The room at the top of the lighthouse was made entirely of glass. Hermes stood against the panes opposite me, and the light that guided ships to port spun in a slow circle between us. I didn抰 know how it was supposed to work, but I was pretty sure electric lights needed some kind of bulb or fixture and they definitely needed a power source. There wasn抰 a glass housing or wires or even a supporting structure of any kind. The light beamed from a free-floating orb that undulated in the center of the upper room.
揗agnificent, isn抰 it??Hermes asked.
揑桰 guess. I抦 not really sure what I抦 looking at, though.?
揟he Great Eye,?he said.
揂nd I抦 guessing it抯 more than just a light to help ships sail in from the sea.?
Hermes nodded. 揝o much more, but that抯 a very convenient cover story.?
I stared into the light and for a moment thought I saw something moving inside it梩he hazy image of a figure. I blinked and it was gone. I took a step back. 揑t can抰 show us how to get to Aeaea but you抳e been there, so are you gonna show us the way??
He set his hands on the railing that surrounded the light. 揧es. But if I抦 being honest, I don抰 expect any of you to survive the journey.?
A vise closed around my chest and a scratching at the window drew my attention to a gathering of roots, caked in dirt, that had climbed the outer wall and were trying desperately to make their way inside.
揃riseis??Circe called from below us. 揧ou good??
揑抦 fine,?I said. 揃e right down.?I turned back to Hermes. 揇on抰 worry about whether we抣l make it or not. I just need to know you抮e going to put us on the right path.?
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and rubbed his temple. 揥hy do it if you know you can抰 possibly survive? I see it so often in mortals梩his drive to run headlong into the most perilous situations imaginable with no regard for the outcome.?
揑 care about the outcome,?I said. 揑 want to get my mom and go home. I want to get back what was taken from me.?
揧ou think you抣l make it home??
There was a part of me that knew the odds weren抰 good, but it didn抰 matter. 揑 have to try.?
He thought for a moment and then looked to the light. 揟he Great Eye sees what has been and what is; it cannot see what will be. That is what the young man wanted.?
揔arter??I asked.
揌e wanted to know the location of the island, but more than that he wished to know how this would end for him梐nd for you. But that is beyond the scope of my power. The future is something the Fates might have some grasp on. Perhaps he should have gone to seek them out instead.?
I didn抰 want to think about the Fates spinning our lives out of golden thread in that dank grotto under the museum. I stared into Hermes抯 eyes. 揔arter wanted to know what would happen to me? If you didn抰 tell him who you were, why would he share that with you??
揌e didn抰。 I plucked it from his head.?He glanced at his staff, which was leaning against the glass. 揑 guard the Great Eye, but it is not the only power at my disposal. When I sent your friend to sleep down there, her last thoughts were of you.?
My face flushed hot.
揃ut when I looked into the boy抯 head, he wanted to know a great many things梩he location of the island, the ultimate fate of his mother, and what would become of the bond you and he shared if the two of you should survive this.?
I turned away. It didn抰 matter. What he抎 done was unforgivable.
Hermes fixed his gaze on me. 揑f you could look into the Great Eye and see something, anything, what would it be??
I stared at the light. 揌ecate has my mom. Can I梥ee her??
Hermes extended his hand. Vines scratched at the windows and grew long thorns that screeched as they drug across the glass. I put my hand in his and he guided me close to the rail. He reached out and set his other hand on the orb.
My vision blurred, then went completely black. I stumbled back but felt a hand on my shoulder steadying me. When my head cleared I stood in a garden overflowing with black flowers. The sky above me was a pale purple, and there were no stars, no clouds, no moon or sun. The garden wasn抰 walled; the black foliage simply spilled across a rolling landscape in waves. A heavy, smoky scent filled my mouth and nose. My eyes stung and began to water. As I wiped at them with my hand, a low rumbling mixed with what sounded like rushing water drowned out the furious pounding of my own heart. On a rise, in the distance stood a woman in a tattered, flowing dress. She gazed up at the sky, her hands pressed against her own chest.
Mom.
I tried to move my legs but I was stuck to the spot where I stood.
揗om!?I screamed.
Her head tilted to the side for a moment and then she turned her face back to the sky.