Chapter 5: Gold and Glory

They made their way down one of the stone passages, Asteria’s hooves echoing off the rock floor, Leandros following along behind her. She was almost large enough to fill some of the passages, as though Daedalus hadn’t entirely accounted for how large she might one day grow.

“So,” she began, pausing at a junction. She pulled her map from its pouch on her belt with a rustle, checking it as she tried to put on a casual tone. “Do you feel any different about me after learning of my parentage?”

“No,” Leandros replied with a shrug. “Why should I?”

“I’m born of ... congress between a human and an animal,” she added, turning to glance down at him. He could see the uncomfortable expression on her face, lit by the glow of his lamp. It was clearly a question she didn’t want to ask, but one that had been eating away at her until it could no longer go unanswered. “Does that not disgust you as it does others?”

“Pasiphae was cursed,” he began. “It wasn’t her choice, and it wasn’t even her fault. Minos is the one who offended Poseidon, and Poseidon is the one who cursed her as a way to punish him. She didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t even her choice to marry Minos, based on what you’ve told me. She’s a victim of circumstance, and so are you. You didn’t ask to be born, and you haven’t done anything wrong, either. Why should I judge you or your mother for what others did?”

“Okay,” she replied, giving him a relieved smile. “I feel foolish for asking now. You have already proven yourself open-minded.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” he added. He reached out to give her a reassuring pat, but withdrew his hand when he realized that her toned rump and thighs were all that he could reach. “Thank you for telling me, by the way. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“I haven’t known you for very long, but I feel that I can trust you.”

She spun around as the sound of something clattering against stone echoed from further down the tunnel. It sounded like a pebble bouncing along the floor.

“What was that?” she hissed, one of her hands reaching over her shoulder for her axe.

“Olysseus!” Leandros whispered, gripping the haft of his kopis. “When I first encountered you in the tunnels, he threw a stone to lure you away!”

“Damn it,” she added, peering down the dark tunnel intently. “He must have found his way more quickly than I anticipated. Our paths have crossed.”

“He’s wily, crafty,” Leandros said as he slowly drew his blade from its scabbard. He turned, putting his back to his companion, raising his lamp aloft in an attempt to cast its orange light further. “He could come at us from an angle.”

“I know – I have been hunting the wretch for weeks,” Asteria growled. “He drove a spear into my shoulder, then vanished into the tunnels. I’ve been finding his hidden stashes of food and weapons all over the labyrinth.”

“He won’t let us leave,” Leandros added, raising his shield. “He knows that if we reach the gate before he does, he’ll be trapped down here forever. Survival means stopping us.”

“How can a mortal man hope to prevail against a beast and a demigod?” she asked with a skeptical huff.

“Olysseus won’t fight us head-on – he is not so foolish. Be cautious, and don’t underestimate him. The last time I let him out of my sight, he almost bled me dry.”

He could sense the tension that was radiating from Asteria, her powerful muscles tensing, the fur that ran down her spine bristling like an angry cat. She was resisting the urge to just charge down that tunnel, being accustomed to overwhelming her foes with brute strength and martial prowess – something that Leandros could understand all too well. It had taken him time and practice to quell the overconfidence that came from his own heritage.

“Keep going, but be careful,” he insisted. She nodded, leading him deeper down the tunnel.

They passed by more side passages and junctions, Leandros trying to cover her back as they went, Asteria clutching her massive axe in her hands. There was another clatter – Olysseus tossing more pebbles in a bid to lead them astray, but they steered clear of those tunnels.

“There is a larger cavern down this path,” Asteria whispered.

“He won’t engage us in the tunnels,” Leandros replied. “It might be a trap.”

The glow from Leandros’ lantern was soon overwhelmed by the sunlight that was bleeding down the passageway ahead of them, the pair emerging into another of the massive hollows. It was another garden, a field of grass and shrubs extending before them, dotted with a few fruiting trees. A stream trickled into the cavern through another nearby passage, winding off out of view, perhaps feeding into a pond. At the center of it all were the marble pillars of a small shrine that was sitting atop a raised hill, the light from the mirrored shafts above making it glow brightly. It was little more than a few pillars and a sloped roof, just large enough for a statue of Zeus about the size of Asteria to fit inside its alcove.

The two companions spread out as they entered the room, their eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain, Leandros raising his shield protectively. He brandished his kopis, its ornate blade glinting in the sunlight, Asteria’s heavy footfalls shaking the ground as she flanked him.

“I smell him,” Asteria growled. “He was here – recently.”

“This has to be a trap,” Leandros added, taking a few tentative steps forward. There was a lot of open space in this room, but there were also plenty of places to hide. A nearby patch of trees was dense enough to conceal a person. There were the many shadowy entrances that ringed the room, along with the temple on the hill, which would make an excellent vantage point for a javelin thrower or an archer.

“Stay close to me,” Asteria said, stalking in the direction of the temple. “I will protect you.”

The glint of bronze caught Leandros’ eye, and he raised his shield just in time, something impacting it with the force of a hammer. It was an arrow – the whistling projectile embedding itself in the soil nearby as it was deflected. He lifted his gaze to the temple, seeing Olysseus reaching into his quiver. He had been hiding behind the structure up on the hill, waiting for them to arrive. Another arrow came sailing towards him, Leandros batting it aside.

“He’s on the hill!” he yelled.

Asteria bellowed a war cry, then began to charge, rapidly picking up speed. She was fast despite her size, her heavy footfalls churning up the turf. Olysseus was quick on the draw, sending another arrow sailing towards them, this one striking true. It plunged into Asteria’s chest just above her protective plating, burying itself deep in her flesh. She grunted in pain, but it didn’t slow her down. Her hide was so thick and her muscles were so dense that it scarcely seemed to bother her. Olysseus must know that – he had stuck her with a spear, after all. Perhaps the bow had been intended for Leandros instead.

Leandros chased after her, but Asteria was far faster than he was, covering the distance between her and the temple at breakneck speed. She mounted the grassy slope, snorting like a bull as she neared the base of the temple, swinging her axe at Olyssesus. He dodged out of the blade’s path, the weapon’s head smashing into the marble, dust and fragments of pulverized stone filling the air as she practically severed one of the support pillars.

As slippery as ever, Olysseus slid down the far side of the hill, making for a nearby patch of forest at a sprint. Asteria bellowed her anger and frustration, giving chase, barreling down the incline. Leandros had only just reached the temple, skidding to a halt as he took in his surroundings. One of the streams drew his attention, his eyes narrowing. Someone had dammed it with rocks, diverting its flow, the water carving a new path across the grass before disappearing from view beyond the trees. Why?

“Asteria!” he yelled, watching as she shouldered one of the trees aside as though it was no sturdier than a sapling. “Wait!”

He set off after her, his sandals skidding on the wet grass, following the trail of destruction that she had wrought through the underbrush. He heard another bellow of anger, the sound spurring him forward. When he emerged on the other side of the trees, he dug his feet in, stopping himself dead.

Asteria was ankle-deep in the ground, sinking into the grass as though she had stepped into quicksand. The diverted stream – Olysseus must have saturated the soil, turning what had looked like a normal field of grass and flowers into a muddy bog. Asteria was far too heavy to cross it, his bovine companion letting out another resonating bellow of anger as she fought to free herself, only succeeding in getting herself more stuck. One of her legs sank up to the knee, one of her hands plunging into the damp earth as she struggled to lift herself out, but it was hopeless.

Olysseus was standing on the other side, where the ground was still solid, a spear raised above his shoulder. He lunged, driving its point towards her, plunging its sharp head into her upper arm. Asteria tried to bat him away, but she was off-kilter, unable to gain any purchase in the mud. Every time she moved to defend herself, she disturbed the wet ground, sinking a little deeper. This was his plan – he intended to get her stuck, then whittle her down like he was hunting a wild boar.

“Olysseus!” Leandros yelled, hammering his kopis against his shield in a challenge.

The man stepped away from his captive, starting to circle the mire, seeming to know exactly where it was safe to step. Leandros was not so sure, remaining in place with his shield raised, tracking his foe.

“Well, if it isn’t the hero of Kos!” Olysseus chimed as he spun his spear in his hand. “I was certain that the beast would have made you its supper when I left you for dead in that tunnel, but you seem to have made a new friend! I’m a little offended that you chose this senseless animal over me.”

“Have you no honor?” Leandros replied, testing the firmness of the ground with his sandal. “I trusted you, and you stabbed me in the back!”

“I believe it was the leg!” Olysseus shouted back. “Fuck your honor! All you had to do was stab that thing in the throat, and we could have walked out of here as rich men. We would have been heroes, but that wasn’t enough for you, was it? No, the great Leandros deserves a victory worthy of his name! Even if nobody but you and I even saw it. If only your brain was as big and as shiny as all those muscles.”

“You really think you’re going to just kill us both and walk out of here?” Leandros asked. “I’ve broken sieges single-handed – I’ve slain men who could have snapped your spine with their bare hands in single combat. I am not afraid of you.”

“I’ve already bested one of you,” Olysseus said with a shrug. “The way I see it, you’re no different from that beast over there,” he added with a nod to Asteria. “You’re both senseless animals that do whatever occurs to you in the moment. You’re not afraid of me – because you’re a fool. Come, Leandros of Kos. Come show me what an honorable death looks like.”

Leandros resisted the urge to charge across the soupy ground, matching Olysseus’ movements as his opponent continued to circle around to his left, avoiding the mud.

Olysseus lunged suddenly, sending his spear sailing towards Leandros like a javelin. Leandros lifted his shield without a moment to spare, feeling the thud as the spearhead scored its bronze surface. When he lowered it, Olysseus was racing towards him, ducking low as he drew his curved dagger. He stepped in, aiming for Leandros’ thigh, but the warrior intercepted the blade with his shield. There was another clang of metal on metal, Leandros throwing his opponent back.

Olysseus stumbled, but he was nimble on his feet, his wiry frame making him deceptively agile. Leandros swung his kopis, the flared blade scything through the air, but Olysseus leapt out of its reach such that its tip barely brushed his tunic. He stepped in again, gripping Leandros by his wrist, using his momentum to send him toppling forward. Olysseus caught his ankle with his foot, tripping him, Leandros rolling on the grass. Olysseus was on him before he had time to recover, driving that dagger towards his chest, only a swift parry from his sword preventing the blade from finding its mark. He rolled to his feet, taking up a defensive posture, the assassin starting to circle him as he passed the knife between his hands.

“You might be strong, but you’re slow and heavy,” Olysseus hissed. “I got the better of you once before, and I can do it again.”

“You don’t have the element of surprise this time.”

“Oh no?” Olysseus scoffed. “I’ve probably killed more men than you have, but nobody writes epics about cutthroats. There’s no honor in my way of fighting, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective!”

He punctuated that last word with another strike, going for Leandros’ thigh, the warrior deflecting it with his shield. The warrior followed through, driving the pointed end of his kopis towards his assailant’s throat, but Olysseus stepped out of its path. His right arm now extended, Leandros could do nothing as the assassin darted in, driving the blade up beneath his limb. He was aiming for the artery, but Leandros jerked away just in time to save himself, the knife impaling his bicep instead. The tip of the blade broke the skin as it emerged on the other side, red blood spraying, Leandros’ yell of pain and surprise echoing through the cavern.

Olysseus dashed away, his blade stained crimson, the kopis falling from Leandros’ hand as the warrior drew his arm back reflexively. The limb was all but useless now, Leandros clutching it to his chest as he brought up his shield with the left, trying to steady himself.

“Leandros!” Asteria bellowed, watching helplessly from the mire. She fought to free herself again, employing all of her brute strength with a roar of frustration, but she only succeeded in sinking a few inches deeper.

“First you, then her,” Olysseus sneered. “When I tell Minos that you tried to lead that thing out of here, he’ll probably give me my own palace as a reward for stopping you.”

He darted in again, harrying Leandros with a series of quick strikes, his blade flashing. Leandros deflected them, the blows forcing him back. He hesitated as he felt soft ground beneath his heel, realizing that Olysseus was driving him towards the bog. With a growl, he pushed back, shouldering into the assassin with his shield raised. His strength was enough to lift the man off his feet, tossing him a few paces, sending him rolling across the grass. Olysseus struggled upright, winded, backing off a little as Leandros advanced on him. He had to press the attack – Olysseus would kill him by a thousand cuts if he let him dictate the pace of their fight.

Leandros charged, his shield whistling through the air as he used it as a bludgeon, Olysseus dodging and weaving. He was so slippery, somehow always just out of reach, Leandros forcing him back towards the shattered trees behind them. Olysseus ducked suddenly, scooping his hand along the ground as he darted beneath another swing of the shield, tossing a handful of loose dirt into Leandros’ face.

Leandros stumbled backwards, his hands darting to his eyes, his vision obscured. The momentary surprise and pain gave Olysseus just the opening he needed. The assassin stepped past him, twirling his dagger in his hand so that the blade was facing downward, then plunged it into Leandros’ back. It punctured his cloak, his cuirass, his leather armor, and the linen beneath, searing pain burning through him as it bit into his right shoulder.

He spun to swipe blindly at Olysseus with his shield, forcing him away. The blade hadn’t hit anything vital, the many layers of clothing preventing it from sinking too deep, but Leandros was slowly being whittled down. He managed to clear the dirt from his eyes, seeing his opponent squaring up for another attack, the bloodied blade dancing deftly between his fingers.

“See, this is the problem with being a demigod,” he said as he reached for the lantern that was attached to his belt. “You think that everyone else is beneath you. It doesn’t even occur to you that someone might not fight you on your terms.”

He raised the burning lantern, then threw it, Leandros spinning around as he raised his cloak protectively. It impacted, breaking apart, the burning oil contained inside it coating the woolen fabric. Promethean flame leapt to his garment, igniting in a brilliant explosion of fire, quickly spreading as the material burned. Leandros whirled on the spot, fighting reflexive panic as the heat scolded him through nothing more than its proximity, tearing off the burning cloak. He managed to get it off just in time, the heat burning all of the hair off his forearms, but Olysseus didn’t give him time to get his bearings. He drove his blade towards Leandros’ neck, planting a palm behind its pommel to ensure that it would plunge as deep as possible, its bronze blade glinting in the light of the burning cloak.

Leandros reached up with his shield arm, gripping the knife in his hand, stopping it an inch from his throat. Blood seeped from his clenched fist, but he held fast, Olysseus baring his teeth in a snarl as he dug his feet into the grass. He quickly realized what was happening, releasing his dagger, but it was too late. Leandros raised his foot, kicking his opponent in the sternum with the strength of a mule. The air was driven from Olysseus’ lungs, and he was lifted off the ground, thrown back towards the mire like a doll.

He landed with a splash, his eyes wide as he began to try to dig his way out of the mud, carving away handfuls of wet soil in a desperate bid to reach safety. Asteria reached out with a guttural bellow, her massive hand closing around one of his wrists. Olysseus let out a scream of terror as she dragged him towards her, digging a furrow in the wet earth that quickly filled in with dirty water. His cry was silenced as she placed her other hand on his shoulder, forcing him deep beneath the surface, her long arm sinking to the elbow. When she withdrew her mud-caked hand, there was no more Olysseus.