Born In The Dungeons

Chapter 19: Typhon

King Theon's lips curled upwards into a pleased smile as he brought his face close to mine and stared into my eyes. "Perhaps waiting all these years for you to grow up has been a very good decision. You are a mirror image of her -- no, you are even better." My disgust must have shown on my face because his smile dropped and he straightened to stand from his crouched position. "You will grow to love me. I am sure of it. Rose!"

Rose came running to his side. She bowed lowly, not sparing me a single glance. "Your Majesty."

"Bring the dead seals."

She left, returning with a large sac over her shoulder. 

"Throw them to the sea. My orca is waiting for her treat. Throw Edgar along with them. She has a big appetite and I have no need for him anymore, that imbecile."

Athena and I watched as Rose fed the orca that led us to this rocky beach.

"Traitor," Athena hissed. "I should have listened to my instincts and stopped following her here."

"But you did, my dearest. You did. And for that I thank you," King Theon said with a chuckle. "I can always count on my stupid daughter to bring me what I want."

"How did you know where I would be?" she asked, turning her head to look at her father. 

"I have ears all over my castle, dearest," he responded.

That is when I remembered. The noise by the door of Athena's chambers when I teleported there to tell her about Alexios. There must have been someone listening in at the door. They must have heard everything.

"Father," Athena said. "Let us go. We need to find Alexios. He could be in need of our help."

"Do not worry yourself about your brother. He will survive. He survived every punishment I've given him. Even if some of those punishments were not meant to be his." He looked down at his daughter. "You know that better than anyone."

Athena looked away and down to the ground we laid on. We were still covered with the heavy net the guards had thrown over us. It seemed to grow heavier every minute, pushing us into the rocky ground.

I've thought about burning the net off with fire, but I did not wish to hurt Athena. But even if we somehow found a way to escape from under this net, the guards that stood around us like a steel fence would not let us get past them. Poor Pegasus had stopped struggling a long time ago, letting the net push him down to lie on the rocks, with his wings flat on his sides.

Rose returned from feeding the orca. "It is done, Your Majesty."

"Excellent." King Theon smiled wide and looked down at me. "Now we can bring my bride back to the castle and begin our wedding preparations. Tomorrow you will be my queen."

A loud battle cry coming from above made everyone look up at the sky. Nephos was flying down at lighting speed, with Medusa, my mother and grandfather on his back. Medusa's scream of outrage got louder as they neared the ground. When Nephos landed, she jumped off and ran toward Pegasus, throwing off the heavy net as if it weighed nothing and giving the king of Poseidon a poisonous glare. "I will give your people a statue of you today, Theon. Choose your pose before I do it."

Mother and grandfather ran over toward Athena and I, but the guards that stood around us blocked their way and they were soon engaged in a battle with them. It was twelve against two. The odds were not in their favour.

"Athena, we need to get out of this net and help them," I said, lifting it from my side with a grunt. I wondered how Medusa did it with such ease with Pegasus's net.