The Pegassian Order

7. The Dead

The labyrinth of tunnels and passages seemed endless and Elliot could tell Galen needed a break. They had passed a few narrow passage ways but had voted to stay on the main route. Elliot noticed the various maidens marking each of the openings, she thought they resembled Medusa's sisters.

She glanced at Rafi and Duke, both men trudged silently behind her. Now and then, Duke would glance back over his shoulder at the entrance to the tunnel as if, at any given moment, he might make a run for it. Elliot knew it was preposterous but he just seemed so afraid. He seemed to have lost complete interest in striking up a rapport with her, not that she cared. She was just aware something had changed but she couldn’t place what.

A deafening growl omitted from behind them, and the walls and ceiling shuddered violently. As the dust settled Elliot noticed how dark the tunnel had suddenly become. She turned and saw the entrance to the tunnel had been sealed.

‘Shit.’ Duke cursed. Elliot pushed past him and ran toward the now dead end via which they had entered. She skidded to a halt and stared hopelessly at the large rock slab. How did she miss it? It was a door mechanism. Something or someone had triggered it and now they were sealed in the underbelly of Athens.

Galen slumped against the wall and unfastened the top button of his shirt and took in deep breaths. Rafi patted the old man on the back.

‘We'll get out of here. It'll be alright.’ Rafi promised. Rafi had always been partial to the elderly and kids. He was a natural born helper. Duke was faring worse than Galen, he hurried up to the large stone slab dividing them from the outside world and planted his hands against it. It was hopeless. Elliot always marvelled at how small humans were in the face of calamity.

‘There's only one way out.’ She announced as she walked past Rafi and Galen. ‘And it's that way.’ She said, peering at the shadowy, meandering path ahead.

As she shone the torch ahead of her, she notices a myriad of lights behind her darting here and there, momentarily illuminating the stone walls and worn surfaces beneath their feet. The men were more nervous than she was about being trapped underground, but Elliot didn't see it as a trap, she saw it for what it was, it was a journey. She hoped it would lead to Chloe.

After a few minutes of silently wandering through the tunnels she was joined by Rafi.

‘Galen's not holding up too well.’

‘Give him some water.’

‘It's too soon. We can't waste supplies like that.’ He answered.

‘Then what do you want me to do? We can't turn back.’ Elliot said, her words dipped in frustration. Rafi was always so quick to bat down solutions without bringing any of his own to the table. She glanced at Galen who looked paler than before. His forehead had a sheen of sweat across it.

‘He needs to do this for his daughter.’ Elliot said.

‘It'll kill him.’ Rafi's words were an objection if anything.

Elliot didn't respond. She walked on, trying to put distance between herself and Galen. What scared her was how easily she could be in his place, how easily she could be the loved one who learnt of a family member's murder and was desperately trying to gain some kind of closure. It wasn’t just fear that made her want to put space between them, it was the familiarity of how powerless it felt. She knew this feeling, she had felt it once before and barely survived it. She wouldn’t lose her sister and her mother. This was where she drew the line.

Elliot felt a sudden urge to have a drink, or have something to numb the nerves that festered in her gut and the dark thoughts which gnawed at her mind. Her hand drifted to her satchel and she had to stop herself from pulling out the small hipflask she kept in the bag.

Elliot followed the passageway as it took sudden turns and was filled with stairs descending further beneath the city. The group had spread out along the passageway, giving each other space and each of them silently perusing the consequences of following Elliot down here.

It was then that Elliot noticed the pattern protruding through the stone wall. It had vertical lines and ran all the way up to the ceiling.

‘Doric pillars.’ Elliot murmured, placing a hand on the wall and thumbing the lines. The tunnels were no longer just old passageways, they were something more than that. They had been built by the Greeks, it was intentional.

Rafi walked past her and descended down the next batch of stairs, slowing as he reached a small doorway. He looked back at her then ducked into the room.

‘Mara…’ His voice was riddled with concern as it boomed through the ruins. Duke and Galen had caught up and were looking at the tall pillar embedded in the stone. It appeared to have been enveloped my stone over the years, courtesy of rock falls and weathering.

Elliot ducked into the room and shone the light ahead until she saw Rafi. He was standing in a vacuous chamber lined with Doric pillars.

‘Catacombs.’ Rafi said as he studied an eight foot long cuboid marble structure before him. It had pearly white reefs engraved across it.

‘We're in a tomb.’ Rafi then added.

‘Figures.’ Elliot answered as she eyed the markings on the walls around them which spanned up and across the ceiling. She wondered how many hours talented sculptures must have spent engraving and carving busts of the rich for their burials down here. The one thing she did notice was the apparent presence of snake-like sculptures adorning tombs and walls and pedestals.

She noticed one snake in particular, it had been engraved into the wall across from her and spanned the entire way around the room. It was impressive but instead of being scary it had an air of majesty about it. Its torso which was usually elongated seemed to be in swirls giving in the impression of a snake head with wings. It was odd.

‘A cult? Temple worshippers?’ Rafi thought aloud as Elliot examined the chamber.

‘Most likely.’ Elliot agreed. ‘I haven't seen anything like this before though.’ She said gesturing at the third wall in the room in which there was a giant trident pinning what seemed to be a scared woman to the ground. Her expression evoked fear and dismay.

‘Do you think this is Medusa's story?’ Rafi asked.

‘It doesn't make sense though.’ Elliot said, ‘why show this part of the story? What does it symbolise?’

Rafi shrugged.

‘Maybe it symbolises that Poseidon's got us trapped now.’ Duke grumbled as he entered the room, followed by Galen.

‘Let's hope not. Shortly after trapping Medusa, he took advantage of her.’ Galen answered.

‘What?’ Duke asked.

Elliot studied Duke, she had no doubt he grew up hearing the largely accepted version of Medusa’s story wherein women were vilified and evil monsters and needed to be killed. The tales of the snake haired demon who would turn men to stone with a single look was world-famous.

‘Medusa wasn't a monster. She was a noble and loyal protector of the temples.’ Elliot explained. ‘Poseidon took a liking to her and appeared as a bird at first, tricking her. He then …as Galen put it, ‘took advantage' of her.’

‘The monster was the crime Poseidon committed.’ Rafi added. Duke looked at the snake shaped beast engraved on the wall and shuddered. ‘Medusa was blamed for Poseidon's actions.’

‘As always.’ Elliot griped.

‘And her punishment was to become the snake-haired demon and be cast aside.’ Rafi finished. ‘That's the real story of medusa.’

The room fell silent and Galen spoke up.

‘So, this place, whatever force, or person took my daughter knew the true story of Medusa…’

Elliot nodded. ‘But this isn't a vilification of her. They worshiped her.’ She pointed at the woman pinned by the trident. ‘Look, she's beautiful and she's afraid. She isn't scowling or attacking anybody. They wanted to show her struggle.’

‘What's that got to do with all of this?’ Duke asked. ‘They're just myths and folklore.’

Elliot found herself drawn to a section of the room where there was a large cobalt stone droplet shape sculpture on a pedestal with a pointed tip, making it appear as though it had just fallen free, but it hadn't. The rock was dusty and had a few hand prints on it.

‘Mara wait…’ Rafi called.

She turned her torch upward to find what appeared to be a woman's face covered by two hands in shame and dismay. Bright blue pieces of cobalt glistened from between her fingers and slipped down her wrists, looking like tears.

Elliot realised what she was looking at and placed a hand on the stone. She was surprised to find her hand fit perfectly over the handprint left by her predecessor. She wondered if it belonged to Chloe…

As her skin made contact with the cold surface, the room let out a grinding noise.

‘Get back!’ Galen shouted. Elliot caught a glimpse of Duke swinging a rock over Galen's head as the ground parted beneath her and she plunged into freezing water. Rafi sprinted toward the opening but it sealed up as he reached it.

‘Mara!’

Rafi spun round to find Galen on the ground. Duke stood over him with a look of concern.

‘What happened?’

Duke shrugged.

‘I think a rock fell and struck him.’

‘s**t!’ Rafi cursed and rushed to the old man's side. He was out of it.

‘Are you alright? Galen, can you hear me?’ Rafi asked. Galen murmured, confused and disorientated. Rafi turned to Duke.

‘You have two options, wait with him or come with me to find Elliot. Once I find her, I'll come back to help.’

‘I should stay with Galen, he's weak. He slip into a coma or get delusional.’ Duke said. Rafi nodded.

‘Okay. See you soon. Be careful. And keep this.’ He pulled off his backpack and handed it to Duke, who took it with a grateful nod.

‘It's got supplies in there in case I'm gone more than a few hours.’

‘Is it wise to follow her?’ Duke asked as Rafi approached the bright blue rock on the pedestal and placed his hand on it. It wasn't, but he couldn't just let her drown. Like clockwork the grinding sound filled the room again and Rafi felt weightless for a moment before colliding with cold water. He plunged into the water and swam through it. His torch flickered and turned off. He was on his own.

His legs kicked and his arms pumped, he swam forward staying mindful of the wall on the right of him. It curved round, leading him into a darker body of water. His lungs began to burn and there was no light here, no shimmer of daylight or flicker of anything to show he was near a surface. He swam upwards but found rock.

Bursts of air began to escape his lips and his muscles throbbed for oxygen. Where was Mara?

He went up for water again, and found a small space where he drew in a few deep breaths and then dove into the water a second time.

The water turned from dark to blue and Rafi was filled with relief. He was amazed to find broken Greek columns and abandoned sculptures of horses around him. Why was the water so clear? He must have been near a source of light. When he came up for air, he saw he was in a large room again only now a broad chasm of light poured in from an opening in the ceiling. The ceiling in question was at least eighty feet up in the air. He saw butterflies circling in the light.

Swimming to the edge, he pulled himself up and leaned against a large statue of a white winged horse.

‘Did you feel them?’ Elliot's voice asked. He snapped his head up to find Elliot, soaked to the bone sitting on a rock and tapping her foot against the ground restlessly. She was distraught. He hurried over to her.

‘Thank God you're okay.’ He sighed as he caught his breath. ‘Feel what?’

Elliot look him in the eyes.

‘The dead.’ Elliot said.