by Alane Adams
The Eye of Zeus held all the ingredients to bring Typhon back. Claws, tusks, wings, horns, fangs, tail, all the bits and pieces to form a perfectly terrible monster.
Great. I had just given Ares the key to a very bad jail cell.
A head emerged from the altar, reminding me of a crocodile with its pebbled snout filled with wicked-looking fangs. Its mouth was slightly open, revealing a pink tongue that salivated with hunger. Yellowed eyes with black slits for pupils blinked open as the head poked up higher, followed by broad shoulders. The wings snapped open, spreading wide.
I stepped back as the torso thickened, growing and swelling in size until it was as big as a locomotive. With a final pop, Typhon was freed of the mirror. The altar promptly exploded, vaporizing into metallic dust.
Typhon raised his head, drawing a rattling breath into his lungs, and gave an ear-piercing screech. He followed that with a belch of flame that shot across the sand, nearly scorching my friends, who scattered.
Maybe I could convince this he-monster to swallow Ares whole. Its head swiveled around, fixing a gaze on Ares, who waited with his shield in one hand and sword in the other. He didn’t seem the slightest bit afraid.
Typhon crawled forward on scaly legs, stopping when he was directly in front of Ares. He brought his head down and flared his nostrils, taking in my half-brother’s odious scent. The god of war stood grinning like the fool he was, and then he gave Typhon a pat on the nose. “Welcome home, old friend. Look, I provided you your first meal.” Ares swept his arm toward my friends.
The monster sniffed the air, spying my helpless friends huddled together on the beach. A light came into his eyes, and he rumbled a satisfied growl.
“When you’re done eating, you can have all the revenge you could ever imagine feasting on the gods of Olympus. Zeus will be the first course.”
Typhon’s eyes glinted even brighter.
Angie held her sword out, bravely standing in front of Carl and Damian. “Back off, you oversized green tank. I’m not afraid to stick this in your eye.”
It was laughable. Angie’s sword was no match for this monstrous beast. It towered over them, a sliver of drool hanging from its jaw as it ran a huge pink tongue over its scaly lips.
The lightning was in my hand before I even blinked, and I launched it in the air, aiming straight at one glowing eye socket. A spinning shield blocked the lightning, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. Typhon whipped its head toward me, letting out a roar.
Ares held his hand up, staying the monster as he snarled at me, “Do that again, and I will serve you to Typhon myself. You have served your purpose well, sister. Do not make me regret leaving you alive.”
“Fine. Tell it to back off, or you and I can have it out now. I will defeat you, you know. The prophecy made it clear if I collected the talismans—”
Phobos and Deimos snickered with laughter. Even Ares’s face twitched with a smile.
“About that prophecy,” he said.
The twins were literally rolling with laughter now, making fools of themselves in the sand. Even Typhon looked amused, the hunger dying in his eyes as Ares went on.
“It wasn’t exactly written by the Oracle of Delphi.”
“Then who wrote it?” I asked, dreading his answer.
He grinned, raising his hands in a helpless shrug. “Guilty. I thought it rather clever rhyming, don’t you think? It’s not easy to rhyme the tail of Cerberus with the chimera’s horn.”
The truth hit me over the head like a sledgehammer. Ares had faked the prophecy and placed it in the book, knowing I would find it and go on this fool’s journey.
I stood in the sand, hands clenched as I fought to control my temper. Ares climbed into his carriage, followed by his twin progeny, as Typhon prowled closer to my friends.
This wasn’t over. I had a pair of bolts in my hands ready to throw when Ares whistled.
“Leave those poor mortals be, Typhon. Olympus awaits!” His carriage raced across the sand, lifting off to circle overhead before making a beeline to the east.
The monster gave us one last hungry look and then launched into the air, soaring high into the sky to wheel after Ares.
I let the sizzling bolts drop in the sand. I had been duped. Ares had played me for a complete and total sap, and I had fallen hook, line, and sinker, thinking somehow, I could be the hero.
Right.
When was Phoebe Katz ever the hero?
CHAPTER 38
I might have gone on standing there all day if my sister hadn’t arrived. Typical Athena, she flew the carriage we had stolen from Central Park over the treetops, landing in the sand with a crashing thud. Pepper tossed her head at me, pawing at the sand. There was an old man seated in the back.
“Where is he?” Athena asked, jumping down from the carriage, sword in hand. Her helmet gleamed in the sunlight. In her other hand, she clutched a golden shield. “Where is Ares?”
“He’s gone,” I said.
“Tell me you didn’t complete the Eye of Zeus?” the old man said, climbing down from the back. Wild gray hair flowed behind him. His tunic was stained with age. He limped heavily on a cane. I could see the reason. His right leg bore terrible scars.
One look at my guilty face told them both that hope was foolish. “Oh, Phoebe, I warned you,” Athena said.
“I’m sorry,” I said as scalding tears fell. “I’m not exactly an expert on this stuff. Ares put a fake prophecy in the book that we found at the temple of Delphi. It said if I completed the tasks, I could stop him. How was I supposed to know it wasn’t real?”
“You should have trusted me,” Athena said. “I’m not your enemy.”
“You haven’t exactly been my friend!” I shouted as the tears continued to fall. “All you’ve done is kept me as far away from you as possible. Now I’ve gone and done the stupidest thing. Ares used the Eye of Zeus to bring Typhon back.”
“That’s impossible,” the old man wailed. “It was guaranteed to cage that immortal beast forever. Only Zeus carries the power of lightning.”
“No, Zeus gifted her with it,” Athena said. “Phoebe, meet Hephaestus. Maker of the Eye.”
Hephaestus wheeled away in shock, one hand going to his head. “Then this is terrible indeed.”
“What do you mean ‘immortal beast’?” Angie asked.
“It can’t be killed by anyone or anything. Where is Typhon now?” Athena asked.
“Ares said he was riding on Olympus.”
Athena’s eyes grew wide as true fear crept into them. “By the gods, I must return immediately. Zeus is nearly alone. Every god and goddess is out searching the countryside for you.”
“We’ll come with you,” I said, but her searing look made me step back.
“Demigods and mortals are not welcome in Olympus.”
“Athena, we can help—”
She jabbed a finger in my chest. “We are the gods and goddesses of Olympus. We do not need the help of children. We will not bow so easily. Ares will find that we are ready for him.”
She assisted the old man back into the carriage, then whipped the reins over Pepper’s back. The horse gave me one last wild-eyed look before launching into the air, leaving me standing on the sand.
“Hey, kid.”
Carl.
I had almost forgotten he was there.
He held his arms out, and I flung myself into them, inhaling the scent of his woolly sweater. I blubbered like a baby as he held me tight. When the tears finally slowed, I pulled back, hiccupping.
“I’m … I’m so sorry, I—”
He put a finger on my lips. “No. You do not get to apologize for this. You didn’t ask to be left at a bus stop with barely a name to go with you. And you definitely didn’t ask to be responsible for bringing that monster back. You can’t cry over spilt milk, Phoebe. You have to find a way to make things right.”
“But how? Damian’s blind. Our friend Macario turned into a tree. And Angie’s scared out of her mind.”<
br />
“Not that scared, Katzy.”
I turned around. Angie stood by Damian’s side.
“And I’m not that blind,” he added. He’d taken his bandage off. His eyes were raw and swollen but open. “I can almost see out of my left eye.”
“Go,” Carl said. “Get this guy and take him out. Don’t listen to some prophecy. Just go be Phoebe Katz.”
A wild thrill went through me at his words. Be Phoebe Katz? That I could do.
“What about Macario? We can’t leave him here.” What if someone turned him into firewood?
“I’ll stay with him,” Carl said. “I won’t be much use in a fight anyway. But how will you get to Olympus?”
Angie put two fingers to her lips and whistled shrilly. “We have our own rides.”
Carl grunted in surprise as our pegasuses appeared over the treetops.
We left Zesto behind with Carl. It was good to feel Argenta’s silvery warm body underneath me. She gave me courage as she tossed her head at me over her shoulder. We flew over rolling hills, skimming the tops of trees. Mount Olympus stood out on the horizon. It had a flattish top, and snow clung to it like frosting. A rim of clouds encircled it.
“So where is this city of the gods?” I called to Damian. I couldn’t see anything besides trees and snow.
“It’s hidden behind the clouds,” he said. “Each god has his own palace made of brass and gold. Zeus has the biggest one, of course. It’s at the top of a hill.”
We broke into the clouds. Swirls of mist and cold air surrounded us. The winged horses kept on, flying blindly. My clothes grew damp and clung to my skin. The mist thinned, and we burst out onto the other side. The gates of Olympus came into view.
The ornate solid gold gates might have been impressive at one time, but now they were a crumpled mess—as if some monster had torn them from their hinges, spitting out the pieces like broken bones in a graveyard. Smoke scarred the pylons that had held the gates in place. The fire had already burned out, leaving only charred remains of stumps. The road that led to the city was shrouded in smoke.
We walked the pegasuses through the gates. No one challenged us. In fact, there was no one around at all, as if the city had been abandoned.
“Where is everyone?” Damian asked.
“Don’t know,” I said. “Athena said they were scattered looking for me.” If only they had found me and stopped me, I thought bitterly. Would have saved all this trouble.
“Ares wasn’t kidding about destroying Olympus,” Angie said. “It’s like a nuclear bomb went off here.”
Typhon had knocked down entire buildings, tumbled them to the ground. Chunks of rock and twisted metal littered the streets.
At the top of the hill, a temple stood unscarred. The sound of Typhon roaring echoed. That must be were the action was.
“Let’s go on foot,” I said. “I don’t want Argenta and the others in the middle of this.”
“Agreed,” Damian said.
We walked past rubbled buildings. Partial names were legible on shattered stone. None of them made much sense until I saw ATHE- on a fallen piece of stone.
I stopped. “This must be Athena’s palace.”
“So? She was annoying,” Angie said. “Way too bossy.”
A groan floated out of the debris.
“There’s someone in there!” I scrambled over crumbled metal and stone. A pair of legs wearing familiar golden sandals stuck out from under a fallen column. I peered over the top. “Athena!”
Her pale face was streaked in dust. “Phoebe, you shouldn’t be here. I told you to stay away.” Her voice was faint, weak.
“You should know by now I don’t take orders well.” I heaved up on the column pinning her, but it was too heavy. Even with all three of us, we couldn’t budge it.
“Must you always be so stubborn?” A flicker of a smile crossed her face. “I do not wish to fight with you. You need to let the gods take care of this.”
“Sorry, sis, there’s no one else here. Where’s Zeus?”
“In his palace. Ares stole his scepter, the source of his greatest power. He has Father in chains. I must get up there and help him.” She struggled to sit up, but the column kept her pinned.
“We’ll go,” I said.
“No, it’s too dangerous.”
“I know.” I grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Before she could argue, we ducked out, leaving her to shout after us to come back.
We crept up the hill, keeping to the shadows of the buildings. At the top, a spectacular palace awaited. Massive pillars held a domed roof. An enormous set of metal doors hung half off their hinges, as if they had been ripped open.
We crept inside, darting behind a row of potted ferns, and crouched down. The room was lit by a trio of iron chandeliers. Twelve thrones sat arranged in a circle, and behind them was a small tiered seating area for observers.
The thrones were all empty save for one—the largest—made entirely of gold. Ares lounged on it, legs crossed. On his head he wore a flashy golden crown inset with glittering white diamonds shaped in jagged lightning bolts. In his right hand, he held a glowing scepter. It appeared made of radiant light with silver bands.
Behind him, Typhon lay sleeping, his massive head resting on his front claws. In the center of the room, a man knelt before Ares. He had thick white hair that fell to his broad shoulders and a snow-white beard that reached his chest. I couldn’t see his face, just the side of it. His tunic was trimmed in fine gold, but his hands were chained in front of him, and both ankles were bound with loops of iron.
Zeus.
My father.
Angie gripped my elbow as I swayed on my feet.
“Isn’t this a lovely sight,” Ares said. “You kneeling before me. I’ve always wanted to see what you looked like from this angle.”
The twins stood at either side of the throne, smirking alongside their father.
“Let us show him what fear is,” Phobos said, his ice-blue eyes eager to cause pain.
“Yes, Father, we can break him and render him a drooling, puling, mindless thing,” Deimos added in that lethal voice of his.
“Quiet!” Ares jammed the scepter into the ground. White lightning crackled around the top of it. “This isn’t some demigod. This is Zeus, king of the gods. Your powers are useless on him. Save it for that offspring of his that is bound to follow.”
They slunk back sullenly.
“Ares, it’s not too late to stop this,” Zeus said. “Send Typhon back from whence he came.” His voice was deep, commanding, steady.
“It is too late. I rule this kingdom now. The son has overthrown the father, just as you overthrew yours and he overthrew his. History repeats itself.”
“You’ll never be able to hold on to the power, Ares. You’re too angry and foolish. If your mother, Hera, were here, she’d be very disappointed.”
“Would she? I thought it was you she was constantly disappointed in. Soon, every kingdom in this wretched place will bow down to me. You see, I made a deal with them up front. Nemea, freed from its lion, now kneels to me. Lerna, safe from its terrible hydra, is thankful to me. Argos, Thebes, Lycia. I arranged for all of them to be free of a wretched beast. Something you never did.” Ares leaned back in the throne, kicking one leg over the other. “I’m the mighty god that saved them, and they’ll show their thanks by swearing allegiance to me.”
“The other Olympians will never stand for it,” Zeus intoned.
Ares laughed. “The other Olympians are in chains. My army has imprisoned them. No one rides to your rescue. Only Athena, and I buried her in her palace. Soon my armies will spread across the waters, and history will be rewritten with me as the immortal leader.”
Zeus laughed. “You’ve gotten too big for your britches, my son. I should have put you over my knee centuries ago. It is inevitable you will fail.”
“What is inevitable is that you would give me a lecture,” Ares shouted, leaping to his feet, “when I am the one on the
throne wearing a crown, bearing your precious scepter.”
Zeus cleared his throat. “You know, I never once wore that crown. I found it too showy.” His chin tilted slightly in our direction, as if he knew we lurked in the shadows.
I frowned. Zeus never wore the crown?
My mind played back the original prophecy. From the same womb as Perseus will she arise. To a mighty god she will be his demise, for she will bring the kingdom down in ruins round and round his crown.
What had that retired oracle Phaea said? Prophecies aren’t always straightforward. People hear what they want to hear. My heart raced. That was it! I was going to bring down a mighty god, all right. The one wearing the crown.
“Come on.” I gripped Damian’s arm. “I have an idea.”
CHAPTER 39
We burst into Athena’s ruined palace to find Hephaestus trying futilely to move the column.
“I know how to stop Ares,” I announced.
Athena lifted her head, eyes glazed with pain. “What do you mean?”
I kneeled at her side. “The fate of Olympus rests on me saving it, not destroying it.”
“How?”
I explained my theory.
“You think Ares read his prophecy wrong?” Athena’s voice was loaded with skepticism.
“Yup. But I’ll need your help.”
She indicated the column pinning her legs. “How? I’m stuck here.”
“Maybe I can help,” a cheerful voice said. “Athena, I leave you alone for one day, and you let Olympus fall into ruins.” A man with a thick sheaf of golden hair and sparkling blue eyes entered, crossing swiftly to Athena’s side and lifting the column off her in one easy toss. He wore a golden tunic trimmed in white braid with a small sunburst on the shoulder. “And someone do please explain why the soldiers of Argos tried to throw me in prison.”