The End of Olympus

by Kate O'Hearn

  “I agree,” Cupid said. He approached the wall. “So if this is an elevator, how do we summon it?”

  “I can help with that,” Arious Minor said. “The question is where to take it.”

  Once again, he disappeared into the disguised framework around the elevator doors. They soon heard a soft hum and then the sound of hydraulics.

  Moments later, the brick wall before them shifted back and then split right down the middle through the bricks with a parting that none of them had seen. The wall opened to reveal the shiny stainless-steel doors of the elevator. There was a whoosh, and the steel doors opened.

  Emily looked at Pegasus. “This is a trap, Pegs. Are you ready to walk into it?”

  The stallion snorted and walked forward into the elevator. It was large enough to take his size, with room left for others. He turned around and nickered to her.

  “Well, Cupid, it’s up to you. Do you want to go on or go back?”

  The winged Olympian sighed. “I have come too far to turn back now.” Together he and Emily stepped onto the elevator.

  They were then faced with the decision of where to go. “Wow. It goes down thirty levels,” Emily said as she studied the control panel. “This is way bigger than all the others, but which one to choose?”

  “It does not matter,” Arious Minor said. “Choose any level. When we get there, I shall attempt to enter their computer systems and ascertain where the prisoners are being held.”

  Emily reached forward and pressed her lucky number, fifteen. The door closed and the elevator started to descend. “It is just me, or do you guys feel really stupid doing this?”

  “Oh, I passed stupid a long time ago,” Cupid said. “But what choice do we have?”

  Pegasus bobbed his head up and down and nickered softly.

  Emily looked to Cupid to translate. “He said at least Tom and Alexis know where we are. Should this go wrong, which it most likely will, they can warn the others.”

  That gave Emily little comfort as the elevator continued down. They felt it slow and then come to a stop. She raised both her hands, preparing to fight whoever was on the other side of the doors. But when they opened, they were all stunned to be faced with a super-modern but completely empty corridor. The lights were dimmed for evening, but as they piled out, they saw the walls were white and sparkling clean. The floor was dark marble tiles, and closed doors lined the corridor.

  Arious Minor flew away from the group and approached the nearest door. He disappeared into the keypad lock. They heard soft beeps and clicks and then the door swung open. It was an office—neat, tidy, and sterile. There were no photos on the walls and no keepsakes on the desk. There was nothing to give away the character of the person who worked in here.

  But there was one thing they were drawn to, the computer workstation. Emily moved around the desk and sat down in the chair. “All right, Arious. Do your thing.”

  The tiny dot vanished into the access port of one of the computers. Immediately the screen flashed to life. Just like at the farmhouse, the images on the screen were moving too fast for Emily to understand.

  Pegasus was standing before the desk. His nostrils were flared and he was snorting. It sounded more like a sneeze than a snort. Soon he started shaking his head.

  “What is it, Pegs?”

  Cupid was next to shake his head. He started to sway on his feet. “Do you smell that?”

  “Smell what?” Emily said. But as she looked up to Pegasus, her vision started to swim. The air was becoming heavy with a strange medicinal smell, and she started to feel very dizzy.

  Alarm bells went off in her head. “Everyone, get out of here. . . .” Emily struggled to get up from the desk, but her legs felt like Jell-O. Pegasus whinnied and collapsed, falling down onto his wings. Cupid was the next to pass out, landing on the stallion.

  Emily staggered around the desk. She stepped over Cupid and made it to the corridor. But even outside the office, the hall was filled with the same strange smell. Her eyes caught sight of mist coming out of the sprinkler heads and the smell was strongest from there. Drugs . . . She tried to lift her hands to shoot flames at the source, but she couldn’t focus enough to do it.

  The elevator doors swished open, and a large group of armed men poured out. Dressed in black and wearing gas masks, they charged toward her. Emily was already falling to the floor, and darkness descended as they reached her.

  7

  PAELEN RETURNED TO THE FORGE dressed in human clothes but still wearing his winged sandals. He was surprised to see not only Joel wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, but also Vulcan. In addition to the baggy jeans over his artificial legs and the T-shirt stretched over his broad chest, the strongly built Olympian also had a large pair of metal wings with sharp, steel feathers strapped to his back.

  “What are those for?” Paelen asked.

  Vulcan said irritably, “I hardly think your sandals could carry the both of us, and though Chrysaor is strong, he is not strong enough to carry both Joel and me and reach speed to enter the Solar Stream. How else am I to travel if not by my own power?”

  “I thought you might stay here,” Paelen suggested.

  Chrysaor squealed and shook his head.

  “Stay!” Vulcan boomed. “While my Stella languishes in a CRU prison? Are you mad? I have no intention of staying here and letting you boys try to rescue the best apprentice I ever had.”

  “But . . . but,” Paelen said. “Your wings are metal. They will not work.”

  “Says who?” Vulcan challenged. He looked at the wings on his back and ordered, “Open.” The metal wings did as he commanded and opened. Vulcan punched a grimy finger in Paelen’s chest. “Do not ever doubt my ability to create. If I need wings, I make them. If I want to make a metal bull that could rampage through here and knock over Jupiter’s palace, I need only build it. Do you understand?”

  Paelen nodded his head. “I am sorry, Vulcan. I did not mean to make you angry.”

  Joel nudged him and whispered, “You can say a lot of things about Vulcan, but never doubt his ability to work metal into magic. You saw what he did with the wheelchair.”

  “Yes, but . . . ,” Paelen said.

  “But what?” Vulcan raged. “You think because I am an ugly, deformed man in metal legs and metal wings that I cannot help you? That I am not a skilled fighter?”

  “I never said you were ugly,” Paelen said.

  “Boy, everyone sees me as ugly, except Stella. She never judged me, was never repulsed by my haggard face or misshapen legs. I loved her like a daughter. So it will take more than you to keep me from saving her. Do you understand?”

  Paelen looked at Joel and then nodded fearfully. “I am sorry, Vulcan. I did not understand.”

  “Now you do,” Vulcan finished.

  “Paelen!” A soft voice arrived outside the forge.

  “Uh-oh, Paelen,” Joel warned. “Your girlfriend’s here.”

  Paelen turned and saw Lorin running toward the doors. Her long blond hair was loose and wild around her shoulders, she was still wearing her nightdress, and her feet were bare.

  “Lorin, what are you doing here?” Paelen asked. “It is early. You should still be asleep.”

  “I had a bad dream about you. You were on Earth and being devoured by horrible big monsters with no bodies and terrible, flat faces. When I woke up, I could feel that you are upset and leaving me.”

  “You could feel me preparing to leave?” Paelen asked.

  Lorin nodded. “I always know where you are and what you are feeling.”

  Paelen didn’t know how to take that. Suddenly he felt like he had no privacy from her. “I am not leaving you,” he corrected. “But I must go to Earth for a short trip.”

  “When do we leave?”

  “We?” Joel said. “Oh no, Lorin, you’re not coming with us.”

  Lorin’s stunning blue eyes focused on Joel. “I go where Paelen goes. So if he is leaving here, I am going with him.”

  “No, you’
re not!” Joel said, leaning closer to her. “This is our mission, not yours. We don’t need a whiny Titan coming with us and crying every few minutes.”

  Paelen saw the fight brewing between the two. Joel still held Lorin personally responsible for the changes in Emily. If she hadn’t awakened in Tartarus and opened the prison, the Titans wouldn’t have escaped and attacked Olympus. Then the disaster in Hawaii would never have happened, and everything would have remained the same.

  “It is not just your mission,” Lorin said. “If Paelen is going, it is our mission. I have more power than you, and I can keep my Paelen safe. You cannot. I am going, and that is the end of it.”

  Joel shook his head. “You aren’t coming! Just get that through your thick skull.”

  Lorin narrowed her eyes. “And I say I am.” She raised her hand, and a ball of flame appeared in the center of her palm. “You, human, had better not try to stop me.”

  “Lorin, no!” Paelen cried. He pulled her hand down. “Put your Flame away. We have discussed this time and time again. You must control your temper. Never threaten anyone here, especially my friends. Do you understand me?”

  “But, Paelen.” Lorin pouted. “You said we would always be together. Now you want to leave me.”

  “I told you, I am not leaving you. But I must go to Earth for a short time.”

  “This is about Emily. I know it is,” Lorin guessed. “She calls and you always answer.”

  Paelen was tempted to say That’s because at this moment I like her more than you! But he kept quiet. Lorin was as powerful as Emily, but she had no control over her emotions. When upset, she didn’t hesitate to use her powers against the cause of the perceived slight. If he pushed her too far, he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t turn her powers against him.

  “Yes, Emily is in danger,” he finally said. “But so is Pegasus. We must save them.”

  “My Pegasus!” Lorin cried.

  “He’s not yours!” Joel cried. “When will you get that?”

  Lorin narrowed her eyes at Joel again. “I do not like you, Joel. I have never liked you, from the moment we met. The only thing stopping me from showing you how much I do not like you is Paelen.”

  Joel inhaled, ready to say more, when Vulcan boomed. “Enough!” He placed himself between Joel and Lorin. “If you two want to fight, do it another time. Emily, Pegasus, and Stella are in danger. I will not allow any of you to get in the way of my saving them.”

  “Vulcan,” Joel cried. “Tell her she can’t come. She’s young and inexperienced. She doesn’t understand how to behave on Earth. She’ll endanger us all.”

  Lorin’s eyes fell on each of them. She faced Vulcan. “I have power. You know I can help. Besides, you cannot stop me.”

  “Are you threatening me, girl?” Vulcan said. His voice dropped and he took a step closer.

  Lorin backed up a bit. “No, but if you try to leave without me, I will follow anyway.” She focused on Joel. “Or, I could go to Jupiter and tell him that Emily has gone to Earth again without his permission.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Joel cried.

  “She would,” Paelen admitted. He’d seen her do it more than once when Emily had said or done something that upset her. Lorin still had so much to learn, including how to get along with others. She was still very much a petulant child.

  He looked desperately at Vulcan and Joel. “Lorin does have power. We might need her if we run into trouble.”

  “You’re going to give in to her threats? Paelen, are you nuts?” Joel cried. “For one, if we are lucky enough to even find Emily, they’ll start fighting over Pegasus again. Or two, while we’re trying to find them, she’ll lose her temper and kill us.”

  “I will not!” Lorin said. “Paelen and Vesta have been teaching me how to control myself.”

  “Come or do not come, I do not care which,” Vulcan boomed as he stormed out of the forge. “But one way or another, I am leaving right now.”

  Lorin’s expression softened. “Please, Joel, let me come. How can I learn to be a better person if you do not let me help? If Pegasus is in danger, I must go to him.”

  Joel looked at Vulcan and then to Paelen. Finally he inhaled deeply. “All right, all right. If the others say you can come, I won’t stop you.”

  Lorin’s grin spread across her beautiful face. “Paelen, please, let me come with you.”

  Every nerve in his body said this was a big mistake. But Paelen nodded. “All right, you may come. But you will do everything that I tell you to.”

  Lorin clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “I will, I promise.”

  Vulcan shook his head at all of them. He commanded his metal wings to open and take off. “So let us go,” he called as he climbed into the night sky. “Londinium awaits.”

  8

  “PSYCHE, WAKE UP.”

  Emily felt someone gently patting her face. “You must wake up now, my beloved.”

  Her eyes opened and she saw Cupid’s face hovering before hers.

  “Yes, Psyche, wake up. You are safe.”

  As Emily’s head cleared, she wondered why Cupid was calling her Psyche. Wasn’t that one of his many girlfriends on Olympus? “Cupid?”

  “I am here, my love. Just be calm. You are safe.”

  Arious Minor whispered softly in Emily’s ear, “Play along with him. The CRU do not recognize you as Emily. Cupid told them Emily was dead.”

  “Where’s Pegs?”

  The stallion nickered, and his muzzle gently brushed her brow.

  Emily sat up and stroked him, more to reassure herself than him. They were in a large, dimly lit cell with heavy bars. At the front of the cell, she saw Earl and Frankie standing together, looking at her curiously. Stella was sitting on the edge of another bunk in the middle of the cell. Her face was a picture of pure terror as her frightened eyes lingered on Pegasus and Cupid.

  Emily realized that the Stella from this time line had never seen anything like the Olympians before, and the sight of them terrified her.

  A third bunk was against the opposite wall. Emily saw the saw the still form of Agent B lying there. His eyes were swollen shut and his face appeared even more bruised than she’d seen from Urania’s pool. She could hear his steady breathing. He was alive.

  “What happened to us?” Emily asked.

  “I am uncertain,” Cupid said. “I myself awakened a short time ago, as the agents delivered me here. I fear they may have done something to us while we were unconscious.” He lifted her arm to show a bandage.

  Emily pulled it away and saw a tiny pinprick of blood. “They’ve taken our blood.”

  Cupid nodded. “At the very least.”

  “There’s no tellin’ what these dirty dogs have done to any of us.” Earl walked over. “Howdy, miss. My name is Earl. I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.”

  “I—I am Psyche,” Emily said. It was difficult not to greet her friend with a hug.

  “This here’s my son, Frank,” Earl said as he invited Frankie over.

  “Hello, Frank.” Emily was stunned by how grown-up he was. It hadn’t been that long since she’d seen him, but now he looked to be sixteen or seventeen. He still had the bright, curious eyes and red hair, but he was now heavily built. This was further proof of the time difference between Olympus and Earth.

  “How long have you been here?” Emily asked.

  Frankie shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s kinda hard to tell the days here.”

  Earl patted Pegasus on the neck. “Boy was I surprised to see you when they brought you in here. I thought for sure Emily would be with you.”

  Cupid nodded. “Sadly, Emily was killed in Hawaii. We have suffered a great loss.”

  “I heard about the disaster in Hawaii,” Frankie said. “But the TV news said it was the Diamond Head volcano that started to erupt.”

  “It was actually a fight between the Olympians and the Titans that caused the eruption of the volcano.”

  “Titans!” Earl cried. “I thought a
ll of them were locked up in prison.”

  “They were, but they escaped and came after Olympus. The fight ended up here. It was terrible,” Cupid explained. “Emily gave her life saving us. She used all her powers to send us home but then died in Diamond Head.”

  It felt very strange to hear Cupid talk about her like she was dead. Emily remained silent as he gave the details of her “death” to their friends.

  “I’m so sorry, big fella,” Earl said to Pegasus. “You two were as close as peas in a pod. We all loved Emily dearly.” As he said that, Earl looked at her again with a strange expression on his face. “At least these CRU monsters can’t never hurt her again.”

  “That is true,” Cupid said.

  “Are Joel and Paelen with you?” Frankie asked. “Have they taken them, too?”

  Cupid shook his head. “No. Things have not been the same since Emily died. They do not even know we are here.”

  “Why did you come? That was a really stupid thing to do,” Frankie said.

  Cupid sighed. “I know, but it was Emily’s fault. She changed me and made me care.” He looked at her and smiled. “Psyche and I were out walking when Pegasus found us and told us you were in danger. After everything we have been through together, we could not let you remain a prisoner of the CRU. But unfortunately, without Emily, we have failed in our endeavor to free you.”

  Emily rose and patted Pegasus softly on the neck. She crossed the cell and knelt before Stella. “Hello, my name is Psyche. Who are you?”

  “I am Stella.”

  “Are you all right?”

  Stella looked up at her, and Emily could tell she’d been crying. “I’m frightened. I don’t understand why I am here or what you are.”

  Emily ached to take Stella in her arms and hold her. Like Frankie, she too was older. She had a lovely face and a flash of long dark hair. But sitting there, she seemed so vulnerable.

  “Is that a Greek accent I hear?”

  When Stella nodded, Emily patted her hands. “Surely, then, you recognize the Great Pegasus of Olympus, and that is Cupid.” Emily looked back at Cupid. “Would you open your wings to show Stella?”