The Minoan Rhapsody

Mosychlos

Arindraai and her brothers took the Fallen One to Mosychlos, a mountain by the eastern shore of Lemnos. The rocky terrain made the trek difficult until the slope turned less steep and the ground became a yellowish-red clay.

"Tomorrow we will look for the fire within," Ari said as she helped her brothers set up camp.

"Are you sure we'll find it here? This barren landscape seems dead," Hephaestus noted.

"It's dead alright. Nothing grows around here. From time to time you do see ripples of steam rising from cracks on the ground. You can help us find the fire quicker if you use your divine intervention." She cracked a smirk.

The brothers chuckled.

"You still not believe," Hephaestus complained.

"I accept that you may be a God and if you are, then we need your help. How long do you think this will all take? My brothers' absence will make my father wrestles. I mustn't let my mother face him alone."

"Your brothers are no more. Your mother knows this. Now, time is of no consequence."

"You forget you are not in Olympus anymore. Here you are a slave of age, the same way everyone else is."

"Kuruka potokuro ju setoija kikina?" One of the brothers asked.

"I don't know," Hephaestus answered. "What makes you think this?" He asked her.

She reached out to his beard, pulled a single hair strand, and showed it to him. "You see this? This single strand of grey hair means only one thing. You are aging. Time is no longer irrelevant for you."

Hephaestus took the hair strand from Arindraai. "Without Nectar my ichor will eventually turn to blood. If we take too long, I will not be able to survive the casting of my leg." He turned to the brothers and said, "So mina re dupurazo."

"What did you say?"

"I told your brothers that we must hurry."

"We? You are not doing anything, and we don't have to help you."

"Why are you saying this?"

Arindraai looked at him with somber eyes. "Because you need us, and I want you to always keep that in mind."

He took a deep breath. "You are difficult to understand."

"It is different when you can't impose your will on us, isn't it?"

#

It was early morning and the breeze was cool. The brothers scanned Mosychlos' north side and waited. It didn't take long. Halfway up to the top of the peak, a translucent steam column timidly rose until it dissipated a few feet from the ground. Once they reached it, they discovered a thin crack on the ground. They sought a way in. By sundown, one of them found a void behind a large boulder which he easily removed. A gush of air rushed out of the opening. They returned to the camp to bring the news.

As the brothers lay down to rest, Arindraai turned to the Fallen One. "If they find the fire you are looking for, how close to it can they get?"

"Sintians can handle adverse conditions much better than man.

"But they are men?"

He smirked. On one hand you are very clever, yet at the same time you know so little.

#

The next day the brothers entered the opening to the underground. Inside, it quickly turned dark. One of them took out a crystal which Hephaestus gave him. It shone, lighting up the path with a dim white light. They slithered through the narrow passage. The crevice opened a bit, allowing them to crawl on all fours. The air cooled and turned damp. As they further ventured into the deep, the path turned wider. They walked bent, careful as to not hit their heads on the low ceiling. A small stream quietly flowed along the way. The shadows along with the various rock formations played games with their minds. Stone draperies adorned the side walls. The brothers zigzagged their way through columns that were as thick as tree trunks. The underground continued to open as it warmed up. A haze and the smell of old, damp dust filled the space. Their bodies were soaked from the sweat. A blue, pulsating glow began illuminating their path as they ventured further inside. Imaginary silhouettes seemed to make their way around them, as if celebrating their newfound company. The brother holding Hephaestus crystal put it away as they didn't need it anymore to see their way.

They stopped at the entrance to a chamber which looked like a wide-open mouth, lined with crooked stone teeth. The inside hummed while a blue glow that dilated the brothers' pupils. The heat and the foul smell of rotten eggs made it difficult to breath. The cavern seemed endless, with no walls or ceiling to discern. As they approached the source of the heat, the humming became a loud rumble. In front of them, a column of blue fire fell from above as a rushing cascade into a sink hole. Neither brother could tell where the firefall began or ended. Mosychlos was alive and they found its blood.

#

During the next couple of days Arindraai and one of her brothers looked for materials Hephaestus listed. It was by the need of the Smiting God that Arindraai learned the ingredients of Hephaestus bronze. Meanwhile, the second brother assisted the Fallen One in making a cast of his leg.

"Tomorrow we shall leave, Hephaestus said. "Arindraai, you must remain here."

"You do not command me. We got far too many things for two to carry. You forget that you are useless."

Hephaestus clenched his jaw, pressed his lips and remained quiet. He knew she was right.