During the week Lucas stayed at home, he had contacted Elizabeth, outlining the plan to visit C.C.'s Resort.
Upon hearing their destination, Elizabeth wasted no time. She bought a boat, waiting for him by the southern docks.
But instead of setting sail immediately, Lucas insisted they take a few days to prepare.
He spent the time carefully layering as much magical protection as he could onto the vessel.
It was not overthinking.
Not for where they were headed.
The Sea of Monsters. Known to mortals as the Bermuda Triangle.
A cursed stretch of sea where monsters ruled and mortals vanished without trace.
There were only two safe entrances into its heart: One through the Clashing Rocks, where stone mountains smashed together without warning, and the other between Scylla and Charybdis, two ancient monsters.
After much debate, they decided that passing Scylla would be the safer option. At least, if their plan worked.
Lucas would weave an illusion, using the Mist, around their boat, transforming its appearance into that of a drifting, empty ghost ship. Something too dead to be prey.
Then use his power to reinforce this illusion, hiding them from its senses, and if needed, distort the beast's natural instincts.
The wards were there in case that plan failed.
Neither of them pretended it was foolproof. But both understood: hesitation was deadlier than risk.
When the final runes were carved and the last sigils etched into the wood, Lucas stood back, studying their work with a critical eye.
Elizabeth tossed him a captain's hat, a crooked grin playing across her lips.
"Ready to haunt some seas, Captain?" she teased.
Lucas caught it easily, his own smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Always."
The sea stretched out before them, dark and gleaming.
It was time.
...
The sky darkened as the small boat drifted closer to the entrance.
Ahead, the sea rippled with unnatural stillness. The water lost its color, turning an oily, glassy black. A thick, creeping mist clung to the surface, still without any wind to guide it.
The Sea of Monsters.
Lucas tightened his grip on the railing, feeling the enchantments woven into the hull hum faintly beneath his palm. He breathed out slowly, gathering his magic.
Elizabeth stood nearby, her gaze sharp as a drawn blade.
"Almost there," she said.
Lucas nodded, not speaking. Words could fray concentration now.
In the distance, a terrible roar echoed across the water. It was not the cry of any mortal creature, it was deep and hungry, a sound that heralded death.
Scylla.
Lucas reached for the Mist.
"Vita celare"
With careful fingers of thought, he pulled and twisted, weaving it around the boat. It shifted the wood's color, dulled the gleam of the oars. To any monster's eyes, they would appear as a drifting hulk, a broken ship with no life aboard, no soul worth devouring.
Their vessel became a ghost.
To ensure Scylla couldn't sense them Lucas used the power of the fool to also trick the senses, creating a smell of rot and time to conceal their own.
The roar grew louder.
Elizabeth tensed beside him, her instincts screaming at her.
They entered the Strait.
To the left, rising like a nightmare from the water, loomed a tower of rocks, within a crevice was Scylla, a twisted mass of serpentine heads, each snapping and coiling blindly, seeking prey.
To the right, the sea churned, swirling into a monstrous whirlpool, Charybdis, her hunger so vast she swallowed the tides themselves.
Lucas narrowed his eyes, feeling the strain of maintaining the illusion. The Mist resisted slightly, as if the very presence of ancient monsters was also devouring the Mist.
The boat drifted forward, creaking just once, a sound so small it would have meant nothing anywhere else.
Here, it was a signal of life.
One of Scylla's heads jerked toward them, jaws gaping wide enough to swallow a horse whole.
Lucas gritted his teeth and fed more strength into the illusion.
The head hesitated.
Then monstrous eyes moved past them, searching elsewhere before the heads returned to the crevice.
Slowly, agonizingly, they slipped through the Strait.
Beyond Charybdis, the waters calmed almost instantly. The sky lightened to a dim, misty gold.
They were through.
Lucas slumped slightly against the railing, letting the illusion unravel.
Elizabeth exhaled, tension finally draining from her shoulders.
"You really are insane," she said, shaking her head, but smiling despite herself.
Lucas only grinned.
Ahead, a shape materialized through the veil of mist, an island, lush and radiant, as if time had forgotten it.
Tall palms swayed in a breeze only they felt. White sand gleamed like powdered pearls. Mansions and gardens spiraled up a gently sloping hill, glittering like jewels scattered by a careless hand.
A sign stood at the end of the strait.
C.C.'s Spa and Resort.
They had arrived.
The boat slid onto the golden sand with a soft scrape.
Lucas stepped down first, helping Elizabeth ashore. The warmth of the island hit them immediately; heavy with salt, citrus, and something faintly floral. The whole place looked like a painting of paradise.
Palm trees swayed gently in the breeze. Crystal-clear waterfalls cascaded down marble terraces. Elegant women in flowing robes moved gracefully between gardens and pools, laughter dancing in the air.
It was almost enough to believe they had stumbled onto paradise.
Almost.
Lucas knew better.
Appearances were Circe's first and greatest spell.
A young woman in silver robes approached them along a winding path lined with hibiscus flowers. Her expression was bright and welcoming, but Lucas noticed the way her eyes flickered over him, disgust evident before transforming back .
Elizabeth stepped forward first, all easy grace and charm.
"We're here to see Circe," she said casually, her voice carrying a confidence that masked the tension between them.
She reached into his jacket and produced the business card.
The woman accepted it with both hands, the golden sigil of Hecate glinting against the sun.
For a moment, her composure slipped.
Her eyes widened. Her mouth parted in a soft, involuntary gasp.
The attendant bowed slightly, her tone now far more formal.
"Please wait here. I will inform Lady Circe immediately."
The other women nearby, sensing the disturbance, gathered in groups, whispering among themselves.