Between Circe and Telemachus' crying, some conversation I only caught parts of because it was Ancient and Bronze Age Greek and a small amount of scolding, Circe agreed to let Telemachus sail towards the shores of Hades' Rivers. The ships creaked and groaned forward as Telemachus' men moved and whispered between one another.
"What are they talking about?" Leo asked, sitting on a bench behind the helm.
"Sirens. They infest these waters. Like singing vermin, they are, tailed demons from Tartarus," Telemachus' said the word, sirens, with such hate I shuddered.
"Your father made it through here before, but it was on his way out of The Underworld, right?" I asked, my head turning towards the water.
"Thanks to the mortal perception, Sirens have changed greatly. They were once bird-like, and they stuck near cliffs and rocky islands where they would lure sailors in to die. Now they swim in this realm, hunting in packs like a deadly choir. This is where a few of them roam, Minerva's command," Telemachus explained. "Now men! Ready the fire and arrows! Find the beeswax and fill your ears, at the first sight of sirens light the ocean up!"
In minutes the men had readied everything, I was offered beeswax and politely declined. Andromeda did as well, Leo looked at me and I refused to hear him decline the beeswax. I stared out at the open ocean infront of us, I heard harmonizing beneath the waves that got louder and louder. I shook my head briefly as my eyes fluttered, I felt drowsy as I gripped the helms railing.
The sirens were in a far greater concentration than I had ever dealt with, but I had to remain strong, I couldn't fall for their song. I breathed in deeply and grabbed my hairpin from my hair, snapping it in half and turning it into a dagger, I sliced some of my shirt and used it to tie my wrist to the railing. Just in case, I thought looking dead ahead once more.
I saw shimmering in the water, that's when the singing started. I felt an itch, an itch I never felt gnawing at the back of my brain. I pulled at my makeshift restraint, it started loosening as I felt a hand hold my wrist down and tie my restraints tighter.
"You don't have to do this alone," Andromeda whispered, her hair had regained some color to the point she was basically in half-moon phase.
I nodded and watched clay pots get thrown into the sea, the water turned black as oil spilled out. The singing intensified as I fought harder at my restraint, and now Andromeda, the itch that had formed had started to get scratched. I could see everything I wanted, everything I couldn't be, and everything I should've been. Tears burned in my eyes and streaming down my face, pulling at emotions like guitar strings. My hearts valves turned into piano tiles, every note played contracted my heart tighter and tighter with every atrium and ventricle becoming a tile.
Agony had set in, I held my free hand against my ear an dropped to my knee. Andromeda reached for earwax, and pressed some in ear own ears. I guess she assumed if I couldn't hold up after being exposed to this song forever, she didn't stand a chance. She moved to put beeswax in my ears and I pulled away fast.
"No! I need to know! Please, Andromeda I need to know," I uncovered my ear and stood straight up.
Telemachus stared at me as I gritted my teeth in agony, I saw secrets of my past lives. The plot to kill Caligula, hiding Civil War gold, and then I saw my dad in full Atlantean armor with Apollo and Artemis behind her. The ship seemingly dissolved around me, I was back in Atlantis following Poseidon as he marched through the city.
Soldiers stepped out infront and immediately received an arrow to their chest or neck as Apollo and Artemis kept drawing arrow after arrow in quick succession. Poseidon marched on his own city as it burned down, screams echoed throughout the city as Zeno's forces marched on our home.
Poseidon marched up the steps and met a singular royal palace guard who was covered in blood, a bowstring tensed as Poseidon held up his arm. "Round up his forces and leave my city. The glorious age of Atlantis is over," Poseidon growled through his helmet.
"Of— Of course Lord Poseidon," The guard practically ran down the steps.
"Now?" Apollo smiled, his hair glowing.
"Together." Artemis commanded.
Both of them loosed arrows towards the guard, both of the arrows landed in the guards back. The guard rolled down the steps, landing at the feet of the palace in a lump of armor and flesh.
"Stay here you two, kill anyone who gets past that body." Poseidon stepped through the palace doors as Apollo and Artemis stood guard.
Just past Poseidon I saw Zeno and Atticus fighting, Zeno swung at Atticus and the hit was parried. Atticus swung for Zeno's neck as he ducked down and plunged his shoulder spike Into Atticus' heart. Atticus' sword dropped as Zeno moved away, causing his brother to fall back onto the ground.
"I'm sorry brother, you were a good man. That's what made you weak," Zeno said, his voice echoing down the hall.
"Weak? WEAK!" Poseidon roared, his trident appearing in his hand. "Atticus is twice the man you are!"
"Was, father. I'm fairly sure that's his blood spilling out onto my palace floor," Zeno chuckled, sitting on the Atlantean throne. "Now what is it, The King of Atlantis is very busy."
Poseidon's trident landed in the throne with a spark, Zeno's neck was in the middle of the prongs as he smiled. His red irises gleamed red, as he began to laugh.
"This is the mighty wrath of The Ocean God? Pathetic! You're nothing but a disappointment, Poseidon!" Another voice called out from Zeno's body.
I knew that voice, and by the looks of it so did Poseidon. "Khaos. I should've known you'd eventually come for Atlantis."
"You're right, you should've, but gods are so limited in their power. I can't blame you, Ocean God, your betters wouldve seen it," Zeno's body smiled, but he was no longer the pilot of his own body.
"Betters? You mean The Titans? Maybe you can join them in Tartarus!" Poseidon's trident appeared back in his hand.
"The Titans?" Khaos scoffed, "Please, they have about as much chance of successfully ruling the cosmos as children with sticks. No, I will give the ruling class to—"
I was suddenly back on the ship, I was looking over the edge as a Siren caressed my face. She sang beautifully, suddenly I felt her claws sinking into my jaw as she dragged me forward. Before I could think, a spear pierced her side and threw her back into the ocean in a high pitch scream that almost burst my eardrums and made me stumble back.
"Fire!" Telemachus shouted as jars were thrown overboard, their liquid contents stained the ocean like ink on a page.
Then the sea caught on fire, I could feel the heat on my face as screams echoed and faded into the ocean. Fire roared and charred the decks as we sailed through, arrows fired into the water and spears splashed into the ocean but I sat staring up at the sky. My jaw burned, but soon it faded into a dull throb. Leo came over and looked down at me as he sat next to me. I tuned out and waited for us to reach land, waiting until I could go home. The journey was almost over, one more island then I could go home. One last look into my past until I could stop looking behind me.