Lost In Battle

2

The rest of the flight I kept my eyes shut. I was too scared to fall asleep but too scared to open them, terrified of what I might see if I did. After what felt like ages the intercom finally turned on, finally signaling the end of this flying nightmare.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now starting our descent. Please make sure your seats and trays are in their upright position. Fasten your seatbelts and make sure your carry-on luggage is safely stowed beneath the seat or overhead. And Archimedes Perkins, I'm sure you'll find us soon."

My head snapped up to look at the flight attendant. He was a young guy, no older than 25. Though he tried to look professional, there was a twinkle in his eyes that I could only describe as mischief. A giddy smile made its way onto his face and he sent me a cheeky wink before disappearing to the back of the plane.

Relief washed over me when we finally touched ground. I mumbled a quick goodbye to Lindsey before following my mum to the exit. A sign with her name on it caught my attention as we entered the airport. The man holding it was dressed in white, the few hairs he still had matched his attire. A beautifully carved walking stick was propped up by his side. 

"Henrietta Perkins and Thomas Smith?" He asked as we approached him. "My name is Jonathan Baros. I'll be your guide as long as you're here." 

He looked at me for a second, or at least I think he did as his eyes were concealed by a pair of black sunglasses. For a moment I could have sworn he looked almost displeased to see me.

We followed Jonathan to an older car parked right at the entrance, all the while he seemed to be angrily muttering under his breath. 

On the way to the hotel Jonathan's demeanor changed yet again. No longer was he glaring and mumbling to himself, but now he had some kind of sickly sweet grandpa persona. Along the way he'd stop at beautiful sights, buy us some fruit from a local market, and asked a ridiculous amount of questions about our lives. Even though he came across as the happy-go-lucky type, I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong with him.

Two hours later we finally arrived at the hotel. It was a lot smaller than I expected, in fact, it was more similar to a bed and breakfast—which I didn't mind in the slightest. A young woman sat patiently waiting on the porch. Her tall, slim body rested against one of the pillars. Depending on how the light hit her, her eyes seemed to change from green to blue to grey to an almost shimmery silver. Though I could already feel my skin burning under the hot sun, the girl was pale as snow. 

"Welcome!" She spoke as she tucked a strand of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "My name is Ariadne. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and if you need anything, I'd be happy to help." The thick Greek accent that laced her voice made her appearance even more enchanting.

"It's so lovely to meet you! I'm Henrietta, but feel free to call me Rita. This is my business partner Tom, and my son Archie." Mum introduced us, playfully ruffling my hair in the process.

"Ariadne like the princess? The one that helped Theseus escape the labyrinth? Dionysys' wife?" 

"You know your history." She smiled fondly.

"I know my myths." She raised her brows at my answer, but before she could reply her gaze fell on something behind me. I looked back to see Jonathan staring at her with a menacing gaze. When he saw the rest of us looking he quickly smiled again, mentioned something about having to pick up his wife, and hopped in his car before anyone could say goodbye. Ariadne observed the retreating car with a slightly troubled look, but continued to show us around the house nonetheless.

Inside, it was as if we had walked straight into a vineyard. A fruity smell embraced us as we entered and painted all along the walls were swirling grapevines. I didn't get time to look around further as Ariadne was already ushering us around the rest of the house.