Chapter 20

Typhon spentsome time exploring the chamber he'd arrived in. Much like the one on Earth and old Atlantis, it held several doorways, all of them broken, including the one he'd just come through. He watched it crack and crumble as the deusvenati destroyed it from the other side, stomping all over his hope.

Hard to feel anything but intense rage as Ariadne once again trapped him. But worse? Knowing his witch remained alone, in dire danger, and there was nothing he could do to help.

"I should have said no." Should have never agreed to the foolish plan. If they couldn't prevail against the deusvenati in Zuzamenn, what made him think they could confront them in their world?

There would be time for regrets later. Now he had to survive if he ever wanted to escape here.

What's the point? Deino would most likely be dead within the next hour. Maybe less given how fast time ran in this place. Ariadne would either destroy Atlantis with all the wildly different magic she'd accumulated or actually ascend into true godhood. He'd still be powerless. No better than a mortal. No feasible way of getting his power back.

Insidious doubt crept in, slithering with its despairing logic. Had he fought this long and hard to give up now?

No. So long as he lived, he had to believe there was a chance to make things right.

It started with finding a way out of this world. Just in case he was mistaken, he tried each doorway, slapping his hand against the solid stone surfaces, getting increasingly agitated as each one failed.

It burned to know there'd actually been an escape all along. And he'd never found it. He'd searched every inch of the small continent he'd been stuck on. Walked the shoreline countless times. Climbed every hill. Explored every cave. But never found this chamber.

It could only mean he'd ended up on a different continent or island, one he'd never managed to reach. He didn't let himself dwell on the fact that if true, he couldn't even reach the original portal that opened every one hundred and forty-seven days.

There was only one exit from the chamber, and it wasn't long before he encountered his first obstacle: a cave-in that brought down part of the ceiling and blocked the passage. Not fully. There was a gap that took only a bit of work to widen enough he could slip past.

It wasn't the only impediment. A chasm required him running and leaping, throwing himself forward lest he fall down a deep hole he'd never be able to climb out of. On the other side, he found signs of life, small bones indicating something used this as a den.

He had no weapon and grimaced as he resorted to grabbing a rock. Never mind the fact that to use it he'd have to get close enough to bash. At least he wasn't empty-handed.

Daylight guided him out from the underground passage to a ledge high up on a mountain. While he'd already known he'd not landed on the same oversized island as before, it still startled to see the vastness of the place. The familiarity hit him with a wallop that almost sent him to his knees.

The barren rocks. The stunted trees. The danger and death. It would be so easy to fling himself from up high and smash below. Which wouldn't kill him. Oh no. He'd suffer until something came along and tore him apart, finishing the job.

But then Ariadne would win.

That thought kept his determination burning bright as he began to clamber downward. His destination? What appeared to be ruins off to his left. Ruins might have answers. Some carvings that would explain more about this world. A map would be welcome.

Halfway down, a bugling noise drew his attention. He glanced over his shoulder to see a speck in the sky, heading for him. Wonderful. He clung to the rock face with his hands and feet. No ledge nearby for him to even try to stand and fight. The closest one was a twenty-foot drop below.

He didn't have a choice. He closed his eyes as he pushed away and let himself plummet, the impact jolting even though he'd bent his knees when he landed.

A new cry from the sky had him rising immediately and grabbing the rock he'd put in his pocket. He scanned for the predator, and his jaw dropped.

This wasn't the smaller birds that used to inhabit the other isle. The massive size of it dwarfed him, and as he took in the features, he breathed, "Dragon."

Extinct on Earth with good reason. They were the apex monsters of that world. Wild and predatory. He'd done his best to try and protect them, as they were majestic and beautiful creatures, but they wouldn't leave the humans alone. He'd mourned when they went extinct.

It eyed him and saw food. Not the monster god. Not someone to fear. The rock in his hand would be useless. It fell from his fingers, and he raised them, pointing at the dragon. He pushed everything he had into a word of power.

I command thee.

But he remained too weak and drained from his earlier effort. The dragon didn't even pause at his puny effort.

The massive beast pulled up in front of his ledge and eyed him.

"Help me and I will find a way to reward you." He tried bargaining.

The creature hissed, and a long limb tipped in claws extended. There was no escaping its grasp. The dragon pinched Typhon in its talons and rose.

It flew higher and higher, high enough he knew better than to struggle. A fall from this height would leave him in pieces. They didn't soar for long. A wide ledge and a cave entrance showed their destination. Typhon got dropped and only barely rolled out of the way before the dragon landed.

Up close, the beast proved even more impressive, its scales seemingly black with a blue undertone. Its eyes were cold ice chips. It huffed, the steam of its breath smoking in tendrils. Its sinuous neck undulated as its head bobbed and weaved, getting closer and closer. Just like the dragons of Earth, it liked to play with its prey.

I can't believe I'm going to end my life in the belly of a monster. Ironic.

The dragon lashed out, once more grabbing hold of him, and this time, he did struggle, to no avail. To his surprise, the dragon used a claw on its other limb to tug at his collar. It refused to budge. The dragon uttered an annoyed sound as it lifted him to stare. As it eyed Typhon, its eyes glowed, bright with magic.

The collar fell off.

And nothing happened. His powers were a world away. Too far.

Typhon could have screamed with frustration. The dragon's maw opened, and Typhon could see into its mouth, the jagged teeth that would chew him.

The jolt that hit his body must have hurt because he got dropped. He jiggled as the magic that was his by right of godhood returned.

He got bigger, stronger, and suddenly he could feel again. Feel the monsters in this world.

The dragon hissed.

Typhon smiled. "You want to fight? Let's do this then." Time to show them all who was a god again.