My clothes were still sopping wet and now sprinkled with dust and broken grass blades, but I barely noticed in my haste to get to the edge of the lake and clean off the dirty Leafstone. I didn’t know where to put the moly in case I needed it later - who could be sure? - so I stuck it behind my ear again, and it clung to my hair with a deceptively strong curl of its dainty leaves.
The plan had been for Ares to run in a straight line in the direction of Circe’s tree, the King, and for me to regroup with him once I had Circe’s stone. And from my vantage point in the clearing, I could easily see the towering tip of the monolith in the distance, partially covered by a veil of wispy clouds.
I had no idea how far it was and how long it would take me to reach it, but feeling the warm, smooth gem
