by Kate O'Hearn
“This will get you started.” Jake handed over the jar of venom. “Hide this somewhere inside. If things get really bad, cover anything you can with it and hit the Mimics. They will melt.”
“Thank you. I will take it and bury it.” Paelen put the jar back inside the cage. Then he started to stretch out his body again. Very soon, he slipped through the bars and was back inside.
The containers of ambrosia were emptied as the precious food was distributed to all the prisoners.
When Paelen came back to the bars to collect more, Angie asked him, “Are my parents in there? Their names are Aeetes and Idyia. I think they were taken from Titus.”
“I have not seen them,” Paelen answered. “Perhaps they were in the same place as you?”
“We didn’t see anyone else,” Jake said.
Paelen smiled gently at Angie. “I am sure we will find them.”
On Paelen’s fourth trip around the cage, Jake and Angie started to notice how the prisoners were moving. Jake told Paelen to warn them not to move too much or show changes. And they were careful. But they were growing stronger.
Just before Paelen was about to set off again, they heard a soft, deep moan from Joel. Paelen crawled over to his friend. “Be calm, Joel,” he warned. “Do not move too quickly. The monsters might see.”
Joel moaned again and sat up slowly. Paelen knelt before him to block the camera and handed him a large piece of ambrosia. “Eat all of it; you need it.”
“H-how?” Joel moaned.
“I will tell you later. But we have friends on the outside and we stole it.”
Joel looked up weakly to Paelen. “But I thought you weren’t a thief anymore.”
Paelen grinned over at Jake. “He will recover.”
“Who are you talking to?” Joel asked.
“A human from Earth called Jake and a Titan called Angitia. I will tell you everything later. Right now I need you to stay here and recover. I have more ambrosia to distribute.”
“No,” Joel groaned. “I’m going to help.”
Paelen looked over at Jake. “There is no stopping this one. He is even more stubborn than Emily.”
“Who are you calling stubborn?” Joel crawled slowly to the bars and looked at Jake and Angie. “I’m Joel.”
Jake frowned as he looked at Joel. He had a silver arm. It moved like normal, and the hand and fingers moved naturally too. Jake couldn’t see any joints. It looked just like Tryn’s silver skin.
Joel looked down at his arm. “Vulcan made this for me when I lost my arm fighting a Gorgon. It works just as well as the original.”
“What’s a Gorgon?” Jake asked.
“Nasty creatures that can turn you to stone with a look. But they weren’t nearly as bad as these creatures.”
“They are called Mimics,” Paelen explained. “They took Jake from Earth and Angitia from Titus.…” Paelen quickly repeated what Jake and Angie had told him and what they’d done to get the ambrosia.
“You’ve been out of this cage?” Joel cried. “Paelen, why did you come back?”
“He came back for you,” Angie said softly. “And to help feed everyone.”
“Which we must continue to do,” Paelen said to Joel. “Are you strong enough to help?”
“Let’s do it!” Joel said.
When the containers were empty and everyone had eaten their fill, Joel and Paelen returned to Jake and Angie.
Jake said, “Now that you’ve eaten, we should get you all out of that cage and find somewhere to hide.”
“Not yet,” a voice called from behind Joel and Paelen.
The largest centaur Jake had ever seen staggered closer and collapsed to the ground.
“Chiron,” Angie called.
“I am unharmed,” the centaur said softly as he dragged himself closer to the bars. “Consider this a performance for the watching eyes.”
“So, you’re all right?” Jake asked.
“With many thanks to you two, I am better than I have been in a long time. On behalf of all of us prisoners, I want to thank you for what you’ve done for us.”
“No problem,” Jake said. “We just got you a bit of food.”
“You have done more than I could have dreamed. It is likely you have saved many lives.”
“For now,” Jake said.
“True,” Chiron agreed. “But with your continued assistance, we will grow stronger, and then with the venom from your snakes, we all stand a chance of escaping this cage and perhaps finding somewhere safe where we can take on these monsters.”
“Mimics,” Paelen said. “They are calling them Mimics.”
“Mimics,” Chiron repeated. “So, Jupiter knows where we are? What has happened? Is he coming for us?”
Jake nodded. “Jupiter knows we’re all here. But Xanadu wasn’t the only place the Mimics attacked. They’ve taken Titus and are moving on Earth.”
“That is grave news indeed,” Chiron said. “Who are these monsters?”
“Arious knows them,” Jake explained. “They are old enemies of the Xan. She’s afraid the queen is going to use Emily and Riza to help her spawn powerful new queens.”
“Does Arious think they’re still alive?” Joel asked softly.
Jake shrugged. “She doesn’t know how the Mimics use the Xan. Only that every thousand years or so, the Mimics would attack Xanadu and steal a Xan, who was never seen again. Arious figures it was about spawning.”
Chiron was lying on the ground, barely moving. But Jake could see the lively sparkle in the centaur’s eyes. His face was gaunt and filthy, but he was very much alive. “I feared something was up,” he said softly. “We have been preparing more food than normal. A spawning might well explain it.”
“Maybe you should poison their food,” Angie suggested. “You have the venom.”
“No!” Jake said back to her. “Not yet. It seems like when one dies, the others know about it and how they died. If a Mimic died by snake venom, the others might kill everyone in the cage. We have to think of something else.”
“Jake is correct,” Chiron said. “We will take tonight to regain some strength. If you come for us tomorrow evening, we will leave here and find somewhere safe to fully recover. Then we will be prepared to start our reprisals against these Mimics. For now,” Chiron continued, focusing on Jake and Angie, “I would suggest you two go back to where you are hiding. The night is very long, but it is passing. You must reach safety before dawn.”
Jake nodded. “All right, we’ll go. We’re really not far from here—”
“Do not tell us your hiding place,” Chiron warned. “If the Mimics touch us, they learn our thoughts. You and the snakes must be protected.”
Jake nodded. “You’re right. I just hate to leave you all here.”
“It’s cool,” Joel said. “Get going. Just come back tomorrow night. We’ll be waiting.…”
“We will,” Angie promised.
Jake and Angie exited the bushes, carrying the empty ambrosia containers with them into the woods. Turning away from the bright lights of the cage, Jake was cast back into the world of darkness and had to hold on to Angie to guide him back to the boat.
It was still very dark out when they reached the water and swam over to the boat. Before going below, Jake and Angie stood on the deck looking around. At least, Jake tried to look around. In the solid darkness, there was nothing for him to see.
Angie helped Jake into the hatch and down the stairs. She led him over to his bunk and then took a seat beside him.
“You okay?” Jake whispered softly.
“I’m glad we could help them, but I’d hoped my parents were in there.”
“I know. But if there’s one camp, there must be more. Don’t worry, Angie, we’ll find them.”
They fell silent for a while and sat in the dark. Finally Jake said, “I like Chiron. He sounds like he knows what he’s doing.”
“He’s very smart,” Angie said. “He was Hercules’s teacher.”
Jake
figured that meant something important, so he didn’t comment.
“Jake,” Nesso hissed. “The othersss in here are very hungry. Would you pleassse give them the ambrosssia?”
“I’m so sorry,” Jake said. “Angie, the snakes are hungry. Can you give them some of the ambrosia we brought back?”
Angie left the bunk and started to move around in the darkness. Jake could hear all the snakes hissing as they waited.
“Come here,” Angie called softly. “Time to eat.”
Without seeing her, Jake was struck again by how much she reminded him of his sister. Thinking of Molly made him homesick. He had a baby brother he’d never met, and he missed his mother more than he’d thought possible. He even missed his stepdad. By now they must have settled down into thinking he was never coming home. Did they think he was dead? If only he could reach them and tell them where he was. But he didn’t even know where that was. It was another planet, but one so far away, Earth’s sun didn’t even appear as a star in the dark sky. Without realizing it, he let tears stream down his cheeks. He wanted so much to get out of this nightmare and go home.
“Are you all right?” Angie said softly as she sat beside him.
Jake sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I just miss my home and my family.”
“Me too,” Angie said.
Jake put his arm around her, and the two sat in the dark, talking about their lives and what they used to do before the Mimics. Jake realized that although they were from different worlds, their lives weren’t so different after all.
A while later, one of the snakes hissed louder. The sound was coming from the hatch area.
“Dawn isss risssing,” Nesso said. “We mussst all be quiet now.”
Falling silent, Jake and Angie sat together, listening to the sound of the water gently lapping against the boat. Eventually fatigue set in, and they settled down on their bunks to sleep.
* * *
The horrific sound of screeching roused Jake from a dreamless sleep. It sounded close—too close. Across from him, Angie started to whimper.
“It’s all right,” he whispered softly. “They can’t cross the water to get us.” Jake had no idea if it was true, but he couldn’t leave Angie to suffer in fear.
“Wha-what is that?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Jake said. “But we can’t go out to check.” He called softly to the snakes, “Everyone stay here. Don’t go above.”
“They won’t,” Nesso said.
The screeching and squealing grew in intensity and, if possible, sounded even angrier. But it didn’t get any closer. They were like sound effects from a terrifying horror movie. But this was no movie. The fear coursing up Jake’s spine was very real.
Once again, Angie moved and took a seat beside him. She wanted comfort from him, but having the strong Titan sitting beside him made Jake feel better too.
“What do you think it is?” Angie whispered.
Jake thought carefully. “Well, I think it’s a giant with a cold and a very snotty nose. He’s trying to blow it, but his hanky keeps blowing away. Then he screeches and has to chase it.”
Angie’s shoulders moved as she chuckled softly. “Or maybe it’s a sea monster that’s angry and having a tantrum because Neptune said it had to go to bed early.”
“Could be,” Jake agreed.
As the sounds continued, Jake and Angie kept coming up with stories explaining the shrieking. That helped, but only a bit. Mixed in with the terrible sounds were others. A soft murmuring that could be heard between the screeching.
After a time, the sounds stopped, but the murmuring continued. Jake heaved a sigh of relief. His shoulders were aching, and he realized just how tense he had been.
“It’s over, right?” Angie said softly.
She had just finished speaking when they heard more sounds coming from outside the boat. Mimic voices were getting closer. Jake tensed and reached for Angie’s hand. Were the Mimics coming to the boat? Was this it?
9
THE MEETING AT THE GLASS lake ended, and everyone made their way back to the temple entrance via different routes so they wouldn’t look suspicious. Astraea and Zephyr walked back in silence.
When they arrived, Tryn was waiting for them. As there were guards posted outside the temple, he didn’t say anything and just motioned for them to follow him. Keeping close, they took the stairs down to the bottom and walked toward the entrance to Arious.
The door was open again, and the control room was empty except for Belis, who was still recovering from his wounds. The snake raised his head when they entered, and he immediately slithered over to Astraea and pressed against her.
“Hello, baby,” she said softly, patting the snake’s head.
“Baby?” Zephyr teased. “Oh please, that is not a baby!”
“He’s a baby to me,” Astraea said. She looked down on Belis. “Aren’t you? You’re my sweet baby.”
“Yeesh…,” Zephyr said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Tryn checked the corridor. “Arious, would you please close the door? We need to speak privately.”
The lights on Arious flashed as the door closed. “Why have you asked me to close the door, Trynulus?”
“Because we are planning on doing something that is dangerous and will no doubt anger Jupiter.”
“This sounds serious,” Arious said. “Come closer.”
“It is,” Astraea agreed as she continued to stroke Belis’s head. “Tomorrow, just before everyone leaves for Titus, we—Pegasus, Cylus, Render, and Darek—are going back to Zomos to try to get Lergo and take it to the Mimic home world, Tremenz.”
Astraea never imagined that a machine could gasp, but Arious did a very close approximation. “What? Please tell me you are joking.”
“We’re not,” Tryn said. “Jupiter’s plan is to take everyone back to Titus to try to defeat the Mimics there. It may work. But it won’t stop the queen from spawning, and it won’t free those taken by the Mimics. We need to rescue Jake, Riza, and Emily. Then we can stop the Mimics on their own world before they spread farther. Pegasus agrees with us and is coming too.”
“I might have known Pegasus would be involved in this,” Arious said. “He is desperate to get back to Emily.”
“He’s not wrong,” Tryn said. “Going to Tremenz is the best option.”
“But taking Lergo there?” Arious said. “I see the logic in the plan. But I do not need to tell you how dangerous and unpredictable that snake is.”
“No kidding,” Zephyr said.
“Yes, it’s dangerous,” Astraea agreed. “But with Lergo, we stand a better chance of success.”
The lights on Arious continued to flash, but the supercomputer became silent. Finally she said, “I should try to talk you all out of this. Logically, the risks are too great. But I am desperate to have Riza and Emily returned, and if there is a chance this could work, I am grateful to you for trying.”
A drawer opened, revealing Solar Stream rings. “You will be needing another of these.”
“I still have mine,” Tryn said.
“Astraea, please take one,” Arious said. “In case you become separated from Trynulus.”
Astraea reached into the drawer and pulled out one of the jeweled rings. She placed it on her finger. “Thank you, Arious.”
“You are most welcome.” The computer paused, and then the door behind them swished open.
Pegasus clopped in. “I thought I might find you in here.”
Tryn nodded. “I am sorry, Pegasus, but I thought it best if Arious knew what we are planning.”
“There is no need to apologize,” Pegasus said. “I was about to tell her the same thing. It is good that someone knows where we have gone. There will be questions in the morning when our absence is noticed.”
“Indeed,” Arious agreed. “I shall inform Jupiter and all your parents of your plan. No doubt they will be furious, but I will try to explain your reasoning. Perhaps Jupiter and his fighters might c
hange their minds and follow you. I agree that stopping the queen from spawning is the best option for stopping the spread of the Mimics.”
“So I guess we’re all in agreement,” Tryn said. He looked at Belis. “But we’re going to have to find a way to keep Belis here. He’s going to want to follow Astraea, but it’s too dangerous for him.”
“I will make sure he stays,” Arious said.
“Come, everyone,” Pegasus said. “We must rest before we leave. We do not know what we are about to face, but it is going to be difficult and we need to be at our best.”
“I’m too nervous to sleep,” Astraea said.
“Me too,” Tryn agreed.
“If you prefer, we could start out now,” Pegasus said.
Astraea looked at Zephyr and then to Tryn. “I’m happy to go now. Waiting only makes it worse.”
“I agree,” Tryn said.
Astraea looked back at Belis. “We have to go. Please stay here with Arious. I don’t want Lergo or the Mimics to get you. We won’t be long, I promise.”
The snake rose to Astraea’s height and leaned closer. Astraea put her arms around him as much as she could and hugged the snake. “Stay safe, Belis.”
“He is saying the same to you,” Arious said. “As am I. Please, all of you, be on your guard every moment.”
“We will be,” Pegasus said. The tall stallion looked at the others in the room. “Come, we must collect the centaurs and then we can go.”
* * *
After leaving the control room, they split up. Tryn went to find his sister and to gather extra food supplies along with their slingshots and extra rocks, while Astraea and Zephyr went to get the centaurs. They found them in the large room at the bottom of the temple. Cylus was sitting beside his mother, who was sleeping. When he saw Astraea, he nodded.
Astraea motioned for him to come. Cylus rose and then quietly gathered Darek and Render.
“We’re leaving early, aren’t we?” he whispered. When Astraea nodded, he continued. “Good, I couldn’t sleep anyway.” He and the others went back for their supplies.