In Pursuit of Kronos' Scythe (Completed)

VIII - Battles of the Sea Deities - Part II

Piotr Mikolaj

"Trespassing, little anchovies?" said a deep woman's voice.

It was already freezing cold to have floated in the night sea, and listening to the voice now made Piotr's frozen blood disperse into Nano-size molecules. At first, Piotr thought that it was the monster in front of him that had talked, but then someone yanked the rope binding around the monster's neck. The monster bowed, and Piotr saw a woman in a steely war outfit glaring at him. Her face was rough and scar-filled as if she'd survived eons of wars.

She rode on a creature with the upper body of a nymph, whose features were twisted into unrecognizable contour; her eyes emitted fury and enmity. The nymph cobbled the water with her fishtail, reviving the waves. Six of the dog heads that were circling her waist growled as if supper was up. From where the nymph's hair should be, six dragons' heads sprouted out. Piotr gasped, for that creature was nothing but the notorious sea daemon — Scylla.

Tharalea hiccupped. Cytherea clung to her make-up pouch tighter. Rexon wore a comical expression, perhaps thinking whether he should offer a bottle of deodorant to Scylla.

The woman riding on Scylla laughed curtly and yanked the rope binding around Scylla's neck. Scylla bowed lower until the woman's eyes were leveled with Piotr's. "My name is Aegaeum. I'm the God of the Violent Sea Storms." The waves rose behind her, making it look like she was wearing a collar of waves. "Now that you've intruded into my territory, you shall die!"

"Wait!" Piotr struggled to make his chest bob out of the water in order to make him look bolder and bigger. He heard of Aegaeum being the ally of the Titans when they fought with the Olympians. If she knew they were here to retrieve Kronos' scythe, perhaps she'd let them pass. But when he spoke the truth, all he earned was contemptible laughter.

"Kronos' scythe? You can't even lift a sword, let alone find the Titan's totem." Aegaeum laughed.

Piotr found his blood boil due to the humiliation. The foams surrounding him seethed as he clenched his fists. He could even forge a sword, not to mention lifting it. Frowning, he summoned his sword from his wooden chest. Tharalea, Cytherea, and Rexon did the same. Even Koby swung his spanner threateningly in front of Aegaeum. 

"We speak the truth, please let us pass." Piotr pointed his sword to one of the dog's heads.

One of the dogs gave a sonorous and taunting bark before biting the sword apart. Aegaeum laughed even more maliciously. "A warrior never pleads. Let me show you how to be a real fighter. YAAARR!" She yanked the rope, and Scylla rose to a full form. With a whip of her lash, Scylla swung her gigantic fishtail and swiped the quest seekers, sending them reeling in the sea.

"Ha, this is fun! Let's duel! There are four of you. It's obviously unfair to me, but I'm a true warrior and I don't surrender. If you could defeat me, I'll let you pass." Aegaeum yanked her rope, and Scylla charged over them. The jaws of the dogs snapped at the passing wind. Aegaeum swung her lash, and the dragons hissed as they tried to avoid being hit.

The quest seekers struggled in the water, their limbs became numb due to the cold water. This was unfair to them! Aegaeum laughed like a woman who had just been released from the asylum, and she hit the water with her lash more energetically. Scylla's shadow was towering over them, a water pillar shot at the back of Aegaeum, and she halted the attack.

"What the— Oh, it's you, the nosy meddler." Aegaeum cursed at the newcomer.

"Aegaeum, let them pass. They are just children. What threats do they pose?"

The woman riding on a water dragon talked. She had magenta hair that was tied into wavy patterns, studded with pearls. A golden diadem set with lapis lazuli sat atop her trimmed brows, complimenting her mellow skin and building a contrast to her hair. She wore a white chiton that could change colour. Sometimes it was bright cerulean when the sea was calm; then it would change to dark bottle green when the waves became rough.