Lifelight: Calypso Returns

27

Her punishment for disappearing to meet Diira was digging a new pit latrine and covering the old one. The frozen ground was hell to dig and she was forbidden from seeking any help from her 'friend'. She told Thur that she had gone exploring to the shack but told him nothing about Diira. They both knew that she was hiding something but he let it go.

With the pit up to her neck she paused and looked up at the mountains wondering how she would get over and across them. She was not the most self-reliant of people at best, if someone could do it she would not even bother to get up. Having no plan had worked well so far and she could not imagine how all the planning in the world would help her.

She finished after dark, Lam shined a light for her so she would not accidentally severe her foot with the shovel. She did not complain once, even as a child she never got away with being bad.

She went to sleep without food and was dead to the world in seconds. Morning came too early and Lam forced her up to eat something.

"Looks like a storm's coming in. Fantastic." Lam said.

"What?"Hera said.

"A storm, coming over the mountains. It will be a big one too."

Hera turned her aching eyes to the mountains and saw the dark clouds forming above them. They seemed to grow larger even as she looked at them. Her main concern was going through drills without dying but heat erupted in her chest.

That is no storm. We must go to the altar today. He is trying to breach my planes.

"What are you talking about? Who is he?" Hera said.

Anhur, only he would dare. Only he could control the demons.

"What?"

Ares, they called him Ares on earth. The War God.

She rushed back to the tent and started packing her warmest clothes and a dagger Diira had given her in case she did decide to go traipsing through the mountains alone.

"What are you doing?" Lam asked.

"I need to go somewhere, cover for me?" Hera said.

"Didn't you hear me? Big storm coming." Lam said.

"I know, that's why I have to go." Hera said.

"No."Lam said.

Hera hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and walked past Lam. Calypso would help her sneak out and that was all she thought of. Lam kept up his protests as she headed for the cover of the woods. She kept going and to her delight a cloud of fog rose up around her and spread out thanks to Calypso. If she avoided the long climbs and kept in as much of a straight line as possible, she could get to the shore and Azmythica by dawn of the next day.

"Stop!" Thur commanded.

She stopped mid-step. Turning, she saw Thur and Zaad marching to her with Lam trailing behind them looking shame-faced and determined at the same time. Thur was seething but he stopped just in front of her and raised an eyebrow. Zaad managed to stand closer but she still could not make anything out under the hood. The fog dropped to her annoyance.

We have been discovered and I must conserve my energy.

"Well, we didn't really do a great job of hiding." Hera said.

"Talk to me now." Thur said.

Hera looked at the three of them determined to stop her and shrugged, nothing was keeping her from Azmythica.

"That storm is a god trying to break through the barrier between the planes. Calypso says it is a he and we need to get to the altar before he does. We need a proper restoration so she can go kick some pantheon ass and the only way is through the mountains." Hera said.