Hades shook his head and looked down in shame. “I need time to regain my strength. I can only puff out smoke.”
“Prove it!” the faces demanded in anger.
Before anyone could speak, not only did the wind pick up speed, we were being sucked in, apparently towards their mouths.
“We need to think like Poseidon. What will stop the wind?” Noah asked.
Tim raised his hand, taking the water from the soft narrow stream along the side of the cave. “Poseidon didn’t create this stream for nothing.”
Understanding what Tim was doing, I did the same. Manipulating the water, like the outer layer of skin, water hugged the hurricane and masked the shape of it, but it had no effect on it. Instead, water darted on us the way the sand was.
“Hades! Do something,” Nick cried out frantically, zapping his light directly in the mouth he was being pulled into. “Show your smoke; show anything to prove you’re Hades.”
Hades raised his hand. How desperately I wanted him to have his power back. I wished so hard that my head hurt and my heart drummed as I watched only smoke puff out of his hand…then nothing. At last, beyond hope and power, we got sucked into the mouths.
Darkness covered me. I was sliding down an endless tunnel that seemed to stretch forever. My stomach dropped, and every muscle went limp when I plummeted out of whatever was guiding me. No control…out of control. Then suddenly, my fall became slower…much slower. Zara stood before me with a smile and her arms up to control my landing.
“Sky.” Mason came to me. He cupped my face, looking lovingly into my eyes. I knew that look. He was worried about me.
Strangely, Mason was becoming taller…no…I was shrinking, I thought. OMG! I was standing on an enormous hill of gold coins and countless jewels. Necklaces, bracelets, and rings of pearls, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and all the various colors of gemstones were scattered about. Talk about temptation! I wanted to take one of each home. Too bad it was forbidden.
Smack in the center was a pillar. On the pillar was the reason why we’d gone there.
“You’re lucky you were the last one and Zara was there for you,” Amanda said, rubbing her hip. “I was one of the first to land on this massive pile of hard stuff. But man oh man…I wish we could take some home with us. They’re so beautiful.”
“One day, I will buy one for you. Whatever your heart desires,” Noah swooned, looking into Amanda’s eyes.
“Don’t even pick up a single gold coin,” my dad warned, struggling to get closer to me. With each step taken, his leg plunged into the coins. It was like walking through quick sand.
“I wasn’t going to pick it up, Victor,” Noah barked, heading for the pillar.
“I’m only looking after your well-being. Just reminding you. Seeing how rich we could get, it’s very tempting.”
“Now what?” Nick pursed his lips, examining the head. “It’s…dead.”
Zara circled around the pillar, looked closely at it, and then stood in front of it. “I assure you, it’s not dead. It looks like a statue, but once it’s picked up, it will come alive. You must not look directly in her eyes. With just one look, you will become the gray stone she is now. Medusa will call your name in your mind. She will toy with you…manipulate you…make you feel sorry for her. Does everyone understand? No matter how tempting she may sound, you must not give in.”
“Who’s going to be the one to pick it up?” Tim asked, shifting, trying to maintain his standing.
“The one with the purest heart,” she answered, turning her head to me.
All that time, I’d thought it would be Zara. I assumed the Oracles were the ones with the purest hearts. How could it be me? Feeling the weight of everyone’s stare I spoke.
“I don’t think it’s me.”
Zara approached me and held my face in her hands, a slight twinkle in her violet eyes. “Yes you are, Skylar. You are the special one, the one with the purest heart.”
“But it’s impossible.” I took a step back and shook my head, forcing her to drop her hands. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. “I’m not any better than anyone else in here. I’ve had impure thoughts. I’ve wished ill upon others. I….”
I stopped speaking when I didn’t know how to explain it any more. I was lacking words because at that moment, I knew she was right. Of course it had to be me. It was always me. It wasn’t about having a pure heart in that way I was thinking, because no matter what, we were part human…and humans were created to make mistakes in every form. But it was what you did to correct it so that it wouldn’t happen again that made your heart pure. So why was I the one with the purest heart? I had the power of the three gods. I couldn’t get purer than that.
Mason inclined his head with a grin, telling me to make my move. Thinking of my mom, I had to do this. I only hoped that I didn’t fail and that Medusa’s head would easily be taken off the pillar.
“How do I do this? And what do I do after I get a hold of it?” I asked. I didn’t want to accidently turn everyone to stone.
Zara reached inside of her cape and pulled out a black fabric bag. “Since I’ve never done this before, I thought we’d take a precaution and put it inside this bag, away from everyone’s eyes. Before you pick her up, keep in mind where you want to go. It will portal us there. That is the gift from Poseidon, though he’s not really here. He planned it well. He knew we wouldn’t come for it unless it was a dire need. But he also didn’t want to make it easy for just any descendants to take it. And the fact that Hades couldn’t shoot out flames was a good thing. It was a test. A test Hades passed that led us on the right path.”
“I don’t get it,” Amanda asked. “Why was it a good thing Hades couldn’t shoot out flame?”
“Because Poseidon would know that if Hades was released, he wouldn’t have his powers back right away. In fact, Hades won’t get his powers until Zeus or Poseidon offers them back to him.”
“What?” Hades’s eyes fired up. “You told me I would get them back in time. You led me on.” The gold coins shifted and moved, sliding in the opposite direction of Hades’s steps. He was going for Zara.
I jumped in front of Zara, though I was pretty sure she could handle Hades, especially since he had no powers. “Stop, Hades. You’ll get them back after we save your brothers. You said you want their forgiveness; hurting Zara won’t mend the problem or bring them back. We are wasting time. Resolve your anger. You need to learn how to control it.”
I knew Hades understood and would not harm Zara when the fire in his eyes dissipated. With a heavy sigh, he relaxed his strained muscles and stepped aside.
“Hurry, Sky.” Mason pointed, reminding me we were running out of time.
After I nodded to confirm, I slowly extended my arm and prayed that this went smoothly. My imagination ran wild and I thought of all sorts of scenarios in which this could go wrong…like the snakes coming alive and me getting bit by one of them, or Medusa’s eyes opening and turning everyone into stone, or the ground shaking and causing an avalanche of more gold coins or sand raining down on us. This all made me hesitant because we didn’t know what the outcome would be.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I felt the need to release it after the head was off the pillar. I was pretty sure everyone was doing the same as their eyes set heavily on it. Zara handed me the bag and stepped away, as if what I was holding was some kind of disease she didn’t want to catch. I didn’t blame her. I sighed with relief that there was no unexpected surprise, but I sighed too soon.
Medusa’s eyes popped open, scaring the life out of me. I knew this not because I looked directly into her eyes, but because her eyes shined like high beams on a car that had just turned on in the dark. When everyone screamed and ducked, I lost my grip and dropped it. “Shit!” Squinting, I scooped up the head, trying not to get any coin pieces along with it.
“I’ll hold it for you.” Dad took it from me. I was glad he did. It was heavy and it wasn’t something I wanted to have
in my possession, though I knew Mason would have held it for me. He placed his arms down when my dad reached out his hand.
“Skylar, the pillar is sinking. Place your hand on her head.” Zara broke me out of my stare at Mason’s grin. “Direct the entity where you want us to go. Hurry before it sends us elsewhere. Are you taking it to Hephaestus or to Zeus? It’s your call.”
Ever since Hephaestus had taken my mom, there was no doubt what my goal was. The drive that kept me going was my mom, to bring her back home. Now it all seemed unclear. If I gave Medusa’s head to Hephaestus, he would surely take over the world. How selfish would that have be for me? I was torn. My heart was broken as images of my mom being scared out of her mind in the hands of the evil monster flashed through me.
Mason slipped his hand in mind, providing comfort. He knew the burden that was buried deep in me. He was letting me know that whatever I decided, he would support it. Actually at that point, I had no choice. It was the right thing to do.
Dad opened the bag just enough, allowing my hand to reach in. Feeling the cold hard stone, I willed it to our destination just before the pillar disappeared into the hill of coins. What happened next was not what I had anticipated. The ground started to shake and rumble.
“Not again,” Amanda groaned.
“Brace the fall, but do not fight it,” Zara directed.
I couldn’t fight it if I tried. There was nowhere to go and nothing to hold on to. We could do nothing as the pillar sunk even deeper to the unknown, along with the coins and jewels. I just hoped it took us to our destination and not to another challenge we would have to endure. I let it take me, following its will. My eyes were sunken, my body wary, my will spent. I’d had enough.
Nick stood up, dusting off his pants. “I hope we never have to do that again.”
“That was…awesome. What a rush,” Noah said in exhilaration, glancing around. “Where are we?”
Without even examining the surroundings, I knew where we were. It was where I’d told it to send us. “Olympus,” I said, mesmerized by the beauty of the place.
“Wow.” Tim’s whisper floated with the butterflies that passed him by. “I know you’ve been here before, but this is our first time.”
“Hopefully not your last.” Nick ruffled Tim’s hair. “Don’t get left behind.”
As Zara led the way, I cautiously kept my eye on a particular tree nearby. That tree was the home of Cara, the third Oracle who wanted me dead, and the one who’d worked with Alena. The last time I had seen her she escaped, never to be found. We didn’t search hard for her. It was difficult to look for someone who could make herself disappear right before our eyes.
Being in Olympus, everything was vibrant. The colors of the flowers seemed richer, and the grass below was the prettiest green I’d ever seen. Spreading across the sky, the clouds were thick, yet looked soft as cotton, and allowed the sun to peek through. There was no spring, summer, fall, or winter. It was just perfect. What I loved the most was the butterflies dancing happily against the soft breeze, without a care in the world. That was how I felt in Mt. Olympus…until I saw the statues of the gods. Then every inch of my body became rigid.
“Unbelievable,” Noah sighed, passing one statue after another.
Everyone’s eyes were glued to the statues that were lined up in a row. They were quiet at first, taking it all in. Even the Grand brothers and Amanda, who had been there before, had their eyes focused on the statues.
“What a sight.” Dad raised his hand to touch Poseidon, but changed his mind.
“Home. I’m finally home.” Hades dropped to his knees in front of Zeus as his eyes glistened with tears.
At that moment, I knew Hades was being truthful all along. In a way, I felt sorry for him. There were always two sides of the story. What had happened a long time ago between the brothers would remain a mystery. But any doubt of Hades being on Hephaestus’s side vanished with the wind that started to pick up. The sudden change in the air startled me. The leaves on the ground shot like cannons, and the air about us shouted in anger. It became so strong that it was intolerable. Then one person came to mind.
“What’s going on?” Mason panicked, holding tightly to my hand.
“It’s my sister,” Zara said, frowning. “Cara! Show yourself. I know this is your doing.”
“Do something,” Hades ordered, holding onto the statue of Zeus as the wind continued to blow.
“Cara. We’ve come in peace. Show yourself.” Zara looked like a butterfly about to take flight from the cape blowing beside her.
“Who dares enter the house of gods? You have no permission to be here. Go back where you came from.”
“It’s me, Zara.”
“Zara? It can’t be.”
“It is I, sister. Come out and see for yourself.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Come out, Cara.”
“Prove yourself. Tell me something only my sister would know,” she demanded as the wind softened.
“There are three of us. Tara is the second sister. We were happy once. Then something bad happened, and you sided with the wrong side. You lost your way, but you can find your way back home. We all make mistakes. We are not perfect. But it’s what you do to better yourself that counts. The gods are merciful. You will be forgiven…you only need to ask. I miss my sister. It’s been too long.”
“I thought you were dead,” she whimpered. Then there was silence in the air.
“Tara is well, too. She misses you. We need to be a family again. Help me.”
“There is no peace for you or me.” Her tone changed to somber. “We are doomed. Hephaestus has created an army of vultures. We will be out numbered. There is no hope for us or humanity.”
“You’re wrong. Hades is here. And the one who will release the gods is here. All three gods will unite. We have hope again. We will have order. We will restore our home.”
A shadow appeared from behind a tree, changing shape into a figure. Zara’s gasp sounded loud, especially since the winds had calmed. Cara looked older and more wretched then the last time I’d seen her. She had aged, with more wrinkles on her face, and by her appearance—looking thin and frail—she seemed weaker.
“Zara, is that really you?” Cara cried. Her body lightly shook as her eyes pooled with tears. Her hands covered her face when she dropped to the ground after turning to Hades. “Hades.” Her words were hardily audible, but they were filled with remorse.
Her sobs made me feel sorry for, and my anger toward her subsided somewhat. I didn’t know her. I didn’t know what she had endured to become what she was now, and for that reason I didn’t want to judge her. The truth was, Hephaestus was our real enemy, the one that would not change his ways. But Cara, on the other hand, was just a pawn, driven by her greed, flawed by the fact that none of us were perfect. Just like Hades, she now had the opportunity to be forgiven, to change her ways, and become the great Oracle she once was.
I’d thought that Zara would be angry at her sister and have her locked up, so I was surprised to see that I’d been wrong about her intentions. Being an only child, I didn’t know what it was like to have that kind of connection, but I could assume it would be something like how I felt for Kayla. No matter how mad I was with her, no matter how many times we might argue, our love was strong enough to forgive and forget. Thinking of Kayla, I couldn’t help wondering how she was doing.
Zara stood beside Cara and placed her hand on her head. “Stand up, Cara. Rise and help me help Skylar free Zeus and Poseidon. We do not have much time.”
Cara stood slowly, using her cane to help her up. Then she looked at me, but not in the disgusted way she had done before. She retreated several steps, looking confused. “You have brought the ‘keeper of death.’ She will destroy us, not help us.”
From the corner of my eye I could see Mason’s hand shooting small sparks, getting ready to protect me just in case Cara decided to make a move on me.
“No. You were misinformed
. Skylar is the ‘keeper of life.’ She will awaken Zeus and Poseidon. She has already freed her father and many others. Let’s not waste time. You’ll have to trust me, and I’ll explain the details later.” Zara turned to me. “Quickly. Do the exact same thing you did for your dad. Cara and I will help you. We’ll project our powers at the same time. This way, you won’t have to use too much of your energy. Waking up a god will drain you. It’s different than how it was with your dad.”
Zara turned to the others. “Step back. I don’t know what will happen.”
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on Zeus’s chest and let go. Having Cara and Zara’s hands on mine gave me courage and strength, and the will that I could do this. I had done it before, but could I awaken the gods as Zara proclaimed I could? We were about to find out.
Water flowed out of my fingertips…spreading, covering every inch of Zeus’s body. Fire came next, slowly melting the iron. Then light sizzled from my fingertips, expanding in the way water did. Even with the Oracles’ energy, it didn’t seem enough.
“We need more power, Skylar,” Zara said weakly. “I don’t have any more to spare.”
There was only one thing I could think of to do, but it would require more strength than I could possible endure. I had no choice. I had to command it.
Lightning struck from the sky through my body to Zeus. As did the water and fire, it projected to Poseidon. Their bodies were more than halfway revealed, but I could feel myself weakening. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on. Just when I thought I was spent, the iron cast was melted and I was thrown back a few feet. Lucky for me, Mason was fast enough to catch my fall.
“I’ve got you. You okay, Sky?” Mason stroked my cheeks. My shoe had touched ground, and the upper part of my body was in his hold.
“I’m just tired,” I grumbled. “Are they out?
“Yes. You did it. I’m so proud of you.” Mason kissed my forehead and helped me to stand.
Poseidon and Zeus were on the ground. A light blanket that Zara brought with her covered their bodies to keep them warm. Everyone stared in awe, waiting. How long would it take for them to recover? Zara had told me that the gods would bounce back quickly, but she didn’t know the time frame. As I held my breath, I watched their bodies tremble under the blanket and recalled my dad doing the same thing. I prayed they would be on their feet soon. I didn’t mean to be insensitive, but time wasn’t on our side.