by Mary Ting
I glanced around. Where are Mom and Dad?
Too caught up knowing Cronus had finally been beaten, I had lost a sense of reality until Mason called my name and snapped me out of it. It was a time to celebrate, a victorious moment, but at the same time I thought of those humans who had been killed for no reason. This wasn’t their war. We would have to help re-build this town again.
Having many hands pulling me in for hugs, I didn’t realize Mom and Dad were missing in our circle. I glanced around and gasped to see Mom wheezing on the ground, straining for air, and Dad beside her. She had shrunk down to her human size, but she was holding onto her stomach, trembling. Sweat dampened her forehead, and her eyes were shut tightly.
“Mom?” I caught Dad’s concerned eyes. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I warned her she might have a chance of losing the baby if she changed her body that drastically. She didn’t listen. She told me you were more important than the baby, and she needed to help you stop Cronus.”
“Step away,” Zara demanded.
I didn’t notice everyone had gathered around.
Zara ran her hand over Mom’s body. “We need to get back to New Olympus. Hermes, get the portal ready.” Zara handed me the magical pouch holding the entrapped Titans and Eris. “Lock them up well.” Our victorious moment had quickly turned into a nightmare.
Chapter 28
Skylar
The Oracles rushed Mom into a room and wouldn’t let anyone in. We waited in the meeting room, except for Hermes. Zeus sent him to inform the gods in Mount Olympus that all was well. Everyone looked drained. Their hair was messy, their clothes were dirty, and their weary eyes were filled with concern. All of us, that is, except for the gods.
“How’re Colin and Aaron?” I asked Amanda when she walked in.
“They are stable for now. Tara had to resuscitate their hearts a couple of times. We’ll have to wait and see, but I have high hopes they will recover.” She gave me a faint smile.
I gave her a hug and watched her join the others.
“Sky, sit with me.” Mason draped his arms around my shoulders, guiding me to the chair next to him. I had to pace the room and do something besides sitting and waiting.
“I need to place the Titans in their cell.” I released the bag tied to my pant loop. Unbelievably, it felt light. The bag held six Titans and Eris. Sometimes, magic was wonderful, but unfortunately, it came with a price.
“I’ll come with you.” Mason stood.
“Do you need me, Sky?” Dad asked. His dull eyes drooped, and his shoulders slumped. He looked so tired.
“No. You stay here, Dad. Mom is going to come out of this. When she does, she will need you.”
Dad nodded, giving me a small grin.
“I’m coming too,” Zeus said.
“Me too.” Poseidon followed.
“Oh, hell. I might as well come.” Hades’s voice trailed behind me.
We went down, down, down the cascading stairs. The farther down we went, the cooler it became. I shivered and rubbed my arms. Mason cuddled me, keeping me warm. I wasn’t thinking straight. I had the power of fire, and I could have easily warmed up my body myself. But I would much rather have Mason keep me warm. Having him back, I needed to touch him every chance I had.
In the deepest part of New Olympus, Zara had created a prison. She had cast a spell so not even a god could escape. Each cell had a divider and a thick, soundproof glass wall as long and wide as each section.
On the far end, Hephaestus’s iron cast stood alone. He would be locked inside asleep for a lifetime. A part of me felt terrible, but the other part of me knew he deserved his punishment for all the wrong he had done. It was time for the Titans to have the same fate. They could have at least had some kind of freedom in Tartarus, but now they would reside here with no sunlight. They would remain small for their entire existence.
I placed my hand on the glass door. After it took my imprint of my hand to identify me, it opened. Opening the bag, I tossed the prisoners out. I should have been gentle, but they deserved no kindness from me or any one of us. Dropping to the hard ground, they cursed, but their tiny voices made me snort. Everyone else did too.
“Have a nice life,” I hissed and shut the door.
“Skylar, you can’t keep me here,” Eris squeaked. She pounded on the glass, but no sound penetrated from the glass wall.
I bent down to my knees so she could see my face. “I can do whatever I want. You’re lucky I didn’t turn you into gold. Be thankful for that.”
Mason got down to her level too. “Be thankful I didn’t place you in a prison box. At least you have company.”
“Company? They’re morons. I don’t want to be here with them. Mason, come on love. Let me out. I let you out. Don’t you remember?”
Mason scowled. “I remember everything, Eris. You’ve taught me so much. To be human is to err, but to be a god is to take revenge. I am both. I’m glad I never have to hear your irritating voice ever again.”
“Wait! Mason. Please. Don’t leave me with the Titans. Put me somewhere else. At least give me my own cell.”
I took a small bottle filled with gold liquid from my pocket. “I think I’ll turn anything I want into gold.”
Eris glared at me. “That’s mine. Give it to me. You aren’t the goddess of chaos. I am.”
I shook my head. “I don’t plan on being you. Who went to the Land of Reverse? Who fought for the gold water? If you can say that was you, then it’s yours.”
Silent.
“Tick tock, tick tock…time is running out.” I reveled in using her own words back at her. “I didn’t think so.” I’d had enough of her and walked away.
“Skylar. Come back. I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you say. Please!”
My heart squeezed. I knew what it was like to be in her position, but she deserved it. If I let her free, and something bad happened again from her doing, it would be on my hands. I couldn’t allow guilt to eat at me. I couldn’t take that chance. Eris deserved her punishment. She needed to think about all the wrong she had done. I should walk away, but I wasn’t done with her yet, so I got back down.
“What would you do differently if I let you out?” I had no intentions of letting her out of course, but I wanted to know what she would say.
Her eyes sparkled in hope. “I-I would go back to my place and never bother anyone.”
I nodded, pretending to contemplate. “Hmmm…I see, but those are just words.”
She placed her hands flatly against the glass as if she could stop me when I shifted my body to get up. “Wait. I’ll sign a contract.”
I rubbed my temple and smacked my lips together. “I recall you signing a contract with me once where you had to hand Mason to us after I gave you your gold water, but you never kept your end of the bargain. In fact, I recall you stating that you lost Mason. That was a lie. You never intended to give me Mason back.”
Her eyes twitched, and she pushed out her lips. “That’s not true. And besides, you gave me fake gold water. I knew you would do that, so what is a goddess to do?” She let out a weak pathetic giggle. “I can’t help who I am.”
“I had the gold water. I would’ve given you the real one if only you’d let Mason go free. In fact, I would’ve given you anything. You have no idea the heartache you have caused to his family and to the human beings you’ve killed. I know they mean nothing to you. You’re selfish. You don’t care about anything but yourself. You deserve the company you’re with. I would say have a great life, but I know you won’t, so why would I even bother to say it?”
“Come on, Sky. It’s over. Let’s close this ugly chapter in our life.” Mason helped me up and took me off to the side.
The Titans on the other hand kept quiet. They watched Eris get down on her knees and beg. They were not the begging type, but everyone else besides Cronus huddled toward the back. Zeus might have the biggest ego out of the Olympian gods, but it couldn’t compare to Cronus.
; “Don’t think this is the end, my sons,” Cronus said with his chin up. Hearing his tiny squeaky voice had us chuckling. “We found a way out of Tartarus, and we’ll do the same here.”
Zeus’s shoulders shook with laughter. “You should hear how you sound. I can’t take you seriously. You’re so little.” Then his expression became serious. He pounded on the clear wall. “I could crush you with one step, but I’m not you.”
“Stop mocking me,” Cronus roared, but it sounded so cartoonish. “When I’m released from this prison, you’ll be the first one I kill. I am your father. Do as I say. I demand this of you. You shall respect me and obey my wishes.”
Zeus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You told me that last time. You never kept your promise anyway, even as a father, for the little time you were. You are dead to me. I have no father. What father eats their children? There is one thing I learned from the humans; offspring are the product of their parents. Teach them love, and then they will know and show love. Teach them hate, and then they will know and show hate. You’ve only taught me to hate, to revenge, to have a fat ego, and to kill before getting killed. I’ve done so much wrong in the name of all those ugly things. It would take an eternity for me to make amends. I never knew I was so much like you until I met Skylar and observed her interaction with her parents. We may be gods, but we want the same things as the humans. We want love, we want to be respected, and we want compassion. So the remainder of your life, I want you to think about what it is to be a better being.”
Hades and Poseidon placed their hands on either side of Zeus’s shoulders for support. I felt the sadness and pain in Zeus’s speech. It never occurred to me that the gods acted out for the things they craved the way humans did. Eris acted the way she did because she felt alone and excluded. It was the only way she could get attention.
“I don’t need to think about who I am, Zeus,” Cronus retorted. “I am god, the only real god there ever will be. You are nothing to me. The only thing I learn from all of this is how much I’m looking forward to my revenge.”
“We only wanted to be loved, that’s all,” Poseidon cut in, twisting his lips into a frown, and dipped his head in disappointment. “We could’ve been a happy family. We could’ve ruled by your side—father and sons. Our lives would’ve been different.”
Cronus smirked and lightly chuckled in a mocking way. “I don’t think so. Father and sons rule together? One of you will eventually try to kill me. And love is only for the weak. It’s the reason why it was easy to eat you alive, and I would do it again if I had the chance.”
“You hate us that much because of a stupid prophecy?” Zeus roared.
Cronus took a step closer, obviously not intimidated by his size. “Prophecy or not, I would’ve killed you.”
Hades released a long heavy sigh. “This is so messed up. I’m not standing here to hear a squeaky mouse tell me shit.” Hades opened the door and flicked him. Cronus flattened against the back wall and then, at a snail’s pace, slowly slid down. When Hades slammed the door, Cronus plummeted. “There. I feel so much better. Come on. Our job is done here. Mother needs us.”
Chapter 29
Skylar
The Oracles came out of the room with their heads down. I had never seen Zara look so drained.
“Have you taken care of the prisoners?” Tara asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “How’s my mom?”
“We’re doing all we can, but there’s no progress,” Zara answered. “We’re going to have to take the baby out.”
“What? Why?” Dad sighed as he raked his hair back.
“Her body has been through too much. Had she been inside her own, she would be fine, but she’s inside a human one. They are too fragile. And the baby has grown, taking up more of her energy than before. She is too weak to balance both. That’s not all. I’m so sorry, but we have no choice. If the baby stays, Rhea will die.”
“You can’t help them with magic?” My dad asked in desperation.
“Magic is not working.”
The thought of losing Mother and the baby gutted me. She would be devastated if she survived and the baby didn’t. When I’d first heard Mom was pregnant, I wasn’t happy about it. More so because the baby was part Hephaestus, and there was no guarantee of the outcome of the baby’s appearance and his or her personality. Secretly, I didn’t want the baby. A part of me had wished it was dead. Guilt rushed through me. It wasn’t fair of me to pass judgment on a child who hadn’t been born. I wished I could take away all the horrible thoughts as I recalled Zeus’s words. There is one thing I learned from the humans; their offspring are the product of their parents. Teach them love, and then they will know and show love. Teach them hate, and then they will know and show hate.
Zeus was a terrible father; thus, Hephaestus wanted revenge. Malicious and evil didn’t come close to describing him. Perhaps if this baby knew what it meant to love and be loved, he or she would turn out fine. There were no guarantees in life. We had to count our blessings.
I got up and stepped between Zara and my dad. They were speaking near the door, and through that door, my mother lay helpless and unconscious. If I could be of any use, there was no way in hell one of them had to die. “I think I can help.”
“How?” Dad asked.
“I’m the giver of life, aren’t I? Give Mom my blood. It’s worth a shot. We have to do something.” I glanced behind me where everyone else sat at the meeting room.
“She is the giver of life.” Mason smiled at me.
Zara nodded. “You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? If it works, we can do the same for Colin and Aaron. They’re not making much progress.”
“Whatever you need.”
Tara took off when she heard me say blood and came back with a needle. “May I?”
I nodded and closed my eyes and prayed. My blood was their only chance.
After Tara poked me, she opened the door.
Dad stuck his hand out, stopping the door from closing. “I would like to go in.”
“Mason and me, too,” I added. Mason had stood next to me with his arms snaked around my waist the whole time. He didn’t say much, but he silently comforted me.
“Fine,” Zara said softly.
I released a long sigh as I entered. Mom looked so peaceful lying on a bed. A needle jutted out of her wrist, and the IV bag hung on the monitor. To my utter surprise, the room had been arranged with modern furniture, with a cherry wood dresser and desk. It looked similar to Mom’s bedroom. I wanted to embrace her, but I was too afraid to touch her.
Dad didn’t seem to know what to do either. He began to stroke her hair. “Hey…you’re going to be just fine. Skylar and I are here. When you wake up, we’re going to celebrate our victory.” Dad kissed Mom tenderly on her cheek.
The sound of someone clearing their throat startled me. The door wasn’t closed. Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon entered.
“We would like to be there for our mother,” Zeus stated. It sounded more like a command, but he said it with a smile.
Zara waved her hand, as if to hurry them. “I understand. Come in.”
“I am in. I’m not asking for your permission, Zara,” Zeus muttered. Then he flashed a smile.
I had to give Zeus credit for trying to change. At least he smiled. Like the saying goes: You can’t teach an old dog a new trick, but you can try. Baby steps. At least he knew he had to work on his ego. Knowing what needed to be changed was the first step.
Zara paid no attention to him. “We don’t have time for speeches. Let’s get it done.”
Tara inserted the needle while Cara locked her eyes on the monitor, watching the red, green, and yellow move steadily. It apparently monitored her heartbeat, pulse, and something else. There was nothing left to do but wait. And wait. And wait.
The red line on the monitor jumped and was then followed by the green and yellow. Was that a good thing? Then the lines went crazy, moving in big waves. The machine started beeping.
&n
bsp; “Stop that thing. It’s making a lot of noise,” Zeus spat. He had no idea what it was.
“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Poseidon mumbled. “It’s hooked up to Mom.”
“Duh,” Hades murmured.
It was a laughing moment. To hear a god, especially Hades, say that word tickled my stomach, but all the humor in me had disappeared.
“What’s going on?” Mason asked.
The beeping sound continued. I stared at it, expecting it to stop any second. None of the Oracles answered. They were too busy assessing Mom.
“I don’t think it’s working?” Dad murmured. His face turned pale and so did mine.
Mason squeezed my hand. His love and support had been my anchor. My blood had to work. I didn’t want any negative thoughts to cross my mind, but I couldn’t help it when the colors and the beeping sound came faster than before. Then the unthinkable thing happened. The colors stopped into a straight line, and the sound echoed one long noise.
No! No! No! This wasn’t happening.
Dad grabbed Mom’s hand. “Wake up, Rhea.” Dad’s whimper became a full-blown sob. “I need you. Sky needs you. Don’t leave us. We have a family to raise together.”
I couldn’t believe what was happening before me. Watching my dad cry and then seeing others bow their heads, I lost it.
“Stop it! She’s not dead.” I raised my voice, my face contorted in anger. “Dad, stop crying. All of you, just stop.” I cupped my mom’s cheeks. “Mom, wake up. It’s time to wake up.” I bit down hard on my tongue, refusing let tears pool in my eyes. “You’re not dead. You’re asleep. Please, wake up.” I glanced at the monitor. There was no sign of life. “Wake up and show them you’re not dead. My blood is supposed to make you better. It will.” I gripped her shoulders and shook her. “Wake up, Mom.”
“She’s in a better place, Sky. You have to let her go. She fought well, and her bravery won’t go unnoticed.” Mason’s voice became lost to me.
