by A P Mobley
The Cyclops’s bottom lip quivered. “Yes, Son of Zeus.”
Karter gave the Cyclops one last stern look, then swooped toward the brawl below. Kali must have come to Prometheus’s aid, because the two of them zigzagged between the feet of the remaining Cyclopes. Kali stabbed them in the toes and ankles with her spear, while Prometheus used his chains to whip them in the legs. Both sent the monsters hopping and howling. Diana and Darko fought against Layla and Xander, arrows and blasts of light whizzing through the air. Andy battled Violet and the centaurs tirelessly.
Karter flew toward Violet, but before he could land next to her, he launched his ruby-red lightning bolts at Diana and Darko. The force sent them stumbling to the forest floor. Layla and Xander ran forward and secured Diana’s and Darko’s hands behind their backs.
“No,” Zoey cried, squirming in the Cyclops’s hand. “Diana! Darko!”
Karter conjured two more red bolts and turned toward Kali and Prometheus.
“Kali, Prometheus, look out!” Zoey yelled, but they didn’t seem to hear. Karter threw the attacks and knocked Kali and Prometheus to the ground. Before they could stand, two Cyclopes plucked them up as the one holding Zoey had.
Zoey looked to Violet and the centaur astynomia. The centaurs grabbed Andy by the shoulders—No, not him! Zoey thought—and Karter conjured a final red bolt and chucked it at the boy. The bolt blasted Andy’s sword from his grasp, knocking it into the dirt, and the centaurs bound Andy’s wrists behind his back.
Zoey slapped and kicked her captor as best as she could, but to no avail. This can’t be the end of it, she thought. Not when we were so close.
A faint crackling sound tickled Zoey’s ears, and her eyes fluttered open. Tiny balls of orange fire appeared in four corners of the clearing. Zoey furrowed her brow as the balls grew taller and wider and more rectangular, until they’d morphed into walls of flame standing as high as the trees, separated by twenty-foot gaps where no fire burned. For a moment the walls remained in their respective corners, not spreading into the forest or the clearing or growing any bigger. Everyone paused and stared at the walls in confusion. What was going on? Where could they be coming from?
Suddenly the fiery walls roared, curving inward, then raged into the clearing like waves crashing toward a beach. The demigods and centaurs shrieked, releasing their prisoners and dashing for the closest gap between the fires. Everyone else followed suit, the ground tremoring from the Cyclopes’ lumbering strides. Karter and the demigod trio’s pegasi leapt into the sky.
The Cyclops holding Kali reached a gap first, but just as he was about to pass through it and into the trees, his head reared back so hard Zoey thought she heard his neck crack. He tumbled back-first toward the ground, Violet and Layla racing out of his way, then crushed a centaur under the weight of his massive body. For a moment his fingers went slack, and Kali rolled out of his hand and onto the ground.
The creature keeping Zoey captive jumped over his fallen companion, keeping her secure in his hand. Her stomach reeled. Midair, he rammed into an invisible barrier, then fell backward as well. Zoey screamed. It felt as though she were barreling down the tallest track of a roller coaster, her only seat belt the Cyclops’s grimy fingers.
The monster landed with a loud thud on top of his companion. Upon impact, his grip on Zoey loosened a bit, and she scrambled from his grasp and tumbled to the forest floor.
“Where is that fire coming from?” Violet screeched, her beautiful face twisted with fury. “Who is doing this?”
As if in response to the Daughter of Aphrodite, the fiery walls charging the party stopped, then crept back toward where they’d come from and finally disappeared altogether, leaving the air hot, dry, and smoke-filled. Karter and the demigods’ three pegasi descended into the clearing.
“I’m waiting,” Violet said. “Stop your tricks and fight us face-to-face.”
Like a spark leaping from a pile of ash, a familiar woman with shoulder-length black hair burst from the darkness before them, her palms blazing with orange flames. She ran to face the fallen, disoriented Cyclopes. They turned their heads toward her, blinking in disbelief as if the realization of who she was hit them.
Zoey gasped. “Marina?”
Marina brought her fiery hands behind her head and launched her attacks straight for the Cyclopes’ eyes. The flames set their corneas ablaze. They writhed and screamed, clawing their faces, an acrid stench filling the air. After a few moments Marina waved her hands and the flames died. However, the damage was already done. The Cyclopes whimpered, tears streaming down their faces, the whites of their eyes now smoking and scarlet.
Marina crossed her arms. “If you interfere with the Daughter of Apollo and the Chosen Two of the Prophecy again, I’ll ruin more than your sight.”
The Cyclopes nodded hurriedly, and the Granddaughter of Hephaestus ran to Zoey’s side, panting—probably from the effort she’d just exerted to help save the group. Zoey wasn’t sure how quickly grandchildren of the gods drained their energy when using their powers, but she guessed it was probably quicker than for demigods considering they had far less divine blood running through their veins.
Troy appeared from the forest and hurried to them as well. A large hammer and a bundle of rope hung from his belt.
“But how— What’s going on?” Zoey asked.
Troy grinned. “When Zeus recruited some of the Cyclopes in our forges to help take you guys to Olympus, we knew we had to help you escape, so we tracked the submarines. Did you like our trick with the fire and the ropes in the trees?” Zoey smiled and nodded.
The rest of the group—other than Prometheus, as one of the uninjured Cyclopes still had him in hand—rushed to Zoey’s side. Kali clutched a spear and handed Zoey the Helm of Darkness; once she pulled it over her head, she drew her dagger. Andy had his sword in hand. Diana made spheres of light, and Darko nocked an arrow.
Karter conjured two golden lightning bolts while Layla, Xander, and the remaining centaur readied their weapons. The last two Cyclopes stood behind them like guards.
Violet put up her hands as though in surrender and walked forward. Her hips swayed with every step. “Why don’t we take some time to talk about this instead of mindlessly killing each other?” she said, batting her lashes, her opalescent irises flashing even in the dark. “I for one would prefer not to die today.”
Andy glared at Violet. “Don’t look the Daughter of Aphrodite in the eyes. If you don’t already have feelings for someone else, she’ll make you fall in love with her and turn you against us.” Troy and Marina turned their gazes away from Violet altogether.
The Daughter of Aphrodite scowled at Andy. “Fine, then. We’ll fight.” Violet backed away until she stood close to Karter. She caressed his shoulder—at this, Zoey inhaled sharply—and flashed him a flirtatious smile. He looked at the demigod, his eyes full of confusion.
“I don’t like them one bit,” Violet said. “I know we’re supposed to keep them alive for the execution, but could you at least give them some bruises? Maybe a few black eyes? For me?”
Before Karter could reply, the Cyclops with his hands free took booming footsteps over the demigods toward the group, and the centaur clopped alongside him.
Marina rushed toward the Cyclops and centaur and began throwing balls of fire at the creatures. Troy ran past her, toward the demigods, and started clobbering Xander and Layla with his hammer, dodging Karter’s lightning bolts and Violet’s darts.
At the same time, Prometheus swung his chains at the face of the Cyclops holding him captive. The links slapped the Cyclops in his eye, and the monster bellowed so loudly the trees shook, dropping Prometheus and fumbling backward. The Titan rolled as he landed, then gained his footing and joined Troy and Marina in battle.
Andy brandished his sword as if ready to help as well, then cried out and fell back, dropping his blade and falling to his knees.
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br /> “Andy!” Darko cried. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m—fine,” Andy said, grunting. “Just—just get my sword.” Darko nodded, snatching up the boy’s blade, then sheathed it for him.
Zoey kneeled at Andy’s side and rested her hand on his back, but recoiled quickly—warm, sticky blood had seeped through the fabric of the boy’s clothes. His “wings” looked as if they’d grown several inches. They now poked out of his shirt.
“Andy . . . the wings,” Zoey whispered. “They’re bigger than before.”
Diana stepped in front of Zoey and Andy, spheres of light ready in her hands. “I have to help Troy and Marina fight so Prometheus can break out the pegasi. The rest of you . . . start running. I’ll send Prometheus after you.”
Kali grabbed Diana’s wrist. “I won’t let you hold them off by yourself.”
“I won’t be by myself,” Diana said. “I’ll have Troy and Marina. Besides, Zoey and Andy will need Darko and you more than ever if I can’t escape.”
“Please,” Kali replied, holding tight to Diana.
Diana looked over her shoulder and offered Kali a small smile. “I’ll catch up with you when I’m done here, all right?”
Kali hesitated, staring hard at Diana. Finally, Kali took a deep breath, then leaned down, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against Diana’s. The demigod froze for a moment, her spheres of light disintegrating, but soon she softened her shoulders and closed her eyes as well, leaning into the kiss.
A short time passed, and Kali let go of Diana’s wrist and pulled away. “Finish up with the monster-and-demigod-slaying so we can do that again, okay, Princess?”
“O-okay,” Diana stammered.
Zoey took off the Helm, handed it to Darko, and hurried forward to give Diana a quick hug. “Please be careful.”
“Of course,” Diana replied, then turned around and sprinted into the battle before them.
Kali rushed to Andy’s other side and took his hand. “Are you okay? Do you need help walking?”
He shook his head. “I’m good. Maybe just to stand?” Kali pulled him to his feet. He stumbled forward, but she caught him before he could fall.
“Let me help,” Zoey said. She wrapped her hand around Andy’s waist and laid his arm over her shoulder. Kali did the same on his other side.
“Do you think Diana will be okay?” Darko asked.
Zoey swallowed hard and forced a smile. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen now. “Of course. She’ll be fine. You heard her yourself. She’ll catch up with us later. Now c’mon, we need to get out of here.”
“Lead the way, Darko,” Kali said.
Darko clopped into the trees, the Helm and a bow in hand, a quiver with only a couple of arrows left in it slung over his back. Zoey, Andy, and Kali hobbled along as fast as they could. The conflict raged on behind them.
*~*~*~
Karter jumped into the sky and flew over the battle, toward the trees he’d seen Zoey, Andy, the satyr, and the tall dark-haired girl escape into. Karter didn’t know what they were planning, but while his companions overtook the rest of their enemies, he would stop them.
Once he spotted them below, limping through the forest, he swooped down.
Before Karter even landed, the satyr caught sight of him. The satyr aimed an arrow for Karter and loosed it, but Karter dodged the attack with ease. The satyr shot another arrow. Karter darted to the side. The arrow missed him by inches.
The satyr reached into his quiver to pull out another arrow, but none remained. Karter smirked and landed before them. He conjured a golden lightning bolt.
The tall dark-haired girl lunged for Karter, a dagger in hand. He leapt up and kicked her arm. The blade went flying, but she snatched his ankle and yanked him to the forest floor. He landed on his back with a hard thud, his bolt disintegrating, and suddenly the girl was straddling him, sending punch after punch to his jaw. Rage etched harsh lines into her face.
The punches caused hardly any pain—in fact, Karter would have bet it was hurting the girl far more than him—but he still wanted her off. He focused on conjuring his child-of-Zeus strength, then grabbed her wrists, stopping the blows. He released her and thrust his legs upward. The girl went flying. She landed back-first onto the forest floor several feet away.
Karter sprang to his feet to see Zoey as she slipped the Helm of Darkness over her head. She disappeared, but he concentrated on the ground, watching the grass and dirt shift under her weight as she charged at him. In seconds she was upon him. He snarled, grappling with her until he was able to pull the Helm of Darkness off her head.
The Helm’s metal stung as though hundreds of needles were pricking his flesh, and as soon as he had the item out of Zoey’s reach, he threw it aside—he couldn’t risk the magical item sucking away his life force any more than it may have already in the short time he’d touched it. It clattered to the ground.
Zoey snarled and raised one of the satyr’s loosed arrows above her head, but Karter knocked it aside easily. He grasped Zoey’s shoulders and held her in place. She struggled against him, but she was no match for his child-of-Zeus strength.
Andy lay unconscious far ahead. What was wrong with the boy, Karter didn’t know. Had he been wounded during the fight? It doesn’t matter, Karter thought. No need to worry for him.
“Why are you doing this?” Zoey cried. “You could have helped us.”
“I’ll do as my father commands me,” Karter said. “What destiny has planned for me.”
“Why would you help a person who murdered millions of innocent people for power? Who killed one of your best friends right in front of you? Who mutilated your face?”
Karter paused, locking eyes with Zoey. Her gaze seemed to plead with him, as if begging him to do the right thing.
But what was the right thing to do, really? Sure, Karter’s father and the rest of the gods murdered millions of people—but only because the gods had been fading away from lack of worship from those “innocent” mortals who, Karter could argue, were no more innocent than the gods themselves. Mortals lied, cheated, and murdered too.
The gods existed long before humans ever did, and they controlled everything: the lands, the skies, the seas. Why should the lives of mortals matter more than the lives of gods? Regular mortals and demigods alike were only specks of dust in the grand scheme of the universe, swept away in the blink of an eye. However, the gods, despite their character flaws, were divine beings able to grant and destroy life with a snap of their fingers. They would last longer than all the stars in the sky so long as they received worship.
Yes, sometimes the gods made questionable decisions. Sometimes they were petty and dishonest and cruel. Karter had been the victim of their abuse more than once. But who was Zoey to question their will? Who was he to do the same? They were not eternal, and neither of them were capable of understanding the universe in the same way the gods did. Besides, if Karter was to be made a god . . .
Well, why would he allow his frail human emotions to control him, when his destiny had always been to become so much more?
The neighs of pegasi sounded above them. Karter looked up. Prometheus, manacles and all, sat on the back of one of the three pegasi Karter and his companions had imprisoned, descending from the night sky toward them. The other two followed suit.
Karter’s stomach fell. If Prometheus had been able to free those creatures and escape the other demigods, Diana wouldn’t be far behind. Zeus had only mentioned seeing Karter executing Diana in his vision and was sure Diana’s death would end this war before it ever truly began.
Karter couldn’t go back to Olympus—he couldn’t fulfill his destiny of becoming an immortal god—if Diana escaped.
Prometheus landed the pegasus and started for Karter. However, instead of fighting, Karter let go of Zoey and jumped into the sky, beginning the flight back to his companions. If
he went back to them now and allowed Zoey and Andy to go free, but kept Diana in custody, everything would work out the way it was meant to.
At least, Karter hoped it would.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WINGS
Andy wasn’t sure how he’d arrived in the garden.
He’d been following Darko through thick forest, the pain in his back so bad Zoey and Kali had to hold him up to walk. He’d closed his eyes for just a moment, the agony unbearable, and when he’d opened them again, his surroundings had completely changed. His pain faded.
The garden he was in now looked identical to the one from his visions in Aphrodite City, when he’d touched the statue of Anteros and saw Anteros and Calliope under a gazebo in a garden. There were cypress trees, bushes of flowers, marble fountains, golden paths. Planets and stars gazed down at him, lingering so closely he felt perhaps he could reach up and touch them.
From behind, a woman’s voice said, “Greetings, Chosen One.”
Andy swung around. A pretty woman who looked to be around thirty stood before him. She was pale, with curly red hair, her silver irises glittering. Twinkling stars dotted her black dress.
“Who are you, and how do you know who I am?” Andy asked. “What’s going on? Where am I?”
“I thought you’d be taller, like him, but I suppose you have similar mannerisms,” the woman said, almost absentmindedly, then gestured at their surroundings. “Do you not remember this place? You have visited it before.”
“I was thinking it looked like the one from a vision I’ve had.”
“The garden you saw then is the one you stand in now.”
Andy raised a brow. “You know about that? About what I saw?”
