The Games Gods Play

As she thinks on Hades’s last words, Lyra is transported into a water-filled cave. The water ebbs, and she realizes she and the other champions are each tied to a post. Poseidon arrives and welcomes them to Fingal’s Cave in Scotland. He explains that though the Labor is not timed, they will face a “bigger” issue as time passes. He leaves as Lyra thinks the water rises.

Neve, Ares’s champion, corrects Lyra’s assumption: The tide is receding. Lyra sees Dex, Athena’s champion, using the water to flip around and climb his post to free himself and copies him. She tells the others to follow suit, then takes hold of her axe and uses it to free herself from her ropes. She tells the others she’ll free them, but Neve advises the others not to listen to her. Lyra swims and frees those who accept her help. By the time she reaches Isabel, Poseidon’s champion, the tide is receding too quickly. She offers her wire cutters so that they can free the others more efficiently. When Lyra frees Dex, however, he steals her axe.