As we stepped onto the deck of the ship, I held my hand out to Andromeda. She took my hand and I pulled her close, I started to dance with her taking the lead immediately. We've been making this joke for years now, but we never actually danced. Little did Andromeda know, I had to take what's The Atlantean equivalent of cotillion since I'm considered Atlantis royalty. No monsters or amount of danger would ever take away this moment, not tonight at least.
"You never told me you could actually dance, Sara," Andromeda whispered through a wide smile.
"Maybe I learned for you, Andromeda. That or they teach the waltz to Atlantean Royalty," I smiled back.
"I'm gonna chose to believe the prior, Mrs. Rose," Andromeda moved in harmony with me, moving along to moonlit deck.
"Mrs. Rose? Please, you'd take my last name," I laughed a bit.
"Mine's sacred," Andromeda held her head up high as she said it.
"Mine has an individual uniqueness," I shot back. "How about this. I keep my last name you keep your last name, and we won't take eachothers. Probably."
Andromeda would have doubled over laughing if I wasn't holding her up, at some point in between the laughter she finally managed to speak, "Deal." Was all she managed to say.
We continued to dance for a few more moments, I noticed glowing footprints left wherever we had stepped. I slowed down, watching the footprints carefully and saw as they burned into the deck. I looked around carefully as the sky lightened up, as the waters grew calmer, as an island ahead became visible.
As we drew closer ships rose from the water crewed by soldiers of the damned, I drew my sword carefully until I saw Andromeda was raising them with her full magic. Daylight started to stain the deck with sunlight, but it hadn't even began to bother Andromeda's spell. She had given into the dance for a moment, but now she had a job to do before the sun engulfed the ship.Three Triremes
encircled us as we got closer to the island, the waters grew impossibly still while the wind ripped through the ship guiding us to shore.
"Leonidas!" Andromeda called out, smiling as her legs wavered. "Command is…is yours."
Andromeda fell as I raced to catch her, grabbing her before she was able to hit the ground. She smiled a bit and laughed as I gently laid her on the deck, the sun fully covering where she was.
"Are you ok? You seemed to use a lot of power there," I asked as Andromeda's eyes closed.
"Yeah yeah, just used to much power in a single burst. I was losing moonlight you know?" Andromeda laid her head back and just fell asleep, all her energy finally depleted.
"I don't think I've ever seen her sleep, she's amazingly peaceful. Not The Moon Daemon, just a girl," Leonidas smiled a bit, looking at Andromeda.
"Has she not slept this entire voyage? Even when I was asleep?" I asked, laying Andromeda down on the deck.
"Not a wink, ma'am, she insisted that you were the only one who could watch the ships in her absence," Jason stated, hands behind his back. "I lost count on how many of those damn cans she's melted with magic just to make them into metal moons."
"Dammit Rose," I whispered, standing up and moving to the helm. "So this is Troy? Beautiful city that was burned down by Odysseus and Agamemnon. It looks like hell." I raised my voice looking over at Leonidas.
"Apollo's rage rests here, as well as Aphrodite's. This is definitely Troy, I'd be willing to put money on it," Leonidas answered, picking up a spear that was laid against the railing of the helm.
"Apollo and Aphrodite are very temperamental gods, they get mad if their hair gets blown in the wind," Jason stated, readying his sword.
"That is true, but the wrath of my father rests in the sea here. That's why the sea has let up here, and the wind is guiding us in, Poseidon's hatred for Troy has outlived the city," I drew my swords from my side unsure of the danger, but knowing if a Son of Ares felt it then I should be cautious.
As the ship split the sand open, the ships Andromeda summoned had made landfall next to us and started gathering expedition teams. I dropped on to the sand, my feet firmly placed in the wet sand grains as I looked ahead seeing nothing but grassy hills and endless fields. Leonidas dropped next to me, armor on and helmet in hand, he looked ready for battle.
"There's soldiers further inland, they're not Circe's men but if we're careful they might not attack," Leonidas said, putting his helmet on. The helmet was Spartan design with vulture feathers engraved into the metal at the ends.
"Are they Trojan?" I asked, following Leonidas as he walked along the beach.
"Could be, eternal punish for Helen?" Leonidas pulled a capsule out from his pocket and snapped it in his hand, a Spartan red cape flew out in the wind. Leonidas clipped it to his armor, completing the look of A Spartan King. "Or eternal reward for Troy?"
"Both, Circe's the most powerful sorceress but Hekate's moon prevents her from using her magic," I answered following 'King' Leonidas.
"That's also assuming they're Trojan, they could be Minerva's men. Despite what the Odyssey makes it seem like Ithaka wasn't to far from Troy, I like to think that hasn't changed," Leonidas turned to face me. "Sara?"
"Yes, My King," I bowed my head and pointed my swords outwards.
"Why are we here, Greeks haven't set foot in Troy since the Bronze Age and we had 996 more ships when we did," Leonidas asked, looking out over the ocean. "Who are we here for, who is your Helen?"
"Tiresias, The Blind Prophet of Thebes," I answered.
"Enough with that! If you wanted a prophet you could've asked the gods! You could've asked Mary! You dragged us out here to die, I want to know why!" Leonidas roared, stabbing his spear into the sand.
I shook a bit, I don't think I had ever seen Leonidas that mad and seeing it now wasn't something I wanted to see. I weighed my options, looked at my shaking hands, and took a deep breath. I could've lied, maybe I should've lied, but Leo didn't tolerate liars and he knew how to spot them.
"I am cursed, Leo, I've been cursed since the age of Atlantis," I sheathed my swords and picked up his spear from the sand. "A long time ago I was the last king of Atlantis, Atticus Neptune, and I was killed and cursed. My brother Zeno Neptune murdered me in cold blood after going insane, I need to know what drove him to that point and why it sunk Atlantis. I need to know why my father lied to me all these years about Zeno and Athena, and the gods have hidden it all. There is only one prophet in the entire world who could give me these answers, and this is the only way to find him. Now, are you in or out King Leonidas?" I held out the spear to him.
"I'm in, Sara, thank you for telling the truth," Leo smiled a bit, taking the spear. "Men! We have a city to march on! Full speed ahead to Troy!"
Leo led the march, his boots crunching the sand under his feet. I followed at his side as Greek Warriors, once claimed by The Mediterranean, followed behind under the command of a new king. I've seen Leonidas in this type of armor and this tense before, a battle was coming and he needed to be prepared. I remember him putting on the cape during capture the flag missions, it served far more uses than just looking cool and Troy was about to learn that.