by Jan Kopia
“You say you have visions,” Patrick asked before Antonia could speak. “You can see the future?”
“Yes I can,” Diane nodded, noticing the incredulous look on Antonia’s face. “And sometimes I see the past as well. Though I’m afraid that age and illness have clouded my vision somewhat.”
Antonia turned to Patrick. “This is…” She stopped short, and Diane could tell she was trying to phrase her next words without sounding rude. “I’m sorry, but that simply isn't possible.”
Diane looked into Antonia’s lovely blue eyes. She tried to draw on her own ability, praying that her sight wouldn't let her down, not now. She needed to convince them. Diane had assumed that Patrick was the only important person she needed to reach, but she knew now that Antonia was just as important. But she was going to be harder because she was a non-believer.
“You are a woman of science,” Diane said. “I understand it is hard for you to accept that there are people who can do things… things that others cannot.”
“There are reasons for everything," said Antonia. "But they’re always explainable. Even if we just don’t have the answers yet. But the answers will always be rooted in scientific discovery and logic. The answers will be… quantifiable.”
“Except when they’re not,” Diane replied gently. She turned to Patrick, and placed her hand in the middle of the table with her palm facing upwards. “Patrick Dane… you are surrounded by pain, grief, desperation… and fierce, hot, burning rage.”
“His daughter is in a coma,” Antonia cut in. “Of course he feels all those things.”
Diane took a deep internal breath. She hadn't expected to have to prove herself. Patrick was clinging to belief because it was all he had, but she could sense that he was nervous to trust her too.
“May I?” Diane asked, turning to Patrick.
His eyes were a light, warm hazel. Diane could see the potential in them, but there were spots of darkness too. He could be a vessel for great good or great evil; it all depended on him.
“You want… my hand?” Patrick asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Diane nodded. “Place it on top of mine. Palm up.”
He hesitated for only a moment before doing exactly as Diane had instructed. The instant their skin made contact, Diane gasped as she fell into the chasm of a vision so powerful it took her breath away.
The vision came in flashes: bursts of light that revealed images she couldn't immediately decipher. They were fragments floating in front of her; puzzle pieces she couldn't yet place. Diane saw a beautiful woman with red-gold eyes and scars on her back. She saw a golden titan sitting on a throne that was turning to ash and dissolving him with it. She saw thousands of souls bursting with pain as they were pulled from their bodies. She saw the world grow darker and colder until it folded in on itself. She saw an ornate key that danced across the worlds as though it belonged to each one of them.
In seconds, she had seen thousands of possibilities, and her eyes hurt from their terrifying truth. She tried to concentrate through the pain. There was more to see, more messages to receive. She'd never had a vision like this before. She'd never felt this kind of power before—
“Stop!”
The visions fell away to dust. Diane sat gasping, feeling as though her brain were rattling against her skull. What had happened? Why had the visions stopped? There had been more to come. Diane looked up and saw that Patrick had removed his palm from hers.
“You broke the connection,” Diane said, trying hard not to sound chiding.
“I’m sorry,” he said, with awe in his eyes. “I— something was happening…”
Diane glanced towards Antonia and saw her ashen face and wide eyes.
“You’re bleeding,” Antonia said.
Diane frowned. She lifted a hand up to her face and it came away bloody. Her nose was bleeding. She pulled out the handkerchief she carried in the pockets of her skirt and dabbed away the blood.
“I’m all right,” she assured them.
“What did you see?” Patrick asked.
Antonia turned to him. “Patrick, you can’t believe she really had a—"
“Will you show me the key in your pocket, Patrick?” Diane asked in a quiet voice.
They both looked at her with shock. “How did you know?” Patrick asked.
“My visions can be very informative,” she said, with a small smile. “It came to you, just before you left to meet me. Am I right?”
Patrick exchanged a glance with Antonia. “Yes,” he nodded. “It did.”
“May I see it?”
Patrick pulled out the key and placed it on the table in front of Diane. It was the largest key she had ever seen but when she picked it up, it was lighter than a feather. There were ornate carvings melded into the fine wood — a wood that was soft and supple, unlike any wood Diane had ever seen before. She had never in a million years imagined she would touch, let alone be in the presence of, the Olympus Key. She had half-believed it was the stuff of legend. But now… She suppressed the shudder inside her. She had to tell them the truth. But how to tell it? That mattered.
“It's not a key I’ve ever seen before,” Patrick said.
“I haven't seen it either,” Diane admitted. “But I know of it.”
“You know of it?” Antonia asked quizzically.
Patrick’s eyes were alight with possibility. “It appeared out of nowhere, for no reason—"
“Now there you're wrong,” Diane interrupted. “There is a reason it came to you, Patrick Dane.” Diane traced her fingers along the key’s shaft. She could sense that it was pregnant with energy and its energy was intoxicatingly powerful — and not remotely of this world. She felt a spike of fear emerge from her gut. This key's energy could draw you in and make you forget things. She needed to stay focused.
“You recognize its energy, don’t you?” Diane asked, setting her eyes on Antonia. “Or at least you might if your third eye was not so blocked.”
“What do you mean?” Antonia asked.
“You are a scientist, yes?”
“I am.”
“And you have been following the strange energy boosts and patterns over the course of the last several months… years, even?”
Antonia hesitated; her chest rose and fell with barely-hidden panic. “Yes.”
“Then you should have sensed the key’s energy the moment you saw it,” Diane said, lifting the key and offering it to Antonia. “Hold it in the palm of your hand, close your eyes and concentrate.”
“I… why?”
“You came here looking for answers, Antonia Lark,” Diane said. “Why are you scared to receive them?”
Diane’s words seemed to reach her. Antonia took the key and held it against her open palms, closing her eyes. Patrick watched her, and Diane noticed the way his eyes caressed Antonia’s face. Of course; their history was pertinent because it had never been resolved. Diane should have seen it sooner.
The two of them watched together as Antonia’s eyelashes fluttered slowly. She was still for a long moment, then a shiver seemed to run over her body. Her eyes opened and Diane could see the realization there.
“The energy coming from this key… we’ve been tracking it for months. It’s almost identical to the energy given off by the bursting lights.”
“Not lights,” said Diane, shaking her head. “Not lights. Souls.”
“It can’t be,” Antonia whispered, but Diane could see the beginning of acceptance in her eyes.
“You know what you felt better than I,” Diane continued. “Your staunch denial of what they call ‘magic’ is what's preventing you from understanding the bigger picture. Science explains only the secrets of this world, Antonia. Magic explains the secrets of the others. Magic is just a different kind of science… one that has not been deciphered yet.”
“Other worlds?” Patrick asked. “There are other worlds?”
“Indeed. And that key in Antonia’s hand? That key is from one of them.”
Patrick’s eyes unfocused for a moment, and Diane knew he was seeing his daughter. He was seeing himself save her. Her visions weren't telling her that; it was human instinct. But she knew now why fate had conspired to bring Patrick and Antonia to her home. She needed to warn them. She needed to make sure they knew what was at stake.
“That key is exceptionally powerful Patrick,” Diane told him. “And for that reason, it's also very dangerous.”
“But it showed itself to us… to Antonia and me.”
“And I think I know the reason why,” Diane said.
Patrick raised his eyebrows and Diane could tell that Antonia was holding her breath.
“My visions are fleeting glimpses into several possible futures,” Diane explained. “I see only what I am shown, and even then the visions are hard to decipher. But I know the story that centers on that key. I can sense the power it contains. And I know the hell it can unleash, on this world and all the rest. The key came to both of you for a reason… it came to be destroyed.”
Chapter Six
“You want us to destroy it?” asked Patrick.
Diane nodded. “Yes.”
Patrick reached out and took the key from Antonia. Warmth spread from the key through his entire body, and he felt the sudden and inexplicable need to protect it. He believed in the key’s power, he could feel that strongly enough, but he didn't understand: why he couldn’t use that power instead of destroying it?
“I know what you’re thinking, Patrick,” Diane said. Her piercing eyes fell on him with such intensity that they made him feel immobile. “But the key’s power is all-consuming. It will change you. You cannot hope to wield it. But I think the fact it revealed itself to you means you have the power to destroy it.”
“Wait,” Antonia said, holding up her hands. “I don’t understand. How do you know all this? You said you hadn’t seen this key before, but you'd heard of it?”
“It is a long story," replied Diane. "An ancient story.”
“I think we deserve to know,” said Antonia.
Patrick forced himself to take his eyes off the key. Antonia was right. They needed to hear this… somewhere within this story was the way he could save his daughter. "Tell us,” he said.
Diane nodded. “I can tell you what I know,” she said, in a low weighty voice. “I can tell you the stories that were passed down to me by my mother and her mother before her. We still believe in the history that others have forgotten.”
“What history?” Antonia asked.
“The history of a time when Titans walked the earth as Gods, and men worshipped them as saviors,” Diane said.
Patrick’s felt like his head was spinning, but he clung to her words as though his life depended on it. He'd always believed in alternate worlds. He had never believed that Earth existed in isolation. It seemed to him a mark of great hubris to assume that humanity was the only race in existence. Now he was on the brink of understanding more than he ever thought possible.
He had a key in his hand that could lead him to the proof he'd sought his entire life. But it was more than just professional curiosity now. Since Tess’s accident, everything was personal. His life’s work had taken on a new meaning. He didn’t need to prove to the naysayers that he'd been right in his beliefs all along. He just needed to save Tess. That would be enough.
“Titans,” Antonia said. “Are you referring to the Gods and Goddesses of Greek mythology?”
“Except they were never mythological beings,” Diane replied. “They were real… they still are.”
Antonia glanced at Patrick and then laughed incredulously. “You’re saying that the Gods of Mount Olympus — Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite-— they were real?”
“Well, those names aren’t completely accurate. Each culture and country called the Titans by different names. Aphrodite and Venus are just different names for the same Titan. Maybe neither name is accurate. But regardless of the names they went by, we can be assured that they existed. Some of them still do.”
Antonia looked at Diane in astonishment. “You… you actually believe that, don’t you?”
“If your third eye remains closed, you will never see the truth,” Diane said softly. “The gates to all inner realms will be shut to you, and you will never achieve a state of higher consciousness.”
Antonia sighed with frustration. Patrick put his hand on her knee; it was a silent reminder. Meeting his pleading gaze, nodded and she sat back.
“I’m sorry,” Antonia said to Diane. “Go ahead. Tell us your story.”
“It's not my story,” Diane said. “It's the history that was lost to mankind when they decided to cast away their Gods. And it all started with Cronus.”
“Cronus,” Patrick heard Antonia whisper. Patrick was familiar with the name, but he was certain Antonia knew more than he did. She'd always been the more knowledgeable one.
“Forget all you know about the Cronus of Greek legend,” said Diane. “Once the Titans withdrew from our world, their memories turned from history to legend. Details of their stay on Earth were changed. Cronus was never a God from the heavens. He was from another world, one called Tartarus. He was not a God but a Titan, a different race of being governed by a different set of rules.”
“Titans are powerful, but they are not immortal. They age and die as humans do, but their lifespan is significantly longer: one Titan year is equal to a thousand human years. There is, however, one significant difference: Titans, unlike men, do not have souls.”
Patrick felt the hair on his arms rise slowly. Strange new energy whizzed around the room and he felt for a moment as though he were weightless.
“What's that?” he breathed softly.
Diane smiled. “You feel that?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?” Antonia asked. She looked back and forth between Patrick and Diane as though they were speaking a strange language.
“You cannot feel it because you do not believe,” said Diane, fixing Antonia with a penetrating stare. “Faith powers the doors to other worlds… worlds like Tartarus.”
Diane turned to Patrick. “Cronus was a young Titan… one who was ambitious and curious. For all his power, he was dissatisfied on Tartarus. He couldn't understand the stories he heard of men with no great abilities, who could do no magic, practiced no craft, lived no longer than a hundred years and yet were touted as some of the most powerful beings in the universe.”
“Us?” Patrick asked, in an awed tone.
“Indeed,” Diane nodded, with a small smile. “Tartarus is also known as the kingdom of doors. A great tree exists in Tartarus, known as the world tree, and upon each branch there exists a door to another world. Each door is protected by a great being: on Tartarus they are called guardians, but here on Earth they are called angels.”
“It is said that Cronus, who slowly became obsessed with the doorway to Earth, formed a friendship with the guardian who protected it.”
Patrick felt something stir inside him, something instinctive and raw: a sixth sense that he had never realized he had.
“You know his name, Patrick,” Diane said gently. “We all do. Mankind is only too aware of his presence among us, even if it is hidden from our collective consciousness. He is the guardian who abandoned his calling for the chance to live. He is the first fallen angel.”
“Lucifer,” Patrick said, without thinking about it.
Patrick was aware of Antonia’s eyes boring into his face, questioning his sanity and questioning their decision to come here in the first place. He didn’t care. He knew that his whole life had led him to this moment.
Diane nodded. “Yes. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Shaitan… he is known by many different names. Guardians are different from both Titans and humans. They sprung from the World Tree in order to protect its portals. That is their only purpose. The guardians were not born, they do not age and they cannot die. Not unless they abandon their calling and lose their wings.”
“But Lucifer couldn't have known this whe
n he chose to follow Cronus to Earth,” Diane continued. “Before they crossed over, Cronus and Lucifer cut a chunk of wood from the world tree and forged it into a key that could open the doors to every world in existence. That key came to be known as the Olympus key.”
Patrick felt the key prickle and burn against his palm. The feeling was not an uncomfortable one. “That would be the key I'm currently holding in my hand?” he asked.
Diane nodded gravely. “I believe it is the very same one,” she said. “The question is: do you believe?”
Patrick paused, and resisted looking in Antonia’s direction. “I do,” he replied, with a conviction he didn’t know he had in him. “So what happened? When Cronus and Lucifer crossed over.”
“They were shocked," said Diane. "They saw man and they were unimpressed. There was nothing remarkable or intimidating or beautiful about them. In comparison with Tartarus, their world lacked… grandeur. And yet… there was something about mankind that was remarkable.”
“Their souls,” Patrick said.
“Yes… Cronus and Lucifer watched a woman die right before their eyes.” The way Diane spoke, her words painting an image so vivid, it felt like he was watching it all unfold in real time.
Perhaps, thought Patrick, it wasn’t Diane’s storytelling at all. Perhaps it was the intoxicating energy that surrounded them. He tightened his grip on the key in his hand and felt another surge: a bolt of electricity that made him feel strong and powerful.
“…and as she died, her soul detached from her body. It possessed energy so bright and blinding and beautiful that Cronus and Lucifer realized where humanity’s power really lay. They were weak in the face of it. It became Cronus’s new mission in life… to gain himself a soul, so that he could achieve immortality.”
“But how does a being from a different realm hope to achieve something that was never meant for him?” Diane asked. “Cronus searched for answers, and eventually he came upon the solution. The reason human souls are immortal, the reason they are so vastly powerful, is because they are capable of great love, compassion, forgiveness and a thousand other things besides. Cronus realized that part of their power could be transferred.”