The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 13

 Sorry this chapter is kind of long, but its action-packed! Have fun! :)

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 There was a fire on just below the deck, making its way to us. And the people below us.It sunk in, and I panicked. I tried to suppress the scream, but it came out full and alive anyway. Theseus grabbed by arm and hauled me away from it. He pushed me to the side closest to the shore.

     “Are you a good swimmer?” he barely waited for me to nod, unsure of why I was answering the oddly-placed question in the first place. “Then go. Get to land. I’ll get the others.” He promised. I pushed him away, disgusted with his assumptions.

     “Hey! Don’t think that I’m going to save my own butt and let you do all the work! Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t do anything with action in it. That is the most sexist thing anyone has ever said to me! You’re very generous, but you’re being really thick.” I burned his ears out critically. He looked like he was going to protest, but he just stopped himself and shrugged.

     “If you insist.” He agreed reluctantly, because he knew that there was no way he would be able to win any kind of argument with me because I was so feisty and strong-willed. I gave him a look of pure loathing that said plainly, I do insist. And he just rolled his eyes but allowed me to come. We ran as fast as we could across the remainder of the deck, and into the cabin where all the Athenians were.

     “Where in Tartaruas are those blasted sailors?” I asked as we ran, angry, my dirty language showing for it.

     “On the island. I saw them take the lifeboats and go to land, going who-knows-where.” He replied in annoyance. When we reached the cabin, I swung open the door.

     “Alright, I need everybody to listen up, for your own safety! Everybody needs to get out!” Theseus called commandingly. Everybody, instead of fighting to get out, froze mid-conversation and blinked in surprise. “Fire!” Theseus yelled at them all. They all looked around at one another and frowned. They saw no fire. “Please listen to me! There is a fire on the ship, and we need everyone to get off! Now.” He added dramatically. They looked pained for a second, and then shrugged to each other, and some of the bolder ones rose slowly, and skeptically, and unsure of whether they were doing the right thing, then upon seeing that not many others were doing the same, sat down quickly, faces red, pretending nothing had happened. I took control unofficially, without asking, and he watched without objecting.

     “Listen up!” I said in my military-commando voice that rung through the tenseness in the air, evaporating all uncertainty. “We need this to be done quickly and orderly, with as little panic as possible. First things first!” I barked in their faces. They went rigid and snapped to attention at the sight of me getting angry. That was the one plus side of being known as the one with the horrible temper. You always got a fast response. I almost smiled at my advantage over Theseus, but to maintain my all-powerful general profile at the moment, I could not let my serious face crumble to silliness. Who would take me serious then? I continued with added dramatics. “You are in grave danger.” I glared at all of them to let it sink in. “We need to get out. Now. Or you will meet a fiery, gruesome, brutal and slow end. Do you want that?” I asked them. A few looked at the ground and murmured what I could only guess would be a ‘No.’ I growled in my throat, making the people nearest to me look around anxiously. “I said, DO YOU WANT THAT?” I shouted until my voice cracked a bit at the end. They all turned their wide eyes to me fearfully.

     “No.” they all said louder in unison, afraid of me.

     “That’s what I thought.” I glowered at them. Then I cleared my strained throat once more. “I’m not joking, this may sound weird and particularly out of the blue, but I don’t care. Come on now, to the deck, or I’ll get angry. Do you want me to get angry? Do you? Can’t hear you?” I waited for the resounding no before barking my last commands. “Well, then what are you waiting for? UP!” I roared at them. To my pleasure, they all practically shoved each other out of the way to get out first. I felt a smug smile creep to my mouth without meaning to. Theseus stood, looking mildly surprised, eyebrows high on his forehead, eyes blinking in something that was between shock, and just finding out a pleasant surprise.