d borrowed it from while the captain put away the goods. Hermie was glad when the captain told Jinsoo and Mina to show Hermie and Hestie to their rooms and to give them a tour of the boat. He liked talking with the other twins—especially with Mina.

He liked her short, wispy dark hair, and her shiny, dark eyes. Her thin lips were always stretched into a bright smile, that created dimples in her cheeks. She was pretty without makeup or fancy clothes. She was simple, practical, and very cute. More importantly to Hermie, she seemed to like him.

They started at the very top of the ship. Hermie, Hestie, and Mina carried their shopping bags with them.

“This flybridge,” Jinsoo said. “Great cockpit, yes?”

“Yes,” Hermie agreed.

He touched one of the two leather captain’s chairs and discovered it swiveled. The controls on the dashboard were computerized. He wished he could study the systems. Maybe the captain would allow him to observe during the trip.

Beneath two built-in flat-screen monitors was the steering wheel, ignition, and a horn. Above, in the corner of the three-sided enclosure, was a silver bell.

He glanced back at Mina, who was watching him with a smile as he took everything in. It was all so impressive, and she seemed pleased that he was pleased.

Behind the two captain’s chairs was an L- shaped couch angled around a small table—both bolted to the deck. Although the three-sided enclosure reached the L-shaped couch, the upper deck extended past it to the back of the boat. The extended deck was separated from the cockpit by three descending steps. One of three masts shot up from the center of it.

“Such a great view,” Hestie said with her hand on the metal rail at the back of the ship.

“Yes. Very nice,” Mina agreed. “We spend most time up here.”

“Come on,” Jinsoo said.

Jinsoo led them down a series of steps to the wrap-around deck that connected to the front deck of the ship.

“This port side,” Jinsoo explained, pointing to their left. “That starboard side.” He pointed to their right.

They entered the interior of the yacht from the port side.

“Galley,” Mina said of what resembled a kitchen.

Hermie was impressed with the u-shaped countertops, built-in sink, three gas-burner stove-top, oven, microwave, and refrigerator. “It has everything.”

“It great,” Jinsoo said. “Get fresh water here.” He opened the refrigerator to show stocked bottles of water. “Recycle bottles there.” He pointed to a bin built in to the lower cupboard. “Trash there.” He pointed to another bin beside it.

In the very front part of the interior of the yacht, built in against the front windows, there was a u-shaped bench around a table, reminding Hermie of the largest booth in their local diner. It was directly across from the kitchen counters. The captain was putting some of the supplies in cabinets beneath the bench and in cupboards in the kitchen.

“This ship is incredible,” Hestie said to him.

“Have you had the full tour already?” he asked.

“Not yet,” she said.

Then Jinsoo pointed to the front of the boat. “Bow.” He pointed to the back of the boat. “Stern.”

Mina repeated, “Left port, right starboard, okay? Front bow, back stern. Got it?”

“Got it,” Hestie replied.

“But aren’t right and left relative?” Hermie pointed out.

“Face front always,” Jinsoo explained. “Port left when facing front and starboard right.”

“Okay?” Mina asked him.

“Okay,” Hermie said.

“There will be a test later,” the captain said with a teasing smile.

Hermie laughed and followed Mina down three steps into another large room.

“Salon,” Jinsoo said.

Another full-length couch stretched across the starboard side. It had a long coffee table in front of it, bolted to the floor. On the port side were two large armchairs. There were cabinets and storage bins in every nook and cranny, but over the armchairs and the couch stretched windows down the length of the room.

“In here, we play games,” Mina said. “You play cards?”

“Yes,” Hermie said. “Magic the Gathering? Yugioh?”

“You play Yugioh?” Mina asked with an even bigger smile. She turned to her brother. “We need more cards!”

Hermie had an awesome deck at home. He wished he had it with him.

“You like anime?” Jinsoo asked him and Hestie.

Hestie frowned but Hermie nodded.

“She only likes Death Note,” he said of his sister. “But I like a lot of anime. I’ve watched all 220 episodes of Naruto and over four hundred episodes of the sequel. I’m about halfway through Berserk on Netflix.”

“I like Death Note, too!” Mina said to Hestie.

“I love L!” Hestie said.

“But Naruto my favorite,” Mina said to Hermie. “We watch together on Captain’s phone, okay?”

“Okay,” Hermie said, trying not to blush.

“Me, too!” Jinsoo said.

Since he attended school and played video games online, Hermie had never had so many friends in person. It felt nice.

“Come on,” Mina said.

She beckoned them toward the back of the salon, toward the stern, Hermie mentally noted, through a door leading to the lowest deck, where they had first boarded the ship. One of the three masts protruded from the decking. There was another couch and table and a stepladder leading down into the sea.

Hermie followed the others down a narrow hatch on the starboard side that led to the hull.

The steps led down to the center of the hull—amidships, according to Jinsoo. Mina explained that there were three cabins in the bow and two in the stern. A laundry room and engine room were amidships.

“A laundry room?” Hestie said with disbelief. “Awesome!”

“You sleep here,” Jinsoo said to Hestie.

Hermie followed them into the bow of the boat. The cabin on the starboard side had a queen-size bed and private bathroom with a walk-in shower.

“You sleep here,” Jinsoo said to Hermie.

The cabin directly across from Hestie’s, on the port side, was identical to hers.

“Nice,” Hermie said, dropping his shopping bag on the bed.

“The head,” Jinsoo pointed. “Bathroom on a ship called the head.”

“Got it.” Hermie pointed to the cabin door between his and his sister’s leading to a room in the very front of the hull—in the bow, he reminded himself. “Who sleeps in that one?”

“Captain, but he not use much,” Jinsoo said. “He like sleeping in cockpit.”

“Sometime we use it for customers,” Mina said.

“What about you and Jinsoo?” Hestie asked. “Where do you sleep?”

“In other cabin,” Mina said. “Come on. We show you.”

They followed Mina to the stern of the ship, to a cabin with two twin beds.

“We sleep here,” Mina said. “Poros there.” She pointed to the cabin directly across from hers and Jinsoo’s, to the port side.

“If we have more customers, we sleep in salon,” Jinsoo said.

“The chair and couch make bed,” Mina added.

Hermie looked inside Poros’s room and saw something that surprised him. Hanging on the wall over the bed was an exact replica of Athena’s shield.

***

 

Hip looked up as Cybele, whom they also called Rhea, lifted her manly hands toward Zeus. “Please do not make the same mistake as your father.”

“Which one, Mother?” Zeus asked warily. “He made more than even a god can count.”

“The mistake of putting his crown before his family,” she said.

Zeus’s mouth dropped open. “Do you expect me to hand over my throne to my son?”

“If it better serves your family to do so, yes,” she said.

“If it better serves my family?” he repeated angrily. “How could that possibly better serve my family?” His voice became enraged. “I saved my family from your husband! I overthrew that wicked Titan. And I have ruled in all ways opposite to him, have I not? I even agreed to a more democratic system in what was once a traditional monarchy! What king gives up some of his power if not a good one?”

Hip wanted to point out that Zeus had been forced by the Athena Alliance to create a democracy, but he kept his mouth shut.

Before Cybele could say more, Zeus continued. “I will not roll over and play dead like an old dog so that my inexperienced son can steal the leadership of this council from me.” He grabbed a lightning bolt from behind his throne. As he shouted, “I refuse!”, he thrust it into the sky over Mount Olympus.

The bolt exploded into a thunderous burst of light, shaking the palace walls.

***

 

Hestie glanced inside Poros’s cabin, looking for the sack she’d seen him get from the alley in Patras. Was Poros a thief and a druggie? What else could he have been doing with the gold coin and the pill bottles? The sack was too full to merely be medical supplies for the yacht. There must have been dozens of bottles in there. Was he a drug dealer? Maybe the captain was, too. Maybe they bought and sold drugs all along the coastline.

She gasped when she turned to find Poros standing behind her.

“Like what you see?” he asked, full of double entendre.

As suspicious as she was of him, she couldn’t stop from giggling. He was too cute.

“Where did you get that shield?” Hermie asked.

Hestie hadn’t noticed it, because she’d been too busy looking for drugs. Now that she studied it, where it hung on the wall over the bed, she gasped. It looked exactly like photos she’d seen of Athena’s.

“My mother gave it to me,” Poros said. “It once belonged to my sister.”

“You have a sister?” Hestie asked.

“Yeah, but I’ve never met her. She’s much older and was already out and on her own by the time I was born.”

“What’s her name?” Hermie asked.

“A…” Poros stammered. “Anna.” Then he added, “It’s just for decoration. It’s not a real shield.”

Poros acted as though he was hiding something. Is that where he hid his drugs, behind the shield?

As they all headed back up the stairs—she took the rear—she glared at the back of Poros and, in her mind, asked, “Are you a drug dealer?”

He stopped and turned to face her. “What?”

She flinched and looked up at him with surprise. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Oh. I thought you did.” He turned and continued up the steps.

As she followed, she questioned herself. Had she spoken out loud?

***

 

Morpheus and Iris clung to one another as Zeus raged at Cybele—too close to Morpheus for comfort. Why would the goddess even suggest that the king step down for his family?

After shooting lightning over them and throwing a hissy fit, the lord calmed down, and Morpheus immediately felt less tense.

“I want to know who’s loyal to me,” Zeus said less angrily. “That is the sole purpose of this meeting. Is it too much to ask each of you to swear your allegiance on the River Styx? Would anyone here deny me that?”

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask, Lord Zeus,” Morpheus said. He couldn’t believe he’d spoken out loud. His cheeks burned with embarrassment as everyone in the hall stared at him.

“You, there, Morpheus,” Zeus said with what looked like a twinkle in his eye. “You haven’t disappointed me once since we brought you into the fold. The newest god among us is prepared to swear his allegiance! Let him be an example to the rest of you!”

A huge prideful grin spread across Morpheus’s face. Iris kissed his cheek. He glanced at his father, but his father didn’t return his gaze.

At least his mother smiled back at him, though it wasn’t as bright as Iris’s smile.

“Look at me, Pops,” Morpheus prayed.

Slowly, his father’s eyes met his. Morpheus was baffled. He saw neither pride nor approval in his father’s expression—only fear.

Poseidon stood before his throne. “Dear brother,” he said to Zeus. “The problem with ordering everyone to swear their allegiance on the River Styx is this: They could lie. They could be willing to suffer the consequences of the Maenads as an oath breaker, like Thanatos once did, to hide their guilt. You’ll be no more the wiser. So why command actions that will serve no worthwhile purpose?”

“Ah, Poseidon,” Zeus said narrowing his eyes at the god of the sea. “You bring up an interesting point. But, you see, this is where Apollo comes in. No one can lie before Apollo.”

Morpheus continued to study his father’s face and to wonder where Hades had gone. Were they enemies to Zeus? And if they were, did that make Morpheus an enemy of Zeus, too, and of Iris?

***

 

After they left the harbor and set out for the open sea, and while the crew hoisted the sails, Hermie and Hestie took showers and dressed in their new clothes before meeting Mina in the galley to watch Jinsoo make kimchi for their supper. He had ten heads of green nappa cabbage, which he chopped expertly and soaked in the sink with salt.

“That’s going to make too much food, isn’t it?” Hermie asked from where he sat in the booth between Mina and his sister.

“It last long time,” Mina said.

“We eat this all month,” Jinsoo added.

“You like squid?” Mina asked him.

Hermie glanced at Hestie, who laughed.

“We’ve never tasted it,” Hestie said.

“Jinsoo, let them try your squid kimchi,” Mina said.

Jinsoo took a sealed container from the refrigerator, opened it, and put some on a small plate. He handed Hestie and Hermie each a pair of chopsticks. “Taste.”

The dish was bright red, mushy, and full of juice. The squid looked like it might be alive and swimming in it.

“Try it,” Mina said.

Hermie didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to disappoint his new friends.

He watched as Hestie took a bite.

“Not bad,” Hestie said.

Hermie dipped chopsticks into the soupy veggies and, avoiding the squid, scooped a bite into his mouth.

He hadn’t been expecting the combination of flavors he encountered: sour, sweet, and spicy all in one bite. It wasn’t what he’d call delicious, but it wasn’t awful either. He nodded as he chewed and then said, “Yeah. Not bad.”

But he hoped he wasn’t going to have to eat it every day of the voyage.

“It better with fresh rice and sesame seeds,” Jinsoo said. “I make rice next.”

“Where did you learn to cook, Jinsoo?” Hestie asked.

“Orphanage,” he said.

“How long did you live there?” Hermie asked.

“Twelve year,” Mina replied. “We still have friends there. Jinsoo’s boyfriend.”

“He want to come with us,” Jinsoo said. “But he only thirteen. You have to be fourteen to get job on ship.”

“How long have you been working for the captain?” Hestie asked.

“Six month,” Jinsoo said. “In six more month, my boyfriend can join.”

“But we get new job,” Mina said. “Captain get new orphans, train, and help them get better job. New orphans each year.”

“That’s great that the captain does that,” Hestie said. “Maybe your boyfriend can get a job on the same ship as you, after the captain trains him, so you can be together.”

Hermie wasn’t sure if they were using the term boyfriend correctly. “By boyfriend, do you mean friend or…”

“They love each other,” Mina said. “Not just friend.”

“Cool,” Hestie said.

“What’s his name?” Hermie asked.

“Hanjae,” Jinsoo said.

Hermie imagined it must be hard to be so far away from someone you cared about. This got him thinking about his parents. He’d never been away from them for this many days. “Can you visit him?”

“Yes,” Mina said. “We see him after we drop you at Beijing. We visit all our old friends once a month. Captain takes food and medicine.”

Hermie lifted his brows. “What city?”

“Seoul,” Mina said.

Hermie smiled. “I’ve always wanted to see that city.”

“Shut the truck up, Hermie!” Hestie teased. “You don’t care about Seoul. Now, me, on the other hand, I’m dying to go!”

“You so funny!” Mina said. “Like on show!”

“Maybe we go to Seoul before Beijing?” Jinsoo said.

“That would be awesome,” Hestie said. “But we’re in a hurry to find our relative.”

“Maybe we can make time for one day,” Hermie said.

Hestie bent her brows as she glanced his way, but Hermie only smiled. He began to feel more hopeful about finding Prometheus without the notice of the gods.