by Kate O'Hearn
Emily’s eyes flashed between the ocean goddess and Joel in the rowing boat, just a few metres away from her powerful waterspout. ‘Please, listen. I know about your rivalry with your sister, but we’re all in terrible danger. We need your help. You must command the waters in Diamond Head to recede so Pele can open the surface and I can retrieve what I need to save Earth.’
‘From the Titans?’ Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i laughed. ‘Pele told me, but I know it’s a trick – a foolish trap designed by my sister to contain me within the Olympian spring waters filling the Diamond Head crater. Without me to oppose her, Pele will have free rein over these Islands and the oceans. I don’t know what she promised the Olympians in exchange for their help, but they will never see their reward.’
‘I swear it’s no trick,’ Emily said. ‘If Saturn isn’t stopped, he’ll invade Earth.’
‘The Titans do not frighten me.’
‘They should,’ Paelen said. ‘They frighten all of us.’
Nā-maka shook her head. ‘The Titans tried to subdue the Earth many thousands of years ago and failed—’
‘They failed because I went back there and helped stop them,’ Emily cut in. ‘But my powers have been trapped in Diamond Head. If I do not free them, the Titans will succeed.’
‘You overestimate their abilities – and your own. This fight is between them; it means nothing to me.’
The ocean goddess raised her hand and a large wave of water shot out towards Emily and Paelen. Paelen immediately wrapped his arm around Emily’s waist.
‘Up! Now!’ he ordered his winged sandals and they lifted into the air, missing the attacking wave by centimetres.
‘Come back here!’ Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i commanded. Her waterspout spun furiously close to shore, but did not touch the dry sand.
Paelen ordered his sandals to lift them higher, away from her reaching ocean hands. ‘You cannot follow us on to land, can you?’ Paelen challenged.
‘There is no need. I already have one of you and I see by the red lei, he is under my sister’s protection. He will do nicely.’
Before Paelen could make a move, the ocean goddess used her water hands to catch hold of Joel. Still unconscious, Joel was lifted out of the rowing boat by the swirling ocean water and carried over to Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i.
‘Joel!’ Emily howled. ‘Let him go or I swear you’ll regret it!’
‘Are you threatening me, child?’
‘Yes!’ Emily shouted. ‘These may be your Islands, but if you don’t release Joel right now, I promise you, the moment I get my powers back, you’ll pay for what you’ve done to him!’
‘No one threatens me!’ Pounding waves of fury rose up around Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i and crashed noisily to the beach, crushing the rowing boat into splinters and throwing wet sand in the air. The small fish swimming around her ducked into the protection of her seaweed dress.
Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i moved as close to the shore as she dared and spat at Emily with ocean foam. ‘You listen to me, you insolent child. Tell Pele she will surrender to me or I will drown this boy in my depths and let the ocean life feed on his bones! You have one day!’
She rose higher above her waterspout before diving down into the swirling centre. Joel was sucked in after her as the waterspout spun across the ocean surface before disappearing into its depths.
‘Joel!’ Emily cried.
Paelen landed on the beach and they watched the ocean where Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i had vanished.
‘How can she be so blind?’ Emily raged.
‘Her hatred of Pele has obscured everything else. If we hoped to reason with her and get her help, we must forget it. Our only chance now is the Big Three. Come, we must find Fawn to get the message to Jupiter to meet us at Diamond Head.’
But Emily remained still at the shore, staring at the sea.
‘You cannot help him by staying here,’ Paelen sighed, gently drawing her away. ‘Only when your powers are restored will you be strong enough to face her. Joel is safe for now.’
‘Safe? How can you be so sure?’ Emily raged. ‘You saw her, she’s insane!’ Emily kicked sand in the air and collapsed to the ground, punching it with both fists. ‘If she hurts him, I swear she’ll regret it.’
‘Emily, please,’ Paelen cried as he knelt beside her. ‘You will not do Joel or the others any good if you lose your temper and accidentally use your powers. You could hurt yourself. Do you not understand that? You could die if you do not control yourself!’
Emily was so tired of it all. Her increasing weakness, her aching body and the constant need to sleep. And now when she needed her powers the most, they were gone.
She sighed heavily and sat back. ‘You’re right, I know, it’s just that . . .’
‘I understand,’ Paelen said, as he drew her up. ‘I feel the same.’ They walked back up the beach to where Mickey and Kono still lay unconscious. Paelen lifted Kono away from the van and threw him down on the sand beside Mickey. He started to shake the men. ‘Wake up!’
‘What are you planning?’ Emily asked.
‘They must tell us where the others are.’
‘Mickey already told me. They’re at the zoo. He said it’s a trap for us. They’re using Pegasus as bait.’
‘Trap or not,’ Paelen said, ‘we do not have much choice. We cannot leave them to the mercy of the CRU. We must do what we can to free them.’
‘You’re right. We’ve got to rescue them.’ Emily gazed towards the ocean a final time, knowing that Joel was out there somewhere. ‘If she hurts him . . .’
Paelen put his arms around her and held her tight. ‘She would not dare.’
Emily gazed up into his eyes and she could see a trace of sadness there.
‘I know how you feel about Joel and how he feels about you,’ Paelen said softly. ‘I have known for some time and I accept it. Please know this. If she does hurt him, she will answer to me as well.’
Emily clung to him, grateful to have such a precious friend.
When he released her, he bent down and searched through Mickey’s pockets and pulled out the van keys. Then he reached for the Hawaiian’s baseball cap and pulled it on. ‘We must not be seen using my sandals in daylight, but we cannot wait until dark.’
‘Are you thinking about taking the van to the zoo?’ Emily cried. ‘Paelen, we don’t have a licence!’
‘We do not have much choice.’
Emily reached for the van keys. ‘I think I should drive.’
‘I will drive,’ Paelen said.
‘You? You’ve never driven a car. I have. My mom used to let me drive around a parking lot when we drove out of the city.’
‘I have watched Joel closely – I know what I am doing. And I have the baseball cap. That is all I need.’
‘Hats don’t make you able to drive!’ Emily argued.
‘Of course they do,’ Paelen said. ‘I have watched humans closely. Most drivers here wear these hats.’
‘No, Paelen, practice makes you a good driver. Now, give me the keys.’
Paelen grinned and climbed in behind the wheel. ‘Do you wish to keep arguing, or are we going to the zoo to free our friends?’
Emily huffed, but climbed into the passenger seat. Almost from the start, she regretted it. Within minutes, Paelen had driven into a palm tree, knocked over a fence, crushed rubbish bins and got the van trapped in a sand dune. He had to physically lift the van out of the sand trap.
When he sat behind the wheel again he shook his head. ‘Joel makes it look so easy!’
‘Now can I try?’ Emily asked.
When they switched seats, Emily sat behind the wheel. She checked her mirrors as her mother taught her and then put the van in gear.
At first the van lurched forward and then stopped. But after a couple of false starts, Emily managed
to pull the vehicle away.
Paelen cheered and pulled the cap off his head and put it on Emily. ‘Here, you have earned it. Now, get us to the zoo!’
Emily stopped the van and looked at him. ‘Where is the zoo?’
Paelen shrugged. ‘You are Flame of Olympus, the last Xan. You should know.’
‘How?’
‘I do not know,’ Paelen insisted. ‘I thought you could feel Pegasus, with or without your powers.’
‘I always have a connection with him,’ she said, ‘but not enough to tell me where he is.’
With little idea where they were going, Emily inched the van down the road. When they came upon a petrol station she carefully pulled in. ‘Stay here. I’m going to find out where we are.’
She returned with a map showing the whole island. ‘The guy said we are here on this side of the island and that this circle over here is the Honolulu Zoo . . .’ She traced her finger on the map. ‘It doesn’t look too difficult. If we just follow the coastline, we’ll go around the bottom of the island and come up the other side where the zoo is. Simple.’
Paelen looked up at her, raised his eyebrows and grinned. ‘Oh, really?’
Emily punched him. ‘Cut me some slack. My powers are gone, a crazy mermaid has kidnapped Joel and I’m freaked that I’m going to get caught driving this stolen van.’
Paelen’s grin grew. ‘Then drive carefully and do not get caught.’
Within minutes they plotted their route and Emily pulled the van back out into traffic. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, casting a beautiful golden glow on the Hawaiian mountains.
‘I would like to visit this place again when we are finished.’ Paelen held his hand out of the window, feeling the warm wind between his fingers.
‘You mean if Saturn doesn’t conquer it?’
The crooked grin on his face always made her feel better. ‘Exactly!’
Emily followed the coastline around Oahu. She was glad that they were far enough from the shore that Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i couldn’t reach them. When they arrived at the southern tip of the island and started the journey north, Emily saw a familiar sight rising in the distance.
‘There’s Diamond Head! The guy at the petrol station said the zoo isn’t far from it. We’re almost there.’
Nerves settled in the pit of her stomach. They were about to enter the lion’s den, but they had no clue what they would find there. What had the CRU done to the Olympians? Were they even still there?
As they got closer to Honolulu, commuter traffic increased. Cars cut her off and horns blared around them as Emily drove much slower than the speed limit.
‘Perhaps you should drive faster,’ Paelen suggested.
Emily shot him a dirty look. ‘Do you want to drive?’
He held up his hands. ‘No thank you! You are doing fine. But might I suggest we try a less busy route?’
Emily nodded. Her knuckles were white from clutching the steering wheel as she tried to manoeuvre the vehicle off the main highway and on to a less busy road. She indicated right, but miscalculated as she turned the van around the corner and grazed a red sedan waiting at the light. Emily turned the wheel sharply in the other direction, but lost control and smashed headlong into a lamp post.
Steam rose from under the bonnet and the engine chugged and then died. Emily looked over at Paelen. ‘You OK?’
Paelen grinned. ‘Well, that is one way to turn a corner. Not the best way, but still . . .’
Cars pulled up around them and drivers were getting out.
‘What are we going to do now?’ Emily grimaced.
‘Play it cool.’ Paelen opened his door and climbed out of the van. Emily took a deep breath and did the same. The driver of the red sedan was walking towards them. He looked around forty and wore a light linen business suit. ‘Are you both all right?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Emily said carefully. ‘Are you?’
He nodded but then clocked that there was no adult with them. ‘How old are you kids? Do you even have a driver’s licence?’
‘I am older than you could ever imagine,’ Paelen answered boldly.
The man was just about to retort when a woman ran up to them. ‘I’ve just called the police and they’ll be here in a moment.’
‘The police!’ Emily cried. ‘Why did you do that? It’s my dad’s van. He’ll pay for the damages. There was no need to call the police!’
‘Hey, calm down,’ the man said, growing even more suspicious. ‘We’ll let the cops sort this out. But I think you two are in a bit of trouble. I doubt you’ve got insurance.’
Paelen took hold of Emily’s arm. ‘I think we should be going.’
‘Oh no you don’t,’ the man said, catching hold of Paelen’s shirt. ‘You’re not going anywhere until the cops get here.’
Paelen grabbed the man’s hand and squeezed. ‘I say we are. I am very sorry about your car, but there is nothing we can do about that now. But if you do not release me right now, I shall break your hand.’
The man was driven to his knees as Paelen’s grip hardened.
‘That’s enough,’ Emily said as she pulled Paelen free. ‘Let’s go!’
They took off running down the street as the wail of police sirens sounded in the distance. At the corner, they turned left into a suburban-looking street with houses that stood away from the road.
‘This way!’ Paelen shouted to Emily as he led her down a long driveway. They kept low behind a couple of large SUV cars and ducked round the side of the house and into the open back garden where they continued to run. At the rear of the garden, they climbed over a fence and ran through another garden.
They dipped and dodged through streets and yards until they could no longer hear police sirens. They stopped to catch their breath, huddled behind a large, flowering bush growing up against a house. They took in their surroundings. They were in a built-up residential area. They saw the odd person walking their dog, but otherwise, the area was quiet.
Emily cursed. ‘I left the map in the van!’
‘I am sure we are not far from the zoo,’ Paelen said.
‘That’s not what I’m worried about. The zoo was circled on the map! If the police see it, they’ll know where we’re going.’
Paelen started to laugh. ‘Emily, we are going to the zoo – a place that we already know is a trap for us. There are CRU agents and soldiers with guns waiting to shoot us the moment we arrive. And you are worried about the police because of the stolen van?’
Emily paused and then broke into a big smile. ‘OK, you’re right.’ She rose and peered out of the bush. ‘The sun is almost down. Maybe we should wait here until dark. Then we can go save Pegasus.’
31
Lorin was surrounded by blazing white light. She heard sounds like nothing she’d ever heard before. But then, her only experience of sounds were from deep inside Tartarus. Here in the Solar Stream there was no screaming, or crying, just a loud whooshing in her ears.
Shivers of excitement coursed down her spine. Soon she would come face to face with Emily. From there, she would find the shard and finally be complete.
The bright lights faded as her journey ended. Her eyes adjusted and she looked around in awe. It was dark out, but the air around her felt fresh and full of sounds and wondrous smells. A gentle, warm breeze blew on her face and she could taste salt on her lips.
The ground beneath her feet was not solid like Tartarus. As she turned around, it seemed to move beneath her and pour into her sandals. She reached down and picked up a handful of sand and it slipped through her fingers. The bits that were left were small and gritty.
Lorin’s eyes widened as she faced the largest body of water she had ever seen. It went well beyond her vision and was lost to the dark horizon. There was water in the prison, but it wa
s only for drinking and was not to be wasted. But here, the water seemed endless. It rolled to shore with a soft hushing sound that stroked her ears pleasantly.
She looked up and was awestruck by millions of stars in the night sky. When Phoebe first took her to the surface of Tartarus, a storm had been blowing. But Phoebe had described in detail the night sky on Titus. Lorin imagined it must be just like this.
Behind her were tall structures. Torch lights shined through most of the windows and she could see people on some of the open balconies. Further down the beach, she heard laughter. She stood still as a man and woman approached. They were holding hands and only gave her a passing glance.
The woman was wearing a long floral skirt and white T-shirt. Lorin looked down at her own garments. They looked like filthy rags, barely held together. She looked back at the water. Without hesitation, Lorin walked into the ocean and had her first bath.
The sensations of the cool water on her skin were indescribable. She laughed and splashed in the light surf. Lorin discovered she could float on her back and stare up at the stars. This one moment was the happiest she had known since waking.
Soon, Lorin became aware of something else. A gentle drawing sensation was rising from the pit of her stomach – almost as though something was calling to her.
She stood in the water and gazed around. It seemed to be pulling from one specific direction. At first the feeling frightened her. But then, as the moments passed, she seemed to understand what it was.
‘The shard,’ she said aloud.
Lorin followed the feeling. From the light of the stars and moon, she saw a giant dark shape, looming in the distance. The feeling was coming from there. She emerged from the water on to the shore, and started to walk in the direction of the shard.
With each step, she felt more excited. Walking was just too slow. She started to run, but even that wasn’t fast enough. Lorin had to get there. The shard was calling her.
She focused everything she had on the shard and the next thing she knew she was rising from the ground. Her powers! Lorin laughed as she began to realize what she was able to do. She started to fly in the direction of the shard.