“I was outside on the grounds near the maze with Jasmine and Ren and Lucian, even. A giant snake slithered out from the maze and chased us. It opened its mouth, showing razor sharp teeth that were black and dripping with poison, and tried to swallow us whole.”
I ran my hand down her arm and chuckled. “I’m not going to be eaten up by a snake.”
“No, Melany, I’m pretty sure the snake was you.”
Chapter Fourteen
MELANY
I didn’t sleep. I lay awake on my bed in the dark, not only thinking about what I needed to do to get out of the academy, but about what Georgina had said—that I was the snake that swallowed everyone up. I wasn’t sure how to take that. It definitely wasn’t a positive connotation. I knew visions weren’t literal, but I couldn’t see the positive in it at all.
At midnight, I rolled out of bed and got ready to go. I patted my pants pocket to make sure the energy ball from Georgina was there, and then checked my jacket pocket to make sure I still had the vial Dionysus gave me. My stomach churned, and nerves zipped through me. I wasn’t sure I could do this. I might be leading Jasmine into the abyss. I might end up dooming both of us.
Georgina whispered to me in the dark, “Good luck. Don’t die out there.”
“I’ll try not to.”
I peeked out the door into the dark corridor. It was empty. Pandora normally did her rounds at ten, which was curfew, and two in the morning. So I had a two-hour leeway to get down to the foundry and find a way out through the forge. I hoped Hephaistos wasn’t in his workshop. This whole mission might be for nothing.
Sticking close to the wall and the shadows wavering there, I crept down the hallway and out onto the landing before the stone staircase to wait for Jasmine. A couple minutes later, she ran out to join me. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and then we carefully crept down the stairs to the main foyer.
All was quiet. There was no one around, and I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary because of the ticking of the huge clock hanging over the main doors. On silent feet, we snuck around the corner and to the stairs leading down four levels to Hephaistos’s forge.
It was pitch black down the stairs. There wasn’t a trace of light. If we didn’t have some kind of light, we’d definitely trip down the stairs and break something. I hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight, since I didn’t know where I would find one. This couldn’t be what stopped us.
I looked down at my hands and considered them for a moment. Then I slapped them together, very aware of the sound it made, but it had to be done, and rubbed the palms together.
Jasmine gave me a wide-eyed look and mouthed, “What are you doing?”
But it soon became evident when a soft yellow glow blossomed between my hands. Slowly, I pulled them apart to create a small ball of fire. It was enough to guide our way.
Smiling, Jasmine gave me a thumbs up. We made our way down the stairs, each step illuminated by my homemade lantern I carried in my hand. At the bottom, we waited for a minute. Lucian said he’d be here, but I didn’t want him to get into any trouble. He’d directed me to Dionysus; that had been enough.
I counted to three under my breath then tapped Jasmine’s arm, indicating for us to continue on. We moved two steps before I saw a very faint glow coming from the stairs. Lucian joined us at the bottom, but he wasn’t alone.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered, angry.
Ren made a face. “I’m coming with you. I have family in New Athens.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not going to be responsible for all of you getting expelled.”
“You’re not responsible,” he said. “I’m perfectly capable of making a decision on my own. And I’m coming, whether it’s with you or on my own. I’d prefer to go with you, though, because I’m pretty sure you know what you’re doing.”
Jasmine nodded in solidarity. “I’m with Ren.”
I wanted to tell them I really had no idea what I was doing. Although Dionysus had given me directions, I didn’t know what to do if they went astray. We could all end up trapped in the tunnels forever, for all I knew.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
We snuck up to the entrance to the foundry and peered inside. The eerie orange glow of the molten metal flowing through the narrow gutters throughout the room cast the only light. My gaze swept the area, searching for any movement. As far as I could tell, we were alone.
I looked at the dragon forge. It was a straight shot across one of the stone bridges and up a few rock steps onto the highest platform. “We need to go to the dragon forge. Follow me.”
I hurried into the room, everyone following behind me. We made it across the bridge and were about to mount the steps to the platform when a clanging noise reverberated through the chamber. A voice trailed behind the metal clash; it was Hephaistos muttering to himself.
Jasmine stared at me. I stared back. She pointed to a rock jutting out of the floor where we could hide. She bolted behind it, followed by Ren, Lucian, then me. I peeked around the stone; if Hephaistos took the bridge, we would be spotted in a matter of seconds. Lucian must’ve realized the same thing because he grabbed my face, kissed me hard, then jumped out from behind the rock and ran down the bridge toward the fire God. My lips tingled from the kiss, and I ran my fingers over my mouth.
I went to follow him, but Jasmine grabbed my arm and jerked me back. She shook her head. I knew she was right. Lucian had provided us with a distraction that we couldn’t squander.
“What are you doing here, boy?” Hephaistos’s voice boomed.
“I have a question about blast cleaning and whether we’re going to do that with our shields.”
“It’s midnight. Why are you asking me this now?”
I peered around the rock again to see Lucian guiding Hephaistos away from the bridge, getting his back turned to us. I gestured to the others to follow me on three. I put up my fingers… one, two three…
We dashed out from the rock, up the steps in two strides, and ran to the dragon forge. The heat from it seared my face. I suspected some of my eyelashes had burned away already. The acrid odor of burning hair filled my nose.
We didn’t have much time. A few minutes at most. Taking in a deep breath, I put my hands out over the fire, having faith they wouldn’t burn to a crisp. Fire and I had a deep understanding. I concentrated on lowering the flames. Slowly, the fire started to recede until there were only hot red glowing coals. Grabbing an iron rod hanging from the side of the force, I pushed the coals to the side to give us a clear path. We were going to have to crawl into the dragon’s mouth. It was the only way.
I set the rod aside and clambered up into the iron forge. The heat was nearly unbearable, but I braced against it, and inched my way deep into the channel. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Jasmine and Ren were behind me. They were, both their faces masks of discomfort. Ren looked pained, and I wondered if it was because he had an affinity to water and the heat and fire were contradicting that.
I kept moving, praying that Dionysus had given me good information. Another few feet and I saw an opening into the surrounding rock. That had to be the entrance to the tunnel. I crawled through the opening, and relief surged over me. It was a tunnel, tall enough that we could stand. For a few minutes, I’d feared we’d be crawling through the rock.
“Now what?” Jasmine asked.
“We walk through the tunnel, and then we should come to a V. We’re supposed to go to the right.”
“I hope Dionysus wasn’t drunk when he gave you these directions.”
I made of face. “Of course not.” But he was. Disgustingly so. By the time he’d finished giving me instructions, he could barely stand up. Lucian and I had to help him back to his room. He sang some bawdy bar song the entire time.