“There are things coming out of the water!” Andy squealed, just shy of hysterical. “Freaky fish men, and crab women, and—” She broke off and wiggled her fingers, a horrified look on her face. “They’re all gooey! I’m half siren. I’ve seen most of the creepy crawlies on the ocean bed, but these things are disgusting!”
Andy’s freak-out woke Jason and he stumbled to the group, his face so drawn it was nearly skeletal. He pointed to Cassandra sprawled across Orion’s lap.
“What happened?” he croaked.
“Prophecy,” Orion answered. “She won’t wake up.”
“What did she say?” Lucas asked.
“That I have to go do something because if I don’t the gods will—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—unleash the Kraken.” Helen still couldn’t grasp it. “Is the Kraken even Greek?” she gibbered.
Castor got a hold of himself first, and he rushed to take all their armor down. “Boys!” he said roughly. “Help each other with your armor. Quickly!”
Helen stood stock-still while they all stripped and then began strapping each other into their armor. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. How could she watch all of these people she loved die?
“How would you all like to see Everyland?” she shouted, her voice shaking. Everyone paused, stunned by Helen’s seemingly insane offer.
“Helen?” Lucas said, his voice deadly serious. “Are you thinking of making everyone immortal?”
“No,” she replied. “If I make everyone immortal, and I lose to Zeus, he’ll have no choice but to put you all in Tartarus for eternity. There’s no other way to get rid of a full immortal. I can’t do that to you.” Helen was panting. She couldn’t seem to catch a breath. When next she spoke, her voice was so high it squeaked. “But how would you all like to be mostly immortal, like Lucas?”
A deafening sound rumbled through the sky and shook the ground. Collapsing to her knees, Helen felt Lucas throw himself over her, covering her ears. Panicked screams were drowned out by the single unearthly bellow that Helen knew could only mean one thing.
The Kraken was rising.
SEVENTEEN
Helen felt Lucas pulling her to her feet, and then they ran to the front of the tent with Orion and Hector to look out at the apocalyptic scene that was unfolding in front of them.
The sun and sky were blotted out by a huge dome rising up out of the water. A long, ropelike shape, as wide as a city block, soared up in the air and then came crashing down across the beach, crushing mortals, Scions, and Myrmidons indiscriminately. The Kraken was so enormous that the tip of its tentacle reached all the way from the deep ocean offshore where the head of the giant squid breached the surface, crossed leagues of water, and ended inside Helen’s camp. It was an angry red color, striated with veins as thick as tree trunks, and covered in suckers.
Soldiers hacked at the Kraken’s tentacle as it slid past them, trying to cut it off. In retaliation, the tentacle grabbed one of its assailants, wrapped around him like a snake and squeezed. Lucas pulled Helen back into the tent as the soldier died a gruesome death. Even though she didn’t have to watch, she could still hear him screaming.
Helen turned to see stunned and horrified looks on every face. They had no idea how to tackle something this enormous. She glanced at Claire’s and Cassandra’s unconscious forms. Turning back to everyone else, she saw consensus building.
“Who’s with me?” Helen asked.
Hector looked at Andy, his emotions naked in a way they never were with anyone else. “Only if you come, too,” he said.
“Okay,” she whispered, and reached for his hand. He took it and pulled her against his side, nodding at Helen to let her know they were in.
“What about Claire?” Jason asked anxiously.
“Take her,” Helen said. “Orion. Take Cassandra.” Orion narrowed his eyes in question. He glanced down to Helen’s heart, reading it, and a troubled look creased his brow. “Trust me,” she told him.
“Castor?” Helen asked, turning to him.
“I’m sorry, Helen. I’ve dreamed of Atlantis my whole life. But I can’t go with you,” Castor said sadly. “Not without Noel.”
“Dad,” Lucas began to argue, but Castor held up a hand to stop him.
“I’ve lived long enough to know I don’t want to live much past the time allotted to me, anyway,” he said shaking his head firmly. “That doesn’t mean I’m out of the fight. I’m still on your side, Helen.”
“If you’re not coming with us you can’t fight,” Lucas insisted. “It’s too dangerous.”
“No it isn’t,” Helen said as a thought occurred to her. She unclasped the heart necklace she’d worn since she was a baby, and gave it to Castor. “I don’t know if you’re capable of using this or not.”
Castor nodded and drew his dagger. “It may be a relic only daughters of the House of Atreus can use,” he said knowingly. He handed his dagger to Helen and bared his forearm for her, meeting her eyes without a hint of fear. With no time to waste, Helen drew the blade swiftly across his skin. It didn’t cut him.