Page 30 of Crown of Serpents

Behind Andromeda, another voice beckoned, “King Cepheus, I understand your grief. Choosing between the love for your daughter and your people is the cruellest of choices, and for that, you have my deepest sympathies … but choose you must. Andromeda may be our future queen, but if we do not heed the gods’ demands, there may be no future for our kingdom.”

When Andromeda turned, a sly smile was curling on Phineas’s thin lips. Of course, this was a prime opportunity for her uncle to eliminate her as competition for the throne. Still, at her core, Andromeda knew that his words were true.

“No,” Queen Cassiopeia protested, “it was I who offended thegods ... If anyone should be sacrificed to appease Poseidon, it should be me!”

A few courtiers averted their gazes in embarrassment at Cassiopeia’s passionate display of emotion. Joppan queens were expected to be composed and serene, guiding the kingdom with gentle hands through wise counsel whispered into their husband’s ears. Even after twenty years in the city-state, Cassiopeia had not bent to Joppan customs.

Phineas cut into the silence, “Your motherly instinct is honourable, my Queen, but that is not the price the gods have demanded.”

“You seem intent on murdering our princess!” Queen Cassiopeia accused, her voice trembling with rage. “How can you ask this of your king? To slaughter his only daughter like a sacrificial lamb? Your only niece …”

“Enough!” King Cepheus’s voice thundered through the room, silencing his subjects. He sighed, rubbing his temples, while the audience awaited his verdict. “I have heard your petitions and demands, but this is a decision only I can make as king of Joppa and father of Andromeda … and I decree that we will not sentence Andromeda, my only heir and joy of my life, to death for a crime she has not committed. This is not the kind of justice we deal in Joppa; murdering innocents is not who we are as a people. Anyone who defies this order by threatening the princess’s life or conspiring to undermine my verdict is committing treason and will be sentenced to death. Is that understood?”

His words echoed through the silence as King Cepheus stared each of his subordinates down with his golden eyes, daring them to oppose him. None did. Andromeda knew that she should feel light with relief as each courtier lowered their head. Instead, guilt gnawed at her heart. Those people bowing in deference would one day be her subjects, hers to lead, hers to protect. She might be an innocent punished by Poseidon for her mother’s offence, but so were they. How could she let her people suffer when she had the chance to save them?

“No,” Andromeda’s voice quivered when she spoke. Despite her shaking knees, she stood straight, determination shining inher eyes. She turned to her father and steadied her voice. “Forgive me, my King, but it is not your decision to make … it is mine, as daughter of this kingdom and future queen. Though I am grateful for your mercy, I will gladly offer up my life to save my people.”

She stood on the podium for a few heartbeats, holding her breath, waiting for her father’s anger. Andromeda had never spoken in court before, save for the usual courtesies and flatteries. She had never contradicted her father before. This was the first decision she had ever made for her people, the first time she had acted not as a princess but as the queen she would never be.

A single tear rolled down King Cepheus’s cheek as he inclined his head. “Very well, my daughter. We shall respect your decision and honour your sacrifice.”

Suddenly, it was as if a wave rolled through the throne room, as every courtier followed their king’s example and fell to their knees, bowing to their princess. Only her mother remained seated, sobbing quietly. Andromeda stood there for a couple more breaths, a beacon of hope for her people. In three weeks, she would give her life for her kingdom

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Perseus! Perseus! Get up, you damned fool!” Kleos barked as he shook him. Perseus blinked, his head spinning from the wine. “Get up, you bastard. Now is not the time to catch up on your beauty sleep!”

Groggy, Perseus pushed himself upward and was suddenly flung from his sleeping cot into the nearby table, his shoulder slamming against the wood as a wave rocked the ship.

He scrambled to his feet once more, fighting to keep his balance as the floor lurched again. The wooden stool skidded across the room, crashing into the ship’s hull with a splintering thud. Moments later, the galley tilted toward the other direction, and he lost his footing, colliding with the wall just like the chair had.

A sharp pain shot up his spine, banishing any lingering effects of the alcohol. How long had he been asleep? His room was enveloped in darkness, so he couldn’t tell what time it was — only that it was thedead of the night.

“Gods, Perseus, sort yourself out fast!” Kleos’s voice boomed, “The entire ship is in chaos! Get up and help us on deck!”

Kleos lurched toward the door on the tilting floor. When he climbed the ladder, a blast of wind nearly knocked him of balance, carrying horizontal sheets of rain.The hair on Perseus’s arms stood as he beheld the madness unravelling on deck.

Massive waves, nearly as tall as the ship itself, barrelled toward them from all directions. The clouds hung low and heavy, obscuring the sky so completely that not a single star shone above to guide their way. The sea and the sky were locked in a furious battle, the water around them churning and frothing as thunder roared above.

The men scrambled across the deck in disarray, desperately trying to draw the sails and secure the splintered oars that rolled from side to side with each punishing wave. The force of the waves must have snapped them when someone had foolishly tried to row against the tempest. Atticus and Meliton manned the rudder, their teeth clenched as they fought to hold the course against the insurmountable pressure of the water. Aetos hung in the ropes with the other men, trying to draw the sails that billowed in the wind.

How were the sails still up? Even a greenhorn sailor knew that furling the sails was the first thing to do when caught in a storm. Otherwise, the galley would be driven off-course, or worse, the sail would rip to shreds. There was no chance in Hades that this experienced crew didn’t know that. Had the storm caught them off guard?

He raced toward his men, grabbing a loose rope that escaped Mikis’s hands — leaving them bloodied and torn. Perseus threw his weight into the rope, instantly feeling the full fury of the storm surging into the sail. It was a power unlike anything he had ever encountered. Of course, he’d weathered storms before. At the end of the regular fishing season, most of Seriphos’s fishermen, including Perseus, would go out on day-long trips to catch any fish they could. They often risked sailing toward storm clouds to fill their nets before it started. They dealt with consequences later, enduring icy downpours while anchored. But this … this was a different beast altogether.

Perseus grunted as he pulled with all his might. Usually, he would lower the sail gradually by relaxing the halyard, but that was not an option now. The sail billowed overhead, the howling wind threatening to tear the fabric. They had to reel the sail to midship, or all it would take was one gust of wind … and snap. With a sickening crack, the wind changed direction, and the sail swung from port to starboard, flinging Perseus across the deck. Pain seared through him as he careened into the railing. The sailor beside him wasn’t so lucky as a tick rope smashed into him with such force that he was thrown into the churning cauldron of the Aegean Sea.

“Man overboard!” Perseus bellowed, his voice drowned out by the howling wind.

He clung to the rope, now the sole force restraining it, as it ripped through his hands, slicing them open. Perseus couldn’t hold on much longer. He needed all the strength his crew had to offer.

He glanced over his shoulder, frantically searching for help. Where had Kleos gone? He scanned the deck, but his friend disappeared. Perseus’s stomach dropped as the relentless rain needled his face, arms, and bare chest. Had he fallen into the churning sea as well?

“Has anyone seen Kleos?” He yelled, panic slowly building in his chest.

No one answered. They were all consumed by their tasks. The main sail's halyard had become entangled, and Aetos had climbed the mast to untangle the mess. Perseus then realised that Kleos was not the only one missing. Three sailors were busy tying down the smaller sail in front. Elias tried to drop the anchor, though the Sea would be too deep here for it to reach the bottom. Another group had tossed a rope overboard, desperately trying to save the unfortunate sailor. It was a futile attempt. The man had already drifted too far from their reach. Neither Kleos nor the king’s epetae were anywhere to be seen on deck.

Perseus snapped his attention back to the billowing main sail overhead. It did not matter who was missing and why. They would all be dead if they did not tie this sail under control.

---