Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A lexis led them through the atrium and into the wider gardens, the Grand Canal glittering with the reflection of the lights from the buildings. It was a view Penelope had missed, and Poseidon's magic hummed in her veins as it reached out to connect to the water. Penelope slipped her hand into Alexis's larger, warm one, her heart as full as her stomach.

Torches mounted on tall iron poles sparkled through the trees. Penelope's breath caught as they came into a glade that she was sure hadn't been there before. A large black mouth of an entrance was between two tall carved pillars.

"Oh, Alexis, you didn't..." Aelia said from behind them.

"Absolutely fucking not," Zo added. "Not that. Not now."

"Yes, now," Alexis replied, turning to them. "I wanted to give Penelope a winter tradition from Atlantis, and a Dark Labyrinth was the answer."

The yawning darkness called out to Penelope, whispering against her skin, daring her to enter.

"Is there a minotaur in the center for me to fight?" Constantine asked, sounding far too excited by the prospect.

"That will depend entirely on you," Phaidros said. He was the only one who didn't look curious or frightened. He was eerily calm. "I used to do the Dark Labyrinth every year to honor her. I still remember the sound of the priestesses coming through the streets of the village where I grew up. They would sing hymns to her, and everyone would know the labyrinth was ready for the year."

Penelope looked at Alexis. "Hymns to whom? Who is her ?"

"The goddess. We called her Asasarame, but she has been remembered in many iterations. She is the great goddess who was in charge of all life and death," Alexis explained.

"But... I thought Atlanteans worshipped Poseidon?" Penelope asked, trying to catch up.

"Poseidon worship was only popular in the capital and amongst the aristocrats and magicians. Most of the Atlanteans, those who worked within nature, honored Asasarame. If they didn't, she wouldn't bring the spring for the crops," Galenos explained. "I suppose you could compare it to the much later Eleusinian mysteries with Persephone and Demeter, Penelope."

Penelope suddenly remembered where she had read the name Asasarame before. She had delved deep into Minoan culture, and the name was one they used for their goddess too. "She was the Lady, or Potnia, from Minoan Crete and Thera?"

"Yes, that was what the Keftiu called her. Same goddess, same energy, different face, as usual. They built their labyrinths of stone instead of magic, but the idea of it was the same. We did trade with them, so the ideas traveled too," Aelia explained with a wave of her hand. "I was a priestess of Poseidon, but many of us still went to do the old rites at the solstices. The Dark Labyrinth in the winter brought the spring. The Gold Labyrinth in the summer to prepare to go to the underworld for winter. Are you sure you want to do this, Alexis?"

"Why are you all so worried about it?" Penelope interrupted before Alexis could answer Aelia.

"Because the Dark Labyrinth forces you to confront all the shadows of your year, your own personal minotaurs, so you don't take them into the new year with you. Think of it as ancient therapy," Zo said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"It's well overdue, is what it is," Lyca said and crossed her arms making her biceps flex. "This is an excellent idea, Alexis. Nereus would approve. We all need to deal with our shit from the year and walk into something new."

"Thank you, Lyca. I'm glad someone else thinks it's a good idea," Alexis said before turning to the others.

The golden light of the torches flickered off the stitching of the Living Language on his new robe as if reminding everyone that they had just willingly put him in charge.

"We have all had a challenging series of years, and much has happened. We need to begin again without all the hurt feelings and shadows of the past clawing at us. The world is changing again, and the magical tide is high. According to the Earth's astronomical procession, we are almost in Aquarius, and none of us can predict what is going to happen next, what paradigms will shift. It's better we return to the old ways because they were always the best." Alexis's frown softened. "I know it will be hard to do this, but we will all feel better for it. I just know it. It's necessary medicine."

Constantine put his hands on his hips. "Well, I'm ready. How do we do this thing, Alexis?"

Alexis turned back to Aelia. "You are our only high priestess here. Would you lead?"

"I hope I remember the steps," she said, kicking off the satin ballet flats she had been wearing.

Penelope swallowed the growing ball of panic in her throat. "This isn't going to give me a psychological break or anything, is it?"

"No. It might hurt, but it is about healing, not harm," Alexis reassured her. "You will never be in any physical danger, Penelope. You know I would never risk any of us in such a way."

Penelope nodded and tried to look braver than she felt. She wanted to learn more about Atlantean culture, but now the words 'careful what you wish for' were ringing through her head like an annoying bell.

Aelia walked barefoot and took down two torches. "Do you remember the words to the hymn to start it, Phaidros?"

"Yes, my love. I will play too if you wish it," he said.

Aelia smiled. "I always want you to play for me."

Phaidros took out his beautiful new violin and rested it in position. "Where you go, I follow."

"Flirt on your own time," Lyca complained. "Let's start, or this will drag on until dawn when it's meant to be over."

Aelia took up a position near the opening of the labyrinth and raised her torches. She held them squared at shoulder height, reminiscent of the goddess pose in yoga.

All the hair on Penelope's body lifted as Aelia's expression turned serious. This was a pose she had seen on Crete with the goddess holding snakes. She had seen it on images with Hekate and her torches leading into the underworld. She had seen it in folk dances from around the world. It was ancient and powerful and always a symbol of the divine feminine.

A different sort of magic filled the glade, making Penelope's own go disturbingly silent as if it was also holding some kind of reverence for a more significant power.

When Aelia sang, the world stopped to listen. When she sang Atlantean, it made Penelope's chest ache with a longing she didn't understand. As Aelia began to sing the hymn to the Goddess of the Dark Labyrinth, Penelope's whole chest felt like it was cracking wide open.

Phaidros picked up the tune, singing and playing with her, and Aelia began to dance, her torches held high as she spun and twisted. She was a blur of red and gold as she circled Phaidros and entered the dark opening.

Phaidros followed her, still playing until they were swallowed up from view. The music called out to them, and the power of the labyrinth drew them in, whether they wanted to face their darkness or not. Lyca went next, followed by Galenos, Constantine, Elazar, and a pale-faced Zo.

"I will follow you, Penelope. Wait for me when you come out again," Alexis said, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Always," she replied, kissing him once before letting him go. She turned to face the labyrinth and let the power of the ritual pull her into the darkness.