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The Forge SHORT STORIES
Spring 2021
a visit to olympus By: Joseph Mauceri
“Holy crap!” was the first thing Pollux thought when he happened across the man. He was just behind one of the wide skyroot trees. If Pollux hadn’t ran off on his own, he never would’ve found him. He was laying on the ground, taking quick, sharp breaths with immense difficulty. It was clear he was suffocating. “Crap!” Pollux shouted in his head again, crouching down next to the man. He’d never actually seen someone suffocating before. Come to think of it, he’d only heard about it from his father. “Focus on the problem at hand.” He moved to attempt to help him, but then he realized he had no idea what to do. His hands hovered over the man’s body as he just stood there, confused and unsure of himself. That’s when he had a brilliant idea. He took out a small, clear pearl from his pocket, and shoved it down the man’s throat. “Swallow, swallow,” Pollux encouraged. With great difficulty, the man swallowed, and the small sphere went down his throat. The results were almost immediate. The man’s sputtering ceased, and he started to breathe normally. He sat up, coughing a little as he became accustomed to the air. “Thank you,” he said, finally able to gather his surroundings. Now that the man was safe,
Pollux finally took this opportunity to take in his features. His skin was grey, though it appeared darker since he was covered in soot. He was dressed from head to toe in black rags with a few pieces of armor on his wrists, chest, and knees. A black sword was laid down by his side, which the man picked up as he steadily got to his feet. Pollux couldn’t put his finger on it, but he seemed oddly familiar. “You okay?” Pollux asked, getting to his feet with him. “I’m fine now,” the man answered. He looked around, wearing a look of complete amazement. He turned around and around, his eyes darting around the area, absorbing all the information. “Where am I?” “What do you mean?” Pollux responded. “You’re in Olympus. *** Castor couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There was some sort of blue ceiling to the cave he was in. It was so much brighter than what he was used to, his eyes were having trouble adjusting. His rapid-blinking was a mix between his utter bewilderment and his nocturnal eyes being able to absorb all the light. Not to mention, all the lava was gone. Instead, all the islands seemed to stay
