by Jan Kopia
“Titans,” Patrick corrected.
“Whatever,” Antonia said impatiently. “Titans, Angels, Lucifer… I mean, come on.”
“Okay, that part is slightly harder to believe,” Patrick granted. “But it doesn’t really matter to me.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because my plan doesn't hinge on believing in the Titans,” Patrick said, tapping his jacket pocket where he was holding the key. “My plan hinges on believing this key will lead me to my daughter.”
He started walking again, and Antonia was forced to jog to keep up with him. “Hold on,” she said. “I still don’t understand how you plan on making this work. Even if this is true, you don’t know how the key works.”
“You heard Diane,” he said. “I need to go to The Hades.”
“She also said you needed to die first.”
“That is the technical term,” Patrick nodded. “But I don’t think in this case death has to be permanent.”
He was still taking massive strides forward and Antonia ran breathlessly after him. She decided to save this conversion until they were indoors. She'd already caught a few looks from random strangers who might have heard parts of their conversation.
Patrick’s apartment was cast in shadowy darkness when they re-entered it. Patrick turned on the lights and walked to his chaotic desk. He pushed aside the files that lay on it, ignoring those that fell to the floor. Then he took out the Key and placed it on the table. Was it Antonia’s imagination, or did it glow slightly, as though it had its own energy?
Patrick was staring down at the key, looking like he'd forgotten she was there.
“Patrick,” she said softly.
His eyes darted to hers and then back to the Key. She saw its golden tinge reflected in his eyes. “If you believe Diane then you have to destroy it,” she pointed out. “She said it was the only way to restore order. She said that only a human could do it.”
“I know what she said,” Patrick replied, without meeting Antonia’s eyes.
“If you can’t do it then—"
“I will do it,” he said, cutting her off. “I plan on doing it… just not right now.”
Antonia clenched her jaw. “When?”
Patrick turned towards her. “After I get my daughter back.”
Antonia closed her eyes for a moment. She reminded herself to be patient. He was grieving, and grief made people do strange things. Grief made people believe in strange things. “And how do you plan on doing that?” she asked calmly.
“With your help.”
Antonia raised her eyebrows and smiled. “Is that right?” she asked. “I’m a little confused—”
“You have access to equipment I don’t have,” Patrick interrupted. “You have connections that I don’t, and you have expertise that I don’t. You can monitor me. Make sure my body stays alive while I’m out there searching for Tess’s soul. I need—"
“Stop,” Antonia said, holding up her hands. “Stop it. You sound insane.”
Patrick stared at her for a long time. “You used to tell me that all the time back in college, when we worked on our experiments.”
“With good reason,” Antonia said unapologetically. “You were too much of a dreamer. You had your head in the clouds and you failed to see that the answers were in the formulas, and in cryptography, and in subatomic particles.”
Patrick smiled. “Brings back memories.”
His words released the flood of frustration in her body and she couldn’t help but smile too. “Patrick,” she said, taking a step towards him. “I’m not denying that there’s something unusual about the key and the way we found it. But the answers have nothing to do with Titans and alternate worlds and a fading sun that's somehow connected to a Greek God.”
“You’ve been through something… terrible,” she continued. “And I understand you need to hope for a miracle. I hate how much pain you’re in, but committing suicide isn't the way to handle this. Apart from being completely ridiculous, it’s also going to be completely ineffective. You’re not going to get Tess back that way.”
“I have to try—"
“No… you have to be here for your daughter, by her bedside,” Antonia said, taking Patrick’s hand and gently squeezing it. “Waiting for her to wake up.”
“No, I can't," said Patrick, sounding desperate. "Her soul is too far away,. She needs help finding her way back home. I need to go find her before she moves past The Hades.”
“Patrick!” Antonia exclaimed, grabbing him with both hands. “Please! Listen to yourself. There's no such place as The Hades. It’s a fairytale. A story dreamed up by people who want to believe that prayer has the power to save them.”
“You had faith once.”
Antonia looked down. “That was a long time ago,” she said. “I was young.”
She saw Patrick looking towards the key. “I know you want to believe in its power,” she said. “But you need to move on, Patrick. You need to go and be with your daughter.”
Patrick stared at her for a long time. It was like he was trying to solve some complex equation. Antonia wondered if he was going to push back and keep arguing with her, but then his eyes dropped and he nodded.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said.
She flushed with relief and let go of his arms. “You’ll give me the key then?” she asked.
Patrick frowned. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Examine it,” Antonia smiled. “Study it. Figure out what it's made of. Maybe then I’ll be able to figure out where it came from.”
Patrick picked up the key and handed it over to Antonia. “You’ll tell me what you find?” he asked.
Antonia smiled. “Of course,” she promised, taking the key and slipping it into her handbag. “You have my word.”
Patrick let out a long deep sigh. “What a day,” he said, almost to himself.
“I never expected to see you again, Patrick Dane,” Antonia admitted. “Actually, at one time I never wanted to see you again.”
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “I wasn’t half the man you deserved.”
Antonia waved away his words. “Water under the bridge, remember?”
“Does that mean you’ll stay a little while longer?” Patrick asked. “Have a cup of coffee with me before you get back to the lab?”
Antonia smiled. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Nine
Patrick felt a tiny pinprick of guilt as he retraced his footsteps to Diane’s apartment. Antonia would be angry, she’d be hurt, she’d probably feel betrayed all over again. But Patrick couldn't focus on that right now. He had a mission, and he wouldn’t let anything distract him.
Diane didn’t answer the door immediately. In fact, Patrick had to stand there for several minutes before she finally answered the door.
“Patrick?” she said in surprise.
He didn’t wait for her to invite him in. He pushed past her into the apartment and pulled out the Olympus key.
Diane’s eyes honed in on the key and then she nodded with resignation. “I knew you wouldn't be able to destroy it.”
“I can’t,” Patrick admitted. “Not yet. Not until I bring Tess back.”
“I can’t make up my mind about you, Patrick Dane,” Diane said. Her gaze was conflicted and uncertain. Patrick wondered if he'd made a mistake coming to her. But who else could he turn to? If Diane turned him down as well, then he'd be out of options.
“My daughter is the most important thing in the world to me,” Patrick said. “She’s a little girl who never got a chance to live. I know our planet is going to shit, but according to what you told me, there's a way to fix it.”
“Destroying the key will help—"
“No,” Patrick interrupted. “I’m not talking about destroying the key… that only stops further damage from being done. I’m talking about reversing the effects of the last year. You said the sun is fading because Helios is dying?”
“Yes—”
> “Well, maybe the world needs to be reminded about our history, our real history.”
“Patrick—"
“Diane, you were wrong,” Patrick said emphatically. “The key didn’t come to me to be destroyed. It came to me to be used. I know this sounds really egotistical… but maybe, just maybe, I’m the human who can set the Earth to rights.”
Patrick watched as Diane struggled to reconcile herself with his argument. He had to convince her; it was the only way.
“Diane… you said you had a vision of me,” Patrick persisted.
“Yes.”
“What did you see?”
“I saw you, standing somewhere… there were trees, oceans, hills, and valleys. A place so beautiful it didn’t seem real.”
“Another world, perhaps?” Patrick suggested.
Diane paused. “It’s possible.”
“I know I'm right,” Patrick insisted. “I can feel it. I know this key came to me so that I could cross over to that other world. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”
Diane was giving him a skeptical look. “Where is Antonia?” she asked.
Patrick paused. He should have anticipated that question, but his focus on his plan had left him unprepared. “She… chose not to help me,” he said evasively.
“She doesn’t believe.”
It was a statement, not a question, but Patrick nodded anyway. “I don’t have time to convince her.”
Diane frowned, her eyes shifted and she looked down.
“Are you all right?” Patrick asked.
“Something brought Antonia here with you this evening,” Diane said. “She has a role to play, too.”
“If she does, then it’s a separate path,” Patrick said. “I have to cross over alone.”
Diane’s eyes fluttered towards her open window. It wasn't even six o’clock. The sun had just begun its descent, and yet the sky was dark as coal. There were only the faintest rivulets of light gleaming in the sky.
“You know I’m right,” Patrick said, moving closer to her. “It’s not enough to stop what’s happening to the planet. We need to reverse it. We need to bring the sun back. We need to restore balance to the cosmos, and reintroduce humanity to the Titans.”
Diane turned her eyes to Patrick and smiled. “But that's not why you wish to use the key.”
He knew she could see through him, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still going to help him. “I want my daughter back, yes,” he admitted. “But think about it. What is the point of saving my daughter if the Earth has no future? In order to save her, I need to save the planet as well.”
Diane was looking straight at the pocket of Patrick’s jacket… the pocket with the key in it. “Don’t be seduced by its strength,” she said softly. “Remember why you’re doing this.”
Patrick felt hope swell in the pit of his stomach. “Does that mean you’ll help me?” he asked breathlessly.
Diane’s eyes were piercing. “Yes,” she nodded, after a long pause. “I will help you.”
Not until Patrick exhaled slowly did he even realize he'd been holding his breath. “Great,” he said, taking a step forward. “How do we do this? What do you need?”
“I will need time,” Diane said calmly. “And you will need patience.”
Patrick frowned. “We can’t do this now?”
“You're asking me to guide you into the spirit world,” Diane said, her voice reverberating around the room. “You're asking me to keep your body alive while you travel to The Hades and back.” She paused. “The answer is no, we can’t do this now. I will need to call in a favor from an old friend. Someone who can help us do this.”
Patrick felt uneasy. He hadn't wanted to involve anyone else in this. “Who is this person?” he asked. “And why do we need their help?”
“He’s a doctor,” Diane replied. “He has access to drugs and equipment—”
“And we can’t do this without him?” Patrick asked.
“I’m a seer, Patrick,” Diane said patiently. “Not a witch. I don't have the power to keep your body alive indefinitely while your soul flits around different worlds. That requires medical assistance. Don’t worry, Blythe Raymond is a good man. We can trust him.”
“And… does he believe? In Tartarus and the Titans?”
“Yes,” Diane nodded. “He believes in the Gods, just as I do. He'll help us, but it might take time. I’ll need to explain the situation to him and then give him time to get what he needs.”
“How long?” Patrick asked, with his heart in his throat.
“I can’t say for sure… it might be as much as three weeks,” Diane replied. “Maybe longer.”
Diane heard Patrick curse under his breath. “Something the matter?” she asked, a touch of accusation coloring her tone.
“I, um… Antonia will come looking for me,” Patrick admitted, knowing there was no way to avoid telling Diane. “And when she finds my apartment empty… she'll come here.”
Diane nodded knowingly. “You agreed to give her the key to examine and then—"
“I stole it back,” Patrick finished. “I’m not proud of it but… I had to.”
Diane sighed. At that moment she looked ten years older. Was it possible to age in an afternoon? Given everything Patrick had heard and seen today, he truly believed anything was possible.
“Pack a bag Patrick,” she said. “We’re going to need to disappear.”
Patrick raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“We can't stay in the city,” Diane explained. “It's too dangerous, and we cannot risk losing the key. And we certainly can't risk Antonia finding us. I have a place we can go to. I’ll have Blythe come to us when he’s ready.”
Patrick felt his heart ache. “Tess.” She was lying in a hospital bed right now, with no one at her side.
“There's nothing you can do for her now,” Diane said, making Patrick realize he'd said her name out loud. “At least, nothing in this world.”
She was right. The child lying on that hospital bed was just a shell. The real Tess was no longer on this Earth. Patrick had seen her soul take flight. His resolve hardened and he nodded. “Where are we going?” he asked.
“To a cabin," Diane told him. "About two hundred miles from the city. We should be safe there.”
She looked around her apartment as though she were waiting for someone to jump out at her. Patrick watched the way her eyes darted from side to side, the uneasy way she walked; he started to feel a sense of disquiet himself.
“What are you so afraid of?” he asked.
“The key in your pocket is a powerful magical instrument,” Diane said. “There are many beings out there who would kill for it. Lucifer is still out there, Patrick… and he's been searching for that key for millennia.”
Patrick felt a chill creep up his spine. He suddenly felt as if the whole city was watching him. Quite inexplicably, Patrick wished that Antonia were by his side.
“There’s no time to look back now,” Diane said, interrupting his chaotic thoughts. “We need to leave.”
Patrick looked out into the dark evening and nodded. “I’m ready,” he said.
Chapter Ten
Two Weeks Later
“We're standing here outside the Great Pyramid of Giza, witnessing the strange phenomenon that scientists have dubbed the ‘The Vortex’. Experts are at a loss to understand the energy that has engulfed the pyramid, preventing anyone from moving closer. Humaid Anwar is the only man to walk within a five-mile radius of the pyramid and survive. However, his current condition has prevented others from following his brave act. As of an hour ago, we were told that Humaid Anwar still remains in a semi-catatonic state. According to medical staff, his eyes remain completely black, and he is still repeating the same nine words, and I quote: 'Titans are dying'… 'time has come'… 'the world ends'…”
Antonia clenched her jaw and changed the channel.
“We are reporting to you live from Deacon Point Memorial, where seventeen new pa
tients have been admitted in the past twenty-four hours, all exhibiting the same symptoms of advanced mental illness. None of the patients had a history of mental disorder, and in every single case the patients were reported to be healthy, happy, well-adjusted individuals before a sudden seizure changed everything.”
Antonia flipped to the next channel.
“…people need to understand something… the Earth is turning on us for all we’ve done to it. The Earth is finally taking its revenge. Water levels have risen at an unprecedented rate because of polar melting and thermal expansion. Trees are dying of strange diseases that no botanist can name. We’ve losing animals too, and if we’re not careful entire species will go extinct within the next decade. And the sun… the sun seems to be dying—
Antonia turned to the next channel. She found herself staring at the perfect porcelain face of Doctor Victoria Bader, a previously-unknown physicist who had recently made headlines in the science community for her controversial theories about all the unexplained occurrences around the globe.
“…what we’re dealing with here is a phenomenon of quantum mechanics; more specifically, quantum entanglement. It's the theory that entangled particles or objects remain connected so that the actions performed on one affect the other, despite the fact that a great distance separates the two objects—”
Antonia turned off the television and dropped her head into her hands. She took a moment to breathe and then she picked up her phone and dialed Patrick’s number.
She had no real hope that he'd answer her call. She had been calling him every day for fifteen days since she'd rushed back to his apartment, then Diane’s apartment, and found them both abandoned. Of course, he’d had no intention of giving her the key. She'd been foolish to think he was just going to let her walk away with the only thing that could possibly save his daughter. That was Patrick; he was nothing if not stubborn and determined. She should have remembered that.
Antonia listened to the familiar ring tone for a minute, then hung up. She was still staring at her phone when the door to her office opened, and Rebecca walked in with her nose scrunched up in distaste.