And then, as quickly as they’d appeared, the five Olympian gods were gone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
We left the cave and called Hypatia, who created a portal for us back to Darius’s house. We caught them up on everything that had happened in the cave, and collected the statue of Kate from where we’d been keeping it in the basement.
Looking at Kate in her current condition never got easier. Her hands were raised in front of her, as if she was trying to hide from Medusa’s gaze. Her eyes were wide—terrified—and her mouth was open in mid-scream. Her entire face was twisted in torment. I hoped that her last moment hadn’t been painful, but looking at the statue, it was impossible to convince myself that that was the case.
Chris used his power to float Kate’s statue onto a rolling platform. Then Hypatia created a portal to the cave, and we all went through, bringing Kate with us.
I’d expected the golden puddle of ichor—all that remained of Rachael—to still be there. But it was gone. Hopefully Hades had chosen to send her soul to Elysium—the section of the Underworld most similar to Heaven.
Darius stepped up to the basin, studying the golden liquid inside. “Incredible,” he said, his eyes lighting up as he took it in. “In all my years, I never once dreamed that I would actually see ambrosia—the nectar of the gods.”
“Don’t get too close,” I warned him. “I doubt any of us would fall in, but after what happened to Rachael… we can’t be too careful.” I shuddered, slammed again by the memory of Rachael melting from the inside out.
“We must be deep in the Cave of Antiparos,” Hypatia observed, looking around. “The cave is open to tourists, and has been explored since the time of the ancients. But this section of it is untouched by mortals.”
“There’s much more to the cave than this,” I added. “When we first found it, it was through a different portal—one in the woods close to the school. We had to figure our way down a hundred foot cliff and across a lake of boiling water—all so we could find the Book of Shadows, which was waiting for us in this room.”
It was hard to believe that had only been a few months ago. We’d been through so much since then that it felt like so much longer. Back then, I was so inexperienced with my powers. It was crazy to think about how far I’d come—how far we all had come.
“Even in those other sections, the cave showed no signs of anyone else having been there,” Danielle pointed out. “The articles I found online about the Cave of Antiparos said that it had been fully explored. So the parts of the cave that we’ve seen must be hidden to humans.”
“That would make sense,” Jason said. “I’m sure the gods didn’t want humans stumbling upon the portal to Kerberos. But we don’t have time to further investigate that right now. Because we’re here for one reason—to save Kate.”
“Yes,” I said, glancing back over at the statue of my friend. I hoped beyond all hope that this would work. Despite Kate’s fate with Medusa, I never accepted that she was gone, and I didn’t think the others had, either. Now was the time of truth. If the apotheosis didn’t work, we would have to face the fact that Kate was gone forever.
I was hopeful, excited, and terrified at the same time.
“Before we start, I would like us to do a meditation,” Darius said. “As you know, green energy represents success and luck. I think we can all agree that those are things that Kate could benefit from right now. So let’s gather around her statue, hold hands, and direct green energy toward her.”
We formed a circle around her—Blake on one side of me, Danielle on the other. I grabbed both of their hands and closed my eyes, reminded of a similar exercise we did months ago, when we meditated under the Olympian Comet. I never could have guessed that that one night would have been so pivotal.
Back then, my biggest concerns had been getting the top spot on the tennis team and wondering if my crush returned my feelings. I’d never seen death, and I certainly never thought that I would ever kill a living creature. Now, so much had changed. I’d fought and killed to save the lives of people I loved. I’d seen people die. I’d been given so much responsibility, and I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. If we failed at this quest, the world as I knew it wouldn’t exist anymore.
But I couldn’t let myself think about that right now. Because right now there was only one thing I needed to focus on—making sure Kate’s apotheosis went as smoothly as possible.
I cleared my mind and focused on green energy, feeling its presence rolling over my skin and pulling it into my body. It filled me, bright and warm, and I gathered it until it felt like it was about to burst out of me.
Then, unable to contain it anymore, I sent all of it out toward Kate.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Once finished, I opened my eyes, and we let go of each other’s hands.
“It’s time to begin the apotheosis.” Hypatia swallowed—I could tell she was nervous—and her gaze was fixed on Kate.
Chris raised his arms, using his power to levitate Kate’s statue and fly it over to the basin until it hovered over the ambrosia. “Are you all ready?” he asked.
I reached for Blake’s hand, nervous about what was going to happen next. This was the moment of truth. If everything went well, Kate would be with us again.
If everything didn’t go well… I refused to think about that unless it happened. This had to work. The gods wouldn’t have led us in this direction otherwise.
“We’re ready,” Danielle said, and I echoed her sentiment along with the others.
I didn’t truly think there was ever a way to feel ready for something like this, but we were as close as we would ever be.
Slowly, Chris lowered the statue of Kate into the ambrosia. First her feet, then her legs, her body, and her head, until she was gone—submerged completely below the liquid.
I held my breath, making my way over to the basin to peer over the edge. The surface of the ambrosia was flat—there was no clue that the statue of Kate was in there. It was so flat that I could see my reflection in it.
Then it started to bubble—small bubbles, as if simmering to a boil. The bubbles were directly over the place where we’d lowered Kate into the liquid. The bubbles grew and grew until it looked like the ambrosia was boiling completely.
I clenched my fists, looking down at the ambrosia in fear. What if Kate was down there melting, like what had happened to Rachael? If that’s what was happening to her, how would we even know? The ambrosia was the same color as the ichor—gold. Kate could be drowning and terrified and have no idea where she was or what was happening.
She could be dying painfully, and she would be alone.
“We have to help her.” I jerked my head up to look at Chris and pointed at the ambrosia. “Pull her out of there! Now!”
Chris held his hands out, as if about to do it, but he hesitated. “What if it’s working?” he asked. “What if that’s happening because Kate’s transitioning into a goddess?”
“The process has already started,” Blake said, confident and strong. “If it’s not working… there won’t be anything we can do for her at this point. We have to wait and hope for the best.”
I nodded, since I knew he was right. It was just torture, standing here and waiting, not knowing what was happening to Kate beneath the ambrosia.
Maybe nothing was actually happening at all. Maybe our idea to dunk the statue of Kate in the ambrosia was stupid. Because as far as we knew, the ambrosia had to be drank to take effect. We’d been hoping that by dunking her, it would absorb into her body, but since this had never been done before there was no way to know for sure.
Then there was a rumbling from deep in the basin, and a shadow crept up to the surface. Kate. She rose slowly—first the top of her head, and the rest of her followed.
The ambrosia rolled off of her, like oil on water, revealing a version of Kate that was more beautiful than ever before. She wasn’t stone anymore. She looked different than I remembered her, but she was alive.
I stared at her, taking in her changed appearance. Her previously freckled skin was now smooth and flawless. Her hair blew around her face, its previous ash brown color now tinted with a stunning auburn. Her green eyes sparkled more than ever, as if made of actual emeralds. She wore the same green dress than she’d worn when we fought Medusa, and it billowed around her, making her look like a piece of artwork come to life.
She hovered atop the golden liquid and slowly floated forward, her feet landing gently on the ground. She blinked and looked at each of us, her expression a mix of confusion and awe.
“Kate?” I said her name softly. “It’s really you?”
“Yes.” Her voice was more melodic than ever, and she raised her hands in front of her, flexing them and examining them. “What’s going on?” She sounded dazed, and she looked back up at us, her eyes sparkling with confusion. “What happened to me?”
“It’s a long story.” Chris beamed and ran up to her, wrapping his arms around her in a huge hug. He finally pulled away, the grin still on his face, and said, “But we’re glad to have you back.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jason created a portal for us back to Darius’s house, and once there, Kate changed out of her fancy dress and into jeans and a t-shirt that she had in the basement for training. She looked more normal in regular clothing, but there was still en ethereal glow around her that made it clear that she was different—that reminded us that she was now a goddess.
Once we’d all freshened up, we sat down in the living room and caught Kate up on everything that had happened since Medusa had turned her to stone.
“Thank you for saving me,” she said once we were finished. “But… you performed the apotheosis process without a god present at the ceremony?”
“The gods were there before the ceremony,” I reminded her. “When they gave Helios his punishment. Once Helios was taken care of, they gave us their blessing and left to deal with other matters.”
“Hm.” Kate gazed out the window, appearing deep in thought.
“How does it feel to be a goddess?” Chris asked her, pulling her attention back to us. “Do you feel different? You definitely look different. In a good way, of course.” He smiled, a tint of red crawling up his neck and reaching his cheeks.
“I don’t feel too much different,” she said, holding her arms out in front of her and examining them. “I seem to have the same level of control over my element that I did when I was mortal. But I am worried that a god wasn’t present during the ceremony.” She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes full of worry. “Stealing ambrosia to turn someone into a goddess without another god present is a hugely punishable offense. I know the gods are busy right now with the threat of Typhon and the Titans on the horizon, but once they figure out what I am now…” She shuddered, sheer terror on her smooth features. “I’m scared about what they might decide to do with me.”
“Athena gave us her blessing,” I reminded her, resting my hand on hers in an attempt to calm her down. “She wouldn't have given her blessing if she meant to punish us for following through without another god there with us.”
Then the air next to Kate shimmered, and someone appeared on the couch next to her—Athena. She wore the same jeans and t-shirt as earlier, and besides her gray eyes, it was easy to tell that she and Kate were related.
“Athena?” Kate spoke her name, her mouth open in shock.
“Yes.” The gray-eyed goddess nodded and scooted closer to her. “I’m so thrilled to see that the apotheosis was successful.”
“You mean you’re not mad?” Kate asked. “You’re not going to punish us for going through with the process without a god by our side?”
“I couldn’t do that, since you did have a god by your side the entire time,” she said, smiling mischievously. “I was there with you in that cave, although I hid myself from sight. After all, I gave my blessing. And while I doubted anything would go wrong, not many survive the apotheosis process, so I wanted to be there just in case you needed my assistance. Luckily, it succeeded on its own. Congratulations.”
“Wow… thank you,” Kate said, and then she looked around at all of us. “And thank you all so much for doing this for me. That time spent trapped inside the stone…” She shivered, as if the memories chilled her to the bone. “I was conscious the whole time I was in there, but I couldn’t see or hear anything, and I couldn’t move. I was terrified that I would be stuck like that forever. I know I was only in there for a few days, but it felt like an eternity…”
“Well, you’re back with us now,” Chris said. “That’s what matters.”
“Yes,” Kate agreed. “When I was trapped in there, I wished that someone would shatter my statue, to set my soul free. I wonder if that would have worked? Or would I have just been trapped in the pieces forever?”
“Shattering Medusa’s statues will not free the souls,” Athena confirmed. “If that happens, the soul would be shattered as well. And while no soul can ever be gone forever, being shattered into pieces is as close to permanently gone that could ever exist.”
“The only way to free the soul is by submerging the stone in the ambrosia?” Danielle asked.
“Yes,” Athena said. “Although, Kate’s case was a rare one. For the majority—if not all—of Medusa’s statues, the apotheosis process would kill them.”
“But their souls would be brought to the Underworld,” Kate said. “Correct?”
“That’s correct.” Athena nodded.
“Then after we defeat Typhon and stop the Titans, I’m going to make it my personal mission to free all the souls that Medusa’s trapped.” Kate straightened, her eyes gleaming with determination. “With your permission, of course. I understand that their apotheosis won’t be successful, but they deserve to be free to go to the Underworld.”
“I’ll help you,” I said, and the others chimed in that they would help as well.
“I think that sounds like a fantastic plan, and I gladly give my blessing,” Athena said. “But on the note of Typhon, I think it’s time that I take my leave. After all, you don’t have much longer until he rises from Mount Etna.”
“Five days,” Blake said. “That’s all the time we have until the spring equinox.”
“Not very long at all,” Athena said. “But the five of you are more than capable. I haven’t witnessed heroes like you since the days of Hercules and Jason.”
“Thank you,” Kate said. “Being compared to the great heroes of the ancient times—I never dreamed anyone would say that about me. It means a lot. But… before you leave, I do have one more question.”
Athena said nothing, simply nodding for Kate to continue.
“What should I expect now that I’m a goddess?” she asked. “I’ve tested out my powers, and they don’t feel any different. I can still access my element, but not any stronger than I could before.”
“That’s to be expected, since the apotheosis process turns mortals into minor goddesses,” Athena explained. “You will never be nearly as powerful as myself or the other Olympians—or the Titans, for that matter—who were all born from two godly parents. You will, however, have the same powers that you did while you were mortal, along with immortality and eternal youth. And since you’re a descendant of mine this probably doesn’t need saying, but I hope you use this gift wisely.”
“I will,” Kate said. “I promise.”
“Also, every god has something they stand for—something they represent and lead over,” Athena added. “For me, that’s wisdom and battle strategy. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, Ares is the god of war, Hades is the god of the Underworld, and so forth. Now that you’ve been given this gift, it’s your responsibility to choose one original cause to take under your wing and make your own.”
“Do I need to choose now?” Kate asked. “Because I would like some time to think about it…”
“You do not need to choose immediately.” Athena placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder, the gesture motherly and kind.
“Just keep the thought in the back of your mind, as the sooner you choose, the better.”
“Understood,” Kate said, her eyes serious.
“But I know you have more pressing matters to worry about right now—such as Typhon—so it’s truly time for me to leave.” Athena stood up and studied each of us, as if sizing up if we were ready for what was coming. “I give you my blessing in the trials ahead, and wish you the best of luck.”
Her body shimmered, slowly fading from view, and then she was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The next few days were spent training, vanquishing creatures that came through the portal, and strategizing for the upcoming fight with Typhon. School had been put on the back burner. After missing so many days, I would most likely have to go to summer school, but I would deal with that when it came to it.
What little free time I had was spent with my family, catching them up on what had happened in my absence and assuring them that we had this under control. As always, I left out the scariest parts of the story when I caught them up, as I didn’t want to worry them any more than necessary. All that mattered was that we would succeed, and they and everyone else in the world would be safe.
And if the worst happened and we didn’t succeed… hopefully the end of the world would come so quickly that no one would know any differently.
We were finishing up training on Friday when Darius received a 911 call from Jason, who was guarding the area around the portal. The witch who had been guarding when the giants escaped had never been found, and by this point, he was presumed dead. So witches were no longer being put on guard. That job was being handled by Head Elders, who were taking turns portaling to Kinsley to work their shifts.
“A pack of dragons escaped from Kerberos,” Darius warned us after getting off the phone. “Gather the weapons you need, and hurry.”
Elementals 5: The Hands of Time Page 6
