The Flame of Olympus

  Pegasus snorted and shook his head.

  Emily turned to the stallion. ‘You’re the one they’ll be after, not me,’ she said. ‘We can’t let them get you. You’ve got to go with Joel.’

  ‘He can understand us?’ Eric asked, looking even more astonished.

  Emily nodded. ‘Please Pegasus,’ she begged, ‘go with Joel.’

  Once again, the stallion snorted and stubbornly shook his head.

  ‘Then we all go,’ Joel said, making a decision. ‘But we’ve got to get out of the open and under cover, right now.’

  As everyone stood, Pegasus climbed to his feet. When Joel lifted Emily in his arms, the stallion nudged him.

  ‘It’s all right, Pegasus,’ Joel assured him. ‘She’s coming with us.’

  Pegasus nudged him again.

  ‘I’ve got her,’ Joel insisted.

  But Pegasus nudged him a third time. ‘What do you want?’ Joel turned to the stallion.

  ‘He wants to carry me,’ Emily said as she looked at the way Pegasus was staring at her.

  ‘How can he?’ Joel said. ‘His wing is broken again and his back end is a mess because of that monster and the glass. He might buck and throw you off.’

  Emily saw the promise of protection in Pegasus’s eyes. ‘No he won’t. Please put me on his back.’

  Joel grunted and carried Emily over to Pegasus, muttering to himself, ‘I can’t believe I’m being ordered around by a horse!’

  This time, Pegasus let the insult slide. He stood quietly while Joel settled Emily on the blanket on his back. Joel then led the group under the cover of the park’s dense trees.

  ‘Eric?’ Emily asked. ‘If you are a medic, do you think you could set a broken wing?’

  ‘You mean his?’ Eric indicated Pegasus. ‘Maybe. But would he let me?’

  Emily patted the stallion’s strong neck. ‘Would you, Pegasus? That wing needs to be set again. Eric’s better at it than Joel and me.’

  When Pegasus didn’t snort or protest, they took that as permission. Emily was taken off his back and stood unsteadily at the stallion’s head while Eric and Joel got to work setting the wing. Tree branches were used as splints and Carol tore up the remaining piece of tablecloth to secure everything in place.

  When they finished, Eric put his hands on his hips. ‘I have been trained to do a lot of strange things. But I don’t think the army could ever prepare anyone for that!’

  ‘Thank you,’ Emily said. ‘I know Pegs appreciates it.’

  ‘We all do,’ Joel added. ‘Now all we need is a lot of sugar.’

  Emily saw Eric’s confusion and explained, ‘Sugar and sweet foods seems to help him heal really quickly. Joel thinks it’s because sugar is close to ambrosia which they eat on Olympus.’

  ‘We’ve got some chocolate cake with us,’ Carol offered as she held up the picnic hamper. ‘Do you think he’d like that?’

  Emily nodded. ‘He liked chocolate ice cream. I bet he’d like the cake as well.’

  When Carol pulled the large cake from the hamper, Pegasus immediately smelled the sugar and stepped forward. She barely had time to peel back the cover before the stallion was hungrily munching the cake.

  ‘That’s a start,’ Joel said. ‘But he’s going to need a lot more than that. This stallion can eat!’

  ‘Well,’ Eric said. ‘My mother has friends that live around here. There are no shops near the park, everyone orders their food delivered. But we did see a few shops open on 3rd Avenue. I’ll see what I can find.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Carol offered quickly. She turned back to Joel and Emily. ‘You stay here, we’ll be right back.’

  As they started to walk away, Joel stepped closer to Emily. ‘Should we trust them? Eric is in the army. What if he calls someone the moment they leave the park?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Emily said. ‘But what choice do we have?’

  ‘I have an idea,’ said Joel.

  He ran over to Eric and Carol. Emily heard him offering to go with Eric to help carry back heavy items and ask Carol to stay to keep Emily and Pegasus company. Even from a distance, Emily could see that Carol’s eyes were wide and frightened.

  ‘But what if those creatures find us?’ Carol said. ‘Or the CRU come?’

  ‘They were down on 29th Street,’ Joel assured her. ‘I’m sure they couldn’t move that fast.’

  ‘Joel’s right,’ Eric agreed. ‘We won’t be long. Please stay while Joel and I try to find more food.’ He looked over at Emily. ‘If you think that leg hurts now, wait a bit. By tonight you’ll be screaming. I’ll try to get you some disinfectant, bandages and something strong for the pain.’

  Carol reluctantly agreed to stay behind, but her expression suggested she wasn’t the least bit happy about it. Joel lifted Emily on to the stallion’s back, and they all walked deeper into the trees.

  ‘Try to keep hidden,’ Joel warned, ‘we’ll be as fast as we can.’ He stood back and looked at Emily on Pegasus. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘with that blanket covering his wings and you sitting there, he almost looks like an ordinary horse.’

  ‘Except for the fact that he appears whiter than white,’ Eric added. ‘Have you noticed how he almost seems to glow?’

  ‘I thought it was just my eyes,’ Joel said. ‘But you’re right. He is very bright. We may have to do something about that.’

  ‘Like what?’ Emily asked. ‘Cover him with mud?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Joel said. ‘Let me think about it.’

  When Joel and Eric left, little was said between Emily and Carol. Emily realized Carol was terrified. She wasn’t sure if it was just the creatures that had her frightened, or if it was spending time alone with Pegasus. Carol’s startled eyes were darting everywhere; she jumped at the tiniest of sounds. The scurrying of squirrels in the trees nearly had her in tears. Emily actually welcomed the ringing of her cellphone. When she flipped it open, she saw her father’s name on the screen.

  ‘Dad, I’m so glad it’s you—’

  ‘Emily!’ he cut in urgently. ‘Thank God! Don’t talk. Just listen. Don’t say where you are, the CRU are probably listening to us. I know what’s happened! I know about the apartment and the winged horse and your ride up 5th! Em, they’re coming for you. Wherever you are, you’ve got to get moving and keep moving.’

  ‘Dad, I …’ Emily started as her heart pounded in her chest. ‘There are four-armed monsters in the city!’

  ‘I know! Bullets can’t stop them. They’re making their way uptown right now. Listen to me, Em. Remember Robin. Think of him and I’ll be there!’

  ‘What? Dad, I don’t understand,’ Emily said in terror.

  ‘There’s no time. I’m sorry sweetheart, but you must destroy your phone. They’ll be tracking it. Destroy it now. I love you, Emily! Remember Robin!’

  The call was disconnected. Emily’s hands were shaking as she closed her cell. She quickly opened the back and pulled out the battery pack. Then she threw everything on the ground. ‘Step on it Pegs,’ she said. ‘You’ve got to destroy it!’

  Pegasus stomped down on the phone with a sharp hoof. By the time he’d finished, there was nothing left but a lot of little unrecognizable pieces.

  ‘Emily, what’s happening?’ Carol was approaching panic.

  This time, Emily shared her fear. ‘The creatures are coming for us.’ She looked back into the direction Joel and Eric went. ‘I hope they hurry. My dad said the CRU are hunting us as well.’

  14

  Paelen was unsure how long he had been in this strange and terrible place. Without windows, there was no keeping track of time. But each passing day was becoming worse than the one before.

  He was taken to another lab. This time they didn’t draw any more of his precious blood or put him in machines to study him. They didn’t shine more lights in his eyes, or take samples of him to test. Instead the older man called Agent J ordered him strapped to an uncomfortable metal chair. The chair was facing a large white screen that se
emed to shimmer like satin.

  ‘Watch,’ Agent J ordered.

  The lights in the room went down as the screen lit up. The full-colour image was almost like the colourful mosaics scattered around Olympus. But not quite. As he studied the strange pictures, Paelen saw the tall buildings he’d first seen when he arrived in this strange world on the night of the storm.

  ‘Do you recognize anything?’ Agent J asked.

  ‘It is your world,’ Paelen responded. He looked at Agent J curiously, trying to figure out what new torture this was going to be.

  ‘Yes it is. We call it New York City.’

  ‘New York City,’ Paelen repeated. ‘That is very nice. Thank you for showing it to me. May I leave now?’

  ‘No you may not,’ Agent J shot back. ‘Just sit there and keep watching.’

  Paelen turned back to the screen. He saw different images of the city. Some were taken from the air, others from the ground. Next he was shown a collection of various people he didn’t know. As he watched the changing images, he became aware of everyone in the room studying him.

  ‘Do you know what those are?’ Agent J asked when the image changed again.

  Paelen looked at the picture of countless pigeons in a park. ‘Birds,’ he answered. ‘We have them in Olympus. It infuriates Jupiter when they mess on his statue.’

  ‘I’m sure it must,’ Agent J said sarcastically. ‘And this?’

  Paelen saw the image of a dog. Then another image showing the same dog walking with its owner. ‘Olympus has dogs too,’ he answered. ‘We also have Cerberus. He has three heads and is particularly vicious. Do you have them here?’

  ‘No,’ Agent J answered. ‘But recently, we’ve discovered that we do have these.’

  Paelen’s eyes flew wide as the picture of the dog was replaced by the image of several four-armed creatures charging through the streets of the city.

  ‘Nirads!’ he uttered.

  ‘What did you call them?’ Agent J demanded, moving closer.

  ‘Nirads,’ Paelen repeated. He was in shock and unable to draw his eyes away from the sight of the rampaging invaders.

  ‘Who are they? Did they come on your starship?’

  Paelen ignored the question and looked at Agent J fearfully. ‘Are they really here in this world?’

  ‘Yes,’ Agent J answered, ‘and they are wreaking havoc with the city. We’ve counted at least twenty, but there are reports of even more being seen. They appear to be practically unstoppable. We’ve only managed to capture a couple of the creatures. But they are ferociously strong and can’t be sedated. We’ve got them stored at another high security facility. Now tell me. What are they? Can you control them?’

  ‘Control them? Me?’ Paelen cried. He shook his head. ‘No one can control the Nirads. They are feral creatures with killer instincts. They are indestructible! Please, you must let me go. They have followed me from Olympus. I must get away. They will kill me if they find me here.’ Paelen struggled in the chair, desperate to flee. ‘They will kill all of you as well.’

  ‘What are they?’ Agent J demanded.

  ‘They are the destroyers of Olympus!’ Paelen cried.

  ‘Enough!’ Agent J howled. ‘We are in the middle of the worst security crisis this country has ever known and you are still talking about Olympus!’ He leaned down until his face was just inches from Paelen’s. ‘Olympus doesn’t exist! It’s a myth! It was created by weak minds in a time of need. Now tell me. Where are you from? Where is your starship?’

  ‘I do not understand what you want from me,’ Paelen cried. ‘I tell you I am from Olympus. But you claim it is just a myth. Why do you keep insisting I am from the stars?’

  ‘Because aliens exist, Olympians don’t,’ Agent J snapped.

  Paelen regained control of himself. ‘Of course Olympus exists,’ he challenged indignantly. ‘It is where I am from. And I resent you calling it a myth. We are not myths! As for the Nirads, all I know of them is they have destroyed my home. Olympus is in ruins. Now they have followed me here, but I do not know why.’

  Agent J straightened up again and turned furiously to the screen. ‘All right, you say they are after you? If that is true, why have they left you untouched and are pursuing them?’

  On the screen, Paelen saw the picture of Pegasus soaring through the canyons of buildings. The image was not as clear as the Nirads. But Paelen could see two young humans were with the stallion. Pegasus appeared to have fresh wounds on his hind quarters. And even though the image was unclear, Paelen knew Pegasus well enough to see the terror on his face.

  ‘Why were they attacking that horse and those two kids?’ Agent J demanded.

  Paelen almost shouted, ‘Pegasus is not a horse! ’ but he bit back the comment. He realized he’d already made a terrible mistake by telling them as much as he had. Shock at seeing the Nirads in this world had made him drop his guard. He would not make that mistake again. ‘I do not know.’

  ‘You’re lying!’ Agent J shot at him. ‘I saw your face. You recognized them. Those kids, are they friends of yours? Are you from the same planet? What about that winged horse? How is it possible for him to fly?’

  ‘He flies because he has wings,’ Paelen said sarcastically. ‘I would have thought even you could figure that out for yourself. Now, I have answered your questions. I do not know who they are. Please release me before the Nirads arrive.’

  Paelen’s gaze followed Agent J as he walked over to a man in a white coat.

  ‘Give it to him,’ he heard him say. ‘He’s not telling us what we need to know.’

  Moments later, the man in the white coat injected something into Paelen’s arm. As the drug took effect, Paelen started to feel what it must have been like to be Medusa. His head was full of writhing angry snakes; his veins were coursing with fire. He could no longer see clearly.

  When Paelen felt at his worst, Agent J repeated all the same questions he’d asked moments before. Where did they come from? Who were the Nirads? Who were the kids on the flying horse? And why did the creatures want to kill everyone?

  Despite the sensation of snakes squirming in his head, Paelen still had complete control over his thoughts. He wouldn’t answer their questions. He especially wouldn’t betray Pegasus. So as always, Paelen did what he did best. He lied. He told Agent J the most outrageous story he could think of.

  This time, he claimed he was Hercules, son of Jupiter and hero of Olympus. Paelen went into long details of his achievements as Hercules. Telling one amazing story after another and claiming all the glory for himself.

  The more he talked, the angrier Agent J became.

  Driven to fury, the older man started to slap Paelen violently across the face. But instead of hurting, the blows helped to clear away the snakes and fire raging through him. Paelen silently took Agent J’s blows. As before, human strength was nothing compared to the pounding the real Hercules had once given Paelen for stealing from him.

  As others crowded forward to pull Agent J off, Paelen slipped a hand into one of the orderly’s pockets and retrieved the keys to the handcuffs. With the keys clenched tightly in his fist, Paelen pretended to pass out.

  He heard Agent J’s heavy panting as the older man was pulled away.

  ‘We’re done for the day,’ the agent spat. ‘Take him away before I kill him!’

  Paelen remained perfectly still with his eyes closed. Two orderlies lifted him on to a stretcher and transported him back to his room. They transferred him to the bed and handcuffed him to the side bars.

  ‘Stupid idiot kid,’ Paelen heard one mutter. ‘If he keeps pressing Agent J like that, the man will have him sliced and diced and poured into Mason jars.’

  ‘Better him than us,’ the other orderly said. ‘Where do you think he comes from?’

  ‘Don’t know, don’t care.’

  ‘What do you think they’ll do to him?’

  ‘I guess they’ll wait till they catch all the other freaks out there. Then they’ll question the lot
of them until they spill their guts. Then when there’s nothing left to say, they’ll do what they always do. Ice the lot of them.’

  ‘Shame,’ the second orderly said. ‘I kinda like this kid. He’s got a real fire in his belly. He’s the first one I ever saw get the better of Agent J. Let’s face it, the man needs an attitude adjustment. This kid’s just the one to do it.’

  ‘That’s if he lives long enough.’

  When they’d finished securing him, Paelen heard both men cross to the door.

  ‘Well, that’s my shift over, I’m outta here,’ one of them said. ‘Want to join me and the boys for a beer later?’

  Paelen heard the beeping of the sound lock. When the door closed after the men, he remained still for a moment more. Finally he opened his eyes and looked around. He was alone.

  He still couldn’t believe there were Nirads in this world. Agent J had been right about one thing. The Nirads were after Pegasus, not him. As he tried to slow his racing heart, Paelen recalled the last thing he’d seen on Olympus. How the Nirads were specifically going after Pegasus. If Diana hadn’t come forward, they surely would have killed him.

  But why did the Nirads want Pegasus dead? And why were there two humans with him?

  Paelen realized the answers were not to be found in this strange and horrible place. He needed to get out.

  He recalled Mercury’s last dying words, begging him to join the struggle for Olympus. Much to his own shame, Paelen had turned his back on his people and fled the fight. But now, the fight had followed him here. He could not turn his back again. He would escape from these humans and find Pegasus.

  Then he would finally join the battle.

  15

  Emily felt terror building up inside her as she sat waiting for the others on Pegasus’s back. It seemed like hours since Joel and Eric left. But finally, there was movement in the trees around them and Emily heard Joel call out her name.

  ‘Over here,’ Emily called back. ‘Hurry.’