Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Hydra’s Lair
Than held her hand, and together they god traveled, the invisible plastic wrapping itself around her, until she opened her eyes and found herself at the bottom of a massive grassy hill. Over a mile away, at the very top, was a structure she couldn’t quite see.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a castle. Was a castle,” Than said. “Nothing but ruins now.”
“Where are we?” She used her hand as a visor against the just-rising sun—a strange sight when a few minutes ago, it was nearly midnight.
“Eastern side of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.”
She punched his arm. “I suck at world geography. Can you be less specific?”
He laughed. “Greece. And this is Larissa Hill. Ancient Argos once stood here. The modern Argos is there, further down. See it?”
She turned around to discover hundreds of buildings and streets and cars, all modern and bustling with activity in the early dawn. “But where’s the water? I thought the Hydra lived underwater.”
“She does. Centuries ago, there was a lake here. Lerna. It’s all dried up, but, if you look carefully along the base of this hill, you can still find signs of it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Beneath this hill lies a system of ducts. Most of the tunnels are dry or have a little water, maybe ankle deep. They connect several sinkholes.”
“Sinkholes?”
“Little pools formed by underground springs that run from the Aegean Sea.”
“Are you saying the Hydra lives beneath his hill?”
“Exactly.”
“And the entrance to the Underworld?”
“Also beneath this hill.”
She sucked in air and shuddered. “How do we get inside?”
He squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I can do this. Tell me.”
“You could crawl in through a tunnel, but since you have your traveling robe, we’ll god travel in. Here’s the thing, though: this hill is full of solid rock. You have to focus on a very specific location in order to be successful. That’s why I want to take you with me first.”
“So far so good.”
“But…”
“There’s a but?”
“Yeah. ‘Fraid so.”
She nodded, bracing herself.
“The Hydra could be anywhere. The tunnel I choose could be the very one she’s hanging out in.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Great.”
“So what I want to practice with you tonight, er,” he looked at the sun-filled sky, “this morning, I mean, is split-second travel. I want you to learn how to leave a position before you’ve arrived.”
“Huh?”
“You know that feeling you get when you god travel, that pressure all around you?”
“Like invisible plastic wrap.”
“Okay. Plastic wrap? Or more like a thin blanket.”
“A tight thin blanket,” Therese added.
“Okay. Anyway, just as that blanket begins to release, before you’ve completely landed, inspect the location.”
“You mean open my eyes?”
He took a step back and covered his heart with his free hand. “You’ve been traveling all this time with your eyes closed? Are you serious? You’re lucky to be alive.”
“But it’s so bright.”
“Not too bright. You can handle it. Promise me you’ll keep them open from now on.”
“I promise.”
“Come on. Let’s go over by those rocks. Ready?”
She nodded and squeezed his hand.
“Don’t close your eyes, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Focus.”
“I am. Let’s go.”
The invisible plastic wrapped itself around her and she resisted the urge to close her eyes as brightness surrounded her from every direction. Before the plastic released itself, she saw the boulders coming into focus just as her feet were touching the ground.
“I could see!” she said when they landed. “I saw these rocks before we arrived!”
“Good. Now, what I want you to do is go back where we started, without me, but before you land, return here.”
“How do I do that?”
“Just as the pressure gives, and you see that tall weed over there, will yourself back here by my side. You have to focus, okay?”
She nodded, releasing his hand. “Here I go.” The pressure and brightness returned, but an image of Clifford on her bed entered her mind and she saw her room materializing around her. Before she landed, she thought of Than and the boulders, and she instantly returned to his side, but felt jolted, lost her balance, and fell on her bottom on the ground at his feet.
He cupped his hands beneath her armpits and helped her to her feet. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but looks like you’re getting the idea.”
“I went home, on accident.” She dusted grass and dirt from the back of her traveling robe and jeans.
“I know. It’s okay. If you need to get away from the Hydra, just go there, to your room. Any place is fine. You just want to get away, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I want to take you into her lair and show you around. I want you to see the entrance to the Underworld, because if you can god travel straight there, then you might be able to slip inside without ever having to face the Hydra.”
“That would be awesome.”
“Yeah, but unfortunately, this little practice run of ours will make her angry and more alert. You’ll want to wait a few days before you come back and try it on your own. Even if we get lucky and she doesn’t spot us, she’ll know we’ve been here by our scent.”
“Great.”
“Ready?”
“Don’t let go.” She took his hand, feeling less frightened than excited with him beside her.
The invisible plastic wrapped itself around her as the bright lights came from all directions. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the walls of the cavern come into view, but when they finally landed in a few inches of cold water, they were surrounded by complete darkness.
“I can’t see,” she whispered, clinging to his arm.
“Oh, I forgot. Humans can’t see in the dark.”
His body took on a soft glow, illuminating the tunnel a few yards in each direction. He looked amazing, like an angel. She whispered, “Wow.”
“What?” he whispered back.
“Nothing.” She felt herself blushing. “So, um, can you see in the dark?”
“Yeah. I guess you’ll need to bring a light with you when you come on your own.”
“Guess so.”
“Now look here.” He touched a thin column of rock beside him shaped like an hour glass and as tall as Therese. “Focus on this image when you travel here on your own, okay?”
“Got it.” They were still whispering, hoping not to be heard by the Hydra.
“If the Hydra’s waiting for you, go back to your bedroom before you land and try again another day, okay?”
“Okay.”
“On the other side of this column is the sinkhole.”
They sloshed through the shallow water to a heart-shaped pool about three yards in diameter.
“That’s the entrance there.”
“What, you dive in?”
“Yeah. You swim down a few feet and pop up on the other side, right into the Underworld. Ready?”
Something moved just beneath the surface as Therese peered at her and Than’s reflections. Before she could speak, that something shot straight up—a long, serpentine neck ringed with scales that sparkled like abalone in Than’s glow. At the top of the neck was an enormous dragon head with ferocious eyes and teeth, its mouth open and lunging for her. She stared, frozen and heavy, unable to move. In the next instant, the pressure wrapped around her, and she and Than arrived back inside her bedroom, startling Clifford from his nap on her bed.
Than put his hands on her shoulders and studied her face. “You okay?”
She could tell her eyes were wide, her face pale. Nodding, she asked, “Was that…?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought she had nine heads or something.”
“Not anymore. Only one was immortal. Hercules slayed and seared the others.”
“Oh.” Not that it mattered. The one remaining head was big enough to eat her whole.
Than released her to pace the room. “If she’s nesting in the sinkhole, you won’t make it past her alive.”
She couldn’t imagine going back and looking over the heart-shaped pool, waiting, only to have that huge head pop out at her again. She’d nearly peed in her pants. “There’s no way to tell where she is beforehand?”
“Not that I know of.”
“What if I lure her away from the entrance?”
“How?”
“What does she eat?”
“Fish. But she loves cake, too.”
“I could put a cake at one end of her lair. When I see her coming for it, I could god-travel to the heart-shaped pool.”
He smiled at her as he took her in his arms. “That might just work, you clever girl.”
“You’ll need to take me in once more. To show me another place to god travel to.”
“We’ll practice as long as we can, but, first, kiss me.”