by P. J. Hoover
“Heidi, I can’t form a link with you,” Benjamin said.
“I know,” Heidi said. “You and Cory will have to do it on your own.”
“No,” Benjamin said. “We need your telepathic strength.”
“No you don’t,” Heidi said.
Cory shook his head. “We’re not strong enough.”
“Together you will be,” Heidi said. “Remember your twin brothers, Benjamin? Remember the Deimos twins?”
Immediately Benjamin knew she was right. Derrick and Douglas were off the charts when it came to telekinesis And Helios and Selene Deimos ruled an entire world. He and Cory should be able to defeat Nathan Nyx. He grabbed back hold of Cory’s mind and linked with it again. And then using every bit of telekinetic combined forces they could muster, they started pushing on Nathan’s mind.
Outside of Benjamin’s mind, the battle stopped. Nathan’s other hand flew back onto the Navel. Benjamin and Cory pushed harder on his mind, and under their fingers, it sprang to life. The crunching sounds began again, and this time they didn’t stop. Then, before Nathan had time to attempt to stop them, Benjamin, Heidi, Cory, and Nathan began to phase away.
Benjamin waited until his shadow disappeared, and then he knew he needed to act. He couldn’t leave Nathan behind to kill Iva and possibly Andy also. And he couldn’t bring him back and have to fight him anew.
“Cory…”
“I know,” Cory’s thoughts returned to Benjamin.
And within a split second, using their linked minds, Benjamin and Cory telekinetically pushed Nathan’s hands from the Navel of the World, right in the middle of the temporal phasing. And Nathan disappeared.
The crunching grew so loud, Benjamin thought his eardrums might burst. But a few seconds later, the noise diminished, and Benjamin felt his body uncrunch and again felt grass beneath his feet. It was dark, and the journey was over. There were here. Somewhere. Somewhen. And Nathan was not with them.
A quick glance around told him exactly where they’d ended up.
“Delphi,” Heidi said.
“I can’t believe Apollo let this happen.” Cory’s jaw dropped open as he looked around at the ruins.
“Frankly, after meeting Apollo, I can’t either,” Benjamin said. “It makes me wonder why.”
“That was close,” Heidi said.
“Too close,” Cory said.
Heidi bit her lip. “Do you think Iva will be all right?”
Benjamin squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force the horrible image he had there from his mind. “I hope so. But it’s out of our control.”
“Andy is there with her,” Cory said. “And Apollo will also protect her.”
Heidi nodded. “Yeah, I know. But who knows where Nathan ended up.”
“Not to mention he could find a way back at any time,” Cory said.
Benjamin laughed. “Maybe he got stuck back in the crusades. Maybe he’ll get executed.”
Heidi smiled. “That would be nice. But pretty unlikely.”
“His power was strong,” Cory said. “Stronger than Achilles.”
“Who is stronger than Achilles?”
Benjamin felt the familiar thoughts in his mind just as he heard the voice. His muscles relaxed as he saw Helios Deimos striding toward them.
“Nathan Nyx. The man who worked for my dad in Wondersky City.”
“Do we need to worry about him?” Helios asked.
Quickly, they explained to Helios what had happened with Nathan, both before the trip back and the unfortunate encounters with him in the past. Helios listened the whole time, only interrupting once or twice with a question.
“We need to put out alerts,” Helios said. “He does not sound like the type who will let himself be confined.” He looked away, outward, and Benjamin felt a solid mind block go up around Helios. Within moments Helios again returned to the conversation. “Selene is setting up global alerts for Nathan Nyx. And she is notifying your father of the situation.”
“My father as in my dad in Virginia?” Benjamin asked. It was a weird question, but after all the confusion Nathan had caused, he just wanted to be sure.
“Yes, your father in Virginia. The father who raised you.” Helios turned his attention to Cory. “I see you are a couple members short but have gained a new ally along the way.”
With all three of them filling in the gaps, Helios learned the story of the retrieval of Cory, the trip to Delphi, and the ensuing deal made with Apollo there.
“So he’s causing trouble even three thousand years ago.”
Heidi sighed and her eyes got a glazy look. “He seemed so nice at first.”
“That’s because he wanted something,” Helios said. “He must have been able to sense Iva’s telegnostic abilities miles away. Even years away.”
“He said Iva was going to be the high oracle of Delphi,” Heidi said.
“And I believe she will be remembered as one of the best,” Helios said. “History would confirm that a female of unknown origin sat upon the high seat in Delphi years ago and prophesied for all the world to hear.”
“You mean we can read about Iva in history?” Benjamin knew as soon as he told Gary, Gary would run to the nearest library to research it.
Helios nodded. “But as much as I would enjoy being able to stay and catch up, I’m afraid I must be on with my business.”
“And we probably should get back to school,” Benjamin said, wondering at the same time he said it if Cory would go to school; he was just so old.
“Yes, but only the two of you,” Helios said, pointing at Benjamin and Heidi.
Benjamin glanced over at his new-found brother. “I figured Cory could just come back with me.”
“I have other plans for Cory,” Helios said. “Though in the future your combined powers may be required, for now Cory will have other obligations. Obligations which do not involve learning telekinesis at summer school.”
Benjamin’s heart started to pound. “But we just met. I thought we could spend a little time getting to know each other.”
“I understand,” Helios said. “Though it is not to be. You, too, Benjamin, have other duties.”
Benjamin shook his head. What was Helios thinking? It wasn’t fair that Cory would be taken away so soon. “Where will Cory be going?”
“A secret assignment,” Helios said. “I’m afraid I cannot share the nature of the assignment with even you.”
Apparently the secret assignment thing surprised Cory. “What will I do? I’m from three thousand years ago.”
“Yeah. That’s a good point,” Benjamin said. “A lot of things have changed in three thousand years.”
“And many things have remained the same,” Helios said. “You will do just fine, Cory. But to be safe, you’ll be working with someone else.”
“Who?” Benjamin asked.
Helios shook his head. “Sorry, Benjamin. That’s classified information.”
“When will Benjamin and I see each other next?” Cory asked.
“I have no idea.” Helios took a few steps back, away from Benjamin, Heidi, and Cory. “And now, Cory, if you will please join me.”
Cory looked at Benjamin, and Benjamin could see the sense of loss in his eyes. But he noticed those same eyes held no fear. Cory’s eyes were those of a trained warrior. Trained his whole life. Cory would take the assignment ahead of him and tackle it with all that he could. Benjamin fought against the lump he felt in his throat and forced a smile onto his face.
“Come back safely, okay?” Benjamin said.
“I’ll come back safely, and I’ll come back soon,” Cory said. “You just find our other brother and be waiting for me.” He embraced Benjamin first and then turned to Heidi. “I’m glad you didn’t become a concubine for Achilles.”
Heidi laughed. “Me too.”
Cory moved away from Heidi and Benjamin, stepping over to where Helios waited. And then Helios grabbed Cory’s wrist, and they teleported away.
CHAPTER 31
Ambrosia Is Still Gross
A whole minute went by before Benjamin or Heidi said anything. Benjamin sank to the ground, sitting on a ruined column. Heidi sat beside him and intertwined her hand with his. And even with all that had happened, with the Trojan War, and Delphi, and Cory being gone, it felt so right sitting there in the dark, listening to the world around them. Benjamin looked down at his hand, realizing for the first time that Heidi had grabbed it. She looked down at it, too, and gave it a squeeze.
And then, finally, Heidi broke the silence. “It’s pretty quiet around here at night.”
“Yeah, pretty quiet,” Benjamin said.
“Do you think we’ll see him again soon?” she asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Benjamin said. “I mean, I hope so.”
“I’m sorry he’s gone.”
“I am, too,” Benjamin said. “But whatever it is Helios has planned for him must be important for Cory to be taken away so suddenly.”
Heidi shrugged. “Maybe Helios didn’t want Cory to get too comfortable in his new surroundings.”
“Maybe not,” Benjamin said.
They sat longer, saying nothing. Again Heidi broke the silence.
“So I guess that just leaves you and me.”
“Yeah, you and me,” Benjamin said, unsure what she expected him to say.
“And of course Gary,” Heidi said.
“Oh, Gary! Wow, I forgot.” Benjamin jumped up, shaking his head, and letting go of her hand. “We better get back. Do you want to try to teleport?”
Heidi stood up and laughed. “No, not yet. Let’s just get back to Lemuria, through the barrier shield. Maybe tomorrow I can give it a whirl.”
“Okay then.” Benjamin moved close to Heidi and took her hand in his without saying a word. She looked at him, and he smiled back. And then they teleported away from Delphi.
The second they arrived at the park, Benjamin stumbled and fell to the ground.
“No more time traveling for you.” Aurora rushed over and knelt beside him.
“I’m fine.” He attempted to wave her off. “It’s just the teleportation and everything I think.”
“Whatever it is, that’s the last of it.” Aurora crammed some ambrosia at him.
He involuntarily shuddered, but then took a big swallow, almost gagging on a couple chunks that stuck in his throat. But he forced them down. Yuck! It was worse than it had been two weeks ago.
“Have you guys been waiting here the whole time?” Heidi asked.
“Only for the last few hours.” Gary looked around the dark grassy area. “Where are Andy and Iva?”
“And where is your brother?” Aurora asked. “Didn’t you find him?”
Benjamin stood up and moved to a nearby bench. Guiding himself to a sitting position, he took his time waiting for the ambrosia to clear his head. “No, we found him. And we got him back safely.”
“So where is he?” Gary asked.
“Helios took him in Delphi,” Benjamin said.
“Delphi? What were you doing there?” Aurora asked.
“Finding a way to travel back,” Heidi said.
“So where are Andy and Iva?” Gary asked.
“Still back in Delphi,” Heidi said. “It was part of the deal Apollo made with us so we could use the Navel of the World.”
“Apollo!” Aurora almost spat the name. “Does my dad have stories to tell about him.”
“What kind of deal?” Gary said.
“He only let us use the Navel of the World—which is, by the way, an incredibly strong telemagnifier—if Iva agreed to stay for a year,” Benjamin said.
“Serving as high oracle of Delphi,” Heidi added.
“Ugh! Wait until my dad hears about this,” Aurora said. “He’s gonna be furious.”
“You can’t tell him,” Benjamin said.
“I know,” Aurora said. “But he’ll find out anyway. My dad finds out everything to do with temporal phasing. Remember he’s an agent for DOPOT.”
Benjamin tried to remember what that stood for, but it hurt his head just to think about it.
“So when are they getting back?” Gary asked. “I mean shouldn’t they be arriving any time?”
“Apollo wouldn’t specify a time,” Heidi said.
“It could be now. It could be four days from now,” Aurora said. “With Apollo, there are no guarantees.”
“So I guess we just wait,” Benjamin said.
“Wait and get ready for our ability tests,” Gary added.
But the following day no one felt like practicing. Heidi, Benjamin, and Gary sat around a table in the dining hall eating breakfast.
“I don’t care how I do on my tests,” Heidi said. “Not even telekinesis.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Gary said.
“But that is precisely the time when you need to practice the hardest,” Suneeta said, walking over to their table with Julie in tow. “You already spent yesterday goofing around.”
“Not really goofing around,” Benjamin said.
“Then why did you lock the doors to the temple when you entered?” Suneeta asked.
“We didn’t lock the doors. It was just an accident,” Heidi said.
Julie leaned in close so no one else would hear. “Hey, you guys. Can we just forget the fact that you saw me in India yesterday?” She motioned with her head over to the table where Ryan and Jonathan sat. “I don’t want you-know-who to find out.”
Suneeta put on her best disgusted look. “Must we call him you-know-who? It is not like it is a secret.”
“Shhhh!” Julie said.
“Julie, your secret is safe with us,” Benjamin looked to Heidi. “Right, Heidi?”
“Right.”
“And you’ll pass it on to Iva and Andy when you see them. Right?” Julie’s eyes were as wide as apples.
“Where are Iva and Andy anyway?” Suneeta asked.
“Iva wanted to get some extra telegnostic practice in,” Heidi said quickly which was a totally impressive non-lie.
“You all should learn from her example. By the way, have you seen Magic Pan? I can’t find him anywhere.” Suneeta turned and left, trailed by Julie.
“So what are we going to do today instead of practicing?” Heidi asked.
“Who cares?” Jack said, appearing on the table. “Let’s just get out and walk around the city a little.” He made a show out of walking on the table, but stopped suddenly. “Hey. Where are Andy and Iva?”
“Popular question,” Gary said.
“Yeah, why don’t we tell you the whole story once we get outside,” Benjamin said.
They started relaying the story to Jack, but he stopped them. “Okay, okay, I can see it in your mind. So they’re stuck in Delphi. Right?”
“Hopefully not stuck,” Heidi said. “We’re expecting them any minute.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” Jack said. “It could be weeks or even months.”
“Great,” Benjamin said. “The outlook just keeps getting better and better.”
“So what’s your brother like?” Jack asked. “Does he look like you? Does he act like you?”
“I guess he kind of looks like me except older. As for how he acts…” Benjamin shrugged. “Kind of like an adult.”
“That’s because he is,” Heidi said. “So what are we going to do today?”
“Let’s just wander around the city,” Benjamin said.
They walked around for a couple hours, but somehow managed to pass the park four times. “Why do we keep ending up back here?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know,” Benjamin said. “I guess I keep thinking that Andy and Iva might show up.”
“So what kind of assignment did Helios take Cory away for?” Jack asked.
“He wouldn’t say,” Heidi said. “I tried to pick it from his mind, but I think he can put up stronger mind blocks than even you.”
“Not better than me,” Jack said.
“I don’t know,” Heidi said. “It was pretty
strong.”
“No matter how hard any of you telegens try, you can’t have a stronger mind block than even the weakest Nogical,” Jack said. “It all comes down to genetics. Right, Gary?”
“It’s true,” Gary said. “The telenergetic strength in Nogical DNA is off the scales. We learned about it in Genetic Engineering.”
“So I have a question,” Heidi said. “Why was Apollo roaming free three thousand years ago? I thought all Atlantian gods were rounded up and imprisoned within the barrier shield like ten thousand years ago or something.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Jack said. “But you’re forgetting about the forbidden doors.”
“Of course,” Heidi said. “Like the one we saw in Delphi.”
“Right,” Jack said. “Lemuria closes them whenever they’re found, but they turn up everywhere.”
“Which lets lots of false gods come into the world,” Gary said.
Jack nodded.
“So there are still more forbidden doorways out there?” Heidi said.
Jack nodded. “Lots.”
“Wow. Hard to believe that Lemuria is such an advanced civilization, but things still manage to slip by it,” Benjamin said.
“You have to remember Atlantis is equally advanced,” Jack said. “So it all kind of balances out.”
CHAPTER 32
The Future Is Ahead.
The Past Is Behind.
It wasn’t the next day, or even the day after that Iva and Andy finally came back. It was, in fact, the following Saturday, well after the ability tests were over. With Jack’s encouragement, Benjamin managed to drag himself through.
“So what do you think will happen to Iva and Andy?” Benjamin asked. “Are they gonna flunk everything?”
Heidi shook her head. “I checked with Proteus. They’ll advance one level in each subject.”
“You mean if I didn’t even go to these tests, I would have done the exact same?” Gary asked.