Patrick H. Adkins - Titans 2 - Master of the Fearfull Dephts

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MASTER OF THE FEARFUL DEPTHS

PATRICK H. ADKINS

ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK

This book is an Ace original edition, and has never been previously

published.

MASTER OF THE FEARFUL DEPTHS

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY

Ace edition / July 1989

Cover art by John Jude Palencar.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or

any other means, without permission.

For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison

Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

ISBN: 0-441-52106-1

Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison

Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

The name "ACE" and the "A" logo are trademarks belonging to Charter

Communications, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 987654321

For Alisha, this second volume, too

One

As the powerful wings of the ocean god carried her down from Mount

Olympos, Nalassa tried to drive from her mind all thought of the dangers

they had so narrowly escaped. She had discovered the secret charnel room

where the King of the Gods and Thanatos, his unclean servant, sought to

probe the limits of mortality and immortality. Had Proteus not rescued

her, she was certain she would be there now, among the decaying corpses

and dismembered bodies.

Nestled in his strong arms, with her cheek pressed against his chest,

the water nymph wanted to think only of the present and the god who held

her. Instead she found herself glancing back again and again across

Proteus's broad shoulder. Behind them, dimly visible in the crisp

starlight, the great palace of the Lord of the Titans grew small in the

distance. Two or three times she thought she detected movements that

might be indicative of pursuit, but she could not be certain.

Proteus flew close to the mountainside, hugging the jutting cliffs or

dipping into deep gorges for concealment. The terrain became

increasingly rugged as they followed a sinuous route that led both

downward and toward the eastern sea. They skimmed over a frozen

wasteland of snow, ice, and rock. At each dizzying dip or turn the naiad

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clutched Proteus still more tightly and tried to stifle the cries that

leaped to her mouth. The icy wind buffeted her face and whipped her hair

and clothing about her.

Soon ice and snow were replaced by dark forests that sprouted from the

sheer slopes of the mountainside. The tossing treetops lapped beneath

them like waves. They were flying almost horizontally, and now for the

first time she saw the dark expanse of the sea. It lay directly ahead of

them, reflecting pinpoints of starlight.

Proteus soared in toward the rocky shore, arching his wings at the last

moment to slow their descent. He swung her down and she found herself

running in the sand beside him before she fully realized they were no

longer airborne. He folded his great wings and began to reabsorb them

into his body as they ran out a short distance into the frothing waves.

Hand-in-hand they dived headfirst into the dark waters.

Accustomed to the river ruled by her father and to its many shallow,

racing tributaries, the sea seemed both familiar and strangely alien to

the naiad. She filled her lungs with sea water and let him lead her

downward through the almost total darkness.

Had he been alone, the son of Okeanos might have metamorphosed himself

into a dolphin or assumed the tail and fins of a fish to facilitate his

journey. Instead he swam leisurely, retaining his own form. Still

Nalassa had difficulty keeping up with him. Countless ages had trained

his muscles to traverse the silent depths with maximum speed and minimum

effort.

Proteus paused regularly to allow the naiad to catch up, and he stopped

occasionally so that she could rest. When they spoke, the watery element

made their voices sound thick and oddly distant.

After they had been swimming for some minutes, Nalassa noticed ahead of

them many dull points of light, like stars viewed through haze, that

seemed gradually to be growing brighter. A few moments later thousands

of tiny, silver-eyed fish cavorted about them, surrounding them in a

cloud of luminescence. She realized that Proteus must have summoned

these creatures up from far below to light their way. The luminous fish

accompanied them as they swam, and on all sides, just beyond the faint

blue of the water, the illumination ended in a wall of impenetrable

blackness.

Now she followed a little behind him, watching the easy naturalness of

his movements and admiring the perfect symmetry of his smooth, bronzed

body. Tall, neither slender nor bulky, he glided effortlessly ahead of

her just above the languidly waving growths of the sea-bottom plain, his

sleek muscles rippling with each slightest movement. He belonged here,

she realized, amid the magnificent solitude of these blue depths.

Coral-covered cairns of rock rose up around them like ghostly castles.

An eel, startled at their approach, sought shelter within the crevices.

A scarlet, spiked creature watched them from unblinking eyes as they

swam past. A ray fish ventured into their path, then veered away with

the sudden flapping of its winglike fins.

When sharks passed nearby within their circle of illumination, Proteus

warned her to stay close to him. Usually these vicious predators

extended to the gods the wide berth otherwise reserved only for the

largest of whales, but their ravenous ferocity occasionally led them to

attack even creatures of divine proportion. Despite their relatively

small mortal size, they could inflict very painful injuries. They were

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capable of snipping off divine ringers or toes, and even more serious

wounds could result when they hunted in packs.

The palace of Nereus lay in the deepest part of the Aegean, near the

very bottom of a great sunken rift. As they approached this enormous

valley the sea bottom dropped away suddenly. Proteus led her outward

into the open water, well clear of the steep wall. With a single

thoughtless kick the naiad might easily precipitate an underwater

landslide and trap both of them beneath an avalanche of soft mud.

Downward they swam, through the vast and empty darkness, until they

reached the rippled, yellow surface of the valley floor-a silent

landscape pockmarked by the burrows of deep-sea creatures and spotted

with waving thickets of spiney, red and orange growths that resembled

finely serrated plants.

Occasionally fan-shaped coral drifted past, reflecting red in the

phosphorescent light. Three sharks came upon them suddenly-ugly white

creatures with broad, flat heads and glistening, bulbous white eyes.

Finding themselves caught in the periphery of illumination, they backed

away in startled confusion, then sought escape in the surrounding

blackness.

At last the palace of Nereus came into sight, glowing in the distance,

wreathed in phosphorescence. It rose from the sea bottom like a scarlet

mountain, its thick walls and high towers reaching high above the

surrounding hills and bluffs.

As they drew near, piscine sentinels sensed their presence and swam to

meet them; other fish carried word of their arrival to the palace. An

honor guard of stately silver ray fish glided out to circle and escort

them toward the main entrance, leaving them only as Proteus and Nalassa

swam through an enormous portal and into a wide corridor.

The palace, which the sea god Nereus had commanded to grow upon this

spot, was formed completely of coral. Ugly, coral-eating fish patrolled

its corridors, grazing on walls, floor, and ceiling to keep them

properly trimmed.

As they swam they were joined by an ever-increasing number of

golden-haired nymphs, the daughters of King Nereus and Queen Doris. By

the time they reached the great hall more than a dozen Nereids encircled

them. The goddesses laughed and chatted excitedly, their long hair and

beautiful gowns, woven of many-colored sea growths, fluttering around

them in the water.

Now Nalassa found herself in an enormous, high-ceilinged chamber. Walls

of blue coral surrounded them and small fish scuttled out of their way.

Millions of phosphorescent creatures, microscopic in size, had imbedded

themselves to the high walls and ceiling of the room; each produced only

a dim illumination by itself, but collectively they flooded the chamber

in a soft blue-white light. The walls of the great room were lined with

benches and tables, and nearby rose a high platform surmounted by two

polished thrones of gleaming black coral.

A dark-haired goddess was swimming toward them, smiling warmly as she

drew near. Behind her at a short distance followed a golden-haired god.

Proteus and Nalassa slowed to a stop, floating side by side and moving

their arms and legs only as much as necessary to maintain their

positions.

"Greetings, Queen Doris," Proteus said as the goddess slowed her rapid

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progress with a few reverse strokes of her hands.

She laughed, threw her arms about his neck, and kissed him. "Proteus,

will you never abandon your senseless formality when you speak to me?

I'm still your sister, even if you seldom visit me."

"And the mother of the world's most beautiful goddesses," he said,

nodding toward the watching Nereids who were gathering at a discrete

distance.

Nereus, the golden-haired god, had now joined his wife. A little plump

and below medium height, he carried himself with a regal bearing

nonetheless. "I see your vision and judgment remain as sharp as ever,"

he said jovially. "Welcome, Proteus! I observe that the outside world

does not lack beauty either. Who is your lovely companion?"

"This is Nalassa, the daughter of the river god Asopos."

Doris turned toward her daughters. "Go now, children, that we may talk.

There'll be time later for each of you to greet our guests." Reluctantly

the Nereids left the great hall, and Doris turned back to her brother.

"It's been far too long since we've seen you. Why, most of my daughters

didn't even recognize you. ..."

Nereus interrupted her. "No recriminations, Doris. He'll stay away even

longer next time if you scold him. Now, Proteus, shall we talk first, or

would you rather wait until you've rested? Are you hungry? Have you

eaten?"

"A long conversation is in order," Proteus said.

Two others, a god and goddess, had entered the hall and seemed uncertain

if they should approach more closely. Nereus glanced toward them, then

gestured to them to come forward. "Here are my brother and sister, Lord

Phorkys and his wife, Lady Keto," he told Nalassa. The two gods joined

them. Both had the golden blond hair of Nereus and his daughters, and

both displayed obvious curiosity about the two visitors.

After the cordialities had been satisfied, Nereus said, "Come, then,

Proteus. You've traveled far and we have much to say to each other. I'm

sure everyone will excuse us."

He clapped the ocean god on the shoulder and led him across the broad

hall toward a number of coral benches, the surfaces of which were kept

smooth by the coral-eating fish that seemed to be everywhere about the

palace. Nudging one of these aside, Proteus and Nereus sat side by side.

"Would you care to see your apartment now?" Doris asked Nalassa.

Nalassa hesitated, glancing toward Proteus. "If you don't mind, I think

I'd rather wait here for a while yet."

Doris nodded. "Certainly, though I must warn you that they may talk for

quite some time. My husband does not despise conversation."

Nalassa smiled back at her hostess. The others had all moved away now,

so that the nymph and the queen were alone on one side of the great

hall. From across the chamber Nereus signaled to his wife to join him

and Proteus. The two gods had risen from their bench and were swimming

toward the portal of an adjoining room. Doris looked her embarrassment

and began to glance about, intending to summon one of her daughters to

keep the naiad company while she accompanied Nereus and Proteus.

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Nalassa forestalled any such action. "Please go right on," she said

softly. "I won't at all mind being left to myself-if you don't mind.

Your palace is so lovely and different. You have the beauty of nature

here, and I'll relish the opportunity to study it."

Doris started to object, but changed her mind when Nereus signaled to

her again, this time from the entrance of the room to which he was

leading Proteus. "If you need anything- anything at all, my dear-you

need only call one of my daughters. ..." She squeezed Nalassa's hand,

then swam quickly to join her husband and brother. The three disappeared

into a doorway and a great double curtain of shells swung closed behind

them.

Nalassa sighed. She was glad that she had come here with Proteus; the

beauty of the undersea palace at least partially compensated for how

terribly neglected she was feeling. For a number of minutes she floated

in the gentle current that ran across the great hall, from one

high-vaulted entrance to another; she let her thoughts float and sway,

too.

"You must not want him very badly," a small voice said from behind her.

She turned to find a divine child, little older than a toddler, riding

toward her atop a giant turtle. The turtle was moving slowly across the

hall, skimming along just above the floor; the goddess on its back,

though very young, was nearly as large as the thirty-foot-long reptile.

She tapped lightly against the beast's shell and it slowed to a stop.

Long strands of golden hair settled around her face. Coy eyes, hinting

of laughter, gleamed up at Nalassa.

"What did you say?" the naiad asked.

"I said that you must not want him very badly. If you really wanted him,

you would work to win him."

The odd words, spoken by so young a goddess, both puzzled and flustered

Nalassa. She wondered if her state of mind was so obvious that everyone

could recognize it, even children.

"You're very silly," the child continued, her speech oddly languorous.

"Of course you're in love with him. But you don't want to admit it, even

to yourself. You must know your own mind."

The child glanced across the hall toward the room into which Proteus had

disappeared. "He'll be difficult to win, but you can do it," she

continued. "No, don't worry. If you really want him, I'll help you."

"What are you talking about?" Nalassa asked, pretending that the things

the child said were meaningless to her.

"I'm talking about love, you foolish nymph. Your face betrays your

heart. You're in love with him, but he doesn't love you-yet."

Nalassa glanced quickly around the huge chamber. No one was near them.

The hall was empty except for Phorkys and Keto, who were talking quietly

just inside the entrance to one of the many adjoining corridors.

Nalassa stared at the child. There was an aura of indolence about her,

and of sensuality, particularly in her slow, languid gestures and

pouting lips.

"Of course you're in love with him," the child continued, laughing. "You

needn't pretend with me. You can hide it from yourself and from some of

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the others, but not from me. I know about these things. I can make him

love you if-"

Now it was Nalassa who laughed, partly out of nervousness but also

because she had become suddenly aware of the absurdity of her

conversation with this goddess who was little more than an infant.

The child frowned. She was still astride her turtle. "You may doubt me,"

she said very seriously. "I will allow that. After all, you don't know

me. But don't laugh at what I say. I, who cherish laughter and

merriment, also love retribution. Yes, I can make him love you, if I so

choose. I can fill him with love until he overflows, until-"

"And how would you do this?"

The child looked again in the direction of the room in which Proteus was

meeting with Nereus and Doris, then back at the nymph. She shook her

head, making her long, golden hair wave in the water. "First you must

decide. Then ..."

"Pardon," a voice interrupted. A dark-haired goddess swam up to them. "I

am looking for Lord Proteus. Are you the nymph who arrived with him?"

Nalassa nodded.

"Where is he? I am Dione, his sister. I wish to greet him."

"He's over there, mother," the child said, pointing across the hall.

"Another of Proteus's sisters!" Nalassa exclaimed. "The children of

Okeanos are indeed numerous and widespread. He's meeting with King

Nereus and Queen Doris and probably won't be free for some time yet,"

she explained. "This is your daughter? I've been talking with her. She's

... a most interesting child. ..."

The goddess grinned. "Indeed she is! I'm not really her mother, however,

though she insists on calling me that. I found her some years ago,

floating in the sea in a pocket of foam. For that reason we call her

Aphrodite." The word meant foam-born. "Nereus and Doris have grown quite

fond of her, as have I. Do you know, she hasn't grown a bit since the

day I found her. Pay no attention to what she says, though. She says the

most astounding things."

The Okeanid Dione frowned, then continued, "I don't guess I'll wait.

Please tell him that I'm looking for him, and not to dare leave without

seeing me."

Nalassa agreed to deliver the message.

Dione excused herself. "What about you, Aphrodite? Are you coming back

with me, or staying here?"

"I'll come, mother," the child answered. She tapped the turtle and it

began to turn in a circle, moving in the direction from which they had

originally come. "Remember what I said," the child told Nalassa. "All

depends on you." She followed her foster mother away.

Perplexed, Nalassa swam the short distance to a bench and sat down to

wait. She noticed that Phorkys and Keto were still near one of the

entrances to the hall and that they were watching her. As she looked at

them, the god and goddess retreated out of sight down the corridor.

Two

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Behind the closed curtains of shells, Proteus and his sister sat side by

side on a low bench. Nereus had drawn up a small stool and was sitting

close in front of them.

"Oh, why can't he leave us in peace?" Doris demanded. "This is a tiny

realm. There are other seas, even the great sea itself. Anyone who likes

may fashion his own domain in one of them. ..."

"The real surprise," Nereus said, addressing his visitor, "is that

Kronos has waited this long to act. His hatred isn't new. We've been

aware of it for a very long time."

"But why does he hate us so?" Doris asked. "What have we done that he

should be so intent upon our destruction?''

Nereus shook his head sadly. "Part of it, I suppose, is that he wants us

to acknowledge him as our king and-"

"But we do!" Doris interrupted. "We always have!"

"Not as thoroughly as he wishes, my dear." Nereus leaned forward, took

his wife's hand, and squeezed it gently. "We live far from Olympos. We

don't bow to him daily. We aren't in his debt for every good thing that

surrounds us. All that we have, we've earned for ourselves. We owe him

nothing. That's what he resents. He finds that intolerable."

As he looked back and forth between his sister and her husband, an odd

sensation crept over Proteus. He pressed his eyes shut and held them

closed for a few moments. There was a terrible familiarity in Nereus's

words, and for an instant Proteus was overwhelmed by the impression that

he had seen and heard all this before-that he was only reenacting events

that had already taken place long ago.

After a moment he looked up again, once more in control of himself.

"It's fitting, I suppose," Doris was saying. "To most of us the wedding

of a brother or sister is a joyous occasion." She smiled bitterly. "But

to the King of the Gods, it's merely an opportunity for treachery!"

"Poor Eurybie," Nereus said quietly. "It saddens me to think that our

misfortune will taint her wedding day. She and Crios deserve better-much

better!"

"I'm afraid you don't fully understand the situation yet," Proteus said.

"Shed no tears for them. They both conspire against you with Kronos.

Among other things, this marriage is a pretext for placing Crios on your

throne. Once you've been deposed, your sister will reign as queen here,

with Kronos's brother at her side."

Deep sadness touched Nereus's features. "Are you certain of this,

Proteus? Eurybie plots against us, too?"

The son of Okeanos nodded. "She's as deeply involved as Kronos, and will

profit handsomely, Kronos has planned carefully, and, I suspect, for a

very long time. He'll claim that you conspire against him and that you

seek to overthrow him as King of the Gods."

"But that's preposterous!" Doris exclaimed. "Who'll believe such

nonsense? We, of all the gods, have no reason to plot against Kronos.

Such a claim is beyond belief."

"That doesn't matter," Proteus continued. "The wedding of Crios and

Eurybie offers entry to your palace for both Kronos and his followers.

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When he accuses you, he'll have the support not only of the Titans he's

already enlisted- Iapetos, Koios, and Crios-but of all the lesser gods

as well. He's their king. They know him little but revere him much, and

they'll believe whatever he tells them. They'll follow him without

hesitation."

Proteus paused for a moment, then concluded, "And when he strikes

against you, he'll strike also against my father."

"Of course," Nereus said sadly. "That only makes sense. He's long

begrudged Okeanos his independence. He hopes to be rid of us both with a

single stroke-while we're most unsuspecting. ''

A small squid drifted between them, then flitted suddenly away. Doris

let her gaze wander from Proteus to look around the simple, unadorned

room in which they sat. The soft beauty of the coral chamber seemed to

increase her sadness.

"What will become of us?'' she asked her brother.

"Tartaros."

"They say the air is dank and loathsome there," she said thoughtfully,

"that nothing can grow in its fetid atmosphere. They say it's better to

die the death of a mortal animal than to live-a deathless god-entombed

forever in darkness and decay." She looked up at Proteus. "Does Kronos

think all this is still unknown to us? If he knew we were forewarned,

might he not be deterred?"

Proteus shook his head. "While on Olympos, I had the opportunity to

observe him in conference with his fellow conspirators. Don't deceive

yourselves. I saw his face and heard his voice as he spoke to them. He's

determined to rid himself of you, Nereus, and of my father. Nothing will

dissuade him. He will destroy you both, or destroy himself in the

attempt. As it is, we have the advantage of knowing when he plans to

attack-and that may well be our only advantage. If he became aware of

our knowledge, he might delay and shift his plan to some other day, and

then the advantage would be his again.''

For more than a full minute none of them spoke.

Finally Proteus continued, "There is something more I must tell you. I

know, Nereus, that you never intentionally look into the future, that

you prophesy only under duress...."

"We are so alike, Proteus, brother of my beloved wife," Nereus said. "Of

all the gods, you, who share my 'gift,' know what a burden it is, and

its limitations. Whatever chance now clouds your vision is a blessing. I

wish I, too, could remember nothing of the things I foresee."

"My visions are hidden from me, it is true, but not from those around

me," Proteus explained. "At such times I fall unconscious and am

oblivious to the words that pour from my mouth. This happened last three

days ago. Nalassa, the nymph who accompanied me here, was with me and

later told me the things I said. I mention this only because I believe

it must pertain to what we've been discussing."

Nereus started to object, but his wife interrupted him. "Let him speak.

This is a time when it would be well to glimpse the future."

"These are the words I spoke while my body seethed in continual

metamorphosis: 'Change follows change when god devours god. Titan

against Titan, god against god... power unleashed, force undreamt...."

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"Oh, brother," Doris cried softly, "it sounds as though our worst fears

are destined to be realized!"

"There is more: 'The gull shall weep, the eagle cease to soar, when the

white mare rears her hooves and the broken willow pierces their hearts.'

"The gull," Doris said, "why, that's a shape favored by your father. And

the eagle certainly must be Kronos. Does this mean that both will fail?"

"Enough, Proteus," Nereus interrupted. "One might just as well judge a

melon by a single thin slice as the future by such words. The slice

could be the only bad part, or the only good. None can truly know what

is to be. It's a vain, useless pursuit. ..."

Doris leaned toward her husband and laid a hand upon his arm, looking at

him with affection and sympathy. "Such visions always trouble him.

Proteus is right, though, my dear. This is something we must know. Let

him go on...."

"No, Doris, let me speak," Nereus insisted. "Brother- for you are my

brother, so close is my wife to me-the future is a shifting, shapeless

thing, impossible to grasp and hold. It depends in part upon what we do

today. Today we shape tomorrow. Each act of the present has its

consequences. It's folly to heed such words as you have recited."

Proteus shrugged. "I've told you this because I thought it might hold

some meaning for you."

Nereus settled back on his stool now that he had said all he cared to

say. Doris turned back toward Proteus.

"Whatever those words may mean," she said, "tell me this, brother-what

can we do?"

"There are really only two courses of action, and neither is acceptable.

Nereus and my father could avoid Kronos simply by failing to be present

at the wedding, but then the confrontation would only be postponed.

Kronos would seek out a new opportunity. Or we could prepare to meet him

when the time comes-perhaps even strike first against him."

Nereus shook his head vigorously. "I won't arm my daughters with

tridents. If we resist Kronos, terrible violence will ensue. Neither of

us need peer into the future to know that. I won't be responsible for

that result."

"But what will you do, then?" Proteus demanded. "Certainly you won't

surrender to him."

"If Kronos attempts to capture me, I'll try to elude him- but I shall

not fight him and I shall not hide from him."

For what seemed like a long time they were silent. Finally Proteus said,

"Nereus, I came here to warn you and to seek your help. It isn't only

you and Doris who stand in the balance...."

"No," Nereus said insistently. "My decision is firm. Such violence can

only beget an ever-widening circle of still more violence. I will not be

a party to it. If such things must happen, they must happen without my

assistance."

"Listen to me," the ocean god continued, leaning forward as he spoke.

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"Your restraint will avert nothing. My father has already been warned.

He knows what Kronos plans. If a single spear is lifted against him or

against any member of my family, this palace of yours will tremble to

its foundations. We can oppose Kronos-easily. If he chooses, my father

can summon a thousand of his sons from the far corners of the earth."

"Would Okeanos do that?" Nereus asked.

Proteus shrugged almost imperceptibly. "I don't know. I do know he won't

willingly surrender to Kronos. But I didn't come here, Nereus, to advise

you to arm for battle. This problem is deeper and more terrible than

that. I fear that no matter what course of action we choose, the result

will be disasterous."

"It isn't only you and Doris, or Okeanos and Tethys, who are at stake,"

Proteus continued. "It's all of us. Once this battle has begun, it won't

stop here in your throne room, whoever is victorious. Some of my

brothers, hotheaded and anxious for sport, will seek out those who

support Kronos and deal with them individually-or Kronos's supporters

will do the same. From one end of the earth to the other, the gods will

fight one another. And this pleasant way of life we've learned to enjoy

will crumble about us."

He was staring into the other god's eyes. "Nereus, we're old enough to

remember how things were before Kronos imposed his rule upon the

world-the ignorance and savagery that held sway. Unless we can somehow

persuade Kronos to abandon his plan, those days will surely return. All

that's been built will be shattered, and only ruins will remain."

Nereus was nodding his head. "What you say is true. But what do you want

from us? There's nothing Doris or I can do that will affect that

outcome."

For a few moments Proteus sat with his eyes cast down. Finally he said,

"I fear you may be right. I suppose I hoped you might offer some idea

that had escaped me."

Doris took her brother's hand. "We'll try to help, brother, even if my

husband thinks it impossible."

"This topic has saddened and tired me," Nereus said. "It is late. We can

talk more tomorrow."

When they returned to the great hall Nalassa looked up from her reveries

as they swam toward her.

"Come, both of you," Queen Doris said, her voice surprisingly pleasant

after the distressing conversation in which she had been a participant.

"I must find suitable quarters for our honored guests."

Nalassa and Proteus were led through a number of passageways until they

reached the apartments Doris intended for them, which were located near

each other on opposite sides of a corridor. When finally they were left

alone Nalassa rejoined Proteus in his room.

She found him upon a coral bench, deep in thought.

"You look troubled," she said.

"I was thinking about Metis and Philyra. I should have insisted they

come with us."

"They wanted to stay on Olympos," Nalassa said. "Besides, I think you

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