by Kate O'Hearn
When they heard Astraea gasp, the nursery attendants looked up and started to scream and charge forward.
There was no time to think, only react. Astraea fired her slingshot at the approaching Mimics. Her pebble shot through the first two before getting lodged in the third. Moments later, they started to melt.
Tryn also fired at the charging Mimics and brought more down.
Without weapons of his own, all Pegasus could do was dart away from the tendrils that the Mimics shot at him.
Astraea wasn’t sure how many rocks she fired, but just as quickly as it had started, the fight ended, and all the adult Mimics were rendered into puddles that melted into the goo on the nursery floor.
“We have to move quickly,” Tryn said. “They have a form of silent communication; others may come with Shadow Titans.”
Tryn looked back at Astraea. “Stay here; we don’t know what that stuff is. It might be just as deadly as melted Mimics. I’ll go search the room for Emily.” He commanded his skateboard to find her.
As Tryn rose above the maggots and started to cross the room, Pegasus stood back with Zephyr and Astraea, pacing impatiently. His tail swished and his ears were pricked forward. “Hurry!”
When Tryn neared the back of the chamber, he stopped. He was looking down and shaking. A moment later, he flew back. His face was gray.
“What is it?” Pegasus demanded. “Emily is there; I can feel her.”
“Yes, she is,” Tryn said. “But there are two extra-large baby Mimics lying across her. If I reach for her, I might touch one and pass out.”
“We cannot leave my Emily there,” Pegasus cried. “We must get her! I will try.”
“Pegasus, stop,” Astraea said. “I’ll go on Tryn’s board with him.”
“Astraea, you can’t!” Zephyr cried. “You’re not immune to those things. If you fall in, it could kill you.”
“I know, but if Tryn holds on to me, and I lift Emily away from the Mimics, even if I pass out, Tryn should be able to carry the both of us back here.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Zephyr protested.
“We’re not leaving Emily there,” Astraea said. She looked at Pegasus. “Emily is still alive, right?”
“Yes,” Pegasus moaned. “She is alive and in such pain.”
“Then I’m going!” Astraea looked at Tryn. “Let’s go.”
Tryn hesitated for a moment but then nodded. “All right. Get on my board and kneel at the back. I’ll take us over there and see if we can find a clear way to grab Emily. I’ll hold on to you; you won’t fall. But keep your feet up and don’t let them drop.”
Astraea followed Tryn’s instructions and knelt at the back of his skateboard.
“Be careful,” Zephyr warned.
“We will,” Astraea promised.
When Tryn commanded his skateboard to move, Astraea looked at all the baby Mimics. There was nothing cute about them. They were like horrible insects. Their heads were still tucked into their bodies, with only eyes and mewing mouths showing. There were only the tiniest traces of hands and feet starting to develop from the torso.
Worst of all was the smell. Astraea had to fight back the bile that rose, bitter, in her mouth. Looking over the moving mass beneath her, this was a sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
“We’re almost there,” Tryn warned.
Astraea nodded. “Take us down close.”
The mewing sounds from the floor and the writhing in the goo was sickening. But even that wasn’t as bad as the sight that came next. Two large, swollen pink-and-gray Mimic maggots were lying across Emily and holding her down. Emily’s hair was matted with slime as she lay in the mess.
“Are they eating her?” Tryn asked.
Astraea could see their mouths. “No, they’re not. They’re just touching her. Probably draining all her life force like the Mimics do when they touch us. But why are these two so big?”
Tryn groaned. “I don’t know. They’re so different from the others. Arious said there was a spawning coming. These might be the next generation of queens that will spread across the universe.”
“Didn’t Arious say that the queen would use a Xan to spawn?”
“Arious only speculated,” Tryn said. “Remember, no one knows exactly how they spawn.”
Astraea rose higher on the skateboard and looked around. “I can’t see Riza in here.”
Tryn joined her in looking around. “I don’t think she’s here.”
Astraea looked back at Emily. “We have to stop them. I’m going to use my dagger to kill them.”
“No, don’t,” Tryn warned. “If they melt, it will go all over Emily. We don’t know how much more dangerous dead baby Mimics can be. We have to get her out without killing them.”
Astraea looked at him for a moment and wondered if that was really his concern. Or was it his peaceful nature that couldn’t bear the thought of hurting any other living being? She turned back to the two babies, searching for the best way to reach Emily. “All right, I won’t kill them. Circle around the area. I need to get a better look.”
Tryn moved the skateboard in a circle. “Stop!” Astraea called. “Look, I can see Emily’s hand. It’s raised and not lying in the goo. If you can get me closer, I can reach for it.”
Tryn hovered lower. “Be careful,” he said nervously. “Those things are moving.”
Astraea looked at the two babies and gasped. “Tryn, they don’t have eyes. They’re blind. But all the others have eyes. They’re so different, they must be queens.”
“Being blind doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous,” Tryn warned.
Astraea balanced more firmly on her section of the board. She wrapped one arm around Tryn’s steady leg and started to reach down beside one of the mewing queens.
“Just a bit more,” Astraea coaxed. “I’ve almost got her.”
The board dipped lower. Astraea stretched out her hand and wrapped her fingers around Emily’s wrist. “Got her! Pull us up.”
Tryn ordered his board to rise slowly. Inch by inch, Emily’s arm rose.
The weight of the two Mimic queens was more than Astraea had expected, and she needed to strain to pull. Moment by moment, Emily was raised into a seated position. “That’s it, Emily,” Astraea said. “Just a bit more and we’ll be free of that second queen.”
Tryn reached down and caught hold of Emily’s hand above Astraea. They worked together to pry Emily away. But just as Emily was pulled free of the second queen, a thin tendril shot out of it and latched on to Astraea’s arm.
Astraea gasped as the sickening weakness started. But it was much worse than a normal Mimic touch. She felt a painful drawing, as though the Mimic were sucking the life force right out of her.
Unable to move, scream, or even breathe, Astraea’s world went black.
17
NOTHING MORE WAS SAID AGAINST melissa as the mass of escapees moved through the long night. The pace was brisk and confident as they headed deeper into the woods.
Jake stayed on Chiron’s back as they walked beside the ex-prisoners carrying the Fallen Queen. Occasionally Melissa would cry out, and Jake would reassure her that she was safe. At his gentle and kind words, Melissa would settle.
In the darkness, he still had no idea what she looked like, and by the shocked reactions around him, it had to be bad. But he didn’t care. Something had happened during their mind-link. It connected him, Nesso, and Melissa tightly together. To not help her would be as impossible as it would be to abandon a family member.
The long night dragged on and on. If the Titans and Olympians were growing tired, they gave no clue. They just kept moving. Finally Jake could see the tiniest hint of light.
“Nesso, is that dawn, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
“It isss dawn,” Nesso hissed. “We mussst find cover sssoon.”
“I’m sure they realize that,” Jake said.
“Realize what?” Chiron asked.
“Nesso said that we shou
ld find some cover soon.”
“Your little friend is correct,” Chiron said. “Two hunters know of a series of caves that we might hide in and defend. They found it ages ago when they were out checking the animal traps. They had the opportunity to escape, but their Olympian loyalty brought them back to us despite the chance at freedom.”
“Cool,” Jake said. He didn’t mention the story of Lergo living in a cave or concerns for what else could be in there.
The dawn was just as slow as always. Fatigue was setting in and Jake was getting sleepy, but he forced himself to stay awake.
“Are you getting tired?” Jake asked Chiron. “It’s almost light enough for me to see by. I can walk if it would help.”
“Thank you for your consideration,” Chiron said. “But you are safer where you are. I am very tired, but it has nothing to do with you. We have all been starved a long time. It will take more than a few meals for all of us to recover.”
“Just as long as I’m not too heavy for you.”
Chiron turned back to him, and in the rising light, Jake saw the warmth in the centaur’s eyes. He smiled. “You are not too heavy at all.”
They continued in a comfortable silence. Part of Jake wanted to look over at Melissa. But another part was frightened. Everyone was so shocked by her appearance. What if he was horrified?
Each minute, Jake fought the urge to look. But with the sunrise, the temptation became too great. He turned and got his first sight of her.
He gasped.
Melissa was one of the strangest-looking creatures he’d ever seen, even after all the Titans he’d met. At any other time in his life, he’d have been terrified of her. But somehow, he wasn’t. She was just—Melissa.
There was no denying that she was immense. She had to be at least twice the size of an elephant, with a huge bulbous head and a long, wide fleshy body. She did have two arms like Mimics, and two legs. But she was bright pink, with a big gray head.
Jake had almost expected her to look like a queen bee. But she didn’t. If anything, she looked more like a maggot with arms and legs. In the growing light, he could see the injuries she’d sustained during the fight with her sister. There were deep cuts across her body, and as Angie had said, one of her arms looked like it might fall off. Her face was covered in bites as well. He realized that during their link she really had shielded him from experiencing the horrific pain she was suffering.
When he looked back at her head, he also realized why he hadn’t seen anything in her memories. Melissa didn’t have any eyes—she was completely blind. He now understood why there had been so many Mimics around her before the fight; they’d had to lead her.
Looking down to her mouth, he saw how her sister could inflict such injuries. Melissa had a wide mouth that revealed rows of sharp teeth every time she winced in pain.
The Titans and Olympians were stooped over as they carried her on their backs, but it was difficult because she was soft, and if they moved wrong, their hands and arms would push into her body and she would whimper. Everyone was straining to keep her up.
When Jake had insisted the Titans help her, he’d had no idea what he was asking of the exhausted, starved prisoners. Seeing them struggle to move her, he felt guilty for asking. But not guilty for wanting to help her.
Melissa hadn’t whined or whimpered for some time. Her silence worried Jake. “Are you all right, Melissa?”
“It hurts, Jake. Please, make it stop,” she whimpered through her wide, gray mouth.
Jake wasn’t sure what hurt on the poor creature. All her wounds, or the way the Titans had to carry her. “We’re almost there; just hold on for a few more minutes.”
“All right,” she said softly.
If Jake closed his eyes, he heard the voice he recognized. But when he looked at her, he couldn’t imagine that small frightened voice coming from such an enormous, terrifying creature.
Gazing past Melissa, Jake also got his first clear look at all the prisoners that had escaped the cage. There had to be almost a hundred of them. Maybe more. Their clothes were in tatters and their faces gaunt and exhausted. But even now, after the long trek through the night, he could see fierce determination rising in their eyes.
Among the Titans and Olympians, Jake also spotted other beings. Several were like the figure from the statue, with three eyes and tall bodies. Their skin color was pale blue. Other beings, he simply couldn’t recognize. There was also a group of three tall, willowy beings that moved so gracefully, they almost glided. Their bald, downcast heads were pale and looked almost like pearls as they struggled to walk. Each one of the bald people had a Titan beside them, supporting them as they moved.
Jake was instantly reminded of some of the stories he’d studied in history class about forced marches, where people were half-dead but kept moving. This wasn’t a forced march, it was an escape, but the people looked just as bad as from the history books.
“Everyone looks so sick,” Jake said to Chiron.
“We will recover,” Chiron said. “In time.”
“Do you know everyone here?” Jake asked. When Chiron nodded, Jake continued. “Who are those three really tall people with the bald heads?”
Chiron sighed heavily and remained silent for some time. Finally he looked back at Jake. “Those are three Xan who were taken millennia ago. They survived but are shells of their former selves. Their powers are gone, and they have no memory of who they are or where they came from. I fear it will take more than Arious to heal them.”
“They’re Xan?” Jake cried. He looked back at the three. One raised its head as though it felt him looking. Their elliptical eyes were like pearls. Despite the filth, there was such beauty there that he actually choked.
“They are perhaps the most beautiful creatures in existence,” Chiron said. “It tears at me to see what the Mimics have done to such magnificent beings and what they might be doing to Riza and Emily.”
“Tryn says that Riza and Emily are really powerful. Maybe if we can free them, they can help these Xan.”
“I would hope so,” Chiron said. “But first we must save ourselves. Look.…” The centaur pointed forward. “I believe that is our destination.”
Jake looked past Chiron’s finger and through the trees; he saw two scouts in the distance, pointing at a tall mountain.
“We are near our sanctuary!” Chiron called to everyone behind them.
There were actual cheers of relief from the mass gathering. Jake looked back and saw the three Xan looking up. Their beauty brought tears to his eyes. “I—I don’t understand,” he said. “They’re just people, but I can hardly look at them because they are so beautiful.”
“You will get used to them. They will always be beautiful, but after a time you will see more of their inner beauty and not just what lies on the outside.”
Jake looked back at the Xan and nodded to them. When they nodded back, he caught his breath and wondered what a healthy, fully powered Xan looked like.
* * *
The mountain was farther away than it looked, and it took an age to get there. But just as the sun was high over their heads, they finally reached the base. Melissa was lowered to the ground, and everyone sat or lay down to rest.
Jake slid off Chiron’s back. “Thank you again, Chiron; I appreciate that.”
“It was my pleasure,” Chiron said. “After we have rested and had something to eat, we will start to go through the caves.”
While a container of ambrosia was opened and distributed among everyone, Jake looked for Angie. He found her with all the snakes. They were out of the ambrosia containers and scattered around on the ground. She was handing them pieces of ambrosia.
“How are they?”
“Fine,” Angie said. “I’m sure they’re glad to be out of those cramped containers.”
Nesso hissed. “They are. And they are ready to give more venom.”
“That is good news,” Jake said. “I’ll get one of the bottles and we can start.”
<
br /> As Jake went to collect the venom bottle, he saw Melissa lying down beneath a tree. She was all alone, and the people around her looked at her with a mix of fear and resentment.
“Hey, Melissa,” he said gently.
Her large, bulbous head turned at the sound. “Jake, where are we?”
“I don’t really know,” Jake said. “But it’s far from the Mimics. You’ll be safe here.”
“They don’t like me,” Melissa said sadly.
“They don’t know you yet. Give them time.”
“They don’t like me because of what the others have done to them. Do you like me?”
Jake approached the strange-looking Fallen Queen. He reached out and patted her good arm where it lay on the ground. “You know I do.”
“I like you and Nesso too,” Melissa said weakly. “You’re cool.”
“Thank you, Melissssa,” Nesso hissed.
“You’re welcome,” Melissa said.
Jake gasped. “Can you understand Nesso?”
“Uh-huh,” Melissa said. “Just like you. Jake, am I going to die?”
“Not if I can help it,” Jake said. “Stay here. I’ll get you some more ambrosia. That will help.”
Jake went to one of the containers and pulled out a large chunk of ambrosia cake. He took a bite and then handed a small piece up to Nesso.
“Sssome of the othersss were watching what you were doing with Melissssa. They ssstill do not like her.”
“I don’t care if they like her or not. Just as long as they leave her alone.”
“They will be essspecially angry if they sssee you giving her ambrosssia.”
Nesso was right. Some of the resting Titans and Olympians were watching him suspiciously. He sought out Diana in the large gathering. She was seated with two men. One looked very similar to her, and Jake realized it must be her twin, Apollo. But he didn’t recognize the other.
