From Titans (Book 4) (19 page)

My heart shattered. She
left to meet with Sky. Sky would be very disappointed when I
wasn
’
t there to be traded. It was going to crush her as it had
me.

After time had passed,
Eris hummed a happy tune walking into the room. “Look what
I
’
ve
got.”

Eris showed me a small bottle, about the
size of my pinky and filled with what looked like gold glitter.

I arched an eyebrow as if
to say, “
I
don’
t give a
crap.
”

“
Oh, sorry.” She took the
leaf off my mouth. “There, now you can talk.”

I moved my lips and
stretched my jaw to ease the stiffness. “Where
’
s Sky?”

She gave me no expression, but her lips
pressed together tightly. “She went back home,” she finally
answered. “Like I said before, I have other plans. Anyway…” she
tugged the branch around my waist to pull me up to stand. “You have
to come witness this exciting moment with me.” She lifted the
bottle in front of me. “Do you know what this is?”

“
I
don’
t care,” I replied flatly, shifting my
attention to the floor.

“
This water is going to
turn anything I want into gold.” Her eyes glistened in victory, and
her tone rose with elation.

“
Like I said before, I
don
’
t care.” I gave her the same dead tone.

She ignored how I felt and tugged me out of
her room and into the garden where I had last seen Sky. I pictured
Sky standing a few feet away out of my reach, longing to touch me.
And I her. But that was a distant memory.

“
Watch this, Mason. When I
sprinkle a few drops of this, it will turn the tree and the apples
into gold.”

I didn
’
t want to do anything
she asked, but her squeaky excitement broke me out of my thoughts
and curiosity got the best of me. I
’
d heard of the gold water in the
Land of Reverse before, but I thought it was a myth. Skylar had
actually been there. She held up her end of the bargain. Eris made
me even angrier and more determined to make her pay for causing so
much grief to my Sky.

Opening a bottle, she peered up to the tree
next to us. Then with a wave of her hand, several drops fell on the
trunk of the tree.

Nothing.

We waited.

Nothing.

She did it again.

Nothing.

“
She better not have given
me fake gold water,” she snarled. Then her tone softened,
whimpering, her eyes filled with hope. “Maybe we just have to
wait.”

We waited.

Waited.

I didn
’
t know how much time
had passed, but Sky had obviously tricked her, or the gold water
really didn
’
t exist.

“
That
’
s what you get for not
keeping your end of the bargain.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Sky
must have known you were going to trick her. You have to know one
thing about Sky: she is a fair person and keeps her words to those
who will do the same. You could
’
ve had the magic water instead of
me. I
’
m so flattered.” I scoffed.

Eris threw the bottle
across the garden and screamed in the highest pitch possible. All
the apples on the tree she tried to turn gold dropped from the
branches by her magic. I had to duck and cover my head from getting
hit. One hit Eris
’
s head, breaking her out of her
tantrum. She cursed and threw several apples. I chuckled at the
comical situation.

“
She
’
s going to pay for
this dearly,” she seethed. “It
’
s time for the hunt.” Her eyes
pierced mine with so much anger and hatred that for the first time,
she actually gave me dire chills down my spine.

Skylar

While everyone researched the possible
contents of the Labyrinth, I volunteered to meet with the Oracles
about the thread theory. As soon as I took a step into New Olympus,
the familiar warm breeze calmed me, and my muscles relaxed. The
Oracles must have sensed I was coming. They sat at the meeting
room, already seated on their thrones instead of making a grand
entrance. The walk toward them seemed longer than it should have as
my shoes squeaked on the white, polished floor.

“
Skylar,
we
’
ve been expecting you.” As usual, Zara
’
s tone was soft and
motherly.

“
Hello Zara, Tara, and
Cara,” I greeted them, smiling.

Sitting prim and proper, Tara and Cara
smiled politely and tipped their heads as a way of greeting without
saying a word. Their long, flowy gowns resembled the dress the good
witch from Wizard of Oz wore, fluffy and beautiful.

“
I
’
ve come to ask for your
help,” I stated, taking a breath. “I need something only I can
detect that will help us find our starting point from the
Labyrinth. As you already know, it has been said no one came out of
the Labyrinth except for Theseus.”

“
Because he had a long
thread he used to mark his way back,” Zara finished for me. “Noah
filled me in on the details. I
’
m on top of it, Skylar. I was
just waiting for you to ask.”

“
Oh, thank you,” I said
hesitantly. I didn
’
t want to sound demanding, so I
waited to see what she would say next; however, it would be a long
explanation. Zara enjoyed talking.

“
My sisters and I have
thought this out thoroughly. What could we create to ensure your
way back home without others knowing? Others, as in Cronus or
whatever creatures that may be placed in the Labyrinth. What kind
of object could do such a thing? Theseus had a thread. It could
have been broken. It could have run out. He left lots of what ifs.
So we came up with something you can easily hold and not
lose.”

Zara reached inside her dress and pulled out
an item that looked like a pen. A Sharpie? My jaw dropped. It had
to be so much more.

“
Oh, Skylar,
don
’
t look so shocked. I promise it
’
s more than a pen.” Zara spread
her lips, amused by my expression. “Here. Click it and walk around
the room.”

I did as she asked. A
silver, misty line followed behind me, every step, every turn, and
the line never faded. As I continued to pace and circle around the
meeting table, it continued to follow me. I drew my hand across it
to see if it would disappear, but it didn
’
t. A zig-zag of silver,
translucent mist covered the room.

“
The line is invisible to
everyone else, except for the one who holds the pen,” Zara stated.
“The person holding the pen will guide everyone back
home.”

“
Can you see the lines?” I
asked, going back to where I
’
d started.

“
Yes, we can, but only
because we designed it.”

“
What happens if I click
it off?”

“
Why
don
’
t you try it?”

I did. They disappeared. I gulped. “So, I
guess this means I need to keep it on at all times.”

Zara clasped her hands
together in her lap. “Yes, you do. You don
’
t cut off the string and
expect to continue. There
’
s a beginning and an end. Every
magic has its flaws. There is no such thing as
perfection.”

“
I
understand.
” I nodded appreciatively.
“Thank you.” It was far better than a thread and easier to use. I
didn
’
t have to think about it. It would do it on its
own.

“
You
’
re
welcome.
” She smiled. “Do you still have
the crystal light I gave you before you traveled to the Land of
Reverse?”

I tapped my pockets to feel the object
inside. “Yes.”

“
Take it with you. You
might need it. Is there anything else I can help you
with?”

My heart suddenly thumped
faster. I fretted constantly over the unknown of the Labyrinth and
the thought of the condition I would find Mason in. I tried not to
fall apart and to stay strong, but something about
Zara
’
s concern
ed voice broke
me.

The tears never came, but
my body shivered in terror. It had to be the
Oracle
’
s doing. I was fine a second ago. What was the Oracle doing
to me?

Zara stood and took
several steps down toward me. “Skylar, give me your worst fears and
worries. I will take them from you. You can
’
t burden your heart, for you
will lose focus. Tomorrow, you and your friends will be tested in
the Labyrinth. From what we have gathered, all of you will have to
face your worst fears. You need to remind them to have peace in
their hearts and clear heads. For whatever they fear, it can come
to life.”

If she was trying to make
me feel better, it wasn
’
t working. I shuddered even
harder. “So, what you
’
re saying is that if any one of
us think of dragons, then the dragons will appear?”

“
That
’
s precisely what
I
’
m
saying. But it might not be exactly a dragon but some form of a
dragon, if that makes sense at all.”

I pictured a half man and
half dragon with a dragon
’
s tail and blowing fire running
after me.

“
You have a clouded mind,”
Zara continued. “I
’
m going to place my hands on your
head and take them away. I have a feeling your imagination will
make the Labyrinth worse.”

When she placed her hands
on my temples and closed her eyes, warm waves of light circled
around us. Then images of my thoughts flashed in front of me,
coming out of my head and settling into hers. It showed me how much
stress I had buried deep inside—Mason
’
s kidnapping, Mom being pregnant,
the restaurant needing repair, the dogs, the gods arguing, the
Labyrinth, and so much more—she took away every moment that took a
toll on me. My shoulders eased and the tension in my body vanished.
I felt anew, light, and carefree.

“
There.” Zara opened her
eyes and dropped her hands. “Do you feel better?”

“
Yes,” I replied, sounding
a bit more chipper than I had intended.

She sat back down,
blinking as if to readjust her eyes. “Good. I wish I could do that
for everyone else going to the Labyrinth, but unfortunately I
can
’
t. But knowing you, Skylar, yours would be the worst.
You
’
ll have to stress this point to your group.”

All my worries may have
been given to Zara, but she just added one more for me.
“I
’
ll try my best. I think the gods will be fine.
I
’
m
worried about the others.”