Free The Gatekeeper's Promise: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Six (The Gatekeeper's Saga 6) by Eva Pohler

Sleep. Phorcys and his family disappeared.
    Than said , “We need to help Therese! She’s been captured!”
    “First we search the castle,” Poseidon commanded. “We’l l be more powerful with the aid of my trident.”
    Hip and Than helped the other Olympians search, but they found no sign of Amphitrite and the trident.
    “Where could they be?” Poseidon said. “ And who could be working with Phorcys?”
    Hip scratched his chin . “Perhaps Circe.”
    “Circe? Why do you suspect her?” Ares asked.
    Hip looked through the water at his brother, afraid to break his heart. “She’s done something terrible.”
    Than’s eyes widened. “Where’s Therese?”

    Chapter Seven: The Oldest Castle
     
    Therese grabbed Hip in one claw, lifted him a foot off the ground, and screeched, “For the tenth time, tell me what’s going on! Answer me!”
    Before Hip could reply, Than appeared at her side , followed by Ares and Poseidon.
    “Scylla!” Poseidon shouted .
    “Not Scylla,” Hip said. “Therese.”
    “How? And where’s the real Scylla?” Ares asked.
    “Circe changed her into a beautiful maiden,” Hip explained. “We don’t know where she is.”
    Therese was heartbroken by the sight of her husband’s mortification. He frowned, squinted, and turned pale. This gave her a taste of how Scylla must have felt being looked upon for centuries with eyes of fear and disgust. No wonder Scylla had become cruel. The humiliation and the rejection were overwhelming.
    Not to mention the awkward feeling of being in such a strange body. Her six necks were long and heavy to hold up, so they drooped in the middle, nearly touching the rocky beach.  Her tentacles were difficult to control—al most as hard as it is for people to move their ears. In the water, she managed, though not without difficulty, but on land, it took all her energy not to fall over. The six dog-heads at her waist moved constantly, but not through her own volition. These canine parts yapped like an uncontrollable twitch.
    “Than , it’s me.” Therese gently set Hip back on the rocky coast, but her feelings of insecurity couldn’t prevent her words from sounding scratchy and harsh in the body of the monster. She was twice the size of the others, but she felt small and helpless.
    “Therese?” Than asked with a look of incredulity that brought tears to Therese’s four eyes.
    “Help me,” she cried.
    “How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Ares shouted.
    “It’s no trap,” Hip said.
    “Oh no.” Than reached out and touched Therese’s slimy arm. “Are you okay? Are the babies…”
    She pulled her six heads close together and covered them with her claws. “I don’t know. I think I feel them there, but this body is so…different. The dog-heads at my waist seem to have minds of their own.”
    All six dog- heads growled.
    “ Hera or Artemis can tell us,” Poseidon suggested.
    “Therese is more helpful to us in this form,” Ares said. “We can send her as a spy…”
    “No,” Than said. “Absolutely not.”
    “You mean you didn’t find Amphitrite with Phorcys and Keto?” Therese asked.
    Ares recounted the story of what had happened. Then he added, “Zeus would forget about your act of treason against him if you helped us find the trident.”
    “Ares makes a good point,” Poseidon said.
    “No!” Than shouted. “Enough! We’re going to Circe right now!”
    “Your wife is not our priority,” Ares said. “Finding the trident is.”
    “In the wrong hands, my trident could bring down Mount Olympus,” Poseidon added. “Especially if there are more lightning bolts at large.”
    Therese unleashed an earth-shaking wail. “I need to know if I’m still carrying my babies!” she cried. Then in a lower, though still scratchy, voice she added, “If they’re unharmed, and if you swear on the River Styx to do everything you can to change me back, I’ll do whatever you want.”
    Than flew up and took one of her center heads in his