by Kate O'Hearn
Zephyr looked over to Jake and nodded. “Three humans in two days isn’t normal. But we can’t expect any answers from him. He still thinks this is a dream.”
“That’s just shock. Once he realizes the truth, he’ll help us figure it out.”
Zephyr nodded. “I hope so. But where can we hide him until then?”
“I’m not sure,” Astraea admitted. “But I was speaking with Tryn today. He said he was staying at Arcadia in a dorm. He’s by himself there. . . .”
Zephyr gasped. “You want to hide a human at Arcadia?”
“Can you think of a better place? It’s got a lot of kids there. He won’t be noticed.”
Zephyr shook her head. “There is no way anyone will believe he’s a Titan. If we want to keep him safe, no one can see him.”
Astraea grinned. “So you’re going to help me?”
Zephyr whinnied. “Of course I am. I may not like humans, but you’re my best friend. If you want to help him, so will I.”
“Thanks, Zeph.” Astraea walked over to Jake and touched him on the arm. “We have to go.”
He smiled brightly. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not really sure. But you can’t stay here or they’ll catch you and lock you away.”
“For what?”
“For being human,” Astraea said. The smile on his face still suggested he didn’t believe any of this. She had a thought. “You still think this is a dream, right?”
He nodded. “Duh! ’Course it’s a dream.”
“Well, it’s about to turn into a nightmare if you don’t trust us. Please, just do as I ask and come with us.”
Jake walked over and picked up his baseball cap, backpack, and skateboard. “Why not? Let’s go.”
All thoughts of detention and the two jugs of nectar they had to deliver to the school the next morning were forgotten as they made their way out of the orchard and onto the quieter paths of Arcadia.
Zephyr used her height and all her senses to warn them whenever anyone was around. When Zephyr gave the alarm, they hid behind trees or large statues and waited for them to pass.
Each time a Titan or Olympian walked past, Jake tried to meet them. It was only Astraea holding him back that prevented the three of them from being discovered. It was the same for buildings and statues. Jake would gaze at them with a huge smile on his face.
“This place is totally awesome!” he said. “I sure hope I remember it all when I wake up.”
His constant denial was starting to grate on Astraea’s nerves. She looked over at Zephyr, and her best friend chuckled. “He’s in for a big surprise when he finally realizes this is real.”
Jake stopped and looked at Zephyr and then Astraea. “What’d she say?”
This time, Astraea didn’t lie. “She said you’re in for a surprise when you realize this isn’t a dream!”
Jake patted Zephyr on the neck and laughed. “Ha-ha, that’s a good one!”
“Glad you like it,” Zephyr said back to him.
“She said she’s glad you like it,” Astraea repeated.
When they approached Arcadia, Jake stopped and stared in wonder. “Whoa, who’d have thought I could dream up a place like that? It’s awesome.”
“You didn’t dream it up!” Astraea insisted. “Those are the four buildings of Arcadia, our school. It just opened today.”
“That’s a school?” Jake cried. “It looks like a museum or library or something like that. . . . Is that where we’re going?”
Astraea nodded. “There’s a place inside called a dorm. I hope we can hide you there until we figure out how you got here.”
“Wait.” Jake stopped again and started to laugh. “Didn’t you say you both got detention? On your first day at school? What did you do?”
Astraea looked at Zephyr and then shrugged. There was no reason not to tell him. “We got into a fight with a centaur. He called Zephyr Pegasus’s daughter and then said I had stubby baby wings.”
“Wings?” Jake said, looking at her. “You don’t have wings.”
“Yes, I do,” Astraea said. “They’re small because I’m still young. But when I grow up, they’ll be large enough for me to fly.”
“No way!” Jake cried. He came closer and tried to look at her back. “Let me see them.”
Astraea suddenly felt very self-conscious and moved so he couldn’t get behind her. “Not now. We have to get you to safety first.”
“Yeah, right, that’s coz you don’t have wings.”
“Yes, I do!” Astraea insisted.
“Prove it.”
“Astraea, just show him,” Zephyr suggested. “It’s the only way to get him to shut up. And it might help him believe this is real.”
Astraea sighed heavily and lowered her head. “If I show you, will you promise to take this more seriously? Your life is in very real danger, but you just keep laughing like you don’t care.”
“I promise.” Jake grinned. He crossed his hand over his chest. “Scout’s honor.”
“I don’t know what that is. But if you promise . . .” Astraea hesitantly undid the belt at her waist, reached up to her shoulders, and unclipped the flowing fabric that went down her back like a cape. When it fell away, she opened up her small wings. “See, wings.”
Jake’s hand went to his mouth and his blue eyes opened wide. “Whoa, that’s totally rad. . . .” He touched the downy gray feathers on the long edge of her left wing. “It’s so soft.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Astraea said, pulling in her wings again. “You’ve seen them and touched them. Now do you believe this is real?”
“Yeah,” he breathed. “Really cool.”
“No, I mean this—Titus.”
Jake laughed again. “I wake up in a place where horses have wings and can talk and you have wings too, and you seriously expect me to believe any of it?”
“Ugh!” Astraea threw her hands in the air and started to storm away. “I give up!”
Zephyr whinnied. “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve upset Astraea.” She gave Jake a nip on the arm and trotted after her friend.
“Ouch!” Jake cried. “Hey, that really hurt.”
He ran after Astraea and Zephyr. When he caught up with them, he showed Astraea his arm, where Zephyr’s sharp teeth had nearly broken the skin. The area was bright red, and dark bruises were already forming. “Look what Zephyr did to me. You’re not supposed to feel pain in a dream, but this really hurts.”
Astraea finally lost her temper. “That’s because this isn’t a dream or a coma or whatever! It’s real. Tell me, would you feel this in a dream?” Astraea shoved Jake in the chest. But not knowing how fragile humans were, she sent him flying backward. He crashed down to the ground several feet away.
Realizing what she’d done, Astraea ran over and helped him back up. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that.”
Jake was gasping to catch his breath. He rose to his feet and bent over. “Wow, you’re really strong.”
“I’m a Titan. Of course I am.”
When he could breathe again, Jake stood up straight and stared around as though seeing everything for the very first time. He walked over to Zephyr and lifted her wing and peered at where it joined her torso. He shook his head and his voice dropped. “This wing feels so real. But it can’t be. . . .” A deep frown creased his brow. He walked over and felt the leaves on a nearby bush. “If this is real, what happened to me? How did I get here? Where is my sister?”
“You have a sister?” Astraea asked.
Jake nodded and continued to look around. His smile had vanished, to be replaced by a look of confusion and fear. “She was right behind me when . . . when . . .”
“When what?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. He was standing beside a statue of Venus, touching the cool marble. He gazed up at the setting sun and followed a flock of colorful birds flying across the sky. The distress on his face was heartbreaking.
“I—I was with my sister . . . ,
” he started softly. “We had to go to the Santa Monica Pier to meet our dad. But it was so crowded that we took a shortcut. Molly was starting to irritate me, so I went ahead on my skateboard. Then she screamed, and when I looked back, I saw . . . saw something. It’s impossible to describe. Then I fell off my skateboard and hit my head. . . .” He looked away. “I—I woke up here. Where is Molly?”
“I don’t know,” Astraea said gently. “She wasn’t in the orchard with you?”
He shook his head and his shoulders slumped. “I was supposed to protect her and I didn’t. That—that thing got her. . . .” His voice broke and he walked away.
“Whoa, he’s taking it bad,” Zephyr said softly.
“Wouldn’t you, if you suddenly woke up on Earth?” Astraea said.
“Guess so,” Zephyr agreed. She walked up to Jake and laid her head on his shoulder. “Tell him we’ll figure this out. He’s not alone. We’ll find his sister.”
Astraea nodded and approached Jake. “Zephyr says you’re not alone. We’ll help you find your sister.”
His red eyes looked at her. “You really can talk to her?”
Astraea nodded.
Jake reached up and gently stroked Zephyr’s muzzle. “I’m really sorry I called you a horse—I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“It’s all right,” Zephyr said. “You’re not too bad for a smelly human.”
Astraea chuckled softly. “She says it’s all right and that you’re not too bad for a human.”
Zephyr looked at her and her ears went back. “I said smelly human.”
“Thanks,” Jake said softly. “And you’ll really help me find my sister?”
Astraea nodded. “But before we start to look for her, we have to hide you in the dorm.”
“Why do I have to hide?”
“Because you’re from Earth. All contact with Earth has been forbidden. Humans are banned from coming here.”
“There’s been contact with Earth? When? How? I’ve never seen anything like you before.”
“But you knew about Olympians and Titans,” Astraea said.
“Yeah, but that’s just from the movies, they weren’t real—”
“But we are,” Astraea said. “We used to have a lot of contact with Earth. But all of that’s stopped now.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. I know there was trouble between Olympus and Earth. After that, it was decided that it was safer if we never went back there or associated with humans again.”
“So if contact is forbidden, who brought me here?”
“We don’t know,” Astraea said. “But I have to tell you, you’re not the first human to appear. My father said my grandfather was with a woman yesterday, and just this morning, I saw a man. He was captured and taken away. I don’t know where.”
Fear rose in Jake’s eyes. “If they found my sister, would they take her away?”
Astraea nodded. “Probably.”
Jake looked around desperately. “We’ve got to find her first!”
“We will, but we also need to make sure that you’re safe,” Astraea said.
Jake shook his head. “I’m in serious trouble, aren’t I?”
“Finally he’s starting to understand,” Zephyr said.
Astraea nodded again. “Yes, you are, but we’re here to help. Once we get you settled, we can work on who brought you here and why.”
“And we find Molly?”
“Yes. If she’s here, we’ll find her,” Astraea said.
Jake was almost overcome with fear. Suddenly he wasn’t the smiling, playful boy who thought this was all part of a dream. Now he was vulnerable and frightened and realizing that his whole world had been turned upside down.
They crept closer to Arcadia, but there were still a lot of people milling around. The school was a novelty, and everyone was interested in seeing it. Astraea led them over to some bushes at the back of Arcadia One and pulled them open. “Jake, get in here. I’ll go inside and find somewhere to hide you and then come back.”
When he crawled inside the dense bush, Astraea straightened up. “Zeph, will you stay with him? I’m going to go see if I can find Tryn.”
“You don’t expect him to help us, do you? He doesn’t seem to care about anything.”
Astraea shrugged. “I know. But his father is human. I’m hoping that might count for something.”
With Jake hidden in the bushes and Zephyr keeping watch, Astraea jogged over to Arcadia One. There was a line of torches set up outside, illuminating the front of the impressive building. She walked up to the doors and found them closed, but not locked, so she entered the main foyer. On the far right wall was a directory and a map that covered all the buildings of Arcadia.
According to the map, the dormitory was a small building attached by a covered walkway to the rear of Arcadia Two.
Making note of the directions, she started toward building two. Unlike Arcadia One, the doors to Arcadia Two were locked. But that wasn’t enough to stop her. She walked around to the back and saw the covered walkway that led to her destination.
The dormitory was a white marble building, smaller than Arcadia Two, standing only three stories tall. But like all the school buildings, it had tall marble pillars out front. Unlike the others, however, the pillars here had been carved into the shapes of Titan and Olympian heroes. She recognized Prometheus, Phoebe, and Rhea, then Hercules, Perseus, and Diana. The primary pillars on each corner were carved into the shape of hero Nirads who had fought to save Olympus. The Nirads, each with four powerful arms, appeared to support the whole dormitory.
Astraea realized everything about the school was in balance. If there were lessons on Titan heroes, there were an equal number of Olympian heroes as well. The teachers were also a mix between the two. She imagined that this was meant to help the students integrate, but if today was any indication, they had a long way to go. Despite the teachers’ best efforts, Titan students mixed only with Titans, while the Olympians kept to themselves.
As Astraea pushed open the dorm doors, she realized just how difficult it must be for Tryn. He was neither Titan nor Olympian. He hadn’t even been born on Titus, so no one wanted to associate with him.
Once inside the foyer, Astraea had hoped there would be some kind of directory. But there wasn’t. If Tryn’s room was here, she’d have to find it on her own. She started down the hallway of the main floor, knocking on doors. At every one she tried, she received no answer. But when she reached the very end of the hall and knocked on the last door, she heard movement inside.
“Who is it?” a familiar voice demanded from behind the door.
“Tryn, it’s me, Astraea. I need to speak with you. May I come in, please?”
The door opened a fraction, and Astraea saw Tryn’s face peering through the crack. “Are you alone?”
“Yes. Please open the door. It’s urgent.”
Tryn’s eyes narrowed, but he backed away and pulled open the door. “Come in. I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess, but I don’t like visitors.”
“I’m not worried about that. . . .” When Astraea entered, she stopped. The room wasn’t a mess, it was a disaster area. Somehow, she’d expected him to be super organized. But he was the complete opposite. There wasn’t a clear surface in the whole room. Books covered the floor and the windowsills, while the bookshelves were cluttered with clothing and stale ambrosia cakes.
Tryn shoved a rock collection off a chair. The stones clattered to the floor, and some rolled under the bed. “Sit,” he said. Then he sat on a pile of clothes on the side of the bed.
Now that she was actually here, Astraea didn’t know what to say. She frowned. “Tryn, can I trust you?”
His face revealed nothing. Not shock, anger, or even curiosity. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, Zephyr and I have found something, and we don’t know what to do. I mean, really, we should go to my grandfather, you know, Hyperion, because he’s head of security. But if we do that, it will make thi
ngs really bad for someone. So I was hoping that since your dad is human, you might like to help us.”
A flash of curiosity crossed his silver face, but then he hid it under a passive expression. “I don’t understand. Is this some kind of trick?”
“Trick? No, I promise it’s not.” Astraea rose and started to pace the small bedroom. She walked over to the dresser and picked up a book. The cover was made of some kind of metal, and the writing was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She opened the pages and saw pictures of a red world. She looked back at Tryn. “Is this your old world?”
He nodded. “That was Rhean. It was a gift from my mother. That book was all she was allowed to take from her home world. It’s a storybook.” He rose and took the book away from her. “You didn’t come here to discuss my origins, did you?”
“No,” Astraea answered quickly. “I told you, Zephyr and I found something and we don’t know what to do.”
He nodded. “You start by telling me. If you really need my help, I have to know what you’re talking about.”
Astraea sighed. “All right. You know Zephyr and I got detention. Well, part of it was we had to go into the orchards to gather nectar. And we were doing great. But then we found . . . well, I mean we heard . . . or rather, we saw . . .”
“Yes?” Tryn prodded.
“Well, we found a human boy.”
“What!” Tryn cried.
It was the first time she’d seen emotion from him. His face lit up and his eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Yes,” Astraea continued. “His name is Jake. He doesn’t know how he got here. But he’s really scared. His sister is missing too, but we don’t know if she’s here.”
“Where is he?” Tryn demanded.
“He’s with Zephyr, hiding in some bushes not far from Arcadia One. But we can’t let anyone see him or my grandfather will take him away.”
“Why would he do that?”
“You know why,” Astraea said. “Travel between Titus and Earth is forbidden. But somehow, humans are being found here. Just yesterday my father saw my grandfather with a human woman, and right before the opening ceremonies, I saw my grandfather and his security people capture a man. He was taken away, but I don’t know where and no one is talking about it. Tryn, something is very wrong. Humans shouldn’t be coming here.”