Sky craned her neck at the same time she stretched her body. Turning to me, she rewarded me with the sweetest smile; I could stare at it all day. It took me to a place where I could leave all my troubles aside. Hell, it even made me forget who I was.
“Good morning,” she said, then turned to scan the surroundings as if she heard a noise that wasn’t there a second ago. She watched the others gathering their belongings.
“Did you sleep?” she asked, stroking my face. It tickled my skin and tingled inside of me. I wanted to kiss her and suck up that innocent smile she was giving me again, but I had to control my urges. However, if she smiled like that one more time, I was going to lose it. It was too playful, sexy, and beautiful, all at the same time. She had no idea what she was doing to me.
“I slept fine,” I lied, and helped her up.
The sun shimmered through the parted clouds, revealing the tips of the trees and plush green land that I hadn’t seen before. It was a breathtaking sight, and for a second, I forgot where I was. When Sky turned away from me, I started stuffing everything back into the backpack. Her eyes sparkled as she took in the surroundings.
“Let’s go,” I whispered to her, slipping my hand around her waist. We were the last ones to follow Zara.
Sky snapped out of her dreamy haze and took my hand. “I don’t trust Zara,” she said so only I could hear. She was calculating, eyeing the people ahead of us. Sky purposely slowed her pace, creating a distance between us and the others. “I saw something.”
After she told me what happened, I almost exploded. Anger seeped through every cell, bone, and muscle of my being so that I was sure I was lighting up. Having Sky’s hand on mine was the only thing that soothed me. There was a chance that I might hurt her if I lost control, so I retained my composure.
“But, I can’t be sure,” she continued. “She didn’t do anything to us. Maybe I’m reading this all wrong.”
“I’ll tell Nick and Amanda when I get a chance. Stay close to me. As soon as we find Everett and everyone is safe, we’re going home.”
With a nod, we entered the darkness.
Surprisingly, the smell of lavender filled my nose. Zara put her stone away and Mason and Nick’s light became dimmer as we walked further in. Everyone looked guarded and worried, especially Colin and Sarah, who held their swords continuously in front of them. I guess they couldn’t help it; it was in their blood, after all.
Inside, the cave was massively grand; the small entryway that forced us to bend low was nothing compared to what I was seeing now. The ceiling reached higher than I would have expected, and the open space had a small stream, which reflected the colors of the rainbow. There was a garden full of various flowers that appeared magical. How there was light in there, I didn’t know. Had we found the cave for any reason other than why we were there, I would have been enthralled by it, but somehow, I was fearful of the beauty instead.
I knew everyone else was mesmerized by it just as much as I was when I saw their eyes grow wide with wonder. As we cautiously continued on the pebbled path, my heart could not stop racing; it thumped out of control. The stillness of the place gave me goose bumps, and it got worse when Amanda pointed upward. What looked like crystals, or icicles, hung above…not just one or two, but countless of them. They filled up practically the entire ceiling.
“Mason.” His name barely escaped my lips, as fear pricked every muscle in my body.
“Stalactites,” Mason said, pulling me closer to him.
Zara held out her hand, gesturing for us to stop. All was still as my heart pounded against my chest; not even a muscle twitched. I don’t know what caused it, but what happened next seemed implausible. First, light reflected on the crystals, casting hues of various shades of blue, captivating our eyes. The beauty of it was replaced with fear.
“There’s no other way. We have to cut across,” Zara said. We mimicked Zara’s small steps, trying to get through the length of the trail.
We had only taken about twenty steps when the floor shook, like a mini earthquake. One loose crystal unexpectedly plummeted right in front of Zara, kicking up dirt and pebbles, creating a massive dust cloud.
With not a second to lose, Mason and Nick lit up. Amanda, Sarah, Colin, and my dad drew their swords. Aaron’s hands were ready to torch. Noah and Tim borrowed water from the stream and created icicle darts that hovered nearby.
When the dust cleared, Zara jumped back to avoid being hit as another one fell, then another. They started to fall like rain. Suddenly, there was chaos.
“Run! Run to the other side!” my dad bellowed.
Mason grabbed my hand and we ran like there was fire behind us. The crystals fell so quickly that there were times when we had to slow down. Not only did we have to dodge the falling crystals, we had to protect ourselves from the pieces that were breaking apart as they fell.
Noah and Tim waved their hands through the air and guided the icicles to hit other targets just as they fell. Nick and Mason extended their bolts, trying to change their density, and Aaron’s arms were lifted above his head while creating heat, trying to melt them. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was working; one came right down at him.
“Watch out,” Colin yelled. Using the wall for momentum, he planted his feet on it, flipped over, and landed on one knee to avoid the ones that would have fallen on him. Then he flung his circular armor like a Frisbee. It flew right over Sarah’s head, knocking away one that would have crushed her. She was too busy trying to avoid the one coming at her from the front. The crystals shattered, both in front and behind her, but luckily she had her armor to shield her from the debris. Colin’s shield swung back to him, just like a boomerang.
Coming from behind us were the icicle spears and balls that Noah and Tim created. Nick, Mason, and I used our light energy. Finally, we were in sync, and without a word, we combined our efforts and powers to shatter the crystals before they could touch the ground. As we ran for our lives, I looked over my shoulder to see that my dad was all right. Zara seemed to care about his safety the most.
Out of breath, we made it through and our panicky breaths echoed through the air, but not for long. The floor beneath us started to rumble and shake again. I stood frozen, wondering what danger would come next, and what I saw brought me to another level of sheer terror. With a loud crack, part of the ground ahead divided and split open, the fissure moving toward us. Parts of it crumbled down to the volcano-like fire that erupted out of nowhere.
“This way,” Zara directed.
As we ran for our lives once again, our backs touched the rocky structure. Darting as fast as we could to get to the other side, the blistering heat was overwhelming. Sweat trickled down the sides of my face. I had to squint my eyes along the way because of the smoke that wafted out from underground. The heat under my feet was scorching, and every step was painful. The wall started to take in the flame, and it was getting difficult to use it as an anchor to keep from falling.
“We’re almost there,” Mason encouraged, holding my hand tightly. “Just a few more yards.”
“Hurry up,” Aaron ordered.
“What’s wrong? Too much fire?” Nick asked with a smirk. “You can light up, but can’t take the heat?” Nick always seemed to find humor in whatever situation we were in. “Hold on, Everett. We’re coming for you. Talk about going to hell and back for your brother.”
With one final step, we made it to safety, but we weren’t prepared for the darkness. Just before Nick or Mason had a chance to light up, something glowed. It was a small light, but it was very noticeable.
“Welcome,” a voice said in a deep, muffled tone.
Startled, we cautiously started to slowly back away. It was difficult to see the man behind the voice in the dark shadows. When the light shifted higher, I knew he had stood up and was now heading toward us. The vision of him cleared when he came out of the darkness and the small light disappeared. Dressed in a black cape, his face and his body were completely covered. It was di
fficult to tell if he was a friend or a foe.
“Please show yourself,” Zara asked. Surprisingly, she wasn’t demanding.
“You have not earned the privilege to see my face,” he answered.
The moment the words left his mouth, I could feel danger from his tone; I knew the others felt it, too. Their heads were turning, and I assumed they were looking for an escape route, because I was doing the same.
“Don’t even bother. There is only one way out.”
“What do you want?” my dad snapped. I didn’t think it was a good idea to piss him off.
The stranger didn’t answer.
“I can explain,” Zara whispered suddenly, only meant for me to hear. Her wide, worried eyes were on my necklace, which had somehow slipped out of my shirt. She knew at that moment I had heard everything. “You weren’t asleep. It’s not what you think!”
Our brief conversation ended when I heard Nick’s angry voice. I didn’t want anyone to see the necklace, so I shoved it back. It didn’t matter what Zara had to say to me. I would only let her explain if she got us all out of there alive.
Nick took a step forward, but dared not get any closer. “Where’s my brother?” His tone was forceful. “I know you’re holding him hostage. Let him go or I’ll kill you myself.” Nick’s words seethed through his clenched teeth, and his eyes glowed to match his anger.
“How was your journey here?” the stranger asked nonchalantly, ignoring Nick’s rage. I hadn’t noticed the tiny sparks coming out of his sleeves, even though we couldn’t see his hands.
“What?” Nick raised a brow, questioning his question. “Are you serious? You’re asking me that question? It was hot. While you’re sitting on your ugly ass, we almost got torched, burnt…however you want to describe it.”
“Really? I didn’t see a thing.”
“Maybe you need to get a pair of glasses. Better yet, how about opening your eyes. Do you even have any?”
I couldn’t believe how unafraid and harsh Nick’s tone was. Mason poking Nick was a way of reminding him to hold his tongue and not piss off this stranger.
“I think it was all in your heads. Such imaginations you all have.” His tone was calm, almost mocking.
Turning to where we were minutes ago, I suddenly realized the air had become cooler. And what I saw next was inexplicable…the ground was solid. But how? It was vomiting hot lava while we tried to cross. Not a single piece of evidence of what we’d endured marked the ground. I was sure all of our eyes were practically bulging out.
“What the hell?” Nick muttered under his breath.
“Impossible,” Noah breathed.
Mason turned with fire in his eyes and his fingertips flickering with light. In this dimly lit darkness, everyone could clearly see that Mason was beyond upset. It was his way of letting off steam. “You put thoughts in our minds. Why? And who are you?”
My dad took several steps to get closer to me. I think his intentions were to block me from the man’s view. “He’s just letting us know we’re in his territory.”
“That is a mystery, isn’t it, Mason?” the man replied, seemingly enjoying toying with us.
“How do you know my name?” Mason huffed with concern.
“I know all of your names, including the one you’re all trying to hide from me.”
My dad took another step, blocking my view completely. His sword was pointing downward with a tight grip, but he was clearly ready for battle. “The hell you do. Don’t even say her name. There’s only one of you. There are a lot more of us. Release Everett and Tara. Then we’ll let you be.”
“You think I’m not prepared?” he laughed wickedly. “I like your humor and bravery, but it’s not going to make me surrender. You need to look closely around you.” He started pacing, making me anxious. My heart pounded harder with every step he took. I was petrified that at any moment, he would do something horribly unexpected.
We all looked for what he could be talking about, and sure enough, he was not there alone. Yellow, glowing eyes appeared out of the darkness…not just one pair, but countless of them. The sight of them made me gasp for breath, and the new shivers were now from their presence.
Slowly emerging into sight, their beaming eyes were faint as their hulk-like bodies stood before us. Some of them were vultures, for sure; I could clearly smell them. The others were the new species of vultures. Though their eyes were illuminated just like the vultures, they were in human form. Their hissing and growling was enough to intimidate me.
With weapons drawn, we stood grounded in ready stances. I focused back on him when he spoke again.
“Don’t worry about them. You really need to worry about me.” Where sparks were before, now tiny flames lit up underneath his long sleeves. He was definitely beyond creepy. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was like me, except I couldn’t light up with flames.
“Tell us who you are, then we’ll negotiate,” Dad demanded.
“Negotiate?” The stranger started to laugh. His chuckle vibrated through his chest and echoed against the wall. “Before I tell you who I am, let me tell you a story first. You might even be fascinated. There are many versions of this story, told by humans of course. It’s funny how they think they know so much about our past: adding, deleting, and changing details.” He paused. “A long time ago when Hades decided to take revenge on his brothers, he reached out to Hephaestus. You might be wondering why. Let me explain.
“Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera. You all know how hideous and monstrous Hephaestus’ appearance was…even his own parents couldn’t stand the sight of him. Therefore, he was taken to the mountains, where Hephaestus discovered he had a talent in creating weapons. He served as the blacksmith for the gods. Zeus had demanded it.
“Hephaestus crafted much of the magnificent equipment of the gods. He designed Hermes’s winged helmet and sandals, Aphrodite’s famed girdle, Achilles’s armor, Eros’s bow and arrows, and the list goes on and on. Yet his greatest creation was the gift that the gods gave to man, the woman Pandora and her pithos. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of the earth as part of the punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire. You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about Pandora and her pithos. Her pithos—known to mankind as Pandora’s box—released all the evils of humanity. Poor Pandora. She opened the box out of simple curiosity and not as a malicious act. And she was blamed.
“You see, Hephaestus was extremely tired, and furious for being treated like he was nothing, when all of the beautiful things were created by him. Thinking of Pandora, he created statues of all the gods he wanted to take revenge on. Instead of using clay, he used iron. But you see, this was a special iron. Once it was touched by the person the statue replicated, it liquefied on contact and spread to their body, covering it entirely. Over time, the iron changed to the color of ivory, making them look like ivory statues. This was a clever way of killing the gods without much effort. However, since you can’t really kill gods, they were stuck there for eternity.
“This is where the revenge part comes in. Hephaestus told the gods that he had created gifts for them; that the replicated statues of them would talk to them once they had touched it. For days, Hephaestus waited. Though the gods were very curious, they were hesitant. Eventually, just like Pandora, they gave in. So the myth about the gods dying because of religion prevailing is false. They became weaker. Even after their capture, Hephaestus got no credit.
“Zeus and Poseidon massively procreating because gods were dying is also false. They had procreated since the beginning of time. When Hades found out about it, he was beyond enraged. Being stuck underground, he couldn’t do anything about it. That is when he created the vultures, with the help of Medusa. When my uncle reached out to me, he ordered the vultures to follow my commands.” He gave a big, proud smirk.
Me? Did he just say…Oh my God! He’s Hephaestus? Was that why he had covered himself with the black robe? So we couldn’t see his disfigured body? And if he was kidnapp
ing only Hephaestus’s descendants, then it all made sense. He was using them to build weapons for him, as well as including them in his army. Before I could even register all that he’d said, because it was just unbelievable, he continued.
“Let me explain all that was happening right under your noses. First, I had to test to see if I could change any of you into vultures. Remus was my test subject. You can blame his love for alcohol. His favorite drinking ladies were my helpers. The day he tried to kill Skylar…and yes, I am aware of the situation…he drank a drop of vulture’s blood. Obviously his body didn’t change, but his aggressive traits gave me an advantage. I knew this would happen from my other test subject. Vulture’s blood triggers the part of the brain that controls the anger in both humans and descendants. However, with the humans, I have to mix a drop of vulture blood with God’s wine, called ambrosia. It gives the human a euphoric feeling…until they vomit from the effect. Then the transformation happens.
“And yes, I am creating my army of vultures, some of whom you have already met. I’m going to take over the human world. I’m going to be the only God they will worship…only, they won’t be humans.” He bellowed a wicked laugh. “And you, Sky, I have to thank Ian. He gave you a taste of his blood, which is the reason you absorbed the power of lightning. When you take the blood from the person by direct contact, like you did with Remus, you take his life, but when it’s taken from the person and you drink a drop of it, the person lives.”
The stranger continued, “And of course, I gave you the blood of Poseidon’s descendant when we had dinner together. How I love organic cranberry juice.”
“You’re sick,” I yelled, feeling light at my fingertips.
“Oh, Sky. You should be grateful I’m giving you all of these powers. I bet you didn’t know you could shoot out fire. Now you are perfect, able to do what I’m going to demand of you.”