The Ode At Sea

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

“No way, man, you know that’s impossible, right? Not even the gods can do that.”

“That’s just what I heard, dude. Didn’t he go missing a few years ago? I remember the news trending back then.”

Oh man, nothing beats an ice cream cone and eavesdropping. Listening in can be so much fun sometimes. Especially when they talk about Boss Ody.

Boss Ody!

The gossiping voices had already trailed off by the time I looked at the clock on my phone. “I’m late!” The sunset had already started to paint the city walls with a dark orange hue. Up past the layers of traffic in the air, several stars in the sky peeked out of the clouds, and even the lights from the beautiful city of Luna had reached the Earth.

“I don’t get why he’s been so anxious these days, telling me to come to a place like this. Home sounded much better than roaming this nasty city. Corinth, I think it was? I don’t know, I’d rather not remember. I told him I didn’t like coming inland, and look where he sends me. Well, if he needed me, I can’t say no.” I told myself, in between gasps for air. The exhaust from the Lower layer of traffic made it so hard to breathe. Oh how I wished to travel through the High Rise-layer at least once in my life.

As I sprinted by an abandoned and rusted chariot, the Ares Warhammer, I thought of the one we have back home. Those Ares models were too bulky and inconvenient for my taste. I never understood why they need the fake horses in the front when the engine is in the back. Boss Ody told me it was tradition, but I’ve never seen real horses in the front of a chariot like that.

Trekking through the sounds of broken glass and blighted yelling in the distance, I darted around the final corner to be greeted by the piercing glares of two burly men loitering under the bright neon sign: Aeolus Antiques. The dark alley walls vibrated as their deep droning dribbled its way towards me, louder with every bounce. I shook my head to try and get myself to focus, using the voices as a guide.

Their chatting had buried the faint ting of a doorbell as they swung the door open for me, barely acknowledging my presence. White light from a single electronic kiosk on the wall decorated the otherwise drab room and the only sounds inside were the taps of my fingernail hitting the buttons. Unsure if I should be scared or relieved, I found the flashing red button,” Request for Assistance” as I was instructed.

As I extend a shaky hand, a loud crash immediately sends jolts down my spine as I twist my body to find another door that had slammed open and a large silhouette stood in its place.

The rough stomps against the marble floors and the quaint clinks of the trinkets on a belt trudged their way towards me and paused, the smell of cigarettes filling the room instead. As the smoke and dust clear, the kiosk shines a light on the shadowed figure.

His bright red beard emerged first, followed by his pale skin glittered with freckles. His unfamiliar face had a warm glow and his eyes were wrinkled from his grin. He killed his cigarette on the side of his oil-tainted apron, ash sprinkling all over his boots. “You should have seen the look on my face when I got your message. You were supposed to be dead centuries ago, and now you tell me she gave you some kind of immortality thing?”

“I’m telling you that’s how it is. That’s why I have to find this place.” Boss Ody stepped out from behind the bearded man and into the light. For someone who is able to live forever, he looked old. A simple dark cloak covered his body over his dirty toga, and even so, I could tell he was getting skinny. His once muscular body is now wrapped in bandaids, hiding his scars and wounds. His hair started to look peppered under his hood.

Wait a minute. Was that a genuine smile on his face? Noticing the relief in my face, he introduced me, “Aeolus, this is my apprentice, Nerites. I found him on the streets of Athens when he was a kid.”

“Nerites, huh. I bet you like chariots a lot,” Aeolus teased with a wink. “I got a couple of cool retro models in the back if you wanted to take a look.”

Just as I was about to accept his offer, Boss Ody hurried through a farewell and I heard the doorbell ting again as he was already out the door. “Sorry about him. He does that sometimes.” I apologize and followed him out.

“Nobody can make it there. You know that, right, Odysseus? Nobody!”

Startled by the loud voice, I caught a glimpse of the red beard as Aeolus bellowed behind us. I knew what he meant and it only raised my spirits.

Using my newfound energy, I try to find my breath yet again to catch up to Odysseus. “What’s up, boss? What’s been the rush these days?” I huffed.

“I found it, Nerites. I finally found it. Found her!” pulling out a paper scroll, tied in a black string. He said it with a fire like I had never seen in him before.

Finally registering his words, I immediately stop in my tracks. “Her?! It’s been a decade since we stopped looking for her.”

I don’t even know why he started in the first place. He always told me stories of her. The story of Circe. I used to love his adventures when I was a child. About the Lotus-Eaters, the Underworld, the Trojan Horse. I know the story about the Cyclops by heart. From there, rumors can only spread like Greek fire. It felt good to hear people praise his name.

But whenever he told me about the story he met Circe, everything always felt different. “You had the world at your fingertips, but almost everything was gone by the time you found me. You never told me what happened.”

“Everything was for her. Just for the chance to see her again.”

“You’re telling me, you built a modern empire of a business, sold everything, and spent the money to look for a girl?” Odysseus winced from my arms flailing in disbelief. “What did you give up this time?”

“The Heph”

THAT BITCH!

“You gave away the Heph?!” I wail. Tears filled my eyes and my heart was pounding so hard, I couldn’t help but race off towards the oceanline. Nausea came over me as I dropped onto the sidewalk for a break. Boss was nowhere in sight.

“Boss hasn’t even seen her yet and he showed so much passion. Why won’t he look at me like that? I’ve been by his side for years and he’s throwing everything away for her sake. He said I was too young to understand, but I know if he finds her, he’s going to leave me behind. Screw the chariot, what am I going to do when he’s gone?” My heart ached at the thought and tears almost welled up again.

“I won’t let it happen. I can’t. Boss has been my life ever since he saved me. She doesn’t deserve him. Only I do.” I clenched my fist until my nails dug into my palm, bleeding down my knuckles. “I will kill her if I have to.” She was merely an obstacle, ruining my future with Ody.

A single thought took over my mind. Destroy her.

I couldn’t hear his footsteps over my thoughts of vandalizing the upcoming reunion, but I heard his voice behind me.

“Are you ready to go home?”

Always so blunt. I shoot up off the sidewalk to face Boss, bloody hands behind my back. My tears had crusted around my fake smile.

“I’m ready. Let’s go get her.”