by Kate O'Hearn
After a few more hits with the flame-sword, Cylus cut the Shadow Titan down into pieces of empty armor.
“Whoa, that was awesome!” Jake shouted as he raced forward and helped Astraea to her feet. “Are you okay? You guys are proper ninjas!”
“Thanks . . . I think,” Astraea said. She looked at Cylus. “Thank you for saving my life.”
Cylus shuffled on his hooves. “Now we’re even after you saved me at school.”
“What is going on here?” Jupiter demanded. He, Pluto, Juno, and several other weakened Titans arrived and stared in confusion at the gathering of night dwellers. Then their eyes went wide at the sight of the fallen attackers.
Astraea’s father approached one of the sets of armor and gazed at the spreading pools on the floor. “Shadow Titans? How is this possible?”
“No, Dad,” Astraea said. “They’re Mimics wearing Shadow Titan armor—except for that empty one. I don’t know what that is.” She looked back at Tryn. “They’ve learned that we have a weapon against them and are wearing the armor to protect themselves.”
Pluto lifted the empty Shadow Titan helmet. “This is no Mimic. It is a genuine Shadow Titan,” he uttered with an ashen face. “They have resurrected the Shadow Titans and have discovered how to control them.”
“That is impossible!” Jupiter cried. “We ended them!”
“Apparently not,” Pluto said. “Look for yourself.”
Jupiter received the dark green armor head, and his jaw dropped. “This is real—I would know it anywhere. But how?”
“Wait,” Cylus cried. “Are you saying that I fought a real Shadow Titan?”
Jupiter looked at everyone and slowly nodded. “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”
“I think I’m going to pass out.” Cylus leaned into his mother.
“Shadow Titans and Mimics working together?” Tryn said. “We’re going to have to adapt how we fight.”
“Astraea!” Aurora cried. “Where have you been?”
Astraea looked guiltily at her mother. “Please don’t be angry. We had to do it.”
“Do what?” Jupiter said. He was still holding the helmet. “Child, what have you done? How did these things get here?”
Astraea walked over to a night dweller and asked for a jug. She carried it back to her mother. “We went back to Titus to get nectar for you.”
“I forbade you to go!” Jupiter cried.
Tryn faced Jupiter. “Technically speaking, you said we couldn’t go back for ambrosia. You never said anything about nectar.”
39
EVERYONE GATHERED TOGETHER IN THE center of the large, dead manufacturing plant and listened to the away team as they explained what had happened.
“They know you’re no longer in Tartarus,” Tryn said, “and they’re looking for you.”
Astraea nodded. “They’re probably looking for us too. It was a trap in the orchard, like they were waiting for us. They wanted to know where we’ve moved you.”
Jupiter shook his head. “It was reckless and dangerous for you to go back there. It could have been a disaster, especially if they are using Shadow Titans to fight for them.” His eyes landed on Tryn. “That ring you wear is the only way off this world for us in our weakened condition. You might have lost it, and we would have been trapped here.”
Tryn dropped his head. “I’m sorry, Jupiter, but it was a risk we had to take. You are all so weak. Without nectar, you will grow even weaker. We had no choice.”
“Do not think that we are ungrateful,” Jupiter said, “but the risk was still too great. I forbid you to go back there for any reason until we are ready to take on the Mimics and their fighters.”
Aurora had her arm around Astraea. “After everything those things did to us, I cannot bear the thought of them hurting you.”
“I understand, but it turned out all right,” Astraea said. “And you have the nectar you need to get strong again.”
“For now,” Jupiter said. “But it will not last indefinitely.”
“Then we had better think of some way to take our world back soon,” Vulcan said. He was holding on to the helmet of one of the Shadow Titans. “Especially now, if they have an army of Shadow Titans and are wearing the armor themselves.”
Jake raised his hand. “Excuse me, but I think you should know. It was one of those things that took me from my home in LA. And it’s what took Nesso from her world.”
Jupiter paused and rubbed his bearded chin. “How is this possible? The Shadow Titans were from our past, and most recently from underground here on Earth. But we destroyed them all. A Mimic could not have known about them.”
“Perhaps they have seen them in our memories,” Juno suggested.
“Yes,” Cylus’s mother agreed. “I was in the first war. My memories—and nightmares—are filled with them.”
“All right, they might have seen them in our memories. But how did they re-create them?”
Tryn was standing beside Astraea, listening intently. When the conversation slowed, he started to speak. “I am sorry, but I think I know another reason they knew about the Shadow Titans and maybe even where to get the armor.”
Aurora turned to him. “How?”
Tryn looked over at Jake. “Jake and I were under Arcadia Two when we saw them take you and Astraios through the Solar Stream. The Mimics were speaking their own language, but then there was one among them who was different. I am sure he was a Titan.”
Gasps filled the air.
“What?” Astraios said. “I don’t remember that.”
Astraea looked at her parents. “Dad, do you or Mom remember anything of your capture?”
Aurora and Astraios looked at each other and shrugged. “Actually, now that you mention it, no,” Aurora said. She looked at the other prisoners. “Does anyone remember their capture?”
“I just remember waking up in Tartarus,” Pluto said softly.
“As do I,” Jupiter agreed.
“I recall nothing,” Themis said. “The last thing I do remember is being in my office at Arcadia.”
Every other prisoner nodded.
“They somehow blocked your memories,” Tryn said. “But there was a Titan beneath Arcadia talking to the Mimics, and he sounded really bitter.”
Jupiter turned sharply to him. “Do you realize what you are saying?”
Tryn nodded. “Yes. I am saying that Titus has a traitor.”
A heavy silence filled the plant as the Titans and Olympians quietly consumed a cup of nectar each. The remaining nectar was stored safely away and would be rationed to ensure that it lasted as long as possible.
As their energy slowly returned, everyone set to work clearing away refuse and rubble from the area. Then scrap metal was brought in and piled in a single area for Vulcan to go through. He was working with Astraea’s father and Render’s mother, figuring out what each machine was and its function.
When Astraea, Zephyr, Tryn, and Jake offered to help, Jupiter took them aside. “I know you are anxious to contribute,” he said. “And you have, more than you know. But for now, I must ask you to take it easy and rest. I am working on a plan for you, and you will need every ounce of strength you possess.” Jupiter then instructed the centaurs to keep practicing their bow and sword work.
“And . . . ,” Zephyr said as Jupiter walked away. She looked at Astraea. “Why didn’t he tell us the plan? What are we supposed to do now?”
“I guess we just wait.”
Zephyr whinnied in frustration. “You know I hate waiting!”
“Me too, but what choice have we got?”
Jake reached into his backpack and pulled out his skateboard. After putting it down on the smooth concrete floor, he started to ride it through the area.
Tryn jogged beside him, and when Jake finished, he handed the board to Tryn. “Give it a try. The floor here is great.”
They took turns going through the mostly empty main floor of the building, skirting around the big machines, under the broke
n-down conveyer belt, and around the forge where Vulcan was working. Several times they nearly struck working Titans and dodged out of the way of Olympians with the sound of angry shouts following behind them.
While Tryn was taking another turn, Jake approached Astraea. His face was glowing with excitement. “You really should let me teach you. Boarding always makes me feel better.” His smile broadened, and he petted the snake around his neck. “Nesso loves it too!”
“It’sss very exccciting,” Nesso agreed. “I love boarding.”
Astraea shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t think anything could make me feel better right now.”
“Hey, your mom and dad are safe and getting stronger. What’s all this about?”
Astraea was leaning against Zephyr. “What are we supposed to do now? The Mimics are using Shadow Titans, and now they know that we know about them. If they don’t have Jupiter to make duplicates of, what are they going to do? Are they going to start attacking everyone?”
“And what about the traitor?” Zephyr added. “If someone has betrayed us, who is it?”
“Yes, that too,” Astraea agreed.
Jake looked at Zephyr. “What did she say?”
Zephyr snorted, “Don’t tell him this time, and let’s see if he can figure it out.”
Astraea shook her head. “She was wondering about the traitor.”
“You really aren’t any fun anymore, Astraea,” Zephyr complained.
Jake shook his head also. “Yeah, I mean, what kind of person would betray his own people?”
“A very angry one,” Vulcan said. He approached, holding on to Jake’s skateboard. Tryn was standing behind him and shrugged apologetically, as if to say that Vulcan had taken it from him without permission.
“This is yours?” Vulcan said, peering closely at the polished skateboard.
“Yes, sir,” Jake said. “My dad gave it to me. It’s my favorite thing in the world.” He leaned over his board and pointed to a signature. “Look, it’s signed by my boarding hero. My dad had it enameled after that to protect the autograph.”
Vulcan nodded but looked like he hadn’t understood a word Jake had said. “Do you mind if I borrow it for a while?”
Jake looked from Astraea to Tryn. Finally he said, “Um, sure, I guess.”
Vulcan mumbled a few words and walked up to Jake. He caught hold of a couple of strands of his blond hair and plucked them out.
“Ouch!” Jake cried. “What did you do that for?”
“Need them . . . ,” Vulcan muttered as he walked away with the skateboard.
Tryn shrugged. “He did the same thing to me but wouldn’t tell me why.”
Jake rubbed his scalp. “He’s not gonna keep it, is he? I love that board.”
Astraea didn’t know what to tell him. Vulcan had a way of borrowing things and forgetting to return them. Worse still, her mother once said that Vulcan had borrowed a piece of jewelry from her, then took it all apart because he needed the jewel inside it. “I’m—I’m sure he’ll return it.”
“Yeah,” Zephyr laughed. “But not in your lifetime!”
Jake looked at Zephyr and shrugged.
“She says he will give it back,” Astraea lied.
“I did not!” Zephyr snorted angrily. “Astraea, you are impossible!”
Astraea laughed and hugged Zephyr’s white neck. “And you are the best!” She looked at Jake and Tryn. “Since they don’t need us to help, why don’t we finish looking around? I haven’t been upstairs yet.”
“Me neither,” Tryn agreed.
“Stairs, how wonderful,” Zephyr complained as she followed behind them.
The stairs were deeper than they expected, and Zephyr was able to follow them up. Walking onto the second level, they noticed that this floor did have glass windows—most were cracked or broken, but at least they weren’t boarded up like on the main floor. They let in the light and revealed that it was approaching sunset.
Like downstairs, there was more abandoned equipment. Several Titans were working with Olympians, looking at the strange machines. They gave Astraea and her friends only a passing glance.
They walked up to a broken window and peered outside. The weather was gray and moody as a soft drizzly rain wet the pavement. Directly across from them was another derelict building. It, too, had all its windows broken and the main floor boarded up. The two buildings shared a common driveway that was overgrown with grass and weeds, but also had a load of old tires dumped in the middle of it. There were burned patches on the ground, showing signs of a possible bonfire.
Astraea stared in wonder at the abandoned area. “I have never seen anything like this before.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty depressing,” Jake said. “But in my grandfather’s time, this place was one of the busiest areas in the country.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out his cell phone. He tried to turn it on, but it was still dead. “I wish the power was on. I could charge this and call home.”
Beyond the abandoned buildings, they saw other buildings. “What are those?” Astraea asked.
Jake looked out the window and then back at her quizzically. “They’re houses. That’s where people live. From what I can see, that area doesn’t look abandoned. If you look farther ahead there, you can see they’re actually building more homes.”
Tryn’s eyes were wide with excitement. “So this is Earth.”
“I wouldn’t judge all of Earth by what you see here,” Jake said. “This is an industrial area that died when the industry left. . . .” He paused and looked around. “But by the looks of things, they’re getting better. Look, we’re not too far from downtown, and it looks busy. Hey, maybe I can find a phone there and call my mom. I need to let her know I’m okay and to find out if Molly is home.”
“What’s a phone?” Zephyr asked. When Astraea repeated the question, Jake held up his cell phone.
“This is a cell phone. When it’s charged, I can use this to call anyone I want, or send texts or do almost anything. So if you were on the other side of the city or even the world, I could use it to call you and speak with you. But it needs electricity to be charged, and there isn’t any here.”
Astraea took the phone from Jake and looked at it curiously. “You can do all that with this little thing?”
“Sure. There’s a camera, too, so I can take pictures.”
“It’s wonderful,” Astraea said. “I wish we had these on Titus.”
“I’m surprised you don’t. We’ve had phones forever.” Jake leaned out of the broken window. “I think I can see a bar down the road. I’m sure they must have a phone in there that I could use.”
“Oh, great. I’m coming too,” Astraea said.
Jake looked horrified. “You can’t! Astraea, you have wings. If anyone saw them, they’d take you away.”
“Stupid wings,” Astraea moped. “I can’t fly with them, and I can’t go out, either. What good are they?”
“Besides,” Jake continued, “you’re not dressed like a human. I still have my clothes in my bag from when I was taken.” He looked down at his tunic. “There is no way I’m going out in this dress.”
Tryn looked at Jake. “You’re not wearing a dress—it’s a tunic.” Then to Astraea he said, “At least you can hide your wings with a coat or something. I have this silver skin that’s going to be a nightmare to hide.”
Zephyr whinnied to Astraea, “I don’t know what you’re making such a fuss about. This is Earth, and it’s filled with idiot humans who can’t tell what I am. To them, I’m just a flying horse. Why would you want to see more of it or them?”
“What did she say?” Jake asked.
“She doesn’t understand why I’m making a fuss,” Astraea said. “She said Earth is filled with humans who would only call her a flying horse.”
“Idiot humans!” Zephyr whinnied. “Why won’t you ever tell him what I actually say?”
Jake blushed and smiled at Zephyr. “You won’t ever let me forget that I called you a hors
e, will you?”
Zephyr snorted, “Not if I can help it!”
Astraea smiled. “She says not to worry about it.”
“Astraea!” Zephyr cried.
40
JAKE PICKED UP HIS BACKPACK and slung it over his shoulder. He was wearing the clothes he had worn when the others first found him in the orchard. “I won’t be long. I’ll just call my mom and come right back. I’ll save the sightseeing for another time.”
“Just be careful,” Astraea said. She reached out and stroked Nesso. “You’re carrying precious cargo.” She leaned closer and spoke to the snake. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here with us?”
“Thank you, but I belong with Jake,” Nesso hissed.
Jake smiled. “She says thank you, but she wants to stay with me.”
Astraea nodded. “Then don’t you let anything happen to her. She bit the Mimics for you. If anyone goes for her, you bite them.”
“Me bite someone?” Jake laughed. “Yeah, right, like that’s gonna happen! But don’t worry, I’ll keep her safe.”
Jake felt strange leaving the others behind as he exited the building and closed the doors behind him. He hadn’t known them very long at all, but already he felt they were the closest friends he’d ever had.
Tryn had lent him his lockpick set to get out of the gate, but no matter how much Jake worked on the old lock, it wouldn’t open. Giving up, he found he was thin enough to slip through the opening between the two gates.
Jake stood on the street and gazed around. Suddenly the area looked strange and uninviting compared to what he’d seen on Titus. The sky was gray and moody and the streets were wet, dirty, and filled with potholes and weeds growing through the asphalt. Around him the derelict buildings looked eerie and threatening, with their broken windows and graffiti tagging on the boards sealing them closed.
Granted, he’d spent the last few years in LA, but they had come back to Detroit for visits. He couldn’t remember it ever looking so desolate before. Had his time on Titus changed him so much?
