The Flame of Olympus

by Kate O'Hearn

  Moments later, Joel and Eric reappeared. ‘We’ve got big trouble,’ Eric said as he put down the shopping bags and hugged his girlfriend. ‘All military leave has just been cancelled. I’ve been ordered to meet up with my unit not too far from here. It seems there is an emergency in the city.’

  ‘The emergency’s us,’ Emily said. ‘My dad called. The police know about Pegasus and our flight up 5th Avenue. They know about the creatures too. He said the CRU are after us.’

  Eric nodded. ‘And they’re calling us in to help find you. I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go.’

  ‘You’re not going to tell them where we are, are you?’ Emily asked fearfully.

  ‘Of course not!’ Eric answered. ‘I’ll do everything I can to lead them away from you. But it’s not just you they’re after. There are those creatures out there as well. Those I will try to stop.’

  ‘You can’t,’ Emily said. ‘My dad said bullets won’t even stop them.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Joel added. ‘When I hit one on the head with a baseball bat, it only stopped him for a moment. Even the fall from Pegasus didn’t slow it down.’

  ‘That being the case, the city has more to worry about than Pegasus,’ Eric said. He took Carol’s hand. ‘We’ve got to go. I want you out of the city as soon as possible.’

  Carol smiled weakly. She turned to Emily and shrugged. ‘I’m so sorry you kids are in trouble. But I just don’t have the stomach for this.’

  ‘I understand,’ Emily said softly. If she had a choice, she’d love to run away too. But she couldn’t. Pegasus still needed her.

  Eric jotted down two names and telephone numbers on a piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket. ‘Memorize these if you can,’ he said, handing the numbers to Emily. ‘They are to my brother in Brooklyn and my parents in New Jersey. Call either of them if you really get stuck. My dad is ex-military. You tell them I told you to call and they’ll help you. I wish I could do more. But all hell is breaking loose in the city and I’ve got to go.’

  As he and Carol started to move away, Eric called back: ‘You’ve got bandages and antiseptic in the bags. Get that leg cleaned up as soon as you can. And remember, memorize those phone numbers. You might need them.’

  ‘I will,’ Emily promised softly. ‘Thank you so much for everything.’

  ‘Good luck, kids, and God bless,’ Eric said with a wave as he and Carol slipped away through the trees.

  When they had gone, Emily started to shake.

  ‘What are we going to do, Joel? The CRU are after us.’

  Joel shrugged. ‘I really don’t know. But we can’t do anything until it gets darker.’ He started going through the bags of shopping. ‘If we have any luck at all, the CRU and military will concentrate on finding the creatures before they come after us. In the meantime, let’s get Pegasus fed and that leg of yours cleaned up.’

  As the sun started to set, Emily and Joel cleaned and treated the deep cuts on the stallion’s hind end. They had already cleaned and bandaged Emily’s leg. The painkillers were working and she was feeling much better.

  ‘At least we now know who stabbed Pegasus with the spear,’ Emily said as she gently rubbed antiseptic cream into a deep wound on the stallion’s hind leg.

  ‘The real question is why?’ Joel asked.

  Emily gave Pegasus a soft kiss on the muzzle, then sat down on the ground and reached for an apple. But before the fruit reached her lips, her eyes flew open wide.

  ‘Robin!’ she cried.

  ‘What?’ Joel said, running to her side. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘The last thing my dad said to me was to remember Robin!’ Emily caught hold of Joel’s hands and climbed to her feet painfully. ‘I didn’t understand what he meant. He was talking in code in case the CRU were listening. But now I remember!’

  ‘Remember what? Emily, what are you talking about?’

  As she spoke, Emily started to pack their supplies into Eric and Carol’s picnic basket. ‘When I was really young, my mom and dad used to bring me up to the park. We’d go to this really hidden area at the upper end. Dad would pretend to be the Sheriff of Nottingham. Mom would be Maid Marion and I’d be Robin Hood! Every Sunday we’d come and play sword fights.’

  ‘I still don’t understand,’ Joel said helplessly.

  ‘Before he hung up, my dad said “remember Robin”. He said he’d be there. Don’t you see, Joel? Dad told me to take you and Pegasus to where we used to play Robin Hood. It’s really private. No one will find us there. We could hide for a bit and plan our next move.’

  ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Joel cried. ‘Let’s get you on Pegasus and get moving!’

  Remaining in the safe cover of trees, they travelled north. The sun finally set, and they walked for much of the way in complete darkness. As they travelled, they heard the sound of multiple helicopters arriving in the sky over Central Park. Peering up through the trees, they saw the bright searchlights shining down to the ground.

  ‘They’re looking for us,’ Joel said darkly.

  Emily looked down at Pegasus and saw that in the dark, he appeared even whiter than before. He no longer looked like an ordinary horse. There was no mistaking that he was different. If the beam of a searchlight were to touch him, there would be no escape.

  ‘Joel, wait, we’ve got to stop. Please help me down.’

  ‘We can’t. We’re meeting your dad at the play area—’ Joel stopped when he saw Emily struggling to get down off Pegasus. ‘What is it?’ he said, helping her. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Pegs, you are just so brilliant white! We’ve got to do something about your colour,’ Emily turned to Joel. ‘He wasn’t like this when I first found him on the roof. Even last night he wasn’t this white. But look at him now! It’s like he’s becoming brighter by the minute.’

  ‘You’re right. He’s really starting to glow.’

  Joel put the picnic hamper down on the ground and started to dig through their supplies. ‘While we were out shopping, I had an idea. We bought all we could.’

  ‘What did you get?’ Emily asked.

  Joel held up a package, but in the dark, Emily couldn’t see what it was.

  ‘What is that?’

  ‘Hair dye,’ Joel explained. ‘We got ten packages. But there was one little problem: they aren’t all the same colour. We got dark brown and black.’ He paused and added, ‘They’re not the same brands either. Do you think that could cause a problem?’

  Emily shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I used to help my mom colour her hair, but she always used the same kind. I don’t even know if this will work on a horse.’

  Once again, Pegasus complained at the ‘H’ word.

  ‘I’m sorry, Pegs.’ Emily reached out to stroke his face. ‘But you know what I mean. This is meant for people. I just hope it doesn’t hurt you.’

  ‘We’ve got to try,’ Joel said. ‘He’s shining like a star. It won’t take long for the CRU to find us if he stays like that. It’s not so bad in daylight, but now he’s glowing like a beacon.’

  The decision was made to use the hair dye before they went much further. They picked their way through the trees until they came to one of Central Park’s many ponds. The major work would be done under the cover of the trees, and they would only risk exposing themselves once it was time to rinse Pegasus off.

  ‘If you work with his head and mane, I’ll start with his tail and back end. We can meet in the middle,’ Joel suggested. ‘It’s too dark to read the instructions. Do you know what to do?’

  Emily explained to Joel how her mother used to mix the chemicals together before applying it to her hair. They both put on the latex gloves that came with the packages and started to work.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Pegs,’ Emily apologized as she applied the dark, smelly liquid to his beautiful white face, ‘but this is to help hide you. We are going to try to make you look like a regular dark horse. That way, if anyone sees you, they’ll never know the truth.’

  Covering the entire
stallion seemed to take ages and used all of the dye that they had. They were careful not to get any on the feathers of his wings. When they finished applying the last of it, Emily pulled off her latex gloves.

  ‘Now we wait,’ she said as she sat down tiredly. Her leg was really starting to hurt. ‘It used to take my mother thirty minutes to set the colour.’

  ‘How about we give him thirty-five,’ Joel said, setting his digital watch and sitting beside her.

  As they waited, they listened to the sounds of the helicopters endlessly searching the park. More than once, a helicopter passed directly over their heads, but the cover of trees kept them from being seen.

  ‘Time’s up,’ Joel finally said, helping Emily up.

  ‘Let’s get you rinsed off, Pegs,’ Emily said as she put on a fresh pair of gloves.

  Leaving the protection of the trees, they looked up to check the position of the helicopters. The military were concentrating their efforts at the lower end of the park. Pegasus entered the dark water of the pond. Emily started to follow him in.

  ‘Emily, stop,’ Joel held up a warning hand.

  ‘But I can help,’ she protested.

  ‘Yeah, and your leg can get really infected by this filthy water,’ Joel argued. ‘Stay on the shore and keep watch. Let me know if anyone is coming.’

  Emily resented being told what do to. She could do as much as he could. But deep down, she knew Joel was right. Her leg was throbbing badly. There was something seriously wrong with it. Adding dirty water would only make things worse.

  ‘All right,’ she agreed. ‘But be as quick as you can.’

  Standing on the edge, Emily nervously watched the searching helicopters overhead as Joel led Pegasus into deeper water. The stallion submerged himself and Joel rubbed him down quickly.

  ‘Hurry,’ Emily cried as two of the helicopters started to veer away from the others and move towards them. ‘They’re coming this way!’

  They were moving faster than expected. There was no way Joel and Pegasus would have time to get out of the water before the helicopters were upon them.

  ‘Get down!’ Joel cried as he and the stallion ducked beneath the surface.

  Emily barely had time to dash into the trees before the bright searchlight shone on the spot where she’d just been standing. With the blood pounding in her veins and wounded leg, she followed the progress of the helicopters as they continued north over the park.

  ‘All clear!’ she called as she limped back to the water’s edge.

  Joel and Pegasus both raised their heads above the surface cautiously. With renewed urgency, Joel finished rinsing off the stallion.

  Pegasus emerged from the water looking as dark as the night, though his wings were still brilliant white. As Emily covered the wings with a blanket, a new voice startled them.

  ‘What have you done to him?’

  A tall woman stormed forward. She was dressed in filthy rags, but had an elegance and authority when she walked. She carried a long spear that had a sharp point that glowed bright gold. Her eyes were electric blue and blazed in the dark.

  ‘How dare you touch him!’ she challenged, shoving Emily aside and going straight up to Pegasus. ‘And what is this horror you have done to him?’

  She turned her attention to Pegasus. ‘How could you let these foolish children touch you like this?’

  ‘Excuse me,’ Joel said. ‘But he belongs to us.’

  ‘Pegasus belongs to no one,’ the woman spat furiously. She turned back to the stallion and her voice softened. ‘Look at you, my old friend. You look like a plough horse.’

  As the woman continued to inspect Pegasus, the stallion nickered with excitement. She laid her forehead against him and dropped her voice. ‘Pegasus, we have fallen,’ she said sadly. ‘Father is in chains. Apollo is dead and Olympus lies in ruins. The Nirads have defeated us.’

  ‘Nirads?’ Emily asked cautiously.

  The woman looked down to Emily’s wounded leg. ‘I can smell them on you too,’ she said. ‘You have fought the Nirads? You are lucky to be alive.’

  ‘Is that what those four-armed creatures are called?’ Joel asked. ‘Nirads?’

  The woman nodded. ‘They murdered my brother. Killed countless others and conquered Olympus.’

  ‘You said they killed Apollo. Was he your brother?’ Joel asked breathlessly. ‘Are … are you Diana?’

  ‘That is one of my names,’ the tall woman answered. She studied Joel for a moment. ‘And you are a Roman.’

  The sound of the helicopters cut short further conversation.

  ‘Please, Diana,’ Joel entreated. ‘I know you are a great warrior, but trust us – you can’t stay here. Those flying machines up there will capture you. We have to hide.’

  ‘Hide?’ Diana repeated in confusion. ‘I do not hide from a battle.’

  ‘You do now,’ Emily said as she moved closer to Pegasus. ‘Come on, Pegs. We’ve got to go before they see you.’

  Pegasus let out a soft neigh to Diana but followed Emily away from the pond.

  ‘Pegs?’ Diana repeated as she trailed behind them. ‘Did I just hear you call him Pegs?’

  When they were safely hidden in the trees, Emily turned to her. ‘He doesn’t seem to mind. I think it’s a cute name for him.’

  Diana was incredulous. ‘Cute? Child, do you have any idea of whom you are speaking? This is Pegasus, the great stallion of Olympus. To make him suffer such indignities is beyond tolerance.’

  ‘Of course I know who Pegasus is,’ Emily shot back as reached out and stroked the stallion’s dark muzzle. ‘But he’s also a friend of mine.’

  ‘Emily, stop,’ Joel warned fearfully. ‘You don’t understand who you’re talking to. Please, show some respect!’

  ‘Respect?’ Emily repeated. ‘Where’s her respect for me?’ She turned back to Diana. ‘If Pegs doesn’t mind me calling him that, then why should you?’

  ‘You insolent little nothing!’ Diana cried. She stepped forward and raised her hand to strike Emily. ‘You have yet to learn your place—’

  Pegasus quickly placed himself between Diana and Emily. He looked at Diana and let out a series of strange sounds. The expression on her face softened. The tall woman looked at Emily several times before dropping her head.

  ‘I am sorry. My behaviour is unforgivable. Pegasus has just explained to me what you have done for him and how you have helped him. Please forgive me. I have witnessed my father’s defeat, my brother’s murder and my home destroyed. I am not myself.’

  Emily frowned. Diana could understand Pegasus? She looked at the woman with envy and more than a touch of jealousy. She secretly wished she were an Olympian too. Then she and Pegasus could actually communicate.

  ‘I understand,’ Emily finally said. ‘I’m so sorry for your losses.’

  ‘Is Olympus really destroyed?’ Joel asked, timidly coming forward. ‘How? You’re Gods. Who could defeat you?’

  ‘The Nirads,’ said Diana sadly. ‘Soon they will destroy your world too, unless we stop them.’

  ‘Destroy our world?’ Emily said in shock. ‘Why? What do they want?’

  ‘We do not know,’ Diana said. ‘Until now, we had never encountered the Nirads before. We know nothing about them or where they come from. They have made no demands on us and taken nothing from our ruins. All they desire is destruction. And unless we find a way to stop them, all will be lost.’

  ‘How can we stop them?’ Emily asked. ‘Nothing seems to hurt them. Even falling twenty storeys doesn’t slow them down.’

  ‘There is one thing we have discovered,’ Diana said. ‘In the course of battle, right before Pegasus fled to this world, I bested a Nirad. But it was only after the creature had touched Pegasus’s golden bridle. He was poisoned by it. We believe he died as a result of touching the bridle and not my spear.’

  ‘You need his bridle?’ Emily asked, trying to make sense of everything she was hearing.

  Diana nodded. ‘This is why I have come here. I need
it to forge new weapons to use against the Nirads. I see you have taken it off Pegasus to colour him. May I have it?’

  ‘It’s not here,’ Emily said. ‘Another Olympian called Paelen stole it from Pegasus right before they were both hit by lightning. He’s got the bridle. But now the CRU have taken him.’

  ‘Paelen?’ Diana’s face darkened. ‘That foul little thief! Even he would not keep the bridle if he knew what it could do for our people.’ She looked back to Emily. ‘What are the CRU who have captured him? Where do I find them?’

  ‘You can’t,’ Joel warned. ‘They are too dangerous.’

  ‘I have fought the best armies of Greece and the Romans. I do not fear these people.’

  ‘You should,’ Emily advised. ‘They’re really dangerous.’

  Joel looked at Diana. ‘How long has it been since you were last here?’

  Diana paused and considered. ‘Many ages. Your people did not have devices like those in the sky. You travelled on horseback and fought with swords.’

  ‘Then this isn’t the same world you knew,’ said Joel. ‘We’ve changed.’

  ‘Yes,’ Emily agreed. ‘These days, people don’t even believe in you.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Joel said. ‘And we have new weapons that can hurt you. Look at Pegasus. He broke his wing, and even though it’s healing, he needs time. If he can be hurt, so can you.’

  ‘It is not your world or those noisy flying vehicles that can wound us,’ Diana said, suddenly sounding very defeated. ‘The death of the Flame of Olympus has weakened us.’

  ‘What’s the Flame of Olympus?’ Emily asked curiously.

  Diana looked over at Emily and sighed heavily. ‘The Flame is the source of all our power and strength. It has burned in Olympus since the beginning. But recently, its strength has diminished. As it became weaker, we did also. The Nirads used this weakness to launch an attack on us. If the Flame had been at its full strength, we would have fought them off easily. As it is, the Nirads reached the Temple of the Flame and extinguished it completely. We all believed we would perish without it. But we haven’t.’

  ‘But you’ve lost your powers?’ Joel guessed.