Protogenesis: Before the Beginning

by Alysia Helming

  Hades’s head snaps up at the sound of what must be his nickname. He wobbles a bit and weaves as he walks, as if he’s perpetually drunk. “Yeah,” he says, slurring his words. “Me” – he points at the red-eyed men standing quietly in front of them – “and the Draakkonnn riders.”

  “Let’s get this over with, then,” Poseidon says in a clipped tone.

  Hades chuckles as he places the helmet on his head, and poof! He vanishes. Only his hysterical cackling can be heard. A few seconds later, his body reappears, but he’s holding the helmet again. He turns in a circle, giggling. Helmet on, he vanishes. Helmet off, he reappears.

  “Will you cut that out?” Zeus screams. “Time is of the essence here.”

  The Vorlage lead my mother in front of Zeus and throw her onto the sand at Zeus’s feet. She appears to be passed out. My heart feels as if it is beating out of my chest. What can I do? Ever was right. We are vastly outnumbered. If I try to save my mom now, not only will my life be in jeopardy but also Ever’s. I can’t do that to him.

  Zeus commands, “Awaken the prisoner.”

  “Gladly.” Ares shakes his head. An overzealous smile consumes his face. With a wave of his hand, the Vorlage kick my mother repeatedly until she stirs.

  Pain sears through me until I can no longer stand it. “My mom!”

  My feet start to move before I even have time to think, but I’m unable to move because Ever has wrapped his long arms around me to restrain me. He whispers harshly in my ear, “You’ll just get yourself killed, which helps no one.”

  His words slice into me like a whip. I stop dead in my tracks. But I feel a tear run down my cheek as I continue to watch my mother suffering like this.

  With my mother now fully awake and on her knees at Zeus’s feet, he addresses her. “Ahhhh, Artemis! I have a little present for you. I know all about your daughter…our little Protogena-to-be.”

  My mother’s stoic expression suddenly shifts to utter shock and panic. While we were fully aware that Zeus knew that my mother had a daughter, Ares didn’t say anything about me being the Protogena when I was attacked in the alley back in Athens.

  The Vorlage pass a new apparatus to Zeus, which he affixes to his left hand. He aims it outward to test it. Zap! The harsh streak of raging electricity flows outward, zapping one of the red-eyed men. He falls to the ground.

  Zeus calls out, his voice booming, “Helene Crawford! I know you have the Catalyst. Bring it here to me or else your mother will be next.”

  My mother stares wide-eyed in terror as Zeus extends his arm towards her, sending a loud, cracking jolt of electricity to zap the ground only a few centimeters from her body.

  The Drakon riders start to chant, once again perfectly synchronized. They hold their arms out in front of them, then slap their chests once and yell, “Zeus!”

  The sound of the chanting drowns out the sound of my cries, as Ever struggles to hold me back from running towards to my mom. I turn to face him, tears flowing freely down my face as he holds me close, stroking my hair to comfort me. I pound his chest in my grief.

  His eyes are red-rimmed and pained as he strokes my back and kisses my hair. His face is pensive, full of empathy. “I’m so sorry.”

  Zeus is not dissuaded. “This is your last chance! Bring me the Catalyst!”

  He extends his device towards my mother again, and my mind spins out of control. Then a totally wild idea comes to me. Maybe I can use the Catalyst to construct a Gate to get Mom, and all of us, out of here…to Earth.

  I press and hold the button on the top of the Catalyst, just like the last time at Janus’s apartment, when I almost constructed a new Gate. The screen displays two pictures, one of Gaea and one of Earth.

  Ever looks over my shoulder, concern etching his face. He whispers, “Helene, what are you doing?”

  I’m not sure what comes over me, but I’ve had enough of this. Ignoring him, I look down at the screen on the Catalyst. The two icons of Earth and Gaea are still there. My finger hovers over the Earth symbol. I press it.

  The image of the two planets joined by the portal shows on the lit-up screen and starts counting down: 10…9…8…

  If I create a new Gate here now, doesn’t that allow Zeus to go back to Earth too? That would screw everyone.

  My God, what have I done? Armageddon!

  I feel light-headed. I start to waver on my feet, but Ever holds me steady. Focus, Helene. There’s got to be a way to fix this. I try slapping the Catalyst on my leg.

  The countdown continues: 5…4...

  Ever has figured out what I’m doing. “What the…?!”

  “Shhhhh!” I whisper to hush him. There’s no time to explain.

  A tiny symbol, a clock, appears in the upper corner of the screen. What could this be? There’s no time to think. I press on the icon.

  The screen screams to life as words fill the screen: Permanent or Temporary?

  Suddenly, I recall Janus’s words back when he told me about Orion’s Key: “The Catalyst creates an actual wormhole, either a temporary or permanent ‘Gate,’ between realities.”

  3…2…

  Ever’s eyes are wide with terror. He’s reading the screen with me, totally freaked.

  Oh God! I slam my finger down on “Temporary.”

  …1…

  Countdown paused.

  We sag against each other in sweet relief. But this isn’t over yet. Not even close.

  Enter operation time: 30, 60 or 180.

  Panic fills me. I can’t think. What do these numbers mean?

  Well, it can’t be minutes, so I’m guessing seconds. Thirty seconds is too short, but the other choices are way too long. Zeus could follow us through.

  Zeus’s terrible voice booms, making me jump. “Helene, you’re out of time!” He aims his menacing hand at my mother’s head.

  Time to take action. I hit the icon: 30

  A new countdown resumes: 30…29…

  I break free of Ever’s grip and rush out from behind the cypress tree to my mom’s side, holding the Catalyst out in front of me towards Zeus.

  “Look!” I taunt him, moving in closer to stand between him and my mother.

  Zeus gasps in shock at the sight of me. “You’re way too stupid to be the Protogena. That was far too easy! You’re just a little girl while I’m the god of all gods. You were going to take me out?” His cackling laugh echoes through the desert.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see the screen of the Catalyst counting down: 17…16…

  My mom turns to me, speaking in a calm, even tone. “Helene, listen to me…”

  Ignoring her, I yell to Zeus, “Do you know what has caused the demise of most great men and civilizations throughout history?”

  He seems totally taken off guard by this question.

  I yell, “Hubris!” as I throw my mother the Catalyst.

  “Sorry, Mom, but you’re going back to Earth.” 3…2…1… A flash of the shimmering blue appears in the wall just behind my mother. A huge explosion knocks out all the Vorlage around us, like an electromagnetic pulse. And poof! My mother and the portal disappear as the Catalyst clatters to the ground, sizzling and burned out. Totally dead.

  Poseidon picks up the charred remains of the Catalyst, shaking his head as he examines it. “The Catalyst is destroyed.”

  Zeus screams out in a horrendous rage, “Nooooooo!”

  When he calms down, he turns his anger to me once again. “I’m going to kill you for this, little girl!” But looking around, he quickly realizes that all the Vorlage were knocked out by the electromagnetic explosion.
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  Ever comes running out from behind the cypress tree to my side. Unfortunately for us, though, the red-eyed Drakon riders move in to surround us, grabbing us with an intensity that even I’m surprised by. They are incredibly strong.

  I can see the frustration on Ever’s face. I’ve never seen him this scared before, but this could be it. Our lives could be over now.

  I hear Bastet’s voice inside my head. “Remember your power.” She must be hiding somewhere behind the tree. My power? Of course! Just like my mother, Artemis, goddess of the animals. But what animals are out here in the desert? Birds…no. I rack my brain. I don’t know!

  I recall the scene from before when I entered the Drakon’s mind to lull him to sleep. The Drakon! I know what to do!

  I sink to my knees, startling the rider, who shoves the butt of his weapon into my back. I can hear Ares’s cutting voice speaking to Zeus. “I promise that she’ll die in the worst way.” I drown out the sound of his voice as I close my eyes, slowing my breathing…in and out…ah….and sink into a deep, meditative state. I imagine the Aether…the collective consciousness…the unseen energy that flows through all things…and there I see a Drakon. It’s deep in sleep in a chamber under Tartarus. Its eye pops open. “Help me!” I cry out to it.

  In an instant, the Drakon’s enormous body roars to life. Without any thought at all, its primitive brain propels it up against his restraints with so much force that it breaks all its bonds. Fire emanates from its gaping mouth as it blasts the metal wall next to it. Slowly but surely, the metal starts to melt, rolling down the wall into pools on the floor until only bedrock is exposed. The creature bellows in insane fury. Suddenly, I hear hundreds of other Drakons awakening all around it, breaking out of their restraints. Intense feelings of unrestrained joy fill their bodies at this sudden taste of freedom.

  My eyes pop open. Nothing seems to have changed with our predicament except that Ares is taunting Ever. “And who are you?” he asks with a sneer.

  Ever won’t look up at him, so Ares lashes out with a kick to his side. Groaning, Ever rolls over, holding his side in anguish. No! I feel a rush of rage. The only thing holding me back is knowing that help is on its way…soon.

  Suddenly, the ground starts to shudder, quake, and groan. Ares’s eyes grow wide. “What the…?” The next moment, it seems to dawn on him what this could mean. “No!! Riders, control your Drakons!”

  The ground beneath us cracks open as my Drakon bursts its massive head out of the ground next to us, knocking Ares and Zeus off to the side. Two of the riders fall into the gaping depths of the abyss created by the Drakon.

  I feel the familiar rumble, then sense the consciousness of the Drakon that I summoned…my friend. It’s coming back for me. The image of a Drakon rider fills my mind, and within seconds, all the knowledge of how to mount and ride a Drakon floods into me. I know what to do.

  I motion to Ever. “Grab the Catalyst and my waist. Don’t let go. I’ve got this!”

  “But it’s useless…dead!” he says, shaking his head at the burned-out Catalyst.

  “Just do it!” I shout.

  Ever’s face is ashen, but he nods as he picks up the Catalyst and moves in behind me, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

  The tremble in the ground intensifies. I’m not sure I can continue to stand. Then my Drakon bursts out of the ground from under us. Instantly, I grasp onto the horn in the center of his neck and swing myself up into the saddle, pulling Ever up behind me.

  I yell, “Hold on tight!” I project the image of the Gate into the Drakon’s mind, and off we go, sailing across the desert dunes at insane speed. The image of Zeus and the Vorlage fade fast behind us. I feel the heat of Ever holding me tight, and it fills me with calm as we make our escape.

  The Drakon drops us off just outside of the Old Olympus ruins where the tunnel leads down towards the Gate. Ever and I hop off. I place my hand on the nose of the Drakon and stroke him softly, projecting the image of my love and gratitude to him. He rears his head up and takes off back towards the volcano.

  I’m worried that Ever’s ribs are broken, but when he lifts his shirt to show me his side, the skin is flawless and unblemished with not even a bruise. We laugh in surprise and keep laughing so hard we’re almost crying.

  He moves in close to me, wiping the tears from my cheek. “I knew you were hard to get, but this is so much more than I bargained for.” He grins, his sea-green eyes sparkling.

  As I step back a moment, I notice that Ever has changed. His muscles are much more defined, his skin a deeper tan, almost glowing. He’s breathtaking. And now that I feel I truly know him, that he would do anything for me, I appreciate his beauty even more. Ever is amazing, inside and out.

  Bastet arrives behind us, panting hard as she must have tried to keep pace with the ridiculous speed of the Drakon. As she rushes up to me, I feel her rub her head under my hand and hear her say, “You had the power all along. You just had to believe it for yourself.”

  “Okay, Glinda,” I say to with a wink. But she’s right. I’m totally floored by my capabilities and maybe a little nervous about what else I might be able to do. All three of us start the long walk through the underground tunnel that leads to the Gate.

  “Who’s Glinda?” Ever asks. “What was that about?”

  “Uh,” I say, “just a joke about a girl from Kansas.”

  As we come up through the other side of the tunnel, the cat’s-eye stone on Ever’s belt glows intensely. As we pop up far enough to see the Gate, its brilliant blue sheen is ready for us. Time to go. I motion to Ever. “You go first.”

  He steps through. The ground shudders, making stones tumble down around the sides of the Gate.

  Bastet is concerned. “It’s grown unstable. I doubt it will support all three of us at once. You go. I’ll stay behind with Athena.”

  I should be upset, but I know Bastet will be fine here with Athena. And the truth is, they probably need her more here than I do on Earth since she is just a cat there and can’t communicate with me. For once, I don’t try to argue with her.

  “Thank the gods!” she says in my head smartly.

  I give Bastet one last hug as I step through the Gate back to Earth. This time, though, I close my eyes, and it’s like stepping into the next room.

  37 – Truth

  “What took you so long?” Ever takes me in his arms. I try to catch my breath. I turn to meet his gaze. He reaches up to dry my eyes.

  I attempt a small smile, but my voice is shaky, unsteady. “You…you saved me back there.”

  “Of course,” he says softly, kissing each of my eyelids. “There’s no way I would let you sacrifice yourself, for your sake…or mine.” He pulls me in close to him again, and I lay my head on his chest. It’s warm and comforting. I wish I could stay here forever. “I need you,” he whispers tenderly in my ear.

  Tenderness surges through me. I need him too.

  As my eyes fully adjust, I see Janus standing wide-eyed behind Ever. He’s tapping his foot loudly, clearly annoyed. As usual, his rainbow headscarf is has fallen off slightly to reveal his shiny bald spot.

  I tell Janus and Ever that I had to leave Bastet behind with Athena, but Janus assures me that I made the right choice. Athena can use her help on Gaea. “Besides, it will be nice to be rid of that damn cat around here. She’s a pain in the as—!”

  “Janus!” I interrupt him. “Enough!” We all laugh together before I grow quiet. Suddenly, I’m worried about my mom. Where did I send her with the Catalyst? What if we can’t find her?

  Ever notices. “What is it?” he asks.

  “Is my mother…here?”

  Janus shakes his head as he starts to stom
p up the wooden steps. “Come on upstairs. You’ll see.”

  Why can’t Janus just tell me now? I pull Ever off to the side. “I’m worried about my mom. The Catalyst indicated that she was going to Earth, so she should be here.”

  “Really?” Ever jests. “Because Earth is a pretty big place!”

  I sock him on the arm. This is no time for joking. “You’re not helping!”

  “Right,” he says, shrugging. “Sorry.”

  He leads me up the steps and into Janus’s shop. Janus is nowhere to be found. There’s no sign of my mother either. We’re about to go up the stairs to the apartment when we hear the abrupt slam of a door.

  Georgios Sarantos is standing in the front doorway. His piercing blue eyes are alight with fire, blazing at us as the fierce and angry storm clouds in the sky outside behind him swirl around him. He is silhouetted in a menacing fury. It’s an incredible sight to behold. His arms are folded sternly across his chest, with Dimitris and Yannis standing expressionless on either side of him.

  Clearly, we’re in trouble.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Georgios says, his intelligent, intense blue eyes focused on me and Ever. He turns to Dimitris. “Can someone please explain to me where these kids have been for the past four days!?” He slams his hand down on the desk.

  I hear a sound behind us, and standing just inside the door to the Tranquility Room is Janus. As Georgios’s stern gaze locks onto Janus’s eyes, I see something rare in them: fear. How will Janus explain to Georgios where we’ve been?

  Ever steps in front of Janus, trying to save the day as he explains to his dad, “I took Helene away on a short holiday.”

  Georgios’s face turns bright red. “You did what?” Just then, Janus steps up to Georgios and whispers something into his ear. “Oh.” He smiles wickedly and then begins to laugh.