Maelstrom

Twenty-Eight

[procatalysia]

The leak in the corner of Tessa's dark and cold cell was the only way she could keep time. Every minute, a drop of rancid water would fall from the exposed piping to the cinderblock floor, a staccato tick of a gruesome clock. The puddle it created was the only one in the cell whose source Tessa could determine. The rest, she'd rather not know.

From the moment Menoetius had taken Tessa, believing her to be under his control, he had thrust her into this cell for 'safe-keeping', as if she was an expensive piece of pottery instead of a girl. She had to applaud him for keeping her isolated, however. She needed to gather her wits, restore her energy for what was to come.

Footsteps echoed outside of Tessa's prison and she tensed. The moment had come, it seemed.

For the first time in forty-eight hours, the door to Tessa's prison slid open. Harsh fluorescent lighting flooded into her dark room and Tessa resisted the urge to look away. The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway and Tessa quelled the lick of darkness against her heart. It wasn't time for that.

Yet.

"Prison suits you," Vinny Maxwell drawled as he sauntered into her cell. In his black dress shirt, slacks, and loafers he looked as if he could have been attending a fancy dinner rather than the annihilation of the modern world. However, looped through the scabbard at his side sat his wicked sword, its metallic hilt glinting in the light.

Buried in her pocket, Tempest seemed to burn, itching for a chance to be used.

Tessa got to her feet without a word, staring forward aimlessly. Vinny grunted and turned on his heel, leaving Tessa to follow in his wake.

Their footsteps echoed through the long and grimy halls. For a while, Tessa thought that she was underground, maybe in one of the subway stations, until they began to climb a staircase and Tessa smelled saltwater. Her senses came to life after being muddled in the darkness for so long. They were by the sea.

Vinny glanced back to Tessa as they climbed up the stairs and it was then when Tessa noticed the bronze at the end of one forearm. Where Kaden had hacked Vinny's hand off, a new bronze prosthetic had taken its place.

"Hurry up," Vinny said gruffly. "He doesn't like to be kept waiting."

They emerged on a loading dock on New York Harbor, the sky above them rumbling with thunder. The sea itself was choppy, muddied with gray, but it was practically electric with power. Had it not been for the masses of enemy soldiers and monsters teeming around them, Tessa would have been elated. But she had a part to play. She couldn't throw it all away this close to the finish line.

Vinny led Tessa down a makeshift path towards an elevated platform. Standing atop the platform was none other than Menoetius, watching her every move as if expecting her to defy him. Apollo's arrow burned against Tessa's skin, but she forced herself to ignore it as she climbed up to the platform.

"Welcome, Tessa," Menoetius said with a serpentine smile. He opened his arms in welcome, but Tessa made no motions to thank him. "You have entered a noble cause."

Yeah, I'm sure 'destroying Western Civilization' will really earn me a peace prize, Tessa thought. She fought to keep her face expressionless, but that was like trying to restrain the sea.

Menoetius' gaze lingered on Tessa's face, as if checking for a chink in the armor of his control. Then, he turned to address his forces, gathered throughout the loading dock. "Brothers, sisters, I welcome you. Today, we turn our backs on the Age of the Gods and create a new Age, one of primordial power and strength, through storm." He looked up to the stormy sky. "Typhon approaches even now, and once he does, our revolution will begin."