Swimming was not something Emma enjoyed.

But what could she do? Nothing was the answer. And she wanted out of this demented place, badly.

On the bright side, Emma saw the water as clear. Remarkably clear. Obviously, the influence of humans and industrial pollution had not yet reached this pristine place. But this place was also the home of a god, so it was not that remarkable.

Emma swam for a long time. For someone who could not swim well, she could hold her breath for a long time. But even so, she had to surface for air now and again whenever she saw pockets of partially solid water; that was the one blessing of this place, Emma mused, because due to the constantly shifting nature of when and where water became ‘solid,’ there was pockets of air trapped between those sudden ontological shifts.

After what had to be a full hour or swimming — an hour that exhausted Emma to her core — she emerged into a place with smooth, marble-like walls and flooring.

If this isn’t a palace, then I don’t know what is, Emma said to herself.

Walking along the hallways, every step she took made an echo. This was unlike walking outside, where each step Emma felt as though her foot sank just a touch into the ground, and that it would give way at any moment.

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“Good, you’re alive,” Demeter said, her voice having re-emerged from wherever she had gone. “Continue straight along this path, then take a right, and stay true.”

Emma knew some nautical terminology, so she knew that remaining ‘true’ meant continuing north. Or so she thought. Demeter’s words, though, were straightforward. She knew what to do — walk straight.

Emma did as she was told, but as she did so, she noticed something odd about the building. It remained in place.

Unlike outside, where the everlasting shifting of the waters made land temporary and meddled with one’s perception of space, here, everything was fixed. Emma could look back and see where she had come. Whatever material this building was made from, it was not water. A shocking revelation, maybe, but with everything topsy-turvy, nothing would surprise Emma more than a building made from actually solid material.

Coming to a room filled with strange machines and stranger creatures, Emma slowed. How would she engage with these creatures?

“Wait for them to move. Just be patient, press those buttons, and then pull a lever. Child’s play,” Demeter said.

Emma, again, did as she was instructed. But goodness, as she did so, the creatures she was waiting out were gross indeed. Strange insectoid beasts with otherwise humanoid shapes. Watching them and their mandibles chitter about creeped Emma out.

“Good, now get onto the lift — that circle,” Demeter instructed.

Emma saw a vague outline that looked circle-ish. She stepped onto it and waited. Soon, a bubble formed around her. Then the bubble thickened. And another bubble formed around the first bubble. That second bubble thickened before a third bubble encased the second. And so on.

Losing track of the bubbles, Demeter spoke to Emma, saying, “This will take you down to the palace. Once there, prepare yourself, because you will be in for a fight.”

Emma heart beat rapidly. But she welcomed it. It meant soon she would be home.