To get a better look, Emily raised her hand in the air and summoned the Flame. Fire burst from her palm and drove back the oppressive darkness. She sucked in her breath. It was the same message from the chalkboard in Jupiter’s palace.
Emily traced her fingers along one of the lines and read aloud. “‘Welcome to Xanadu.’” Are we on Xanadu?”
The stallion nodded several times.
“How did we get here?” she asked. “And how do we get out?”
Pegasus snorted and nudged her. He fluttered his wings and dropped them to invite her to get on his back. Emily climbed up and held her hand high like a torch. They were in a spacious chamber. It was empty except for the writing on the wall. Across from them was a large open doorway.
As Pegasus passed through it, Emily asked him to stop. She shook her head, trying to focus on a too-distant memory. “I know this place. I can’t explain it, but I get the feeling I’ve been here before.”
She could feel the muscles in the stallion’s back tensing as his wings pressed tighter against her legs. It was as disturbing to Pegasus as it was to her. “I don’t know how I know this, but if you turn to the right, at the end of the corridor there will be a tall set of steps.”
Pegasus snorted and nodded. He trotted down the corridor. As Emily had predicted, they reached some steps.
“Go to the top and then turn left.”
As Pegasus followed each instruction, Emily became more and more convinced she had been there before. It was all so familiar. Despite the many passages and long corridors, they didn’t make a wrong turn.
Before long they reached the surface level and passed through an archway that led into a dense, green jungle. The air was sweet and warm and full of the sounds of insects, birds, and other wildlife. There was a sun shining brightly above and casting a patchwork quilt of shadows on the ground.
“Xanadu . . .” Emily breathed in a voice that was barely her own.
This was the place she had seen time and time again in her dreams. But it was not exactly the same. The jungle had grown much closer to the temple, and the familiar paths were now overgrown and unrecognizable.
Pegasus paused and then turned to the left.
Emily was stunned to see three large military helicopters sitting on the ground beside the temple. Long stringy vines were already crisscrossing the vehicles as the jungle claimed them for its own. These were some of the helicopters that had attacked her and Pegasus at Area 51. Instead of destroying them, her powers had sent them here. The pilots had been returned to Earth, but the helicopters remained.
“This is where I sent you before, isn’t it?” Emily asked. Pegasus nodded and nickered. “How did we get here?”
As they looked around, Pegasus’s ears pricked forward and he whinnied. He burst into a gallop. Pushing through the trees, they soon came upon an open encampment.
“Pegasus, Emily!”
Relief washed over her as she saw Pluto running toward them, his cloak billowing behind him like a sail.
“What are you doing here?” He helped her down from Pegasus. “Are you all right? How did you get here? The portal to Olympus is on the other side of this clearing. Where did you come from?”
This was the most excited she’d ever seen him. Pluto was always the calmest of the Big Three. “We’re fine,” she said. “We came from the Temple of Arious.”
Neptune and several other Olympians quickly approached.
“The temple of what?” Neptune asked.
Emily frowned. “Arious.” She looked at Pluto. “How did I know that?”
He scratched his head and shrugged. “I really do not know. That is just one more mystery we must solve.”
Emily and Pegasus explained as best they could what had happened and how she had known the way out of the temple.
“So the others are still in the Solar Stream?” Neptune asked.
“I think so.”
“Considering how long it takes to get here from there, we still have a bit of a wait.”
The Olympians got back to work setting up the camp. Emily and Pegasus stepped away from the group. “I know I’ve been here before,” she insisted. Everything around her was so painfully familiar. Even the smell of the dense greenery meant something to her.
Around them were strange-looking trees with oddly shaped leaves. When she touched a leaf, she knew to turn it over. There was a large caterpillar-like bug clinging to the back. It was several centimeters long and had brightly colored fur. When it noticed her, it stood up on its many back legs and peered intently at her.
Emily reached out to touch the bug, but Pegasus nickered, nudging her hand away.
“It’s all right, Pegs,” Emily said softly. “I know he’s not dangerous.”
Emily let the caterpillar run onto her hand. Holding it up, she recognized the species. The name was just on the tip of her tongue. But the more she tried to remember, the harder it became.
“Hello,” she finally said as she gently stroked the caterpillar’s soft fur. “See, Pegs, he won’t hurt us.” Emily paused and looked around at the countless trees, shrubs, and flowers. “Nothing here will hurt any of us.”
As she and Pegasus returned to the others to show them the insect, they became aware of a change in the jungle. Sounds stopped, and the area became eerily silent.
Pluto looked around. He raised his hand, preparing to use his deadly powers to defend the group.
“No, Pluto, please do not,” Emily said softly, in a strange and distant voice. “This is a world of peace. You must never use violence here. They know I have returned.”
“Who are you?” Neptune asked gently.
“I am . . . I am . . . the last.”
Emily staggered and seemed to come back into herself. She looked at the others as they stared at her oddly.
Neptune put his hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her. “Child, what was the last thing you said?”
Emily pointed at the insect on her hand. “I found this pretty little caterpillar and told Pegasus he wouldn’t hurt us.” She frowned. “Then we came over here to show you.”
“You said nothing else?” Pluto asked.
Emily shrugged. “No. Why do you ask?”
“It is not important,” Neptune said reassuringly. “So what have you found there?”
Emily looked at the curious faces around her. There was something they weren’t telling her. She held up the insect. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
Neptune leaned in closer. “He is an amazing little fellow.”
There was a loud rustle in the jungle behind them.
Pegasus whinnied as everyone turned. A massive beast was forcing its way through the greenery. It was like nothing they’d ever seen on Olympus or Earth.
It was big. Very big. At least twice the size of an elephant—but it looked nothing like an elephant. It had two large, heavy heads that moved independently on long thick necks, and it was walking with many legs, almost like a centipede. But this was no insect; it was an animal with light purple fur.
Other smaller animals and insects walked behind the huge creature, and brightly colored birds flittered above. As before, Emily somehow recognized the beast and knew there was no danger. Despite the fact that it towered above her, the creature approached and dropped its massive heads to the ground.
“Be careful, Emily,” Neptune warned.
“It’s okay. She’s the Mother of the Jungle.” Emily stepped up to the purple creature and fearlessly stroked one of her heads. “I’m so sorry that I don’t remember your name. But I do remember you. This is Pegasus of Olympus,” she said, introducing the stallion. “Come, meet everyone. They mean you no harm.”
As Emily and Pegasus walked back to the others, the creature raised her two heads and followed behind.
Small birds landed on Emily’s shoulders and the s
tallion’s back as they moved.
The stunned Olympians came forward to greet the Mother of the Jungle.
Pegasus snorted. He nudged Emily gently. Neptune translated. “My son says you may not remember this world, but it seems its many occupants remember you. There is no doubt now that part of you came from here.”
Emily reached up with her free hand and stroked the stallion’s beautiful face. “I know,” she said softly. “I just don’t understand how I know. Or if I’ll ever remember.”
“I am certain that eventually you will recall more,” Neptune said. “But for now, do not trouble yourself. Let the memories return in their own time.”
Emily remained with Pegasus and the Mother of the Jungle while the others finished building their camp.
“Can you understand her, Pegs?” Emily asked. The stallion snorted and shook his head.
“Me neither,” she agreed as she stroked the Mother of the Jungle. Emily closed her eyes and listened to the returning sounds of the jungle. The memories were there, just beyond her reach. But the harder she tried to grab them, the further away they slipped.
As the long day passed and three moons rose above them in the sky, everyone gathered around a fire to await the arrival of Jupiter and the others. With the coming of night, Emily found herself becoming more restless. There was something about the moons and the stars that troubled her.
“I’m going for a walk,” she announced.
Pluto shook his head. “I do not believe that is a wise idea. We have only just arrived here and do not know this world. There may be dangers lurking, especially at night.”
“There are no dangers here,” Emily responded in the strange voice. “I must find my way back.”
Then, unaware of what had just happened, she said, “I just need to clear my head. We’ll be okay.”
“Let her go,” Neptune said. “She must seek her own answers. Pegasus will be with her; she is in no danger.”
Pluto finally agreed. “But do not be too long.”
Since her arrival on Xanadu, more and more animals, birds, and insects had approached Emily and remained with her. As she and Pegasus walked together into the dense jungle, there was a parade of unimaginable creatures moving with them. Emily tried to shoo them away, but they refused. Even the Mother of the Jungle was bulldozing her way behind them.
With one hand held high and the Flame burning brightly like a torch, Emily walked beside Pegasus. “I feel like I’m going crazy, Pegs,” she finally admitted. “It’s like I’m not myself anymore. Like there are two people in me. I’m afraid I am going to disappear.”
The stallion stopped. He stared into Emily’s eyes. Soon a vision of them soaring over the skies of Olympus filled her mind and eased her troubles.
“Promise me, Pegs,” she said softly, “that no matter what happens, whatever we discover here, we’ll always be together.”
Pegasus bobbed his head and then nuzzled Emily’s neck. There was something about the stallion that always made her feel better. An unbreakable bond between them that let her know they could endure any hardship, as long as they faced it together.
As they pushed deeper into the dense jungle, the strange feeling of familiarity returned, stronger than before. Somehow Emily knew she was on the same trail from her dream. She bent down and started to brush away greenery and dirt from the ground beneath her. After a few minutes she reached a stone path: the same stones from her dreams.
“I have been here before,” she said softly. She lowered her burning hand to show Pegasus. “Look, these are the stones that make up the trail. They lead to the gathering place. We have to go this way.”
Farther along, dense leaves and vines completely blocked the way. Emily was reluctant to use her powers in case she accidentally set fire to the jungle. But as she was considering turning back, the Mother of the Jungle made strange, loud noises. Her two heads bobbed as her massive bulk shoved the greenery aside. She took the lead and let her huge body clear the trail, as though she knew exactly where Emily wanted to go.
Emily looked at Pegasus, shrugged, and started to follow. After some time the jungle thinned. She looked up and could see the canopy of stars shining above them as the three moons shone brightly in the night sky.
With the Mother of the Jungle blocking the way ahead, neither Emily nor Pegasus was prepared for what came next. After a few more meters, the creature stepped aside and they were faced with a stunningly beautiful, calm lake. Its dark surface reflected the stars like a perfect mirror. “It looks just like our silver lake back on Olympus!” Emily gasped.
Closer to the shore, they discovered it wasn’t a lake at all.
“Look, Pegs, it’s made of glass.” Emily took a cautious step forward and stepped out onto the surface. “It feels really thick, too.”
Pegasus followed Emily out onto the lake of glass. He neighed nervously as his hooves slipped on the smooth surface.
“I wonder what it’s for . . .” Emily held up her hand, and the Flame rose higher and brighter. As it did, she saw that the glass lake went on for at least a kilometer, maybe more.
Behind them, the Mother of the Jungle grunted, howled, and made strange clicking sounds. She was bobbing her two large heads.
“What is it, Mother?” Emily returned to the huge beast. There, several meters from the outer edge of the glass lake, she saw a much smaller piece of glass. She bent down and touched it. It didn’t go as deep as the lake and had many tiny cracks in it.
A chill passed through Emily as she inspected the small circle of glass. There was something about it that disturbed her greatly. She snatched her hand back and stepped away.
“I don’t like it here. This is a very sad place. Let’s go back to camp.”
Emily looked up into the dense, dark jungle.
Suddenly she didn’t want to walk through it again. There was no danger, but there was a great sadness and a lonely feeling hanging in the air.
As if sensing the same thing, Pegasus snorted, then dropped a wing to invite her up on his back.
“Oh, thank you, Pegs.”
Before climbing onto the stallion, Emily gave the Mother of the Jungle a pat on each head. “I don’t know if you can understand me, but we are going to fly back to the camp.”
Getting into the air was difficult for Pegasus as he couldn’t get a good grip on the glass beneath him to run. After two near falls, Emily told him to stop.
“Pegs, I’m going to lift us up so you don’t have to run on the glass.”
The stallion nickered as Emily closed her eyes and concentrated on what she wanted to do. Since returning to Olympus from Area 51, she had been working with her teacher, Vesta, to learn to use her new powers.
Soon they both floated gently above the ground. Beneath them the Mother of the Jungle raised her two heads and howled mournfully.
“We’re going back to the camp!” Emily called.
Once they were high enough, Pegasus opened his wings and took over. As he climbed steadily into the sky, Emily peered down on the dark jungle. It seemed to go on forever. Before long other flying creatures joined them in the sky. Pegasus whinnied in protest as they tried to get closer. But no matter what he did, the birds refused to go.
When they touched down in the camp, Emily explained what they had found, though she didn’t mention the feeling of sadness she had felt there. She agreed to show the Olympians the glass lake when the sun rose.
Just as they settled down for the night, the portal to Olympus flashed to life. The Solar Stream opened and Jupiter charged through, followed closely by Emily’s father, Diana, Joel, Paelen, and many others.
“Are they here?” Jupiter demanded as he charged into the camp. “Emily! Pegasus!”
Pegasus was the first to answer as he whinnied loudly.
“Thank God,” Emily’s father cried when he saw her. He scooped
her up in his arms. “I saw you disappear! I thought I’d lost you.”
“We all did,” Diana added. “You were gone in an instant.”
“I’m fine,” Emily quickly said. “We’re both fine.”
Joel hugged her tightly. “What happened to you?”
Emily could feel Joel trembling. She realized he had been truly frightened for her. “I’m okay, Joel, don’t worry,” she said softly. “I don’t really know what happened. One moment I was asleep; the next I was waking up in the temple with Pegs.”
“Do not do that again!” Paelen scolded. “You nearly scared the life out of me. We all thought you had vanished forever.”
“I’m sorry, Paelen.” Emily grinned as she ruffled his hair. “Next time I’ll bring you with me.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Joel insisted.
Jupiter checked on Emily again. “I doubt this will be the last time we witness your powers surfacing. They are increasing. I just hope you learn control over them.”
“Me too,” Emily agreed.
Soon everyone was seated together around the fire. Goblets of nectar were handed out while Emily used her strange hatlike device to summon snacks for everyone—including a large supply of marshmallows for roasting over the fire.
More than half the night passed in this way before everyone settled down to bed.
It felt like Emily had only just closed her eyes when she heard the sound of Paelen screaming.
She sat up and saw the bright sunshine filtering down through the leaves and heard the sounds of the jungle increasing to greet the new day.
“Help!” Paelen cried as he tried to rise. “I am being eaten alive by a monster!”
The Mother of the Jungle was standing over Paelen. Both its heads were sniffing and licking him with long, wet, purple tongues.
Emily was the first over. “Paelen, it’s okay.” She laughed, kneeling beside him. “I’m sorry, Mother. He means you no harm and doesn’t understand.” She patted the two heads. “You just surprised him.”