by Kate O'Hearn
“What?” Diana cried. “That is monstrous.”
“Wait,” Joel said, shaking his head, “this doesn’t make sense. If Saturn was your father, surely the weapon would have affected him and the other Titans as well. To use it against you would have been suicide.”
Jupiter shook his head. “No, my father was as clever as he was evil. He found a place to hide, free from the effects of the weapon. He and the other Titans fled there and left the Shadow Titans to distract us while they had volunteers prepare the weapon.”
“What happened?” Diana pressed. “Father, how did you defeat them?”
Jupiter dropped his head and his eyes closed.
“Father!” Diana cried, shaking his arm. “Father, wake up!”
Jupiter opened his eyes.
“How did you stop the weapon?” Diana repeated.
Jupiter paused, struggling to remember. Then he nodded. “The weapon, yes. Before it could be launched against us, Neptune, Pluto, and I struck first. We entered their camp, and before the weapon’s powers could destroy us, we secured it in a golden box created by Vulcan. We then embedded it in a sheet of rock and buried it deep in the ground. And there it has lain undisturbed for all this time.”
“Why didn’t you destroy it?” Emily asked.
Jupiter sighed. “We could not. It stripped us of our powers and was killing us as we drew near. We were fortunate to even survive the encounter. But then we were still very young and powerful.”
Diana sucked in her breath. “You faced the weapon directly?”
“We had no choice. But it aged us greatly in a very short time, and we lost many of our powers. However, we did manage to secure the weapon before it destroyed everything. After that, with the Titans still in hiding, we were finally able to defeat the Shadow Titans.”
Emily leaned closer. “It aged you? Is that why you and your brothers look older than everyone else?”
Jupiter nodded weakly. “It was the price we paid for winning the war.”
“So what has happened now, Father?” Apollo asked. “Why are we all aging?”
Jupiter sighed. “The box has been opened. I can feel it. Its deadly powers are seeping through the Solar Stream. Soon it will finish the job it was created for. It will destroy Olympus and kill everyone here.”
“No!” Joel cried. “No, we won’t let that happen. If the box has been opened, we will close it again! Maybe this time we can even destroy the weapon. Tell us, Jupiter. Where did you hide it? Where was it buried?”
Jupiter struggled to remain awake. “Where we fought and won many battles against the Titans,” he mumbled softly. “On Earth. We buried the box far from Olympus in a place where humans built a temple to my brother, Neptune—though they knew him as Poseidon. It is in a place you call Greece. . . .”
11
IT WAS LATE IN THE day. Emily stood beside Pegasus and clung to the stallion tightly.
“I just can’t believe he’s gone.” Emily’s words were so soft, they were barely audible. “Jupiter is really dead. After everything he faced from the CRU, it was the Titans who finally killed him.”
Pegasus pawed the floor, whining. Neptune was gravely ill and being tended by the aging Sirens and his merman son, Triton, at the bottom of the sea. He could not survive the journey to the surface, so Pegasus did not have the opportunity to say good-bye to his father.
Pluto, leader of the Underworld, had also passed earlier that day. With the oldest Olympians now dead, the younger ones were showing signs of rapid aging.
Emily and Pegasus were standing in the artifact chamber, watching the long line of grieving Olympians being evacuated to Xanadu. They hoped that the effects of the Titan weapon would be weaker there, as it was farther away from Earth.
“Please go now, Pegs,” Emily begged, holding the stallion tight. “I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can. I just want to make sure that those who can leave do.”
She looked into the stallion’s eyes and could see the effects of the weapon already taking hold. They weren’t as bright as before, and his wings drooped. The smooth hair of his mane and tail was growing coarse and brittle. Emily hadn’t told him, but she had already found several of his feathers on the ground.
Pegasus snorted and shook his head. He would not leave without her.
“Please,” she begged again, “staying here is killing you. You must go!”
But Pegasus refused to leave her side.
Joel was having the same problem with Paelen. His hair was turning gray and his back had developed a hunch. He was becoming hard of hearing, but he refused to leave Olympus without them.
“I told you to go!” Joel yelled at Paelen.
“No,” Paelen shot back, “and you do not need to shout at me!”
“Yes, I do!” Joel screamed. “It’s that or I pound my message into your thick skull! You can’t stay here. Now go through the Solar Stream before I throw you through it, you old goat!”
“Who are you calling a goat?” Paelen challenged.
“You!” Joel yelled. “Look at you; you’re a mess. And your sandals are losing their feathers. If you won’t go for yourself, go for them.”
Paelen looked down at his sandals. They were aging as fast as he was. Their little wings dragged along the floor and were now almost bald of feathers. Finally he and Chrysaor surrendered to Joel’s threats and agreed to go to Xanadu.
Emily gave Paelen a tight hug. She was shocked by how thin and frail he had become in such a short time.
“We’ll be right behind you,” she promised. “Dad and my aunt Maureen are already on the other side waiting for you. I’m sure Brue will be glad to see you again.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Paelen said sarcastically. “Now I really want to go back there, to get drooled on by that great hulking beast.”
“Stop being so grumpy,” Emily said. “You are lucky that Brue cares for you.”
“Why do I not feel lucky?” Paelen muttered.
“Because you’re an old goat!” Joel snapped at him. “Now go!”
“I should be here helping you,” Paelen complained. “I am not an old man, you know.”
“No, you’re not,” Emily agreed, “but Dad needs you on the other side. There are a lot of older Olympians who need help getting settled.”
“All right,” Paelen surrendered, “but do not be long or I will come back for you.”
“We won’t,” Emily promised. She was finding it impossible to watch her dear, sweet Paelen age by the minute. He was too young to be so old!
Emily stood back with Joel and Pegasus as Paelen and Chrysaor joined the line feeding through to the Solar Stream. Elderly Diana stood on one side of the portal, while Hercules was on the other. The hero of Olympus hadn’t escaped the ravages of the weapon. Even though he was half human, he was still aging rapidly.
“This can’t be happening.” Joel’s haunted eyes took in the room of aging Olympians. “Not after everything we’ve been through.”
“We’ve got to stop it, Joel. We can’t let that weapon kill everyone.”
“I know,” Joel agreed. “Just as soon as we get everyone to Xanadu, you and I will go to Greece and find it. We’ll destroy it before it kills everyone.”
As they stood watching the line feeding through the portal, Cupid approached slowly.
“Well?” Emily asked. “What did she say?”
Like Pegasus’s, Cupid’s wings drooped and the sheen had left the feathers. His hair was long and gray, and wrinkles now coursed along his once-beautiful face. He shook his head. “She refuses to leave Tom.”
Emily turned to Joel. “I asked Cupid to go to Alexis and tell her what’s happened, and that we’re evacuating Olympus.”
“You knew she wouldn’t leave him,” Joel said. “She’s devoted to him.”
“I know, but I had to try. Th
ank you for trying too, Cupid. I know it was a long flight for you.”
Cupid shrugged. “It was my last. I cannot fly anymore. My wings will not carry me.” He opened a wing to show many missing and tattered feathers. Even with her healing touch, Emily could not grow them back for him. “I am grounded, just like an ordinary human.”
Emily was glad Joel let the insult go. “Go to Xanadu, Cupid,” she said sadly. “You might be safe there.”
The winged Olympian nodded and joined the line to the portal.
Emily, Joel, and Pegasus were soon alone in the artifact chamber. Emily walked over to a window. The sky was clear and brilliantly blue, but no one was flying. Anyone with wings was now grounded by age.
Down on the ground, elderly Olympians shuffled along the beautiful cobbled streets. Around them trees lost their leaves and flowers wilted and turned black.
Olympus was dying.
“So many are refusing to leave,” Joel said sadly as he looked at the people and animals below.
“Olympus is their home. They can’t bear to leave it.” Emily looked at Pegasus. The stallion’s head hung low in grief.
“Come on, Pegs.” She kissed him on the muzzle. “You can’t stay here any longer.” She looked back to the window. “None of us can.”
12
IT WAS NIGHT IN THE jungle world when Emily, Joel, and Pegasus arrived on Xanadu. Small campfires burned as the survivors of Olympus settled down to rest. Emily saw her aunt moving between sleeping people. She was carrying a jug of water and looked exhausted. Since she’d started living on Olympus after the Area 51 incident, her aunt had spent most of her time locked in the libraries doing research. She always said it would take a disaster to pry her out of them. She had been right.
“Em!” her father called. He approached the archway. Diana was with him. Her once-beautiful dark hair was now coarse and peppered with gray. Yet despite her older age, she was still beautiful.
“Is that everyone?” Chiron asked, peering past Emily. His chestnut-colored hair was also graying, and his horse’s body was bent and crippled.
Emily nodded. She looked at the gathered Olympians and realized just how few had evacuated Olympus. “Not many came.”
Diana shook her head. “I am not surprised. We are all loyal to Olympus.” She dropped her head. “I chose to stay, but your father was stubborn and refused to allow me. He threatened to carry me if I did not promise to come.”
Emily put her arms around the tall, proud woman. “I’m glad, Diana. I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
Diana returned the hug and kissed the top of Emily’s head. “I am sorry, child, but you must still face that loss. The effects of the Titan weapon have taken time to get here, but they have now reached Xanadu. I am still aging. We all are.”
Joel’s eyes were locked on Paelen as their friend cared for an elderly giant. Each step he made was stiff as if he was in terrible pain. The Mother of the Jungle was walking carefully behind him, whining and doing what she could for him.
Chrysaor was beside Joel, trying to get his attention. The hair on his snout was gone, and his face was so wrinkled that it was impossible to see his eyes.
“I can’t stay here,” Joel said angrily. He bent down to the boar’s level and stroked his bare snout. “I can’t watch this happening to you.” He looked up at Emily. “We’ve got to go to Greece right now. We’ll find and destroy that stupid weapon once and for all.”
Emily had been thinking the same thing and nodded. “Diana, please tell us how to open the Solar Stream to Earth.”
Beside her, Pegasus nickered and pawed the ground. “No, Pegasus,” Diana said, “you cannot carry them to Earth. You are not strong enough.” She looked down at the boar. “Neither are you, Chrysaor.”
“Pegs, you can’t come back to Earth with us,” Emily said sadly. “That’s where the weapon is. It’ll kill you.” She stroked his face and pressed her forehead to him. “Please, you promised we’d always be together. Stay here and live. We won’t be long.”
On the other side of the clearing, Diana showed Emily and Joel how to use the two blue jewels that opened the Solar Stream.
“Father made three of these for emergencies, back when the Nirads first invaded Olympus.” Diana sighed sadly at the mention of her father. She handed one each to Emily and then Joel.
“I used the third jewel to go to Earth the first time we met in New York. Unfortunately, I lost mine at those wretched stables where we took the carriage for Pegasus. I have no doubt the foul, greedy owner found it and most likely had it made into a ring. When this is over, I must go back there to retrieve it and to rescue those poor horses. No animal should be forced to work like those unfortunates—New York City is no place for horses. . . .” Diana’s mind seemed to wander.
“How do they work?” asked Joel, drawing her back to the present.
Diana focused again. “You just hold it up and clearly state your destination. The Solar Stream will open, and you walk through.”
Emily looked down at the beautiful blue jewel and prayed it would lead them to the Titan weapon. It was now critical. Diana was fading away.
Beside her, Pegasus was looking worse. He no longer noticed the increasing bald patches on his wings or the trail of white feathers he was leaving behind.
Emily picked one up. “Do you see this feather, Pegs? I’m taking it with me. So you’ll be beside me the whole time. We’ll still be together.” She hugged the stallion tightly, not wanting to let him go. It tore at her heart to leave him behind.
As she said good-bye to her father, he held her close. “Be careful. . . . And, Em”—his voice dropped—“don’t be afraid to use your powers. You can’t let anyone stop you. Especially the CRU, if they are involved in any of this. Do what you must to destroy that weapon.”
Emily nodded as her eyes landed on Paelen. He was trying his best not to show the pain he was in. But all the bone-stretching and manipulation had taken a terrible toll on his aging body. He was suffering from painful arthritis as his misshapen joints swelled. It was only because Brue was standing behind him and supporting him with one of her large heads that he was able to stay upright.
“Come on, Em, we’ve got to go,” Joel said impatiently.
Emily looked at him and saw the genuine terror on his face. So often Joel tried to keep his emotions locked deep inside. But there was no hiding this. Olympus had become his home, and the Olympians his family. Joel was losing them, and it was tearing him apart.
Emily gave Pegasus a final kiss and Paelen a quick hug. “You’d better be here when we get back.”
“Where else would I be?” Paelen shouted irritably. “Las Vegas is gone.”
As everyone stood back, Emily held up the jewel. “Take us to Earth—Greece and the Temple of Poseidon!”
13
AFTER SIX DAYS ON SITE, the rain finally stopped. Despite their amazing discovery, the archaeologists had found nothing more than the large gold box and the silver dagger. Those items had already been taken to the Acropolis Museum in Athens for testing and dating.
Stella, her parents, and George had remained at Cape Sounio to keep looking for clues to explain how they had become embedded in the rock. But after days of digging and searching, they were still no further ahead.
As the sun set after yet another long, fruitless day, they returned to their tents. For the better part of the afternoon, her mother had been trying to call her colleagues at the museum without success.
“I don’t understand it; Stavros is still not answering his phone.” Stella’s mother closed her phone. “Neither is Anya. I keep getting the same message at the department’s switchboard saying I should call back later.”
Stella’s father was busy typing his notes on his laptop. “They’re probably being inundated with calls from the press, asking about the treasure chest. Look how the reporters are still at
the bottom of the hill waiting to see what else we find. I checked this morning; there are even more down there. I’m sure Stavros and the others have turned off their phones so they can work.”
“Perhaps,” Stella’s mother said as she started to prepare their dinner.
Stella waited until after the meal for the best moment to talk to her parents. “Can we please go home now? You’re both needed at the museum, and there isn’t anything else to find here. All the good stuff has been taken to Athens.”
“Don’t be so impatient,” her father said. “You can’t race archaeology. There’s always more to investigate. Besides, you don’t have to be back at school until Monday. You’ll be staying here with us until then. After that, we can all go back to Athens together.”
“Monday?” Stella cried. “But that won’t give me any vacation at all!”
“This find could be the biggest of our careers. Who knows what else we might discover.”
“But what about me?”
“Enough, Stella,” her mother said tiredly. “When you’re older, you can go where you want, when you want. Until then you’ll do as your father and I say. We will go back to Athens on Sunday.”
Stella gave up. She knew there was no point arguing. There was nothing more she could say or do to change her parents’ minds. Once they got started on something, they didn’t stop.
She left their tent and tried to calm down. It was far too early to go to bed, but there was little else to do here. Beside her parents’ tent, George’s tent glowed with light. He usually stayed up late, writing down notes and doing research. She considered speaking to him, but talking to George was like talking to her parents. All he ever thought about was finding things from the past.
“One day,” Stella muttered angrily as she turned on her flashlight and wheeled her way up the hill toward the Temple of Poseidon. “One day I’ll be old enough to do what I want, and you won’t be able to stop me! I’ll go so far away from here and these stupid digs you’ll never see me again. Then you’ll be sorry you forced me to stay.”
