by Luke Romyn
And then the beasts came through.
We're all going to die, thought Talbot.
CHAPTER 16
Eight gryphons circled overhead. They occasionally swooped down to attack, but were generally kept at bay by the Olympian archers. The arrows sliced deep into the flesh of the huge winged beasts, and after their initial attempts to get within range to use their fiery breath were repulsed, they retreated to a safer distance. Now they seemed content to wait for an opportunity to attack which didn't involve such direct risk as flying through a hail of Olympian arrows.
Three giants, each at least three times the height of one of the Hecatonchires, lumbered forth from the rift. Despite the arrows' amazing range, they did little more than annoy the behemoths. The projectiles from the catapults were much more devastating, though, and Talbot found he was hugely thankful Wes had the forethought to reposition the massive ballistae. Each direct hit smashed the huge giants backwards - several even knocking them completely over. Unfortunately none of the impacts were enough to seriously injure the giants.
Minotaurs by the hundreds flanked the left side of the attacking force. A myriad of other fantastic creatures wove in and around the Titans. Cerberus appeared to be missing, Talbot noticed, but that wouldn't influence the battle at all. There was no way the Olympians could hold off such a horde, rapidly filling the valley as more and more poured through the rift.
As soon as the giants reached the hundred foot high battlements - which had seemed so powerful when Talbot had first glimpsed them - they would tear them to pieces like children conquering sandcastles. The battle after that would be academic: the Olympians would die.
The entire ramparts were manned with one thousand Olympian defenders. The length of wall, between the two ridges of the sharp mountain range, was around half a mile wide - long enough to make it difficult to defend against a horde numbering in the tens-of-thousands, not including the beasts attacking with them. A single giant would surely be enough to destroy the Olympian force on its own, let alone three of them together!
Talbot's mouth was dry and his knees began to shake, but he forced himself to stand strong. He glanced over at Wes as he strode through the Olympians toward him. The commando was swapping jokes with the nervous warriors and patting backs, and Talbot noticed the Australian's confidence seemed to act like a calming wave. Soldiers appeared less tense after Wes had passed, as though his confidence were somehow passed on to them through his words or actions.
"Fuck, there sure are a lot of them," said Wes when he reached Talbot's side in the center of the wall. The commando grinned. "This is going to be all sorts of fun."
Talbot shook his head, but couldn't suppress the smile spreading across his own features. Without too much surprise he realized his legs no longer felt weak.
"You ever been in love Doc?" asked Wes suddenly, surprising Talbot with the abrupt change of subject.
Talbot frowned. "Why?"
"I was in love once. Her name was Donna," replied Wes. "Hurt like hell when she slept with my best mate. After that, death don't seem too bad."
Talbot looked away, thinking about it. "I'm in love with a girl back home," he said softly. "But I've never even told her. She works with me. Her name is Suzanna."
"In love with a girl eh?" said Wes with a smirk. "Well wonders never cease. I thought you fancied me for a while there, not that I minded. I'd take it as a compliment. But this Suzanna, is she real, or do you have to inflate her first?"
Talbot chuckled despite himself. "She's real, and she's wonderful. I wish I'd had the courage to tell her."
"Tell her when we get back. I reckon you might just have the balls to do it now," said Wes.
Talbot looked at Wes and saw that he was serious. "Have you forgotten something?" he asked, indicating the enormous army approaching them. One of the catapults released another projectile which a giant ducked to avoid, and the missile crashed into the ranks of the Titans, killing a score of them.
"Well, we've gotta get rid of these guys first," said Wes with a wink, "but after that - and getting back in time to close off that Syphilis Gate thing - ask your little honey out for an ice cream or something. Whatever it is you nerds do."
Talbot laughed, his hand absently fingering the hilt of the Olympian sword in his belt. It was nowhere near as powerful as the one Chiron had given to Wes, but he felt better for having it. Not that he knew how to use a sword, but Talbot figured if something bad ran at him he could stick the pointy end into it. Apart from that he had no real idea what the hell he was doing here.
Ah well, he'd thought death was going to take him at any moment during the past week, or however long it had been since this entire thing had begun. Maybe he would survive after all. Stranger things had happened....
And then Talbot looked out at the Titans once more, thousands upon thousands of them, pushing ever closer, and his doubts returned. From this distance they seemed like ants, yet Talbot knew that up close they would prove to be devastating foes. The giants continued to push forward despite the continued assault by the catapults.
The horde was only around half a mile distant now, and the Olympian archers began to pepper them in earnest with their arrows, cutting huge swathes through the ranks. But more came through the rift behind them, and the ones who fell hardly seemed to make a dent on the overall army. The Titan troops did not run or seem to panic in any way; they merely held ranks and strode forward purposely. A distant part of Talbot's mind actually admired the invaders' fluid precision.
On the other end of the spectrum were the minotaurs, who tore forward on all fours recklessly through the hail of arrows. Some appeared more agile than the others, ducking effortlessly around the electrified projectiles, but others were not, and soon the ground was thick with half-man, half-bull corpses. They were getting decimated!
While the archers were focused on this seemingly unintelligent waste of time and resources, something else was going on. The thrust of the minotaurs was a ruse. It had effectively distracted the archers from the foes they should not have forgotten....
The gryphons.
One of the gigantic beasts swept down, plunging through the air like a bus-sized eagle. Spraying great bursts of flame, it attacked the defenders along the left side of the battlements. Around thirty Olympians were immersed in the horrific green liquid which instantly exploded into flames. Some stumbled into those close by, setting them ablaze as well. Screams echoed through the still air as others ran to save them, carrying buckets of an Olympian tree-sap known to suffocate the flames; but for many it was too late.
Talbot witnessed all this and swore. Wes barked an order, and the archers swung their aim skyward, releasing a score of arrows directly at the beast, but it swerved away before powering off into the heights, once more out of range.
"Fuck this," murmured Wes beside Talbot. He waved Zeus over. "Hey Zeus, I need something."
The leader of the Olympians raised an eyebrow at the impudent gesture, but disputes over the issue of protocol would wait for another time. He moved swiftly through the defenders upon the battlements, and Wes met him half way.
Wes spoke hurriedly, and Talbot was unable to catch the words. What he could discern, though, was that Wes was asking for a way to combat the eight gryphons who circled overhead. The archers were trying to watch both the gryphons as well as the approaching hoard of Titans. The arrows would prove most devastating against the Titans, but only if they were able to focus all of their archers in concentrated bursts. If only half could attack the Titans while the other half had to watch the skies, they would swiftly be overrun, and any tactical value the archers had would be lost.
Wes finally grinned and slapped Zeus on the shoulder, an action the leader of the Olympians seemed utterly unimpressed by. Choosing to ignore Zeus's reaction in his usual fashion, Wes called out to a dozen Olympians nearby, who swiftly followed as he raced down the stairs and off toward a large building near the huge rear gates of the city. If Talbot weren't mistaken,
it was the same building which housed the Olympian horses. What could Wes possibly want from -?
An explosion nearby brought Talbot's attention forward once more, and he saw the giants were now perhaps only three hundred yards distant. One was brushing away the smoldering embers of an Olympian catapult projectile which had smashed against its chest moments before. Hairs on the giant's chest - each as thick as two of Talbot's fingers - were still sizzling from the blast, and a black smear of ash spread all the way across the creature's huge torso. The skin itself, however, appeared untouched by the explosion, and Talbot grimaced. The powerful projectiles were nothing more than a minor deterrent to the giants.
Talbot heard a whoop from behind him, and turned to see Wes - sitting atop a saddle astride a majestic white horse - come racing out of the massive stables near the main gate. As the horse emerged fully from the stable, the twelve Olympians who had followed him also came into view, riding white horses identical to Wes's. The entire group broke into a gallop and something extended from the sides of the horses, something which unfolded and spread like... like....
Wings!
The horses each opened a set of wings as wide as a bus and leaped into the air, wings beating heavily. Wes waved the sword of Chiron as they shot straight toward the gryphons, and Talbot finally realized what Wes was doing.
He was going to assault the gryphons on their own turf. The enormous part lion, part eagle, part serpent hybrids - one of which had withstood a missile from a Harrier jet back on Earth - were about to be attacked by a crazy Australian riding a flying horse.
A part of Talbot felt sorry for the gryphons.
***
Wes grinned as the winged stallion soared into the azure sky. Nothing he'd ever experienced had prepared him for the awesome rush of riding this beast, and he held Chiron's sword aloft, calling encouragement to the Olympians riding along with him. These were the warriors Zeus had said were the most suitable for this task.
He wished he'd asked Zeus about some sort of system for an airborne attack earlier, but Wes had trouble remembering that in many ways the Olympians were far more technologically advanced than humans. They were a race of people who still used swords and arrows - albeit swords and arrows of power beyond anything he had seen before - and a part of Wes refused to believe they could be as highly developed, as these guys were. He had to keep reminding himself that Olympia was ahead of Earth in many ways; they just did things differently.
He was in the air now, riding the coolest thing he'd ever imagined. The winged horses expertly trained, responding to the minutest instruction of his legs, and Wes felt like he'd been born for this moment. He'd ridden horses from childhood, and this was merely a variation of that.
And it was super cool!
The wind rushed through his hair and straight up the leather kilt he wore, causing Wes to grin once more. The gryphons circled above, however, and the smile vanished, replaced with a look of such predatory focus it would make any man take a step back. Wes wasn't facing men this time; he was facing creatures which looked like they could chew through him without even thinking about it. The sword in his hand felt like a battery-powered toothpick in comparison.
But he had no choice in the matter. These creatures would tear the Olympians apart before a single Titan reached the walls if they were left unchecked. The demonstration of their ability to blow fire at will terrified Wes more than he would ever admit to anyone, himself included, but he knew he had to be the one to face them. He was the only one who stood a chance against them.
Plus he got to ride a pegasus! He grinned maniacally once more.
Wes signaled the riders with him, and in unison they angled to the west of where the 'flock' of gryphons lazily flew in circles, gazing down at the battle below and waiting for a chance to attack. The huge beasts hadn't seen the riders yet, and Wes swiftly formulated a plan.
The group flew away from the gryphons, always angling to the left and toward the beautiful red sun slowly dipping to the horizon. When they'd reached the appropriate distance and angle, Wes shouted an order to the Olympians, and they wheeled their flying mounts around -
And charged!
Thirteen winged horses bearing Olympian warriors shot through the air, dropping silently toward the unsuspecting gryphons. With the sun behind the attackers, they were virtually invisible in the open sky, even against creatures used to being the ultimate hunters in the sky.
But there was a better hunter in the skies this day, and his name was Wes.
Wes directed the pegasus with his knees, aiming for the largest of the gryphons. It looked up at the last moment, realizing the danger too late. A single slash with Chiron's sword completely severed the beast's right wing, and a reverse plunge scythed through the thick throat even before the gryphon began to fall, deader than dreadlocks.
Wes spun in his saddle. His fellow riders hadn't been able to replicate his successful attack. White feathers - some flecked with red - fluttered down, and Wes followed their track to see six of the twelve riders and their winged mounts falling through the air, crashing into the Titan troops below.
The other six had managed minor wounds on the seven remaining gryphons, but none sported anything more serious than superficial injuries. Not a single one of their attacks had been enough to significantly slow one of the huge beasts down. As he brought his flying horse fully around, Wes saw a gryphon's beak snap over the head of another pegasus, severing it with a wrench. The rider leaped forward valiantly, stabbing his Olympian sword deep into the eye of the gryphon who flicked its head to the left, causing the warrior to spin through the sky before falling, screaming, to the battlefield almost a mile below.
The gryphon soon followed, blood pouring from the wound to its eye. It flipped and turned through the air, its horrific screech warning the Titans below right before it crashed into the ground with an earth-shuddering thud.
Six more gryphons to go. And only four riders were left supporting Wes.
Four?
Wes glanced around and saw charred feathers drifting through the air. The charred and still burning remains of another rider and his pegasus, green flames hungrily eating through the few remaining feathers on its wings, spiraled downward, dropping like a stone.
"Fuck this," growled Wes, angling his mount toward one of the gryphons to the left of the aerial battle and urging the pegasus into a flying charge.
Coming close to the huge beast, Wes sheathed Chiron's sword and stood up in the saddle. As he came alongside the gryphon he leaped off the pegasus and onto its lower back, scrabbling for a handhold in among the combination of lion's fur and eagle's feathers. Wes managed to find a grip just as the enormous creature realized he was there and flipped midair, plummeting slightly in its attempt to dislodge him. Wes held on and when it righted itself he slowly clawed his way forward, heading for the creature's eagle-like head.
It took Wes something of an eternity to reach the gryphon's head, where he looped his legs around the thick neck and pulled the feathers on the side of its head, attempting to steer the creature to the right. Finally the creature responded to his rudimentary guidance and angled back toward the five other gryphons which were now closing in on the two remaining Olympian riders.
Wes angled his gryphon behind the rest of the pack. Once he felt he was close enough, he drew his sword and slapped the gryphon on the top of its beak with the flat of the blade. The first two tries resulted in the beast shaking its head, almost throwing him off, but the third caused it to open its beak and emit a shriek in protest.
The commando spotted it instantly - the large sack holding the flammable chemicals which, when mixed with oxygen, created the beast's flammable breath. Wes jabbed down into the sack with the tip of his sword, and the gryphon instinctively convulsed and spewed out the liquid, spraying green flame straight ahead...
...directly over the gryphons flying in a rough line, blindly pursuing the remaining Olympians.
Wes hauled the creature's head to the left a
nd right, completely engulfing the five beasts in front of him in the flames. Screeching filled the air, and the huge beasts crashed into each other, clawing and snapping in a blind panic, tearing each other to shreds. Wes laughed out loud....
Until he realized what was about to happen.
With the gryphons no longer flying at full pace, the one he was riding swiftly caught up and Wes was forced to leap clear mere moments before it crashed into the whole snapping inferno. The gryphon he'd been riding was engulfed in flames as it smashed heavily into the entire group of beasts. All six of the enormous creatures instantly dropped from the sky.
Wes, however, had no time to enjoy the success of his improvised plan. He plummeted through the air, cursing the effectiveness of gravity, with absolutely no chance of survival. Falling from a mile up in the sky without a parachute usually ended up with something dead, and this time it would be him.
Wes frantically fought down panic and tried to think of something - anything - which might save him, but his mind came up blank. He was about to die.
Shit.
Just as Wes was about to give up, he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He twisted around just in time to throw his left arm out and grab a hold -
- of Talbot's outstretched arm, riding atop Wes's pegasus!
The beautiful creature swooped in, wrenching Wes's arm out of the socket in the process, but stopping him from a fall which would result in Wes becoming much, much flatter. The commando scrambled up painfully until he was sitting behind Talbot, who was also cradling his right arm as through it had been put out of joint.
"How the hell did you do that?" asked Wes, glancing around and seeing the remaining two riders swooping down into flanking positions on either side of them.
