by Kate O'Hearn
Emily felt a heavy lump form in the pit of her stomach. The CRU knew what the rock could do. They now possessed the Titan weapon.
“Where is it?” she demanded. “What have you done with it?”
“Us?” Agent B said innocently. “We haven’t done anything with it. When we realized what it could do and how dangerous it was, we decided we didn’t want anything like that on our planet. So we sent it away.”
“Where?” Emily shrieked.
The agent crossed his arms over his chest and smiled smugly.
Emily suddenly realized he was playing for time. The CRU were planning something. Maybe he was waiting for backup. “Tell me right now, or I swear you’ll regret it!”
“I told you to calm down,” the agent continued. “You really are quite impatient. But let me tell you something funny. When Pegasus first arrived in New York, our agents found a strange little blue jewel in the stable where you stole that carriage. No one thought much of it at the time. After all, they did have bigger problems, with the Nirads running amok in the city. But then, quite by accident, our scientists discovered its secrets.”
Emily looked desperately over to Joel and could see he was thinking the same thing. The agent was too calm. Too in control and filled with his own self-importance.
“What did you do with the rock?” Joel demanded.
“The only thing we could do. We used that strange little blue jewel to send it back where it belongs.” Agent B paused and smiled cruelly.
“We sent it to Olympus.”
17
“WHAT?” EMILY SPAT. “YOU DIDN'T!”
“We did,” Agent B said. “Not too long ago, either. From early reports there were no survivors. Earth will not have to worry about the Olympians coming here again. You are all that remain of those ancient people.”
“No!” Emily cried. “You couldn’t. You just couldn’t. Not even the CRU would destroy an entire race. . . .”
“We could and we did,” the agent said. “It’s over, Emily. You have no choice but to join us now. What we started at Area 51 will continue. Without the Olympians around to distract you, we can work together. Before long you and I will be the closest of friends.”
“Never,” Emily uttered.
“We’ll see about that,” Agent B said. “Now come along; there’s transport waiting outside the museum to take us to London. Together we’ll bring order to this troubled world. And you, my dear Emily, you will be the ultimate weapon against those who oppose us.”
“Ultimate weapon?” Emily whispered. “You think of me as a weapon?”
The agent nodded. “What else are you but an Olympian weapon? From the reports I’ve read, you’re not even alive.”
“No!” Emily insisted. “I’m not a weapon. I’m a person. Do you hear me? Not a weapon!”
Learning about her origins with the Xan, watching Jupiter and the others die, seeing her beloved Pegasus aging by the moment, and finally learning that the CRU had used the Solar Stream to launch the weapon against Olympus—it was all too much.
Something in Emily snapped. “I AM A PERSON!”
Emily threw back her head and roared as her body temperature climbed higher than she had ever felt it. She had never known such fury before. Even when the Gorgons had threatened everyone she loved, she had been able to keep control. But hearing what the CRU had done was more than she could take. Flames shot wildly from her hands, her eyes, and her mouth as her powers surged and she lost all control.
Wild fires flashed around the room, shooting up through the ceiling, through all the levels of the Acropolis Museum, and high into the night sky above Athens.
Emily’s furious burning eyes turned on the CRU agents. One by one they blinked out of existence. Behind her she heard Joel calling her name and begging her to stop. But Emily couldn’t stop. More agents burst into the room and opened gunfire. But not one bullet touched her, Joel, Stella, or the dog. The Flame was unleashed and free. For all the damage it was doing to the museum and Athens around it, it was protecting those she cared for.
Her emotions were too raw and too wild to contain the maelstrom. Pain that she had kept locked deep inside was all coming out now. She could feel her powers spreading out, incinerating the museum and beyond.
“Emily, stop!” Joel cried.
“Riza,” Joel shouted, “please stop Emily before it’s too late!”
Deep within, Emily felt Riza calling to her and struggling for control. Let it go, Emily, Riza told her. Let the hurt and pain go! There is another way, I promise you. You are still too young for all these powers. You do not understand what you can do. Please, do not destroy this world. Pull it back. Pull the power back.
Riza’s words cut through her rage. “Destroy the world?” What did she mean?
She focused on Riza’s calm tone and found a moment of clarity to cling on to. She began to steady the power coming from deep within her and slowly regained control. She soon managed to pull her powers back into herself.
Emily collapsed to her knees, panting heavily. As her senses cleared, she could smell thick, choking smoke and hear the sound of breaking glass, groaning structures, and roaring flames.
“We’re surrounded,” Joel cried, wracked by coughing. “There’s no way out!”
They were trapped in an inferno. Flames were still burning wildly around them as the museum went up in a huge fireball. But her powers were surrounding and protecting them.
Joel pulled out the blue jewel from his tunic pocket and held it up. “Olympus!” he choked. “Take us to Olympus!”
The Solar Stream opened and cut a path through the roaring flames. Joel caught hold of Stella’s wheelchair and started to move. “Come on!” he yelled. “Before the whole place comes crashing down on us!”
18
THEY EMERGED FROM THE SOLAR stream into the heart of Olympus. Joel released Stella and fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Stella was barely conscious, slumped in her wheelchair. Mike lay down beside them, panting heavily.
Emily watched Joel struggling to get his breath and realized she was fine. Yet the others were all suffering and trying to breathe.
“Joel?” Emily knelt down beside him. “Are you okay?”
He was still coughing as he sat up. “Just need air.”
“What happened?”
He looked at her in disbelief. “Are you serious?” Emily could only recall fragments of the past few moments. Agent B saying they had launched the Titan weapon on Olympus and how they planned to use her as some kind of ultimate weapon. Then she remembered the pain. The unbearable, searing pain of loss and then, finally, uncontained fury.
“I nearly destroyed the world . . . ,” Emily whispered. She looked down at her trembling hands. “I couldn’t stop it. I nearly destroyed the world and I just couldn’t stop!”
She began to rock back and forth as she realized what had happened. “I can’t do it anymore,” she cried. “Please, someone, take these powers away from me!”
From deep within her, Emily felt Riza’s calm presence hovering near. I am so sorry, Emily. But I cannot. The powers of the Xan are yours now. But you can learn to control them. I promise you can.
Joel was by her side. “It’ll be okay, Em,” he said softly, holding her now. “We’re all safe. You didn’t destroy the world. You pulled it back before it went too far. You do have control.”
“No, I don’t!” Emily cried. “It was Riza. She stopped it, not me.”
“It was both of us,” Riza said.
Emily clung to Joel as though he were the only life raft in a raging sea. “Don’t let me lose control again . . . ,” she whispered into his chest.
“I won’t,” he promised softly, and squeezed her tighter. “I’ll always be there to help you, Em, no matter what.”
Joel held Emily until her trembling calmed. As she to
ok deep, cleansing breaths, he smiled at her gently. “Better?”
Emily nodded.
“Then come on. Let’s look around and see if there’s anyone left alive.”
Emily gazed around sadly and became aware of the painful silence. Not even the wind blew.
The marble buildings of Olympus were still intact, beautiful and untouched. As were the tall statues lining the roads and all the other art around them. But not a single living thing was left alive. The trees were all dead. The grass beneath them was yellow and dead. Only dust remained.
“It’s all gone,” she said softly. “The CRU really did it. They destroyed what was left of Olympus.”
“Please, those men have taken my family. I must go back.” It was Stella, now fully awake, looking shell-shocked.
Emily felt the weight of responsibility resting heavily on her shoulders. She knew how Stella felt. Emily’s own father had been a prisoner of the CRU not so very long ago. She nodded. “We will, I promise. They won’t have your parents for long.”
Joel nodded. “But we need to look for survivors first.” Mike came up to Emily, wagging his tail. “Don’t worry; you’re coming too,” she said softly, patting his head.
They made their way to Jupiter’s palace. Suddenly the dog cocked his head to the side and the hackles on his back rose. He started to growl.
Emily knelt down beside him. “What is it, boy?” The low rumbling growl continued as Joel stopped to listen. “Wait, I think I hear something too. It’s coming from inside the palace.”
They headed toward the back entrance of Jupiter’s palace. “Wait here,” Emily said to Stella. “We’ll be right back.”
They climbed the stairs and cautiously approached the open doors. Inside was a large group of men pulling off what looked like bulky white space suits. Others, still in their white suits, were descending the marble stairs into the grand foyer. They removed their helmets. “All clear on the upper levels,” one man reported. “We found where the Jacobs family and DeSilva live, but there is no sign of the father or aunt. They’re not here. Is it possible they died with the others?”
“I don’t think so,” the commander on the main floor said. “They’re human, and the weapon is harmless to us. It’s more likely they’re in hiding. Take a team and tear this place apart. We need them as hostages to control the girl.” He turned to another of his men. “Agent S, call all the units. Let them know the air is breathable. Have them meet us back here at base. We need to coordinate the search for Emily’s family.”
Turning to another he said, “Agent M, get back to Earth and start sending the development teams, trucks, and equipment. Tell command that Olympus is ours. The CRU can start setting up operations from here.”
Inside the large foyer, another man emerged from the council chamber. “Hey, Captain, in here! You aren’t going to believe this. There’s another room filled with strange stuff, and there’s an arch that opens the space tunnel.”
Emily and Joel looked at each other. “Xanadu!” Joel gasped.
“No,” Emily whispered. “We can’t let them use the portal to find Xanadu. We’ve got to destroy it.”
“How?” Joel asked. “Look at all the men in there. I bet there are even more scattered around here. What are we going to do? Kill them all?”
Emily shook her head and walked down the stairs to Stella. “No way! I won’t use my powers against them. Not after what happened at the museum!”
“Then we’re going to need a distraction,” Stella said calmly. “Emily, you’ll have to use your powers, but not directed at them. Destroy something big that will call them out of there. Then we can capture them.”
Both Emily and Joel looked at Stella in shock. Stella frowned. “What? Just because I’m in this wheelchair doesn’t mean I’m stupid. You promised to save my family, and you’re going to keep that promise. Even if it means you have to use your powers again.”
“She’s right,” Joel agreed. “We only need a few seconds to get in there. Then we can destroy the portal to Xanadu and use our jewels to get away.”
They crept farther away from the palace and peered up at the highest level of the left wing. “Up there.” Emily pointed. “Our apartment, it’s on the other side of the palace. If I destroy it, we should have time to get into the artifact chamber before they find us.”
“Do it,” Joel said.
Emily raised her hands and pointed at the beautiful structure that had once been the home she shared with her father and her friends. All her favorite things were in there, all her best memories. “Forgive me, Jupiter,” Emily said sadly as she released a powerful stream of Flame. It shot up into the same bedroom window she and Pegasus always used for their night flights.
Commanding her powers, she imagined them swirling around her bedroom like a tornado. Letting the Flame build and build, she turned it into a ferocious, self-contained firestorm. When the swirling flames overflowed out of the window, Emily let go. “Now!”
A massive explosion tore the roof off and blew out the entire side of the elegant building. Tall, sparkling white marble columns crashed to the ground, and the whole palace shuddered.
“Amazing!” Stella cried.
The sound of loud voices seemed to come from everywhere as soldiers and CRU agents ran to investigate the explosion. They came from the dead gardens, from the buildings around the palace and all over the area. The scientists within the palace itself ran out and followed the others.
“Look how many there are!” Emily cried. “It’s too many to capture!”
“Forget them,” Joel called. “Let’s move!”
Keeping hidden behind a long row of statues, they carried Stella’s wheelchair up the stairs and entered the evacuated palace. Making it to the artifact chamber, they saw that scientific equipment had been set up before the arch.
“They weren’t wasting any time!” Joel said. “Destroy it now, before they come back.”
Joel pushed Stella to the back of the room as Emily faced the arch. It had only been built a few days ago, but already it seemed like an eternity. Emily raised both her hands and released her powers directly at the portal.
The moment her powers touched the arch, the Solar Stream opened. In that same instant the marble stones exploded and flew into the open stream of light. Without the arch to contain its power, the Solar Stream started to pulse and swell. It expanded to fill the room.
Suddenly the tables of artifacts from Xanadu flew across the chamber and were sucked into the Solar Stream. The slate board with the writing of the ancients followed.
Mike’s leash was wrenched from Joel’s hand, and he flew, howling, into the heart of the Solar Stream. Stella’s screams followed as she was sucked in. Joel reached for Emily as she tried to use her powers as protection, but the force of the Solar Stream was greater.
“No!” Emily cried as she and Joel were lifted off the floor and pulled into the powerful blazing light.
19
EVERY OTHER TIME THEY HAD traveled within the Solar Stream, it had been a contained and managed flight. This time Emily, Joel, and what appeared to be the whole of Jupiter’s palace were tumbling madly through it without any control.
As the moments ticked by, the palace structure began to come apart. Huge chunks of wall, roof, and column spun madly around them. Emily used her powers to deflect most of the fragments, but they were still being struck by large pieces of marble, statues, and furniture.
“Emily,” Joel shouted, still clinging to her, “do something before it kills us!”
“What?”
“Use your powers; stop us—” Joel had not even finished speaking when a large chunk of wall struck him in the head. Knocked unconscious, he fell limply into Emily’s arms.
“Joel!” Emily cried as she felt him slipping away from her grasp. She closed her eyes and concentrated harder than she ever ha
d in her life. “Xanadu!” she shouted. “Get us to Xanadu!”
Emily and Joel were suddenly slammed against a stone floor.
Emily rolled over, panting heavily. “Thank you.” She sat up. They were in a dark and cool place.
The smell of damp moss filled the air and reminded her of the Temple of Arious. Lighting one hand, Emily saw the familiar stone walls of the temple. She reached for Joel with the other. “Joel, talk to me. Are you okay?”
Joel moaned. He had a deep, bleeding gash on his forehead, and his nose was broken. Emily reached out and touched his face to heal his wounds.
He sat up slowly and gazed around. “Where are we?” Emily said, “I think we’re back in the temple on Xanadu. I didn’t have much time to concentrate.”
“That was insane,” Joel said, rubbing his head. “It felt like half of Olympus came through with us. I never realized the Solar Stream was so powerful.”
“Me neither,” Emily agreed. Suddenly she remembered. “Stella and Mike are still in there! They’ll be crushed. I’ve got to go back and get them!”
Joel pulled her back down. “Emily, calm down. They went through before the Solar Stream sucked in the palace. They’re ahead of it. If they keep moving, they’ll be fine.”
“And what about when they arrive?”
After a moment Joel understood. “It’s all coming right behind them. The palace and all that debris are coming here!” He rose quickly and reached for Emily’s hand. “C’mon, we’ve got to get to the arch before it kills everyone!”
When Emily and Joel emerged from the temple, they stopped short. Her father and aunt stood with the CRU agents from the museum. Farther back, the Olympians were eyeing the agents as if they were ready to pounce on the men at any moment.
“Dad!” Emily and Joel ran up to him. Her eyes landed on Agent B, and her temper flared. “What are you doing here?”