by Kate O'Hearn
Cupid did as Emily asked and extended his wings. Stella gasped at the sight. “This is impossible. Those are just myths. That can’t be Eros. He is not real.”
Emily remembered that Stella knew the Olympians only by their Greek names. “Yes, it is, believe me.”
“I am very real,” Cupid said.
Stella’s eyes opened wider. “Then you are Psyche, the real Psyche? Wife of Eros?”
That tidbit of information was something that Cupid had failed to tell her. She didn’t know that he was married, let alone to Psyche. She looked sharply back at him and he shrugged.
“Yes, Stella, Cupid is my husband,” Emily said tightly.
“Will Zeus come to rescue us?”
Emily shook her head. “I hope not. He and his brothers have ferocious tempers and have no love for these people. If they find out what they have done to us, they may lose their tempers and Earth will suffer greatly. The best thing that could happen would be for them to release us immediately.”
“I doubt that’s gonna happen,” Earl said. “Don’t know exactly how long it’s been that we’ve been here, but it’s been long enough. I don’t even know where here is.”
“You are in Londinium,” Cupid said.
“Where?” Earl said.
“London,” Emily corrected. “London, England.”
Stella gasped. “London? How? Why? Who are these people that murdered my parents and brought me here? I ask, but they never tell me.”
“What?” Emily cried. “They killed your parents?”
Stella lowered her head. “We were on a dig in Crete. My parents are, I mean, were, archaeologists. The men came for me. My father tried to stop them, but they . . . they . . .” Stella stopped speaking and started to weep.
Emily sat on the bunk, stunned into silence. Stella had helped the Olympians win the first war against the Titans, and this was the price she paid for her help. Finally Emily put her arm around the Greek girl. “I am so very, very sorry. I promise you, Stella, we’ll get you out of here, and I’ll take you to Olympus, where Zeus himself can thank you.”
“For what?” Stella wept.
“Yes, Psyche, what does Zeus have to thank Stella for?”
Emily hadn’t heard the agents entering the cell block. She hadn’t felt them either, which was further proof of her diminished powers.
Three CRU agents stopped before the cell while another four stood with weapons raised, farther down the corridor. Two of them had dark hair styled back, while the other—the one who had spoken—was blond, with curly hair that refused to be tamed. He had a strong English accent and a cold, calculating expression. He looked to be in his late thirties.
Pegasus whinnied and charged up to the bars.
“Tell your horse to calm down or we’ll tranquilize him again.”
“He is not a horse,” Cupid snapped as he joined Pegasus. “This is the great stallion Pegasus, son of Neptune, and you will show him respect.”
“He’s a flying horse,” the agent said dismissively. “I’ve seen plenty of them in my time and don’t care that he’s the original.”
That comment struck fear in Emily. This English agent had seen other winged horses? Had he visited the Area 51 facility, or were there more clones around the world? Either way, it was all bad news.
Emily left Stella and walked to the bars. “If you know who we are, you might consider releasing us before the others get here.”
“Let them come,” the agent said. “We’re ready for them. . . .” He leaned closer to the bars. “Especially Emily and Lorin.”
Emily looked at Pegasus and Cupid in shock.
The agent smiled. “If you think for one minute we believe that ridiculous story that Emily died in Hawaii, you are sadly mistaken. Emily can’t die because she isn’t alive. She, and Lorin, we believe, are nothing more than sentient energy. It can’t be killed, but it can be contained.”
“You are a fool,” Cupid spat. “Even if Emily were still alive, she would not come here.”
The agent laughed without humor. “Of course she would. They’ll both come because of him.” He moved closer to the bars and pointed to Pegasus. “We know from Hawaii that Lorin wanted him as much as Emily. He’s just the bait we need to get them here. They’ll do anything to protect him, especially when they feel his pain.”
Pegasus shrieked in rage and reared up. He kicked the bars with a sharp, golden hoof and dented the heavy steel. They actually bent outward after a second kick.
The four guards raised their weapons and prepared to fire, but the blond agent held up a restraining hand. “Not yet. Stand down.” He focused on Pegasus. “Try that again and I’ll let them shoot you. I know it won’t kill you, but it will hurt.”
He looked back at the four armed men. “Keep an eye on them—especially the Olympians. If they try anything at all, shoot one of the humans.”
The three agents left the corridor, but the four armed guards remained, positioned outside the cell with their weapons at the ready.
Emily stood beside Pegasus, stroking his mane. Arious Minor was still in her ear, hidden like a hearing aid. His tiny, high-pitched voice said, “Emily, I believe they mean it. They will kill the humans if you try to escape.”
“I know,” Emily whispered. She made it look as though she were speaking to Pegasus. “Can you get inside their computer system again? Find out where we are and if there’s a way out for all of us?”
“I will. Walk closer to the wall near Agent B. I don’t want them to see me.”
Emily gave Pegasus another pat and then walked over to the bunk containing Agent B. She knelt down beside him and brushed a lock of long curly black hair out of his eyes. She couldn’t feel Arious Minor leave her ear, but she saw the flash of light as he darted down to the floor and through the wall.
“Don’t worry, Agent B,” she said softly. “We’ll get you out of here.”
“Do you know this man?” Earl asked quietly as he came to stand beside her.
“It’s complicated. I know of him. He’s a CRU agent.”
“I kinda figured that by the way he was dressed. But he must have done something mighty awful to get these folks riled enough to do that to him. They’ve all but beat the stuffin’ out of him.” Earl knelt down and dropped his voice. “And if you wanna convince these folks that you’re really an Olympian, you’d best start speakin’ more formally like they do and stop calling your friend Pegs. You did that when you first woke up. If they heard you, they’d figure it out. There’s only one gal in the universe who calls him that, and we all know it.”
Emily’s eyes went wide as she looked at him.
Earl winked. “Good to see you again too.” He stood up, walked to the bars, and called to the guards, “So when’s lunch? I’m starvin’.”
The guards weren’t impressed. They stiffened and motioned with the guns. One ordered, “Sit down.”
“You ain’t the friendliest bunch of people I ever met,” Earl said as he left the bars and walked back to Pegasus. “How you doin’, old friend?”
Pegasus nickered and pressed closer to Earl.
Still kneeling before Agent B, Emily looked around. There were cameras suspended outside their cell pointing in. There was one door and thick steel bars. From the sound of it, they were the only prisoners on the floor.
She had more than enough power to open the cell door but forced herself to wait. She needed to know what Arious Minor would find. They were a large group with two incapacitated members. They had to know exactly where they were going before they attempted any kind of escape.
Emily walked back to Pegasus. The stallion was quivering and pawing the ground. A nerve twitched in his shoulder. It was obvious he was still feeling the same dark presence they’d all felt in the elevator area. Only now that they were farther underground, whatever it was, Emily knew it was that much closer.
“I feel it too and it is not good.” Emily looked over at Cupid and could tell by the expression on his face that he was
aware of it also.
“It is evil, is it not?” Emily said formally to him, trying to speak like Diana.
“It is,” Cupid agreed. “A great evil, pulsating and alive.” He paused, and his face became haunted. “I do not believe it is part of this world.”
“What are you talking about?” Frankie said. “What’s evil?”
“There is an evil presence in this facility,” Emily said. “We can feel it, but it is not from this world. The CRU have been capturing aliens and anything out of the ordinary for a very long time. I fear they may have captured something particularly bad and it is being held here. What I feel is powerful and very dangerous.”
“Or they created it,” Cupid suggested. “Remember the clones.”
“What you’ll feel, Psyche, is a bullet,” one of the guards said. “Unless you shut your mouth and sit down.”
She studied the guard’s face closely. Despite his bravado, their words were getting to him. He and the other guards had to know what their commanders were doing and what they might have created. But Emily didn’t push it. With their fingers on the triggers, one mistake could be a disaster. Instead, she sat back down beside Stella.
As the hours ticked past, the guards changed and food was delivered to the cell. Emily was surprised to see that among the Earth food, the CRU had also returned the large bags of ambrosia cakes, nectar, and her Xan food hat.
This was another clue that something was very different about this capture. First, why were they all kept together? For safety reasons, they should have been separated and locked on different levels. Now they return their ambrosia? Food they knew would keep the Olympians strong. What was going on?
Emily reached into the bag and pulled out several cakes. She didn’t need to give any to Earl or Frankie, as they had already consumed plenty of it when they’d visited Olympus after the Area 51 incident. Whether the CRU knew it or not, they were now as immortal as the Olympians.
She carried a cake over to Stella and whispered, “This is ambrosia. You know the myths and you know what will happen if you eat it. We are in danger here. This will help protect you.”
Stella shook her head. “They have taken everything from me—my home and my family. Why would I want to survive or live forever?”
Those words cut Emily deeply. She could feel the pain and despair from her friend. She reached for her hand. “Stella, I wish I could explain this to you right now, but I cannot. I beg you to trust me. You have a special place in Olympus, with many powerful Olympians who care a great deal for you.”
“How can this be? I have never been to Olympus. Until today, I didn’t believe it existed.”
“I will explain everything to you when we are free,” Emily said. “But for now, please eat the ambrosia.”
To illustrate that it was safe, Emily took a bite of the cake. She moved it around her mouth to see if the CRU had sabotaged or drugged it. But it tasted the same.
Stella reluctantly took a bite and frowned. “It’s so sweet.”
Emily nodded. “Nectar is even sweeter.” She held the cup of nectar out to her and was relieved when Stella took a drink. Emily looked over to Agent B. Somehow they had to get ambrosia and nectar into him.
“Keep eating,” Emily said softly. She rose and carried a piece of ambrosia and the cup of nectar over to the sleeping agent.
She gently lifted his head and pressed the cup to his mouth. A tiny amount of precious nectar touched his lips, and immediately Agent B’s tongue licked the sweet syrup.
“Yes,” Emily coached. “Try some more. . . .”
Little by little Agent B responded and drank the nectar. With the Olympian drink in him and Emily touching his head, her power set to work and his wounds started to heal. Seeing this, Emily pulled her hand away. She couldn’t let the CRU see that she could heal him. They knew that healing was one of Emily’s powers.
But their brief touch had been enough. Agent B’s eyes fluttered open. They were sore and bloodshot but the same blazing blue that she knew so well. His eyes landed on Pegasus, standing above him.
“What the . . . ?” Agent B forced himself up into a sitting position. “What’s going on here? Who are you?” His lips were cracked and swollen, and blood had dried in a corner. His black suit jacket was torn and tattered, and there were bloodstains on his shirt. The CRU had been vicious with him.
“I am Psyche,” Emily said calmly. “This is Pegasus, and that is Cupid.”
Agent B moved back farther on the narrow bunk. “What . . . what have you just given me?”
“It is all right,” Emily said gently. It saddened her most that he didn’t remember who she was or what they’d been through together. “This is nectar. It will help you heal.”
“Nectar?” Agent B said. “That’s an Olympian drink. It will change me.”
“Yes, it will heal you. Please, eat this cake. It is ambrosia and will also help.”
“No!” Agent B swatted her hand away. “It will make me immortal. I don’t want that.”
His words echoed what he’d said so long ago when a Shadow Titan had broken his arm in ancient Greece and her powers couldn’t heal him until he ate the ambrosia. Back then, she’d threatened him into it.
“Benedict Richard Williams,” Emily said softly but sternly. “You listen to me. You will eat this right now or I will force it into you. Believe me, I can.”
Once again, his eyes shot around the cell. “How do you know my name? Who are you?”
“I told you, I am Psyche, and I know more about you than you know about yourself. The CRU have betrayed you. They have tortured you and locked you away, but you have done nothing and they will not tell you why. I know why. If you eat the ambrosia I will explain everything.”
It stung to see the anger and distrust in his eyes. But if she had to, she would force him to eat it.
Agent B reluctantly accepted the cake and started to eat it. He spat crumbs at her. “I am doing this under protest.”
“I know,” Emily said. “Just like last time.”
He was about to say something when one of the guards came closer to the cell. “Well, well, well, look who’s awake.”
Agent B’s expression hardened. “L, you come in here and I’ll show you who’s awake and who remembers what you did to me.”
“You’re hardly in a position to threaten me, B.”
“That is not a threat; it’s a promise!” Agent B winced when he moved, pulling his wounded ribs. “I demand to speak with the commander. You can’t just torture me and keep me in here with these monsters.”
Every word he spoke reminded Emily of the old Agent B. The one before they’d journeyed into the past—the one she’d hated. It would take time to draw out the better man in him. But did they have that time to wait?
Emily rose and stepped back, then said to Pegasus, “Let’s leave him alone for a while.”
Cupid walked up to her and whispered, “This is your precious Agent B? He is a Gorgon to have spoken to you like that.”
“He doesn’t remember me or what we went through,” Emily whispered back.
“If he does not remember soon, he will have me to deal with.” Cupid looked out at the guards. “No one speaks to my wife like that!”
Emily cringed. She wasn’t sure if Cupid had done that for her sake, or to tease her. With him, she could never be sure.
• • •
Time dragged on as Emily settled down to wait for Arious to return. They had to know what the CRU planned before they made their move. Until then, they could do nothing.
Two more mealtimes came and went before Emily saw the dot of light again. Arious came creeping along the wall at the floor line. She looked outside the cell and saw one of the guards also following the small ball of light. He nudged his partner and pointed.
When they walked closer to investigate, Arious Minor flashed a blinding light at the guards, knocking them off-balance. “Olympians, use your powers; we must get out of here right now!”
Peg
asus whinnied and reared. His front hooves came crashing down on the cell door and smashed the lock and hinges. When the door flew open, the enraged stallion charged into the corridor and attacked the nearest guards.
One guard managed to fire his weapon at the rampaging stallion, but the bullet did nothing other than infuriate Pegasus further. Before the guard could shoot again, Cupid ran out of the cell and punched him into the wall. He then took on the other guard.
Earl and Frankie were next out of the cell. But Emily stayed behind with Stella. “I know you are paralyzed and cannot walk. Let me carry you to Pegasus.”
Stella’s eyes were wide as Emily lifted her up. “How did you know that?”
“It is a long story.”
Pegasus dropped his wing to let Emily hoist Stella onto his back.
“Hold tight to his mane. He won’t mind.”
“What about him?” Earl said, pointing at Agent B as he gathered the weapons from the fallen guards.
Emily nodded. “I will get him. Just be ready with your weapons when more come for us.”
“Hurry,” Arious Minor said. “We must get out of here. You haven’t fooled them. They know who you are—they can feel you.”
“Who does?” Emily called as she ran back into the cell.
“The evil that lies below!”
Emily made it back to Agent B, but he shied from her touch. “Don’t touch me. Just go!”
“Trust me, Agent B. You stand a better chance of surviving with me than you do if you stay. You’re a CRU agent. Think. What will happen once they realize you’re not needed anymore?”
“I haven’t done anything!” he spat. “They know that.”
Emily shook her head. “Yes, you have. You just don’t remember. We’re the closest of friends. Somehow they’ve discovered this. That’s why you’re here. You were the bait to capture me.”
“I don’t know you,” he insisted as he tried to rise. “Why do you care what happens to me?”
Emily reached forward, put her arm around his waist, and half carried him to the stallion. At her touch, he continued to heal, and his strength started to return. But the damage the CRU had done to him was extreme, and he couldn’t walk yet.