by Kate O'Hearn
Cupid leaned forward and grabbed a handful of Paelen’s dark hair. He yanked his head back. ‘If you ever tell anyone what I have done in this world, I swear I will set the Hydra on you!’
‘That’s enough, you two,’ Joel warned. ‘Cupid, let him go. Let’s just get this done and you can finish your fight later.’
‘What fight?’ Paelen said innocently.
They were drawing up to a guardhouse. A heavy chain link gate blocked the way in. There were cameras everywhere, some were pointing at them while others continued to scan the sky. This would be the first major obstacle.
The car pulled up to a tiny window at the guardhouse. A large, angry-looking man with an even larger weapon draped around his shoulder stood inside. When he saw Agent T at the wheel, he nodded in recognition. But then his eyes found the other passengers in the car.
He opened the door and walked towards the car as his finger rested on the trigger of his weapon. ‘Identification,’ he demanded.
They were prepared for this. Paelen and Joel both showed the identification badges from the other agents. They silently prayed he wouldn’t study the photos too closely, as they were nowhere near to what Paelen and Joel looked like.
But as the guard noticed the difference and became suspicious, he straightened and raised his weapon. Cupid reluctantly turned on his power. They watched the same reaction as before rising on the guard’s face. At first suspicion, then awe and finally, adoration.
‘It will please me if you let us in,’ Cupid said tightly through gritted teeth.
‘Of course,’ the large guard said sweetly, ‘anything for you.’ He returned to his guardhouse and pressed the button that opened the large gate. Just as the car moved forward through the snow, they saw the guard blowing kisses at Cupid.
‘How precious!’ Paelen howled with laughter.
Despite his attempts to hold it in, Joel started to chuckle as well.
‘I am warning you, Paelen,’ Cupid muttered furiously, ‘if you say one word about this back in Olympus, just one, I will have your head …’
The rest of the journey was driven in silence. Everyone seemed to understand the danger they were about to face and the laughter stopped. Agent T drove the car to the parking lot at the side of the single building.
‘This is it,’ Joel said tightly as he climbed out of the car and stood facing the small, squat red-brick building.
Paelen looked around and noticed how quiet and calm the area was. The heavy blanket of snow seemed to still even the birds. ‘Is it always this quiet?’ he asked the agent.
‘It’s the snow,’ Agent T said. ‘No one likes coming out in it. They will all be inside.’
‘And you know what you must do?’ Cupid asked.
‘Yes, if it pleases you, I will take you all in there to Steve Jacobs.’
Cupid walked beside the agent while Paelen and Joel followed closely behind. Joel stayed particularly close to Cupid’s back to help hide the large lump from his wings.
At the front entrance of the building, Agent T pulled out his ID card and passed it through the scanner. The door whooshed open and they walked in. Just inside the door was a sign-in desk. A guard was sitting and reading a newspaper. He put it down when they approached. ‘Some storm, eh, Agent T?’
The agent nodded. ‘It’s getting worse out there. He turned to Cupid. ‘This is Agent C.’
Paelen felt his heart stop as their prisoner smiled at Cupid. ‘He’s here to visit Jacobs.’
‘That wasn’t on the schedule,’ the guard said as he frowned. He reached forward and checked a clipboard. ‘I have no visits listed here.’
‘I know, change of plans,’ Agent T said. ‘The Head is thinking of moving him. Especially now the winged horse and girl are back in the area. These agents here are to assess the logistics of the move and to see if Jacobs is fit to travel.’
‘I’m sorry, Agent T but if it’s not on the list, I’d better check.’ The guard reached for the telephone.
Paelen gave Cupid a shove. ‘Do it,’ he quietly ordered.
Cupid looked at him furiously, but reached out and grasped the guard’s hand. ‘It is all right. You do not need to check. We will just visit the prisoner for a moment. Then we shall leave. Please, return to your reading. Do this for me.’
The guard’s face turned brilliant red. He cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly on his feet. ‘Of-of course, anything for you …’ He fiddled around his desk and quickly drew up three passes. ‘If anyone asks, just show them these.’ He grinned at Cupid as he handed over the clip-on passes. ‘Is there anything else I can do for you today?’
‘No, thank you,’ Paelen said.
The guard gave him only a passing glance as his adoring eyes rested on Cupid. ‘Please have a wonderful day.’
As their agent prisoner led the way to the elevators, Cupid dropped his head. ‘This is by far the worst day of my life. My mother would be furious if she knew what I was doing.’ He shivered visibly and looked at Paelen. ‘I shall never forgive you for this.’
Paelen was about to say something when Joel stepped forward. ‘Venus would understand. She would be proud if she knew how much you were helping Emily.’ The elevator arrived and they piled in. The agent pressed the button.
‘How deep does it go?’ Joel asked.
‘There are twelve sub-levels,’ Agent T said.
‘And what levels did you say the Nirads are being held on?’ Cupid nervously asked.
‘On the bottom three.’
Paelen frowned. ‘Wait, you told us that Emily’s father was on sub-level ten. That means there are Nirads on the same level?’
‘Yes. But they are dormant. They spend all their time sleeping. I assure you, they will not trouble you.’ He looked at Cupid again and grinned sheepishly.
A heavy silence filled the elevator as they descended. Paelen felt as if they were entering the maze of the Minotaur. One wrong turn and they would come face to face with the beast. Only this time, it wasn’t the furious Minotaur they would encounter. It would be a hoard of deadly Nirads. Dormant or not, a Nirad was a Nirad and he wanted to stay as far away from them as possible.
They arrived on sub-level ten and Agent T led them forward through a maze of corridors. Halfway down a long and twisting corridor, they approached a heavy metal door. It had a sliding plaque mounted on the front which contained the name ‘Steve Jacobs’. The door was painted shiny white and had a security coded lock. It looked identical to the doors from the facility at Governors Island. The agent entered the code on the security lock and pushed open the door.
Paelen entered first and felt a shiver pass along his spine. The room was so similar to the one he’d been held in before. It even smelled the same. In the centre of the room was a bed with a big lump. A blanket was pulled high over the occupant’s head.
‘Steve?’ Joel called.
The lump stirred as a muffled voice called, ‘Go away.’
‘Steve, it’s me, Joel!’
‘And me, Paelen,’ Paelen added. ‘Emily is safe.’
‘Emily?’ the lump said. Emily’s father pulled down the covers and quickly rolled over. His eyes went wide at the sight of Joel and Paelen.
‘Is it really you?’ He leaped from the bed and gave Joel a brutal bear hug and did the same to Paelen. His eyes darted around the room. ‘Where is she? Where’s Emily?’
‘Not here,’ Paelen said. ‘We thought it best if she stayed away. She is with Pegasus. They are waiting for you.’
Tears rose in Steve’s eyes and his shoulders started to shake. ‘Is she all right? The Nirads hurt her, what happened? The CRU wouldn’t let me see her or tell me how she was.’
‘She is fine, calm yourself,’ Paelen said. ‘Vulcan built a brace for her leg. She walks perfectly.’
‘I really began to think I’d dreamed it all,’ Steve said shakily to Joel. ‘But it was real, wasn’t it? Pegasus was here. He had a broken wing and you kids dyed him black and brown.’
‘Yes i
t was,’ Joel said. ‘It wasn’t a dream.’
‘Wait,’ Emily’s father said as alarm rose in his eyes. ‘The war? Olympus was destroyed. What happened?’
‘We do not have time to explain,’ Paelen said. ‘We must get you out of here.’ He noticed that Steve was wearing a hospital gown. ‘Do you have any clothes? It is very cold out.’
‘No, they won’t give me anything but this. They won’t even let me shave or cut my hair.’ He pointed to his thick, bushy beard and long brown hair. ‘I guess they’re afraid I’d try to kill myself …’ Steve’s eyes suddenly landed on their agent prisoner. ‘Agent T!’ His fury rose and he launched himself at the agent. Knocking him to the floor, he started to pound him. ‘You did this to me! You refused to tell me about my own daughter!’
‘Steve, no!’ Joel cried as he struggled to break the men apart. ‘Please, we don’t have time. He’s working for us now. Stop, we’ve got to go. Emily needs you.’
The mention of Emily’s name held Steve’s fist in the air. ‘He’s working for you?’
‘Yes, Cupid charmed him. Now he is ours.’
‘Cupid?’ Steve said.
‘I am Cupid,’ the winged Olympian said, coming forward. ‘It is an honour to meet the father of the Flame!’
Steve shook his head in confusion as he regarded Cupid in his poorly fitting black suit and lumpy long coat. He looked at Joel. ‘What flame? What’s he talking about?’
Joel grasped Steve by the arm. ‘We have a lot to tell you.’ He turned to Cupid. ‘Take off your long coat. Steve is going to need it.’ Then he looked back to Emily’s father. ‘Do you remember how Pegasus was here to find the Daughter of Vesta? Well, that was actually Emily. She is the Flame of Olympus.’
‘My Emily?’ he said in disbelief. ‘But-but-Diana, she said the Daughter of Vesta had to sacrifice herself to save Olympus. She had to die.’
‘Emily did sacrifice herself,’ Paelen said gently. ‘You should be very proud of her. Emily saved our world, and she saved yours. She was reborn in the flames. But she has never stopped thinking about you or wanting to free you from the CRU. So we slipped away from Olympus to get you.’
‘But she’s alive, right?’ Steve asked. ‘Emily is alive?’
‘Very alive,’ Joel said. ‘And she’s waiting for you. So please put on Cupid’s coat and we can get moving.’
Steve quickly drew on the long black coat. But as the group moved towards the door, the loud furious sounds of sirens suddenly filled the air.
‘They’ve found us,’ Joel cried.
Both Paelen and Cupid started to sniff the air. Cupid’s face turned to terror. ‘No, it is not the CRU.’
‘What is it?’ Steve asked.
Paelen groaned. He shook his head. ‘Not again! This cannot happen to me twice!’
‘What is? What’s happening?’ Joel demanded.
Everyone heard the deep guttural roars coming from the hall and the sound of shattering doors. Automatic gunfire mixed in with the screaming of men.
‘Nirads,’ Paelen said darkly. ‘They are awake.’
12
Paelen and Joel led the way out of Steve’s quarters. The halls quickly filled with armed soldiers preparing to fight the Nirads. They moved down the corridor towards the bank of elevators.
‘I can’t believe this,’ Joel said. ‘It’s just like last time.’
‘The Nirads will kill us all,’ Cupid cried, as his wild eyes darted around in terror. The wings on his back were fluttering and he was shaking like a leaf.
‘I will protect you,’ Agent T said eagerly. He drew his weapon. ‘They will not harm you.’
‘No they won’t!’ Joel agreed. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his golden dagger. ‘Did you bring yours with you?’ he asked Paelen.
Paelen nodded and held up his dagger. ‘If we must fight, we will.’
Having Agent T with them meant the other agents did not try to stop them or block their way. But as they stood waiting for the next elevator, they heard deep growls and roars.
Everyone watched as doors along the long corridor exploded and two Nirads charged out of their rooms. They turned towards the group and lumbered forward.
Soldiers in the hall opened fire, but the bullets bounced off the Nirad’s grey marble skin and ricocheted around the area, knocking out lights and hitting other soldiers.
‘Their weapons will not work against them.’ Paelen shook his head. ‘When will these foolish people learn?’
‘We’re trapped here!’ Cupid cried as he frantically searched for a way out. The elevators were still several levels away. ‘They will tear us apart! We are all going to die!’
‘Cupid, calm down!’ Joel said as he pointed. ‘Look, there’s the stairs. Let’s move!’
The group entered the stairwell. From above they heard the sounds of fighting. ‘We’re surrounded,’ Steve cried as the two Nirads from sub-level ten entered below.
The Nirads were gaining on them as they dashed for the next level. They weren’t going to make it. Paelen and Joel stopped running. They stood forward and bravely raised their gold daggers. ‘Keep moving,’ Joel ordered Steve. ‘Get back to Emily. She’s at the Red Apple!’
Paelen’s mind flashed with terrible memories of what the Nirads had done to him on Governors. Of the pain he felt when they tried to rip him apart and the sounds of his own bones breaking. His hand started to shake.
‘You OK?’ Joel said quickly.
‘No,’ Paelen admitted.
‘Me neither.’
Further comment was cut short as the two creatures rounded the bend and faced them. The Nirads’ bead-black eyes settled on Joel and Emily’s father. They bared their sharp pointed teeth and snarled with vicious rage as their clawed hands opened and closed into fists. With renewed energy, they charged forward.
Joel bravely held up his dagger. But he’d never fought with a knife before, let alone a dagger against a Nirad. As he flashed the golden blade in the air, it nicked one of the Nirad’s four arms, causing a spray of black blood. Howling in pain, the creature swung a brutal fist and knocked the golden blade out of Joel’s hand, sending it flying away. The creature roared and lunged at him.
Paelen tried to reach Joel to help, but the second
Nirad was moving. It swatted him aside as though he was shooing away a troublesome fly. Paelen was knocked off his feet and sent tumbling back down the stairs.
When he hit the bottom, he looked up and his eyes went wide in horror. The one Nirad had Joel in a brutal grip and was hoisting him in the air. Without a backward glance, the creature roared triumphantly and carried him up the steps. Despite Joel’s size, he was helpless against the terrifying strength of the four arms wrapped around him.
‘Paelen!’ Joel cried as he was carried away from the group and up and around the bend in the stairs. ‘Paelen, help me plea—’ Suddenly the voice was cut off.
‘Joel!’ Paelen shouted. He feared his best friend had just been killed by the Nirad. ‘Joel!’
Above him, the final Nirad was still fighting to get hold of Steve. As Paelen reached for his gold dagger, he heard Cupid order Agent T to shoot.
‘No!’ Paelen cried as he dashed up the stairs. He knew human weapons were useless against the Nirads. In these tight quarters, firing the weapon at the Nirad was a disastrous idea.
The agent’s weapon went off. The bullet struck the creature and ricocheted off its marble-like skin and hit Steve in the chest. The Nirad caught hold of Emily’s father just as he crumpled to the floor. Paelen shouted and sprang forward. He drove his gold dagger deep into the creature’s back.
The Nirad released Steve and howled in pain and fury as it tried to dislodge the dagger. But it was too late. The Olympian gold’s deadly poison was already doing its job. The fearsome creature staggered on the steps as its strength ebbed. In a final agonized cry, it swooned and tumbled noisily down the stairs.
Paelen jumped aside as the huge creature somersaulted past him. He didn’t pa
use to check on the Nirad. ‘Cupid, help Steve,’ he ordered as he chased after Joel.
Paelen was close to panic as he climbed floor after floor searching for his friend. ‘Joel!’ he howled. ‘Where are you?’ But his calls went unanswered.
Paelen finally reached the ground level. He burst through the stairwell doors and into the lobby. Destruction was everywhere. Just like on Olympus, the Nirads had left nothing standing. Bodies of CRU agents and soldiers littered the floor and the sign-in desk was in pieces and scattered around the room. The main entrance doors had been ripped off their hinges and tossed aside.
Paelen ran outside. Large tracks were impressed in the snow. They were all headed in the same direction deeper into forest. In the distance, he saw the electric fence was knocked down as the army of Nirads had torn through it.
Paelen studied the tracks. His eyes caught hold of a sight that nearly stopped his heart. Red stains in the snow. He didn’t need to see more to know what it was. It was human blood. It was Joel’s blood. Paelen’s knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
13
Emily sat with Earl and the two agents, snacking on the last of the food supplies. The moment Cupid left, the two agents clung to Emily like bees to honey. They were anxious to please her so she would tell Cupid what a great job they were doing. But what they were really doing was driving her insane.
‘Please just sit down and eat something,’ she said as they hovered near her. ‘Gees, now I know what the president goes through with the secret service …’
Pegasus was standing beside her, enjoying the last of the glazed doughnuts Emily handed up to him. ‘I’ve got all the protection I need with Pegasus.’
‘What’s it like on Mount Olympus?’ Earl asked. ‘I ain’t never been to Greece.’
‘Neither have I,’ Emily answered. ‘The real Olympus isn’t in Greece. It’s another world. You have to go through this highway-like thing called the Solar Stream to get there. But it’s really awesome. More beautiful than anything you could ever imagine and filled with amazing people and animals.’