by Kate O'Hearn
The tiny wings flapped in acknowledgment and lifted him up in the air. They carried him silently above ruined buildings. Like everything else in his life, Olympus itself was a wreck.
The journey was short and, even though it was late, the glow of the forge was shining through the large double doors.
Touching down outside the doors, Paelen peered in. The workspace around the large forge was unbearably hot and cramped. Tools of unimaginable use hung on the walls and down from the tall ceiling. The floor was filthy from the coal that was being shoveled into the fire.
Joel was standing beside the forge. His shirt was off and he was covered in a film of sweat and grime. His artificial arm worked the billows, blowing strong winds into the flames to stoke the fire into surrendering more heat for the steel that was being worked within its glowing embers.
Chrysaor, the winged boar, was lounging on rags in the corner. Somehow he managed to sleep despite the overwhelming heat and noise.
Directly across from Joel was Vulcan. Hunched over on his artificial legs, he was wielding a massive hammer as he pounded out glowing red steel on an anvil. From first impressions, it looked like they were making weapons. A lot of them.
“Joel!” Paelen called from the doors. He knew better than to enter without announcing himself first. He’d made that mistake once before, and creeping up on Joel had surprised him. Joel had reacted instinctively and struck Paelen with a blow from his silver arm, which had driven him across the forge and into a large barrel of oily water used for cooling forged metal.
Joel looked to the entrance and nodded at Paelen. Then he motioned to Vulcan that he was taking a break.
“Hey, Paelen, what’s up?” Joel was his normal, smiling self as he wiped sweat off his brow with a grimy rag.
“I need to speak with you. I did something really stupid and I cannot get it out of my mind. I do not know how to fix it.”
Joel grinned and punched him. “So, what else is new? You’re always doing something stupid. That’s what everyone loves about you. Whoever you did it to must understand that by now.”
“It was Emily.”
Joel’s smile vanished, and he frowned. “Emily? What did you do to her?”
At the mention of Emily’s name, Chrysaor rose and joined them outside the forge. He snorted at Paelen.
“Well, I did not mean to,” Paelen said to the boar.
“You didn’t mean to do what?” Joel demanded.
Paelen looked down at his winged sandals. “I took Lorin and Tornado Warning to the silver beach. Then Emily and Pegasus came. Lorin refused to leave, so they had to, or Pegasus would have started fighting with Tornado.”
Chrysaor squealed in anger while Joel shouted, “You did what? What on Earth possessed you to do that?”
Paelen frowned. “We are not on Earth, Joel. We are in Olympus.”
“You know what I mean. Why did you do it?”
“Lorin had seen it in Emily’s mind when they were connected. She has been nagging me to take her there.”
“So why didn’t you say no?”
Paelen dropped his head. “Well, she used that ‘look’ on me, and I just could not say no.”
The winged boar continued to squeal at him.
“I am sorry; I know it was a mistake!”
Joel was shaking his head. “So if she asked you to put your hand in Vulcan’s forge, would you do it?”
Paelen shrugged. “If she used that ‘look,’ probably.”
“You moron!” Joel said. “You should never let a girl get that kind of control over you. It just leads to disaster.”
“Well, you feel the same about Emily. Or at least you used to. You would have done anything she asked of you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Joel challenged. “What do you mean ‘used to’?”
“You know what I mean. You have been avoiding Emily because she does not look the same. Everyone in Olympus knows you do not love her anymore.”
“What?” Joel cried. “That’s a lie.”
“Is it?” Paelen asked. “When was the last time you spoke with her?”
Joel paused, wiping his brow again. “I dunno, yesterday maybe.”
Once again, Chrysaor squealed. This time he was looking at Joel.
“What?” Joel said to him.
“It has been more than four days,” Paelen explained. “Chrysaor and I were there, remember? She asked us if we would like to join her at Apollo’s home to have dinner with Diana and her father. You said no, and the two of you walked away. I could not go because of Lorin. So none of us went. But, Joel, you did not see Emily’s face when you and Chrysaor left. You hurt her. We all did.”
“But . . . but I’ve been really busy,” Joel said defensively. His face was changing and getting angry. He pointed back into the forge. “Look in there. What do you see? Weapons! Vulcan and I have been working nonstop making weapons to arm every Olympian. The Titans nearly destroyed us, here and in Hawaii. If Riza and her family hadn’t been there, we’d all be dead now.”
Paelen shook his head. “It was Emily who saved us. She was the one who sacrificed herself by leaping into the lava and retrieving the shard. It was Emily, not Riza.”
“Even so, we need to arm ourselves.”
“Did you tell her what you were doing so she would understand?”
“No,” Joel said. “But I shouldn’t have to explain. She knows me.”
“Does she?”
Speaking to Joel and hearing his excuses made Paelen realize just how much they’d both neglected their friend. “Joel,” he finally said. “How do you feel about Emily now that she looks so much like Diana?”
Chrysaor squealed, but Paelen shook his head. “No. Let him answer, because his feelings have changed.”
“I—I don’t know what I feel,” Joel said. “It’s complicated. Emily just doesn’t seem like Emily anymore. She’s changed so much, it’s like she’s a different person. She’s taller, a lot stronger, and even though her new face is beautiful, it isn’t Emily.”
“But it is,” Paelen said. “Only the outside has changed. Inside she’s still the same person. How would you feel if Emily looked at you differently because of your silver arm?”
Joel shook his head. “It’s not the same. This is just one arm. All of Emily has changed.”
“Do you think she does not know that? That she is not having a difficult time adjusting to everything?”
“Well, maybe,” Joel said. “But this is big. Sometimes I feel like the Emily we knew died in that lava and that a new person called Emily is here, trying to take her place.”
Paelen heard the excuses; he’d even made some himself. But hearing them from Joel made it worse. He’d thought their feelings for each other could survive anything.
“Joel, we have both hurt her when she needed us most. Does what someone looks like on the outside mean more than what is on the inside? If I changed completely, would you stop talking to me too?”
“Don’t be stupid. Of course not.”
“Then why is it different for Emily? Is it because she is a girl and you expect her to look a certain way?”
“It’s because I loved Emily, the old version with the brown hair, freckles, and pretty blue eyes,” Joel snapped. “Not this . . . What does she call herself now . . . ? ‘Emily Version II,’ with her jet-black hair, deep blue eyes with white flecks, and not a zit or freckle in sight. Paelen, this new Emily is just too perfect. She’s perfectly strong, perfectly tall, and perfectly beautiful.”
“So?”
“So I want the old, imperfect Emily back!”
“And because she cannot look the same, you no longer care?”
Joel shook his head and combed his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t know, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I just don’t know. Does that make me a bad person? Probably. An idiot? Definitely. But some changes are just too big to accept.”
Paelen tilted his head to the side. “You know, I always believed the
re was nothing on Olympus or any other world that could ever get between you two. But I was wrong.” He looked down at his sandals. “Take to me Alexis’s home.”
• • •
Paelen felt a lump in his throat as the sandals carried him silently toward Alexis and Tom’s cave. He knew it was late, but guilt and regret kept him moving. He should have said something sooner and not let this go on so long. Even if it meant waking her, he needed to speak with Emily to apologize for everything.
Landing in front of the Sphinxes’ cave, he peered in and was surprised to see the lights on. Tom was pacing the floor while his long tail swished in the air. Alexis was sitting down with a worried expression on her face.
“Hello,” Paelen called. “May I enter?”
“Of course,” Tom said. “It’s good to see you.” He peered past Paelen. “Where’s Joel?”
“He is working at the forge with Vulcan. They are making weapons in case the Titans attack us again.” Paelen dropped his head. “I actually came to speak with Emily. I know it is late, but I must see her.”
“I’m afraid she’s not here,” Tom said.
“Not here? Is she out with Pegasus?”
Tom nodded. “You might say that. Please come in. I think we should talk.”
“Tom, no,” Alexis said. “We promised Emily. It has not been long enough.”
“I know, but I’ve been thinking that letting her go was a terrible mistake. Even with Riza, they’re risking too much.”
Paelen felt a thud hit his stomach. “What kind of mistake? What is Emily doing?”
“Tom, we must not,” Alexis said. She faced Paelen. “Everything is fine. Emily will be back soon. You may leave us now.”
“Back from where?”
Tom approached Alexis. “I’m sorry, my love, but I can’t keep quiet. Not about this. Emily means too much to us, and I know they’re walking into danger.”
The more they held back, the more frightened Paelen became. “If this involves Emily, you must tell me!”
“But she did not wish to involve Paelen or Joel,” Alexis insisted.
“Not involve us,” Paelen cried. “Why not?”
Tom shook his head. “Because you’re not a team anymore. Emily knows it, and so do I. But I fear she has bitten off much more than she can chew this time. I’m still tempted to go to Jupiter.”
“No!” Alexis gasped. “You cannot. We promised Emily, and that is one promise I intend to keep. Her fears that Jupiter will destroy the Earth are valid. He will if he finds out.”
Paelen’s mouth went dry. “Tom, Alexis, listen to me. You must tell me what has happened. Where are Emily and Pegasus?”
Tom sighed. “They’ve gone to Xanadu to get Riza. Then they plan to go to Earth to attack one of the biggest CRU facilities in existence.”
“What?” Paelen cried.
Tom nodded. “Sit down and listen. I don’t care that things have changed between you three. Emily is in danger, and you and Joel are going to find her whether you like it or not. You will find her and help her, or I swear you’ll both answer to me!”
• • •
It was dawn by the time Paelen left the cave. “Faster!” he shouted at his sandals as they winged their way back to Vulcan’s forge. Even before he touched down, he was running into the inferno of heat. Joel and Vulcan were standing together, inspecting a new sword, while Chrysaor was once again in the pile of rags.
“Joel!” he cried. “Joel, it’s Emily. You must come!”
Vulcan put down the sword. “What has happened to Emily?”
Paelen repeated the story he’d just heard from Tom about Emily and Pegasus going to Xanadu to collect Riza and her plan to go to England to free the CRU prisoners.
Hearing his brother’s name, Chrysaor joined them and squealed loudly at the end of the story.
“They have taken my Stella!” Vulcan cried. “How is this possible?”
“You know her?” Paelen asked.
Vulcan nodded. “Of course I know her. It was Stella’s design for the flame-sword that saved us in the first Titan War. This is her design we are making right now. Those swords were the only things we Olympians could use against the Shadow Titans.” He looked at Joel. “Go into the back of the forge and call out the name ‘Maxine.’ ”
“Who’s Maxine?”
“Just do it!” Vulcan commanded.
When Joel returned a moment later, a wheelchair covered in dust and cobwebs was following close behind him, moving on its own. His eyes were wide. “What is this?”
“This is Maxine, Stella’s wheelchair. I made it for her a very, very long time ago. The sweet child’s legs did not work, but with Maxine, Stella could get around just as well.” Vulcan looked at Paelen. “You will not remember her, but you and Stella were very close. You were such an old man by then, but you and Brue lived with us in our mobile forge. I always thought if your ages were not so different, you and Stella would have been perfect for each other.” Vulcan chuckled with the memory. “In your old age, you went back to your thieving ways. We were always finding my tools hidden under your bunk.”
“I remember none of this,” Paelen said.
“So you should not. It happened in another time line, as Emily and Agent B called it. Once Emily destroyed the Titan weapon that was killing us, time changed. You do not remember it because for you it never happened. But I was there, in the first war, and remember it well. I cared very deeply for Stella. So did you, Paelen.”
“Now the CRU have taken Agent B and Stella,” Paelen said. “Tom and Emily insist there is no way they should know about them—Earl and Frankie, yes, because they are from this time line, but not Agent B or Stella.”
“Unless someone who was there told them,” Vulcan suggested.
Paelen nodded. “That’s what Tom believes. He thinks in the fight on Hawaii, one of the older Titans may have been captured and told them about the other time line and war.”
Joel spoke for the first time. “This doesn’t make any sense. Even if the CRU found out about the other time line, so what? What do they expect by taking Agent B and Stella? The weapon was destroyed. It is no good to them.”
Vulcan shook his head and started to look around the vast forge. He picked up tools and brought them back to his workbench.
“What is it?” Joel demanded. “What are you doing?”
“I am seeing what we need to take with us.”
“What do you mean take with us?”
Vulcan stopped looking around and came back. He slapped Joel across the head. “Use your brain, boy! There is only one reason why the CRU would take Stella and Agent B. Not because of what they know but because of who they are.”
“What do you mean?” Paelen said.
Chrysaor squealed, and Vulcan shook his head, sighing. “How you two have managed to survive this long is beyond me, so I will explain it to you slowly.” He pulled out a stool and sat down. “In war, deep friendships and loyalties are formed, just as you two care for each other. But the first war with the Titans was different. You will not remember, but you were both there. We all fought together in the most terrible circumstances possible for a very long time. It was grim, violent, and filthy. But Agent B and Stella were with us all the way. The bonds we all forged ran deep. The CRU must know this and are using it against Emily and all of us who were there.”
“For what?” Joel said. “I still don’t get it.”
Paelen slapped Joel across the head. “Vulcan is right. Use your brain, or is the heat in here getting to you? Do you not see? If Agent B and Stella meant so much to Emily, they would be the perfect bait in a trap so deep, not even Emily could escape.”
Vulcan went back to work, furiously racing around the forge, gathering weapons and supplies. He piled them in a large sack and stopped long enough to say to Joel and Paelen, “Change your clothes and meet me back here when you are ready. If Emily and Pegasus are off to Xanadu first, we may still be able to catch them.”
“We’re
going to Xanadu?” Joel asked.
“No,” Vulcan said in irritation. “That would take too long. The moment you boys are ready, we must try to catch them up on Earth before they reach Charing Cross.”
6
EMILY, PEGASUS, AND CUPID FLEW steadily toward London through the driving rain. But the worse the weather became, the better Emily liked it. If she could barely see Cupid winging beside them, what chance did the people on the ground have of spotting them in the sky?
“We are approaching London,” Arious Minor announced. “Perhaps we should find somewhere near the station to land while we wait for darkness.”
Emily agreed and called forward to Pegasus. “We’re almost there. We should find somewhere to hide until tonight.”
Pegasus nodded and came down lower in the sky. Bursting free from the low-hanging clouds, they got their first glimpse of the city. Emily’s initial impression was that it was very pretty, with winding streets and narrow alleys. It also had some very oddly shaped buildings. But it was different from New York City or Las Vegas. The buildings weren’t nearly as tall.
They followed the course of the river that cut through the city until they passed the Tower of Big Ben that she’d seen in Urania’s pool. Finally, Arious told Emily they were above Charing Cross Station.
“How about down there?” Emily pointed out to the winged stallion a taller roof on a neighboring building. There were four large gray exhaust ports that almost looked like castle turrets. “Can you land down between those big smokestacks?”
Pegasus whinnied and tilted his wings. He expertly maneuvered between the stacks and landed lightly on the roof. Cupid landed behind him and tucked in his wings.
Emily slid down from the stallion’s back and peered over the edge of the roof to the street below to see if anyone had seen them. They were only five stories high at most. But judging by the number of umbrellas she saw, it seemed no one had witnessed their arrival.
“Now we wait,” Cupid said as he pulled the green rain slicker over his wings. He stood beside Emily, peering out over the city. There was congestion on the road, with cars, tall red double-decker buses, and black cabs all trying to get to various places.