Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

Essay On Love

Act IV — To Stop The Tide

Part VIII — They can have the world, we'll create our own. I may not be brave or strong or smart, but somewhere in my heart I know love will find a way.

It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot. Anthony's hand was slippery on hers. The stone walls glowed. Their shirts were dripping wet, but they kept moving.

"How come Athena has children?" Andy asked, suddenly, trying to break the ice.

Anthony glanced at her. "Because she's one of the maiden goddesses?" he said. She nodded. "Andy, do you know how Athena was born?"

"Uh... She sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor?"

"Yes. She was literally born from thoughts. And her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love, it's purely intellectual, the way she loved Odysseus in the old stories. It's a meeting of minds. She would tell you that's the purest kind of love."

"Okay. So you're saying you sprung from her head in full battle armor?"

Anthony smirked. "Sort of. Brain children. Literally sprung from the divine thoughts of our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena on the men she favors."

Andy let out a whistle. "So poor Professor Chase never got lucky...?"

"Mind what you're saying," Anthony warned, but he was smiling.

There was a loud roar. They emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform where creatures moved around.

"We'll never be able to sneak up on them," Andy said.

Anthony picked up the metal spider and slipped it into his pocket. "I can. Wait here."

"Wait—" But he put on his Yankees cap and turned invisible.

Andy moved along, trying to keep away from the edge, until she found her way blocked by a cart on metal wheels. The heat was horrible, her eyes stung. Then she heard a voice.

"Bring it in?"

"Yeah," another said. "Movie's just about done."

Andy scrambled inside the cart and pulled the tarp over her. The cart lurched forward. "This weighs a ton," a gruff voice said.

"Celestial bronze," the other said. "What did you expect?"

They turned a corner into a smaller room. "Just set it in the back," a new voice ordered. There was a lot of talking, chattering voices that didn't sound human. "Now, younglings, please pay attention to the class."

The voices quieted down and the teacher continued, "As a young sea demon matures, changes happen in the monster's body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters. Now, what is the proper name of our kind?"

"Sea demons!" One of them barked.

"No. Anyone else?"

"Telkhines," another monster growled.

"Very good," the teacher said. "And why are we here?"

"Revenge!" several shouted.

"Yes. But why?"