Beyond Hades
Page 23
"Damn," muttered Talbot. "When did that happen?"
Prometheus looked at him quizzically. "Mere hours ago. Our physicians have been trying to aid him, but it does not look good. I was trying to find others from his group when I came across the two of you. I take it you were not with him?"
"Of course not," responded Talbot absently, his eyes returning to Kerberos as it trotted over to him and sniffed his dangling hand before going over to Wes who squatted down and scratched the beast behind one of its ears. The serpent tail swung happily from side to side, and Kerberos trotted back inside. Only Wes could make a demonic dog do such a thing.
"I will take you to him," said Prometheus.
They strode swiftly through the thick gates and into the central boulevard of the city. The buildings were simple structures made of a hybridized cross between stone and wood. The buildings themselves were of a gigantic scale, stretching high into the sky. The other denizens must be of equal stature to his and Wes's guide. Moments later an enormous woman with lidless eyes of swirling blue poked her head from her front door, took one look at the strangers and promptly slammed it shut again.
"Hmm. Friendly folks, aren't they?" muttered Wes.
Several others exhibited reactions similar to the first woman, as they made their way through the streets, and Talbot began to think these were a people scared beyond measure; almost as though they'd spent too long seeing things which were not meant to be.
"How long have you been here, Prometheus?" Talbot asked, skipping slightly to keep up with the Titan's elongated stride.
Prometheus glanced down at him, his features hard. "We were expelled from Gaia one generation ago."
Talbot understood the tension in Prometheus's response. He had said it took more than a generation for the mutations of this world to take effect in their offspring, and they were swiftly approaching the time when the mutations in their children would begin to take over.
Prometheus didn't divert from the main thoroughfare and swiftly escorted them straight to a towering four-storey structure, its thick stairs carved directly into the hillside leading up to the strange-looking building. The narrow, window-like slits across the front of the structure, its thick, reinforced doors and the wide space cleared around the front of it suggested it had been designed with defense in mind.
Hauling open the front doors, Prometheus strode inside. Talbot and Wes followed, pausing slightly just inside the entryway. Talbot had stopped to take in the simple majesty of the reception area, whereas Wes appeared to be ascertaining the threat level of the room.
The ceiling rose to the height of two floors - perhaps five floors when compared to a conventional human building - and a single enormous staircase faced them. Four doorways exited the room on the ground level, one close to each corner. The design was so otherworldly in its construction that it drew the eye to every facet of it.
Rather than looking like it had been tacked together by nails or fastened by something similar, the entire building appeared to have been molded from solid things, much as clay is formed by the hands of a master potter. Nothing appeared contrived, and the overall effect was one of intense harmony. For all their fearsome size, Talbot was beginning to think the Titans might prefer avoiding violence.
Perhaps that was how the Olympians had defeated them, forcing them from their home world and into this barren, hellish place.
Another Titan, a woman with swirling green eyes - or what passed for eyes in this place - met them just inside the main doors. Prometheus spoke quietly to her, finally nodding and turning back to Talbot and Wes.
"This is Themis, my cousin. She will take you to your brother. I have been called away for urgent business, but will meet with you after. I apologize for any rudeness." He bowed and departed swiftly up the stairs.
Themis turned and moved up the stairs, but Talbot and Wes slowed her progress, practically having to jump up each step in order to overcome their two-foot pitch. At the top, Themis led them left and through a heavy door, moving swiftly down a long hallway and through another series of doors before stopping outside one.
"Your brother is in here with one of our surgeons," said Themis softly, her voice musical. "But his wound is terrible. He may not survive."
Talbot nodded, steeling himself for the worst. His brother had died once already in his mind, he figured he could handle it if he lost him again. Themis opened the door, allowing him to enter, motioning for Wes to wait with her, and then closing the door behind him.
The last thing Talbot heard before the door clicked shut behind him was Wes asking Themis, "So, what's your story, gorgeous?"
***
A thin male Titan wearing light-colored clothes splashed with bright red blood looked up as Talbot entered. Talbot merely gave him a passing glance before looking at the frail figure lying in the center of the enormous, Titan-sized bed.
It was Thomas, his skin a tinge of gray which bespoke substantial loss of blood.
A small part of Talbot had hoped Prometheus had been wrong, that it'd been someone else wounded, but it was indeed his twin brother. Identical eyes to his own looked out from the sunken sockets of his brother's skull, and the surgeon backed out of the room unnoticed. Talbot moved to the side of the bed and climbed onto it, gripping his brother's hand. It was cold and clammy.
"What happened, Thomas?" he asked.
His brother's mouth moved, but only a croaking sound came out. Talbot saw a cup containing water beside the bed which he picked up and lifted to Thomas's lips. His brother took a deep sip and looked partially better, but Talbot knew the end couldn't be too far away.
"They lied to me, Talbot," rasped Thomas, his voice little more than a whisper. "They said they wanted to find out if there was a threat to our world here, and then when they opened the rift they said the only way to close it was from this side. I was such an idiot."
"What happened?"
"They brought me in when they discovered the Syrpeas Gate in Atlantis. At the time I never questioned how they knew I spoke the Elder-tongue, but I realized after that they had been watching me for a very long time...." Thomas took a huge gasp of air. "They've been planning this... for ages. There's something here they wanted, some kind of... power source which will secure America's dominance over the world for centuries to come.
"In any case..., I helped them to open the gate," continued Thomas, his breath rattling between his lips. "I knew more by the time we opened it, but I was too scared to stand up to them. That minotaur which broke through the first time damaged some stuff, and when they said we couldn't close the gate from Earth, I just went along with it."
Thomas broke into a coughing fit, blood spraying from his gray lips. Talbot grabbed a cloth and dabbed at his lips once the coughing subsided.
"They knew there was something here, Talbot. They made us come through to find it, but once we got... to the gates of this city, Kerberos knew the soldiers planned on stealing from the Titans, and he attacked them, causing them to flee. He turned on me also, but I had studied some ancient script using the Elder-tongue which had explained a language of such simplicity it could sometimes be used to placate the beasts of this world - a world our people erroneously thought was either Hades or a kind of hell, but is in fact Tartarus."
Talbot nodded silently, unwilling to break the momentum of his brother's speech.
"Anyway," continued Thomas, "one of the stray bullets must have hit me, because right after those bastards left me, I collapsed... and the Titans brought me here. These people are peaceful, Talbot, and they've been persecuted. First by the Olympians, and then by our people who thought they could steal their most sacred artifact. You must help them!"
There was so much power in Thomas's plea that Talbot had to look away.
"How can I help them?" Talbot asked helplessly.
"Give them guidance," rasped Thomas. "They are a race of people strong in body, but weak in aggression. This is something to be applauded, but holds them back when dealing with issue
s of violence. You must help them to retake their home world; to return to Gaia before their children become beasts such as those of this world."
At mention of the beasts, Talbot remembered Earth's dilemma. "How do I close the rifts, Thomas? They've fractured and now creatures are breaking through into Earth from here."
Thomas drew in another rattling breath, his skin looking increasingly more sallow by the moment. "There is no way to close the rifts from this land," Thomas said, his words barely audible. "They lied to us both, it seems.... They want the power these people possess, but they'll never get their hands on it. The only way to close off the power of the rifts is through the mechanisms in Atlantis."
Talbot looked away. "Another minotaur broke through when they tried to open the rift for me and it destroyed the base. I'm pretty sure Atlantis is completely flooded again."
Thomas looked horrified, his weak breathing coming in choked gasps. "Then all is lost...." Blood began to flow steadily from the corner of Thomas' mouth, and Talbot moved to call for help, but was forestalled by the sudden intense power of his brother's grip on his forearm.
"Save them, Talbot...," his brother gasped. "Save these people, they have done no harm to any -"
The words stopped, cut short as breath ceased flowing into his brother's lungs. Talbot looked down helplessly before crying out for help with all his might. The door exploded inwards, and Wes charged through, followed closely by Themis. They reached the bedside swiftly, but Talbot knew it was too late.
His brother was gone. Again.
Wes had to pry Thomas's fingers from their grip on Talbot's arm, such was the intensity of his brother's final wish, a wish he had begged Talbot to secure. Talbot glanced at Themis, seeing the sorrow upon the Titan's brow, and made his decision.
"I want you to go and find Prometheus," he said. "Gather your leaders, we need to discuss something."
"What are you talking about?" asked Themis, her voice tremulous.
Talbot's face was set, his emotions controlled. He held the gaze of the Titan, staring deep into her swirling eyes for several moments before responding.
"We're going to war," he said, his voice full of venom. "We're going to convince your leaders to go to war against the Olympians."
***
"What the hell are you playing at?" Wes hissed at Talbot.
Prometheus had finally been convinced to gather the leaders of the Titans. They were in a simple room with two lounge-type chairs and a low table - low for the Titans, of course. It was shoulder-high for Wes and Talbot, the chairs chest-high, which they had to jump to get into.
"We need to retake Olympia," replied Talbot calmly. "People have been playing us from the start. It's time we take matters into our own hands, and the first step is to put the Titans back in their home world - a land the Olympians forced them from. Then we have to return to Earth and devise a way to get back into Atlantis -"
"Atlantis is swimming beneath an ocean of fish shit," interrupted Wes.
"I know that, and it's a big issue, but not one for now. Our first course of action is to put these people back in their home. They have a power my brother spoke of, something our own leaders were attempting to get their hands on. It may be they can assist us by using this power, it may not. Regardless, we will do this thing for one simple reason."
"And what's that?" asked Wes.
"Because it's the right thing to do," replied Talbot. "You know that. I saw it in your eyes when Prometheus told us his story. Beneath your cocky arrogance beats the heart of a man who strives to do what he perceives is right. I need your help on this, Wes. Not simply because it might aid us in the long run - indeed it may not - but because these people need our help. Do I have to remind you that Prometheus saved our lives out there?"
"Hmm. Good point," said Wes. "Okay, let's say I agree to help these buggers, what do you suggest we do? I've got a sword. You've got nothing except your sparkling wit and a newfound sense of bravery - which I like, by the way. But it won't conquer a race of people smart enough to open doorways between dimensions."
"My brother told me these people aren't fighters, that they lack the aggression required to win a conflict."
"Well, that makes a great argument for not pushing them into a war," argued Wes.
"Don't you see? They're going to die. Maybe not this generation or the next, but pretty soon they're going to start mutating into things like those things that have been attacking us. They're terrified, and I don't blame them. Can you imagine knowing something like that was going to happen to your family?"
Wes looked away, an unreadable expression upon his face. "What do you suggest?" he asked, no trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"There must be some way to motivate them into trying to retake their own planet. Surely there's something we can offer by way of advice which will help push them toward the right course of action."
Wes thought about it for a moment. "You give them one of your little speeches like that one, and I reckon you'll convince them. They might be a bunch of sissies, but they also want to go home. Remind them of that, and you'll persuade them to fight."
Talbot was unsure of Wes's reaction, but had to take him at his word. The two waited, resting until Prometheus returned to them.
"It took some convincing," said Prometheus, his stoic demeanor and unblinking, smoky-black eyes not betraying the excitement his voice conveyed, "but they have agreed to meet in council. The fact that there was an abnormal birthing today has possibly swayed them as well."
"Abnormal birthing?" asked Talbot.
"Yes, the first of its kind. A child chewed its way clear of its mother, killing her in the process." The words were delivered blankly, but Talbot caught the horror floating within them. Wes swore softly beside him.
They followed Prometheus through a myriad of corridors until they once more arrived at the central entrance hall. All three descended the stairs to the ground floor, and Prometheus led them to one of the corner doors, closest to the front of the building. They passed through it and Talbot almost froze.
Packed into the huge room were several hundred Titans, some with children or even babies. Every Titan had smoky, swirling eyes similar to Prometheus, but in varying colors, and all those blank, lidless gazes were turned toward Talbot as he entered the hall, seeming to peer deep into his soul.
He looked straight ahead and saw six male Titans, arranged behind a long table upon a high dais at the front of the room facing the crowd. It took Talbot a moment to realize how much like a courtroom this looked, the six Titans arrayed like judges. His nerve threatened to fail, and Talbot felt the tremors of uncertainty begin in his knees.
Now was not the time for rethinking his strategy, however, and Talbot swallowed his fear, striding confidently to the front of the room and facing the six elders.
Prometheus stopped beside Talbot on his left, Wes slightly behind him on the right. "The one in the center is Lord Kronos, leader of our people," whispered Prometheus.
Kronos was a middle-aged, powerful-looking Titan, his eyes like storm clouds. His salt and pepper beard flowed down over his chest, but his hair was cropped above his ears and curly like Prometheus's. This man bore the mantle of leadership like a beacon, and Talbot swiftly decided to address him alone.
"Lord Kronos," he said loudly enough for the entire hall to hear. "I have come from a land called Earth, like my brother Thomas, who recently died in this very house. We -" he indicated Wes, "- are here on a mission to close the rift gates my people inadvertently opened while trying to come to this world to steal some elusive power from your people."
A great murmuring sounded throughout the room, only silenced when Kronos held up his hand. The mutterings quickly dispelled.
"My companion and I didn't come here for that power," continued Talbot quickly. "We only want to close the gates which others opened in ignorance. If we don't close them, there is a great likelihood that all our dimensions will merge into one and everything we know will be destroyed."
Talbot turned to look around the room at the citizens of this foreign city, torn from their home world and thrown into this hellish realm against their will. He thought he saw the spark of hope in some faces as the importance of his words began to sink in, but many were equally struck with fear. These were a people who didn't trust easily, and despite their size, they were not aggressive. These Titans exuded nothing of the warlike tendencies Talbot recalled from the random tales of Greek mythology Thomas had told him when they were younger, or the snippets he'd acquired from his work as an archaeologist.
From what Talbot recalled, the Titans had ruled before the Greek gods had come into existence. There were six elder gods - possibly the same six seated before him; he was sure Kronos was among those named - as well as some others who had gone to war against Zeus and the Greek gods. In fact, as he thought about it, Talbot seemed to remember something about Zeus being Kronos's son, but pushed the thought aside for the moment.
All the things which were now taught as myths had emerged from these creatures along with the others they had already encountered. Surely the stories were twisted and expanded upon retelling over the centuries, but they were based upon fact. He could imagine the Olympic gods warping the truth about the Titans in order to make their own role seem less horrific upon retelling.
But on reflection, Talbot was troubled. He could accept that these creatures had been displaced from their home, but Zeus had not seemed the kind of man to send these people to their doom. And Heracles had sacrificed himself in order for them to continue in their quest. The Olympian had died in the most horrific manner Talbot could imagine in order for them to have some sort of success in their mission.
Could it all have simply been a ruse just to get him and Wes to leave Olympia? And what about the rifts? Doubt began to creep into the corners of Talbot's mind like mildew in an attic.