Return of the Titans

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"I am, but it wasn't because of the Mad King," he said. "Something special was taken from me. But before I could try and get it back, they sent me here. I've been waiting for someone that could help me ever since."

"But I'm already on a quest."

"Don't worry. We're both searching for the same thing."

Prometheus stopped where the marsh became less swampy and the mud was more solid. I was able to lift my boots and they didn't try to stick to the ground. Mosquitoes still nipped my scars and buzzed around my ears, though, much to my displeasure. It was here where the elk turned to me, compassion softening his eyes.

"Here is where I must go," he said. "Your friends will need you and it's time for you to wake. But before I do, remember this: nothing is always as it appears to be. A friend can be a foe, the truth can be a lie. Don't believe what you think may be true."

He lowered his head and pressed his muzzle against my forehead. It felt like being touched by a velvet glove, one coated in chewed moss bits that stuck to my face. Nevertheless, a sense of calm washed over me, and my eyes began to droop from sudden sleep.

"Take care, Frankie Taton," Prometheus said as the world spiraled into darkness. "Your fight has just begun."

*****

I woke up to freezing dirty water being thrown in my face.

Coughing up leaves and spit, I tried to roll away, only to be harshly yanked back. Something cold and metallic held back my arms by my wrists, and no matter how hard I pulled and tore at my bonds, they refused to loosen.

"Frankie?" a small voice croaked.

It echoed around me and I lifted my head from its place on my chest. The Hub's polished floors were replaced with loose straw on rough stone, and its golden aura gave way to obsidian-colored shadows. Water dropped from above my head to collect in a pool in the middle of the room, and the foul scent of vomit and blood hit my nose as my eyes began to clear.

I recognized Jay first. He was bent over in a corner, heavy shackles weighing down his legs. His head rolled on his shoulders as he fought for consciousness, and when he noticed me stirring, his tired eyes met mine.

"Are you...?" he began, only to have his body raked with a set of ferocious coughing. His breath rattled within his lungs and the color drained from his face as he collapsed.

Panicking, I tugged on my chains, trying to get to him,  but a familiar voice in the shadows said, "It's no use."

Lifting my head, I saw Maria, the only one of us standing. Or, rather, held against her will. She was splayed like an x, iron clamps holding her wrists and ankles to the wall. Blood trickled down from a cut above her eyebrow and her right eye was swollen beyond belief. Her clothing was as torn and battered as she was. But beyond her apparent bruises and beating, she still had enough strength to scowl, pissed as ever about our current situation.

But she and Jay weren't the only ones with me. Benjamin shied away from me, a wooden bucket dripping in his hands. Outside of a busted lip, he was a clear bill of health. A ball-and-chain clung to his hind leg, but really, it was useless. His deformed legs hung naked behind him because, of course, the bastards took away his wheelchair.

"Thanks, buddy," I said to him.

Nodding, Benjamin dropped the bucket and scooted to Jay's side of the cell. There, with his back against the wall, he slid down to rest beside his friend and pulled Jay's limp body into his protective arms.

"This is just great," Maria sighed. "I knew we should have watched that satyr more. I should have known that he was a part of this. They always are."

"It wasn't Tobias," I said. "It was Lion."

Maria looked at me like I had just spontaneously spoken Latin. "I have no idea who that person is."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll explain later. Just tell me what happened."

"Nothing at first. I was watching the ground from my vantage point --"

"She got stuck in a tree," Jay whispered, rising out from his sudden coma.

I smiled partially at his sign of life, but Maria's face reddened in both embarrassment and fury. "Yes, well," she said, flustered, "I got a good look at our surroundings. Everything was going well until he --" Maria shot a glare at Benjamin. "-- decided to stir up a ruckus in the parking lot."

"He smelled something," Jay said. "But before I could get to him to calm him down, we were jumped. We tried to fight back, but..." He purposely trailed off from Benjamin gently stroking his back.

"There's one good thing that came out of this," Maria said. "We found the monsters' lair."

"Where are they?" I asked, feeling hopeful.

Maria looked away, deciding to stare at a clump of soggy straw in a corner. "Somewhere underground, but that's about it. I woke up long enough to smell dirt, but they threw us in this cell before I could do anything." She looked back at me. "You're a deep sleeper. They tossed you around like a rag doll, but you didn't do anything but mumble stuff."

I was so drained that I didn't stop to ask her what I might have said. My neck was sore from it hanging for so long, and I twisted it from side to side to pop it. "Thanks for not waking me," I said, not to be sarcastic, but actively grateful that they didn't try to stir me up. Who knows what I would have missed then? "You guys should get some rest. I'll keep watch."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Jay said, head on Benjamin's chest.

Maria looked skeptical but the promise of an easy, undisturbed sleep won her over soon enough. However, before she hung her head, she asked me, "Do you ever sleep?"

I laid my head on my shoulder, too weak to now keep it up. "No," I said as I went over Prometheus's warning in my mind. "My nightmares are versatile and eternal."

*************

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