by PJ Hoover
“A puzzle box.” Aurora reached over to pick it up. “But I’ve never seen any this complicated.”
“What’s a puzzle box?” Heidi asked. “It just looks like a big wooden blob.”
Aurora turned it around and around in her hands. “Look at all the tiny pieces here,” she said pointing. “They each have to be moved in a specific sequence to open the box.”
“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Gary reached over to take the puzzle box from Aurora. “There’s always a logical solution to any puzzle.”
“Gary,” Aurora said, “this puzzle box has over one thousand pieces. Do you know how many different combinations there are?”
“Like infinity,” Heidi answered before Gary could open his mouth to reply. Apparently, like Benjamin, Heidi didn’t want to hear how many different combinations there were for opening the puzzle box either.
“I said by working it out in a logical way,” Gary replied. And then he ignored them and started on the puzzle box.
Benjamin realized that now with the puzzle box in front of them, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the whole secret admirer thing. Finally. If the price he had to pay for that was watching Gary solve the puzzle, then it was well worth it. At least that’s what he thought for the first hour.
“I thought you said this would be easy,” Benjamin said an hour later. If Gary couldn’t solve the puzzle, then why didn’t he just admit it?
Of course, if Gary couldn’t solve the puzzle, they were destined for failure.
Gary sighed and placed the puzzle down on the table. Every single piece which had been slid open locked back into place. Gary rolled his eyes and sighed again. “The basics of the puzzle are fairly simple.”
“So what’s the problem then?” Iva asked.
Gary mumbled. “Telekinesis.”
“What?” Andy asked.
“Telekinesis,” Gary said, just a decibel higher this time.
“Did you say telekinesis?” Andy asked.
Gary nodded.
“What does telekinesis have to do with solving the puzzle box?” Heidi asked. And then she must have read his mind. “Oh, I get it. Each piece needs to be held in place with telekinesis while the other ones are moved.”
“Right,” Gary said. “And I only seem to be able to hold about fifty of the pieces at a time.”
“So why didn’t you ask for help an hour ago?” Andy asked. “It’s not like we want to sit around here all day.”
Gary reddened but didn’t reply.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Aurora said. “Between the six of us, we can manage.” She slid the puzzle box back over to Gary. “Just tell us when and where to hold.”
Even with six telegens holding the pieces in place, it still took them close to two more hours until the thing finally opened.
“Whatcha got there?” Jack teleported onto the table next to the box.
Benjamin stared inside, hardly believing what he saw. “It looks like a whole lot of nothing.”
“It’s empty,” Iva said.
“You guys act like you’re surprised,” Jack said. “Is there supposed to be something in there?”
“I would’ve thought so,” Benjamin said.
“Maybe your secret admirer just gave you the box as a present,” Andy suggested.
“You have a secret admirer?” Jack asked.
And so the conversation had come full circle. Benjamin had avoided it for a couple hours, but now it was back. Between Andy’s sarcastic remarks, Benjamin managed to relay the entire story to Jack.
“It really took all of you to open it?” Jack asked.
Gary nodded.
“Why didn’t you guys call me?” Jack said. “I could have opened it by myself in a third of the time.”
Gary rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Easy for you to say now.”
“It’s true,” Jack said.
“What makes you think so?” Benjamin asked.
“Because this type of puzzle box is made in Nogical City,” Jack replied. “I’ve been doing these since I was in diapers.”
The image of Jack as a Nogical baby wearing a diaper and drinking from a bottle came to Benjamin’s mind. Maybe Lulu could find him a real baby picture.
Gary opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off.
“Which reminds me,” Jack said. “Did you guys check the hidden compartment yet?”
And that’s where they found the message—a piece of paper rolled into a scroll and sealed with three wax hearts.
“No way,” Aurora said. “It’s a love note.”
Benjamin’s face burned, but he took the message. “It’s not a love note.” Even as he said it, he felt dread in the pit of his stomach. He had to open it now; there wasn’t another choice. What if it was some sort of stupid love letter? What if Sherry the Scary really did have a crush on him? He’d never be able to go to Telepathy again.
“I’ll open this later,” Benjamin said. “It’s getting kind of late.”
“Now, Benjamin,” Iva replied.
He tried again. “But it seems like such a shame to break the wax.”
“Now, Benjamin,” Iva said again.
Benjamin sighed and resigned himself. He cracked the green wax and slowly unrolled the parchment.
Ghosts tell the tale of times gone by
When guardians watched til the final cry.
Their city fell as the end grew nigh.
And tunnels hid them as they all did die.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andy asked. “Tunnels? Ghosts? What kind of secret admirer do you have anyway?”
“Yeah, that’s just freaky,” Heidi said.
Benjamin stood up. This was getting ridiculous. “How many times do I have to tell you guys I don’t have a secret admirer? Just stop it already.”
“Well who else sent you a heart package with a poem inside?” Andy stood up and got in Benjamin’s face. “Nick Konstantin? We’ve just wasted the entire day trying to open this stupid box for nothing. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had enough.” Andy moved out of the booth and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Iva asked.
Andy stopped and turned. “Anywhere but here. Benjamin can figure out his love poem on his own.” He continued on to the door and walked outside.
Iva stood up and started following. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Andy. We have plans tonight anyway.” And she headed out the door.
Heidi consulted her heads up display and jumped out of the booth. “Oh! I can’t believe I let the time get away from me like this. We can talk about this more tomorrow.” And she ran for the door.
“Why?” Benjamin asked. “Where are you going?”
Heidi threw up one of her famous mind blocks. “Um, nowhere.”
“Nowhere?” he asked. Where was Heidi going? Somewhere with Andy and Iva? But why would Heidi be going out on a Saturday night with Andy and Iva? Wouldn’t she feel like a third wheel?
And then it hit Benjamin. Unless she wasn’t a third wheel. He looked over at Gary who sat speechless at the table next to Aurora. And Jack was looking the other way, out the window, whistling.
“Hey, Gary, are you ready to head to the genetic engineering library yet?” Aurora asked.
“You guys are going to the library?” Benjamin said. He couldn’t believe this. Did everybody have plans except him?
“You’re welcome to come along with us,” Gary replied. “We should only be there for a few hours.”
Benjamin laughed, even though nothing was the least bit funny. “No, thanks. I have other plans.” Okay, that was a big fat lie, but they didn’t have to know that; he threw up his own mind block.
“Great,” Gary said. “So we can talk about all this some more tomorrow.” He motioned to the opened puzzle box and the scroll on the table.
“Right,” Benjamin said. “Tomorrow.” And then he watched as Gary and Aurora also walked out of the Deimos Diner.
Benjamin turned to Ja
ck. “Has everyone gone crazy except for me?”
“Well, that’s one way to look at it,” Jack said. He reached out and touched the puzzle box. One at a time, each piece of wood began to slide back into place. Jack reached over and picked up the piece of wrapping paper Benjamin had saved—the piece with the three green hearts engraved on it—and studied it.
“So any ideas what everyone’s doing tonight?” Benjamin asked Jack, almost hoping the little Nogical wouldn’t answer.
“Duh,” Jack said.
“Double date?” Benjamin asked.
“Uh huh,” Jack replied.
“Josh?” Benjamin asked.
“Uh huh,” Jack said again.
“Oh,” Benjamin said.
“You’re not surprised,” Jack said.
Benjamin sighed. “No, I’m not.”
Jack perched on Benjamin’s shoulder. “So, do you want to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” Benjamin said. “I couldn’t care less if Heidi wants to go out with that moron.”
“I can tell,” Jack replied.
“It’s true,” Benjamin said. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Except she’s wasting her time when we have important work to do.”
“Now I see why Heidi didn’t say anything,” Jack said. “She knew she’d get just that kind of reaction.”
“What reaction?” Benjamin asked. “Heidi can date whoever she wants—even some jerk who wears his coat in the middle of summer.”
“It’s winter here now,” Jack said.
“That’s irrelevant,” Benjamin replied. “He wears it all summer, too. Face it, the guy’s a total loser.”
“Heidi doesn’t seem to think so,” Jack said.
“Anyway,” Benjamin replied, “do we have to talk about Heidi and her stupid boyfriend all night?”
“You’re the one who brought it up,” Jack said. “So what do you want to do instead?”
Benjamin shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Good,” Jack replied. “Let’s go visit Helios.”
Benjamin never would have suggested the trip to see Helios. Even though the ruler of Lemuria had saved his life, he just felt like he was imposing. But Jack claimed Helios was expecting them, and seeing as how Benjamin didn’t have any better offers, they teleported into the basement of the Ruling Hall. The upside to this was that no one would be able to track them. The downside was it that it was pitch black and stunk like rotten milk when they got there.
“We just go through that door over there,” Jack said pointing, “and we’ll be near where they used to keep The Emerald Tablet.”
“Used to keep?” Benjamin said. “So it’s not there anymore?”
“Nope.”
“And Hexer?” Benjamin asked.
“Gone with it,” Jack replied.
“To where?” Benjamin asked.
Jack shook his head. “Top secret.”
“You don’t know,” Benjamin said, laughing.
“True,” Jack replied. “But that’s just a technicality.”
When Benjamin saw Helios waiting on the other side of the door, it felt like forever and only yesterday since he’d seen the ruler. Time had a way of flying when the world needed saving.
“Jack. Benjamin.” Helios smiled and inclined his head at each of them.
Jack attempted to mimic Helios, tilting his tiny head in the same way. “Helios. Traveled back in time lately?”
Helios laughed. “Only a few times. But I can’t tell anyone about it.” He palmed a pad on the wall, closing the door to the room behind them. “We better go upstairs. Selene will kill me if she misses any of the conversation.”
Benjamin couldn’t imagine Helios’ twin sister killing anyone, especially her co-ruler.
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Helios put up his hand.
“Yes, she got your Amoeba Juice,” Helios said, “pomegranate as requested.”
“I thought Selene was away,” Benjamin said before he could stop himself.
Helios gave him the eye—the eye that said ‘that’s really not your business.’ So Benjamin opted not to drill him. Jack had other ideas.
Jack teleported around and landed on Helios’ shoulder. “You and your secrets. How long is Selene back for?”
Helios smiled. “Just a few days.”
Benjamin hardly waited until they got upstairs before he opened his mouth. “I heard you talked to Iva Marinina recently,” he said to Helios.
Helios raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I wasn’t available.”
“I spoke with Iva.” Selene sat back with a glass of Amoeba Juice—which Benjamin had politely declined; the purple chunks looked like they could choke a boa constrictor.
Benjamin’s heart stopped, just for a second. Why hadn’t Iva told him she talked to Selene instead? But, of course, Iva hadn’t told him anything.
“So she told you about Nathan?” Benjamin said.
Selene pursed her lips together. “Yes. I’m afraid we acted too late on Nathan. After your return from Delphi last summer, he went back and murdered the oracle who’d foreseen his future. In fact, Iva was very nearly killed herself in the attack.”
Benjamin’s jaw dropped open. “What?”
Selene nodded.
“She didn’t tell me that,” Benjamin said.
“Did you give her a chance?” Jack finished the last of his drink and let out a burp the size of a titan. “It seems to me that at the time, you were only concerned with yourself.”
“That’s not true,” Benjamin said, but he couldn’t help thinking that Jack might be just a little bit right.
“Regardless,” Helios said, “Iva is alive. But thanks or no thanks to Nathan, two of his half-siblings are already dead.”
“Children of Caelus,” Benjamin said.
Helios smiled. “Very resourceful, Benjamin. I see you’ve found out who your father really is.”
Benjamin nodded. “But why didn’t you—”
Helios held a hand up in the air in a stopping motion. “Don’t ask. You’ll just get the same answer.”
“The mind block?” Benjamin asked.
Helios nodded. “But what I’m interested in is how you found out about Nathan and Caelus at all.”
That’s right. Helios and Selene would have no idea Nathan had intercepted Benjamin during teleportation. And apparently, they weren’t spying on his thoughts. Quickly, but trying not to leave any of the details out, he relayed the story.
Selene waited for Benjamin to finish even though he could tell she’d had something on her mind.
“You say he diverted you while using a teleportation machine,” she said.
Benjamin nodded. “Why? Is that hard to do?”
“Not normally,” Selene replied. “But there are some serious teleporter anomalies.”
“Like them not working at all,” Helios said. “Or people getting trapped inside them. Or erratic destinations. It’s why we called all the agents home.”
“I heard rumors of telegens getting duplicated,” Jack said. “The old Hexer Syndrome.”
“That only happened a couple times,” Helios replied. “We’re working to control the issues.”
“And with issues like that, Nathan shouldn’t have such perfect control over a teleportation.” Selene said it slowly like she was trying to puzzle it out as she spoke.
“Like he has a way around the problems,” Benjamin said.
Selene clasped her fingers in front of her chin and nodded.
“Who exactly is Caelus?” Benjamin asked.
“Aside from your biological father?” Helios replied.
“Yeah,” Benjamin said. “Besides that minor detail.”
Helios levitated the pitcher of Amoeba Juice over and refilled his cup and then leaned over to refill Benjamin’s. Somehow it had been drained, and since Benjamin hadn’t touched the stuff, it could only have been Jack.
“Where to begin?” Helios began. “Caelus was one of the first false gods. He went by the name of Uran
us; he married Gaea. And together they ruled Atlantis.”
“Gaea!” Benjamin said. “Please tell me she’s not my mother.” Gaea was only the most evil telegen woman to ever grace the face of the earth. It was bad enough his biological father was working for the dark side. Two evil parents would be overkill.
The only time he’d come across Gaea was in Xanadu getting the second key of Shambhala. And even though Ananya, the ruler of Xanadu, had dispelled his thoughts, he swore Gaea was behind his test to get the key.
Helios shook his head. “No, your biological mother is dead. Caelus fathered more children than I believe records would even show. Your mother was just one of the many, many women he deceived, impregnated, and left.”
“But why?” Benjamin’s stomach twisted into a knot. What kind of man did that?
“Because of a prophecy he heard upon his own visit to Delphi,” Helios said. “A prophecy that one day, triplets of his would bring forth the power to rule the world.”
“And Gaea didn’t care?” Benjamin asked. “I mean care that he was with other women.”
Helios laughed. “She cared. Quite a bit in fact. But he always came back to her, and she believed in the oracle’s vision. And so she allowed him to indulge his dalliances. But as soon as the oracles in Fortune City foretold your birth, Gaea enlisted Kronos’ help to put a stop to Caelus’ flings forever.”
“Like the Kronos we’ve met?” Benjamin asked.
“The one and only,” Helios replied. “You see, he, too, is one of your half brothers.”
“And thus on Nathan’s hit list,” Benjamin added.
“Nathan has a long list in front of him,” Selene said. “But with Caelus putting a temporary stop to the killing, it buys us some time.”
“Right,” Jack said. “Now we just need you to kill Nathan instead.”
Benjamin smiled in reply. “Yeah, I’ll work on that. So any ideas where my other brother is?”
“No,” Helios said. “But even if I did….” He tapped his forehead.
“Yeah, I know,” Benjamin said. “The mind block. How about Cory? Where is he?”
Helios opened his mouth to reply. Benjamin was sure he’d get the same old answer. “I can’t tell you…blah blah blah.” But Selene spoke up before Helios had a chance. “Safe. Your brother is safe.”
