by Kate O'Hearn
Paelen paraded around the suite showing off his bright, floral shirt and large, baggy shorts, but refused to surrender his winged sandals for normal footwear.
‘OK, now we’re dressed like tourists, I think we should get moving,’ Joel said. ‘Fawn, call the Big Three and get them here now. Emily’s in too much danger for us to wait around much longer.’
Chiron shook his head. ‘Olympus is under attack. We must try to work this out ourselves if we can.’ He moved to the windows and opened the curtains just enough to peer out. ‘I cannot see Diamond Head from here. We have no way of knowing if Pele has convinced her sister to drain the crater.’
‘Perhaps if we . . .’ Fawn stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes became distant as she received a message from her sister. Her hand shot up to her mouth. ‘No! When? Where?’
Everyone was instantly on alert. They could see from Fawn’s face that the news from Olympus was not good.
Fawn turned to Emily. ‘A young satyr has just returned from Tartarus. He was captured by the Titans, but Saturn sent him back with a message for Jupiter. If he and his brothers do not surrender immediately, he will have Lorin turn Olympus to dust. To prove it, he had Lorin kill a group of prisoners right in front of him. He said she turned them to ash with no effort!’
‘They can’t surrender,’ Joel cried. ‘It would be suicide!’
‘They will not,’ Chiron agreed. ‘The Titans cannot defeat Jupiter. We have the Hundred-handers on our side. They put down Saturn once, they can do it again.’
Emily shook her head. ‘The Titans might not be able to defeat the Hundred-handers, but Lorin can. She has the power of the Flame, remember.’
A heavy silence filled the room.
‘Where is Jupiter right now?’ Chiron asked.
Fawn relayed the message. ‘He is meeting with his brothers, the Sphinxes and his best warriors. The Big Three are preparing to merge their powers together against Lorin if Saturn brings her to Olympus. Sapphire says the fighting is getting intense.’
‘Lorin’s powers alone can easily defeat the Big Three.’ Chiron’s voice was grave.
‘But that is not possible,’ Paelen said.
The Centaur’s eyes settled on Emily. ‘Remember when you were captured by the Gorgons? They knew you were the only one powerful enough to destroy Jupiter.’
Pegasus whinnied and pawed the floor. His sharp hoof cut a deep trench in the expensive carpet.
‘He’s right,’ Emily said. ‘I’ve known it for some time. I have . . .’ She paused and corrected herself. ‘I had the power to destroy Jupiter and his brothers if I wanted to.’ Her eyes landed on Pegasus. ‘But you know I’d never do it. All of you are my family. I couldn’t even imagine it.’
‘But Lorin can,’ Chiron said. ‘That was the point of the demonstration. You, Emily, were raised with loving parents who taught you right from wrong. All Lorin knows is the poison that Saturn has fed to her. She has no conscience, and will do what he tells her to.’
‘We should be there.’ Emily cursed and shook her head. ‘We can’t wait any longer. I’m going to Diamond Head. Joel and Paelen will come with me. We’ve got to call Pele and tell her what’s happened. I need that shard now more than ever. If Lorin has the same powers as me, then I’m the only one who can fight her.’
‘But you haven’t got your powers any more,’ Joel said.
‘Maybe not now, but I will – when I get that shard!’
‘It’s my fault,’ Emily told Joel and Paelen as they closed the door to the suite.
‘Don’t you dare!’ Joel said. ‘If you think this has something to do with you losing your powers . . .’
‘It has everything to do with that,’ Emily said. The light pounding in her temples told her that Riza was thinking the same thing.
‘How?’ Paelen asked.
They stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the lobby. ‘I sensed this from Lorin when we were merged. She’s been asleep for most of her life. But when Riza and I turned Tom into a Sphinx and we used too much of our power, it somehow called to Lorin and woke her up. Each moment she has been awake, her powers have grown. When she was in my mind, she learned how to use them. If Riza and I hadn’t turned Tom into a Sphinx, Lorin would still be asleep.’
‘You couldn’t have known,’ Joel said.
‘I know,’ Emily agreed softly, dropping her head. ‘And we would never have done it if we’d known. But now, because of us, Saturn is free and he’s going to use Lorin to kill the Big Three and destroy Olympus.’
‘And Earth,’ Paelen said. ‘We all know he will not stop with Olympus. He will try to rule all the worlds along the Solar Stream. Those that oppose him will be destroyed.’
‘He’ll never get this far,’ Joel said as the lift reached the lobby. ‘Because we’re gonna stop him!’
Getting to Diamond Head was their next challenge. They found a taxi driver willing to take them as far as possible, but the whole area around the volcano had been closed off.
‘You’ll have to walk the rest of the way. But you won’t get in to the crater, not with all the water pouring out of it. ’Course, I could take you to the ocean side. It’s not got the best views of Diamond Head and you can’t get into the crater. But the ocean is beautiful and you can visit the lighthouse.’
‘That would be perfect, thank you,’ Emily said as they settled into the back of the taxi.
Joel looked at her and frowned. Emily pointed down to Paelen’s winged sandals. His eyes grew wide when he understood what she planned. He mouthed, ‘No way. Not in daylight!’
‘We must,’ Emily mouthed back.
When Paelen finally caught up with the conversation, he cried aloud, ‘You expect me to fly up there in the middle of the day? Are you mad?’
Emily elbowed him sharply and nodded towards the driver, who was eyeing them in the mirror. ‘No, not until we ask Mom and Dad if we can go up in the helicopter . . .’ Emily said, exaggerating every word.
‘I still think you’re crazy,’ Joel said loudly. ‘Besides, helicopters frighten you.’
‘But I really want to see Diamond Head!’ Emily insisted.
The journey from the hotel only took fifteen minutes. They had to drive through a steady flow of water running down the road as they approached as close to the dormant volcano as they could. They turned and took a road leading to the ocean highway.
To the right, the ocean was calm and blue. Emily wondered if Pele was with her sister and if they were fighting or working together to help the Olympians.
On their left, the ocean wall of Diamond Head loomed. The closer they were to it, the less like a volcano it looked. There were tall leafy trees, shrubs and long grasses growing all the way up the side, giving the viewer the impression of it being a simple mountain slope. It wasn’t smooth either. There were deep grooves sliced into it, as though water had been pouring down the side and cut trails into the mountain.
The driver pulled into a parking area at a large white lighthouse. ‘Here you go, kids, this is as close as you’re going to get. That’s Diamond Head over there, but like I said, you can’t reach the crater from here. From what I heard, they are going to seal the tunnel into the crater on the other side and let it fill up. Then they’re gonna direct the water down here and into the ocean. The highway and all this area will be flooded.’
‘When will they do that?’ Joel asked.
The driver shrugged. ‘I haven’t heard. Hey, you want me to stay here while you look around?’
Emily shook her head. ‘No thanks. We’re going to spend some time exploring.’
‘Suit yourselves,’ the driver said as Emily paid him.
‘Now what?’ Joel asked as he watched the taxi pull away. They looked at the rising mountain across the highway. ‘Pele’s note said we could call her from Diamond Head, bu
t she never said if we had to be in the crater.’
‘She knew about the water,’ Paelen suggested. ‘I am sure she knew we could not go inside.’
They crossed the highway and walked up to where the incline started. Emily gazed up the side and squinted. ‘Wow, it doesn’t look like a volcano from here.’ She looked back at Joel and Paelen and then focused her full attention on the side of Diamond Head. ‘Pele, can you hear me? We really need your help. Please come.’
They expected Pele to magically appear. But there was nothing but a gentle breeze, birdsong and an occasional car that passed along the highway. They looked back at the lighthouse and beyond it to the calm ocean.
‘I wonder if she’s out there,’ Joel said.
‘Maybe we need to be higher.’ Emily looked back at Paelen. ‘If Joel and I keep watch, will you fly up the side and call for Pele? She might hear you better from up there.’
‘I don’t know, Em,’ Joel said. ‘That’s kind of risky.’
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than a squadron of military jets blasted past their location.
‘Soldiers – quick, get down!’ Joel grabbed Emily and they ducked down into some bushes.
‘They’re moving too fast to be looking for us,’ Emily said as she stood and brushed dirt off her new clothes. ‘Besides, the CRU use black helicopters.’
‘I do not like this island,’ Paelen said, as his eyes followed the fighters soaring along the coastline. ‘There are too many soldiers.’ He looked back at them. ‘I will do it. I will try anything to get us out of here.’
‘Just keep close to the ground,’ Joel suggested. ‘Try to look like you’re climbing it. But go as high as you can.’
Paelen nodded and said to his sandals, ‘Take me up the side of Diamond Head, but keep us close to the ground.’
The tiny wings flapped in acknowledgement and Paelen was lifted off the ground.
‘The way is clear,’ Joel said, checking the road. ‘Go now!’
‘Go!’ Paelen ordered his sandals.
As Paelen ascended the side of the mountain, Emily and Joel kept watch.
‘He looks as if he’s climbing,’ Joel commented, following his progress.
‘I just hope Pele hears him.’
Paelen returned a few minutes later, his face flushed. ‘You would not believe it! It is not a crater any more, but a big lake. There are people on the opposite side and there is actually a boat in there. It was filled with people.’
‘Probably scientists,’ Joel suggested. ‘Or military.’
‘What about Pele?’ Emily asked.
‘I called to her many times, but she did not respond. I even called into the lei she gave me, but it was as though she could not hear me. I wanted to shout, but I feared being overheard.’
‘What do we do now?’ Joel asked.
Emily considered their options. ‘We’re out of time. Fawn must call the Big Three and get them here as soon as possible. Without them, we can’t get to the shard.’
Joel shielded his eyes from the blazing sun and gazed around. ‘Maybe we should have asked the taxi to wait. It’s a long walk back to the hotel and it’s getting hot.’
‘If we see one on the way we can stop it,’ Emily said. ‘C’mon, I don’t like leaving Pegs and the others alone too long.’
The sun grew hotter and climbed to its highest point as they made their way back to the hotel. They noticed traffic in the sky. There were still a few tourist helicopters, but most were the large, heavy, twin rotors of military helicopters flying low over Honolulu.
They looked at each other uneasily. ‘You don’t think they could have seen Paelen and alerted the CRU?’ Joel asked.
‘No way,’ Emily said, but she lacked confidence. ‘Pele said this was a military island – they’re probably training or something.’
‘Yeah, that’s it,’ Joel agreed, a little too quickly.
‘They are not looking for us,’ Paelen insisted. ‘The CRU cannot know we are here. We have done nothing to draw attention to ourselves.’
‘No, of course not,’ Emily agreed. ‘We didn’t cause the earthquake or open Diamond Head to all that water. And we didn’t crash on the roof a couple of nights ago, making more noise than a bomb. No, we didn’t do anything at all!’
‘All I meant,’ Paelen corrected, ‘is that we have not been seen. I was very careful this morning. No one saw me.’
The more they tried to convince themselves they were safe, the faster they walked. Soon something funny settled in the pit of Emily’s stomach.
That ‘something’ was confirmed the moment they turned a corner and reached the road of their hotel. Dark-green military trucks were pulled up in front of the Outrigger Reef and armed soldiers filled the lobby. Hotel guests were being lined up and their identification checked by men in dark suits wearing grim expressions.
‘Please tell me this is just a drill,’ Joel whispered as they joined the curious crowds gathering across from their hotel.
Suddenly a loudspeaker rang out. ‘Put down your phones and cameras. No photographs permitted! Clear the area immediately, this is a military order. You are instructed to clear the area.’
The sound of rotor blades was deafening from above. They looked up and saw a large black helicopter approaching the roof. Emily’s heart skipped as it hovered right above their suite. ‘They’re black,’ she whispered tightly. ‘It’s got to be the CRU!’
A heavy cable was lowered from the helicopter and a large green tarpaulin was hoisted off the roof. They could see movement in the tarpaulin and even from this distance, Emily could hear the sound of Pegasus’s screams.
‘No!’ Emily wailed. She lifted her hand to use her powers, but Joel threw his arms around her and pulled her hand down. Pain tore through her temples as Riza pounded her warning.
‘You can’t help him,’ Joel whispered urgently. ‘Em, stop, they’ll see you.’
‘But they’ve got Pegs!’ Each scream from the winged stallion cut through Emily’s heart like a knife. She cursed herself for not having the power to stop them. All she could do was watch the helicopter pull away, taking Pegasus with it.
Soldiers crossed the street and approached the crowds. ‘Move along, there’s nothing to see here. Just keep moving.’
A second black helicopter moved into position and another heavy cable was lowered down to the hotel’s roof.
As they were forced away with the crowds, a second tarpaulin was hoisted into the air. They watched two hands shoot out of the top of the tarp, followed by hooves and a head with a flash of long chestnut hair. Chiron was trying to climb up the cable.
‘Look! There’s a man in there!’ a woman called. ‘What are they doing to him?’
‘I don’t know,’ her husband said, ‘and we don’t want to know. Let’s just do as they say and get out of here.’ He caught her by the hand and drew her quickly away.
Emily felt sick with helplessness. Pegasus and the others were being taken and she was powerless to help them.
‘Kids, this way . . .’ A hand closed around Emily’s arm. She looked up into the face of Mickey, their hotel representative. ‘Quickly, before they see you.’
‘What’s happening?’ Emily said.
‘You already know,’ Mickey said. ‘Soldiers are tearing the hotel apart, looking for you. It won’t take them long to check the surrounding area. Come with me if you want to stay free.’
Paelen gripped the wrist holding Emily. His face was dark and threatening. ‘We are not going anywhere with you until you tell us what you know of this.’ The hotel worker winced as Paelen crushed his wrist. ‘Tell us!’
‘Answer him, before he breaks your arm,’ Joel threatened. ‘Who are you? What do you know about us?’
‘I serve Pele,’ Mickey said quickly. ‘She
told me to keep an eye on you. She’s with her ocean sister and commanded me to keep you safe. She said you are under her protection.’
‘Pele?’ Emily cried. ‘We tried to call her today but she didn’t answer.’
‘She won’t, not if she is with Nā-maka. Now, hurry. We only have moments. My car is parked down the street. I must get you away from here.’
With soldiers searching the area, they only had a second to decide. ‘All right,’ Emily said. She looked from Paelen to Joel. ‘We don’t have a choice.’
Keeping their heads down, they moved quickly away from the hotel without looking back. Each step was a pain tearing through Emily. Her worst nightmare was realized.
Pegasus was back in the hands of the CRU.
30
Mickey’s house was several miles from Honolulu. He showed them into a lounge area and left them alone to get refreshments.
Joel grabbed for the TV remote. ‘Let’s see if there’s anything on the news.’
But there was nothing at all about the events at the hotel.
‘It was the CRU, wasn’t it?’ Emily asked.
‘Looks like it,’ Joel said heavily. ‘Same black helicopters and men in suits.’
‘Can this get any worse?’ Emily exclaimed. She got up and started to pace the room.
‘Em, calm down – don’t blow a gasket!’ Joel warned. ‘We’ll find them.’
‘How?’ Paelen asked.
‘OK, everyone, think,’ Emily said. ‘We’ve gone up against the CRU before; this is no different. So where would they take them? This isn’t that big an island. Could the CRU have an underground facility here?’
Joel shrugged. ‘I don’t know. There are mountains in the middle of the island. Maybe they’ve got a place there.’
‘Or perhaps they have taken them off the island,’ Paelen added.
Emily hated to admit it, but Paelen could be right. It would be more logical to take the Olympians away from Honolulu. She flopped down on the sofa and moaned, ‘It’s starting all over again. They’ll make more clones, just like in Las Vegas.’