by A P Mobley
Karter groaned, rubbing his eyes. Why had Asteria brought him to Hephaestus City? Had she struck a deal with the Blacksmith of the Gods himself to keep Karter concealed from Zeus? No, that couldn’t be—Hephaestus may have been abused by the gods in the past, but surely he was no traitor. He had no reason to be. After all, this entire city was named for the god, with over one hundred thousand followers living here.
Karter’s head throbbed with pain, his throat parched. Regardless of his discomfort, he had a feeling the people of the healing shrine had already done some work on him. The knife wounds he’d acquired didn’t sting and were bandaged, his skin no longer clammy and feverish. At least I’m not on the brink of death now, he thought.
A light knock sounded from the door, and it opened. A young girl stepped inside, a bucket in one hand. She was probably ten years younger than Karter and a foot shorter. She wore purple robes, her sweet face chubby, her skin a light brown. Her dark coils of hair bounced with each step she took.
She made her way to his bedside and set down the bucket, some water sloshing out of it and onto the floor. “Hello, sir,” she said in a straightforward, confident tone he hadn’t expected from such a small girl. “My name is Ivy, and I’ll be your primary caretaker for the duration of your time spent in the Hephaestus City Healing Shrine.”
“Hello, Ivy. I’m . . .” He paused for a moment. He couldn’t reveal his identity. These people would surely turn him in to Zeus the moment they discovered it.
“Erick,” Ivy finished for him. “When your employer dropped you off, she told us all about you.” Karter nodded slowly. Asteria must have pretended to be his employer and then created a fake identity for him. Was that all she’d done to disguise who he was, or had she altered his looks as well?
He reached up to the right side of his face, and his fingers brushed smooth flesh. It can’t be, Karter thought. My scar can’t be gone. That’s impossible.
“Don’t worry, Erick,” Ivy continued. “We’ll have you feeling better in no time.”
*~*~*~
When the smoke cleared, Andy found himself no longer in the strange, empty temple with the winged statue of a man.
He stood in a garden, one grander than he’d ever seen before. Cypress trees grew hundreds of feet tall here, bushes with colorful flowers at every corner, their potent scents filling his nose. There were marble fountains with water flowing into ponds, and shining paths that looked as though they were made of gold. A vast black galaxy full of colorful planets and glittering stars looked down upon the garden. They seemed to hover so close Andy felt as though he could reach up and pluck them from the sky.
Somehow, this place felt familiar, although Andy knew he’d never been here before.
Up ahead a woman giggled. Who was there?
Andy walked along a path toward the laughter. Within moments, he reached a marble gazebo hidden behind bushes and trees. Under the gazebo a man and woman stood together, holding hands and swaying back and forth as though dancing to a tune only they could hear.
As Andy stepped closer, he recognized the man: he looked just like the statue in the temple, feathered butterfly-shaped wings and all. The man’s dark hair was cut short, his features youthful. He wore white robes which reached his knees.
The woman appeared to be about the winged man’s age, maybe a little older—but if so, not by much. Her flowing turquoise dress reached the ground, her brown hair falling in curls all the way down her back.
Andy slipped behind a rosebush. He didn’t think these people would hurt him, but he felt as if he’d intruded on an intimate moment between them. The man stopped dancing and pulled the woman close, bringing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.
The man pulled away, though still embracing the woman. “I love you, Calliope.”
Andy’s cheeks grew hot and he glanced away, for a moment reminded of his feelings for Zoey. He still hadn’t told her how he felt, and he didn’t know how to. After all, he’d never been in love before. How was he supposed to know if that’s really what it was?
When he looked back at the man and woman, they were gone, the gazebo empty. The garden and everything in it began to disintegrate, breaking into tiny particles of matter, then coming together to form clouds of black smoke. The smoke engulfed Andy much like before, and he was transported to a new scene.
Andy stood in a dining hall now, one longer than a football field and taller than a four-story house. Candles and torches lined columns supporting the room’s ceiling, where carvings depicting what seemed to be the Greek gods and goddesses were featured.
Hundreds of people stood in the chamber—all tall, gorgeous, and decked out in silk robes and fine jewelry—their attention focused on one hugely muscular, bearded man who floated high above them, his white robes curling around him as though blowing in a breeze that wasn’t there.
Andy remembered the bearded man from the first vision Spencer had ever given Andy and Zoey. It was Zeus, King of the Gods.
“Fellow gods and goddesses,” Zeus boomed, and Andy realized, breath caught in his throat, that he must be seeing a vision of New Mount Olympus. “Today I gather you here to propose what is to be done about our—problems with humanity.” The deities exploded into fits of nervous whispers.
“Now, now,” Zeus continued. “I know it seems hopeless, my dear subjects. It seems as if humanity has forgotten us forever. It seems as if they will never again pray to us or give us beautiful sacrifices. I know many of you are frightened you will be the next god to fade away, never to be seen or heard from again, as am I. But I believe I have found a way to remedy this issue.”
A goddess near the front of the dining hall scoffed. “Oh, really? And what might that be?”
Zeus gave them a sinister smile. “We will show humanity our power and make them bow down once again. To remind them of who once ruled the world, we must destroy the one they have created. In the process, many will die, but they will know of our greatness again.” The crowd let out a collective gasp, and then everyone went silent.
Andy furrowed his brow, the realization hitting him. This must be a vision of the past, a vision of when the gods decided to destroy the modern world. But why was he seeing it now? He already knew what had happened. Diana and Spencer had explained it to him and Zoey.
“What will the other pantheons say? The Norse, the Egyptians, and the rest—will they not stop us?” a god in the crowd asked.
Zeus shook his head. “They will know nothing of it. I have seen many visions, a few of which revealed to me what we must do to rid ourselves of all other gods in order to execute this plan properly.”
A goddess near Andy marched through the crowd toward the front, and immediately Andy recognized her as the woman in the garden—Calliope. She must be a goddess, Andy thought. The winged man stood behind her, only a few feet away from Andy, a look of concern etched on his youthful features. And he must be a god. Just like I thought.
“All of you, listen to me,” Calliope shouted. “Destroying the world humanity has created will do nothing but anger them. They will not see us as great gods deserving of worship. They will see us as monsters, as demons. They will hate us, and it will only further lead us down a path of destruction.”
Zeus narrowed his eyes at her. “Insolent fool. You are not King of the Gods, are you? You do not see visions of the future, nor do you know what is best for this pantheon. How dare you speak out with such foolishness.”
Calliope balled her fists. “No, I am not King of the Gods. Nor do I see visions of the future. But I know humanity, and they do not need us anymore. As sad as that fact is, it is no reason to hurt them. It is the natural progression of the universe. Destroying what they have created, getting rid of the other pantheons—I cannot foresee these actions causing anything but total chaos and misery.”
The crowd broke out into hushed conversation.
“Zeus has clearly l
ost his mind—”
“I cannot see this working out in our favor—”
“Calliope is right, you know—”
“The other pantheons would surely overcome us if we tried such a thing—”
Zeus snarled and balled his fists, sparks of electricity crackling in his hands and snaking up his arms. “Silence!”
The dining hall went quiet, and then it began to disintegrate, much like the garden had before. Soon all the gods disappeared, transforming into black smoke and consuming Andy again. Once it cleared, a new scene unfolded before him.
The winged god from both of Andy’s visions wept at the foot of a marble statue inside a dark and empty temple, its cold air seeping into Andy’s skin. The statue stood tall and beautiful, and Andy immediately recognized it as the goddess Calliope.
The winged god climbed to his feet, his body trembling. He brushed one of the statue’s cheeks with the back of his hand. “My love, there must be a way to see you again. Even though you have faded away . . .”
Sobs escaped the god’s throat, and Andy’s eyes grew warm and watery. He almost let a tear or two slip himself. He knew how hard it was to lose a loved one. He’d lost his parents, his sister, his best friend Mark, and Spencer. If it weren’t for the people he had now—Kali, Diana, Darko, and Zoey—he wasn’t sure how he could go on, even if he didn’t know them as well as he had his loved ones from the Before Time. Yes, saving the world was his job, but he knew he couldn’t do it alone. No one could.
Andy waited for a long while as the god wept. Finally, the god wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, then looked to the statue of Calliope. “If there is a way to see you again, I will search the stars for it. Even if it takes a millennium . . . I will find it. I will see you again, my love. I promise.” Just as the god finished his pledge, the vision disintegrated, and again black smoke overcame Andy.
He expected the smoke to clear, to transport him into another vision. But instead, the smoke grew darker. Sharp pain unlike anything he’d experienced before electrocuted his shoulder blades. It felt as if blasts of ice and fire battled beneath his flesh. His head spun. He cried out, falling to his knees and slamming his eyes shut.
For what seemed like forever, the pain seared Andy’s back. He gritted his teeth; he pulled his hair. He writhed and screamed on the ground until finally the sensation faded.
He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor in the temple in Aphrodite City, his vision blurred as if he’d lost his glasses. Had they fallen off while he was out, or had someone come in and taken them?
He shot up, grimacing at the aches in his back. It was stiff and felt as if he’d worked his muscles until they’d torn open. But why were they sore? They had no reason to be, right? He shook his head. The pain didn’t matter right now. He needed to find his glasses, and fast.
He climbed to his feet and looked around, raising his brow as he noticed the frames in his peripheral vision. He threw his hands to his face, finding his glasses secure on his head.
Confused, he took them off, then glanced around the temple and gasped, unable to believe his eyes. His surroundings were perfectly crisp and clear: the temple’s golden interior, the blazing torches, the statue of the winged man staring down at him, bow and arrow in hand.
Andy dropped his glasses. They clattered against the floor. For as long as he could remember, his sight had been terrible. How could he suddenly have great vision? Even when Diana had healed him, she’d never been so powerful she’d fixed his eyes. What the hell was going on?
Andy’s gaze traveled from the face of the statue down to the plaque bolted to its stand. Dust still covered the writing; he hadn’t been able to wipe it away before being swept into those crazy visions. Now that he’d been released from them, could he clean it up?
Andy reached out with a shaking hand, afraid of what might happen if he touched the plaque again. I just need to find out who the statue depicts . . .
He wiped the muck away, the plaque’s metal smooth against his fingertips, and to his relief nothing happened.
Anteros
Son of Aphrodite and Ares
God of Requited Love
Avenger of the Unrequited
Andy shivered. Anteros. Why did that name sound familiar? What myth had he heard about this god from?
No, wait. Why was he suddenly so focused on stuff that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things? Who cared about this temple? Who cared about the statue, or who it was supposed to be?
What mattered was getting Prometheus out of Aphrodite City and freeing the Titan of his chains. What mattered was reaching Poseidon’s palace and stealing the Trident, all the while keeping the Helm safe. Coming here had wasted precious time and effort. Why had he been so compelled to do it? Why had his body practically forced him to?
He put his head in his hands. What he really needed to do was find Zoey, Prometheus, and Darko, and get back to Diana and Kali. What he needed to do was continue his quest to save humanity from the gods.
Andy stumbled toward the entrance of the temple, grimacing at the pain in his back. When he got outside, he looked to the sky, his stomach clenching.
The sun had almost set.
*~*~*~
Zoey’s heart hammered in her chest as she stood in the bakery with Prometheus and Jasmine. She’d wanted to chase after Andy when he’d left. She was worried about him and wanted an explanation, but she couldn’t leave Prometheus for fear she’d lose him in the city.
What’s going on with Andy? Where did he go? Is he okay?
Since he’d left, Prometheus and Jasmine had resumed their conversation. They’d discussed how after Prometheus had been re-imprisoned by the gods, Nylah, Jasmine’s great-great-grandmother, had been left to raise their son, Mozes, by herself. When the boy had turned ten years old, the gods had brought him to New Mount Olympus, leaving Nylah all alone in the bakery.
“My parents told me Mozes ended up having a fling with a girl named Jin here in Aphrodite City,” Jasmine said. “It was during one of his missions, but he had to end things because he could never marry her.”
Prometheus glanced at Zoey. “The gods discourage relationships between demigods and regular mortals. They’re scared of being betrayed, but they also know from personal experience how hard it is to control, uh, primal urges.” Zoey bit her lip, nodding. None of this surprised her, since it seemed most of the gods she’d heard about had at least one demigod child. She guessed there were dozens of demigods on New Mount Olympus, too.
“Right,” Jasmine continued. “But Jin had still become pregnant with Mozes’s child, and later gave birth to Grandpa Qasim. Jin ended up living with Nylah in the bakery, as Nylah was thrilled to have a grandson. Grandpa Qasim grew up in the bakery and went on to marry Grandma Esi, and they had two children, Aunt Amari and my mother, Sadarah. Mother said Amari died when she was sixteen, but Mother grew up and married my father, Zaheer. I’m their only child.
“But, you see, Father was put to death about a year ago.” Jasmine’s eyes filled with tears. “The aristocracy of Aphrodite City had raised the taxes to an even more ridiculous amount than before, which they’d done eight other times since I’d been born. What’s worse is they never even put the taxes toward the city. They just spend it on useless items for themselves. And, well, Father had had enough. He joined a protest group of other men and women like himself: hard-working business owners who were struggling to keep their homes afloat because of what the government kept doing to them.
“Our patron goddess, Aphrodite, didn’t seem to care about what was happening to all of us, and she allowed the aristocracy to put the protesters to death. Shortly after the . . .” She choked on a sob, and Prometheus rested a hand on her shoulder. “S-sorry. Shortly after the e-execution, Mother died. The caretakers in our healing shrine said the only explanation was death of a broken heart. She’d simply lost her will to live.
Since then, I’ve been all alone, caring for the bakery and doing the best I can to survive despite the fact the aristocracy has raised the taxes yet again.
“It’s getting to the point where I can hardly keep the business running.” She sighed. “I can’t even afford to hire any help. I’ve had to let go of every employee that worked here before, and now I do all the work on my own. My life has become nothing but this place and awful memories. Thankfully I still have loyal customers, so I don’t have to worry about that.”
Prometheus balled his fists. “Unbelievable. The gods can’t expect worship if they allow their officials to continue mistreating their citizens.”
“We hardly matter to our own patron goddess, let alone the whole pantheon itself,” Jasmine replied. “The sacrifices we’re required to make every month to Aphrodite and the rest of the gods don’t hold a candle to the ones our aristocracy makes daily for them. I mean, sure, if we disobey the gods it’s a huge deal, but other than that, they don’t seem to care much about us.”
Zoey thought for a moment, then joined in on their conversation. “Isn’t Aphrodite the goddess of love? I mean, if you ask me, it doesn’t sound very ‘loving’ that she just lets her government take advantage of the people in her city like that. I know you said she’s vain and conniving, but allowing her own citizens to be executed for a protest just sounds plain cruel.”
Prometheus sneered. “That awful Harpy embodies all of those things. Vain, conniving, and cruel.”
“Forget I said anything,” Jasmine said hurriedly, shaking her head. “Before Aphrodite—or someone else—hears us talking about this. Please. I don’t want to get in trouble. I don’t want to share the same fate as my parents.” Prometheus clamped his mouth shut, lowering his gaze.
