by A P Mobley
“Yes.”
“Uhhhhhhh, I’ve never met you before. You wanna explain how you know about that vision?”
The woman curtsied. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Asteria, Titan goddess of stars, prophetic dreams, and necromancy. I dreamt of you. Well, in a way I dreamt of you, I suppose. I saw the visions you were given in Aphrodite City, and I knew I needed to speak with you at my first opportunity.”
“If you’re a god, then how did you find me? The Fates’ spell keeps Zoey and me hidden from the gods so that they can’t reach us.”
“I have kept a close eye on Karter, Son of Zeus. Through him, I found you. You are in a compromised state, and so it was easy to enter your mind. But do not fret. I mean you no harm.”
“Wait. If you’re a goddess of prophetic dreams, does that mean this is a dream?”
“Perhaps it is. Perhaps not.”
“What the hell does that mean?” He rubbed his temples. “Lady, please, I’ve had a long couple’a weeks. I don’t need vague riddles to ponder. Just be up front with me. What do you want?”
“I want to warn you and your friend of the coming adversary.”
“Which friend? I have a couple.”
“The girl. The one you love.”
Zoey’s face flashed across Andy’s mind. He began backing away from the Titan goddess. “Okay, this is weird. I’ve never explicitly told anyone how I feel about Zoey. And you know what, I don’t know if what I feel for her is actual love. I’ve never even kissed a girl, okay? So why the hell would you say I love her?”
“Because your affection for her has been fated for centuries. It is what brought you where you are now.”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m here because I’m meant to fight the gods. I’m here because my life thread or whatever the Fates called it turned white and started to glow when I died, and they didn’t let my soul pass on because they knew I had more to accomplish.”
“Have you ever wondered why your thread did what it did when you died? Have you ever wondered why, out of all the mortals the universe could have picked for this task, it picked you?”
“Well . . .” He thought for a moment. Why had the universe picked him? He was scrawny and nerdy, and before the world had ended, he couldn’t even properly defend himself against bullies. At least now he could fight monsters with the help of his friends.
When the group had visited the Fates the first time, hadn’t Zoey asked them why Andy’s and Zoey’s threads were so special? “We cannot say,” they’d answered. “In time, you will discover it for yourself.”
“I guess I haven’t thought about it in a while,” Andy said. “I kinda had a lot on my plate. It was hard enough wrapping my head around the fact that my best friend and family were dead, that the Greek gods are real, and that people are counting on me to save the world. Plus, the Fates told Zoey and me we’d find out more of the ‘whys’ eventually. I guess I forgot about it. Once we started fighting monsters and stuff, it just didn’t cross my mind anymore.”
“The truth is coming,” Asteria said. “And it will be hard to accept. This is your and the girl’s coming adversary. But you cannot fight the truth, Chosen One. You cannot question it. If you do, you will be at war with yourself—you will be at war with your friend—and neither of you will survive the coming battles.”
“What truth? What are you talking about?”
“I wish I could say, but I can only warn you of the future, lest I sway your destiny. I can only advise you to accept the truth. When the time has arrived, you will know what I mean by all of this.” The Titan goddess disintegrated into millions of shimmering stars and floated into the sky.
Once the last of Asteria had disappeared, the vegetation of the garden shifted from deep greens to pure black, the dark sky swallowing the planets and stars. Andy closed his eyes and then floated aimlessly through empty space like strips of seaweed in an ocean. Blissfully, with no care in the world, his mind finally at peace.
“Andy?” he heard Zoey call, somewhere far away. “Andy, it’s time to wake up.”
He opened his eyes.
He lay on his back in a cave, what felt like a mattress made of fluffy clouds beneath him. The rays of a sunset peeked through the jagged crevice of the cave’s entrance. Zoey, Darko, Kali, and Prometheus hovered over him, and the group’s three pegasi rested in the far corner.
Andy groaned. His back was sore, but the intense pains he’d experienced before had dissipated. “W-what happened? Where are we? Where’s . . .” His stomach dropped. “Where’s Diana?”
Zoey took Andy’s hand. “We escaped Karter and the others last night. You’ve been passed out this whole time. We’re a long way from Hephaestus City, and only a day away from Poseidon City, but Diana and the twins who helped us—Marina and Troy—didn’t get away. Based off what those demigods said about Zeus’s vision, Diana won’t be executed until they reach New Mount Olympus, and Prometheus says they won’t be able to get there for another five to six days since they’re mostly traveling on foot. We think she’s still alive.”
“And the siblings?” Andy asked, remembering the flame-throwing woman and the hammer-wielding guy. He hadn’t known who they were, but Zoey had seemed to, so he’d assumed she’d met them in Hephaestus City and, judging by their actions last night, it seemed as if they wanted to help fight the gods.
Zoey’s eyes grew watery, her lip quivering. “I don’t know about Marina and Troy. I don’t know if they’ll be kept alive that long. I hope so.”
Andy sat up. “There’s time left to save them—all of them. We have to start for New Mount Olympus or try and intercept the demigods.”
“No,” Prometheus said. “We have to go to Poseidon’s palace.”
“We can’t just let them kill Diana,” Andy replied. “We can’t let them kill Marina and Troy either. Those two saved our asses, and Diana would come for us if we were captured. She’d do anything to rescue us. We have to do the same for her.”
Zoey squeezed his hand. “You’re right, and we will save her, and if Marina and Troy are still alive, we’ll save them too. But we can’t just yet. We barely escaped the demigods, so we have to ask for help and steal the Trident before we try to get them back.”
“Ask for help?” Andy asked. “What do you mean? Help from who?”
Darko pulled out the small drawstring sack the nymphs who’d saved the group gave them. “We still have the flower the nymphs gave us. I was able to save it while we were fighting the Cyclopes and the demigods and the astynomia.”
“The nymphs pledged themselves to our cause,” Kali continued for the satyr. “While you were passed out, we decided we’re going to call on the nymphs and ask if they can reach Olympus in the next several days and gather more people for an army as they go.”
“While they’re traveling toward us and gathering others, we’ll steal the Trident,” Zoey added. “With the Helm, the Trident, and an army, we can sneak-attack the gods and rescue our friends, then regroup for later.”
Andy grinned and climbed to his feet. “This is perfect! The gods will never see it coming. They think they’ve already won. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier for this? Let’s get going. We need to go through the Labyrinth and get into the palace. We don’t have any time to waste.” The group exchanged nervous glances. “What?” Andy asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Before we do any of that,” Zoey started, “there’s something we have to talk to you about.”
“Which is?”
“Remember the pains in your back? The weird wing things that grew out of it?”
“Yes?”
“Well, they’re bigger now. After you passed out, they just kept growing and growing.”
Andy’s breath caught in his throat. He reached for his back, his fingers brushing something soft—like feathers.
“They kept bleeding too, and you
seemed so restless. You were talking in your sleep and rolling around. Once we were far enough away from Hephaestus City we stopped in this cave and tried to patch you up, but it was no use. Prometheus said we needed to let whatever it was run its course, and it turned out he was right. Pretty soon the wings stopped getting bigger—they kinda just stayed the way they were—and your wounds healed themselves, like really fast. You stopped bleeding. That’s when we decided it was safe to wake you up. How—how do you feel?”
Andy craned his neck, trying to catch sight of the wings, but could only see white feathers. “I mean, other than the fact that I sprouted some new body parts, I think fine? I’m not in near as much pain. Just kind of sore. But how did this happen? Seriously, I don’t even know what to say.”
“Neither did I,” Zoey replied. “But I, uh, talked to Prometheus about all the weird stuff that’s been happening with you and me, and he might have an idea of what’s going on.”
“Which is?” Andy asked, turning to the Titan.
“Zoey told us a little about what happened to you in Aphrodite City,” Prometheus said. “How the temple of Anteros seemed to call to you and didn’t stop until you got there. How you touched it and got those visions, and when you came back you had pains in your back and didn’t need your glasses anymore. Zoey also mentioned that after this happening, when you touched her, she experienced an electric shock, and she’s been having strange tingling sensations in her throat ever since. These ringin’ a bell?”
“How could they not?” Andy replied. “I mean, I didn’t know about all of Zoey’s stuff, but the rest of it is possibly the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me, other than being a Chosen One in a war against Greek gods.”
“Well, since your wings have grown,” the Titan continued, “I’ve sensed a divine presence growing in you. I’ve sensed it growing in Zoey since then, too. Not like you’re becoming immortal or anything like that—more like the way a descendant of the gods has divine blood and powers and such. Who were the gods you saw in your visions?”
“There was Zeus and a bunch of others in a big dining-hall type place,” Andy started. “But for the most part, the visions were centered around Anteros, which makes sense since I touched his statue. There was also a lot of a goddess named Calliope, whom he was in love with.”
Prometheus scratched his chin. “Anteros and Calliope faded away a long time ago. They were part of the reason many of the gods decided it was a good idea to destroy the modern world and take back humanity’s worship, so they wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Calliope was the Goddess of Eloquence. If she lied, she could sometimes make others believe her completely. Her greatest power was convincing those around her to do as she said.”
“Which is what I did when I told all those people to get out of the way when we were in Hephaestus City,” Zoey said.
Prometheus nodded. “That’s right. And Anteros—well, to say the wings Andy has grown are similar to the god’s are an understatement. They’re identical.”
Andy recalled what Anteros’s wings had looked like in the visions and tried to imagine them on himself. “Okay, that’s weird, but what does all this mean?”
“I can only think of one explanation,” the Titan said. “Although Anteros and Calliope faded away, they may not have been completely gone. Because Aphrodite built a temple for Anteros in her city, a part of him could have lingered there, and because he was in love with Calliope, a part of her would have probably lingered within him. I’m guessing that when you touched his statue, whatever was left of him entered your body. Then, when you touched Zoey, whatever was left of Calliope must have entered her body. That would explain the electric shocks, the throat tingling, and now the fact that you’ve grown wings.”
Andy shivered. “So, Anteros and Calliope are possessing me and Zoey? Like a demon or something? But why?”
“They may want to help you in your war against the gods,” Prometheus answered. “They might think that inhabiting your bodies and giving you some divine power will be beneficial.”
Zoey shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. They faded away because humanity forgot them. Why would they be on our side if we’re trying to restore the world to what it once was?”
“That’s a fair point,” Prometheus said. “Have any other strange things gone on?”
“Not for me,” Zoey answered. “I told you everything.”
“I had kind of a weird dream,” Andy said. “A Titan goddess—I think her name was Asteria—told me the ‘truth’ about me and Zoey would be coming soon, and that we had to accept it, or it would be detrimental to us.”
“Hmmm. Asteria is a goddess of prophecy, so it would make sense that she’d warn you about a big event coming, but I’ve also known her to meddle with things on occasion,” Prometheus said. “If Asteria visited you, then perhaps she’s the one who orchestrated this whole ordeal. She could have consulted with another deity, probably a Titan or one of her children, to plant powers inside of you, especially if she thinks you need them.”
“If that’s the case, then why would they resemble Anteros’s and Calliope’s powers so closely?” Zoey asked.
Prometheus shrugged. “Probably to throw the gods off her trail. If she was meddling like that, she wouldn’t want them to find out and throw her in Tartarus. Honestly though, I can’t be sure. However, I am sure about one thing: If you want to save the others, we’re going to need to hurry.”
“He’s right,” Kali said. “We’ve broken the news to Andy. Maybe we can find out more later. Now let’s contact the nymphs and ask if they’ll be willing to help us save Diana and the other two who helped us.”
Everyone agreed. They walked outside the cave into more forest, the evening crisp and breezy, and quickly built a fire. Darko removed the daylily from its drawstring sack and tossed it into the flames. It burned, its orange petals curling in on themselves and turning crispy black, a smell like vanilla filling the air. Andy held his breath and waited for something to happen.
When the flower became nothing but ash, the fire began shimmering and flickering like sunlight on rippling water. A blurred-out face took form in the flames—then two, then three—and before Andy knew it Eugenia, Harmony, and Narcissa looked out at the group through the fire.
Harmony bounced up and down as if in glee. “I knew we’d see you guys again!”
“Calm yourself, Harmony,” Narcissa began, her tone cold and her expression stiff. “I understand you are excited, but we do not yet know why they have contacted us.”
Eugenia clasped her hands. “It is good to see you again, Andy and Zoey.” The Dryad’s jaw dropped when she noticed Andy’s wings. “Oh, my. Those are new, aren’t they? You will have to elaborate on how you acquired them when we get a chance. Anyway, tell us why you have contacted us today.”
“Diana and some of our new friends have been taken by demigods working for Zeus,” Zoey said. “They’re going to execute Diana on New Mount Olympus, but we don’t know about the other two for sure. We’re hoping they’ll be spared until the execution as well. So, basically we’re less than a day away from reaching the Labyrinth and getting into Poseidon’s palace to steal the Trident. We’re going to try to steal the Trident and reach Olympus before the execution so we can save them, but we can’t succeed if we do it alone.”
Andy stepped forward. “Which is why we called you. We can’t pull off this plan well without a lot of help. Would you be able to rally as many other nymphs as you can within the next few days and come to New Mount Olympus to help us?”
The Dryads’ eyes went wide, and they whispered among themselves for a few moments, then turned to the group. “We would be happy to assist you in saving the Daughter of Apollo, and in staging future attacks against the gods,” Eugenia said.
“How many people do you think you’ll be able to gather for this?” Zoey asked.
“Hundreds, if not thousands,�
� Narcissa answered. “We will begin our journey today.”
Andy exchanged hopeful smiles with the rest of the group. “In that case, it looks like it’s time for us to head toward the Labyrinth.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GHOSTS
Karter stood staring at the trees, unable to sleep. Again.
Consequently, he’d offered to guard the prisoners although it wasn’t his turn while the remainder of his party rested for the night. The party only had three people in custody now: Diana and two grandchildren-of-Hephaestus, the ones the Blacksmith of the Gods had appointed to run the forges in his city. The Cyclopes, although three of them were blinded from the battle outside Hephaestus City, still helped carry and guard the prisoners in hopes the gods on Olympus would have mercy and allow them to be healed when they got there. One of the centaurs had been crushed in the fight, but the other stayed with the party and did what he could to aid them as well.
Yesterday night, after the same battle which blinded the Cyclopes and killed one of the astynomia, Xander had contacted Zeus and notified the King of the Gods that the Chosen Two of the Prophecy, Prometheus, and the rest of their companions had escaped. Zeus had hardly even blinked at this news. According to his vision, so long as Diana was executed the war would end before it could ever truly begin. However, as an extra precaution, Zeus said he’d be sending the Olympian goddess Artemis and her Huntresses to retrieve the Helm of Darkness and bring Prometheus and the Chosen Two of the Prophecy into custody.
For some reason, Zeus wanted Zoey and Andy alive. Karter wanted to ask why; after all, didn’t it make more sense to have them killed? He shook his head. It was no matter. Zeus had a reason for every decision he made, and this was surely no different.
Besides, Karter didn’t like to think about Zoey, didn’t like to think about the way she had looked at him when she’d realized which side he’d chosen. He didn’t like to think about how Spencer and Syrena would feel toward him if they were still here either. What would they have said to him after all they’d done to orchestrate this insane scheme if they were still alive?