Pegasus and the Fight for Olympus

by Kate O'Hearn

Once again, there was movement. Paelen recalled what Mercury had told him when he’d given him the sandals to keep. He said they didn’t belong to him, but with him. Suddenly that comment made sense. Their initial devotion to the Messenger of Olympus, and now to him, was because the sandals were alive. They were responding to his voice. Buried beneath the debris, they were trying to get back to him.

  ‘Where are you, sandals?’ he softly called.

  Not far ahead a deep pile of rubble shifted. The sound of stirring and movement set Paelen’s heart pounding. What if the soldiers outside heard it? He climbed over to the area as quickly and quietly as he could. His nerves were stretched to the limit. ‘Sandals, where are you?’ he softly called again.

  The movement was right in front of him. A large chunk of burned roof was covering the area. As Paelen caught hold of the edge, he hoisted it in the air. He peered beneath and, with a sigh of profound relief, saw his two sandals amongst the ashes.

  Quickly retrieving them, Paelen lowered the roof and made his way back to the side of the tent. He stretched his body and slid under the edge. His clothing was still waiting for him.

  But so were the soldiers.

  As he returned to his normal shape and rose, bright lights blazed to life and shone painfully in his eyes.

  Two armed soldiers rushed at him. ‘Freeze or we’ll open fire!’

  Paelen barely had time to think before a soldier’s rough hands caught hold of his arms and hauled him forward.

  ‘Drop the shoes!’ another voice ordered.

  ‘They are sandals,’ Paelen corrected. ‘And if you want them, you shall have to take them from me.’

  As more soldiers came forward, they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Cupid dived down from the sky. His arms were filled with large stones and he started to hurl them at the unsuspecting soldiers.

  After a first pass, Cupid swooped away, turned in the sky and came at them for a second assault, throwing more stones at the unsuspecting soldiers. They had been prepared for a ground attack, but hadn’t been warned about enraged winged teenagers coming from above.

  As the soldiers scattered and tried to raise their weapons, Cupid landed and charged at them fighting with all the Olympian strength he possessed. Paelen took the opportunity and wrenched his arms free of the man closest to him. He tackled him to the ground. With one punch, the soldier was unconscious.

  Not thinking, just reacting, Paelen lifted another soldier in the air and threw him across the parking area and into the trees. The Olympians were in the fight of their lives and knew everything was at stake. They couldn’t get caught. With Cupid fighting beside him, not one soldier had time to fire his weapon. Before long, they were all down on the ground.

  ‘Grab your clothing and the sandals,’ Cupid ordered. ‘We must go before others arrive.’

  Paelen followed Cupid back into the trees. Pausing only long enough to dress, he was grateful to feel the winged sandals back where they belonged, on his feet.

  ‘We must fly,’ Cupid called as he collected his own clothing. ‘We still need to make that phone call.’

  Cupid was first in the air. Paelen ordered the sandals to follow and thrilled as their tiny wings lifted him easily into the sky.

  Within minutes of their escape, they heard the sounds of sirens rising from below. Flashing lights of police cruisers, military trucks and CRU vehicles shone on the roads as they raced to the Red Apple. Both Olympians knew it had been a close call.

  Paelen flew closer to Cupid. ‘They must have raised the alarm. We cannot go into the town to make the call. We should try the place where Joel and I bought food. They are always open. Perhaps we can find a telephone there.’

  Cupid agreed and let Paelen lead the way. He ordered his sandals to take him to the superstore. They were both grateful to see it was on the far end of town, well away from the Red Apple and all the gathering soldiers.

  They landed a short distance away and walked back to the superstore. Paelen jumped when the sliding doors at the large entrance whooshed open at his approach. He still didn’t understand how they knew he was there. Perhaps a small nymph controlled them?

  ‘Come along,’ Cupid said irritably. ‘We do not have time to play. We must find the telephone and get back to the cabin.’

  ‘Who is playing?’ Paelen asked as he nervously stepped through the mysterious doors, still convinced they would snap shut on him at any moment.

  Inside, Paelen was once again struck by the sights, sounds and smells of the brightly lit superstore. There was so much sugar here. But there were also a lot more people than when he and Joel had shopped. That made him nervous.

  ‘Cupid, can you smell that?’ Paelen asked softly as his stomach started to gurgle.

  Cupid nodded. ‘We will make the call first and then we must eat. I have been too long without ambrosia and I am feeling weak.’

  The two Olympians stood at the entrance of the superstore, wondering what a telephone looked like and how they found it.

  Finally Cupid moved. He approached an attractive young woman carrying several bags of shopping and smiled radiantly at her. Paelen watched him working his magic. The winged Olympian didn’t turn on his power, he didn’t need to. Just his smile alone was enough to turn the woman’s cheeks bright red.

  ‘Can you help us, please?’ he said in his most charming voice. ‘We need to make a call and I cannot find a telephone.’

  The woman’s cheeks reddened further. She reached into her pocket and produced her cell phone. ‘You could always use mine if you like.’

  Cupid took the small device and looked at Paelen quizzically. When Paelen shrugged, he looked back at the woman. ‘Would you mind showing me how to use this?’

  ‘Not at all,’ she said. ‘What’s the number?’

  Cupid handed her the piece of paper with the doctor’s telephone number. The woman dialled the number and held the device to her ear.

  After a moment she shook her head. ‘It’s going straight to voicemail. Do you want to leave a message?’

  ‘Does that mean you cannot reach the doctor?’ Cupid asked.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘Do you want me to leave a message? I could give them my number and we could wait together for them to call?’ There was no mistaking the offer in her soft voice. Paelen was once again struck by Cupid’s power over women.

  Cupid smiled. ‘No, thank you. Perhaps when I next visit and we have more time.’

  The disappointment on her face was obvious as she reluctantly put her cell back in her pocket and drifted away.

  When she was gone, the smile dropped from Cupid’s face. ‘No doctor. We shall have to manage on our own.’ Cupid sniffed the air again. ‘Come, Paelen, this place is filled with food and I am starving. It is time we ate.’

  Paelen and Cupid went back to the entrance and collected shopping baskets. Each step they took, Cupid fidgeted. ‘I really hate this. My feathers are poking into the back of my legs.’

  ‘It will not be long,’ Paelen promised. ‘We will just get what we need and go.’

  Following their noses, the two Olympians carried their shopping baskets deeper into the store. They walked down an aisle filled with chocolates, chocolate bars and cookies.

  As they filled their baskets, Paelen became aware of several children drifting away from their parents to follow Cupid. The winged Olympian looked back at the small but growing group and tried to shoo them away, but the children refused to go. Further down the aisle, a boy of no more than four broke away from his mother and ran straight at Cupid. He hugged him around the legs and wouldn’t release him.

  Paelen laughed at the mortified expression on Cupid’s face as he struggled to disentangle himself from the affectionate child. ‘Go back to your mother, little human,’ he cried. But the more he tried to push him away, the louder the child protested and refused to release him.

  Paelen pulled the little boy off Cupid just as his mother arrived. The woman’s face was red with embarrassment as she apologized for he
r son’s odd behaviour.

  ‘Madam,’ Cupid scolded, ‘will you please keep hold of your child.’

  As she dragged her screaming son away, Cupid looked back at the group of other children pressing closer. ‘All of you go back to your parents. I have nothing for you.’

  But they refused to leave. Paelen tore open a bag of mini chocolate bars and handed them out to the children. ‘Go now, young ones – your parents will be looking for you. Go on, Cupid and I need to eat.’

  The children accepted the treats but wouldn’t move. They followed at a distance, waving and calling to Cupid.

  ‘There is only one thing I hate more than humans,’ Cupid complained as he tore open a bag of chocolate-chip cookies and started to eat. ‘That is young humans.’

  ‘You do not,’ Paelen argued as he stuffed his mouth full of chocolates. ‘If you did, you would have struck that little boy.’

  Cupid regarded him with a dark expression. ‘I did not wish to draw undue attention to ourselves. That is all.’

  ‘Of course,’ Paelen said as he chuckled. ‘I believe you. No one else would, but I do.’

  The two continued to eat as they made their way down the long aisle of sweets. They were still being followed by the parade of children. Halfway down the next aisle, they were met by store security.

  ‘You’re gonna pay for all of that,’ a guard confronted them angrily. ‘And for the chocolate you just gave to those kids back there.’

  Paelen’s mouth was full of food, but he nodded his head. ‘We have money,’ he mumbled. ‘We intend to pay for everything.’

  ‘Then eat when you get home,’ the guard said sharply. ‘We don’t allow grazing while you’re shopping.’

  That comment caused the wings on Cupid’s back to flutter with annoyance. He stood erect and his pale eyes flashed. ‘Animals graze,’ he corrected. ‘We are eating. There is a difference.’

  ‘Not to me, there isn’t,’ answered the guard. ‘Now bring your baskets and follow me – it’s time you checked out.’

  Paelen started to follow, but Cupid refused. ‘We are not finished here yet. We will leave when we are ready. Not a moment sooner. And neither you nor any other human can command us otherwise.’

  ‘Listen, kid,’ the guard said as he pressed closer. He poked Cupid in the shoulder with a bony finger. ‘You’ll leave when I tell you to. And I’m telling you to go right now.’

  In a move too quick to follow, Cupid struck the guard with a punch that knocked him to the floor. The children screamed and ran forward. They jumped on the guard and pinned him down, ordering him to leave Cupid alone.

  As the guard curled in a tight ball, Cupid looked down on him and started shouting. ‘I have had it with you humans telling me what to do! I told you, we will leave here when we have finished and not a moment sooner!’ He picked up his basket of shopping and continued casually down the aisle as though nothing had happened.

  ‘We should go,’ Paelen said looking at the group of children piling on the guard. Around them, other shoppers stared in shock. ‘People are starting to stare at us.’

  ‘Let them,’ Cupid spat as he tore open a second bag of cookies. ‘I have not had a decent meal since we left Olympus. I am half starved, my wings are driving me mad and I am in no mood to deal with humans, big or small!’

  Paelen looked around at the gathering crowds. Suddenly something Emily said rose to his mind. ‘Cupid, do you remember what Emily said? Agent O told her that since he moved up here, his only pleasure was coming to the Haunted Forest Festival.’

  ‘So what?’ Cupid said, spraying Paelen with cookie crumbs as he reached for more food.

  ‘So that means he lives in this small town. It also means he would have to buy food. This is the only place to do that in the area. What if other CRU agents and their families shop here?’

  Cupid stopped and looked back at the crowds gathering around the guard. Finally he shook his head. ‘They are far too busy with the destruction of their facility and the Red Apple to come here. I am sure we are perfectly safe.’

  Cupid barely finished the comment when they spotted two men standing at the end of the aisle. They were dressed in jeans and winter coats, but they had weapons drawn and pointed right at them. Their stance and facial expressions were immediately recognizable.

  ‘Freeze!’ the CRU agents called.

  ‘Perhaps you were right,’ Cupid muttered.

  ‘I wish I was wrong,’ Paelen said as he looked behind them and saw several armed soldiers moving into position at the other end of the aisle. Their weapons were raised, regardless of the children hovering near Cupid.

  ‘Drop your baskets!’ the lead agent ordered. ‘Do it now, nice and slow!’

  ‘There are children here,’ Paelen warned. ‘Please put down your weapons and let them leave before they are hurt!’

  ‘We give the orders here: now both of you get down on the floor.’

  ‘You are making a grave mistake, human,’ Cupid warned. He slowly backed up towards the group of frightened children. As he moved, he pulled off his coat, tore open his shirt and freed his wings. He opened them protectively around the children, gathering them close to him. ‘It would serve you well to let them leave here right now. I will not be as amiable if one of these children were hurt because of you.’

  Paelen moved beside Cupid, further blocking the children from the soldier’s weapons. He could hear the shocked cries and muttered remarks of the adult shoppers around them. They all seemed to think Cupid was some kind of winged angel.

  ‘No one is going anywhere, Cupid,’ called an all too familiar voice. Agent O moved to the front of the aisle. His legs were still bandaged from Emily’s burns and he remained on crutches. His eyes landed on Paelen. ‘Paelen, did you really believe we wouldn’t be watching this place? We know all about your need for sugar. I’m surprised it took you so long to get here. You are surrounded and won’t get away from me this time. Now, where are Emily and Pegasus?’

  ‘Well beyond your reach,’ Paelen spat as his anger grew. ‘You will not take us, Agent O. Not again.’

  Some of the children began to cry. They huddled fearfully together behind the protection of Cupid’s spread wings. ‘Let these young ones leave here before I lose my temper,’ Cupid warned. ‘They are not part of this and should not bear witness to what is to come.’

  ‘You care so much about human children?’ Agent O challenged.

  ‘Obviously more than you do,’ Paelen shot. ‘Tell me, would you really shoot at us with these children here? Are you so desperate to catch us that you would sacrifice them?’

  Paelen saw hesitation on Agent O’s face. There were gathering crowds of people watching. Agent O may be single-minded and obsessed with their capture, but he wasn’t a fool. He motioned to the soldiers to lower their weapons.

  ‘All right,’ Agent O said. ‘Let the children go first.’

  Paelen glanced back and saw the soldiers blocking the end of the aisle, following the order. He looked down on the children and pointed to the soldiers. ‘Go that way, children. Go find your parents.’

  The children hesitated and looked up to Cupid with tear-filled eyes. ‘It is all right, little ones, you are safe,’ he said kindly as he stroked a little girl’s head. Cupid looked to the other adults in the aisle. ‘Please take them to safety. Help them find their parents.’

  As the other shoppers in the aisle approached to collect the children, Cupid shot a warning glance at Agent O. ‘You will let them all leave here unharmed. This fight is between us. They have nothing to do with it.’

  With a store full of witnesses, Agent O nodded reluctantly. Finally he ordered the soldiers to direct the public out of the store. While the children left the aisle, Cupid whispered, ‘When they are gone, we must move. If we get separated, you know where to go.’

  ‘Good luck,’ Paelen said as the last child was escorted out of the aisle.

  ‘Luck has nothing to do with it!’ Cupid shouted, as in one swift move he droppe
d his basket and charged towards the agents.

  18

  Cupid charged down the aisle. His wing-tips caught the edges of the shelves and knocked food on to the floor as he ran. The gathered crowds behind the agents screamed when they saw the enraged Olympian storming straight at them.

  Behind him, Paelen heard the soldiers preparing to fire. He turned and hurled his basket at the men.

  ‘Sandals, take me up!’

  Once airborne, Paelen ordered the sandals to take him forward. He skimmed the food on the top shelf and watched it rain down on the shocked soldiers.

  Flying over the tops of the shelves and into the next aisle, Paelen found stacks and stacks of tinned food. He snatched up a handful and threw it at the soldiers. Gunfire rang out behind him and Paelen felt a sharp stinging in his back. He turned to see two CRU agents firing their weapons at him. Their bullets did little damage, but they did hurt.

  Screaming in rage, Paelen flew full speed at the agents and knocked them both into a tall display of tinned baked beans, casting cans everywhere. Paelen ordered the sandals to take him higher in the air. His wild eyes searched for Cupid. He heard shooting to his right and saw Cupid going down. As the winged Olympian tried to rise, he was knocked over and pinned to the ground as countless soldiers piled on top.

  Paelen reacted immediately. He collected several more tins of baked beans and ordered the sandals to get him to Cupid. Paelen threw the tins with the same deadly accuracy he’d used on the target at the clown dunk-tank at the Haunted Forest Festival. Unable to defend themselves against the barrage of tinned baked beans, the soldiers released their prisoner and covered their heads. Cupid was on his feet in seconds and back into the fight.

  Out of beans, Paelen reached for other bottles or tins to throw. Soon more soldiers ran along the aisle towards him with their weapons raised. Paelen screamed in fury and used his Olympian strength to shove the entire length of display shelves over, burying the men in all manner of items.

  As he moved to get back to Cupid, Paelen heard gunfire and felt another sharp sting hit him in the side of his head. He turned and saw Agent O firing his weapon. The agent wasn’t trying to capture him. He was trying to kill him!