Chapter 13: The Attack of the Harpies
Rosetta's determination rises with each step she takes. She promised Dimi, as he died that she would succeed in her quest. She will not break that promise. She will go to the Underworld, save Artemis, save her Mom, and defeat Erebus.
Her rage flares as she thinks about the god of darkness. It's his fault that Dimi is dead. He sent that nymph to warn her—and ultimately kill—Rosetta if she refused his ultimatum. And Rosetta did. She told the nymph that she would never join the army of darkness, no matter what they offered her.
And Dimi was killed, saving her life.
Rosetta feels like her blood is made of syrup as her heart seizes. Why do people keep dying for her?
It's not worth it. Dimi said it was worth it. Waves of loss wash over Rosetta in thousands of needle pricks. She wants to believe Dimi but can't. No life is more important than another's. He didn't deserve to die.
Rosetta makes it her mission to avenge his death. The only way to do that is by taking back the Underworld. The only god that should be in charge of the Underworld is Hades. But this Erebus guy is cruel. He enjoys the torture and death of others. He basks in their suffering and revels in their demise.
He would pay.
When Rosetta finally finds the rental car, she drives to the Anchorage airport and purchases a last-minute flight to Anaheim, California. The only available seat is in first class. Rosetta doesn't care about paying the extra fees.
She is sure her Aunt and Uncle will be upset with her for charging so much to the emergency credit card. But this is too important. She needs to get there as fast as possible.
Rosetta remarks how strange it is to be inside the plane, with people talking amongst themselves, unaware of the heroic sacrifice of her friend. The two words are entirely different. Here, no one would ever know of the sacrifice of Dimi the faun.
Rosetta's blood curdles. That isn't fair. It's not fair to Dimi. It's not fair to the sacrifices that they made. One day, they would know. Rosetta will make sure of it.
People here would think she's crazy if she told them of fauns and nymphs and gods. Or tell Rosetta that she had a weird dream. But Rosetta alone knows the truth. The world these people live in, where they can laugh, watch, and play, exists only because of the sacrifices of people like Dimi.
When the plane lands, she hastens to leave. She pushes past the flight attendant, who tries to force Rosetta to sit back down, ignoring the alarms and insults of the other passengers. She finds the nearest airport clothing store, changes her filthy clothing and puts on her purchased items. A pair of blue straight-leg Levis jeans and a purple t-shirt that said Anaheim, CA, in graffiti letters. To others, they're just clothes. But to Rosetta, they feel like battle armor. She straps her quiver and bow to her back and attaches Dimi's axe to her belt loop.
It's warm and humid outside when she exits the airport. She calls for a taxi, and they show up ten minutes later. Hurriedly, she gives him the location, and he types it into the GPS and starts driving. Rosetta notices how nervous the driver looks before remembering she has a bow on her back and an axe on her belt. Even if she's just sixteen, she must look pretty threatening.
It takes only takes the driver ten minutes to get there.
The taxi driver looks uncertain as he eyes the strange and abandoned location. "Are you sure this is where you want off, ma'am? It looks sketchy."
"Yes, thank you." She says, coming across as gruffer than she means to be. She tosses him a wad of cash before jumping out of the cab.
The taxi cab peels off, burning rubber as he does so. For some reason, it makes Rosetta wants to laugh.
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Rosetta Dagotto and the Fight for the Underworld
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