Kayla screamed, holding on to Nick.
"Will you shut her up?" Everett said with a harsh tone.
Nick didn't say anything. Everyone was holding on for dear life. Just when Skylar thought the boat would tip, she was jerked hard. Mason's hold on her kept her rooted to the boat or she would have been flung out like Amanda.
"Are you okay?" Nick asked, standing up to see his cousin on dry land.
"Why am I the only one off the boat?" Amanda got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. The boat had collided with a huge boulder that was oddly set, preventing the boat from advancing. Thankfully, it was also what had prevented them from being tipped over.
Extending his long legs, Everett took a step to Amanda. He examined her body from head to toe with his eyes and the flashlight. "You'll live. Let's go."
"Whatever, Mr. Insensitive." Amanda rolled her eyes.
Mason got off the boat second to last and extended his hand to Skylar. "Jump. I'll catch you."
Skylar wanted to but her legs wouldn't listen. Still weak, they were shaky and unstable. It was difficult to see, but she knew water separated her from Mason. Managing to stand on the edge of the boat, she could see Mason and his flashlight so she jumped, flying into his arms.
Without a glance her way, he held her hand in silence, lagging behind the others. After several steps, he stopped. "What happened back there in the boat?"
"There were loud whispers in my ears, like they were trying to tell me something, but it was overwhelming. Why is this happening to me?"
"I'm not sure. That's why we are going through all this trouble to find the Oracles. Supposedly, they have answers to everything."
"Have you seen them before?"
"No. We tried, but they didn't show themselves to us. I guess our question wasn't worth their time."
"What was your question?"
"Before Nick's mother died, she said that our father spoke to her of a prophecy foretold by the Oracle. It is a prediction that something evil would enter the human world that could possibly end the lives of all the gods' children and Hades's evil creations. Being curious idiots, we decided to risk our lives to find the answer.
"We came here before, though our journey wasn't as rough. We saw the swamp monsters the last time we were here. They looked ugly as hell, like the vultures, but they left us alone. Anyway, the prophecy states that the keeper of death will destroy us all. Hades's monsters were bad enough. We needed to know what this something evil was. We still don't know to this day."
Hearing Mason's words gave Skylar goose bumps, making her suddenly cold. She recalled Remus and Everett asking her if she was the keeper of death.
"Do you think that's what I am?" Skylar asked hesitantly, afraid of what he might say.
"No. Why would you think such thoughts?" Surprisingly, Mason tucked strands of Skylar's hair behind her ear so he could see her eyes after a sudden breeze ruffled them.
Skylar's heart fluttered. Timidly she answered, "Remus asked me if I was."
"Remus was weird and malicious. I wouldn't be surprised if he was one. Don't think of him. Besides, I'm sure the keeper of death would look hideous, and you don't. I mean, you're more pleasant to look-I mean, you're not."
Shyly, she shot her eyes down. She knew what he was trying to say. In a way, she wanted to think that it was a compliment. Then she remembered she never thanked him for saving her life again. Though she was humbled that he would go out of his way to help her, she knew he was doing it for himself too, especially since she'd killed Remus, or at least he thought she had. He needed answers.
"Thanks for saving my life back there. I thought . . . well, I thought that was it."
Mason's eyes were fixated on hers as his lips parted to speak. He looked as though he had so much to say. Apparently, changing his mind, he closed his mouth and nodded with a grin. Skylar smiled back.
"You should smile more often. I like your smile, Echo." He grabbed her hand and started walking.
They finally caught up to the rest of the gang, but they all stopped when they couldn't go any farther. Strangely, darkness had turned to light. It was as if they had stepped into yet another dimension without knowing it. In front of them was an old structure, almost resembling a castle. Vines and branches with dead leaves cascaded downward, covering a dark narrow entrance and other parts of what was once a marvelous edifice.
"You want to go in there?" Kayla murmured with a grimace, looking terrified and annoyed at the same time. "Why? For the love of God, why?"
"If only humans had continued to believe in the gods, we wouldn't be in this mess," Amanda commented.
"Why do you all keep saying ‘humans?'" Kayla scoffed. "Of course we believe in God. And what mess are you talking about?"
Disregarding her, everyone looked deep in thought.
"Let's go," Everett snapped, heading in first, followed by Amanda.
"Don't worry. I got ya." Nick winked at Kayla, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It might be fun in there." He gave her a playful look.
Taken in by his charisma, she giggled like a schoolgirl and snuggled closer to him as they strode forward. Skylar stopped abruptly when Nick and Kayla seemed to bounce back upon attempting to enter. Kayla stumbled backward and almost fell, but Nick caught her just in time.
"What just happened?" Nick huffed. Looking confused, he entered by himself without a hitch. Crooking his finger, he gestured for Kayla to come to him. As directed she tried again, shuffling her feet cautiously. As if there was an invisible wall in front of her, she couldn't take another step.
"Nick," she called, patting nothing but air. "What's going on? Why can't I go in?"
Frustrated, Nick stepped next to Kayla and then turned to Mason. As if they could read each other's thoughts, Nick nodded. "I'm going to have to stay here with her, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid so."
Hearing footsteps, they looked up as Everett and Amanda appeared. "What's the hold up?" Amanda asked, crossing her arms.
"It's Kayla. She can't enter," Mason replied, sounding frustrated.
"I told you not to bring her," Everett sneered.
"We knew this would happen. Somewhere along the journey there would be a fine line where humans couldn't enter, and this is it," Nick murmured. "I just didn't think it would be here."
"We've never brought a human along, so now we know," Mason muttered.
"Hellooo, I'm standing right here." Kayla waved her hand. "What's going on?"
Narrowing her eyes at Kayla, Amanda spoke, "The Oracles are in there. Nick, you're gonna have to stay here with her."
Nick heaved a long sigh, looking disappointed. "Damn. I wanted to see what they look like."
"We have no idea what we are doing. You should be glad you're not going," Amanda commented.
"We're wasting time." Everett pointed to his watch. "Hurry up. Figure it out and meet me inside." He went back in.
"Let's go," Mason said to Skylar.
"Wait, wait, wait. What are you all saying? Why are we here? Who or what are these Oracles?" Kayla started rolling with her questions.
"It's okay. Everything is fine," Nick explained, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
Kayla swatted his hands away. "You need to explain now and Skylar isn't going anywhere." Kayla looked at Skylar to confirm. When she didn't respond, Kayla spoke again, "Skylar, tell them you're not going."
"I-I-" Skylar started to speak, feeling confused as to how to handle this situation.
Kayla didn't wait for her response. "No, you don't have to go. You don't even know what's going on. We're going back home." Kayla reached for Skylar's arm.
Amanda raised her hands with annoyance. "Would you just put her to sleep? We don't have time for this."
Nick swung Kayla around. "Listen. Everything is going to be okay. You need to trust me."
"I want to go home," Kayla cried. "Nick, please take me home."
Nick softened from her plea. "Look at me, Kayla." She did as told. He rested all of his fingertips on her head and dim light seeped from them. "Sleep. You won't have memories of today." Nick's dark eyes turned the color of silver and then turned back to their original color.
At that moment, Skylar remembered Mason's eyes turning the same color the night she was pulled over by him. Kayla closed her eyes and Nick caught her as she fell. "She's asleep. I'll meet you back at the cabin. I'll find a way back. I have a human with me, so we'll be okay."
"Be careful." Mason nodded. Holding Skylar's hand, he guided her toward the entrance, then dropped his hand to enter first and waited for her. "Just in case."
Skylar looked over her shoulder, seeing Kayla in Nick's arms. She knew Kayla was safe; Nick had compelled her to sleep. Obviously, it had worked on Kayla, but it had no effect on Skylar. Wondering if she would bounce back like Kayla, she swatted the vines blocking her way and dragged her feet. Taking baby steps, she entered without any problems. She knew for sure now that Mason was right about her.