‘Then it’s settled,’ Emily said. ‘We wait till tonight, then we find Earl.’
The day passed slowly as they sat in the trees waiting for sunset. Emily jumped at every crack and sound from the woods around them. She felt exposed and vulnerable, as though a CRU agent was hiding behind every tree and waiting to burst out at them at any moment.
Every time Emily jumped, Alexis shook her head and tutted. ‘Did Diana not tell you I can sense danger? Is that not the reason I am here? There is no danger; we are alone in these trees. So just sit there and let me do my job.’
Emily sat on the ground beside Pegasus. Joel moved to sit beside her, leaning against the resting stallion’s side.
‘Alexis is right, Em, just relax. Don’t you know who the Sphinx is?’
‘A giant cat from the Egyptian desert,’ Emily said flatly.
Alexis bristled and hissed at the insult. ‘What did you say? Egyptian? That is not I!’
Joel held up his hand to the Sphinx. ‘Alexis, calm down. Not everyone in this world knows the stories.’
‘Then educate her. I will not suffer such insults again!’ Without a second glance, the Sphinx wandered into the trees.
‘Watch yourself around her,’ Joel warned. ‘The Sphinx is very dangerous. The myths say she used to guard the trail to Thebes. Anyone who approached had to answer one of her riddles. If they got it wrong, she killed them. Some legends say she even ate them.’
‘Oh gross!’ Emily cried. She looked to where the Sphinx had entered the trees. ‘Wait, how could she eat them? OK, she does have a lion’s body and claws, but she has a woman’s head. How could she?’
Paelen answered. ‘You have not seen her teeth.’
‘Yes I have,’ Emily said.
Paelen shook his head. ‘No you have not. If you had, you would not be asking the question. Alexis has two sets of teeth: her talking teeth and her eating teeth. She has long sharp fangs that extend down. When she is finished eating, she can retract them like claws.’
‘Just like a vampire,’ Emily muttered.
‘But a lot more dangerous than vampires,’ Joel said. ‘If the myths are true, she was sent to Thebes by Juno, Jupiter’s wife. The Sphinx was only ever defeated once – when Oedipus guessed the right answer to her riddle. It’s said that she killed herself when he did.’
Pegasus nickered softly. Paelen translated. ‘No, she did not kill herself. She simply returned to Olympus. But she is one of our best guards. Pegasus knows you do not like her and that she is not particularly fond of you. But he says we are very honoured to have her with us. We are in safe hands.’
‘That’s if Emily doesn’t do something stupid and drive Alexis to kill her!’ Joel added.
Emily looked at Joel and felt a sting. ‘If she tries anything, I’ll burn her up!’
Paelen’s eyes flew wide. ‘You must not say such a thing. The Sphinx is Juno’s favourite. There would be no stopping her rage if you destroyed Alexis, even if you are the Flame of Olympus. Please—’
‘Calm down,’ Emily said. ‘I wasn’t serious. I could never hurt Alexis, even if she does drive me crazy!’ She directed her attention to Pegasus. ‘You know that too, right, Pegs? I won’t use my powers to hurt anyone – ever!’
‘Except maybe the gorgons,’ Joel added as he nudged her playfully.
Emily shoved him back. ‘That was different. They started it and turned you all to stone. I had no choice. Apart from them, I don’t want to use my powers against anyone, ever again.
Paelen relaxed visibly. ‘That is a relief. I would hate to see a war start between you and Juno over Alexis.’
Emily said nothing. There was already a huge weight on her shoulders knowing she may have to fight Jupiter to protect Earth. She wasn’t about to pick another fight. Sitting beside Pegasus, absently stroking the feathers on his wings, she worried about the future.
As the summer sun moved steadily overhead and started to descend in the west, they changed into their ‘Earth’ clothes. Paelen beamed as he looked down at his jeans and T-shirt. ‘I do look human, do I not?’ he asked proudly.
Emily smiled at her friend’s eagerness to blend in despite the fact that he was wearing jewelled sandals with wings instead of trainers. ‘You look great.’
Emily struggled to get her jeans up over her silver leg brace. She hated that she still needed to wear it. But the damage the Nirads had done to her leg in New York left her unable to walk without it.
Across the small clearing, Alexis was refusing to put on the T-shirt Emily had given her to cover up her naked front.
‘I will not do it,’ Alexis said. ‘I have never had to wear anything before – even when I was last in your world. I will look ridiculous.’
Emily bit her tongue. A lion-woman with eagle’s wings and a serpent’s tail was worrying about looking ridiculous if she wore a T-shirt?
‘Things have changed,’ Emily grunted, struggling to fasten her waist buttons. She crossed to the Sphinx and then looked over at her friends. ‘Not to mention you are distracting Joel and Paelen and we need them to focus.’
‘No,’ Alexis said. ‘I will not wear this. Not unless you answer another riddle.’
Emily groaned. ‘Not again.’
‘If you insist on me wearing clothing, I will only do it when you answer correctly.’
The Sphinx moved closer to Emily and narrowed her green eyes.
‘Riddle me, riddle me ranty ro
My father gave me seeds to sow
The seed was black and the ground was white
If you riddle me that
You’ll escape my bite.’
Emily asked Alexis to repeat the riddle. Black seeds with white ground. After the last riddle, she knew the answer wouldn’t be clear or easy. One thing was sure, it would have nothing to do with planting at all. White ground and black seeds … What made the ground white? Snow! Finally she had a thought and snapped her fingers.
‘I know! It’s coal in a snowman’s eyes!’
Alexis smiled and threw away the T-shirt. ‘Incorrect. I do not need to wear this.’
‘What is it then?’ Emily demanded.
Alexis shook her head. ‘It is not my place to tell you the answer.’
Emily threw up her arms in frustration and walked back to Pegasus. When she passed Joel, she shook her head. ‘Will you please talk to her?’
Colour rose in Joel’s cheeks. ‘Um … well, I …’ He looked awkwardly over to the Sphinx. ‘I know you’ve got Pluto’s helmet and all, but it might be best if you put something on.’
Alexis dropped her head and pouted. ‘You do not like me. You think I am ugly.’
Joel jumped to his feet and approached the Sphinx. ‘Alexis, I think you’re amazing! But in our world, we tend to cover up. Please, for me?’
Alexis held up the top dubiously. ‘Fine, but only for you.’
Emily watched Joel fawning all over the Sphinx. With her raven-black hair and large green eyes, she was strikingly beautiful. But despite what everyone said, to Emily, Alexis was still just an overgrown, flying house cat!
Emily felt the Flame within her stir. She knew she could control it and wouldn’t let it free. But at that moment she was tempted.
Pegasus gently nudged her. Emily looked back into the stallion’s big brown eyes. ‘Thanks, Pegs,’ she said softly as she hugged his neck. ‘But why can’t he see it? She’s just toying with him.’
When the sun had finally set, they packed up their things and prepared to leave. Emily climbed up on to Pegasus. ‘OK, Paelen, lead on. Take us to Earl.’
With the lights of New York City behind them and all the towns of New Jersey ahead, Emily expected to head due north, back towards Tuxedo, New York, where they first met Earl. But once they were higher in the sky, the sandals took them in a southern direction.
‘Did Earl tell you where he lived?’ Joel called to Emily.
‘In Tuxedo,’ Emily called back. She turned on Pegasus’s back and pointed in the direction they’d
come from. ‘But that’s way back there. Where do you think we’re going?’
‘Guess we’ll find out soon enough.’
As the moon rose high and full above them in a sky filled with stars, Emily settled down on Pegasus for a long flight. The air was warm and getting warmer the further south they travelled. Beneath them, they watched towns and city lights passing. Yet Paelen’s sandals continued without a break.
After a time, the lights of civilization stopped and they passed silently over a tall, heavily wooded mountain range with only the occasional car headlights to break the solid darkness below.
‘Em,’ Joel finally called, ‘do those look like the Blue Ridge Mountains to you?’
‘Don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve never travelled any further south than New Jersey.’
‘Well, I’ve gone down to Florida and this looks familiar.’
Emily was unsure how long they had flown. But with the passing of the moon overhead, she knew it had to be most of the night. Just before dawn, with the air becoming warmer and sweeter with the fragrance of flowers and salty sea air, Paelen’s sandals finally started to descend.
They were heading down towards a densely populated neighbourhood that was filled with houses running along a canal. With the pink rays of dawn rising in the east, Emily noticed several homes with their lights already on. There was some light traffic on the roads as commuters started their journeys to work.
‘I don’t like this,’ Emily called to Joel and Paelen. ‘We could be seen.’
Paelen looked over his shoulder. ‘But this is where Earl is.’
Within minutes, they were gliding over a row of homes.
‘Don’t land in front!’ Joel called. ‘Paelen, if it’s one of these homes, land in the backyard.’
Paelen repeated the order to his sandals. Soon they were touching down in the grass of a small backyard along the canal. Palm trees were blowing in the soft warm breeze and the sound of morning songbirds filled the soupy, humid air.
Emily looked around nervously. ‘I really don’t like this. We’re too exposed here.’ Pegasus was still glowing in the pre-dawn light. She pointed to the house directly across the canal from them. ‘Look, their lights are on. If they look outside, they can’t miss us.’
‘Then let’s not stay out here,’ Joel said. He looked at Paelen. ‘Are you sure this is the right place?’
‘I am not, but the sandals are certain.’
Alexis fluttered her wings into position and scanned the area. ‘I have never been here before. The air is delicious. Where are we?’
Joel looked around. ‘Looks and smells like Florida to me.’
‘Florida?’ Emily repeated. ‘Are you saying we flew over a thousand miles in one night?’
Pegasus nickered softly and Chrysaor squealed as they moved closer to the back of the house. ‘They say we should seek cover before the sun is fully up,’ Paelen translated.
Joel approached the sliding glass door at the rear of the house. ‘I hope your sandals are right,’ he muttered softly, ‘or we’re about to ruin someone’s day.’
‘Someone’s whole life, you mean,’ Emily added.
The door was locked. But one of the benefits of having an artificial arm made in Vulcan’s workshop was that Joel now possessed amazing strength in his silver right arm.
With a quick, sharp tug, the lock on the door snapped and the glass door slid open.
‘Everyone inside,’ Joel whispered.
As the biggest, Pegasus went first. But even with the glass door fully open, the winged stallion was too large to fit through the doorway. Joel, Paelen and Emily had to push Pegasus from behind to force his whole body and wings through the opening.
‘C’mon!’ Joel grunted. ‘One more good push should do it.’
Pegasus whinnied in complaint as he was shoved painfully through the glass door. With a final effort, the stallion made it through the tight opening, but not before losing several feathers.
As Chrysaor and Alexis trailed in behind the stallion, Emily and Paelen ran around the yard gathering Pegasus’s lost feathers, now blowing in the breeze. A large feather blew into the canal just as Emily reached for it.
‘Go and get it,’ Paelen said as the feather floated on the surface.
‘I’m not going in there,’ Emily protested. ‘You go get it.’
Paelen shook his head. ‘Not me. I do not like water. You should go.’
‘And I don’t like alligators,’ Emily said. ‘I’ve heard Florida canals are full of them.’
Paelen looked at her in shock. ‘So you wish for me to be eaten by creatures in this water?’
‘No, of course not, but being Olympian I’m sure the alligators would leave you alone.’
While they argued, the feather drifted further away. Finally Emily raised her right hand. She concentrated on the feather while summoning the Flame. A tight beam of fire shot from her hand and burned up the feather. When it stopped, all that remained was steaming water.
Emily looked at Paelen and rubbed her hands together. ‘That’s sorted. Let’s catch up with the others.’
When they were all gathered in the small lounge, Emily stood beside Pegasus stroking his neck to let her powers restore his lost and damaged feathers. ‘Sorry about that, Pegs,’ she said softly. ‘But we had to get you in here. I don’t think any of us realize just how big you are until something like that happens.’
Pegasus nickered softly and nodded his head.
Moments later, Alexis raised her head and hushed Emily. ‘There are two humans stirring in this dwelling.’
‘Two?’ Emily repeated.
Alexis let out a ferocious roar. In the blink of an eye, the Sphinx launched into the air. Soaring over Emily’s head, a strange, choked voice behind her screamed as Alexis knocked to the floor a long-haired man wearing a brown bathrobe.
Emily received her first look at Alexis’s eating teeth as the Sphinx stood on the man’s chest and prepared to kill him. They were a terrifying sight. Huge, sharp canines filled her mouth as her jaw unhinged to allow her to open her mouth wider than Emily thought possible.
‘Alexis, no!’ Joel cried. He ran up to the Sphinx and knelt down beside her. ‘Please don’t kill him! We know him. He can help us.’
When the Sphinx looked over to Joel, Emily saw her eyes were almost as scary as her teeth. The colour was gone and all she could see were enlarged, black pupils. A low deep rumble continued from the Sphinx’s throat. Emily understood what Diana meant about Alexis being a good security guard. She was terrifying.
Finally the Sphinx’s pupils returned to normal and her teeth retracted. She climbed off, but remained close and poised to strike.
Joel helped the man climb shakily to his feet.
It took a moment to recognize him because he’d changed so much. His hair was long and shaggy and he had a moustache, but it was him. ‘Agent T!’ Emily cried. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Me?’ the CRU agent challenged. ‘What the hell are you doing back here? And what is that thing you’ve brought with you?’ He pointed a shaking finger at Alexis.
‘Thing?’ Alexis repeated as her soft growls grew considerably louder. ‘Did you just call me a thing?’
It was Agent T all right. He still possessed the same arrogance and defiance that all CRU agents had. If he wasn’t careful with the Sphinx, that arrogance would get him killed. Emily stepped forward to stop the disaster before it started. ‘This is Alexis,’ she introduced quickly. ‘She is the Sphinx of Olympus.’
Agent T groaned. ‘More damn Olympians? Not again.’
A second man charged into the room. ‘What’s going on in here?’
Emily turned and saw Earl standing in the doorway. Like Agent T, he had changed since the last time she saw him. His light hair was dyed black and his beard was gone. They were obviously trying to disguise themselves to hide from the CRU. But there was no mistaking the sparkle in his eyes. There were no traces of the severe burns he’d received at the d
estruction of the Red Apple rest stop.
‘Earl! I’m so glad to see you!’
Earl’s eyes flew open at the sight of Pegasus and the others crammed into his small lounge. ‘Emily!’ He ran over and scooped her up in his arms. ‘I’ve been so darn worried about you!’ His eyes went to everyone in the room. ‘About all of you.’
‘We’re doing good,’ Joel answered. ‘But we really need your help.’
‘Help?’ Earl said as he crossed to Pegasus and patted the stallion’s neck. ‘Hiya, big fella.’ He turned back to Joel. ‘What’s wrong?’
Emily looked from Earl to Agent T. ‘Actually, I’m glad you are here too because we think the CRU are involved with something horrific.’
Agent T stepped away from the Sphinx and approached Emily. ‘Whatever it is, I don’t want to know about it. I haven’t been with the agency since you started that mess up in Tuxedo, New York. The CRU have been searching for us ever since. Earl and I are in hiding. We’ve changed our names countless times and had to take awful jobs just to survive. Look at this dump. I’ve got multiple degrees and was a high-ranking CRU agent. What am I doing now? Because of you, I’m a janitor.’
Emily bristled. ‘Don’t go blaming us. We didn’t start that mess in Tuxedo – you did, when you took my father!’
Agent T stood defiantly erect. Despite his messy long hair, tattered robe and bare feet, he was still an imposing sight. ‘We wouldn’t have taken your father if you hadn’t caused all that trouble in New York. Do you have any idea how much chaos those Nirads caused us? We had to buy off most of the city officials and threaten the newspapers.’
‘That wasn’t our fault either!’ Emily cried.
Pegasus nickered softly. Paelen came forward and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Emily, calm down. That is in the past. Pegasus says we must focus on our mission.’
Emily looked back at the stallion and nodded. She took a deep, steadying breath. ‘You’re right.’
‘So why are you here?’ Earl asked. ‘What have the CRU done now?’
Joel answered. ‘We think they may have created a clone from Pegasus. It’s that racehorse who won the Triple Crown?’