Alice watched the big, majestic horses toss the sand about as they landed. Hephaestus hopped out of the chariot. He rushed to his daughter and hugged her.
"I'm so glad you found the island," he said with tears of joy welling up in his eyes.
"Me too."
Hephaestus let Alice go and walked back to the chariot. He hoisted Mrs. Stone over his strong shoulder. Alice led the way back to Calypso's hut. Sparky followed them. Calypso was waiting outside.
"So this is Hephaestus. You're bigger than I expected."
Hephaestus laughed loudly. "I get that a lot."
The three of them walked inside the hut. Alice was happy to see that Icarus had woken up. He was sitting in the wicker chair that he had moved to the corner of the room. He had a woolen blanket wrapped around like a shawl, which seemed odd because the island was in an endless summer. His face was pale and he blankly stared at the floor. He actually reminded Alice of her mom after the car accident.
Hephaestus set Mrs. Stone on the now empty bed. Calypso eyed her over.
"Good gods!" she exclaimed. "Leave! Now!"
She ushered Alice and Hephaestus out of the hut. Icarus stumbled out behind them. He sat on the ground and leaned against the hut. Alice knelt beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
He shrugged.
Sparky sat down beside her. Alice scratched him behind his ears, but his tail didn't wag.
She wanted to talk to Icarus, but he wouldn't talk back. She stood up and left. She ambled around the island, just happy that she didn't have to go anywhere and could just be alone. Sparky didn't follow her. He stayed behind with Icarus and Hephaestus, but Alice wanted some time to think anyways.
She went back to where the boat had landed. She sat down on the warm sand and thought about the day she had first met Icarus. What would she have done without him?
Her mind shifted to her mom. Alice had no doubt that Calypso would be laboring over her for a long time. She sighed. At least her mom would have a better chance for survival on the island.
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Aphrodite looked over the side of the chariot. "That's it," she confirmed with a smile. She could see a small island below them. She saw some little people that looked like ants from above. They might has well have been. She was just going to crush them under her shoe anyway.
She saw a girl sitting alone on a beach. That must be Alice, she thought, the little brat. No dog, though. That's odd.
"Land there," she commanded as she pointed at the ground next to the girl.
"Okay."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Alice looked up to see a chariot coming her way. She ran out of its way so it wouldn't hit her. It landed and a man and woman stepped out of it. They walked towards her.
"Dear, are you Alice?" the woman asked. Her voice dripped with sweetness. A little too much, at that.
"Yes," Alice answered slowly. "And who are you?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter. I know your father. Speaking of which, could you take us to him?"
Alice hesitated, but then said, "Okay. Just let me grab my things." She walked over to the boat and grabbed the Golden Fleece from her pack. She concealed it in the extra clothes. She was suddenly really glad that her dad had packed the supplies that he had. "I'll come back for the rest later."
"That's fine," the woman said, obviously losing her patience. She grabbed Alice's shoulder like a vise. "You know where to go. Lead us, please."
Alice guided them to Calypso's hut where Icarus, Sparky, and Hephaestus were all sitting together. Icarus and Hephaestus had been talking. Hephaestus stopped in mid-sentence and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the woman.
"Aphrodite! Fancy meeting you here. I was just thinking about you . . ."
"Shut up. Where's Giselle?"
"Why does it matter?" he inquired. He got to his feet. He towered over Aphrodite like a skyscraper.
"Maybe I don't like it when you cheat on me."
"Maybe I don't like it when you cheat on ME!" Hephaestus boomed back.
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "I'm the goddess of love. I couldn't help myself if I wanted to."
Hephaestus and Aphrodite continued to argue. The man turned to Alice. "You know, I only need a soul. Not necessarily your mom's soul. You seem like a good kid, so I guess you could just give up something that means a lot to you. Your dog would work."
Both conversations froze.
"Give up Sparky?" Alice gulped. Sparky had been her best friend for years, and he had saved her life multiple times. On the other hand, she didn't want to lose her mom.
"Do it, Alice," Hephaestus said. "A dog is only a dog."
Salty tears rolled down Alice's cheek. He was right. She had to do it to save her mom. She crouched by Sparky. She gave him a big hug. "I-I'm sorry Sparky."
The dog looked at her quizzically, not knowing its fate.
She let go of him. Hermes picked him up. "Sorry 'bout that, Alice. From living thousands of years, I've learned that things can't last forever, no matter what material they're made of."
"NOOOOO!" Aphrodite wailed. "We worked so hard for THIS?! I will not accept it! I demand the death of Giselle Stone!"
"Wow. You know, I was the one doing all the work. My job is done, so I'm leaving," Hermes sighed as he walked off with Sparky in his arms.
"Um, would you like this?" Alice asked as she pulled the fleece from the clothes.
Aphrodite reached out and ran her fingers through the fur. "Yes."
Greed overpowered revenge, and she snatched it and ran to catch up with Hermes.
Calypso walked out of the hut. She asked, "What was that all about?"
"Oh . . . it was nothing," Alice sighed. She stared at the ground. More tears fell from her eyes. Sparky was gone.
Calypso raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Well, anyway, you'll be happy to know that your mom is okay now. I'm not sure why, but she just woke up and she's perfectly fine. You can come and see her if you'd like."
Alice and Hephaestus walked into the hut. Mrs. Stone was looking much better. Her cuts and bruises were gone and the color had returned to her face.
"Alice!" she said with a smile. "Where's Sparky?"
"Right here," Hephaestus answered. He pulled a little Jack Russell Terrier from behind his back and set him on the ground.
Alice's jaw dropped. It really was Sparky!
"I had finally gotten Icarus to talk, and he told me everything. I figured that Hermes wouldn't give up quickly, so I hid Sparky and brought out Bennett. However, I had no idea that Aphrodite would be here too."
"Well, I'm just happy that we're all here as a family," Giselle said. She pointed at Hephaestus. "I haven't seen you in ages."
"I'll be around more, now. I promise."
