Chapter 9: Fe Fi Fo Moo

Chapter 8

Alex and Steve slept like children - as much as I could tell. Steve sucked on his straw, and nary a peep came from the tent. I finished my first device - looked like a miniature hummer, but it was too soon for that. I had plans floating in my head, surprisingly enough considering the fact I had lost my memories. I worked on a second and third - a caduseus and a rising sun with a bow and arrow on it. I don’t know why I made the symbols for a couple of Gods, at least I am pretty sure they are symbols of Gods, but I felt like these two were important to me for some reason. I figured time was up and woke the others.

Steve got up groaning and complaining about aches all over his body, but he started to put away his camp set. Alex just crawled out of the tent, fully dressed and ready for the day, but looking like she hadn’t slept much. I left her alone with her thoughts as I cleaned up my stuff.

“Whats with the door?” Steve asked. I was about to ask him how he couldn’t have noticed it before, but then I remembered he was near comatose from his magical and physical exertions.

Alex explained to him about what happened at the end of the run while I walked over to the other side of the door and looked at the handle. I heard her ask if his father was an Englishman. Well played.

The doorknob was about ten feet off the ground, made of poorly shaped Iron. Almost like someone had just grabbed it and tried to force it into shape with their bare hands, if they had been strong enough. I figured someone who didn’t know how to use a forge. The wood of the door was oddly colored, white in some places, black in others, brown in most. Alex and Steve walked up to me.

“Do you think you could get us in?” She asked as she stepped up to my left. Steve walked up to my right.

“Do we know whats behind the door?”

“What I know is that the door itself is pretty sturdy, despite being made from different kinds of wood. The hinges are also very well made, but the door handle is shoddy work, almost like the owner didn’t care about it. The door itself is used pretty often, evidenced by the grooves in the ground forming an arc. I think something with hoofs uses the door, but not the fauns who chased us, because they seem afraid of this area.” I replied, summing up my observations.

“Hoofs...what else uses hoofs?” Steve and Alex took a step back and began to discuss what it could be, which was a rather short list. They negated the only two options they could think of, and were wondering what it could be. The door itself on the other hand, decided to show us by swinging open, the wind from its opening ruffling our clothing. They were still in discussion when the doors owner stepped out.

It was wearing a very nice three piece suit, white, with a black shirt underneath. The sleeves showed ink stains, like the ones you get when you use a quill pen and inkwell. The pants ended just above jet black hoofs, and the neck of the suit ended just under the creatures neck. The head was looking down at the three of us, pure blue eyes focused, with its horns curved to point to the walls. The ring in its nose flipped outward as it snorted.

“Umm, guys,” I said. “I think its a Minotaur.” The looked at me and started saying, “it couldn’t be.”  Then they saw it.

My reaction had been to continue sitting there wondering why it was wearing a suit, and how it survived the head trauma from the train. Their reactions were more practical. Steve tried to dash to the left, activating the purple fire he used as a weapon, Alex tried to dash to the right, reaching for her sword. They forgot that they were in each others way, so they smacked into each other and fell to the ground.

I continued to stand there. So did the Minotaur.

“Oh, right. Your Heroes, I am a monster... You think I want to attack you right?” He said, in a surprising crisp English. “Yes, well, rawr, moo, ahh. There, we are done, would you like to come in for some Tea? Or should I close the door and the only path you have to the Vaults?”

“You know who we are?” I asked. The other two were still recovering from their run in with each other.

“Yes, yes, I know. Jeebus and Jenny told me all about you three. Joe and Bob haven’t seen the person your chasing, so he hasn’t gotten to the vault yet. Come in, please. I feel bad enough that I did not dare bother you blokes while you slept outside. I was afraid you might try to skewer me, what with your run in earlier with Taurus. Ahh, but where are my manners, I am Jimmy Beefington, the Minotaur. My brother, Josh, should be returning soon, and you three and I do have much to talk about.”

Jimmy. Jimmy the Minotaur. Just what we needed. I sighed, helped Alex up off her but and put her weapon away, then I helped Steve up. We walked into the Minotaurs home.

For the house of a monster, it was surprisingly well furnished. Chairs that looked to be from the mid 1800’s stood around in a very feng schui design. A stove stood in the middle of the left wall, and the remainder of the kitchenett on the right. On the opposite side of the door we entered was another door, and in the very center of the room was a table. On each side of the stove stood another pair of doors, and on each door was a monogrammed name. One, in elegant cursive spelling out Jimmy, the other in blocky English spelling out Josh.

A teapot appeared on the stove and started to whistle. Jimmy walked over and picked it up by the handle, and poured it seemingly into the air. As it fell, three cups appeared beneath it and were quickly filled by the liquid. He put the teapot back down and carried the cups over to the table, where two others, already filled with tea if the steam rising up was any indication, were waiting. As he sat down he, and the table, shrunk to accommodate our size.

I sat down, the other two followed my examples. I looked at the tea, sniffed at it, and Growlz came out to inspect it also. It smelled like fresh raspberries, just picked. Growlz approved of the tea, sipped a bit, and then retreated to my shoulder. I picked up the cup and sipped some as well. Just like raspberries.

Steve waved his hand over his tea, and apparently found it safe, because he sipped it as well, muttering something about vanilla cupcakes. Alex, when she saw that we had no trouble with the tea, drank hers also. I turned to Jimmy.

“Forgive me for being blunt sir, but I assume you are our third test?”

“Quite, but unlike those silly Harpies, or the brutish Satyrs I scared off for you earlier, I do not wish to fight. I suppose you can say that this test is something similar to the Sphinx of my homeland.” His body flickered for a moment, and I saw a giant desert and a river flowing through it.

“But that is neither here nor there. The challenge in this area can happen in one of two ways. You provide me with a gift, or you can challenge my brother Josh to smithing. Because of your time limitation I would suggest the gift side of the challenge, as Josh shall not be returning from the Dwarfs for another month, but it is entirely up to you.” So, he needed a gift of some sort. Interesting. Before I was able to ask what kind of gift he liked, Steve opened his mouth.

“Forgive me uh, sir,” Steve began. “But how is it that there are, assuming your brother is also a Minotaur, three of you? According to all the legends I have heard of, there was only one Minotaur - and he started out in the Labyrinth. I have never heard of any other’s.”

“Well, not surprising really. The idea of the Minotaur having kids doesn’t really fit into his legend, but my brother and I, that’s where we came from. Father, Taurus, the one you know, he fell in love with a bull god from another group of gods, lets not get into that. Needless to say, we were born. We tend to be outcasts from both groups, and so instead of destruction which S-, some demanded, the leaders of each gave us a choice. The Vault, while under Olympus, is technically home to all gods castoffs, and so we could choose to guard this place - with gifts from both of our homelands to keep us occupied and such, or we could choose eternal destruction.

“Obviously we chose to live and be useful. The remainder of the Gods used whatever abilities they had to remove the memory of our existence from our parents and place us down here. I have read up on our homelands, mastered many forms of magic, construction, mathamatics and such. Josh loves fire and metal, so he learned from the dwarves how to make things, and is now working on new doorways for us. But to answer your question, Mark Uwriy, son of Hepheastus, I have reached the end of what the materials here have to offer me. I want you and your friends to find something that will give me at least a year of entertainment. Once you provide me with that gift, you are free to go.”

Oh, he just wanted to give him something that would keep him busy for a year. No problem...

Then I noticed Alex and Steve looking at me.

“What?”

“Making stuff, thats your department.” Alex said. Steve looked over at Jimmy.

“Your not entirely Greek?” He asked. Jimmy’s eyes turned a dangerous orange.

“That is something I am not alowed to speak of Steve Smithson. I have told you all I may speak of.” He looked at me also. No pressure. My hands were working overtime, putting metal together while my mind rushed, trying to figure out what I should give this curious minotaur. Alex filled the silence with small talk, asked to see the library and those sort of things. It must have been an hour of my messing with various metals that I had in my pockets. I had a lot and, as usual, I had no idea when I was going to run out. Then I heard a drumming of fingers interrupting my thoughts.

I looked down and found that I had made a puzzle. My fingers were drumming on the table expectantly, as if waiting for me to catch up to what they had done. I also noticed that Steve, Alex, and Jimmy had returned and were setting out bowls of some sort of soup while Jimmy and Steve talked shop. Alex sat next to me.

“Alright Genius,” she said. “What have you done this time?” I looked at the puzzle I had formed and tried to figure out what I had done. Then one of the pieces started rolling around, as if it was trying to change shape. I picked it up and it formed half a hoof. My mind suddenly exploded, metaphorically, as I realized what I had done. Then, I passed out.

My dream this time was located in a wide desert. At places I could see little lakes that would not dry up, but otherwise nothing to set it apart from any other desert in the world.

“Admiring the landscape I see.” Said a melodic voice from behind me. I spun around and was met with a glowing cow. Yes, I am serious. My mind was coming up blank on who this cow was, but the voice hinted at female, so I went with that.

“Umm,” I started out to reveal my grand intelligence. “Morning ma’am?” She smiled, which is kind of disturbing because I don’t think cows are supposed to smile like a human.

“You do not know me child, nor should you. I am from a different pantheon, one that, if all goes well, does not and will not clash with your parents. I fell in love with a creature of your legends long ago, and he with me. Our children were taken from us to prevent further mixing of two powerful groups that should not mix. It is difficult enough for your Mist to keep balance without us poking and prodding where we should not.” She yawned, and in that yawn revealed a hot sauce factory.

“I have brought you here in your exhausted state to recharge you, you wasted much of your power in the creation of the tool to give to my son. I wished to thank you with this, and refill the materials in your pockets. Unfortunately it is not the material you are used to, but if what I have seen is any indication, it is one that you will be using in your future.” I did feel a lot stronger than I should, considering I just made a gigantic magical puzle.

“Know this, child of the Fire God, great danger is coming to your world. Currently, your pantheon is split in far too many directions. You must have only two sides, Order and Chaos, or your kind shall collapse. If your kind is destroyed, then we shall follow. The Mist seeks balance, and it has chosen you to free it from its usurper, just as it has chosen others to preserve the balance that your gods have reached, that my fellows have reached, and even others in other pantheons have reached. Go now, you will not remember this, and I am sorry that I am yet another who is taking some of your memory, but if you were to remember the knowledge I imparted to you here... That could be catastrophic.

“There are two things I would leave with you however. The first is a full rest. While it may only be minutes that you will be passed out from working your gift, you will be fully rested and ready to face your trials. The second, much does lie upon your shoulders, and you will feel the need that you and you alone must take this burden. But know, you are one of many the Mist has chosen - It, and your Oracle, have chosen seven others to deal with the largest chaos affecting your pantheon. It has chosen two, who will raise many more, to deal with the chaos my kind must deal with. There are others, some who do not yet know it, who will be chosen to preserve balance. Remember, child, that you are not alone.” With that, she faded away. The desert disappeared. My eyes closed, and for the first time I could remember, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 10