The Eye of Zeus

by Alane Adams

  Argenta soared high, banking over the churning water as cheers went up from the shore. I tried to raise my fist in a victory sign, but a curious weakness made me dizzy. I couldn’t quite breathe. I blinked away the dark spots dancing behind my eyes. “I can’t … it’s just—”

  “Phoebe?” My father’s voice sounded concerned, as if he cared. As if the one who had sent me away, who had never wanted me, actually cared.

  It sent a sliver of warmth through the cold that leached into every pore. I clung to that warmth as I drifted away into a deep black nothingness.

  CHAPTER 41

  “Phoebe, wake up. Phoebes, come on, stop playing dead.”

  Water splashed in my face and I sputtered. My limbs felt weak and detached from my body.

  “Just let me die,” I croaked.

  “You’re not going to die,” Angie said, thrusting her face into mine.

  I blinked. “But Ares stabbed me.”

  “Yeah, well, apparently being the demigod you are, all you needed was a taste of ambrosia. Luckily, Athena had some on her, so knock it off.”

  I sat up in a fog. I had been so sure I was dying. I blinked again, clearing my vision. The wound in my side throbbed. I put a hand to it. There was already a rough scab over it.

  Zeus kneeled next to me, a twinkle in his eye.

  “So, daughter, we officially meet at last.”

  I didn’t know what to say. This was Zeus. The king of the gods.

  Dad.

  I flung my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  He patted my back. “And I am so glad that you saved me. Just as the oracle predicted.”

  I pulled back. “But I thought I was the destroyer of Olympus. That’s why you sent me away.”

  “Things here are always more complicated than they appear. The oracle told me Ares was going to betray me one day and that I would lose. There was nothing to be done. I prepared for the inevitable. Then she returned to me in secret and told me of a new prophecy she had received, one that gave me hope. An unborn daughter would one day stop Ares. If Ares had discovered that, you would have been dead before your first birthday. I had to make him believe you were a threat to me, not him, which is why I sent you away. To protect you until you were old enough to handle the challenge.”

  “You could have protected me here.”

  He shrugged. “Possible. But I couldn’t be certain. Secrets are hard to keep in a place like this. The oracle who gave me the prophecy left with you to safeguard Ares from ever discovering it.”

  I frowned. “She didn’t stick around long. Why give me the Eye of Zeus? Was that part of the prophecy, for me to bring Typhon back?”

  He barked with laughter. “No. I did it to keep it out of Ares’s hands. I had no idea you would complete it on your own, but it all turned out splendid, did it not?”

  “We let Ares escape,” I reminded. “And Typhon still lives. Those chains won’t hold him forever.”

  Zeus sighed. “That is the way things are here, child. A never-ending cycle of misery. Get used to it.” He stood up. Damian and Angie helped me to my feet.

  “May I?” He pointed at the scepter still clutched in my hand.

  I loosened my grip and handed it to him. He planted it in the ground, sending out a bolt of light that split the air, opening a jagged crack in space. Through the crack, the Erinyes appeared, carrying Ares between them.

  They threw him on the ground in front of us.

  Zeus stood over him. “Ares, my worthless son, you have broken the laws of Olympus. For that you will be punished.”

  “Where are you sending me?” Ares asked.

  “Someplace where you’ll learn your lesson.”

  “Tartarus?” He paled, dropping to his knees and grasping Zeus’s hands. “No, Father, I beg you. I am sorry. I was overcome with that stupid prophecy. I thought it was meant to be. The way of our world. But I can change.”

  “No. You can’t.” Zeus sighed. “And you will spend the next two millennia in the black depths of Tartarus thinking of what you have done. Perhaps then you will repent, and we can discuss a reprieve.”

  “Two millennia?” Ares’s eyes darkened. “You can’t be serious. My armies will rise against you. They will tear down the gates of Olympus again and again until I am freed.”

  “Your armies?” Zeus laughed. “Did you really think the king of Argos would take your side over mine? I still haven’t let him forget he put a son of mine in a box and set him adrift. And the Nemean king is less than happy your champion burned his city down. I’m afraid, Ares, you’re going to learn that war solves nothing. My sentence is that you will wake up each day and launch your battle, and each day you will lose, only to wake up the next day and fight the same battle until you learn the futility of war.”

  Ares looked stricken. “That is torment. I will not survive.”

  “You will,” Zeus said. “Come, we cannot delay. I must deliver you to my brother myself. It’s been an eternity since we caught up.”

  “Wait,” I said. “We have business with Hades. Let us come.”

  “Phoebe, the underworld is no place for children.”

  “Hades has something that belongs to a friend, and I intend to get it back,” I said firmly.

  “If you are certain.”

  “We are,” Angie said. “Macario is our friend.”

  “I’m coming too,” Apollo said. “I wish to make things right with my son.”

  “Don’t think I’m staying behind,” Athena said with a grin.

  Zeus thrust his scepter into the ground, and a massive crack opened up in the earth, forging a set of stairs that led down into darkness. No flying across the seas to a river for Zeus. He had his own private all-access pass.

  Zeus led the way, carrying the glowing scepter. We stepped out onto the lawn in front of Hades’s mansion. The river wended its way the same, but everything looked golden and rosy with the glowing sunbeams that hung in the sky.

  Cerberus guarded the gates, growling at the sight of us. His tail was stubby, but I could see a new tip growing.

  Zeus ignored the mutt and cupped a hand to his mouth. “Hades, I have a guest for you.”

  The front door to the mansion creaked open, and a familiar figure appeared.

  “Brother, it has been an age,” Hades said in that dusty voice of his. His face betrayed no emotion, but his eyes glinted with something like pleasure.

  Alekto shoved Ares forward. “Father, he has broken the sacred laws of Olympus. He is to spend two millennia in Tartarus.”

  Hades tipped his head at her, and the Erinyes lifted Ares, dragging him away. I could still hear his screams after they’d disappeared into a dark hole that opened in the front lawn.

  “What have you done with this place?” Zeus said. “All this light rather hurts the eyes, doesn’t it?”

  “I want my son’s powers back,” Apollo demanded. “You tricked him out of his sunbeams.”

  Hades flicked a piece of lint off the sleeve of his robe. “I did nothing of the sort. He traded it willingly.”

  Apollo’s eyes blazed with rage as he took a step forward, getting up into Hades’s face. “Thief.”

  Hades’s eyes glowed an ominous shade of red. “Spoiled brat.”

  The air was thick with power, as if any moment one of them was going to explode with it.

  “Enough!” Zeus chided. “Brother, tell me you don’t really want all this sunshine. You look terrible, almost healthy with that tan.”

  Hades hesitated, then shrugged. “It does get a bit annoying at times. Too bright for my eyes. I suppose I could return it on one condition.”

  “What?” I said. “Anything.”

  Damian elbowed me. “Never say that to the dark lord of the underworld.”

  “Fine, anything within reason,” I amended.

  “My brother must agree to spend one day a year here. It gets lonely,” Hades added.

  Zeus tilted his head in agreement. “It is not something you
should have to ask for. I will be happy to visit yearly—if not more.”

  Hades thrust his bony fist at the sky, closing his eyes. The sunbeams returned to his hand in golden slivers. The place went back to its gloomy visage. He held the glowing beam out to Apollo.

  Apollo clasped it, tucking it into his belt, and bowed his head. “My thanks, Hades. I am in your debt.”

  We left then, quickly returning to the surface with the help of Zeus’s scepter.

  Our pegasuses were tired but happily flew us north again to where Carl waited on the beach watering the tree, which had grown an inch or two.

  “Phoebe, is that you?” Macario’s face appeared in the trunk.

  I slipped off Athena’s helmet, tucking it under my arm, and grinned. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “And me, sun-brain,” Angie said.

  “And me,” Damian added. “You look good as a tree.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “It’s not so bad.”

  “So you don’t want your sunbeam back?” Apollo said, stepping forward. “You’ve earned it, after all.”

  “Father?” Macario’s eyes turned into round knots. “Is it really you?”

  “Yes, and I’ve been a fool. I should have taken you under my wing long ago. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to return this to you. That is, unless you want to continue being a tree. I would understand.”

  Macario’s eyes blinked. “No. I mean, I loved my mother, but being a tree is boring. I would very much like to be a demigod again.”

  “Then hold on.” Apollo took the sunbeam and sank it into the trunk. Light flared out in a golden blaze. When we blinked, Macario stood there, looking shocked as he took in his human limbs and feet, wiggling his toes in the sand.

  “I’m a boy again. It worked!”

  I hugged him, followed by Angie and Damian. When we stepped back, Macario looked at his father.

  “I’m sorry,” Apollo began, “I should have been a better father—”

  But Macario rushed forward, throwing his arms around Apollo’s waist.

  “It’s okay, Papa. You need to hear the stories. Did you hear I killed the hydra of Lerna? And the Nemean lion bowed down to me.”

  Apollo laughed, ruffling his hair. “I can’t wait to hear all your tales.”

  “Hey, kid, we need to find a way home.” Carl’s brown eyes rested on me. His mustache ruffled in the breeze.

  Behind him, Angie and Damian huddled together, saying nothing, but I could see the homesickness in their eyes.

  “You can stay, child,” Zeus said, “if that is what you wish. The prophecy has been fulfilled. There will always be more threats, but for now, this place holds no danger to you.”

  I hesitated, torn. I really wanted to return to Seriphos to talk to my mother and visit with Perseus. But Damian and Angie were looking at me as if I was tearing them apart. And Carl. They were my family too.

  “I have to go back.”

  “I understand.” Zeus squeezed my shoulder. “Do you know I named you Phoebe because it means a bright and shining light? You will always be that to me.”

  Athena stepped forward and clasped me in a hug. “Oh, sister, I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together. Just know, I am always watching over you. There will be another time for us to meet, I promise you.”

  I hugged her back, deciding I liked this big sister of mine. “This belongs to you,” I said, passing her golden helmet back. “Ares would have taken my head off without it, so thanks.”

  Angie lifted Athena’s golden armor off and handed it back, along with the shield of Aegis. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this saved my life, like, three different times. Sorry it’s got some scratches on it. That Typhon really wanted a piece of me.”

  “My brain would have been turned to mush without your shield,” Damian said. “It’s strange how you gave us each exactly what we needed.”

  “Strange indeed,” she said with a warm smile.

  Macario stood off to the side, scuffing at the ground with his sandal. His eyes were bright with tears, but he blinked them away as we encircled him.

  “Sun-brain, I’m going to miss you,” I said, giving him a hug.

  “Me too,” Angie said, wrapping her arms around us. “You’ve kind of grown on me.”

  Damian joined in, so we were wrapped in a giant hug.

  “I’ll miss all of you too,” he said, gulping. “I will count the days until we have another adventure.”

  “It is time, children.”

  Zeus stood waiting on the sand, lightning scepter in hand.

  I swiped away my tears and ruffled Macario’s hair. “Stay out of trouble.”

  “I’ll try, but you know me.”

  We said goodbye to our pegasuses. I hated to leave Argenta, but I whispered in her ear I would be back to visit.

  I climbed onto the battered carriage. Pepper pawed the ground excitedly, as if she knew what was coming. Carl and Damian piled into the back. Angie sat up front next to me.

  “What now?” I said to my father.

  “Now you go home.” Zeus slapped his hand on Pepper’s rear, and the horse took off. The last thing I saw was Macario waving goodbye. Pepper winged up into the sky as a bolt of lightning cut through the clouds, and we disappeared into a shimmering hole.

  CHAPTER 42

  The carriage rolled to a halt on a darkened street in the middle of Central Park. Pepper tossed her head in the air as her wings folded into her sides and disappeared. She whinnied sadly as she cocked an eye at her wingless self. We climbed down, all of us tired to the bone.

  I rubbed Pepper’s nose. “We had quite an adventure, didn’t we?” She nudged me back before trotting off eagerly, no doubt looking for her owner and her bucket of oats. We waved goodbye and began walking out of the park.

  Angie and Damian were arguing about what they wanted to do first—eat a whole pizza or take a hot shower.

  I got quieter and quieter. I knew my fate. I was being shipped out of state. I didn’t expect that had changed because the threat to Olympus was over. Paperwork was paperwork.

  We got to the subway that would take Carl to Brooklyn. Damian lived two blocks away. He gave us hugs and headed off, breaking into a run. Angie hailed a cab. I hugged her one last time. “See you at school,” she said before diving inside and slamming the door.

  I stood alone, uncertain. Angie must have forgotten I wasn’t going back to Dexter.

  Carl stood at the entry to the subway. “What are you waiting for, kid?”

  I shrugged. “I got nowhere to go.”

  “You live with me now, didn’t you hear?”

  My breath hitched. “Hear what?”

  He walked toward me, hands thrust into his pockets. “I figured I should just adopt you, you know, save the state the trouble of finding a suitable family since there’s no one lining up to take care of you.”

  A sliver of hope ran through me. “Do you mean it? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

  He gave another shrug. “I figure we could give it a go. I’ve never raised a kid before. I’m not really sure how it works. And I’ve got two cats, Maxwell and Frank, that have to approve. If they say it’s okay, I can work on the official paperwork.”

  His brown eyes were warm as they looked into mine.

  I threw my arms around him, hugging him tight. “You’re going to regret this, you know. I can’t always control my powers. I could burn down your house if I’m not careful.”

  He sighed. “I know one thing, it’s not going to be boring. Let’s go over a couple of rules.”

  “Rules? I don’t do well with rules.” I hooked my arm in his as he led me down the stairs.

  “First off, none of that fancy lightning stuff in the house. It scares the cats.”

  Carl nattered on, but I wasn’t really listening.

  I had a home of my own. After twelve long years of waiting, I had a family. I was a daughter of Zeus. I had brothers and sisters galore.

  I wasn’t some freak. I was a demigo
d. And it was awesome.

  I almost called up a lightning bolt, thinking how cool it would be to fire it off into the dark subway tunnel, but one look from Carl and I let my hand relax, tucking it into his arm instead and resting my head on his shoulder.

  Yeah, I could get used to this.

  THE END

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  Dear Reader:

  I hope you enjoyed reading The Eye of Zeus! After so many years writing about Norse mythology with my Witches of Orkney and Legends of Orkney™ series, I was so excited to share a story set in Ancient Greece. I loved creating a strong female protagonist in the sassy Phoebe Katz and hope you enjoyed reading about her as much as I did writing her story.

  As an author, I love to get feedback from my fans letting me know what you liked about the book, what you loved about the book, and even what you didn’t like. You can write me at PO Box 1475, Orange, CA 92856, or e-mail me at author@alaneadams.com. Visit me on the web at www.alaneadams.com and learn about starting a book club with my free book club journals, or invite me to visit your school to talk about reading!

  Look for more adventures with Phoebe, Damian and Angie as they face new challenges and monsters in the next installment coming April 2021.

  Keep reading!

  —Alane Adams

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alane Adams is an author, professor, and literacy advocate. She is the author of the award-winning Legends of Orkney and Witches of Orkney fantasy mythology series for tweens and award-winning The Coal Thief, The Egg Thief, The Santa Thief, and The Circus Thief picture books for early-grade readers. She lives in Southern California.

  Author photo © Melissa Coulier/Bring Media

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