by Mary Ting
“You can use my cape. It will make you invisible.” Zara took off her cape and wrapped it around me. Again, like before, the color changed from purple to red.
“Wait.” I gave it back to her. “He might be suspicious if he sees me wearing it. I’ll use it when it’s necessary.”
“Good, because I was going to say the same thing.” Colin broke in, dropped his sword, and leaned in closer. “So…this is my proposal. Ian can lead the way since he knows that place inside and out. I know it sounds impossible, but what I’m about to tell you will work…if we work together. We can do this.”
After Colin explained, we were on our way.
We stepped into the portal and landed in the same spot we had escaped from the last time. It was the exact location where Hephaestus had taken my mom. Since Zara knew precisely where we needed to be, we didn’t have to go through the Night Forest like the last time. The structure of the rocky walls looked the same and intact. Recalling the last time we were there, Mason had started an avalanche when he called upon the lightning to help us escape. It was as if nothing had happened.
Walking down the narrow path, my stomach churned and did funny flips from the anticipation of seeing what state my mom would be in, and whether Zara and Tara could help me release not just my dad, but the others as well. Colin’s plan was simple, but executing it was a whole different story.
The narrow path started to open up and the area got brighter. Knowing we were getting closer, my heart pounded faster, heat flushed my face, and I was unable to steady my pulse. What made it worse was that everything was so quiet, except for our feet crunching the pebbles on the ground, and the sound of water flowing along the rocky walls. It was like watching a scary movie and waiting for something evil to pop out from the screen.
“I’ve got your back.” Mason kissed my forehead as we continued to cautiously creep forward. “Stay with the plan. Don’t do anything risky, and watch Hephaestus’s every move. He might already have a scheme of his own.”
“What if I have the opportunity to kill him?” I whispered, feeling like the walls were closing in on me. Though I had no proof, an eerie feeling swept through me. I was sure the vultures were watching us. When I turned to look at Mason again, he didn’t look happy about my question.
“No.” Mason’s tone came out as a whisper, but it was stern. With one fast sweep of the premises, he spoke again. “Think of it this way. If you put yourself in danger, you’ll be pulling me in with you. I go where you go.”
Mason was right and it wasn’t just him. Everyone came along with me.
“Everyone stay here,” Zara directed. Standing by the huge boulder, we huddled closely. “Tara and Sky will follow me. We’re going to release her dad first.”
“How about my mom?” Ian stepped forward, pushing everyone aside.
“I didn’t forget,” I said. “Why don’t you come with me and help us find your mom? We’ll release her after my dad and before the others.”
With that, Ian took off searching.
“Everyone, get ready.” Zara tightened her cape. “Once we start the process, it’s going to get loud.” Then she turned to me. “Let’s do this.”
“It’s too quiet,” I whispered, as Zara, Tara, and I searched for my dad. I tried to remember where he was located, but it was difficult when there were so many of them. Last time I was here, there were only a handful. Maybe I was wrong about the number of them, or maybe he’d imprisoned more. The statues were in rows, the way I’d seen the terracotta army lined up on the Internet.
“Hephaestus is nowhere to be seen. Step one of the plan is in progress so far. We must work quickly.” Tara looked pale and stressed. I could understand the reason. She had been Hephaestus’s prisoner for years, and I was sure being back here brought terrifying memories.
“There.” The crystal in the palm of Zara’s hand was leading the way.
“Dad.” I murmured softly, feeling like my heart was shattering all over again, bringing back the memories of how he’d given up his life to save Mom and Mason. The tear he’d shed just when the iron covered his face was still there. “What do I do?”
“Tara and I will give your dad our energy, and at the same time, you must give him yours…all three powers of the gods…water, fire, and lightning. You must give it in that order. Once you do this, we are going to direct the energy to others. You must focus and stay on task. You are the keeper of life, Sky. You can do this.”
Zara must have seen the doubtful expression on my face, because at the moment, those words were exactly what I needed to hear. Without time to waste, Zara and Tara wrapped their arms about my dad without touching him. I placed my hands on top of my dad’s head…it was cold to touch. Oh, my heart was breaking to see him locked up like this. I wondered if he was cold, in pain, or hungry.
“Sky, now.” I heard Zara’s voice.
Giving all of me, water poured down from my hands, then fire. The water was keeping my dad cool and safe, while the fire melted away the iron. Then came the lightning. It sped up the breakage and jump-started his heart. Then Zara directed this energy to the rest of the statues, but the key to getting all of them was for me to keep my hands on my dad, the source. That was what Zara had told me earlier.
From the corner of my eyes I could see Ian standing next to his mom, ready for her. As the energy bounced from one statue to the next, light grew brighter and sizzled, creating a lot of noise.
“Well, well, well.” I heard the sound of clapping, and Tara hid behind the boulder, as planned.
Frightened at the thought of knowing who it was, I released my hands and saw the light vanish. The iron had already melted from my dad, and just as he was about to collapse, Zara and I caught him. He was weak and cold, but breathing, and that was a good sign. And the others that were released before I had to stop looked dazed and confused. It was up to Colin and Sarah to guide them to the portal.
Hephaestus had shown himself, just as Colin had predicted, but even knowing that he would, he still scared the life out of me. He was hideous in appearance, as I had remembered him to be. With disfigured face and his back looking like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he was not a pleasant sight.
“Have you no shame, Sky?” Hephaestus approached closer. “Where are your manners? You come only when invited. I didn’t invite you or your friends. You shall be punished for that.” He paused and looked at my dad. “You can’t take him unless you give me what I’ve asked for. Did you bring me the stone and Hades’s head?”
I gestured for Zara to take my dad to where my friends were hiding, while I moved to the center to direct Hephaestus to me. “I have what you want; but first, where’s my mom?”
“You have Hades’s head?” He sounded surprised.
“No, I have the stone. I can’t bring you Hades’s head because he’s dead. He burst into ashes…but you already knew that was going to happen, didn’t you? It was a test and I passed. Now…where is my mother?” My tone was forceful at the end. Hephaestus always pushed me to my limit and brought out the worst in me.
“I can’t believe you killed my uncle.” He looked so proud. “I knew you could do it. I knew you were the chosen one. I believe you because you wouldn’t know for sure how a god dies unless you witnessed it. Now…give me the stone first,” he growled.
“No.” I was just as stubborn as he was. I knew how badly he wanted the stone, so I knew I had leverage.
“Very well.” Seeing a wicked smirk on his face, I knew he was up to something. “Come out, come out, my loves,” he sang, sending chills down my spine. I couldn’t stand his voice, and hearing him sing only made me want to vomit.
The red pairs of lights I was familiar with appeared from the darkness all around the cave, not just on the ground, but from above in multiple leveled floors of the cave. Looked like Hephaestus was hard at work, creating more of the human vultures. What happened next was not a sight I had imagined was possible.
“Mom….” I gasped.
Two vultur
es were on either side of my mom, holding her by her arms. What shocked me the most was the way my mom looked—dazed and confused. She wasn’t fully turned into a vulture, but I could see the changes in her body structure. She was between the stages. The vulture on her left was holding a syringe, ready to inject her with the second dosage of serum that would transform her for good.
“What did you do?” I yelled at Hephaestus in anger. “How could you do this to her? You love her.”
“Isn’t that strange? You and I must have a different definition of love. The only love I learned from my parents was to use and destroy.” Hephaestus started pacing. I hated when he did that. He was making me nervous. “You see, Sky, I loved your mom so much that I’m going to use her. I’m going to turn her into someone like me, so that we can be together forever. Isn’t that what love is all about?”
“You’re crazy!” I spat. “Let her go. I’m here to give you what you want.”
“You make the choice. Your mom and I will be together forever in this form, or in human form. I think she would look attractive either way. Now that’s love.”
“Here.” I handed him the lodestone. “Let her go as you promised.” I wanted to get this over with.
Hephaestus took it out of my hands with greedy eyes. He held it up and examined it, then placed that stone with the other two he pulled out from his pocket. “Oh…I don’t think I had promised you your mother back, but you can take your father, which you already did without my permission. And if the weaklings that you just set free can out run the vultures I’m about to let loose, they are free to go. And by the way, your friends that are hiding can come out and watch this revelation.”
Step two of our plan was working so far, but the unexpected set back was my mom. What would we do now? My friends came out of the shadows with their backs against the wall, looking frightened but ready for war.
“Welcome,” Hephaestus announced. “I’m so glad you could join the party. We can celebrate…me. Your new, soon-to-be king of your land. Now that Hades is dead, and I have the three stones in my possession, nothing is impossible.”
After his short speech, he tossed the three stones straight up. When they fell, they magnetized together to become one in midair. Spinning in circles, it glowed like the colors of the rainbow, then a gas-like form seeped into Hephaestus’s body. Little did he know that Tara was creating this magic trick and using her powers to transform Hephaestus back to Steven.
It was gruesome to see the transformation as his face and body morphed. Steven touched his cheek, nose, and eyes, then looked down to his body as he was transforming. He looked so pleased and satisfied that it seemed as though nothing else mattered at that moment.
“Now!” Mason directed, and everyone threw smoke bombs. These had been created by Zara and Tara, at Colin’s suggestion, and were the size of small rocks that could be easily hidden. Step three of the plan was in progress.
One landed in front of me, meant to confuse Hephaestus and giving me an advantage to snatch the stones. Having all three stones in my possession, I slipped on the cape Zara tossed to me and became invisible. She had managed to creep closer while Hephaestus was busy watching himself. Narcissistic ass.
Nick and Noah stepped in front, step four of the plan. They were supposed to distract him so I could get a head start to the portal…only I took a detour. I was going against our plan, but I couldn’t help it. Everett and Amanda were supposed to grab my mom, but how could they when, not only was she enclosed by vultures, but she was becoming one?
Lightning, fire, and water spears flashed across my vision as the vultures came at us in full force. Shoving the stones in my pocket, I searched for my mom as the vultures sizzled by my lights or burnt to a crisp by my fire. They had no idea what was hitting them, especially since they couldn’t see me.
I was pretty sure that Zara and my dad were safe, since I didn’t see them anywhere, but I knew Mason was still here. No matter how many times I had told him before we arrived to leave without me, he would disagree. I’m glad he did. What I saw next caught me off guard.
“Mom.” I tugged her arm after I turned the vultures holding her captive into ashes.
“Skylar. No.” Her voice didn’t sound like Mom’s.
The mask or magic wore off, showing Ian’s friend Mia’s face. I had hoped she had changed her ways, but obviously, she was still working for that monster. What was her motive? I didn’t know.
“Mia?” I was so shocked and confused that I hadn’t noticed she had taken off my cape. I felt a hard sting on my cheek as my face whipped to one side. Then the pain erupted from my stomach when she shoved her knee into it. Curled up on the ground, all that was on my mind was my mom. Had Hephaestus turned my mom into a vulture? Was she here? Did one of us kill her?
“This one is for Alena, you….” Just as Mia came for me again with light blazing from her hand, I blasted her with fire, and at the same time lightning struck her. That was not from me. Fire engulfed her, then she turned into ashes.
“Good riddance, Mia. That’s what you get for being Alena’s friend, and that’s what you get for messing with my Sky.”
Mason helped me up and guarded me with his body. Seeing the red cape in his hand, I sighed with relief. I didn’t want it to be in our enemy’s possession. Surrounded by the vultures, I could see Nick, Everett, Amanda, and Noah, ready to attack.
“What happened to your mother?” Hephaestus asked in a mocking tone, keeping his distance from me, still in human form. I knew Tara was still around. Nick and Noah did a great job distracting him, but they couldn’t hold him off for long. “Did you kill her because she tried to kill you?”
“Steven, you are going to take my world in your hands; at least let me spend a few days with my mom.” I tried to bring back my sweet voice, the voice he had heard many times during our dinner conversations. “Remember how much you loved my mom? I’m sure she still loves you. After all, you were the one that helped her move on. She wanted to marry you. Do you remember that? Do you remember what it feels like to love someone and to have that person love you back?”
Seeing a confused expression on his face, I was hoping my words would soften him up a bit, and give us just enough time for my friends to search for my mom. They couldn’t make any sudden movements, but they were in a position to glance around.
“Silence! You’re all fools. Love only hurts you, and in the end, love will kill you. Just like how your dad tried to kill you, and like how my dad tried to kill me.”
“My dad didn’t try to kill me. You drugged him with vulture’s blood,” I retorted, feeling anger take me over. I had to calm my nerves for my mom’s sake. “You did this…not him.”
“That’s right.” He looked so proud. “That was one of the best days of my life. It was a turning point.”
“You can fix this. You don’t have to follow in your father’s footsteps. You can mend the wrong and make it right. You need to find what was once good in you. You need to find love again. Love will end your pain and heal your wounds. The scars might still be there, but you can make it right. You love my mom. Let her go…please.”
“Your mom is all I have.” For a second there, he sounded subdued. I almost felt sorry for him…until his tone changed. “I’ll never let her go.” His tone was spiteful and full of hatred. It was a reminder that sometimes, evil beings can’t change their ways. “The stones you took from me, they won’t have any effect anymore,” He continued. “I used up the power. It’s useless. I’ve won.”
The proud look of triumph on his face made me want to throw up. That’s what you think, asshole. I held up five fingers. This was our signal to run to the portal. Hephaestus had given me the words I needed to hear. My mom was safe, somewhere, and that was all that mattered. I would come back for her with Hades, but right now I needed to get everyone out of there. “Do you know what happens to those who use others to get what they want? They tame the flame and take what’s theirs. You made me who I am today. I’m going to sho
w you exactly what I can do.”
Fire blasted from my hands as we backed away, reaching for the tunnel. The others were waiting for us by the portal. That was the plan. It wasn’t easy when the ground shook like the last time, mimicking Hephaestus’s anger and hearing his words echo throughout the cave. I felt like I was swallowed up inside his chest, feeling the vibration of his evil laughter. You can run, but I will find you. I’m your king now. When we reached the end, Tara was the only one left besides Mason by my side. “Everyone is through. Hurry, Sky. I can’t hold it that long.”
I was just about to enter when I heard the loud, painful, angry roar and the walls started to shake again.
“He’s changed back to himself,” Tara said. “I’ve released him. He knows now.” Tara looked scared.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Mason didn’t waste any time. He tugged me through with him before anything could have a chance to fall on us.
Step six of our plan, meet at the lake house. When Mason, Tara, and I got there, Dad was lying on the coach, spiked with fever. Zara held a cold cloth over his head while performing some kind of spell.
“Is his fever going to go down?” I stared at my dad’s pale face.
His eyes were closed, his teeth were clenched, and from the way he shivered, he looked like he was in pain. Every few seconds, his body would shudder worse, most likely due to the shock from the temperature. By the time I had melted the iron, he was completely drenched. It was the only way to keep him from being burned.
Dad’s clothes were now dry. I couldn’t remember what he wore that day, but I knew Zara’s magic had dried his clothes. It was bad enough that I didn’t get the chance to rescue my mom, but seeing my dad like this was torture. I had to think of the bright side; at least one of my parents was out of that hellhole.
“I’m doing the best I can. I’ve never experienced this before,” Zara said, looking offended.
As I wondered if Ian’s mom was experiencing the same effect, I glanced around the room. “Where’s Ian?”