by Mary Ting
Noah led us to the west wing. When he opened the door, I expected to see a room with furnishings. Instead, it was a grand chamber filled with various types of weapons—swords, axes, spears to name a few—hanging on the walls or leaning against them. It was amazing to see that many. Everett and Amanda were most excited. Their eyes beamed in delight, taking in the view of the weapons they could use for defense. I could understand their excitement since their powers were limited.
Some people were sparring with a partner, and others were testing the weapons. When they spotted us they stopped, but after a nod from Noah, they continued as if we weren’t there.
Off to the corner was a room that was darker in comparison to where we stood. Sparks of red and orange light flashed, catching my attention. Sounds of machinery and hammers echoed, spiking my curiosity.
Aaron pointed to the room. “Over there is where the descendants of Hephaestus make the weapons. They design and create various types. As you already know, Hephaestus was known for his craftsmanship. He was great at working with iron.”
Aaron peeked in and turned back to us. “You don’t want to go in there. There are a lot of sparks and it’s hot as hell.” Aaron peeked in again and gestured someone to come out.
“Hi.” Adam waved, looking shy, lighting a sheepish grin, but he wouldn’t make eye contact. It was adorable to see this big guy, who could crush a person with his bare hands, look so timid and humble.
“Hi,” we said back.
“I better go back to work. Bye.” Adam kept his eyes glued to the floor, and then he was out of our sight.
“Let’s continue our tour.” Colin led us out of the room. He was our guide now. We followed him into a long hallway. The walls and the floor were made from what appeared to be thick glass, somewhat clear, yet foggy at the same time. After we turned another corner, we came upon another room filled with books.
“This is our library, where you can find just about any book you want to read.” Colin beamed.
From the expression on his proud face, he seemed like a book lover. I understood why he looked the way he did. I was sure I was wearing the same excited expression on my face. Wall to wall, wooden bookcases were lined up from floor to ceiling. Not only was this room humongous, the old English sofas and tables made it appear elegant and antique. There was even a fireplace against the back wall, with a coffee table and sofa that matched the theme of the room.
Something about the smell of books heightened a spark of euphoria in me. It was the love of adventure, action, and romance that dwelled in each book, with each unique plot. I couldn’t help myself as a thrill shivered through me. “Wow! There are so many books, and it’s magical and beautiful in here.”
“You love to read?” Colin asked, looking surprised.
“Yes, I do.” I smiled, unable to take my eyes from this wondrous place.
“You’re welcome to borrow any books you like. We don’t have a librarian here. We borrow on the honor system.”
“Thanks.” My eyes shifted to the color paintings.
“I can spend hours in here,” Sarah added. “There’s no one in here right now. They were asked not to be here during your visit.”
“Okay, enough of this room,” Nick said, already heading out.
“Never mind Nick,” Amanda started to say. “Girls are the only things that occupy his mind. If he only knew the badass girl characters he could fall in love with, he would be reading all the time.”
Nick stopped suddenly, causing everyone behind him to halt. He turned to Amanda and said, “I’d rather fall in love with a real woman.” He turned to Colin. “No offense. To each his own.”
“Never mind my brother.” Mason pointed a finger at him as a small spark nicked Nick from the back.
Nick turned with a playful scowl. “My turn.”
Before Nick could do a thing, Everett slung his arms around him in a tight grip. “Don’t make a move.”
Just as we walked out the door, a short, quick light flashed. Everett yelped while sliding down the hall on his butt, and Nick’s laugh was way too contagious.
Colin led us outside. Walking on the pebbled path, the plush green grass covered the majority of the land. What I noted was how perfect the weather was. It was day, yet I couldn’t see the sun.
“Looking for the sun?” Colin asked, as if he knew what I was looking for.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Is it just me or ….”
“You’re not going crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking. In New Olympus, Zara shields us. She is our light.”
“Do you have night?” Mason was hesitant.
“Yes, we do. The thick shield hides us from the human world, and in order to do so, it also blocks us from the sun. Unfortunately, we can’t see the stars. We are here, yet we’re not. We’re in limbo, a world within a world. However, we’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
After Colin spoke, my attention shifted to the stream. Though there was no sun, the water shimmered and glistened as if there were diamonds underneath. When I saw water rising from the stream, I knew one of the Poseidon’s descendants was manipulating it. Noah was standing under the tree near the stream with Amanda. The water flowed in his direction, circled, then formed into a rose. It looked so real. I could see the layers of the petals and a long stem, too. It was liquid, but solid looking.
Amanda produced the biggest, heartfelt smile, gushing over what was presented in front of her. She reached out reluctantly, wanting to touch it, then pulled her hand back down. It was a sweet, tender moment, and for the first time, I saw a part of Amanda’s wall come down. It was a moment she could forget her parents were dead, a moment she could forget the vultures were after her, a moment she could be just a normal girl with a crush.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Nick said, half mockingly. His eyes were beaming with a mischievous plan and his fingers flickered, indicating he was up to no good.
Mason nudged him. “Don’t. Let her have this moment. She needs to feel loved. Love can be a powerful remedy.” Mason’s fingers intertwined with mine. “Love can destroy and love can heal. It’s what you decide to do with it that determines the path.”
Noah and Amanda had no idea that we were watching them. I wondered if that was the kind of look Mason and I gave to each other. When Amanda finally reached for the rose, it turned into a heart. Watching her giggle and smile gave me a sense of warmth. There was something about the feeling of love that made everyone feel warm inside, whether you were the receiver or the giver or even the observer.
“Anyway,” Colin said, “we should get going if we want to be on time for dinner.” Aaron turned to Noah and shouted, “Hey, lover boy, stop showing off.”
The solid heart shape liquefied and dropped with a gush of water. Noah and Amanda jumped back, laughing, to keep from getting wet. “Thanks,” Noah scoffed. “And stay out of my business.”
Aaron opened a double door that was big enough for a giant. Upon entering, I spotted my dad first, then two elderly men and two elderly women. They looked to be somewhat older than my father. The room contained nothing but a large round table and chairs; no paintings or other furniture. When my dad saw me, he stood up with a smile.
“These are the children I was talking about. The one in the middle is my daughter, Sky.” My dad looked so proud when he said my name. “Everyone sitting before you are the Elders. They are Zara’s advisors.”
Where was Zara?
“Please, have a seat,” my dad said, gesturing with open arms.
The round table was large enough to accommodate all of us. Just as we all settled in our seats, I looked up when I saw something white appear in my line of vision. A lady in a long, white gown approached us, seemingly gliding across the floor instead of walking. Her long, red, wavy hair reminded me of Alena, causing my heart to skip a beat for a second, but I knew there was no connection there. She was strikingly beautiful with emerald green eyes. I couldn’t keep myself from staring at her.
When the Elders
and my dad stood up, we all did the same. At that moment, I knew without a doubt that this lady was Zara.
“Please, have a seat.” Her voice was as sweet and warm as a summer’s breeze. There was something about it that was soothing and sensual at the same time. The chair moved when she pointed to it. I watched her sit, still amused by what she had done. Only after she sat did we do the same. My dad introduced us by name.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard good things about all of you from Victor.” Her smile was genuine.
“Thank you,” I said, and my friends nodded with a smile.
Zara turned to my dad. “Is dinner on its way? I’m sure our guests are hungry. It’s dinnertime, after all.”
“Yes,” my dad replied, glancing to the door. On cue, the door swung open and several people walked in with trays of food.
“Perfect.” Zara shifted her attention to us. “You must be wondering who I am and how this place exists. Let me start from the beginning.” She paused and waited for our feast to be set on the table: lamb chops, mashed potatoes, roast chicken, various mixed vegetables, rice, rolls, and various fruits. Glasses of water and wine were set in front of us.
After we filled our plates, Zara continued, “I’m going to get to the point. I’m one of the Oracles. You already met my sister, Cara.”
The vegetable I was about to eat froze in place. The five of us held our collective breath at her words. When we had encountered Cara, she told us her other sisters were dead. Not only that, they looked nothing alike. Cara had looked hideous, whereas Zara looked like a fairy queen.
Zara placed her glass down after taking a sip of her wine. “My sister probably told you her sisters were dead. That is what we made her believe. You see…at one point, there were the three of us. We were triplets. It was not easy to tell us apart. When Olympus was fading, we did as much as we could to stop that from happening. However, my sister, Cara, became greedy. She was offered eternal life, a sanctuary, if she agreed to side with someone. To this day, I still don’t know who that person was. I’ve been trying to find out. I’m pretty sure the person who planned this scheme has kidnapped my other sister, Tara.
“Tara and I wouldn’t side with Cara. For this reason, we had to flee when the gods were banished. In order to create confusion for the vultures, we went our separate ways after we created this place. This was many generations ago. Our powers were stronger back then, but with age, we have weakened. Tara was supposed to come back here after a month, but she never returned. I fear she has been taken by whoever is controlling the vultures, or she’s—”
Zara stopped speaking. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she tried her best to keep them at bay. I could tell from her expression how much she loved her sister. For someone as powerful as Zara, it was heartbreaking to see that they, too, were vulnerable and had so much to lose. “It’s already sad enough to lose one sister,” she continued. “I do not want to think I’ve lost another. Cara is dead to me. She was dead to me the day she betrayed us. Tara is all that I have left.”
Glancing at the Grand bothers and Amanda, I saw that they looked as shocked as I was.
“What happened to Cara? Why does she look the way she does?” Everett asked.
“Zeus and I were very close; actually, the three of us were very close to him. We were his advisors. When I told him the deal Cara was presented with, he placed a curse on her just in case she took the deal. This was his way of punishing her for even thinking about it. Cara was bound to the realms of the old Olympus and her beauty was taken away. That is the reason why she looks the way she does. That was thousands of years ago.”
“How did you survive?” Amanda asked, seeming baffled. “I mean…if all of the gods are deceased, how is it that you are here?”
“We are not gods. Our entity is different.” Zara released a long sigh. “I miss the gods. It was unjust what happened to them. I feel guilty that I couldn’t save them.”
My dad rested his hand on her shoulder. “It was beyond your control. Let’s not dwell on the past, but help the future. Help our young generation. We need all of your guidance and help on surviving what we fear is to come.”
Nick swallowed the tiny scoop of mashed potatoes he’d shoved into his mouth. He tried to hide the fact that he did, but I saw. And I couldn’t help but smile. I was beyond starving, and I knew he was too since we’d had an early lunch. “What or who are we fearing?” Nick asked.
“I believe the same person who has my sister is getting ready for us. As you have already seen and encountered, these vultures are advanced. They are smarter. They are evolving.” Zara stopped to look at me. “Sky has evolved, too, from what I have heard from your father. We need to figure out how they are doing this. Now that these vultures can use their powers in human form, I fear that they have bigger plans…to take over humanity as well.”
“How would they do this?” Everett asked, appearing appalled. “There are way more people than vultures.”
“They would have to somehow turn the people into vultures,” Zara replied.
“That’s sick.” Nick looked like he wanted to vomit.
“It’s possible,” Zara said. “Never underestimate the powers of evil.”
I knew I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I couldn’t help myself. “But never underestimate the powers of good.” Everyone flashed their eyes at me, especially my dad’s people and the Elders, probably wondering why in the world I would say something to disrespect Zara. I felt like I had spoken back to her or had spoken out of line. I looked down sheepishly until I heard Zara’s voice.
“That’s true.” Zara nodded, looking pleased and smiling. “I’m glad you said that. Now I know you have a fighting chance to beat the vultures and their leader.”
I was thoroughly confused. Why would she say those words? “I don’t understand.”
“Sky, I feel great energy emanating from you. I don’t know why this is happening to you and only you, but I believe it’s because you’re special. You’re what they call the Keeper of Death. While the prophecy is true, the rumors are wrong. You’re not the Keeper of Death. You’re the Keeper of Life.”
Being any sort of keeper and being special was not what I wanted to be, but I had no choice. This was destiny; however, I would rather be a keeper of life than of death. Regardless, confusion filled my mind.
“How could that be?” Everett asked. “She killed Remus with her blood.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry to bring it up, Sky. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s okay, Everett.”
Zara answered, “It makes sense if Remus had some evil blood running through him. Sky can only kill those that have evil blood. What you were told is false.”
“What?” Mason murmured under his breath. He turned to me with a smile, like he had known all along. “That’s good to hear.” He squeezed my hand underneath the table.
I’d been so careful and worried that I would kill my friends, but now it was a relief to know that I couldn’t. I almost felt normal. I also felt all eyes on me. They were relieved as well. I could see it in their eyes and from their grins. They were happy for me. Regardless, I would still be careful just in case she was wrong. Who knew what was right or wrong these days? There were too many contradictions from what we were told. I guessed I shouldn’t believe what Cara had said being that she was evil, but I had to be sure.
“Oracles don’t know the whole facts. We can’t predict the future, but we can see bits and pieces. We try to put them together, but sometimes we’re wrong. Tara and I made my sister believe in the prophecy—the Keeper of Death will destroy us all—so she would fear the one who was to come. We didn’t know who the keeper would be, and we didn’t want the keeper to be in the wrong hands and be tamed by evil. And I can’t believe you are the one. Our time has come.”
“I don’t understand how I can be anything. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do.” My heart started thumping faster and my hands started to tremble. Feeling the warmt
h tingle in my hands, I clasped them together underneath the table. I didn’t understand the sudden anger that came out of nowhere. Mason must have seen what I was trying to hide. When he grabbed my hand and lightly squeezed it, it soothed me to the point where I could release my hands. And at that moment, I felt embarrassed for my actions and my tone. I sounded upset for no reason.
“Tame the flame, my child, and it will all be yours.”
Zara smiled at me, but I couldn’t give one back. Icy, shocking shivers ran down my spine, pricking me achingly. I tried my best not to look so shocked. Those exact words I’d heard in my nightmare were now in my reality. It stunned me, keeping me from speaking or moving. When my heart found its steady beat, I began to relax and produced a fake smile.
“Now that we’ve all come together and you understand what is at stake, I have a request. With your help—and of course I’ll be sending my best people—I believe we will find my sister and the person behind the vultures. I’m pleading before you for the sake of our future, for the sake of humanity, that we go on a search mission to Mt. Hem. I’m most certain our answers await there.”
The room was silent until Zara spoke again. “This news is overwhelming and you have every right to deny my request; however, I believe our time has finally come. You must think that my only reason for this mission is my sister, but you’re wrong. Tara has the stone we need to win the war. The three of us created this special stone, knowing what was ahead. Stones are very important to us. They are our source of energy and power.”
“My family and I will have to discuss this issue,” Everett said. “We’ve kept to ourselves and blended with the humans successfully. I don’t know if looking for our enemies is a good idea. It’s one thing if it’s knocking at our door, but to purposely search for trouble…I don’t know about this.”
“I understand your worries. I’ll give you a week to think about it; however, I’ve already foreseen the future. We will be on this mission. You cannot change destiny. I can answer more questions later.” Zara looked at our plates. “Let’s eat. Your food will get cold.”