Truth [Book Three in Fake Series]

Part Nine:

Part Nine:

Festus zoomed towards the beach. For one heart-stopping moment Silena thought that they would crash into the sand, but instead they landed comfortably. She slid off the golden dragon and walked towards where Zoe and Charlie were standing. Ethan got off after her and went to hug his sister.

"Welcome to Ogygia," Charlie grinned. "Do you wish to stay for a few hours and leave or stay the night?"

"We'll stay the night." Jaz said. "And then we'll set off on Festus tomorrow, to wherever we need to go next."

"Good idea," Silena said, as Ethan walked back to stand beside her. Jaz stood in between the two pairs, unsure of who to stand next to.

"But where will we go?" Zoe asked. "We still need to save Alex, Sammy and Michael."

Silena watched as Charlie glanced over at her and smiled. She let out a small sigh. Him and Zoe's relationship was beautiful - they were absolutely perfect for each other, like pieces of a puzzle that fitted together.

"Yeah, that bugs me." Ethan said. Silena watched his posture changed. He seemed tense, and she could feel the dread rippling off him.

"I had a dream," Charlie said. Silena looked back over to him. "About Sammy." He shuddered, as if even thinking about it made him feel scared. "He was in an underground corridor or something, and it looked like he was running. He seemed tired, but he kept running. Just before the dream ended, I heard a loud roar from the other end of the corridor."

Silena gasped. That dream sounded oddly familiar to her, and it also seemed familiar to Zoe who glanced at Ethan worriedly. "Minotaur?" She asked.

Oh. Thought Silena. Her mother had told her about the labyrinth and how she had found Silena's father coming out of it. Silena felt a pang in her chest as she thought of her father. Three months ago he had mysteriously gone missing during the night - not a trace to be found. It was odd, but it also made Silena feel angry. Whoever had kidnapped her father needed to pay.

Ethan shrugged, then turned his gaze to Charlie. "From what you said you saw, it sounds like Sammy is in the labyrinth. His curse could be that he can't find an exit and he can't fight the Minotaur. But I could be wrong." He shrugged again.

"Okay, well we'll need to find Sammy first." Silena said. "It sounds like he's in the most danger. And then we can focus on the others."

"Agreed," Jaz nodded. "Charlie, do you have any food, or are we going to starve?"

"Of course," Charlie said, turning away to face a path which cut through the forest behind him. "Follow me."

That night, the group dined on a dinner of salads, barbequed food and an assortment of cake for desert. When the sun dipped below the horizon, they pulled out blankets and slept on the beach, determined to leave as soon as they woke up in the morning.

•••

Zoe was the first one up. She carefully put her stuff away in a backpack and was just about to store it in one of Festus' many storage compartments when Charlie woke up.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully, opening the compartment.

Charlie groaned and sat up, pushing the blanket off him. "Morning," he yawned, stretching upwards.

"Did you sleep well?" Zoe shut the storage compartment in Festus and moved over to sit beside Charlie. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "I had a dream."

"What was it about?" Zoe asked, leaning her head against his shoulder, enjoying the peacefulness.

"Us," Charlie replied. He grinned as Zoe glanced at him curiously. "It was at a party. A really big party. Everyone was laughing and dancing, and then we snuck off somewhere together." He smirked. "But I never got to see the end of it."

Zoe pulled her head off his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Sounds good. Looks like we'll be partying when this is all over."

"What are we again?" Charlie smirked, turning to face her. "Am I your boyfriend or what?"

"Ask me again at the end of the quest, Flower Pot." Zoe said, then stood up.

"Alright, Owl Head."

They both grinned at each other.

Once everyone was awake, they ate a breakfast of pancakes before setting off. Festus knew where to go. They flew over land and sea towards somewhere far away. Zoe had a feeling that this was the spot as they landed Festus around nightfall

"Alright, everybody!" Zoe called. The five of them slid off the dragon and Festus immediately curled up on the ground.

"Lets set up camp for the night." Ethan suggested.

"Good idea," Zoe replied.

As Charlie and Ethan started pulling out tents from their bags, Zoe peered off into the forest that surrounded them. They were in a large clearing, but around them was dirt ground and trees. Lots of trees. Suddenly, Zoe spotted something lurking in the shadows behind a bush near them. It looked like a figure, but in the setting light, Zoe couldn't be sure. Cautiously, she moved towards the bush. The figure started to back away, but Zoe was quicker.

She drew her sword and leaped on top of the person, holding the bronze blade to their neck. But then she faltered, lowering her sword. She would recognise that face anywhere.

"Alex?" Zoe asked.