Hades

by Crystal Dawn

  There was bound to be something they could use somewhere in between all the crazy stuff. The gods were a tool, one Mark intended to use any way he could. He nodded at the two soldiers that stood on either side of Kyler just waiting for the sign to take him to his cell. They moved and he docilely moved with them. It was time for him to go home and see his mom. He was tired of lying to her, but how could he ever tell her the truth?

  Chapter 7

  The Next Generation

  Apollo was unhappy Zeus had sent him on what he figured was a wild goose chase. They were on a boat traveling to Easter Island. Ares would be flying in and while riding in a copter wasn’t fun, a slow boat ride was no picnic either and there and back would kill a week or more. None of the other gods were enjoying it anymore than he was, but misery wasn’t enjoying the company. He wished he was alone and not on the boat with ten other unhappy gods just looking for a fight. He had broke up more than one and the fights seemed to get more violent as time passed.

  The island was in view, so now they would all prepare to go ashore except the two unluckiest gods who had been selected by the short straw method to remain behind. Who said things couldn’t get worse? Those two had found out it could when they drew their straws. No one had laughed at them, they had been too busy being grateful that fate had not chosen them for such a dubious honor. Apollo, as leader of this mission hadn’t been in danger of having to stay behind. He would have gone crazy if he hadn’t been sure he would get off this boat even if only for a little while.

  They had planned this as a night mission, the dark would hide their landing and they could move about with ease that humans couldn’t. They had the coordinates for the facility and they all headed that way single file with Apollo in the lead. He wondered how Hades’s mission had gone since they had had radio silence since they had left. Too many spies in their midst could mess up plans but they couldn’t find out what no one knew. He thought Zeus was getting paranoid, but he’d never tell him that. He could hear the sounds of copters not too far in the distance telling him that Ares had made the rendezvous point first.

  That was okay because he was just happy to have his feet planted firmly on the ground for now. He could see Ares, who had ten gods and demons with him. They all moved into a circle, twenty-two gods on a mission.

  “Are we good to go?” Apollo asked.

  “Yes, the mission is a go,” Ares confirmed. He made the hand motions that told their gods to follow them. The facility was just out of sight and two of their stealthiest demons slipped ahead to remove any obstacles that might impede their progress.

  When the group arrived the guards were already restrained and the door opened. The two demons were busy making short work of the few guards that Origin had here. Apollo wondered where the rest of Origin’s soldiers were since this facility was seriously undermanned. They continued through the building until they found an elevator. Origin tended to keep gods on the lower levels. There was only one sublevel in this small facility.

  They exited the elevator heading for what should be the sleeping area. “Holy crap!” Ares exclaimed.

  Apollo blinked, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “It’s fucking Romper Room!”

  “How many you see?”

  “Maybe thirty?”

  “What’s the matter with you two?” Erebus asked as he pushed them from behind. “We need to get in and get out. Damn, those are just…”

  “Yeah,” Apollo agreed.

  Some of the gods behind them were getting pushy so Ares and Apollo moved into the large room that had bunk beds along both walls. The room wasn’t of any interest so much as the gods sleeping in the beds were, or more exactly the children waking up in the beds.

  “I thought they stopped making gods,” Eremus said.

  “Yeah, we all thought that until now,” Apollo replied. He would guess they were from the age of five all the way to possibly fifteen. They were getting up and falling into place behind what appeared to be the oldest and their leader.

  The young god stood protectively in front of the younger gods with two more close to his size and probably age standing beside him. “Who are you?” he asked suspiciously. He had to realize they were gods since they smelled similar to him.

  “I’m Apollo and this is Ares. Who are you?”

  “I am Jupiter,” he said it emphasizing each word which might impress a human but it only made Apollo fight the desire to laugh. He realized these were replacement gods bred because Origin realized the ever more dangerous missions they’d been accepting from their clients would mean a larger loss of the gods they sent on those missions. Clearly as long as they had replacements, Origin considered the loss acceptable.

  Zeus might not find it too amusing that they thought he would be one of those to fall. They must have planned on replacing him soon since Jupiter was old enough to lead now had the need arisen. Apollo wondered what in the hell they were going to do with a bunch of baby gods. He decided that it wouldn’t be his problem and smiled. He had never been so happy that Zeus was in charge.

  Since the facility was so small only two of Pedro’s guys had come along. They went with the two demons that had led them all into the building. There was no real lab set up here, only medical for the young god’s needs in case of illness or injury. He and Ares looked at each other both wondering how to get the others to tell Jupiter they had been freed but since they weren’t adults they would have to come back to Olympus with them, at least for now.

  “You tell…,” they both said at the same time.

  “Okay,” again at the same time. Apollo had never thought he and Ares were much alike but they were certainly viewing this situation in the same light. Apollo had an inspiration, someone would have to tell Zeus about everything.

  “I’ll contact Zeus while you deal with them,” Apollo said as he pointed at the young gods. Ares made a face but nodded so Apollo looked for a secure place to radio Zeus from, he found it in the facility’s radio room. After he scanned it and locked the door, he put in the call that would shake Zeus up.

  “Hello, Zeus?”

  “Nah, it’s Hermes, but I’ll go get Zeus. Call back in five, no make that ten. Zeus is with Sierra and it’s hard to get him away from her.”

  “Okay, Apollo out.” He looked around the room finding nothing that held his attention until he found a box of security tapes. Most of them were from the cameras placed where the young gods stayed. It reminded him of when he was young since Origin hadn’t changed their treatment of children at all. He checked his watch, time to call back.

  “Hello, is this Zeus?”

  “Yes, how did it go, Apollo?”

  “We had no trouble, but we’re not out yet. I believe I remember you saying you wanted a large family, right?”

  “Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

  “We just found you thirty children to add to your two.”

  “Repeat that Apollo, I’m not sure I understood you.”

  “Oh, you understood alright. We found thirty gods ranging from about five to fifteen. Congratulations Daddy!”

  “Those son of a bitches! They continued breeding gods, but they won’t be able to do it anymore.”

  “No, any new gods will be bred the fun way,” Apollo said laughing.

  “I think you’re enjoying this entirely too much,” Sierra said but he could hear the humor in her voice. Good thing that female loved kids. Apollo had a feeling this group of kids wouldn’t be easy to deal with. He wished he could waste more time talking but he knew he had to get back to Ares where the fun was probably just beginning.

  “I have to get back and help Ares with the kids.”

  “Call with updates,” Sierra said.

  “Will do,” he said just before he hung up. He considered hiding a little while but his sense of responsibility won out.

  He walked slowly back to where he’d left Ares but as he drew near he heard shouting. He hurried wondering if Origin was attacking but when he walked in the ro
om, Ares was being dog piled by the young gods. He was yelling at them but he couldn’t get up with at least ten of them hanging on to his arms, legs, and a couple lying on top of him. He tried not to, but he broke out laughing which made Ares roar with anger.

  “So, Jupiter, can you tell me what’s going on here?” Apollo asked.

  Jupiter looked as pissed off as Ares was. “He,” Jupiter said pointing to Ares, “told us we would be going back to Olympus with you when you left.”

  Apollo raised his eyebrow at the young god, not understanding what the problem was.

  “He’s not the boss of us,” Jupiter said sounding every bit like a rebellious teenager.

  “So what would you do? None of you have jobs, you don’t own this facility so you can’t stay here, and even if you could, there is only enough food for about a week.”

  “Don’t know, but we expect to have some say in it.”

  “Maybe Ares could have explained things better to you. Since you can’t stay here, Zeus has offered you a place at Olympus until you decide what to do. As a leader, you’re expected to come to speak to him since he is the acknowledged leader of the gods, according to the rest of the world. You will be expected to take your place helping your people to seek freedom. There are still those Origin has locked away and it is up to all of us to free them.”

  Jupiter gave his gods some hand signals and they reluctantly let Ares go. They were smart enough to keep a close eye on him and some jumped when he growled after he stood up. Anger washed off him in hard waves making everyone more than a little uncomfortable.

  “He going to be safe to be around?” Jupiter asked looking toward Ares.

  “He’s house broken, he’ll get over it, just give him some time,” Apollo said as Ares stomped off.

  “We will accompany you to Olympus where I will meet with Zeus. We will visit until we decide what we will do next. Maybe Zeus will have some sage advice for us.”

  Apollo had to smile with the way Jupiter said it as if he really had a choice but if it made the boy feel better what the hell. “Zeus will be glad to hear it.”

  Jupiter nodded. Apollo could see the responsibility he felt for his young gods. For the first time, Apollo saw him as a scared boy trying make the best of a bad situation while looking out for his males the best he could. He was a leader among gods so he wouldn’t, couldn’t allow himself to look weak or uncertain. He was perched on the edge of adulthood, forced to make decisions he was unprepared for and fearful he would make the wrong choice.

  They would all be leaving this place, since Origin had built the facility, but they didn’t own it. They had only been able to get use of the land on a ninety nine year lease that heavily favored the local government. Now that Origin had been exposed as being behind the group that used this place, it would revert to the government. It was a shame the gods wouldn’t get the property, but at least it was one less place for Origin to hide.

  Apollo went to find Ares so they could plan their exit. The copters were still here and the boat remained anchored nearby. “I only think it fair that those who flew in, float out and vice versa.”

  “I’m sure you do, Apollo. Did you and your team get water logged?” Ares snickered.

  “Here’s a deal for you, whoever flies back takes all the kids. Zeus will want to see them as soon as possible. Pick your poison, brother.” He saw that Ares shivered at the mention of the young gods.

  “Well played, youngster.” Ares often told Apollo that he looked like a boy with his sweet face. He couldn’t point out that Apollo didn’t have much facial hair because few of the gods grew any. Even those that could kept shaved bare because it had always been Origin’s policy. That might change, but it hadn’t changed yet.

  “Maybe you’re just a stuffy oldster.”

  “I’ll never think of you as an adult.”

  “I’m only a few days younger than you, but you make it sound like years.”

  “I still think of you as wet behind the ears, little brother.” As the last one on their team to be born, the older members had always looked out for him. When he thought about it, it would be good for them to have some much younger gods to worry about. They would finally stop treating him like a kid with real kids around, or so he hoped.

  “Yeah, and you always will, no matter that I lead missions more often than you do.”

  “That’s only because I’m needed at home.”

  “Needed at home or too old to handle most forms of travel?”

  “Fine, we’ll take the boat and you take the kids. It’ll be like a play date for you.”

  Apollo had just gotten exactly what he wanted. Ares was just too easy, it would probably take him until they made it to Olympus to figure out Apollo had manipulated him. That was when he would have to avoid him, because Ares would be mad. The war god wasn’t very happy when they were home anyway. Brandi, the female on Sierra’s team Ares wanted to mate, had managed to stay just out of reach. She was gone on assignments more often than not because she always volunteered. When she was there, Ares mooned after her like a schoolboy with his first crush. Apollo knew he had no room to talk since Way wouldn’t give him the time of day.

  They rounded all their men up and Apollo took his males to the copters. He thought his guys were going to kiss him, they had had enough of the boat. Ares males complained as they headed to the boat and Ares was the most unhappy one of all.

  “Jupiter, I need you to organize your gods and divide them equally among the copters. You ride in the last one with me after all the other gods are loaded.”

  Jupiter nodded. Apollo knew he would understand as leader, he left last unless there was a good reason to do otherwise.

  Apollo was thankful he wasn’t on the slow boat to nowhere. He would be back at Olympus several days before the gods with Ares were. It would give Ares time to reflect and learn patience, Apollo chuckled to himself as the copter took off and he was headed toward home. Putting up with the young gods would be a piece of cake for him. He was in the copter with Jupiter and the other two oldest. They wouldn’t complain and it was impossible to talk with all the noise. Jupiter and his two leaders put on their headphones, settled in, and went to sleep. Apollo wished he could sleep so easily.

  Two days later, he was sitting in the meeting room with Zeus and Jupiter. He watched them examining each other and looking for strengths and weaknesses. Jupiter reminded him of Zeus at that age in many ways. Jupiter didn’t look like him physically, he had deep green eyes and dirty blond hair, though he was nearly as tall and broad as Zeus. Once Jupiter was through growing, he would match Zeus in size.

  “I’m glad you accepted our offer and came to visit us,” Zeus said diplomatically.

  “I thought you might help me to understand my options when it comes to me and my gods. I also wanted to offer you our assistance in freeing our brothers who remain in the hands of Origin,” Jupiter said with a slight incline of his head to acknowledge Zeus’s words. Apollo had no intention of doing anymore than listening unless called upon by Zeus. He had to admit he was impressed with the way Jupiter was handling the meeting with Zeus. He was a grown male, no callow youth, in the eyes of all present. He was earning respect by the way he was shouldering this responsibility.

  “First I thought we might discuss the place you came from. It has already been taken by the local government and they tell us they intend to keep it. It isn’t an option, but we were able to get some money for part of the cache of weapons, tools, and etc. that Origin stored there and I have set up an account with a portion of those funds for you and your gods. Unfortunately, it is only five grand and not enough to do much with.”

  “I thank you for sharing that with us. It was enough that you managed to free us, but I am aware that it takes money to survive. What are our options?”

  “The younger members, those under twelve are minors in the eyes of any law. Here at Olympus we allow those twelve and over to make their own choices, but our mates so far have not been approving of that. I
fear they will change that now that it effects real children. I would offer those of you twelve and above a place to live and a chance to make your own decisions but those under twelve need to live in a family of some sort. Look at it as the chance for our younger brothers to have a better life than any of us did at that age.”

  “What families could they join?”

  “We have four mated couples and three single females with children. You’ll all have a thousand brother/father figures in your lives, but for the young ones, they need the love of a mother.”

  “I’ll admit I can understand the appeal of having a mother if the shows Origin allowed us to watch are anything to go by.”

  “Let me radio Sierra, she wants to meet you.” Zeus called to let her know she could come in and the door flew open. She ran in, her eyes alighting on Jupiter immediately. Zeus and Apollo stood, so Jupiter did as well.

  Sierra jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. He flushed and it was clear to Apollo that Jupiter was taken with her as a man not a boy. Zeus seemed to draw the same conclusion for he pulled her into his arms. Apollo laughed to himself as he saw the glazed look the young god had on his face. Apollo remembered the first time Origin had given them women was after their first successful mission. Jupiter was already past that point, he looked and behaved like a man fully grown in many ways. His childhood and that of a handful of the others was past the point of being redeemed. All they could do for those gods now was help them live the best way they could, respect them by putting them in the rotation for missions, and treat them as the adults they had been forced to become at a young age.

  Zeus let Jupiter go to talk to his gods, while he called a meeting with his own gods. Doc and Hades had made it back yesterday so only Ares and his team was still out. They would be back tomorrow at the latest. The room filled rapidly with gods that Zeus had summoned to the meeting before the door finally closed.