The High Court

by Chris Ledbetter

  I held her close and rocked. I thought I’d never get the charred scent out of my nose. Images and memories of Hyperion’s attack smashed into me, hitting me so squarely that I nearly fell backward from my kneeling posture. Moisture clouded my vision. I turned to scan the scene again while still holding Amalthea.

  I stared down at my balled fists. My shoulders drooped. I knew these people. There’s no way they’d all die and not give one another a ritualistic pyre soul service. My breathing suddenly became noisier. They would’ve at least honored the fallen, unless there’d been no time to do so … unless their deaths had come so swiftly, they had scarcely been able to put up a fight.

  “Zeus, look!” Tia said.

  Suddenly, a lone, fully-grown goat trotted over to us from off in the distance. My focus had been so intensely on Amalthea, that I hadn’t noticed from what direction the goat had arrived. I embraced the goat like an old friend, running my fingers through its pelt. At least one had gotten away. “Talk to me. What happened here?” I asked the goat.

  My body temperature spiked again with rage. My fingernails bit into my palms. Metis slid next to me and put an arm around me. She offered no words. None were necessary. I needed to find who was responsible for this.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Back in the Eastern Crete courtyard, I clenched and relaxed my fists over and over. “I’m going to Othrys Hall Academy. Who’s coming with me?”

  Hera crossed her arms and narrowed her already thin, cat eyes. “And do what … exactly?”

  “Someone over there is responsible. Somebody knows something. And I plan to find out who.” Words hurried from my mouth in a rapid spew. Anger clouded my vision. “Othrys Hall is where Kronos was once headmaster. It’s where Hyperion’s wife teaches, and where his children go to school. It’s where Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus are. All the problems I’ve ever had are at that school!”

  Hestia propped one hand on her hip and tossed her hair with the other. “Be that as it may, I feel the need to advise you, not that you want to hear my advice. But, I’ll offer it anyway. First, I understand your anger and confusion, but this is not a wise course. Second, even if we all went, which I am not, but if we did, they outnumber us twenty to one or more and you’re the only one of us here with deity magic granted by the Sky Throne.”

  Hera’s head whipped toward Tia.

  “Oh yeah,” Tia chortled. “And you, Hera. Forgot about that little quiet ability of yours. Must be on guard. It’s like how Rhea can now project into our minds through telepathy. Now I have to be on guard against both of you. As if one wasn’t bad enough.”

  Hades swept his arms wide and produced dull blue flames from his palms.

  Demeter jeered, “What are you gonna do … illuminate them to death?”

  “I thought we were past jokes, koukla,” Shade said just before vanishing completely. A moment later, Meter gasped and grabbed her cheek.

  Shade reappeared. “I call that new skill, stealth mode.”

  “Kiss my cheek again,” Meter chuckled through her words in a taunting manner. “I double-goat dare you.”

  I clapped my hands and thunder rumbled across the heavens. “We’re wasting time. I need a head count. Who’s coming?”

  Don stepped forward. His strong chin tipped upward. “I’m with Tia on this. Bad move. Nothing to gain tactically.”

  “So, we’re split?” I said. “Divided into sides, are we?”

  “Of course I’m going.” Metis grabbed my arm. “Can’t let you ride into battle by yourself. You’ll get stomped like grapes.”

  “Hera?”

  “This is petulant and impetuous,” she said. “I vote no. Tomorrow is Hemera Gaia. New term classes begin. You lack evidence that anyone there did anything …”

  “Hands up,” I demanded. “Everyone who has my back and is on my side to investigate the deaths of my adoptive family, raise ‘em high.”

  Metis shot her hand into the air, stretching and twirling her hand. An accusatory sidelong glance accompanied her demonstration. Along with a hand on her hip. I turned toward my siblings. Long faces and longer gazes met mine.

  Hera sighed and slid her arm upward. “After what we just went through in the Underworld, I have to go. I don’t want to. But …”

  Don folded his huge arms and shook his head. “As the voice of reason here. I am out. No good can come of this. Plenty bad can.”

  Tia stood beside Don. “And as the eldest and quite possibly wisest, I stand with Don. I need to get ready for classes. We all do.”

  “Wait,” Shade countered. “Tia, does that mean that you are wisest, or Don is?”

  “Hush it, Shade.”

  Meter slid next to Don as well.

  “Shade, come on. Are you in?” I asked.

  “I’m with Don and Tia on this one,” he answered. “And Meter.”

  “Psssht,” I began, “you’re just saying that because Meter said no. Nothing to do with Don and Tia.”

  “You’re wrong.” Shade shook his head. “What’s in this for me, huh?”

  “Are you serious?” My chin tipped downward. I glared at him from under my pinched brows. “Something’s gotta be in this for you? The people I’ve always considered my parents were murdered and you’re all about self? Damn you to Tartarus, Shade,” I roared. “I’ll do it myself if I have to.” I wheeled around toward the Hurler post.

  “Wait …” Hera’s voice sailed behind my turned back. I glanced over my shoulder just before being tackled to the ground.

  “I can’t let you do this, brother.” Don extended his arm toward the Hurler.

  With speed I hadn’t realized I possessed, I reached my hand to the top of the Hurler first, focused my mental faculties on Othrys Hall Academy, and then pulled Don with me into the teleportation. We hurled to Othrys on my command.

  Once we reformulated, Don shoved me in the back. “Jackass, what did you do a fool thing like that for?”

  I spun around and got right in his face. “You left me no choice.”

  Faint tendrils of energy crackled just beneath the skin on my arms as I refused to back down from Don. No longer was I Spruce, Don and Shade’s nickname for me. I wasn’t taking anymore of Don’s overbearing brand of leadership. It would’ve been a leap to say that the balance of power at MO Prep had shifted, that everyone followed me now. Clearly not. But I definitely won this round.

  Everyone else hurled in from Crete and appeared right behind Don as he took a swing at me. I ducked and dodged about five swings before I stepped back just out of reach and generated a sphere of energy around my right fist.

  “Stop,” I said. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  Panting, Don stared a hole through me. “That’s how this is gonna go?”

  “You took a swing at me. Several in fact.”

  “How about you wrestle me right now.”

  “How about not.” I snorted, thinking back to the wrestling championships last term. “You think I’m letting you get your hands on me?”

  Don stepped toward me. “Just wait till I sit down on that damn throne.”

  Shade slipped between Don and me. “Whatever we’re doing here, let’s just hurry and not make too big of a scene. And Zeus, turn your hand off. You’re gonna frighten the children.”

  Anger renewed. I drew a deep breath and wheeled around to climb the steep incline toward The Pit arena where I’d last gotten in trouble during the great wrestling match. My gaze trailed past the Home of the Titans signage. Torches illuminated every arch in majestic fashion, but no one mingled there since no matches were scheduled. A high-walled fortress loomed far in the distance. No doubt Kronos’ former seat of power. I wondered who the new headmaster would be? And would he or she be better … or worse?

  I still reeled from the revelation that Rhea was the mother of my siblings and me. That I had siblings at all was still a wild concept. But more unsettling was the discovery that Kronos was our father. Ugh! W
hat a goat’s scrotum.

  One thing was certain. Since Kronos was in Tartarus, held on charges of murdering Ouranos, his father and our headmaster, I needed to search the Othrys campus for whom else could’ve gone to Crete to kill my adoptive family.

  I gazed at Titaness Nyx’s night sky. In stark contrast to the shroud over Crete, not a single cloud stood between Selene’s moonlight and the summit of Mount Othrys. Only half of the moon shone, appearing like a luminescent bowl. I remembered Ouranos’ words from Astronomy class: No matter what we see with our naked eyes, the moon always has two faces.

  As we headed toward the school, we approached a huge stone gate that was at least triple our height, definitely tall enough for the Cyclopes to walk under without scraping their heads. Across the horizontal capstone, I could read the words: Othrys Hall Preparatory Academeia. I’d never seen the entire name of the school before. Last time we came for the wrestling match, we’d never made it this far past the arena. We strode through the gate and continued into enemy territory. Two indigo-haired girls marched out of a building to our right that was about half the size of our Megaron back at MO Prep.

  “Where can I find Pallas or Perses?” I asked.

  Their faces wrinkled like I’d just stepped in goat dung. “This time of night?” one of them said. “The barracks maybe, up the hill there …” She pointed. “Or possibly the gaming hall.”

  “Gaming hall, really?” I turned to Shade. “Why don’t we have a gaming hall?”

  “Because we don’t have time for games,” Tia asserted. “Let’s hurry, please.”

  “What she said.” Meter adjusted her leather diadem, then crossed her arms. “I am already sooo tired of being here. Let’s just go.”

  I looked at Meter. “If you’re here, it’s because you care. And if you care, then just follow me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m putting you on a very short leash, brother.”

  Metis slid her palm across mine and grabbed my hand. “Come on. I know where the gaming hall is.”

  We all continued along student-filled, torch-lit paths. I was sure it was getting late. Selene’s glowing bowl of a moon flew in the western sky now. We had to hurry. The layout of their academy was far different for MO Prep’s. Moving away from the arena gate, we wound through a grid with what seemed to be individual academic buildings lining the wide walkways. The entire network of paths and buildings wound around the gentle slope of the mountain. In some places, we climbed short steps that continued up the incline. We crossed a wider artery that cut a diagonal sweep through the middle, leading to a rectangular plateau, a field that surrounded a gymnasium.

  On the far side of the field, as the incline continued upward from the flat landing, long barracks-style buildings sat at an angle to the field, facing westward. And at the top of the mountain, a high-walled fortress towered. Clouds rolled in, skimming the ramparts.

  After crossing the wide, diagonal-cutting avenue, we snaked between several more buildings and eventually rounded a corner. Metis stopped and pointed to a nondescript building with five short stairs leading to double wooden doors flanked by massive columns. The front faced the rectangular plateau. The words etched in the triangle pediment above read: Choros Anapsichis Recreation Area.

  “I don’t know what you’re planning, but here we are.” Metis gripped my shoulder and pressed her fingertips into my flesh. “Whatever happens, I have your back. Always.”

  I winked. “I know you do.”

  I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Calm surrounded me, replacing the rage and sorrow of Amalthea and the Kouretes’ demise. I hadn’t known Metis to possess the ability—like Rhea—to instinctually calm me. But maybe just having her at my side was enough.

  Twenty or so guys and girls crowded four large tables, illuminated by wall torches and a plethora of candles. A few people looked up and began to whisper and murmur. The crowd of students reminded me of the difference between lower school and upper academy. In lower school, aside from the faculty-sanctioned beach bonfire I’d attended last term, students had a curfew, which is why we’d seen no students milling about at Eastern Crete tonight. At upper academy, though, not only could students congregate outside of housing at night, but we could also leave campus at night.

  Pallas and Perses both had accompanied Hyperion on the attack against my home when Anytos died. I’d have been willing to wager they knew something about the most recent attack. Perhaps they’d gone down to finish what they’d begun.

  “Anyone seen Pallas or Perses?” I asked calmly.

  The room fell silent.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  A broad-shouldered guy with dark, shoulder-length hair suddenly got up from his table and turned to face us. “Who’s asking for Pallas and Perses?”

  I wondered for half a moment if I should supply my name or simply inquire further. “I am,” I answered. “Just tell me where I can find them. I just want to talk.”

  “Since you don’t look like Othrys students,” the guy said as he sat back down and turned away from us, “I’d say your search is over. Go back where you came from.”

  I took a deep breath to control my fury. My skin itched with tension. “I didn’t catch your name.”

  “I didn’t give it.”

  I cast a glance at Metis. She stepped forward. “Astraeus, where are your brothers? We just need to ask them some questions. That’s all.”

  “I have nothing to say to you, traitor,” he said without turning.

  The doors to the gaming hall opened loudly, and I instinctively turned. Menoetius and Atlas stared from across the room. I certainly wasn’t trying to run into them tonight. A teal-haired girl stood beside Atlas. A memory spliced into my mind for half a moment of Telesto, the girl I’d been so fond of last term back at lower school … before being shipped to MO Prep … before meeting Metis. But, this girl only resembled Telesto slightly.

  I pointed to the girl on Atlas’ arm. “You’ve moved on rather quickly, haven’t you?”

  Atlas put his arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Pleione. All I needed was the love of a good woman.” He turned to her. She beamed back at him. Atlas returned his attention to me. “You, however, can have my sloppy seconds. Enjoy.”

  I took a step and a half toward him, but Metis grabbed my waist and brought me back into port.

  “That’s right,” Atlas jeered. “Pull that leash. Metis, I see you haven’t yet taught him to heel.”

  Menoetius laughed as if he’d just heard the best joke ever. “What would ever possess you all to come over here tonight? Courses begin tomorrow for all of us. You should get some sleep, ‘cause you all look tired.”

  I took another step forward. “Malodorous, tell me where Pallas and Perses are and I’ll let you get to whatever game you came here to play.”

  “You’re funny. But not funny enough.”

  Atlas dropped his arm from around Pleione’s shoulder, crossed the room, and pierced my personal space with his nose. “We’re not telling your ass anything. Scratch that …” He backtracked slowly to stand in front of the doors. “I’ll make you a deal. If you get through me, I will gladly tell you where they might be.”

  “You mean, through your busted lip and everything?”

  Laughs and ooohs rang out around the hall.

  “Try me,” Atlas spewed through clenched teeth.

  I really hadn’t come here for the kind of trouble this would get me in. Then again, maybe I had. What was I going to do once I’d found Pallas and Perses? I thought back to the night at the wrestling match. “Atlas, you’re not gonna ‘ooooh-ooooh’ or whatever your little desperation call is?”

  Atlas laughed. “Nah, I’ll pass. But thanks for the offer.” He cracked his knuckles. “Besides, Money is here. So is Astraeus. Your little crew is already outmatched. I’ll give you first move. Take your best shot or be gone.”

  Hera spoke into my mind, Don’t you do it. You’ll get detention!

 
But I’d already begun my descent into the darkness. Needle pricks of energy pushed through my palms. I didn’t have to look down to know what was happening.

  Nooo! Hera yelled at me mentally.

  Atlas tried to block the strike, but in a swift punch to his throat, I launched him backwards with enough force to blow the doors wide open in reverse. Atlas rolled down to the foot of the stairs, writhing, and holding his throat. He gasped for air momentarily.

  Menoetius scrambled out the door and down to him. “What the …”

  I stood at the top of the stairs to admire my handiwork, while effectively sheathing my weapon, or rather retracting my energy tendrils. I loved that I could turn it on and off on demand.

  Menoetius looked up to me. “You did this? And what was that light around your hand?”

  I feigned ignorance. “I didn’t see anything.” I glanced around. “Hera, Shade, did you see anything?”

  “Oh, I see how it is.” Menoetius canvassed the entire lot of us Olympians. “Metis must’ve told you Atlas’ weak spot,” he said. “Ahhh, the secrets we tell …” He chuckled. “Well, let’s make this a fair fight, shall we.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Oooooooh-oooooooh!”

  Damn. I knew it. Cowards.

  Hera chastised me, You really shouldn’t have done that.

  Metis grabbed my hand. Her smile could’ve split a boulder in two. “Damn, boy. I love when you do that thing you do.”

  I smiled back at her. “That wasn’t even full power.”

  Hera whispered to me alone. That girl’s gonna get you in big trouble one day.

  I shot back. This wasn’t for her honor. This was payback.

  Hera glared at me. The retaliation was hardly proportional. Admit it, you were showing off. And now it might cost us all big time.

  A crowd of fifty or so young Titans formed around us like ocean water rushing into an inlet. Prometheus trotted in the foreground. I remembered him from last term. Thick neck as wide as his head, Prometheus wiped his shoulder length hair out of his eyes and adopted an aggressive stance when he saw Atlas lying on the ground.