The Eye of Zeus by Alane Adams

Author:Alane Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SparkPress
Published: 2020-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

After torching Nemea, we made good time on foot heading south toward the swamps of Lerna. None of us were particularly excited about facing a hydra again. The first one had nearly bitten off our heads and poisoned me half to death. And it had been a cheap imitation.

Macario proved useful, finding a place to camp near a stream and keeping spirits up with his tall tales. In the light of the campfire, he rambled on about a bottomless lake that fed the swamps and hid monstrous creatures we couldn’t imagine.

When the hour grew late, we burrowed into nests of leaves, staring at the stars as Damian pointed out the names. I tried to stay awake, but my lids grew too heavy to keep open.

For as long as I could remember, I’d never been the kind of person who had dreams. Some demigod genetic defect, I supposed. I’d slept like a zombie at night without a single memory the next morning.

Which is why I didn’t know I was dreaming at first. One minute, I was listening to Damian drone on about alpha centauri, and the next, I was floating. It was kind of cool. My body was next to the fire, but I was above it, weightless and free. It was like being in a zero-gravity chamber. I drifted along, seeing the countryside below lit by moonlight, until weight returned. I floated downward, flinching when my bare feet touched the cold ground.

It was stony and hard. Real. But it couldn’t be, I told myself, because this was obviously a dream.

In front of me, a red door with a brass knob awaited. It hung in the air like an invitation.

I looked around, but there were only silent trees and twinkling stars. A powerful curiosity seized me, and taking a tentative step forward, I lifted a hand to the knob, then let it drop, suddenly wary. I walked around the back.

Nothing. Just the other side of the same door, hanging in place.

I went back to the front and grasped the knob. It was warm under my hands. I twisted it, and the door swung open. I could see clean through it. So it went nowhere. Duh. What did I expect? On a whim, I stepped through, ready to have a laugh and maybe pinch myself to wake up.

My foot touched down—and I found myself in a bright new world.

I blinked several times in case I was seeing it all wrong, but no—on this side of the door, the sun was shining. Green grass spread out like a lush carpet, replacing the rocky soil. I wiggled my toes, testing out the feeling. Birds sang sweet music. A light breeze brought the smell of honeysuckle.

I turned, gasping at the sight of a small lake. Weeping willows encircled it, touching their branches down to the water. A single swan paddled serenely across its mirrored surface. It was jet black, with gleaming feathers and massive wings folded at its side.

I walked to the shore, curious to see if it would come closer.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.