Hera stomped into the room, ready to blaze at him.
Zeus’ eyes turned storm cloud gray. “Not now!”
Hera, a goddess herself, wasn’t scared. “Fix it, Zeus,” she responded coldly before leaving the room.
“Fix it, Zeus. Fix it, Zeus. Just fix it,” he mocked in a childish voice once she was safely out of earshot.
Zeus could kill the fin fairy they sent up, but that would only prolong the bet. It wouldn’t stop anything. Zeus could go to war with Poseidon, but then he would just look stupid. Imagine what everyone would say. He couldn’t win the bet, so he started a war?
Zeus shook his head, his long hair swaying behind him.
That won’t work, he thought.
The day and night passed, with no ideas coming to Zeus. He ordered one of his griffins to go down to Poseidon and begin the counting. “I want you to argue every single thing that’s possible. If that fin fairy says it’s some kind of sea animal, you say it’s a rock.”
When speaking with the griffin that would count the animals in the air, his instructions were similar. “If you see a particle of dust floating, count it, you understand? If my brother’s lackey gives you any grief, just keep arguing. Over every particle of dust, go it?”
The griffin assured his master that he indeed “got it.”
Zeus retreated to his study to think on the subject some more. He could slow down the counting, but he couldn’t stop it. Eventually, he’d lose, and then he’d have to hear Hera bitching before and after going to bed with Poseidon.
“I have to cut out the booze,” Zeus moaned. “At least when I’m drinking around family. They’re ruthless.”
And that’s when the idea came to him. His shaggy eyebrows raised as his eyes opened wide.
Yes, yes, that could work, Zeus thought. It could work, and it wouldn’t violate anything. All we did was make a bet on who had more creatures beneath their kingdom.
“HERA!” he shouted, his god voice echoing to all parts of Mount Olympus at once.
Hera emerged from the hallway. “What is it?”
Zeus grinned, confident in his solution. “Your husband is the smartest, most industrious god ever to live, that’s what.”
Hera looked skeptical. “You’ve managed to find a way out of this?”
Zeus nodded. “Get me Hades. I need to speak to him.”
Frank lifted his current can and shook it, showing that it was completely empty. “I need another beer.”
Claire rolled her eyes but got up from her seat. She walked over to the refrigerator, then pulled the door open and grabbed a beer. “Here. Give me the empty.”
Frank handed the can over, and Claire tossed it in the trash. She spoke as she walked back toward the couch. “The only problem seems to be they drink too much, gamble, and don’t respect women. My main issue is the women thing, but that’s not sounding like much of a threat to Earth.”
Claire sat down while Frank popped open his beer. He took a sip before setting it down on his lap. “Lass, stick to getting the beer and leave the storytelling to me.”
“Yeah, yeah, just get on with it, will ya?” Claire asked.
“Okay, here we go…”
Normally, Zeus would never ever descend to the underworld. If his family wanted to see him, they came to his home. Yet, he was asking for Hades help, so he couldn’t very well summon the Underworld god to Mount Olympus. He hated Hades’ home. The heat alone had Zeus sweating the moment he went below, and then all the red colors. Hades could redecorate here, but no, he wanted the whole place to look sinister. He reveled in his ability to frighten humans.
Zeus thought the whole thing overly dramatic.
After a boat ride that seemed never-ending, he was in front of his brother. They stood on one of the rivers’ banks, Hades' ugly dog at his side like always.
Hades grinned. “What brings you down here? Hera seemed angry when we spoke.”
Zeus waved away the thought. “Women are always angry. You know that. How are things…” He looked around the bare caverns. “…down here?”
“Things are good. Better than on lovely Mount Olympus, from what I hear. You made a bet with our dear brother Poseidon. One which you don’t seem very likely to win. Is that correct?” Hades still held that small smirk.
Zeus stroked his long beard. “So, you’ve heard?”
“Just because I live beneath rocks doesn’t mean I don’t know what happens above, brother,” Hades answered.
Zeus sighed, turning to look at the long, dark river. “Yes. I made a bet. It’s that damned tequila. I tell Hera not to stock it in the house, but she never listens to me. You heard what the bet was, I assume?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Hades agreed.
Zeus gritted his teeth. He hated coming down here for anything, especially to grovel at his brother’s feet. Doesn’t matter, he thought. You should have considered that before making such a bet. “Well, dear brother, I need your help to win it.”
“Ha!” Hades’ laugh echoed high off the walls, and one of Cerberus’ heads gave a laugh-like yelp in response. “There’s no way you can win this bet. Ever heard of the saying, there’s plenty more fish in the sea? Do you know why they don’t say, there are plenty more birds in the air? Because there aren’t that many birds.”
Again, Zeus waved away the comment. “Right now, no. But that can change.”
Hades’ face grew quizzical. “How?”
Zeus turned around, smiling now. “I have some ideas. The question is, what’s going to cost me?”
Hades squatted down and rubbed Cerberus’ right head. “That depends on how much is asked of me.”
Zeus knew this wasn’t a cheap ask of his brother and knew that he would owe something possibly quite dear. Still, he couldn’t stand losing to Poseidon. The gods would still be in our father’s stomach, if not for me. He shook his head in disgust.
“What’s wrong, brother?” Hades asked from his position next to the dog.
Zeus dropped the scowl. “I’m asking a lot, and I expect whatever favor you ask to be of a similar nature. Now can we get down to brass tacks here?”
Hades smiled devilishly. “Sure, god of lightning. Tell me what it is you want me to do.”
“My Lord, what shall we do?”
Poseidon heard the underling’s question but discarded it without any more thought. It was the question of an idiot, for there was nothing they could do. Poseidon sat on his throne, staring out through the glass at the ocean before him. The animals under his rule were dying by the millions—perhaps even the billions—and he could do nothing about it.
Zeus had gone to that good for nothing Hades, and now the power of the underworld and the sky was teaming up against the ocean. Hades had released a plague of volcanoes. The ocean floor was turning into a fiery pit—the cold waters unable to stop the flood of molten lava flowing out. The animals that lived on the ocean floor stood no chance. They could try to outrun the disaster, but most were boiled alive, and those that did make it a little distance before the water heated too much? Well, they simply ran into another exploding volcano.
The fish that tried to swim up? They exploded because their bodies were finely attuned to the pressure at their current depth. That might have been okay by itself. The ocean was huge and full of creatures, but, no, of course, the volcanoes heating up his ocean wasn’t the only thing happening. Zeus would never behave so kindly toward anyone, not if it meant he might lose.
The god of thunder and lightning was using everything at his disposal to attack from above. Lightning fell across the entirety of the ocean. Hurricanes raged everywhere. Lightning striking the ocean at any one point might result in some fish dying, but to fall everywhere, constantly? There was no escape.
The entirety of Poseidon’s kingdom was under siege by both Hades and Zeus. Poseidon didn’t know what such a deal with their brother might have cost Zeus, but it couldn’t have been cheap.
“Poseidon!” It was his wife’s voice, raging from the hall.<
br />
He let out a loud groan. “I don’t want to be here for this.” He looked at the underling, still standing in front of him. “Get me transport. I’m going up to Olympus.”
Zeus smiled widely as his brother entered his den. “The weather seems a bit precarious, yes?”
Poseidon walked no further than the doorway, his trident in his hand. “You can’t keep this up forever.”
Zeus shrugged. “I don’t need to keep it up forever. I only need to keep it up until the majority of the creatures alive in the ocean are dead. Then, I win. Or you can forfeit now.”
Poseidon was ready to murder Zeus and might have attacked him at that very moment if he thought he could actually succeed. Perhaps if they’d been below water, but not here in Zeus’ territory.
“So, what will it be?” Zeus asked. “Are you okay with the raging storms, constant lightning, and the floor of your ocean turning into a lava pit?”
Poseidon slammed his trident on the floor. “Do you realize how many creatures are dying? Does that bother you at all? Every single minute that it continues!”
Zeus chuckled, rolling his eyes as he did. “Don’t give me a sob story, brother. We both know you care as much for the dying sea animals as you do the ones flying in my skies. You won’t find sympathy from me. That won’t make this stop. You can either let it continue until your kingdom is devoid of life or forfeit now.”
That was the key. Poseidon didn’t want to lose every creature under his rule.
The two brothers stared at each other for a very long moment, Zeus wearing his grin and Poseidon looking ready to kill.
“Fine. I forfeit.” Poseidon turned to leave, his anger practically overflowing.
“Brother,” Zeus called with a very light, playful tone. “Please be sure to send your wife up at your earliest convenience.”
The story was over, and Frank no longer spoke. Instead, he’d returned to his earlier countenance of worry and annoyance.
Claire remained on the couch. She looked at Al, although given that the ghost had no shape outside of his clothes, it did little to tell her what he was thinking. Her gaze then turned to Frank, who was staring at the top of his beer can. “I don’t get it. Why all the worry over a stupid story like that?”
Frank looked up, his eyes wide. “Me gods, ye cannot be this idiotic, lass.”
Claire shrugged. “Do you get it, Al?”
He appeared to be nodding from the way the shirt moved on his shoulders.
“Is that a yes?” Claire asked for confirmation.
“Yeah. I get the story. It’s not news to me, though. I lived under Hades. I was there when he heated up the ocean. Although, at the time, I didn’t know why we were doing it.”
Frank leaned forward on the chair. “For one, it’s not a story, Claire. This actually happened. That’s part of the problem. Ye are thinking about the gods as myths, things passed down from ancient peoples. Maybe that is the case over here, but from where he and meself are from, these aren’t stories. They actually happened, and what I just told you, actually happened.”
Claire leaned back, her brow furrowing. “Okay, let’s say it did. So what? I mean, they’re chauvinistic bastards, and I don’t know how their wives didn’t cut their manhood off. But why does that story scare you so much?”
Frank stood up, running his free hand through his black hair. “Gods help me!” He started pacing again. “Think, lass. Think. To win a bet, Zeus killed untold numbers of living creatures. Perhaps some species even went extinct. Rather than just lose, he decided to declare a genocide on the entire ocean, and then when he was finished?”
Frank stopped and turned toward Claire. “He slept with his brother’s wife as a prize.”
Claire shook her head. “Look, I’m not for the genocide of anything, but there’s a difference between fish and humans.”
Frank chuckled and shook his head. “Not to them. Do ye know what happened to the Titan Prometheus? He brought fire to humans, and Zeus chained him up and had an eagle eat his liver out every day for eternity. To the gods, ye are the same as fish. To win a bet, Zeus almost killed all life in the ocean. What would he do for Earth?”
Frank sighed and walked to the door. He raised the beer can and lightly tapped it on the glass. “Well, I don’t think any of them will worry much if a few billion humans die.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jack didn’t want to be in class, but what other choice did he have?
He’d brought it up at lunch with Marissa. They ate alone now, and Jack wasn’t sure if they were making themselves pariahs, or if the rest of the students were forcing them out. Perhaps they saw Claire leaving as an indication that the entire group was too risky to hang out with.
Jack’s unit was down to him and Marissa—and he really didn’t even like thinking of it as his unit, though he knew Marissa would rather eat razor blades than claim it as hers. This unit belonged to Claire, and her not being here only made everything off.
He had a sandwich in front of him but he hadn’t touched it. “What’s the point of going to class?”
Marissa was staring at a bowl of soup she’d heated, twirling a spoon around inside it. “What do you mean?”
Jack pushed his sandwich to the side. “I mean, Claire just told us what is happening. Why would we go to class? There’s stuff that needs to be done, mainly trying to kill this Hades dude.”
Marissa didn’t answer at first. She brought the spoon to her mouth, tasting the soup. Her face looked like Jack felt, disinterested in even the idea of food. “How would you kill Hades?” she asked as she placed the spoon back down.
He leaned back in his chair. “I knew you were going to ask that, and just because I don’t know right now, doesn’t mean we won’t figure it out.”
Marissa kept staring into her bowl. “There are more reasons, and you know it. You’re just antsy. For one, we don’t have a third. We might not even be the group that is assigned those tasks anymore. Without Claire, we’re…” She looked up then, letting go of the spoon. “We were greater than the sum of our parts, and Claire was the biggest third of us. I won’t say we’re nothing without her, but we’re regular students. We might be able to fight a little better, and I can whisper some words that make things happen, but…”
She sighed and shrugged, then stared back into her bowl of soup. “But we belong in class, not in the field.”
Jack hadn’t said anything in return. He ended up eating half his sandwich and throwing the rest away. He’d lost five pounds since Claire left, although he hadn’t said anything about it to Marissa. Losing weight over a student going home seemed a bit dramatic, but he couldn’t help it. He thought Marissa had lost a little weight, too, and if today’s lunch was like the rest of her meals, then they were both in trouble.
They wanted Claire back, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it. Jack didn’t want to go to class, but he knew there wasn’t a whole lot of choice in the matter. If the FBI didn’t tell them to start hunting Greek gods, then there would be no hunting Greek gods.
During class, Jack and Marissa sat in their same spots, leaving an empty space for Claire in between them. They never spoke about it—but neither of them moved to fill her seat, and that seemed right.
Dr. Byron hadn’t said anything, either. He’d continued on with class as if nothing changed. Jack didn’t know how he felt about it. He wanted someone to be as angry as he felt, but also understood Byron couldn’t protest or shut down class, demanding Claire’s return.
Life goes on, he thought, whether you want it to or not.
Dr. Byron stood in front of the class, ready to start. Jack didn’t know what he’d heard, only that Jack and Marissa were under explicit instructions not to say a word about what Claire told them. They were to act as if everything was normal.
“We continue on with the gods today,” Byron announced. “We are going to focus on what their supposed powers are.”
“Supposed?” someone in the front asked.
Byron smirked. “I would never assume to tell a god what they can and can’t do. If you meet one, perhaps you will have more nerve than me.” Speaking to the larger class. “In fact, you will have to have more nerve than me if these gods wish us ill will and are coming. There are twelve Olympians. Why are they called that?”
Samantha spoke from the front row. “Because they lived on Mount Olympus.”
Jack did his best not to look in her direction. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious about his crush before—he kept his eyes on Byron.
“The class isn’t completely braindead. Very good.”
Byron’s joke fell flat. The energy simply wasn’t in the room, and it hadn’t been since Claire left.
The professor was quiet for a moment. He scanned the students, perhaps judging them. “Morale is down,” he observed quietly.
Byron turned and walked to his desk. He leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “I could go through all of the Greek gods’ powers. The first six who descended directly from the Titans, and then I could list off their individual powers as well as the things all gods have in common. Anyone have a clue what those are?”
Marissa and a few others raised their hands. Jack didn’t move at all. He hadn’t read a word about any of this stuff.
“Yeah. A couple of you.” Byron nodded as he looked at the floor. “That’s what I imagined. I’ve been watching this class for the past week, as well as others, and you all are in a slide. This one more than most because of that empty seat up there.” Byron gestured with his head at the chair between Jack and Marissa. “The whole school is feeling it, though. It doesn’t matter what I sit up here and talk about if you all stop working. If you all stop caring. I can talk until my teeth fall out, but it won’t do a damned bit of good.”
The last sentence was harsh, and a heavy silence fell across everyone right after.
Byron nodded, but whether to himself or the students, Jack couldn’t tell.
Paranormal University: Third Semester: An Unveiled Academy Novel Page 9