by Kip Hartzell
“I wish I didn’t need a Destroyer persona to bridge the rift gate, such as a latch, or lock, to keep the gate closed. I don’t know if it will be painful but it is necessary.”
“Of all the Titans, he was the most brutal and unforgiving in combat, and the most deserving of punishment.”
“Very well, we should get started.”
Athene-A followed them down the tunnel. Atlas put up resistance against the chains, but was pushed down the tunnel anyway. Once everyone was on the other side of the rift, Atlas was drawn and tied to two great pillars. Zeusticus nodded to Hades, who, took out his handheld and waved a hand over it. The orange lake began to swirl as Atlas screamed out and froze in place. The swirling morass began to twist like a tornado and drop into the rift opening.
Zeusticus, and the rest, retreated back to the surface. The wind and noise was loud as dust and dirt formed a dirty whirlpool. Ripples in space-time began to flow back to its origin until receding into the ground. In a matter of minutes, it was still and quiet.
“Seal the entrance,” Zeusticus said, causing the shuttles to lance the wound in the Earth. It was done. The only thing left was several cracks in the ground that spewed sulfur from the nearby volcanic fissure. “The poisonous gases should keep the Destroyer influenced Cousins away, hopefully, forever.”
Zeusticus paced, as he always did, when Athene-A came in. She had forgone her battle armor for a loose fitting white gown. Her raven hair was pulled back into a loose bun. He stopped to acknowledge her. “I’m sorry about Hades, he is very brave.”
“Very stupid.”
“Um, brave, nonetheless. I came to determine when you wanted to start dismantling Olympus?”
Zeusticus stopped his pacing. “What?”
“The Destroyer threat has been neutralized, there’s no reason to keep two facilities open.”
“The threat has not been neutralized. The influence we, and the Destroyers, left behind will take centuries to correct.”
“We can’t afford the manpower and resources.”
“I said, the facility stays open!”
“This is a matter for the Council to decide.”
“Council, I am the Council. It will remain open,” he said, furiously.
Athene-A bit back her anger after seeing the influence in his eyes. She determined quickly that if she closed the facility, Zeusticus, with all of his sway, could create another civil war, and they were weak enough after the fight. “For now, I will be your liaison to Chrysalis, keep me informed.” She stormed out, already thinking of another strategy.
He calmed himself, as Her-A strolled into the chamber. “She will be persistent.”
“I know!” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, now. Come to bed, and rest.”
He headed for the doorway. “I can’t. There is much to do.”
Her-A gave him an evil stare as he left.
Chapter Eighteen: Insane
Jay was amazed the Great Hall. His view from above the glistening walls and decorations, where Zeusticus sat on his throne with Her-A to his right. Jay noticed a larger Council than normal, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Zeusticus had established a secondary Council of twelve members, all with their own smaller thrones that made a perfect horseshoe design. They faced the center of the room that held a large 3-D image of a slow spinning Earth.
“Our new mission,” Zeusticus started, as he stood up, and approached the spinning phantasm, “is to protect our Cousins-our children, from further contamination from the Destroyers. This means surveillance of the Titans left behind and pursuit of the rogue factions. We are to stay out of their sight as much as possible to hinder their progress. Now, we are going to need observers amongst the populous, our surveillance equipment can only tell us so much.
“Poseidon, you have the sea to study and protect, enlist whatever help you need. I’ll control the land masses. The rest of you will have assignments according to your specialties. In order to keep us from being confused with Chrysalis, we’ll now be referred to, as Olympians. Let’s get started.”
The group began manipulating equipment and talking to each other. Zeusticus got up to leave.
“Where are, you going?” Her-A asked.
“I have a few things to check on.”
“Like your Earth born children...and their mothers,” she jealously remarked.
“Among other things.” He disappeared, leaving her to her jealousy.
Jay felt the passage of time, similar to fast forwarding a video. He observed many arguments between Zeusticus and Her-A. She became more angry and vengeful toward his incidental infidelity. Her anger over time, grew uncharacteristic of her former self. She conducted business in a ruthless manor, challenging his authority constantly. After a few years, Zeusticus couldn’t stand to be around her, but patiently waited for their nuptial agreement to expire. He couldn’t replace her on the Olympian Council because most of the members feared her wrath. She became secretive and manipulative, especially toward the Cousins Zeusticus loved.
Zeusticus smiled a friendly smile when Athene-A walked into the atrium, immediately sending her suspicions to the forefront.
“Athene-A, please, come sit, and talk to me. Would you like a refreshment,” he said as he held out a coffer of wine. “It’s some of the best Dionysus has made to date.”
“No, thank you,” she said, as she sat, and cautiously looked around for the trap.
He shrugged off the suspicion. “I’ve asked you here to discuss our annual update.”
“That’s not for another month.”
“Well, who says we can’t get started early.”
“Very well, have you enlarged Olympus?”
“Only slightly, to accommodate the Olympian hybrids.”
“Olympian?”
“Yes, it helps with the confusion of who belongs where.”
“You could’ve sent the updated data. What do you want?”
He quickly put away his anger and stood up to pace. “As you know, during the time I thought Her-A was dead, I took my grief and pain to the Cousins, I... sired a few offspring.”
“This is no secret.”
“Her-A watches me constantly, and is becoming more jealous every day. I want to ask a favor of you, or an appointee of your choosing, to look over the hybrids.”
Athene-A thought for a few seconds. “I will need access to Olympus at any time, and regular updates on future projects-that might be worth my time.” The thought of having him in her debt would be very useful, later.
He stopped his pacing. “As you wish.”
She stood up. “Do you know who the hybrids are?”
“I have one in particular. Her-A has taken a keen dislike to him. Come, I’ll show you.” He took her hand, and they disappeared.
In an instant, they appeared in a large room. The decor was Atlantean in nature, Jay thought it was early contemporary common ancient Greek style. Athene-A wavered as she rubbed her head. “I’m still adjusting to that means of travel. I’m beginning to understand how it’s done. Perhaps a few more trips.”
“Any time.”
“My lord Zeus, I was not expecting you, or I would have ordered a banquet in your honor,” the lady said, kneeling and putting her head on the floor.
“Alceme, rise, it’s quite unnecessary.” Zeusticus moved toward her, his giant features began to shrink, until he was the size of a tall Cousin. He took her arm and helped her up.
Athene-A took notice of the self-genetic manipulation. He never ceases to amaze me, she thought.
“Please, I want you to meet someone. This is Athene-A, she will help protect you and Heracles.”
“And Iphicles?”
“Of course,” Athene-A said, as she approached.
“Then I welcome you, Goddess Athena.” She moved to two large bay doors and pushed them open.
The sun lit the garden, while children could be heard playing. Athene-A’s sharp eyes spotted t
he two children pushing each other, and then running away. She suddenly felt a connection with the larger child, a familiarity she couldn’t describe.
“Shall I introduce you?” Alceme gracefully said.
“No, I will do that when the time is right. I have observed them before, a few years ago, so for now, let them be children.” Athene-A saw an unselfish and softer side of Zeusticus she had never seen before. Children will do that to you, she almost said out loud.
Jay watched from the observation room on Olympus, as Heracles grew into a man. His travels with his brother became legendary, in the beginning. Her-A in her moments of insanity, inflicted great pain and suffering on Heracles. The Destroyer influence over her was just enough to make her cruel and calculating, as evident by her many clandestine attempts on Heracles’ life. Her jealousy was out of control. Athene-A blocked, or circumvented many attempts, but couldn’t protect him all the time. Zeusticus, himself, did not go unaffected by the Destroyer influence. He took it upon himself to become the protector of humanity. The Olympian Council began educating them, and interacting with them more and more over the centuries. Heracles became the instrument of destruction of Typhon and Echidna’s monster children. Jay watched frantically as time focused on Heracles and all his victories, tragedies, Penance, and redemptions, all things human. Athene-A and Zeusticus could be seen intervening from time to time, mostly to counter what devious plans Her-A had concocted. Mankind, advanced and thrived. Chrysalis did little to slow the progress, mostly in fear of another civil war.
Advances in metallurgy, farming, irrigation, was only surpassed by advances in warfare and destruction. The Destroyers had been neutralized, but their legacy awakened the evil in mankind, and it flourished. Jay saw civilizations rise and fall. It didn’t affect him as much as he thought, because the same thing was still happening today.
Now that the enemy had been curtailed, the life of Heracles became the center of attention. Jay watched intently, as he estimated twelve hundred years passed since his birth, and his story was sad and violent, but the struggle was real. His death was tragic, as was most of his life. His funeral pyre was the brightest anyone had ever seen. Cloaked in camouflage, Athene-A hovered nearby. She watched the congregation mourn, and felt sad, confused, this must have been how John felt when she, herself, had died as Anataka. She had known this was John in an Extra-Temporal-Dissociation state, since early on. A fact she didn’t want to share with Zeusticus. She put on a spectacular light show, as if Heracles was ascending to Mt. Olympus. The crowd was awed. This, she thought, would be remembered for centuries. Jay thought, more like eons. She made her way back to Chrysalis to await his arrival.
Although Rhe-A had made headway in extending their corporeal life spans, she frequently went into the TSD for short periods of time. Delegating other people to keep an eye on Zeusticus, Her-A, and Cousins. She didn’t know why, but she was worried about what John would think of her. She had done her best to retard mankind’s advancement, sometimes even physically interfering. Hopefully, she thought, the destruction was worth what they learned about the Destroyers.
Athene-A was deep in thought, when a much taller, but less muscular Heracles materialized on the large platform in front of the TSD opening. He looked around to get his bearings, stumbled a little as he made his way down the large pseudo-stone steps.
Athene-A cupped her hands together as she approached. Why was she so nervous? “John,” confused, he looked in her direction, and then smiled. “How do you feel?”
“Uh, well, surprisingly refreshed. The mature look, looks good on you. Even though you still don’t look as old as I.”
“You flatterer, you always did know what to say.”
“How long have I been in?”
She was quiet. “Oh, about two thousand years.”
“What? That machine was supposed to bring me out every hundred years.”
“You were in an Extra-Temporal-Dissociation state most of that time, we’re not sure how many consecutive times, but you are the subject of study, now.” She smiled.
He relaxed. “Well, how about a report?”
She took his arm and started toward the common area. “A lot has happened since you’ve been...away. Do you want it all at once and be overwhelmed, or a little at a time?”
“I think I’m going to need to take it slow. Let’s eat, I’m starved.”
“Smart move.” She pulled him along.
They sat in the common area, receiving a few stares from passersby’s. Food slipped through an open mouth, as he tried to fathom what she was saying. He wiped his face off and said, “I think I’m going to need to see this.”
Athene-A nodded and put her hands out, palms up. John put his hands in hers. He could feel her affection for him immediately, and his for her, but it was suppressed quickly. He watched, as the centuries rolled by, he was shocked, happy, sad, sometimes he would cry, and then laugh, during the hour it took to see thirteen hundred years of history.
John took a deep breath and leaned back. Athene-A let him have some time to process the information. “There are some gaps, when I sporadically returned to the TSD. The archives can fill in those blanks.”
“Heracles, huh, well he had a more entertaining life than I.”
“Yours isn’t over yet. He was a tortured soul, but exciting, nonetheless. I used him to keep Zeusticus under as much control as I could. I’m sorry I’m not as strong as you. I couldn’t keep him under control without another civil war. I believe he is quite mad, now, from the Destroyer influence.”
“How far has he advanced our Cousins?”
“Exponentially, we have to recalculate every day.”
John shook his head, and put his hand on hers, again. “It’s not your fault. I doubt even I could’ve stopped him. But, now, we have to try, civil war or not.”
“As close to Heracles as he was, I don’t know what he’ll do. He took your...his death really hard.”
John’s look was distant.
“You have a plan?”
He focused back on her. “Of course,”
The shuttle rose up over a hill, to reveal a magnificent city floating atop a mountain. It’s white marble textures accentuated its Greek style. Clouds formed at its base, where the gravity generators produced heat that condensates the water particles. More fog than cloud, boiled out between the mountain top and the base of the city. Drof set the shuttle down gently and opened the hatch.
John stuck his head into the flight deck and went over the plan again. He then stepped out onto a large platform with light wind and an amazing view. “Hephaestus,” he said to the bull man, “you and Ourani-A-Aphrodite stick to the plan, no matter what you see or hear.”
“You are not going to hurt my sister? She hasn’t been the same since she was swallowed by one of those monsters,” Ourani-A nervously said.
“No, if all goes well, no one gets hurt. Hephaestus, it’s good to be working with you again.”
“Yes, it is, Chief Counselor.”
“Get going, I’ll buy you two as much time as I can.”
They nodded and took off. John and Athene-A were dressed in the proper attire required by the Olympians. He chose the plain brown tunic that rested just below the knee, with synthetic sandals. Athene-A chose the solid white wrap around skirt that stopped above the knees. Her black hair tied into a braided pony tail. Her chine-high tied sandals made no noise as they approached a completely unnecessarily huge set of double doors that opened as they moved toward them. The main entrance hall was grand and gaudy, with 3-D pictures on the wall, sculptures of all the Olympians on both sides. Embroidered carpet with pictures of Atlanteans and monsters alike. There were no shadows from the light from the artificial marble.
John thought he was looking at a mockup of the city section of Atlantis, until he turned a corner. They entered another overly large room with large stone like thrones floating slowly around in a circular motion, overlooking a massive 3-D image of the Earth. There was music, laughter, l
oud talking, and drinking. Cousins, as short as they were, raced around the giants with food and drink, trying desperately no to get behind on their work.
Zeusticus sat crossways on his overly ornate throne, with one leg hanging over an armrest. He felt, then saw, John come into view. He stood up quickly as the music and merriment stopped.
John noticed quickly that Zeusticus was getting old. His flowing hair and long beard was completely white. His features were wary and aged. “Zeusticus, it has been a long time, you’re looking...older.”
“John, we’ve been expecting you. Remember, you have no authority here.”
John moved around, as he looked at each of the Olympians. He saw some of the group look away in shame. “I am aware of the pact you made with Chrysalis. I’m not here to dispute it. I just wanted to see my friends, and what you all have created.”
Zeusticus was caught off guard, expecting an argument rather than pleasantries. “I... I’m glad you have some sense.” He stepped down from his throne and faced him. “What would you like to inspect first?”
“How about a tour.”
“Absolutely. Her-A, see that the daily business is complete, and the records are up to date.”
Her-A angrily stood and folded her arms in defiance, as he led John away.
They strolled through a glorious building, perhaps equal to the cities on Atlantis. John marveled again at the architecture and decor of paintings, rugs, and statues. Holograms of history played out with monsters and exotic animals fighting with, or against Atlantean and Cousin alike. John spied one particular scene of a young Heracles battling a large lion. He stopped to watch, a feeling of déjà vu came over him.
“John, are you alright?” Zeusticus sounded concerned.
John shook it off, and continued down a hallway. Zeusticus turned right and waved a door open. John stopped in astonishment at the two podiums standing in the middle of the room. They moved steadily to them. Jay took a deep breath and admired the two multi-colored crystal skulls that sat on the posts.