Hera, Queen of Mortals (Goddess Unbound)

by Thomas, T. D.

  "Who knows? Maybe you'll get killed before they can tell anyone," Jason suggested.

  "Shut up," Darren muttered.

  Carson turned her attention to me. "What's so important?"

  "We need your help," I told her.

  "I'm not gay," Darren interjected.

  "Right. Got it," Carson told him. But she didn't sound particularly convinced.

  "The world's in danger. We need your help to save it," I continued.

  Carson shook her head. "Um, what are you talking about?"

  "It's for our play," Jason lied. "Superhero kind of stuff. I wrote it. The school's putting it on. We're looking for a leading lady, and I thought you'd be perfect. I remembered you from Drama, so..."

  "So you thought you'd stalk me?" Carson interrupted.

  "We're kind of on a tight rehearsal schedule," Jason answered.

  Carson pursed her lips.

  "Like really tight," Jason pressed. "And it'd look great on your college apps. Extracurriculars, right?"

  "Fine," she relented. "Message me a link to the script. I'll let you know if I'm in."

  She turned to go.

  "Hey, you!"

  Ares. He jogged up to Carson.

  "Yeah. You. Blonde girl. Is your license plate 739 IMS?" Ares asked.

  Carson blinked. "Uh, yeah, actually. But why..."

  "You're getting towed," Ares told her.

  "What? No!" Carson cried.

  "Follow me," Ares said. "We better hurry."

  Carson nodded, and they ran towards the front entrance.

  Sighing, I exchanged a look with Jason and Darren, and we headed after them. So much for the subtle approach.

  When we were outside, Ares turned around the corner of the building. When Carson followed, he grabbed her and put his hand tightly over her mouth.

  I looked around. Nobody. The back parking lot was deserted. At least for now.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Jason exclaimed.

  "Get the van," Ares ordered.

  "This is insane," Darren protested.

  "Get the van!" Ares snapped.

  Carson was struggling, but Ares was far too strong. He pulled her back behind a set of metal stairs that led up to the theatre's fire door. It wasn't much cover, but it was better than nothing.

  "Don't hurt her," Demeter warned.

  "I'm not hurting her," Ares replied evenly. "She's hurting me. So for the last time: somebody get the frickin' van!"

  "You're terrifying her," Jason said.

  "You heard him," I said. "Get the van. Now!"

  Reluctantly, Jason left. I gave Demeter a look, and she ran after him. I still didn't want to risk anyone alone. One slip up was all Ekhidna would need.

  I glared at Ares. "Did it ever occur to you that we had this under control? With a much less traumatizing approach?"

  Carson tore, bit, and thrashed against Ares. His face winced, but his powers repaired his body far faster than she could hurt it. She might as well have been fighting a brick wall.

  The van squealed to a stop behind us. The door to the back slid open. Demeter was sitting inside.

  Ares hauled Carson into the back of the van. She was sobbing. Demeter slammed the door shut.

  "Darren, you drive," I decided. "We might need Jason's powers if we run into any trouble."

  Jason obediently hopped out of the van and tossed his keys to Darren. I got into the passenger seat and climbed into the back. Jason slid into the passenger seat behind me. The second he closed the door, Darren tore out of the parking lot.

  "Suggestion: don't drive like a maniac when we have a prisoner in the van," Ares snapped. "We don't need to get pulled over."

  "She's not a prisoner!" Demeter said.

  "Sorry," Darren shot back. "It's my first kidnapping."

  "No one's been kidnapped," Demeter insisted.

  "Could've fooled me," Ares muttered.

  I ignored them. I took Carson's hand. "Carson, no one is going to hurt you. But we do need to talk to you about something very important. I wish there were a better way to do this, but unfortunately, there isn't. We don't have much time."

  I looked deeply in her eyes. She was terrified. But I was sincere, and some part of her recognized that, not to mention that she was desperate for any scrap of comfort she could get.

  "Let her go," I ordered.

  "And if she screams?" Ares pressed.

  "No one will hear her," I replied calmly. "She's a smart girl. She knows that."

  Ares shrugged. He wasn't happy. But Carson wasn't just a prisoner. She was a potential ally, and we needed to make that transition happen as quickly as possible, We needed to build trust.

  "Look, I don't know what you want, or what this is, but you can let me go," Carson burst out. "I won't tell anyone, I swear. We all go to school together. I'd be crazy to tell anyone. So just let me go. Please."

  "You have my word that no one here is going to hurt you," I promised.

  But before I could stop her, Carson reached into her purse. She yanked out a bottle and thrust it in my face. She was fast. I'd underestimated her because we'd caught her off-guard earlier. But she'd been biding her time, waiting for her moment. This moment.

  But as fast as she was, the images were faster. They flickered in my front of my eyes, without me even calling them. And in the second it took her to press the pepper spray, I was already moving out of the way.

  The pepper spray gushed out. And then it froze in midair.

  "Thank you, Jason," I said. "But I had everything under control."

  Carson stared, dumbfounded, at the pepper spray, its droplets hanging in the air like frozen rain. She reached out to touch them.

  "I wouldn't," Demeter advised. "It'll burn, especially if you touch your face later."

  "What do you care? She tried to mace Hera," Ares replied. "If I'd pulled that crap, you'd destroy me."

  "Well, you're an ass," Demeter replied evenly. "She's just a frightened girl. Poor dear."

  She reached out and patted Carson's hand. Carson was too mesmerized to even notice.

  "What's going on? How..." Carson finally asked. "Who are you?"

  Her crying had stopped. She was too bewildered to cry.

  "This is going to sound crazy," I began. "But my name is Hera, and I'm a god. Queen of Gods actually..."

  "Are you for real?" Carson asked.

  "Don't interrupt a god," I replied. "Or a queen. And especially not both. It's just rude."

  Carson stared at me, dumbstruck.

  I would've liked some sign that she was grasping what I was saying. But this was as good as it was going to get. I plowed ahead.

  "This is my sister, Demeter, goddess of nature," I said. "And this is Ares, god of war. There are others, many others, like us. We all watch over your world, but something's happened. A monster called Ekhidna is trying to take over your world, and we need to stop her. We're finding special mortals, mortals like you, to help us. We call them Heroes. We can awaken power in you. Like we did in Jason. And in Darren."

  I turned to Jason. He wasn't even shaking yet. His powers were growing. He even looked different. More solid. Bigger.

  I rolled down a window.

  "You can let it go," I told him.

  Instead, he gestured, and the pepper spray wove through the air, spelling out my name.

  "As you can see, Jason can move things with his mind," I explained.

  Jason flung out a hand, and the pepper spray flew out the window.

  "Darren's power is a little too subtle to demonstrate, as is mine," I continued. "And we won't know what your powers will be until you agree to help us. But if you need more proof, Ares and Demeter can oblige. Darren, take us somewhere without any people. We're going to need some privacy."

  It didn't take us too long to reach an empty parking lot next to a factory in the industrial part of town. This late, it was deserted.

  Darren stopped the van. Demeter began to open the door, but I put my hand on hers.

&nb
sp; "Carson, you can run if you want," I told her. "But I'm asking you to wait thirty seconds before you do. Can you promise me that?"

  Carson's eyes didn't leave the door. She hungered for that door. For freedom. But she tore her eyes away. She looked at me.

  "Thirty seconds," she agreed.

  I nodded, and Demeter slid open the door. I half-expected Carson to bolt. But she stepped out slowly. Carefully. She watched all of us out of the corner of her eye. She was mouthing something to herself.

  Numbers. She was counting. She'd promised me thirty seconds. And that's all she was going to give me.

  "Ares," I said.

  He got out of the passenger seat and stood in front of Carson. He pulled out a utility knife from his pocket. Carson blanched.

  "Not for you," I assured her quickly. "For him. A little less menacing, Ares?"

  Ares grinned. He held up his right hand and slit his palm with the blade. Then he folded up the knife and stuck it back in his pocket. He came towards Carson with his hand extended. As she watched, the large gash sealed itself. Then he squeezed his hand tightly a couple times.

  "Good as new," he grinned. "Want to touch it?"

  Carson shook her head fervently. But without realizing it, she stopped counting.

  "One more," I told her. "It'll put us over our time, but trust me. You'll want to see this."

  The fear in Carson's eyes was shrinking. It was being replaced by something far more powerful. Curiosity.

  "Demeter," I ordered.

  Demeter went over to a small strip of grass with a single tree and a picnic table: a pathetic urban nod to green space. She lifted her arms. The grass exploded, shooting upwards until it was waist high. Brilliantly-coloured flowers rose up and blossomed right before our eyes. The tree shuddered, and then with a slow groan, it too rose up. And up. And up. Its branches extended out over the parking lot. Soon, we were all sheltered under its shade.

  "You feel it inside, don't you?" I asked Carson. "Something finally falling into place. Something you knew was missing your whole life, but didn't have a name for. You've finally found it. It's this. It's us. You were meant to be part of our world, not the mortal one. You've been chosen, by Necessity, to defend the rest of humanity. Your friends, your family, everyone you've ever met or known or loved. They all depend on you. This is your moment. This is what you were made for. So I'm asking you to stand with us. Fulfill your destiny. Save your world and be the Hero you were meant to be."

  For a second, I thought Carson might faint. But she didn't. Instead, she took a shuddering breath. "I'm in. Just tell me what I have to do."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  "Try again," I ordered.

  The problem was obvious. Carson was too tense. It was in the way she stood; the way she spoke; the way she gingerly touched her amulet, like she was still half-afraid of it.

  I couldn't blame her. She had a lot to absorb. She'd peppered us with questions in true mortal fashion, and even after I'd answered as much as I could, she wasn't completely satisfied. She was nervous, and that was blocking her powers.

  "There!" Demeter pointed. "A rat!"

  Carson stared, brow furrowing deeply, body starting to shake. The strain was palpable. She threw herself into that look.

  "Relax," I reminded her. "Let it flow."

  She took a deep breath. Her eyes began to glow a deep purple-black.

  "Look away," I shouted.

  There was a flash out of the corner of my eye and a strange sound like a shell cracking.

  I risked a look.

  "I did it!" Carson exclaimed.

  A few feet away stood a perfect statue of a rat. But even as we watched, the stone melted away, replaced by black fur. With a furious squeak, the rat darted away.

  "Not again," Carson sighed.

  "It'll take time before you can hold the transformation," I told her. "But eventually you'll be able to transform things permanently, and into anything, not just stone."

  "You can even transform yourself," Ares added.

  "Just remember to meet the eyes of whoever you want to transform," I continued. "It'll be easier that way."

  "Like Medusa," Demeter said.

  "I wish we could spend more time training you, Carson. Training all of you," I announced. "But we're out of time, and..."

  "Um, Hera..." Demeter interrupted.

  She was staring out the factory door. Her voice was strange, a tone I knew all too well by now.

  "You can't be serious," I said.

  "What's wrong?" Darren asked.

  "Looks like training isn't over after all," Ares said, as he joined Demeter at the factory door.

  "Monsters," Carson guessed.

  "How many?" I asked.

  "Five," Ares replied. "No. Six. That I can see."

  "Even numbers," Darren said. "One each."

  "Numbers aren't what matters," Ares replied. "It's what they are that counts. And they're still in human form. They're going to figure out we're in here soon."

  "Then we fight," I decided.

  "Are you sure?" Demeter replied quietly.

  "We can't protect them forever," I whispered.

  Carson was petrified. Even Jason looked unsure. The only one who seemed unconcerned was Darren.

  "Carson and Jason, stay together," I ordered. "Watch each other's backs. Darren, you ... do your thing."

  He grinned. For once, I was grateful for his confidence.

  "Get ready," Ares warned.

  He flattened himself against the wall beside the door. He'd jump whichever monster came through first.

  Demeter and I pulled back.

  "I don't know how much good I'll be," Demeter whispered. "My powers aren't much use indoors."

  "Ares!" I hissed. "Give her your belt!"

  I pointed at Demeter. He quickly undid it and tossed it to her. Demeter wrapped one end around her hand. Then she unfastened her necklace and held it lightly in her other hand. She might not be able to use her powers, but with the right weapons, my sister knew how to fight.

  Carson and Jason were crouching behind a palette of boxes. Smart. Their powers worked from a distance. Demeter and I hid behind a column. Darren crept along the side of the factory and went to the door. He quivered with anticipation. His eyes started to glow.

  The door creaked open.

  Ares didn't hesitate. He seized the hand of whatever was opening the door and hurled it inside.

  "Jason, keep that door shut!" I commanded.

  Jason lifted both hands. The door slammed closed. I could hear pounding from outside. The door shook. Dents appeared. Jason started to sweat. He wouldn't be able to hold it for very long.

  Already, the monster that Ares had grabbed was transforming. Darren didn't wait for it to take its true form. He tackled it to the ground and began to pound it mercilessly. Ares joined him.

  But with a roar, the monster hurled them both off. They flew through the air. Ares crashed into the crates lining the wall of the factory. He shook himself and got to his feet, scratches on his face and arms disappearing as we watched. Darren sailed backwards through the air, but then he flipped and landed in a crouch just before he hit the wall.

  Demeter was already rushing the monster, belt cracking like thunder. It swiped at her, but she deftly caught its arm with the belt and pulled it off balance. As it toppled forward, she swung her necklace at its face. Dark ichor sprayed in the air as the sharp pendant sliced the creature's eyes.

  But the transformation was complete. Shining black skin. Bulging, blue veins. Protruding, blood-red eyes. It roared, revealing row after row of needle-like teeth.

  "Pishacha !" I warned. "Bodysnatcher!"

  Demeter quickly pulled back before it could touch her. But the pishacha lunged at her anyway. She whirled her whip and cracked it against the monster's face. But it didn't care about pain. It didn't care about cuts and bruises. It didn't care about its own body at all. It wanted hers.

  Darren tackled the creature from the side, knocking it
to the ground.

  "No!" Demeter cried.

  But it was too late. The pishacha flipped, pinning Darren underneath it. It grabbed the sides of his face and began to vibrate. Darren was paralyzed. Slowly, the pishacha's body started to dissolve into twisting black smoke, winding its wind towards Darren's terrified eyes.

  "Jason! Forget the door! Get that thing off Darren! Now!" I yelled.

  Jason swung his hand, and the pishacha catapulted through the air and slammed into the wall. Darren shuddered as life began to flow back into him and he slowly regained control of his body.

  But without Jason holding it shut, the door flew open. Men poured in, shifting into their true monstrous shapes as they rushed towards us.

  "Carson! Freeze the pishacha!" I ordered. "And keep it frozen! That's all you do! Nothing else! Just keep it frozen!"

  Carson stepped out from behind the palette, eyes blazing with light. Before the pishacha realized what was happening, it hardened into stone.

  Thankfully, there were no more pishachas. But there were at least a dozen other monsters.

  Some looked like tiny misshapen people, their mottled brown-green skin stretched so tight across their fat bodies that it looked like it might tear at any moment. Their flesh bulged and rippled as if something was moving inside them, just waiting to burst out.

  Others were long wisps, easily seven feet tall, but with almost no bodies at all: just translucent legs and arms attached to a thin line. Their blank, white eyes sent shivers down my spine.

  "Lacrima!" I called out, pointing at the small, stumpy creatures shuffling towards us. "If you hit them, they'll explode! The others are cachars. Don't let them get behind you."

  One of the lacrima had already reached Darren. It swung at him with both its stumpy arms. Darren easily dodged the clumsy swings and shoved it back as hard as it could. The lacrima stumbled and smashed into a stack of crates behind it, exploding in a spray of foul-smelling slime.

  "Gross!" Darren said, diving between two lacrima that tried to rush him.

  "It's sticky!" I shouted back. "It'll glue you to the ground!"

  Darren wouldn't be able to keep the lacrima busy for long. He needed help. He needed me.

  One of the lacrima spun around as I came toward it. It tried to swipe at me. I flung myself backward, kicking out as I did. Its fists passed just a hair's breadth over my face, but my legs smashed into its body. It detonated in a burst of sludge.