Don laughed. “Wild man! I see I’m going to have to watch out for you now, Spruce.”
“You’re gonna have to watch out for me too,” Shade said just before he disappeared. And then flashed back.
“Nice trick, Shade,” Don said. “I definitely need to get some of this cosmic dust, huh? Wonder what my deity magic would be?”
“Me too,” Meter said. “I can’t wait to climb up there to the old Sky Throne now that we know it won’t actually kill anyone.”
“But, Shade and I didn’t actually mount the Throne,” Hera cautioned. “Only Zeus was crazy enough to do it.”
“True,” I said, and then broke the current conversation thread. “So wait, they’re still down there?” I asked. “The Hundred Hand monsters?”
Steropes nodded.
“Thank goodness, too, yah? Good bye and good riddance,” Arges said in a nasally grumble.
“But,” I said. “When we meet Kronos again, we’ll have an epic fight on our hands. We may need them.” I looked at how muscular the Cyclopes were and could only imagine how much bigger and stronger the Hundred Hand guys were.
“And we’re definitely going to need those great weapon casting skills of yours,” Hera said to the Cyclopes.
“If we’re fighting Kronos,” Brontes bellowed in a thunderous tone. “I’m all for it! I never liked him.”
“Arges. Brontes. Steropes.” Rhea’s soft but assertive voice sang from outside. “The sight of you all warms my heart. It’s been much too long.”
“It’s good to see you again, Rhea,” Brontes responded in his baritone cadence.
Rhea appeared inside the cabin doorway. She brought her hand to her mouth and leaned against the doorframe in one of the only unsteady movements I’d ever seen from her.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I stood closest to Rhea and noticed her eyes gloss. Her other hand uncharacteristically clutched her heart. Rhea sighed and finally spoke with an initially shaky voice, “I’m so glad that you are all back safely from the mission.”
“Back from the mission?” Shade asked. “Did you know?”
“Yes.” Rhea straightened up and crossed her arms. “I knew the night you hatched the plan. It’s also how I knew you were back.” She tapped her temple and smiled. “What I didn’t know was what happened to Hestia, Poseidon, and Demeter.” A tear streaked defiantly down her cheek. She swiped it.
“Thanks to Metis, Zeus, Shade, and Hera,” Don said. “We are alive and well.”
Rhea’s eyes flooded with tears. She dabbed them with fabric from her loose robe.
“Why are you crying?” Don asked. “Everything all right?”
Rhea smiled. “I’m just so happy to see you all back together again.”
“Metis is awake!” Tia’s voice sang with a vibrant energy.
Everyone turned their attentions to the bed where Metis stirred. She wiped her sweat-matted hair from her face and took the goatskin of water from Tia.
“Hey, Tia,” Metis whispered. Her eyes continued to blink rapidly. “Hey, everybody. Ouch.” She grabbed the back of her head. “Great Gaia. I have the worst headache.”
Don walked over to Metis and knelt down. “How does it feel to be a hero? Sorry, heroine?”
“Now that she’s up,” Rhea said. “We need to go and find Ouranos and arrange for Eros to release Pontus and Phoebe.”
“And get some food!” Shade’s voice was louder than normal. “My stomach has cobwebs in it.”
“Cobwebs, that’s too funny.” Meter cackled with laughter then covered mouth and giggled. “And, get to the bathhou—”
“Wait!” I cut her off. My mind raced. I looked with narrowed eyes into the somber faces of Hera, Shade, and Metis, and then turned to Rhea. “Ummm, Ouranos is dead, Headmistress.” In the rush of the extraction, I’d totally forgotten. “We saw him take his last breath and ascend into the Sky.”
Rhea gasped. “No, he’s not. He’s—but—” She gazed into my soul through my eyes. “Dead? How? Are you absolutely certain?”
The four of us nodded.
“You can read our minds. You know we tell the truth,” I said.
Hera stepped forward. “We were all there.”
“But … ” Rhea said, “I just saw Ouranos in the Megaron not long ago.”
Rhea’s last words hovered in the air. My jaw dropped as I sifted back through memories I knew I had. Images that had burned into my mind. I held Rhea’s gaze as my eyebrows pinched closer together, matching her concern.
“Let’s figure this out, shall we.” Rhea’s glee had vanished. The old austere Rhea returned. She exited the cabin with a brisk turn.
I turned to Metis. “You rest. We’ll be back.”
“No way. I’m coming with.” She bounded from bed, still holding her head.
Rhea led the way with a quick gait, crunching shoal underfoot. All of us students held close to her heels. The Cyclopes brothers followed behind us. Their heavy footfalls shook the ground. I was glad they were on our team.
We rounded the back corner of the gym as Ouranos rounded the front corner. He stopped, his silvery hair wild as snakes.
“Ahhh, well it seems all of our students have returned,” Ouranos said, his voice almost unsteady. “Praise Gaia. Very well. Carry on then.” He continued walking toward the Cloudwell.
Rhea looked back at us. I shrugged. But something didn’t seem right. I know what we saw in the armory. Had he healed somehow? But how? Hera placed a hand on my back almost as if to support my thought.
With everyone right there, including the Cyclopes, I decided to take a risk. I stepped out of the group. “Headmaster,” I said. “Were you seriously going to close the school down if we couldn’t find Tia, Don, and Meter? Isn’t that what you said?”
Whispers and murmurs hissed behind me.
Ouranos stopped and turned. “Son, I run this school. And I can do with it what I please,” he snarled. “But since you’re all back, let’s carry on. I have business to attend to.” He turned and strode toward the Cloudwell. “I’ll be back before start of new term.”
I wasn’t satisfied because I knew what we saw in the armory. I walked after him and footfalls followed me. Rhea caught up to me and we walked side-by-side.
Headmaster reached the bottom of the Cloudwell when Rhea spoke again, “Ouranos, just what business must you attend to that overshadows the return of our students? Should you not be planning a feast?”
He stopped about ten paces away from the Hurler and turned, wearing an exasperated expression. “If it’s a feast you want, then by all means throw one.”
“Headmaster,” Hera called over my shoulder as we all continued down the Cloudwell. “How did you heal yourself so quickly? And how did you end up in the Titan Armory in a pool of your own ichor blood, with a sickle protruding from your torso—”
Ouranos whipped his head around. His eyes narrowed and a scowl wrinkled his face. “Clearly. I. Am. Not. Injured.” He said with gravelly staccato through clenched teeth. “Now, if that’s all—”
“But, you gasped your last breath,” Hera said more insistently. “Right in front of Shade, Zeus, Metis, and myself. Your body turned to cosmic dust and became the Sky. How did you come back to life?”
I stepped forward.
“Don’t you move,” Ouranos said with his hands raised. His blue-eyed gaze shifted unpredictably over my shoulders.
“Fine,” I said. Ouranos becoming particles of light definitely meant he was real. And this imposter was fake. And if I could shift into a dragon, then anyone could shift into anyone. But who would benefit from all this upheaval? Metis said that Kronos was behind her entire plan of deceit. And in the armory, Ouranos said, “F-f-find K-Kronosss … ”
“But you know what I think … ” I stepped forward again, risking all. “You’re not Ouranos at all.” More gasps rang out. “You’re Kronos!”
Then right before our eyes he shapeshifted back into dark-
haired and goateed Kronos, complete with eyebrows as big as ferrets. A chorus of exclamations rang out.
“You animal!” Don yelled. “Wait ‘till I get my hands on you—”
“Yeah?” Kronos smirked. “How’d that work out for you last time we saw one another?”
“Rotten bastard!” Don lunged forward, but was frozen by Kronos’ peculiar deity magic, telekinesis and energy manipulation. Don’s arms were outstretched, his hands tightening into fists.
“Watch your tongue, boy,” Kronos said. “Mind you, this is no admission of guilt. I can shift into Ouranos because our blood is the same. He’s my father. We share many similarities.”
Metis stepped forward. “What you don’t know, Headmaster, is that I know all the details of your entire plan.”
Kronos’ face faltered, but then he recovered composure. “You know less than nothing!” Kronos laughed wickedly. “Girl, you’re in the Phlegethon without a paddle.”
“So is your little girlfriend, Campe!” I snarled, walking forward.
“Impressive. But you have no idea what you’re facing right now.”
“I have a bone to pick with you, Kronos.” My hands tingled and ached fiercely as they summoned energy. I continued to stalk toward him.
“Is that some new trick you learned?” He pointed to my illuminated hands.
I took a step forward, but Kronos held his hand up. I met stiff resistance in the air around me. Kronos’ hand produced some manner of force field, against which I now struggled to walk. I took another labored step forward. But it felt like my feet slogged through thickest mud. Yet, I continued to take steps.
“I can manipulate time,” Kronos said, pulsing his hand toward me. “Stop it. Speed it up. Slow it down. I can bend energy. Whatever you are doing with your hands will never touch me.”
And still, I continued to walk. Either his power had weakened or mine had grown beyond measure.
“Don’t let him touch the Hurler!” Don said. “We’ll never find him.”
I ducked and rolled my left arm over the energy field Kronos had cast toward me like it was a rope. Then I grabbed hold of the energy rope, pulling myself closer to Kronos with each step. Kronos jerked toward me and then yanked himself backward.
“Kronos!” Rhea yelled. “You filthy—”
“Hush your fuss, pussy cat.”
“That’s lioness to you. You may have been involved in Ouranos’ death, but you’ll not harm my cubs.” She pulled Metis back and stepped before all of us.
“Check that.” We formed a semi-circle around Rhea. “This pride will protect our own.”
“That figures,” Kronos said, “Given that she is your mother, after all.”
“Whose mother?” Don stood beside me. “My parents are on the island of Rhodes.”
“And mine are on Samos,” Hera chimed. So what are you talking about?”
“Go ahead. Ask Rhea, since she’s so good at hiding things. Duplicitous wench.” Kronos pointed to us; Don, Shade, Meter, Tia, Hera, and Me. “The entire stinking litter, right here. But I guess mama lion forgot to tell you that little tidbit. Only Nyx knows who your father is.”
I reflexively stepped backward. I gazed at Rhea like I’d never known her, like it was our first meeting all over again. I wondered how I could both know someone and not know her at the same time? And wondered if I knew anything at all.
“You’re my moth—” My mind raced in reconciliation of memory after revelation after deceit after surprise and I was afraid if I said any more, I would sob. One crushing blow after another. Rhea’s eyes softened and tears perched at the edges of her lids.
I gasped, unable to utter a single syllable. Pressure built in my nostrils. Shallow breaths fought their way through my constricted throat. I choked back the hot tears that threatened to flood my cheeks as my entire life rushed through my mind in an assault of images and memories. Rhea held me close. The energy flushed through me with effervescence I couldn’t explain.
As jarring and simultaneously soothing as that news was, it all made sense. Everything. I turned to Rhea, whose eyes had glossed over again. She cupped her mouth with her hand.
My lip quivered. All this time, my mother had been right under my nose. She’d greeted me at the base of the mountain, showed me around campus, cared for me. “You knew that I wanted to find my real mother,” I said to Rhea.
Shade threw his hands in the air. “I’m lost!”
Rhea gazed into my eyes. “I wanted to tell you, all of you. I just couldn’t. Not yet. The Oracles decreed that the day would come where Kronos would attempt to slay his six children. And I simply could not allow that to happen.”
“Wait … ” Tia clapped loudly. “That means Kronos is—”
“Damn!” Hera said. “That’s deep.”
“So you hid us in plain sight,” Meter said. “That’s brilliant. But I still want to vomit.”
For the first time, Kronos threatened to become unglued. “Rhea!” He roared, pointing to himself. “You mean I am the father? Of these six? You told me our children died at birth. You lied to me. I should strangle—”
In blinding fashion, the Khaos Council descended from the heavens in their signature shafts of energy. Once Erebus, Eros, and Phanes formulated fully, Kronos pointed to us.
“Those four were the last to persons to see Ouranos alive,” Kronos yelled. “Apprehend them!”
“Our investigation took longer than normal,” Golden-skinned Phanes said. “But, we’ve finally shed light on this dark set of events.”
“Great,” Kronos blared. “Get them.”
“Kronos,” Eros said, “the Council is hereby taking you in to custody.”
“What did I do?” Kronos said.
“What didn’t you do?” Don, Tia, and Meter yelled at the same time.
“Step away from the Hurler,” Erebus ordered. “I’ll not ask you again.”
Kronos shook his head. “I can’t do that.” He reached for the Hurler.
A dark rope appeared in Erebus’ palms. Before Kronos could raise his hands, Erebus’ rope had bound Kronos’ wrists and covered his hands in a black fog.
Eros said, “Time’s up.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Kronos’ eyes darkened as the rope slithered around his mouth, rendering him mute. I seethed with unspent rage. Knowing he’d be in custody was satisfying, but not as satisfying as wrapping my hands around his throat. Or hitting him in the temple with a hot bolt of energy.
“Easy, Zeus,” Eros said. “He’ll not bother you all again. We have enough evidence to hold him in Tartarus where he will await his trial before Gaia in the High Court. And I apologize about the accusations earlier, but we had to make Kronos comfortable enough to think we weren’t on to him.”
“We also know about the spear now,” Erebus said. “Its shaft is comprised of Dark Matter, a substance more powerful than cosmic dust, which Hestia, I believe, was on her way to discovering.”
“That explains a lot,” Tia said.
Erebus tugged on the dark rope that shackled Kronos. “Much of my own body is composed of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, which is why Kronos is powerless against the lasso I’ve produced.”
Golden-skinned Phanes said, “As you can see, we already knew about Dark Matter’s existence, but had neglected to inform students about it. Obviously, if this substance falls into the wrong hands, it could have disastrous ramifications. At least it won’t be Kronos. We’re not exactly sure how the weapon was formed, however, given that neither Kronos nor Hyperion are craftsmen. But I’m sure that will come out at trial.”
“Again, I apologize for having to take such a hard line with you all,” Eros said. “But Khaos business is always serious. That said, allow me to express my deepest condolences to you, Rhea, and to this school. I have love for you all and wish you the best moving forward.”
I sighed. “What about Hyperion?”
Kronos grunted, struggling unsucces
sfully against his constraints.
“Hyperion offered to turn on Kronos in return for amnesty,” Phanes said. “I’m not sure I can trust his motivations. His testimony regarding Crete was that all injuries were your fault, not his. Pallas and Perses threw wildly wayward spears. The one that killed your friend ricocheted off your shield. The one that hit the lady, you pushed her into its path.” His lips tightened into a line. “In any case, he’s being detained, awaiting trial.”
My mind reeled back to the attack as a boulder-sized lump of nausea formed in my gut. I wiped at the perspiration that suddenly formed on my brow.
“So, who’s hauling the sun?” Meter asked.
“His son Helios has assumed the sun chariot duties,” Phanes answered.
“Good. ‘Cause a girl needs her daily dose of sunlight.”
“We still have the matter of the empty Throne to consider,” Erebus said. “We will return to help steward you through the transition.”
The council members surrounded Kronos and then in an instant, they all vanished.
Rhea hugged me despite my foul, tattered clothes and Acheron odor. Soothing calm permeated me. She shushed me mentally while holding me tight. My muscles thawed. Tension fell away.
“Now you see why Professor Phoebe told you that shapeshifting into another person is grievously unforgivable, for so many reasons.” Meter said.
“And now that the lion is out of the sack, I will discuss and reconcile everyone’s origins very soon. You’ve been given way too much to digest for one day.”
“So—” Meter’s voice quivered. “I’m confused. Ouranos is … dead? Like, for real?” She covered her mouth with her hand. Tia hugged her probably as much for Meter as for herself.
Hera’s voice was solemn. “We know what we saw in the armory. It took all my strength not to unravel.”
“Never thought I’d see the day when … ” Tia’s voice trailed off. “And now you tell us that that ogre of a man Kronos is actually our father?” She knelt to one knee. “I’m going to need a stiff goblet of nectar.”
My mind frayed. I wanted to chase after Kronos. Wanted to kill him with my bare hands. Wanted to hug Metis and talk about the dizzying conversation we’d begun in Tartarus. Wanted to hug Hera and share a gyro and talk world domination strategies.
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