Interception

All our eyes turned towards Isabella when the goddess said, "You haven't told them, sweetheart?"

Isabella nodded "I was just telling them when you came with the dinner and we were hungry so I decided that telling them could wait."

"oh, I see." Hermaphroditus nodded like an old granny. "so what are you waiting for? Tell them."

Isabella turned towards us and for a second I thought that I saw hesitation in her eyes.

"Kronos is the Titan lord of Time." she said

"Yeah. Didn't know it before." I said sarcastically and just then I felt an invisible unsheathed sword hanging just above my head. "I'm sorry. Go on."

"What I truly mean is that he can control time. He is beyond past, present or future." she said

"So. What do we have to do with that?" Will asked and I had the same question, but didn't had the strength to ask.

"You both are impossible!" Isabella sighed.

"What I am saying is that when Zeus dethroned Kronos, he actually cut him into many pieces and... it's said that where the left hand of Kronos is buried... that place is beyond time." she said and her words finally began to form a meaning. My slow mind started thinking and the result terrified me.

"Kronos used to hold a sandclock in his left hand, right?" I asked and she nodded.

"That's what the first line of the prophesy meant: we have to go where the left hand of Kronos is buried." Isabella said and it was followed by a great silence.

I glanced at the goddess and couldn't tell why she was smiling. She seemed amused.

"We're doomed." I hopelessly said.

The fact was that no one knows about that place and the worst thing is that almost every part of Kronos was buried in Tartarus, a place where no living being can enter.

"Don't give up hope, son. You need it." Hermaphroditus said. "And the thing is, that the place you are searching for, is, fortunately, not in Tartarus."

Our eyes widened when she said that.

"You know where it is?" If she had known it all along why she couldn't have told us earlier.

The goddess glanced meaningfully at Will and then stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Isabella called her. Hermaphroditus turned and looked mischievously at her.

"I am going to transform into my other form soon and believe me, love, you don't want to see him." with that disturbing thought she left us.

Once she was out of our sight, I immediately turned towards Will. My eyes were intensely focused on him as he looked away nervously.

"So, I think you have something to tell us." I said. I understood why Hermaphroditus looked at him. He knows. He knows about the place, but why didn't he tell it sooner. With so many questions, I felt as if my mind was going to explode.

"I... ah!" he sighed, his eyes looked sad and I got the feeling that he didn't want to tell us.

"I know where we have to go. But..."

"But... what?" Isabella blurted out. Will seemed hesitant. I couldn't understand why he didn't want to tell us. Isn't it why we're here.

But seeing his condition, I half wanted to say to him that there's no need of telling anyone anything. But unfortunately we had to know.

"Last month...Ares...appeared in my dream..." Will said and my jaw dropped.

"Why?" I interrupted, which I shouldn't have. Isabella gave me a murderous look and I could see one message flashing across her eyes -NOT NOW, I'LL TELL YOU LATER.

But it was too late to take back what I said.

"Ares... he's my maternal great grandfather." Will said and his gaze dropped. He seemed... ashamed! But why?

It wasn't his fault that he was related to some stupid god who wanted the world in chaos. That didn't concern me. What really was important is that if Ares appeared in Will's dream then... he must have told him something that was going to help us on our quest and that's where the question arises. Why?

"Will what did he tell you?" I sternly asked and looked up, his eyes never meeting mine.

"He told me where the left hand and Kronos is buried." Will shook his head in disbelief. "He was talking in riddles, which I didn't understand until... until now. It's starting to make sense."

He kept on talking to himself and it was exasperating me.

"Will? What did he say?" I asked again. I knew I was being rude but I couldn't help it.

"He said, "It is buried in the place where Wisdom lives." At that time I didn't understand what 'It' meant but now it's all clear." Will said.

"A place where Wisdom lives. What the heck does that mean?" I asked and Will looked at me. The moment our eyes met, I could see stars of hope in his eyes.

"Our next stop is...Athens." he said.