#prophecised

Cole assumed he was dead.

That, in his mind, was the only explanation. He had woken up in a field of soft grass, pine trees reaching high into the sky and the smell of freshly baked bread on the tip of his tongue. It wasn’t until he realised how quiet it was - no birds, no crickets, not even a breath of wind - did he realise that something was wrong. He pushed himself to his feet as he scanned his surroundings. It seemed he was at the edge of the forest rather than the middle of it. To his right, fields and hills sprawled out as far as the eye could see; to his left, a small village with various crops being grown in its outskirts.

As he walked down to the village, Cole began to wonder. If he wasn’t dead, where was he? A dream seemed the most logical conclusion but contained none of his dreams usual haziness. Weren’t dreams supposed to be built on memories? Nowhere in his memory could he remember seeing white buildings with clay tiles. Their architecture, he noted, was nothing like that he had seen anywhere the ninja had been. At first, he thought that this could be some vague reconstruction of Shintaro but that didn’t seem to fit; Shintaro was high in the mountains, not in some far flung valley, and its architecture was grand and plated with gold. There was no way this could be the Never Realm, it was much too hot. Sweat was beginning to soak Cole’s gi. A crystalline river flowed silently into the village, the sun reflecting in blinding diamonds on its surface. The silence of the water was off-putting but it was cool to the touch. Cole splashed some onto his face, sighing with great relief as it soaked through the dark fabric and dripped from his long hair down his neck. Without the heat, his thoughts formed more clearly. That was another hint that this was no dream. If it were, he would not have had such clarity. He stayed by the river a moment longer to remove the orange sash from his shoulder and drench it in the cool water before slinging it over his neck.

The village was as silent as the river and twice as lifeless. Cole checked several houses. They were all remarkably clean, not one cobweb had formed. The inhabitants must have left and recently. There was no sign of a struggle either, which served to unnerve Cole further. He sat in the village square at the fountain, grateful for its spray but keeping his guard up. Everything felt wrong. He reached for a weapon behind his back and found there was none.

“Great.” He muttered. He tensed ready to fight.

“Forgive me, I was out in the fields.”

Somehow, a woman had completely escaped Cole’s notice and sat beside him without his noticing. She was, by Ninjago’s standards, a very strangely dressed woman. An olive green dress swept her ankles, tied at the waist by a golden cord and pinned at the shoulders by golden disks with sheafs of wheat embossed into them. The colour of her hair reminded Cole of rich soil and it had been tied into a practical but neat plait, barley woven into it. A bronze wreath of wheat sat proudly on her head. In one hand, she held a crescent scythe, in the other a sheaf of barley. She was tanned, presumably by the recent work, and her deep emerald eyes shone with wisdom and grief. Despite this, a kindly, maternal sort of smile pulled at her lips.

Cole blinked. “I’m sorry, but who the heck are you?”

“That,” the woman said as she tilted her head with a huff of laughter, “will become clear in due course. We have other matters to discuss.”

From her barley, she pulled a round stone and pressed it into Cole’s hands. It was warm to the touch and impossibly smooth. He turned it over. Each time, the engraved symbol changed. One moment a shield, then a spear, from a spear to a stern owl, from an owl back to the rounded shield. It was almost captivating in its changing. Writing was carved around the edge of the stone, though what it said was beyond Cole. He turned it over thrice more to see if he had finally lost it or if it the symbol was actually changing. The symbol was actually changing. Good to know.

The woman watched him study it for a moment.

“Give it to the king.” She said eventually. “He will know what to do. He may guide you.”

Cole paused in turning the stone over. The owl glared up at him. His thoughts came to a complete stop. King? What king? There were many kings in Ninjago. None (or he assumed none) were associated with a shield, spear, or an owl, much less all three.

The woman seemed to have read his thoughts. Her voice sounded like a patient teacher waiting for a student to catch up with something. “Not one of your kings.”

She looked grave now, staring at the horizon. The scythe in her hand shook for a brief moment before she willed it to be still.

“The Earth Mother and her husband seek to raise Chaos.” Cole thought she was talking to herself until she looked sharply at him.

“If they do, your sixteen realms with be consumed with mine.”

Cole stood without realising. An old instinct from his time in the First Realm. But if anyone seemed like an earth mother, he would have guessed the woman beside him. Again, she seemed to have read his thoughts and looked greatly offended by them.

“I?” She gasped. “I would never be so thoughtless.”

She gave him a stern look.

“Wake now, little warrior.”

---

Cole did not eat at breakfast. That was the first sign that clued the ninja in that he had not slept well. Usually, he ate an average of three times more than any of them. His usual pile of pancakes, lovingly prepared by Zane, had gone cold.

Zane sat next to him and put a hand on his knee. “Is everything all right?”

Cole blinked himself out of his reverie to find that all the ninja were staring at him. Lloyd’s brow was furrowed, Jay was fidgeting, Nya looked as though she were midway between disbelief and complete concern, Kai had his mouth open and then promptly closed it when he caught Cole looking at him.

“I...” Words failed Cole for a moment. He looked at Zane. “Snowflake, how clear are dreams supposed to be?”

That was apparently not the question Zane had been expecting. For a small moment, confusion flickered across his face. “Most dreams are hazy except for those of lucid dreamers and trauma-induced nightmares.”

Cole sighed a deeply resigned sigh. Of course that was the case. “Great. All right. Thanks.”

“What makes you ask?” Jay leaned across the table to grab some more sauce for his own pancakes but missed entirely. “Weird dream?”

Cole smiled without humour. “Beginning to think it wasn’t a dream.”

Lloyd’s attention hadn’t shifted from Cole and that sentence had made it sharpen. His green eyes zeroed in on Cole. “You think it might have been a vision?”

“Probably.”

“It was getting too quiet.” Kai smirked. “So, what are we fighting this time? Snakes? Robots? An evil version of ourselves?” When Zane winced and Nya had elbowed him in the ribs, he quickly added. “No offence.”

Cole shrugged helplessly. “I dunno.” He massaged his temples and began to explain what he had seen. They had all looked to Zane to see if he could find a match for the woman or any king represented by the symbols. He had drawn a blank.

“She gave me this.” Cole murmured and pulled the stone from his pocket. It had been on his bedside table when he woke up.

Jay voiced what everyone was thinking. “So she just ripped through time and space to put your dream stone into the real world?!”

Zane gently took the stone. “Interesting. This language matches none in any online data archives.” He stood and made to leave.

Nya and Kai planted themselves at the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kai asked pleasantly.

Zane raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, clearly not catching the threat in Kai’s voice. “The library. I intend to see if the ancient scrolls match the symbols on language-”

“You intend to have breakfast first.” Nya smiled a thin, icey smile. The do as you’re told or your butt will be making firm acquaintances with the floor.

Even Zane knew not to mess with that smile. He sat beside Cole and ate obediently.

Cole chuckled softly and kissed his head. “Woulda done the same if it were any of us.”

Zane didn’t answer.

---

The sun had fully risen by now, casting ribbons of gold through the library window. Despite the heat of summer outside where Lloyd and Kai were training, Zane was keeping the room cool while simultaneously studying scrolls. There were at least fifteen mountains beside him. Unfortunately, Wu and Misako had not been unable to identify the symbols on the stone, which had lead to Zane vanishing.

Cole sat on an armchair. His neck and back ached from how long he’d been bent over his own stack of scrolls. So far, he’d found nothing but dust. His eyes slipped over to Zane. On the outside, there was nothing to show that the nindroid was anything but calm; five years together had taught Cole the signs that inside a storm was howling inside him.

“How about we take a break?” Cole suggested casually. His back protested as he stretched.

Zane looked up, then back at the scrolls. He sighed.

“That would be wise.”

Cole walked straight to him and took his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“I am functioning at peak effeciency.”

“You know what I meant.”

Zane was silent for a few moments. He pressed his forehead against Cole’s, bright blue eyes fixed on their intertwined hands. “The search has been useless. All sixteen realms have been documented and yet...” He sighed.

“And yet, we have nothing.” Cole finished.

Zane nodded once.

Maybe he would have said something more if not for a shockwave. Loose objects fell from the shelves as they rattled in the blast. Somehow, Zane and Cole remained standing. The air smelled of a fresh harvest, sweet and warm. A body thudded outside.

Zane and Cole exchanged glances and ran, their chests tight with concern. They knew it was the shockwave.

---

“Wake up.” A voice whispered urgently in Lloyd’s ear. “Wake up!”

Lloyd groaned. He felt oddly disconnected from his body, as if they were far away and vaguely numb. He could barely summon the strength to rub weariness from his eyes. He was surrounded by darkness. No landscape, no signs of life. Nothing. Just an empty, consuming blackness.

“About time, darling!”

Lloyd jumped, hand automatically reaching for his weapon. “Who’s there?” He called into the oblivion.

“Just a friend.” came a musical voice. A man -but no, he couldn’t be a man, he was too tall and his eyes were shrouded, only glowing diamonds in the gloom - emerged from the darkness. He wore only a white tunic, leather sandles, and a red cloak. Boyish curly brown hair escaped from under a... rather unusual helmet. It was like none Lloyd had ever seen before. Plated gold but with shimmering wings spreading from either side. With a jolt, Lloyd realised the sandles had wings too.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised, darling.” The figure said impatiently.

“Who are you?” Lloyd demanded, voice not quite as strong as he’d have liked.

The figure laughed. “We have more important things to worry about.” He grabbed Lloyd sharply by the shoulders.

Lloyd twisted but the figure’s grip was stronger than he’d expected. Some unseen force jerked his head to look at the figure. The mischief had faded from the figure’s eyes.

“Now listen, I can make you no promises, but I will guide you as best I can.” The following chuckle sounded somewhat forced. “Good luck."

~

As Telemachus led the ninja down the hall, they were constantly in awe of the palace. Not even the palace of the emperor could compare; it had been beautiful, sure, but gaudy, a statement of status above all else. The palace of Ithaca was more simple but no less grand. Every once in a while, one of them would pause briefly to admire something before hastily rejoining the others. However, they couldn’t help noticing the slaves scurry along in the shadows, stopping only to bow to Telemachus, who gave them a nod or outright ignored them. The ninja exchanged looks. Kai’s hands were balled into fists. Cole silently sided with him. He felt sickened and a large part of him wanted to storm back to Odysseus and knock some sense into him. But what would that do to help them? Odysseus was barely an ally and they had all noticed the faint red splatters on the marble floor. No one fancied their own marks. But then, reasoned a tiny part of Cole, perhaps they couldn’t see the issue if this was their normal. It wasn’t any better and it was no excuse, but it was at least an explanation.

Telemachus half-walked half-skipped beside Lloyd. “Do you really come from gods?” He asked for the fiftieth time.

Cole quickly ducked his head. Oh, how close Telemachus actually was. He wondered vaguely, once everything had died down, whether they should tell the prince that Lloyd technically was from a god.

“Yeah.” Lloyd said. Cole passed the stone to him, who in turn passed it to Telemachus. The prince sucked in a breath, turning the stone over and over as if mesmorised.

“Lady Athena.” He whispered.

“Is that her name?” Nya asked. “The one in Cole’s dream?”

Telemachus shrugged. “It could be. We have many gods and goddesses.” He turned to Cole and requested the woman’s appearance. When Cole had finished, he shook his head. “That sounds more like Demeter. Lady Athena is always armed and is far more...” he paused, “blunt, shall we say?”

Eventually, they came to six lavish rooms. Cole was reminded of the rooms Chen had provided for them. Each room had a large double bed and elaborate pillars to support the ceiling as well as a table made of olive wood. Paintings of stories sprawled across the walls and onto the floors. All, thankfully, seemed to have a decent amount of shade. The slavegirl from earlier emerged from where she had been folding a piece of cloth at the foot of one the beds. She bowed to Telemachus and, quiet as a mouse, scampered away. Kai looked very much like he wanted to say something but Jay subtly trod on his toes. Telemachus noticed this.

“Forgive me, do you want me to call her back to aid you with clothing?”

“No thanks,” Lloyd said diplomatically before Kai could launch himself at Telemachus. “We can manage that ourselves.”

Telemachus looked confused but respectfully gave them space and went back down the hall.

In his room, Cole ran his fingers over the soft white linen. Parts of the red lining was silk. Clearly, he thought to himself as he remembered the rich purples and blues the royal family were wearing, colour meant how important you were. Red was the colour of soldiers. Or perhaps it was just easier to hide blood from battle. Either way, it suited him just fine. He sighed as he removed his top and stood in the shade of the room.

“Never complaining about the heat ever again.” He vowed, stretching his aching muscles against the cold stone.

To his surprise, the clothing was just a square sheet of fabric. He had to admit it was practical yet he was stunned. Everyone looked so elegant and all they were wearing was a singular sheet of fabric. He sighed, tied a leather cord around his waist, and made his way into Lloyd’s room, where everyone else was gathered.

Jay was now joking about how they were no longer able to do spinjistu for fear of exposure while Nya rolled her eyes at his immaturity. She was wearing a long dress not that dissimilar from Penelope’s as well as draped shawl. She was not happy about it.

“How am I meant to fight in this?” She exclaimed. “How?”

“It appears local customs expect modesty from women.” Zane said.

Nya gave him a look and he winced.

“There’s a difference between modesty and not being able to kick someone’s butt. Literally!” She gestured to the skirt.

Zane clearly wanted to say that this society did not expect women to fight either but chose life.

Kai huffed. “That’s what your hung up on, sis? What about the slavery outside the door.”

A chill swept through the room.

“We can’t abolish slavery, Kai.” Cole sighed and quickly added, “Look, I want to as much as you do, but making ourselves public enemies is going to make the mission harder than it already is.”

Kai grumbled but agreed, albeit reluctantly.

An older woman poked her head around the door and bowed to them. If she had heard what they said, she showed no signs of acknowledgement.

“My lords and lady,” she said, “King Odysseus wishes for you to dine with him and his family tonight.”

“We’ll be there.” Lloyd responded. “And you don’t have to bow to us.”

The woman bowed again and left without answer.

---

“Ah, travellers, good evening.” Odysseus greeted them. “Come, join us.”

The ninja bowed respectfully.

The dining room was not what they had expected. Rather than a long table, the royal family was gracefully reclined on plush lounges around a table. Olives were piled high as well as laods of loaves of bread. The scents of pork, lamb, and beef wound temptingly through the air as well as a few fish. Goblets, presumably full of wine, stood gracefully at all positions. Cole noticed a few slaves stood off to side with more.

Odysseus seemed to be in a better mood than earlier.

“Telemachus tells us that you can be trusted. I believe him.” He smiled proudly. “He’d developed an excellent sense for trust in my absence?”

“Absence?” Jay echoed as they joined.

Penelope’s eyes widened a fraction. “You truly are from distant lands if you have heard of the war against Troy.” She muttered.

The ninja exchanged looks. So there’d been a war recently, good to know. Telemachus looked astounded.

“You truly are a mysterious bunch.” He chuckled. “You come from distant lands and have not heard the news that all of Greece knows. It is like you know not of us at all.”

Zane smiled. “That is not too far off.”

Odysseus took a long drink from his goblet. “If they do not know the tale, I had better tell it.”

The ninja and Telemachus listened in wonderment (even though Telemachus must have surely heard it a hundred times) as Odysseus recounted the war and his treacherous journey home. Occassionally, Penelope squeezed his hand or shoulder supportively.

“Divine attention is not worth the glory and trouble it brings.” Odysseus said grimly once he’d finished. His eyes scanned them as the ninja all glanced at Lloyd. “Do not tell me you have been in our lands for not even a day and have already earned the gods attentioned beyond Demeter’s quest.” He groaned.

Lloyd sheepishly recounted his dream. However, Odysseus seemed to relax somewhat.

“You did not say it was Hermes.” He said. “If Hermes means to help you, I trust him. He may be a trickster but he is more helpful than most gods.” He chuckled lowly. “I may be biased; he helped me return home."

Zane visibly stored that away for later. Cole smiled at how organised his boyfriend could be.

“How curious you do not know even one of our gods.” Penelope said.

In response, the ninja began to explain their own stories as best they could. Penelope’s brow furrowed.

“I thought you had seen hardship. You all bear the look my husband did upon his return.”

No one could meet her eyes.

Odysseus looked at them for a long moment. “Whatever you need,” he murmured, “we will provide."

The rest of the evening passed in a blurr for Zane. There were jokes and exchanging of tales. Even the slaves in the corners had listened with open curiosity and, with their master’s permission, asked their own questions. Telemachus, despite being in his very early twenties, had looked like a boy given sweets. Eventually, everyone had retired to their rooms and bid each other goodnight.

Zane listened through the walls to his family. Asleep, all of them. Yet, Zane could not. Something was calling him. It had been pulling at him for a while now and he could have sworn the owl outside his window had been intently watching him. Once absolutely certain none of the ninja were awake, Zane slipped down the hall. He didn’t know where he was going but the insistent tugging in his core seemed to. Every so often, he would pass a guard, who would nod respectfully, a gesture which Zane returned. Someone bumped into him. It was the slave girl from earlier. She had dark skin and wore her black hair in braids. Zane was relieved to see she was uninjured. The royal family didn’t strike him as abusive owners - a small part of him internally threw up - but they were often dismissive.

“Forgive me, my lord.” She mumbled with a bow and scampered off.

“Wait,” Zane called. “May I know your name.”

The girl looked surprise. “Maharet, my lord.” She whispered and tiptoed away.

The silence Maharet left gave Zane space to think. His thoughts wandered to the Never Realm. How many had he enslaved? How much had he been? The others often told him that it wasn’t his fault, Vex had manipulated him. Logically, he knew this but the heart was far more fickle. The fact that he had been forgiven was even more astounding. He could see why the Ithacan royals saw no issue. He had seen the enslavement of others as normal, it was highly likely that they did do. Zane found himself thinking of Maharet. Where was she from? Did she have a family? Did she miss them? He wondered if the royals ever wondered those same things.

At last, he came to a courtyard. There stood a statue of a beautiful, stern looking woman. She wore bronze armour and clutched a spear. A grotesque face was embossed on her shield.

The world went dark.

“Get up.” A stern voice commanded and Zane felt something tap his head.

Zane’s visual processors could not process where he was. No longer in the courtyard that was for sure. Rather, it was as if he was in outerspace. Stars blinked on all sides, but he could see no planets or moons. What he could see was the woman whom the statue depicted.

“You are Athena?” He asked.

She ignored him. “You are not human.” She observed, tilting her head slightly. “Are you perhaps one of Hephaetus’ automatons?”

“I am a nindroid, built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.” Zane responded warily.

“Curious,” Athena muttered. She pulled up a screen of sorts that displayed all of his previous battles. “You are a good fighter.” She admitted after a minute or so. Her lips quirked into a smirk. “I could help you be great. If you are worthy.”

Zane studied his options. She was clearly wanting a fight. He had a funng feeling she would fight fair rather than use her powers to an advantage. His hands brushed his shurikens. Odysseus had warned against divine attention and his story was enough to prove why. But if Zane won, then he would gain favour and potentially protection that could help them later. And divine tutalage, something he couldn’t deny had piqued his interest.

“Very well.” He said eventually and drew his shurikens. “I accept your challenge.”

Athena nodded. “I knew you would.”

They circled each other, watching for when the other would move. Now! Zane thought and lept aside as Athena charged at him. The goddess was clearly expecting it. She whirled around and aimed her spear and swung it towards his ankles. Zane jumped and launched a shuriken, striking her fingers. Athena gasped at the gold spreading across her hand but didn’t yield yet. She aimed a jab at Zane which he barely dodged. He lept back again and suddenly spun toward her. Athena was a blur through the tornado but Zane saw she’d pulled her spear up as well as aiming the spear. Quickly, he launched himself over the shield and kicked her square in the chest. Athena stumbled, surprised, then swung her spear like a baseball bat. It landed with a heavy clunk against his side, temporarily winding him. He caught his breath. He suddenly charged at her, making to tackle her. She braced ready. At the last second, Zane spun into another tornado. He kicked her knees and punched her. She fell, looking baffled but pleased.

“Well done.” She said appraisingly as she got to her feet. “You bested me. I looking forward to our next meeting.”

The second Zane deemed Lloyd healthy and stable, the Bounty had her engines started and they were soon flying over Ninjago. Zane stood at the helm guiding the Bounty to the hill where he had estimated the signature to originated from, but he still listened to what the others were saying.

“Okay, so... what?” Kai was utterly baffled. “You pass out and this guy just shows up in your head?”

Lloyd rubbed his temples. “I don’t think he was a normal guy.”

“What makes you say that?” Nya asked, half pulling Lloyd to sit on the deck.

Cole was only half listening. The air smelled as it had in his dream. He had a strong feeling that the shockwave had something to do with her. But then, from what Lloyd was saying, Cole doubted that the guy from his brother’s dream had been sent on the woman’s orders. And yet...

“Lloyd, how was he dressed?”

Lloyd’s head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

Cole sighed softly. “Humour me, will you?”

Lloyd shrugged. As he described what the man had looked like, Cole felt something coil tightly in his chest. Oh yes, they were connected all right.

The wind caught Lloyd’s gi, brushing the shoulder aside just enough to reveal a silvery mark just above his collarbone.

Jay pointed to the mark. “What’s that?”

Lloyd twisted awkwardly.

“Are you injured?” Zane asked over the beeping of the radar.

From the way Lloyd suddenly paled, everyone assumed so.

Cole’s eyes zeroed in on the mark. It wasn’t a bruise. Rather, as though some sort of metal had been infused into Lloyd’s skin, the marking glistened under the sun. It was the very shape of the sandals that Lloyd had described the man in his dreams wearing. The coil around Cole’s chest tightened suddenly. They were way out of their depth. A world-consuming force was easy enough to cope with; attention from unknown beings was not. Lloyd seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

Something burned against Cole’s leg and he bit back a shout of pain. He immediately regretted reaching into his pocket; the stone sent searing, white hot pain through his hand. It had been getting steadily warmer the closer they got to the hill like a compass and a game of ‘hot and cold’. The tang of iron burst across his tongue - his lip was bleeding. He silently exhaled with relief as the clouds around The Bounty parted as they came to the hill. On the hill was an emerald portal that pulsed steadily almost rhythmically. The stone’s burning seemed to match.

“Yeah.” Cole muttered. “This is the place.”

“You’re sure?” Kai was still visibly shaken from the discovery of the marking on Lloyd’s shoulder. Cole huffed a laugh.

“You want a stone attempting to weld itself to your leg?”

Kai winced sympathetically. Zane’s eyes did not match his calmly concerned expression as he stepped down from the helm.

“How long has it been burning you?”

Cole shrugged. “Ten minutes maybe? We had other things to deal with.” He added sheepishly.

Zane was not impressed as he lovingly scolded Cole for not telling him or Nya, both of whom could deal with the burn. Cole kissed him.

“I’m sure it’ll stop when we get through the portal.” He said reassuringly despite the searing pain in his leg. He joined the others as they guided The Bounty through the portal.

---

The portal spat them out at a lake shadowed by towering mountains, the caves gaping mouths at The Bounty’s unexpected arrival. The ninja almost immediately found themselves sweaty, those of them in dark coloured gis peeling them away or else rolling their sleeves up (Zane, lucky bastard already dressed in white, only had turn on his cooling fans). The air was dry but carried the smell of farms, almost sweet. Grass surrounded them like fields of jades and malachites. Beneath them, it was like looking into a turquoise mirror, beautiful and serene. Occasionally, a curious fish swam up to inspect the hull of The Bounty. The ship herself had changed. Gone was the radar and computer and her compact shape. She was lengthier and, though her sails were still raised, each was only a large rectangle of fabric. The dragon figurehead remained but its eyes were larger, fiercer and more menacing as if daring anyone to approach.

On instinct, everyone turned to Zane. He shook his head.

“I apologise but I am unable to work out where we are.”

It was the expected answer but no less disappointing.

Nya sighed and gestured to The Bounty. “Anyone else willing to bet Cole’s friend did this?”

All hands went up.

Fortunately, the stone had stopped attempting to set Cole’s leg on fire. The leg no longer hurt either. He scanned their surroundings as Zane gently guided their ship to shore.

“What do we do now?” Jay said, fiddling with the neck of his gi. It was unclear if it was heat or nerves causing him to do so. “We have no clue where we are.”

“I say we wait a few days,” Nya said, “scout around, get some intel."

Kai crossed his arms. “Sis, I love you, but it sounds like we’re against a ticking time bomb. I don’t wanna sit around if we don’t have to.”

Privately, Cole agreed. The woman’s implications were clear. They were running against a clock. How long was on that clock, they didn’t know. Every second sat doing nothing was a precious sand in the bottom of the hourglass.

“But we won’t be doing nothing.” Nya argued. “For all we know, we’ll stick out and have targets on our backs.”

Lloyd pushed his hair from his forehead. “I agree with Kai. We don’t know how long we have nor where to get supplies.” He gestured to Cole and Nya. “You both look seconds from getting heat stroke.”

It was true. Nya and Cole’s gis clung uncomfortably to their skin and their dark hair was plastered to their foreheads. Cole’s mouth felt like a desert. Every breath clogged his lungs with thin air.

“We should get out the sun as soon as possible.” Zane added. Nya let out a yell of frustration and threw her arms in the air. Zane (who had switched to his more ‘human’ looking form) hastened to add, “Besides, I doubt the king we are looking for can be too far.”

“Well,” Jay joked, “guess we’re in for a hike.” He was not met with enthusiam.

The ‘hike’, as Jay had oh so cheerfully called it, was extended by at least an hour from frequent water stops and cowering under shade from lush trees. After many torturous hours, they were met by a large city with a bustling market. Giggling children darted from stall to stall while their families haggled over price or stopped to chat in the street. For the first time since his dream, Cole felt hungry as the smell of fresh bread wafted through the air, mixed with the sweet tang of various spices. Jay paused to watch a moment as a nearby street act struck up a tune. An important looking man was listening intently as another, rougher looking man pointed out the best stock of people in change. The ninja averted their gaze, they dared not think what that conversation would lead to. Slowly, people began to notice them. One woman turned to her friend and whispered something behind her hand as her children clung to her skirts.

Nya rolled her eyes. “I told you we’d stand out.” She hissed.

“We can hash that out later,” Lloyd replied. “Let’s just find somewhere to cool off.”

Whispers followed them all the way to the fountain. Cole splashed some over his face with a moan. He then noticed that Zane was distracted by something. Cole followed to where Zane was looking and immediately regretted it. Before them was a mural. In one scene, a shawled woman sat tending a hearth with one hand, her other placing a torch into a man’s hand. In the next, the man was being hailed by exuberant people as he handed them the stick. The next scene was not nearly so cheerful. The man was now bound to a cliff face, his body coated in a deep red from a gaping wound in his stomach, his liver on full display with large chunks torn from it. Tears raced down the man’s cheeks. His mouth was wide open in a wordless scream. Two eagles soared above him. Their beaks were coated in blood. Above them, a man with wild blond hair and beard and a gold modesty scarf watched on, arms folded and smiling with grim satisfaction. The others had noticed now too.

Kai’s voice shook slightly as he spoke. “Well, elemental powers are a no go then.”

“Oh, great,” Jay laughed. “We’re up against a literal force of chaos that we know nothing about and we can’t use our powers!”

For once, Cole couldn’t blame his freakout. They had been thrust into an unknown world with, as Jay had rightfully pointed out, no clue what they were up against, and had one of their only weapons taken from them. Cole hunched over slightly. He felt both sick from the painting and the beginnings of sympathy pain. Even Zane and Lloyd didn’t seem to know what to say.

They had no time to dwell on it however. Eight men in bronze chestplates and plumed helmets marched up to them. The ninja instinctively reached for their weapons until each soldier pointed their own swords at them. From the corner of his eye, Cole could see Zane running simulation after simulation.

“Foreigners,” the leader said sternly, “word of you has reached the palace of Ithaca. King Odysseus demands you come with us and be held for questioning.”

At the word king, Cole quickly raised his hands in surrender, an action swiftly followed by the others. The soldiers seemed surprised before hastily restoring their stony masks. The ninja walked single file flanked by the soldiers. Kai leaned forward to Cole.

“Think this is our guy then?”

“Maybe.” Cole whispered. “I mean, what are the chances?”

The palace of Ithaca was a large, imposing giant, yet beautiful in its size. Servants bustled around them. Some were noticeably quieter than others. The ninja though were thankful for the blessed shade of the palace. They were a taken to a large room. Three elaborate marble thrones stood on a raised dais.

On the central throne sat a scarred man with greying hair and piercing eyes. The hairs on the back of Cole’s neck rose; something told him that lying to this man was a very bad idea. To his left sat a willowy woman with black hair in a graceful knot. She too seemed to be inspecting them. It was the man on the right who eased the ninja’s nerves. He was a young man and looked very like his father. However, unlike his parents, he was looking at the ninja with unguarded curiosity, sitting straighter to get a better look at them. The man on the central throne, presumably King Odysseus, nodded once and his soldiers fell back. He then stood and approached them, eagle eyes scanning each one of them.

“Travellers,” his voice was suspicious but not yet damning, “You come to Ithaca in garments of no kingdom I have ever seen, your weapons even stranger. What purpose have you here?”

Kai shoved Cole forward. Cole cleared his throat and bowed. He explained his dream (careful to leave the part about Chaos quiet) and drew the stone from his pocket. Odysseus’ eyes widened almost imperciptably. His son sat even straighter.

“Well,” Odysseus muttered eyes fixed on the stone, “If you come bearing a quest from the gods, I must give you someplace to stay and supplies.” He added something beneath his breath. Then clicked at a young woman, perhaps the prince’s age, making the ninja internally reel.

“You, prepare the guest rooms and have one of your fellows fetch extra clothes.” His lips twitched. “I suspect they will not last the journey in their current ones."

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