the heads begin to whine.
My heart melts. "Ah, you poor baby, let me help you." With renewed confidence I move closer, letting my hand fall onto the monster’s largest head as it drops to sniff and inspect me. As a slobbery tongue licks my arm, leaving a trail of saliva, my heart swells at the emotions surfacing. I grin.
I make short work of the chains, and as the last shackle falls to the floor, I’m faced with three grinning heads and a massive, wagging tail.
"You remember me, don't you?" I place my forehead against one of its heads and close my eyes. "It's good to see you again, Cerb. Ready to break into the Underworld?"
3
"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." ~Epictetus
Cerberus lifts all three heads and howls.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I say with a smile. I pat the nearest head. “But first, we’ve got to free Mirk, Torak, and Ladron, and my people. I’m sure Clay’s been up to no good.”
I head for the dark, twisting passages leading to my queendom above.
“There’s only one way out of here,” I say. “And that’s up, through the temple since the Dungeon doors are still sealed.” The hole I crawled through to get here isn’t big enough to get a three-headed dog out.
Cerb doesn’t reply, of course, but pads after me.
“I’m headed for the palace, anyway. The road won’t do. Clay isn’t likely to miss you waltzing up the palace driveway. He won’t expect us coming from the temple, since the bridge is destroyed. Though, that means we can’t get off, either.” I give a rueful snort. “At the very least, it’s a good place to check things out and plan our attack. Better a safe lemon than a sorry one.”
I glance at Cerb for input. I know he understands what I say to a large degree. The intelligence in all of his eyes is obvious, and I know with a certainty that Cerb can see the past, present, and future just as the stories claim. Or rather, Prometheus knows this, and I trust my past self.
“Maybe it’s best you can’t tell me,” I say as we stride through the Dungeon halls. “I’m not sure anything good comes from knowing the future. Not when you can’t change it.”
Cerb follows me closely as I continue to weave my way through the network of passages, always choosing the ones leading upwards, out of the darkest bowels of the earth. I’m nearly at the cavern where I fell through escaping the manticore when my boot catches on the uneven Dungeon floor and I stumble.
Nefeli’s talons pierce through my flesh like metal claws. “Easy, girl.” I wince.
“Apologies,” Nefeli croaks softly and immediately relaxes her grip.
I’m reminded that she’s Apollo’s bird and that her life has just drastically changed. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I say in sympathy.
Nefeli surprises me with a squawk that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. “Nothing is as it seems. We will meet again,” she caws. The sentiment isn’t as harsh as it sounds. There’s a melancholy in her voice.
Recalling how they’d pressed their cheeks together in farewell, I give her feet a little pat and she swivels her head to look at me. The gesture sends me back in time, reminding me of the crows my dad used to feed back at home. Each night, they’d battle each other for the best spot on the roof, turning their heads, waiting for him to come and scatter sunflower seeds on the driveway.
I humph a sigh and resume my path upwards.
“If you can talk,” I say, “then you need to fly to Persephone. Warn her about Clay.”
Nefeli squawks. “One does not simply fly to the Underworld, Lily Lemon. Only a god can open the gates. That’s why Apollo came to find you.”
I nod. Of course, things weren’t going to be so easy. Escaping the Underworld is always difficult in the Greek myths. Getting in must be tough too, as long as you’re not a dead mortal, that is. After a few twists and more turns, we arrive at the chamber directly under the temple, and through the gaping hole in the ceiling, I catch a glimpse of the sky.
It’s late evening, nearing sunset.
“To the left,” Nefeli suddenly offers. “Behind the mound of bones lies a secret door leading out of this place. One that Apollo used to enter this…this untidy place.” She gives the chamber around her a disparaging look. “Touch your