by Kate O'Hearn
‘If I do this, will you give me Emily?’ she managed to choke out.
‘Do not bargain with me!’ Saturn boomed. ‘I am your leader. You will do as I command, when I command! Now, kill them!’
Lorin was trapped. If she didn’t do as he ordered, she was certain he would turn his rage against her. She had power – but did he have more? He was her leader; Phoebe said she had to obey him. But she didn’t want to kill these people. All she wanted was to find Emily and become whole.
‘Now!’ Saturn cried.
In a fraction of a second, Lorin weighed her options. What she needed versus what Saturn wanted. What she needed was to be whole – to have friends like Paelen and Joel, and to possess Pegasus. If she defied Saturn now, he would hurt her, and she would never fulfil that dream.
That could not be allowed to happen.
Lorin closed her eyes and raised her hands. She had to do this to become complete. But she did not wish the Olympians to suffer. As the Flame rumbled in her stomach and flowed up her body and down to her hands, she unleashed a blast of Flame so intense, it instantly vaporized the Olympians. There had been no time for terror, no pain. They were simply turned to ash.
Saturn boomed with laughter, a sick, triumphant sound, as he struck the satyr and knocked him across the room. When the boy rose, she saw the horror on his young face. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared at the space where his people had been standing.
‘Boy,’ Saturn called. ‘You will go back and tell Jupiter what you have witnessed. He will surrender to me or I will unleash the Flame of Titus on Olympus and burn it to dust!’
The satyr fell to his goat knees and let out a howl so pain-filled, Lorin knew it would haunt her for the rest of her life. Unable to bear the sound a moment longer, she didn’t wait for Saturn to give her permission. She ran out of the throne room, shoved past the guards in the corridor and raced down the steps to her cell.
Curled up into a ball and rocking herself on her bed, Lorin was horrified by what she had done. Why did she do it? Those people were innocent. Why had she let Saturn bully her into killing them? She knew it was wrong, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself.
It was Emily’s fault! If she had been complete, if Emily hadn’t stolen her power and Riza from her, then she would have family and friends. She would have Pegasus. She would mean more to Saturn than just a weapon. She would be loved.
Lorin ached to talk to someone about her feelings, but Phoebe was lost to her. There was no one she could speak to. She was completely and utterly alone.
‘Never again,’ she promised herself as she rocked. She now knew for sure that Saturn was a bloodthirsty monster who took pleasure in pain. She would not serve him. She would never serve anyone but herself again.
Late in the evening, Lorin made her move. If Saturn wasn’t going to bring Emily to her, she would go out and find her herself.
It had taken her some time to learn the details of how the Solar Stream worked, but after threatening a guard with her powers to force him to tell her, Lorin now knew how to use it. She rose from her bed while the guards at the end of her cell-block changed and were too occupied with reporting their status to notice her. Then she slipped out of her cell and escaped through the corridor at the opposite end to the guards’ station.
She crept into the stairwell, and started to climb quietly until she heard troops entering the stairs beneath her. She ducked into a corridor and hid until they passed. As she waited, Lorin recalled everything she had seen and heard when she had been linked with Emily.
She was on Earth in a place called Honolulu, Hawaii. When the connection had been severed, Lorin had asked Phoebe about Earth and, specifically, Hawaii. But her guardian had said that the human world was off limits to her until Saturn defeated the Olympians. Further questions about Earth were cut off.
When the coast was clear, Lorin crept out from her hiding spot and followed them discreetly. She knew she didn’t have much time. Soon they would notice her absence from the cell and start to look for her.
At the uppermost level, Lorin stayed hidden in the stairwell and watched the activity at the entrance of the prison. A crowd of Titan fighters was trying to get out through the large prison doors, but at the same time, others were returning from Olympus with more prisoners. The doors were wide but there were too many people trying to get through – with the congestion building on both sides, no one was getting in or out.
The growing chaos gave Lorin an idea. She had learned that the Titans were impatient and extremely short-tempered. Seeing the congestion building, it wouldn’t take much to set them off.
Focusing her thoughts, Lorin used her powers to shove an exiting Titan into a fighter trying to get in. Then she used her powers again to push a group of fighters on the outside into those on the inside. After that, she let the Titans do the rest.
Shouting started first, then more pushing and shoving. This was followed by the first punch. A second punch was thrown and then more blows exchanged as the Titans began to fight each other.
Lorin smiled as a devious idea entered her head. She opened the shackles on the Olympian prisoners and set them on the Titans. In an instant there was a full-blown riot.
Lorin took this opportunity to slip quietly around the chaos.
Outside the gates she turned around to look back. Most of the prison was underground, so there wasn’t much to see except for the growing pandemonium at the entrance of the roughly cut stone building.
Titan versus Titan versus Olympian. It no longer seemed to matter who fought whom. It was just one big brawl. The muddy ground outside the prison made everything worse as the fighters slipped and fell into the muck. This caused even more rage as the fighting increased.
The night-time winds were up and the driving rain was even harder than the last time Lorin had been to the surface. The temperature was freezing, compared to the stifling heat and stuffiness of the lower levels of the prison. She pulled her shawl tighter around herself and began to run.
Despite the foul weather, Lorin inhaled deeply and savoured the first taste of freedom she had felt in an age. Keeping low, she picked her way through the dark, rocky terrain to the large arch that had been built to contain the transport device to Olympus.
Back when she was still allowed to wander freely around Tartarus, Phoebe had brought her here to watch the first fighters heading to Olympus. She hadn’t told Lorin how the arch worked, but after some quiet investigating on her own, Lorin now knew what she had to do.
Excitement and nerves bunched up in her stomach as she carefully approached the arch. She looked around and couldn’t see anyone near. Lorin inhaled deeply and called out, ‘Earth, Oahu – Honolulu.’
The arch burst into life. Stealing one last glance over her shoulder, Lorin steeled herself and stepped into the blazing white light of the Solar Stream.
29
Late into the night Emily stood on the patio overlooking the ocean. Pegasus was at her side. The air was almost as hot as the day, but there was an ocean wind that made it comfortable. The tsunami warning siren had stopped and people were slowly returning to their hotels. Police and fire sirens wailed in the distance.
News reports claimed the epicentre of the large earthquake was in the Diamond Head crater, but it had only caused minor damage to downtown Honolulu and the surrounding areas. There were no building collapses, little structural damage and only broken glass to be cleared up.
Seismologists were studying the results and said that the public should be aware that some aftershocks may still be felt but that the tsunami warning was cancelled. They warned that until they could get into the volcano, they couldn’t be sure if Diamond Head was facing imminent eruption.
The news reported that the scientists were stumped. Diamond Head sat directly on the shore. Yet the water filling the crater was pure, clea
n, fresh water and not ocean water. Were it not for the entrance tunnel cut through the side of the volcano, leading into the crater, the crater would have completely filled. Instead the water flowed through the tunnel and was flooding the neighbourhoods surrounding the volcano.
Emily lowered her head, saddened by the damage they had caused. From the little she’d seen of the island, it was beautiful and didn’t deserve this.
‘Emily?’ Fawn joined her and Pegasus. She was out of Pluto’s heavy cloak and wearing her Olympian robes. The wind whipped back her long white hair and her eyes glowed with their night vision.
‘You should be asleep like the others,’ Emily said.
Fawn laughed lightly. ‘A night dweller that sleeps at night? It would not be much of a life, considering night is the only safe time for us to be out.’
‘You know what I mean,’ Emily said. ‘You’ve been up most days too. You need your rest.’ She stroked the stallion’s neck. ‘You too, Pegs. You’re still recovering from the long flight.’
Pegasus nickered softly but shook his head.
‘I am fine, also,’ Fawn said. ‘But thank you for your concern.’ She put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. ‘This is not your fault.’
Emily frowned at her. ‘Is mind reading also one of your powers?’
Fawn shook her head. ‘No, but I have come to know you. You are blaming yourself for this.’
Once again, Pegasus nickered.
‘It is not your fault either,’ Fawn said to him. ‘Neither of you should blame yourselves for what happened at Diamond Head. It was an accident. Pele put protection around the shard. None of us could have foreseen that.’
Emily shook her head. ‘Even so, look at the mess we’ve made. Olympus needs us. Instead we’re here, and I’m completely powerless.’
‘Pele will convince her sister to empty the crater, I know it. Then you can free the shard, reclaim your powers and we can go home. Sapphire says that if Pele fails, then Jupiter and his brothers have agreed to come here. One way or another, this will be over soon.’
Emily nodded, but said nothing. Fawn smiled softly and her pale eyes sparkled as her white hair blew back in the breeze. She held up her hands, enjoying the sensations of the wind on her skin. ‘I have heard from Dax; he is feeling better. There are more Olympians imprisoned with him now. The wounded night dwellers are being well cared for.’
‘I’m so glad to hear that,’ Emily said, genuinely happy for the bit of good news.
The three leaned against the railing, gazing out over the dark ocean. Fawn sighed. ‘When this is over, I would like to come back to Earth. I have seen so many wonders here. I want to see more.’
‘I hope we can,’ Emily agreed.
As the final hours of darkness slipped by and dawn broke on the horizon, the others in the suite started to stir.
Paelen ran out on to the patio. ‘Emily, you must come. There is someone at the door!’
By the time Emily, Pegasus and Fawn ran back into their suite, Chrysaor and Chiron had slipped into a bedroom to hide. Pegasus and Fawn followed behind them.
‘OK,’ Emily called softly to Joel, ‘all clear. You can answer it.’
Joel had pulled on one of the hotel robes to hide his arm. ‘Coming,’ he called as he tied it closed and plunged his silver hand into the large pocket. He reached the door, gave the room a final check and opened it.
A hotel employee stood there holding a large manila envelope. ‘Good morning. I am sorry to disturb you so early, but I was told to get this to you as soon as possible. I understand your aunt checked you in late last night just after the earthquake. On behalf of the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, I want to welcome you to our hotel and let you know that we suffered very little damage and you are quite safe.’
‘Yes, our aunt,’ Joel agreed, stealing a glance at Emily.
‘Where is she?’ Emily asked.
The hotel employee entered the room. ‘She’s been called away this morning, but said she would be back. She wanted you to have this.’ He handed over the large envelope and a folded card to Emily. Inside the card were three white plastic hotel-room key-cards.
‘Thank you,’ Emily said, smiling sweetly and trying to act normal when she felt anything but normal.
‘You’re welcome. I’m Michael Grove; my friends call me Mickey. I’m with hotel services and will be your personal representative during your stay. If you need anything at all, just call reception and ask for me. Your aunt has set up a charge account for you in the shops downstairs. The card is in the envelope. You need only to ask for something and it will be delivered to your room.’
‘Really?’ Paelen asked, greedily rubbing his hands together. ‘Anything?’
Mickey nodded.
‘Thank you, Mickey,’ Emily said. ‘We’ll call if we need something.’
Mickey nodded again and exited the room. When he was gone, they opened the large envelope. Emily poured the contents out on the dining room table.
‘Wow!’ She stared at a large wad of cash.
‘I had heard that Pele can be generous. It appears this is true,’ Chiron said as he and the others returned from the bedroom.
Joel read the note that came with the money. ‘Pele’s gone to meet with her sister and says it could take some time. She wants us to buy some human clothes. We can reach her if we need to, by going to Diamond Head and calling her name. She will hear us there and come back.’
‘How?’ Paelen asked. ‘It is flooded and I still have not learned to dive yet.’
Emily nodded at her friend. ‘Let’s just hope we don’t need to.’
After breakfast, Emily and Fawn went down to the hotel shops to buy clothes for Joel and Paelen. They could get away with wearing Olympian tunics, but the boys couldn’t.
‘Fawn,’ Paelen said, taking on the role of a teacher before they left the suite. ‘This is your first time among humans. Just act normal.’ He paused. ‘No, wait. Do not smile or talk to anyone. Your teeth are not human.’
Fawn’s eyes sparkled with excitement. ‘I understand.’
‘She’ll be fine. As long as we stay out of direct sunlight, no one will notice us.’ Emily grabbed the charge card from Pele. ‘We won’t be long.’
When the lift doors opened to an open-air lobby, Emily suddenly felt very exposed. They were under the cover of the building, so they were safe from the sun, but people were everywhere; there was a crowd around the reception desk checking in and out of the hotel. Porters were rushing around pushing trolleys of suitcases and wearing shorts with bright floral shirts and seashell leis. Vacationers were relaxing in the lobby lounge, dressed in wild, colourful clothes and beachwear.
‘Come on, let’s look around.’ Emily laughed at Fawn’s incredulous expression. The night dweller had obviously never seen anything like this before.
A bell rang, making Fawn jump. The elevators behind them opened and out poured a group of men wearing army fatigues. Soldiers. Emily flinched as she thought of the CRU. She remembered Pele’s warning about the large military presence on Oahu. But these soldiers seemed much more carefree than the serious CRU agents she had encountered before. She watched them laugh with each other as they carried their army bags over to another large gathering of soldiers, who were drinking coffee and waiting to board a shuttle bus.
‘This way.’ Emily pulled at Fawn’s arm and lowered her head as she led Fawn in the opposite direction.
They were in a beautiful resort hotel. It wasn’t like anywhere Emily had stayed at before. A gentle wind blew through the open lobby and the fragrance of suntan lotion, ocean breeze and flowers mixed pleasantly together. The reception desk area was mostly covered, but then it opened up and she could see the blazing blue sky above them. Every hotel employee they encountered offered a friendly greeting. It should have made Emily relaxed, but it had the
opposite effect. She didn’t want to draw attention to either of them.
They followed the sounds of children’s laughter to a pool area, where splashing noises rang out. To the left of the large pool was a kiosk with a man handing out bath towels to swimmers, while to the right there was an open-air restaurant where guests were enjoying an outdoor breakfast around the pool.
Fawn looked longingly at the pool and the palm trees that surrounded it, but fear of the sun kept her in the shadows.
‘Come on, we’d better keep moving,’ Emily warned. ‘Let’s find the shops.’
The far end of the large ground-floor area opened directly to the beach and ocean. Although it was still early morning, sunbathers were lying on the yellow sand while others splashed in the blue ocean.
After a bit more exploring, they found a shop that sold Hawaiian-style clothes, with baggy shorts and colourful, floral tops or dresses that looked very much like the style Pele had worn – though obviously without the moving pattern. Fawn devoured the racks of brightly coloured clothing. Each time she thought she’d settled on an outfit, another would catch her eye and she would squeal with excitement.
Emily couldn’t keep from smiling at the night dweller, but warned her to cover her mouth when she spoke. Her sharp pointed teeth, extra pale, almost grey complexion and elliptical eyes made her stand out from the tanned holidaymakers.
Emily imagined how strange it must be for Fawn who, until now, had lived her whole life only at night. She was now walking around in daytime, exposed to all the vibrant colours of the world that can only be seen in daylight. Emily wondered if it would be difficult for her to return to the dark.
Emily chose an outfit for herself, and Hawaiian shorts and shirts for Joel and Paelen. She made sure to buy Joel a long-sleeved sweatshirt to cover his arm. It had the word Honolulu blazoned on the front. As an afterthought she picked up some diving gloves to cover his hand and they were set.
Fawn couldn’t wait to change into her Hawaiian clothes and did so as soon as they were back in the suite. Joel was less impressed with his new outfit, and hated having to wear a heavy sweatshirt in the heat, but he pulled it on anyway.