Icarus and Hera
2057 Words
I feel a bit easier now that we are already in the Demigod District—where the bunker is hidden somewhere. Even on these ash-covered plains, there could be enemies looking for us. It's fine because I don't sense anyone around. Darius and I are flying to avoid making tracks on the ground. It's so cold out here even with our suits. This makes me want to lie down on my bed and sleep all day. I'm tired after what I discovered in the last couple of days. I remember Mom tucking me into the bed. I miss her.
I need to keep moving forward for them and Hera.
We have arrived in what looks like nothing but flat random land. They've opened it already. We dive down into the ground and came through it as if we can go through walls, leaving no trace. Then it is nothing but a hole in the ground until it stops at the bottom. The airlock opens in front of us so we enter as soon as it did. Lady Mila is there on the other side of the glass. She looks glad in seeing us but we came back with no survivors this time. It's like there are no more survivors to find. I couldn't put a mellow face to answer her rare warm smile.
“Welcome back,” she says as we enter. I couldn't look her in the eyes but just remove my helmet and dirty armor. “—both of you,” she adds but I show her my back. I'm uncomfortable talking about what's in my mind.
Regardless, I have to say, “We recovered a message from the messenger god. He's dead but my friend, Philip handed me this bag.” I give it to her. “It contains a letter for Lady Aiko. Please hand it to her for me, my lady.”
“I will…, ” she says. She seems hesitant about what she is about to say. “Did you find your family?” she asks at the wrong time.
I stop what I was doing, Darius too. Continuing to remove my armor, I say, “Yes.” without any enthusiasm (obviously).
“That's great!” she wrongly exclaims but I forgive it.
I try my best not to sound angry when I utter, “My mother and father are dead.” She is behind me and can only hear her faint gasp. I can sense her walking closer and her hand about to touch me.
Leave me alone.
She stops halfway as I say, “I'm fine, don't worry.” and look at her. It's a surprise that I could keep my face looking straight like this. But I'm not. Darius knows and he just minds his own business—as I'd like her to do the same.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Yes,” I answer, barely keeping my temper. I want her to stop bothering me for a while. I sigh to cool off before saying, “But Hera is not with them. There's a chance that she's alive and I'm gonna find her.” I finally removed the uncomfortable armor on my body that I've been wearing for weeks. My body feels itchy so I have to take a bath.
Just when I'm already passing through the door, she exclaims, “Thank goodness!” at the wrong time again. Why is she smiling?
There's no more water to boil the teapot inside my head. I turn to look at her and question, “What's the ‘goodness’ about everything that has happened?”
Her expression hops into confusion just as I realize I was glaring at her. I have to apologize or else… No, it's already been done. After shaking my head and closing my eyes, I continue on my way to the bathroom without Darius. I feel more comfortable alone.
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*
Swallowing, Mila looks at Leo's depressing back. She is concerned about him. She feels that she is not enough to make him feel better about his loss. They need him so she must take care of him.
Darius is beside her and he says, “Just leave the dude alone for a while, my lady. He's got it rough.” Nodding, he leaves the room.
Alone, she feels a heavy sorrow inside her. “I can't believe I'm so insensitive,” she mutters to herself. “I don't know what to say, Leo. I'm so sorry.”
In the middle of the icy sea, Icarus drives the small fishing boat eastward. He is wary every second, for there are large sharp debris that can easily capsize this cheap boat. The air is colder here compared to the land. For the moment, the horizon cannot be found because of the smog. Also, the ashes are covering the sea surface like gray mosses. The boat leaves a trail of displaced ash behind it. Rotten corpses of people, fishes, and animals litter the surface. But Icarus has his stomach used to this sight after weeks of seeing this kind of scenery. However, the little girl under the cabin is not.
Hera is uncomfortable wearing her oversized mask because Icarus tweaked it to completely seal the air. Also, her jacket is itching her. She is hungry but he said that they cannot eat yet because they would have to remove the mask. First, they have to find a safe place to eat without the toxic ash landing on their food. They have been sailing for three days. All she had was soup in a pouch and used a straw. He is fine not eating but all he needs is water. They have plenty of clean water in his large bag as well as food.
She runs out of patience and goes out of the cabin. Walking on the deck to the back of the boat, she jumps off of the boat. He catches her and pulls her back.
“What's wrong with you?” he asks, putting her on the deck. “Do you want to drown?”
She is frowning at him through her goggles. “I want to go back!” she demands.
“We've been through this. Not a chance, brat!”
She springs up and tries to dive into the water again but he catches her again. “Let me go!” she screams as she struggles out of his grip. He carries her back to the cabin. “Leo!” she calls.
“Hey, quiet! You're gonna get us caught!”
“Leo! Help m-”
“Will you shut up?!” he shouts at her. “Seriously! You're making this hard!”
“Then let me go so I won't bother you anymore! Leo is coming to find me!”
“We are already far away from the shores of Olympus!”
“Leave me and I'll swim across!”
“You can't! What are you, stupid? You can't even swim!”
She looks at him while realizing but continues, “I'll figure it out!”
“You're dead before you find out.”
“We don't know until I try!”
“Stubbornness really runs in your family, huh? One thing is for sure that your brother is stubborn but he knows he's strong—not that I fully agree… but you,” he points at her face. “are just a pathetic little girl so don't get ahead of yourself. One more trouble and I'll tie you up!”
He sighs after leaving the cabin to continue steering the boat. Then he turns around to catch her again.
“Argh!!!” she squeals and attacks him but he can barely feel her punches.
“That's it! You're gonna be in a cocoon for the rest of your life, you cursed child!”
He starts to tie her up and she starts crying. “Why are you doing this?” she asks.
“Because you won't listen to me.”
“No. Why did you save me?! You hate Leo, then why?”
He finally tightens the knot around her wrist and ankles when the question floods his mind. He could not answer it just that. “I… don't know,” he answers quietly. Then he shakes his head and smirks at her. “I will use you to lure your brother and I will kill him!” He lets out an evil laugh.
“You're the one's gonna be killed! Leo is a god! You're a loser and not even a match for him!”
“Well, let's see about that when we meet again!”
She raspberries inside her mask as he leaves the cabin. Then he trips forward when the boat suddenly hits something. That is when he realizes that they are finally on the shores. He looks at the cliff above. This is where Enzo ran a test for them although this is not looking like it was. The reminiscence leaves him and he is back to the present. He grabs the large bag and on his shoulder, he carries Hera—still tied up.
“Untie me!” she yells. “I can walk all by myself!”
“No, you'll just escape. And stay still as I climb this cliff or we'll fall.”
She smirks inside her mask but he did not see her. He puts her on his left shoulder and only using his right hand to climb. It is easy for him because of his strength. Halfway through, he begins to feel relief that he can see the top. That is when Hera kicks the wall with both of her tied-up feet.
Icarus exclaims, “What the-” His grip on the rock slips as well as his feet. He sighs and throws her up the cliff. The rocky shore cracks as he lands. At the same time, Hera lands hard on the top of the cliff. Soon afterward, not longer than a minute, he jumps up and smirks at her.
“It hurts, doesn't it?” he teases her.
“You jerk!”
He carries her on his shoulder again. Further inland he goes, still to the east. Even in this remote part of the world, large craters devastated the mountain ranges. Before the apocalypse, these mountains are full of greens and the habitat of many mountain creatures. Now, it is nothing but a dry, toxic, and frozen wasteland. Death is written all over it—as everything on the face of the world right now.
It has been an hour since Hera gave up struggling and just look at the trail Icarus makes behind him. The haze is getting thicker and thicker. The cliff is slowly disappearing in the distance. Remembering her family, she begins to sob. Icarus lets her be.
Minutes later, she asks, “Where are we going?”
“To the Eastern Lands.”
“Why go there?”
“It gets safer as we go far from Olympus.”
“How about the west?”
“There's nothing but a large ocean to cross. It's wider than the sea we just crossed. We will starve before-” He lowers his knees after sensing something.
“What is it?” she asks.
“Quiet.”
They stop before a crater. He puts her on the ground before crawling to see what is in the middle of the crater. His eyes widen at the sight of hundreds of tents clumping at each other. It is a little hazy but he can tell there are at least thousands of people.
“This is bad,” he mutters before crawling back to grab Hera. But then, five masked men are already behind them.
“No!” she screams when one of them grabs her.
Icarus grits his teeth as he talks in his mind, “The one in the middle is a god! Coming across a god is the last thing I want to happen!” He yells, “She's my captive! Give her to me!”
The god in the middle rubs his chin and says, “I think… no.”
Planting his feet on the ground, he prepares to charge. “You asked for it!”
*
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- Writer
