Alithea

Chapter XI: Damsel in Distress

The three were tossed unceremoniously into individual cells, walled with stone and closed with a heavy wooden door. They were placed in cells consecutive to one another, so at least they weren't far away from each other, but this did very little to comfort Alithea. If they didn't get out, it was possible that they would miss Chaos and the world would plummet into ruin.

And Perseus.

Gods damn him, Alithea thought bitterly. The Spartan habit of thieving had doomed them. Perhaps it was this betrayal the Oracle had foreseen. She crawled to the back corner of the cold, dark cell and pulled her knees up to her chest. They were stuck until they came to fetch them and bring them to justice-whenever that would be. Alithea shivered.

Wait. I'm not that helpless, Alithea thought. The gods are on my side...right? She had no altar, no incense to burn, and no offering, but she got on her knees and bowed her head to pray. To whom, she wasn't sure-perhaps clever Hermes, to see if he could get them out of this mess.

Suddenly, from the corner of the cell, she heard a grinding sound: stone on stone. She jolted backwards as one of the stones in the wall was pushed forward.

"Alithea?" came a voice. She scurried over and pushed the stone out of the way to see Leander's face on the other side of the hole. She had never been more elated.

"Leander!" she whispered. He reached out his hand and she took it gladly, warmth flooding her skin. "The doors are made of wood; can you burn them down?"

He gave her a look of lament. "I can't. The smoke would choke me out first, and even if we did, there are guards at the end of each corridor."

Alithea cursed, but she knew deep down that their only hope would be to secure an audience with the person in charge of their freedom.

Leander squeezed her hand. "I'll fix this," he reassured her. She was grateful for his comfort and already felt safer, but she also felt a pang of homesickness. Alex would have comforted her similarly.

A loud banging startled Alithea. It came from the cell on the other side of hers-Perseus. It was followed by a rage-filled shout that struck fear into Alithea's heart.

"He's gone feral," she breathed, unsettled.

"He's more animal than man," Leander rolled his eyes, but then his face softened. "Being imprisoned is probably bringing up some bad memories."

Alithea looked over her shoulder, imagining what he must have looked like: a lion pacing in a cage too small for him.

"They better let us out soon then," Alithea said gravely, "for their own sake."

A sharp knocking came from Alithea's door, and she quickly let go of Leander's hand and replaced the stone. Without waiting for Alithea's permission, a guard opened the door and quickly slid a meager meal before shutting and locking the door again. She scrambled over to see what was there to eat: moldy bread and some water in a small clay cup. She disregarded the bread and took the cup of water all the way to her lips before she paused. Water, she thought. It was swirling in the cup. With nothing else to do, now would be an excellent time to see if she could replicate her results.

She set the cup down and took a step back. Just as she had done with Perseus, she pretended to pull, picturing the shape in her mind...until a rope of water snaked upward and emptied the cup. She held the water rope suspended in the air, marveling in awe at the magic-her magic. Her power. Carefully, she swirled the water into a ring shape, then snaked it again around her. Despite everything, she laughed-actually laughed, her joy ringing about the cell.