In Pursuit of Kronos' Scythe (Completed)

VI - He Who Flies The Ram - Part II

Piotr Mikolaj

Ares stood at his palace's entrance, frowning. Red torches flickered from the cavern walls, casting hundreds of shadows over him. The shadows gyrated under the flickering lights, and Piotr's eyes had tricked him into seeing a wild battalion waiting for them.

Ares cast Piotr a resentful look and when he saw the Caduceus tattoo on Rexon's arm, he unleashed a tirade of curses. "You! I should've thought of it!"

"Rexon at your service, Lord Ares." Rexon knelt before the God of War and presented the necklace to him. He looked humble; there wasn't a track of his usual smugness on his face. The light green Jade was now radiating in a bright chartreuse colour, and the gold butterfly design molded onto the Jade shone even brighter. It lit up the gloomy hall instantly.

"Did Hermes send you?" Ares' nostrils flared; the vultures flapped their wings more ferociously.

Rexon nodded and bowed even lower, his voice lacked his usual arrogance. "I'm his best messenger. Two days ago, he asked me to steal anything from you. He said my life will change for the better if I did so. At first, I was perplexed; but now, I understood why. He wanted me to meet you, and them. I'm the fourth chosen one of the quest."

"That filthy thief!" Ares studied the necklace and frowned. "It looks different." When Rexon insisted that it was the same necklace, Ares fished out three vulture feathers from his pocket and tossed them in front of Rexon. "Why did you leave these on my writing table?"

"I hope you like the trade." The trademark smirk found its niche on Rexon's face.

"How dare you humiliate me!" Ares balled his fists, and Piotr thought he might even break the necklace into smithereens. The sound of cracking knuckles echoed around the room, followed by screeches of the vultures and roars of the drakones. Seconds later, the God of War stomped his boots again as if he was compelled to deliver the words which he didn't intend to say.

He let out a desperate bark, "Oh, why couldn't I be as vicious as I used to be?" His face turned from red to green and back to red, like a malfunction traffic light. "Go to the farthest east of these rings of mountains, and you'll get what you want. Listen, younglings, the lost scythe affects my tempers. You can't fail this quest. Now, dismiss."

The quest seekers bowed to the god and rode on their beasts. Vultures surrounded them. Despite their low-spirit master, the bird of preys sensed the quest seekers' fatigue, and couldn't wait to feast on their flesh. They flapped their wings and a small turbulent of wind churned up around them. Five vultures circled Dorinda the ram, and they had even begun to nip at its flesh. The ram "meeeked" in pain and flapped its wings in panic. 

Tharalea touched her amulet. Now that she'd mastered the Fire Spell, she wanted to try something else. She fiddled with the yellow stone and lightning shot down from the curtain of clouds, scaring the vultures away. Piotr couldn't help but respect the princess more and more.

"Let's go!" Piotr shouted. They had flown for an hour until they found a deserted cavern.

Dorinda collapsed on the floor, its lips alabaster. A layer of skin fell off its flesh. The wounds on its hind legs had turned black. For the first time, Piotr saw the true terror on Rexon's face. His fingers trembled as he searched for clean rags and bandages from his rucksack. While Tharalea treated Dorinda's injuries, Piotr, Cytherea, and Koby volunteered to hunt some wild hares. The ram looked livelier when they returned from the hunt. They set up a fire with the help of Tharalea's spell and began to roast the de-skinned hares.

While they were waiting for their food to be cooked, Cytherea said, "Let's name our team!" She held up her mirror and began to twirl her hair.

Koby tapped his chin; his tail slashed the air as he yammered on the names of some foods. "Four Sweet Olives? No. Four Sour Pies? Nah. Four... Four... Aha, Four Green Peas in A Pod!"