“Why didn’t you help our efforts sooner?” I paced around in the cave, my footsteps echoing off the walls. “We coulda used you.”

“Just because you couldn’t see me.” Cymone pulled at her cuticles while lying down. “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t there.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Who do you think called the Daughters of Serqet in to help you at the siege of Isadora’s temple?” She flashed a grin at me. “And why do you think those 3 elven guardians bailed on Artemisia when you were dueling her?”

“Hold on.” I shook my head. “Artemisia said ‘bigger picture.’ Kinda like she dismissed them herself.”

“She did.” She yanked a cuticle from her pointer, then resumed picking at the other ones. “I’m the bigger picture.”

“You must have left a sour taste in their mouths after your betrayal.” I pursed my lips. “What’d you do?”

“A story for another time.” She sighed. “Just know that I’m one of the greatest threats to their efforts due to my inside knowledge.”

“So then what’s the plan?” I twisted my back both ways, cracking it on both turns. “Undercover things?”

“Well that’s going to be a bit difficult considering they all know my face.”

“Oh.”

“You, on the other hand…”

“No.” I stopped pacing and stared at her. “No, no, no.”

“How’s your lying?”

“Bad.”

“Great.” She burst to her feet. “You’re gonna need to drop the priest of Ra get-up and put my armor on as your own.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to this.”

“Sure you did.” She started removing her dark red scale armor. “You said ‘count me in’ right before taking that refreshing nap of yours.”

“I didn’t think you’d be sending me to assassinate someone!”

“An assassination?” She removed her armor down to her hips to reveal a scar on her stomach in the shape of a theta. The line at the letter’s center cut through her middle two abs, while the circle encompassed all six of them. “Not unless you want to get your bloodlust on again. It’s a rescue mission.”

“Come again?” I turned away as she finished unclothing herself. “Give me a heads up next time please.”

“Relax.” She groaned. “I’m wearing underwear.”

I turned back to her as she handed me her clothing. “So who exactly am I rescuing?”

“Your friends.” She brushed her hands together as I took the armor from her. “What were their names again? Atemu and Illion? No. Illiat? Uh…”

“Illias.”

“Right!” She exclaimed. “They are valuable allies that we could use in the near future. I am ninety-nine percent sure they’ve been captured, as I’ve already said. No point in killing them when Artemisia can use them to bargain for you.”

“Can you uh…” I gestured with my hands. “Turn around while I change?”

“Are you‒” She rolled her eyes then turned around. “Of course you’re serious.”

“How is this gonna fit?” I took off the papyrus sandals, leopard skin belt and linen skirt and started sliding on the scale armor. 

“It will.” Her foot tapping echoed through the cave. “The armor is alive. It shapes itself to its wearer.”

I hesitated as I dressed. “Alive?”

“Just put it on!”

“Ok, ok.” I finished donning the armor. “Why can I hear my own heartbeat?”

“It mimics your heartbeat.” She turned back around and looked me up and down. “You get used to it.”

“Fun.” She extended both her hands to me. “Gimme the priest getup.”

I kicked the sandals over to her and gave her the clothing that I had draped over one of the stalagmites. “What are you going to do while I’m doing my thing?”

“Get some help.”

“For what?”

“Think of it as some insurance in case Artemisia is not detained by the time of the blood moon.” She slipped the skirt on, then slung the leopard skin over her waist. “I don’t suppose you carry a leopard skin bra, do you? This look wont pass with a slave girl’s linen one.”

“No…”

“Whatever.” She waved her hand in the air. “I’ll just steal one from somewhere.”

“What kind of help are you looking to get?”

“That of the dead.”

“I don’t follow.”

“As powerful as corruptive magic is.” She folded her arms. “It’s not as powerful as necromancy. At least when fully realized. Plus, the fact that the blood moon’s spirit is using Artemisia as its host kinda cancels you out due to the fact that her base strength is pretty much equal to yours.”

“Oh.” I scratched my thigh. “This thing is itchy.”

“It’ll stop itching as soon as it adjusts to your figure.” She sat back down, cross legged. “For the record, I’m glad you cast away your moral constraints. They’ll only hold you back, especially in the coming trials.”

“I never abandoned morality.” My hands curled into fists.

“Really?” She clicked her tongue three times in a scolding fashion. “The Athenians you slaughtered beg to differ.”

“I did what I had to do.” My heartbeat quickened, and my armor beat along with it, pulsating with a dark red light that brightened our surroundings. 

“That’s what they all say.” Her blood red eyes glanced up at me. “Rationalization is a deadly thing.”

“I’m not rationalizing!” I threw my hands to the side, sending trails of corruption off them. 

“Mhm.” She adjusted her leopard skin belt. “I’m not here to be your personal therapist. I’m here to hold a Halicarnassian queen hostage for another month or so and then kill her to prevent a global war.”

“Me too.” My heartbeat slowed down a bit, and the light emissions of the armor lessened as well.

“Good.” She nodded as she rose to her feet. “Now, you ready to get outta here? The dripping is driving me insane.”

“Let’s go.” I stepped up to her. “Where are we even?”

“Cave of Zeus, Crete.”

“Why’d you bring us here?”

“I’ve found that the divine energies here allow for a more speedy magical recovery.” She offered me her hand. “Any more questions, or can we get going?”

“Where to?” I clasped my hand within hers and the breeze picked up around us, wafting our hair in every direction. 

“Temple of Artemis.”

“The one in Athens?”

“No.” Her grip tightened. “The one in Ephesus. The Artemisium.” 

The breeze picked up and a dark red circle etched itself into the ground around us. Pure energy crawled upwards, forming a dome overhead.

“I’ll drop you off a safe distance away from it so that neither of us are spotted by the elven guardians. Let the armor guide you to the entrance.” Her hands and eyes glowed the same color as the circle. “You may pass out during the teleportation, so I’ll tell you this now. Meet back up at the drop off spot in three hours. If you’re not there I’ll assume the worst. No promises on a rescue if that’s the case. I can’t risk being caught.”

The circle hummed with power, glowing brighter and brighter. My stomach churned, then lightheadedness washed over me. The last thing I saw was Cymone’s face before the shield’s radiance forced my eyes shut.