Apollo's Arrow

Chapter 2 Lieutenant Marc Kayne

◇2    LIEUTENANT MARC KAYNE

≈OFFICER’S QUARTERS POSEIDON’S PALACE≈
“Sir, a letter from Princess Adryan,” a soldier reported as he entered the lieutenant’s office. After handing over the letter, Kayne dismissed him. Upon opening the envelope, he found a missive from not Adryan, but the god of wine Dionysus.
“Now why old beer breath would be sending me something is beyond my mental capabilities.” Kayne said to himself. Obviously it’s not from Adryan, she’s jus the messenger. He started to read the mission.
Lieutenant Marc Kayne
Poseidon’s realm, Central Pacific
I have a job for you. Now, you are probably wondering why ‘old beer breath’ as you say, is asking something of you. Well, this quest will benefit both of us. You, by helping you find your Mysterious past and me for...Undisclosed reasons.
Kayne laughed to himself at this.
“‘Undisclosed reasons’. He probably just wants to throw me on some wild goose chase and get me in trouble with Poseidon.” Then he continued to read.
I want you to go to Tartarus for me. I will give you three days to give me your answer, and then I will give you the rest of the details.
                                       Yours Truly,
                                       Dionysus
The paper fell from his hands as the shock of what the god was asking him to do hit him.
What in the name of Hades would he want in that place. Tartarus, the deepest pit in hell, the place where the titans were forever imprisoned. What could he possibly want there? How could it have anything to do with his past?
“I need to think about this...” he picked up the letter and left his office.
≈WESTERN STABLES-PALACE GROUNDS≈
When the two gods entered Poseidon’s most valued stables, they were met by the sea god’s other child, Triton.
“Hello sister, Lord Apollo.” He said, receiving a nod from the sun god and a smile from his sister. “Father sent me a message by Iris to give you specific steeds.” Explaining why he was there. Adryan wasn’t surprised by this; however, she wanted a specific horse.
“May I inquire as to which horses you speak of?”
“Xanthus and Balius. Why? Did you want others?”
“Those two are fine, but I wanted Pegasus as well.” She looked around the stables in search of her favorite horse.
“He’s out at the moment. I think Lord Dionysus has him.” He said in an apologizing tone. Adryan looked at Apollo. Something seemed to bother him for a moment, and then his face went blank. ‘He’s probably seeing another prophecy.’ She thought to herself.
“Apollo, is everything alright?”
“Hmn? Yes, yes. Everything is fine,” he looked into Adryan’s eyes for a long moment, “I need to send a message to father and Poseidon. I’m going to go call for Hermes. Oh! And since we can’t take Pegasus, we’ll take my gryphon. I’ll have Hermes bring him.” Then he turned and headed for the palace.
Adryan watched him go. His figure shimmered in the underwater world. Triton turned and swam to the back of the stables, his two fish tails moving smoothly in the water. He opened two stalls at the end and let out two stallions. One, black with a white star decorating his forehead, the other was a dark bay with a red mane.
They were monstrous horses. Both were easily as the size of a large Clydesdale. The black horse stared to converse with Triton excitedly. His voice was very deep and warm. While they were speaking, Adryan went over to the other horse.
“You must be Xanthus,” the horse nodded in answer to her question. “How come I can’t hear your mind? I can hear the sea horses’ and the Pegasus’ mind. Why not yours?”
“Because his origins are on land,” triton answered as he approached her, “the sea horses and Pegasus came from the sea, like us.”
Adryan thought about this for a moment, and then resigned to petting the silent stallion.
___________________________________
Apollo watched a group of hippocampi swim by as he summoned the messenger god Hermes. He looked around the undersea kingdom. It was a world completely unlike his bright world above. The kingdom below the water’s surface was dark beyond the palace grounds; everything a tint of blue. Then, he turned and watched the water around him undulate as the messenger god arrived.
“Iris was in a rush, she didn’t tell me much,” smiled the tan-skinned god. He wore a tight cap with a wing design on it over his dark brown hair, “what d’ya need bro?”
Apollo stared at him for a moment, the composed himself.
“I need you to take a message to Zeus and Poseidon.
Kayne was walking to the stables when he saw Adryan and Triton walking a pair of very large horses toward the palace gates. He went over to them.
“Princess Adryan,” he nodded, “you’re back early.”
“Ah, yes. Zeus has sent me on a mission,” she said, “he told me to take two others with me, and…”
“So your taking Triton? “He asked cutting her off.
Triton looked like he had just swallowed a sea urchin whole.
“No, of course she isn’t,” he said incredulously, “this mission is on land. I can’t go there.”
Adryan laughed at her brother’s reaction. Then she turned back to Kayne with a serious look.
“I’m taking Apollo…and if possible, you as well.”
Kayne stared into her deep brown eyes-not what you would expect a sea goddess to have, but she is a god. She can change her appearance on a whim- his thoughts then went to Dionysus’ letter, ‘I will give you three days…’
“I don’t know, I have to be somewhere in a few days and I-”
Adryan cut him off before he could finish, “what is it that’s some much more important than this?”
“Well, I don’t know yet because you haven’t told me yet!”
Adryan looked astounded, and then apologized for her forgetfulness. She recounted everything for him.
“…Apollo is having Hermes bring his gryphon; we’ll need a winged beast for this as well as the two horses.”
“I see. Fine. I’ll go, but I’ll have to leave you partway through. I have another mission.” He told her, leaving out the part about Tartarus.