The Adventures of Aitanya Ariadna

Chapter 11: Venezuela Will Have to Wait

We took off like a rocket up into the darkness of the morning. I felt Nathan grab onto me for dear life to make sure that he didn't fall off. "You okay?"

"Did you forget that I have a fear of heights? And falling from them?"

"I didn't know that either."

"Do you know anything about me?"

"Only what you have told me," I said and he rested his head on the back of my shoulder. Since he didn't move, I didn't either.

"You smell very nice," he whispered into my ear.

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome."

Was anyone else weirded out by that? I sure as hell was.

Penthesilea. How and where are we?

How: right on time. Where: we're above the Atlantic in between Florida and Cuba.

How did we do that so fast?

The Gryphon has many special abilities that are not just including speed to the greatest degree.

Damn.........

"Guys, we're above water," Nathan mused at us.

"Yeah? Afraid if drowning too?" Art asked.

"Stop fighting. Both of you," Ailith was like the peacekeeper that kept everyone together somehow.

"Let them, if they fall into the ocean, that's their own expense. We aren't going back for them," Penthesilea said through my mouth, and I kind of agreed with her.

"Okay," Ailith just completely dropped the topic and let them fight. They were silent for the rest of the night, which was contradicting.

Almost a half hour later, we were trying to find a place to land the Gryphon.

Penthesilea, what do you see?

How about that abandoned building over there?

Where?

Over there! She made my head switch to the left and I saw the abandoned building.

It's better than what I was going to go with.

And that was?

Living on the streets.

I need you to be healthy so that I can leave you. Understand?

Yes ma'am.

I felt her roll her eyes.

I pulled the Gryphon to the abandoned building and we landed on the roof. Then, we fell into one of the rooms. No wonder the building was abandoned. It was about to fall apart if anyone just slightly rose their voice.

We all fell through till something stopped my fall. I felt hands hold my upper back and my legs were shielded by an arm and part of a back.

Since I had my arms up to protect my face, I brought them down to see Nathan holding me close to himself. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." then he curled me into him more and he kissed me again. He was really passionate about this one, unlike the one on the roof. My first real kiss in an abandoned building. Why not, right? As long as this one doesn't catch on fire.

I moved my hand to the back of his neck and he did the same to me.

I heard Art complain, "You two done yet?"

Then, we broke away from each other and I couldn't help but using him for a support to stand up.

We looked into each other's eyes for a long time before I felt a punch to the back of the head and it made me stumble back.

Nathan caught me from falling backwards and Penthesilea tried again to split us up.

"Nathan, it's obvious that Penthesilea wants us to break it up." I told him.

Only for a moment.

What the hell do you want?

Where's the Gryphon?

I made them acknowledge the missing Gryphon for Penthesilea. "Guys--"

"We heard, but the Gryphon broke its wing during the fall. How are we supposed to get to Brazil now?" Art asked.

"Good question." Penthesilea?

That normally doesn't happen.

It might not be used to surviving falls like that.

Or at all.

So, what's the plan?

Does Ailith know Hephaestus?

Let's find out. "Ailith?"

"What?"

"Do you know Hephaestus?"

"Does Penthesilea want to know?"

"Yeah." Look how she wants to say yes, but doesn't know if she actually should.

"Earth to Ailith?" Nathan asked.

"Shut up. Can't you see you've hit a nerve?" Art asked and tried to console Ailith.
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Ailith's POV

"How could they be so heartless?" I asked to Art only.

"They don't know about your past, Ailith," Art said as he laced his fingers in with mine. I was only hoping he was doing that now for comfort.

"Ailith? Do you know him or not?" Nathan pressed. I fought the urge to strangle him.

"Unfortunately, yes. I know him," I confessed with my nails digging into my palms.

"Why is that unfortunate?" Aitanya asked.

I couldn't meet her eyes when I said, "I used to work under Ares until I got an offer to get into Mars's ways and teachings, which Ares didn't have a problem with. The problem was when I accepted the offer to go work under Mani, both Ares and Mars felt betrayed, so I was kicked off of Mount Olympus, never to return. Returning to Mount Olympus is the riskiest way to get me killed, since I met everyone."

"So...?" Nathan started. "If we could even get into Mount Olympus, we still have to dodge the gods and goddesses until we get to Hephaestus?"

"I fear that is correct."