Pegasus and the Fight for Olympus
Page 22
‘Emily, you and the queen must come back to the palace immediately,’ Paelen said.
‘What’s happening?’ Emily asked.
Joel’s smile grew. That alone was enough to make the day perfect for Emily. Her friend was going to be all right. ‘Come back and see for yourselves,’ he laughed.
Emily looked over to Segan. ‘There’s room on Pegasus for the both of us.’
When Pegasus took off into the sky, the queen cried out in fear mixed with roaring excitement. Her four arms nearly squeezed the breath out of Emily as she clung on to her for dear life. They flew over the bustling village and heard the calls and saw the waving of the Nirads on the ground. Finally they touched down outside the palace.
‘In the throne room,’ Paelen said excitedly as he dashed up the steps into the palace. ‘Hurry up!’
‘What is?’ Emily asked.
‘C’mon,’ Joel cried anxiously as he and Toban climbed off Chrysaor and they followed Paelen in.
Emily looked back at the queen and shrugged. ‘Let’s go see.’
Pegasus carried Emily and Segan up the steps of the palace. She hadn’t been back here since the horrific battle. The scene of so much suffering and loss still disturbed her and she couldn’t return. As Pegasus’s golden hooves clopped on the marble floor, Emily heard voices. Lots and lots of voices.
‘Hurry up, you slow-coaches,’ her father called, as he appeared at the entrance to the throne room. He was clean-shaven again and his hair had been neatly trimmed. But best of all, a broad smile spread across his face.
Emily’s eyes flew wide as Pegasus trotted into the throne room. The room was filled with Olympians and Nirads gathered around long banquet tables. Ambrosia and the black Nirad food sat side by side on them. Laughter rang out as the great celebration started.
The gorgon thrones had gone and there was no dais. Emily looked back at Segan. They both noticed the same thing. The golden cage with Tange and his three brothers was also missing.
At the huge head table sat Jupiter, his wife, Juno, and brothers, Neptune and Pluto. Diana and Apollo sat at their mother’s side while several chairs remained empty between Jupiter and Pluto.
When Jupiter saw Emily, Segan and Pegasus standing at the entrance, he stood and called the room to order. Everyone turned to face the leader of Olympus.
‘Olympians and Nirads, we have gathered together to celebrate the peace between our two worlds,’ Jupiter held up his goblet of nectar, ‘and together we mourn the loss of family and friends. We all honour our dead!’
Cheers rang out around the room as everyone raised their goblets in salute to the fallen.
Jupiter raised his cup a second time and called the room back to silence. ‘We are also here to thank someone very special …’ As he spoke, Jupiter was looking directly at Emily.
She felt her face flushing and her heart started to pound. Pegasus turned his head back to her. He nodded and nickered loudly in agreement while Segan, with her arms still around Emily’s waist, gave her a light embrace and spoke softly. Paelen approached on one side of her and rested his hand on her leg, while Joel and Chrysaor approached from the other. Her father reached up and took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
‘None of us would be here today,’ Jupiter continued, ‘were it not for the bravery and strength of Emily Jacobs and Pegasus. My family, Olympians and Nirads, I give you, the Flame of Olympus!’
Epilogue
Emily and Pegasus couldn’t have been any happier.
Since their return to Olympus, trade between Olympians and the Nirads had started. Nirads could often be seen walking the Olympian streets.
It wasn’t long after their return that Joel had a new arm fashioned by Vulcan and his best armourers. He was proud to show it off to anyone who cared to look at it. It gave him remarkable strength and for the first time since they met, he was able to beat Paelen at arm wrestling. Like Emily’s new leg brace, it was made entirely of Olympian silver. Vulcan abandoned the use of gold because of the danger it posed to all the Nirads.
But what made Emily’s life complete was having her father here with her and her friends in Olympus. She now had everything she could have dreamed of.
‘Hi, Dad.’ A beaming smile rose to her lips as she greeted him along the river’s edge.
‘What are you smiling at?’ he laughed, his dimples pinching in his cheeks.
‘Nothing,’ Emily said. He was a sight to see in his white tunic and sandals – a far cry from his New York City police uniform. He had settled in easily here. ‘I’m just so glad to see you again.’
‘Me too,’ he said as he reached up to take her hand. ‘It’s been a very long road for both of us, kiddo. But we’ve made it. Your mother would be so proud of you.’ His bright smile returned. ‘I need you and Pegasus to come with me for a moment – we have something to show you, the Nirads just delivered it.’
‘What is it?’
‘A monument,’ he said. ‘It represents the union between the two worlds. But Jupiter says he won’t have it in his garden without your approval.’
‘Why does Jupiter need my approval?’
‘Come along and I think you’ll understand.’
They moved through the beautiful, fragrant gardens at Jupiter’s palace. Paelen and Joel came running up to her. ‘They have just finished setting it up.’
Ahead of them, Emily saw a newly constructed rock garden. Huge black stones were set up to form a large, tall circle, and the ground was covered with black Nirad soil. As Pegasus approached, the crowds of Olympians and Nirads parted to let them through. Emily sucked in her breath when she saw what was at the centre of the circle.
‘Tange,’ she hushed.
Ahead of her stood the stone Tange and his three brothers. There were chains of the most beautiful Olympian flowers woven around their necks. Although pain was still etched on their faces, they no longer supported the gold roof of the queen’s cage. They now held a black marble slab that supported a throne. Seated on the throne was the statue of an older pink female Nirad also surrounded by fragrant flowers.
‘She was the original queen,’ Paelen explained softly. ‘When the gorgons arrived on the Nirad world, the first thing they did was turn her to stone and smash her to bits. That was how Segan came to power. Since the Nirads do not grieve their dead the same way we do, they put the broken pieces of their queen back together and offered this to us as a way to remember the struggle that brought our two worlds together.’
Beside the statue, Jupiter and Juno stood with Queen Segan and Prince Toban. They acknowledged Emily with a wave and friendly nod. Jupiter stepped forward and reached up to help her climb off the stallion. Together they walked up to the monument.
‘Emily, the queen and prince have given us their parents to safeguard. They want to show us their gratitude for what you did for their people. However, I explained that seeing Tange every day may cause you pain, knowing that you must never touch him or his brothers.’
Emily looked at the statue of Tange, then over to Segan. She could see the anxious expression on her face. She felt her own father’s reassuring presence behind her and was grateful to have everyone she ever cared about here – including Tange.
She walked up to the queen. ‘Thank you so much for trusting us. I promise you, we will take great care of your family. You and all your people are welcome to come to visit them any time.’ She looked over to Jupiter. ‘Right?’
‘Of course,’ he agreed as he nodded. ‘Queen Segan, you have my word that from this day forward, Nirads will always be welcome in Olympus.’
As the cheers rose and a new celebration started, Emily made her way back to Pegasus. She climbed on the stallion’s back and sat in silent contentment, watching the gathering around her. A large banquet was planned for later that evening. But for the moment, she was happy just to stay where she was.
She noticed Paelen, Joel, Toban and Chrysaor huddled together. Paelen looked up at her and waved as a crooked grin rose to
his face. Something about his expression told her they were up to more mischief, and she knew that before long, she would be invited to join in the fun with her friends.
Beside Tange’s statue, her father, Diana and the Nirad queen were chatting quietly. She smiled as her father wrapped his arm protectively around Segan’s shoulders.
While he lived, Tange had treated her like his own child. He had protected her, and risked his life for her. She hoped that somehow, Tange knew her father would do the same for his daughter.
Not far away, Cupid stood with his mother, Venus. The feathers on his wings were neatly groomed and his hair was combed perfectly into place. He was wearing a new tunic and looked impossibly handsome. She wondered if he ever did tell his mother what he had done to the CRU agents at the Red Apple. Emily doubted it. After a moment, Cupid felt her eyes on him and he looked at her. He nodded his head and smiled his most radiant smile. Emily smiled back and waved. Cupid had surprised her. He had overcome his fears of the Nirads and come through for them. She was grateful to call him her friend.
Pegasus nickered and looked up at her.
‘Don’t worry, Pegs,’ she said softly, stroking the new feathers on his wings. ‘Cupid was just a silly crush. I’m over him.’ As she spoke, her eyes trailed over to Paelen and Joel, and her smile increased. She doubted if even Pegasus knew who really held her heart.
Emily looked down into the stallion’s beautiful white face and laughed. ‘What do you say we go for a quick flight before the party gets started?’
Pegasus whinnied and turned from the crowd. He trotted into a full gallop, opened his wings and carried Emily up into the sky.
Look out for the next
Pegasus adventure.
Coming soon …
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