Pegasus and the Rise of the Titans (Pegasus #5) (15 page)

‘But you haven’t got your powers any more,’ Joel said.

‘Maybe not now, but I will – when I get that shard!’

‘It’s my fault,’ Emily told Joel and Paelen as they closed the door to the suite.

‘Don’t you dare!’ Joel said. ‘If you think this has something to do with you losing your powers . . .’

‘It has everything to do with that,’ Emily said. The light pounding in her temples told her that Riza was thinking the same thing.

‘How?’ Paelen asked.

They stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the lobby. ‘I sensed this from Lorin when we were merged. She’s been asleep for most of her life. But when Riza and I turned Tom into a Sphinx and we used too much of our power, it somehow called to Lorin and woke her up. Each moment she has been awake, her powers have grown. When she was in my mind, she learned how to use them. If Riza and I hadn’t turned Tom into a Sphinx, Lorin would still be asleep.’

‘You couldn’t have known,’ Joel said.

‘I know,’ Emily agreed softly, dropping her head. ‘And we would never have done it if we’d known. But now, because of us, Saturn is free and he’s going to use Lorin to kill the Big Three and destroy Olympus.’

‘And Earth,’ Paelen said. ‘We all know he will not stop with Olympus. He will try to rule all the worlds along the Solar Stream. Those that oppose him will be destroyed.’

‘He’ll never get this far,’ Joel said as the lift reached the lobby. ‘Because we’re gonna stop him!’

Getting to Diamond Head was their next challenge. They found a taxi driver willing to take them as far as possible, but the whole area around the volcano had been closed off.

‘You’ll have to walk the rest of the way. But you won’t get in to the crater, not with all the water pouring out of it. ’Course, I could take you to the ocean side. It’s not got the best views of Diamond Head and you can’t get into the crater. But the ocean is beautiful and you can visit the lighthouse.’

‘That would be perfect, thank you,’ Emily said as they settled into the back of the taxi.

Joel looked at her and frowned. Emily pointed down to Paelen’s winged sandals. His eyes grew wide when he understood what she planned. He mouthed, ‘No way. Not in daylight!’

‘We must,’ Emily mouthed back.

When Paelen finally caught up with the conversation, he cried aloud, ‘You expect me to fly up there in the middle of the day? Are you mad?’

Emily elbowed him sharply and nodded towards the driver, who was eyeing them in the mirror. ‘No, not until we ask Mom and Dad if we can go up in the helicopter . . .’ Emily said, exaggerating every word.

‘I still think you’re crazy,’ Joel said loudly. ‘Besides, helicopters frighten you.’

‘But I really want to see Diamond Head!’ Emily insisted.

The journey from the hotel only took fifteen minutes. They had to drive through a steady flow of water running down the road as they approached as close to the dormant volcano as they could. They turned and took a road leading to the ocean highway.

To the right, the ocean was calm and blue. Emily wondered if Pele was with her sister and if they were fighting or working together to help the Olympians.

On their left, the ocean wall of Diamond Head loomed. The closer they were to it, the less like a volcano it looked. There were tall leafy trees, shrubs and long grasses growing all the way up the side, giving the viewer the impression of it being a simple mountain slope. It wasn’t smooth either. There were deep grooves sliced into it, as though water had been pouring down the side and cut trails into the mountain.

The driver pulled into a parking area at a large white lighthouse. ‘Here you go, kids, this is as close as you’re going to get. That’s Diamond Head over there, but like I said, you can’t reach the crater from here. From what I heard, they are going to seal the tunnel into the crater on the other side and let it fill up. Then they’re gonna direct the water down here and into the ocean. The highway and all this area will be flooded.’

‘When will they do that?’ Joel asked.

The driver shrugged. ‘I haven’t heard. Hey, you want me to stay here while you look around?’

Emily shook her head. ‘No thanks. We’re going to spend some time exploring.’

‘Suit yourselves,’ the driver said as Emily paid him.

‘Now what?’ Joel asked as he watched the taxi pull away. They looked at the rising mountain across the highway. ‘Pele’s note said we could call her from Diamond Head, but she never said if we had to be in the crater.’

‘She knew about the water,’ Paelen suggested. ‘I am sure she knew we could not go inside.’

They crossed the highway and walked up to where the incline started. Emily gazed up the side and squinted. ‘Wow, it doesn’t look like a volcano from here.’ She looked back at Joel and Paelen and then focused her full attention on the side of Diamond Head. ‘Pele, can you hear me? We really need your help. Please come.’

They expected Pele to magically appear. But there was nothing but a gentle breeze, birdsong and an occasional car that passed along the highway. They looked back at the lighthouse and beyond it to the calm ocean.

‘I wonder if she’s out there,’ Joel said.

‘Maybe we need to be higher.’ Emily looked back at Paelen. ‘If Joel and I keep watch, will you fly up the side and call for Pele? She might hear you better from up there.’

‘I don’t know, Em,’ Joel said. ‘That’s kind of risky.’

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than a squadron of military jets blasted past their location.

‘Soldiers – quick, get down!’ Joel grabbed Emily and they ducked down into some bushes.

‘They’re moving too fast to be looking for us,’ Emily said as she stood and brushed dirt off her new clothes. ‘Besides, the CRU use black helicopters.’

‘I do not like this island,’ Paelen said, as his eyes followed the fighters soaring along the coastline. ‘There are too many soldiers.’ He looked back at them. ‘I will do it. I will try anything to get us out of here.’

‘Just keep close to the ground,’ Joel suggested. ‘Try to look like you’re climbing it. But go as high as you can.’

Paelen nodded and said to his sandals, ‘Take me up the side of Diamond Head, but keep us close to the ground.’

The tiny wings flapped in acknowledgement and Paelen was lifted off the ground.

‘The way is clear,’ Joel said, checking the road. ‘Go now!’

‘Go!’ Paelen ordered his sandals.

As Paelen ascended the side of the mountain, Emily and Joel kept watch.

‘He looks as if he’s climbing,’ Joel commented, following his progress.

‘I just hope Pele hears him.’

Paelen returned a few minutes later, his face flushed. ‘You would not believe it! It is not a crater any more, but a big lake. There are people on the opposite side and there is actually a boat in there. It was filled with people.’

‘Probably scientists,’ Joel suggested. ‘Or military.’

‘What about Pele?’ Emily asked.

‘I called to her many times, but she did not respond. I even called into the lei she gave me, but it was as though she could not hear me. I wanted to shout, but I feared being overheard.’

‘What do we do now?’ Joel asked.

Emily considered their options. ‘We’re out of time. Fawn must call the Big Three and get them here as soon as possible. Without them, we can’t get to the shard.’

Joel shielded his eyes from the blazing sun and gazed around. ‘Maybe we should have asked the taxi to wait. It’s a long walk back to the hotel and it’s getting hot.’

‘If we see one on the way we can stop it,’ Emily said. ‘C’mon, I don’t like leaving Pegs and the others alone too long.’

The sun grew hotter and climbed to its highest point as they made their way back to the hotel. They noticed traffic in the sky. There were still a few tourist helicopters, but most were the large, heavy, twin rotors of military helicopters flying low over Honolulu.

They looked at each other uneasily. ‘You don’t think they could have seen Paelen and alerted the CRU?’ Joel asked.

‘No way,’ Emily said, but she lacked confidence. ‘Pele said this was a military island – they’re probably training or something.’

‘Yeah, that’s it,’ Joel agreed, a little too quickly.

‘They are not looking for us,’ Paelen insisted. ‘The CRU cannot know we are here. We have done nothing to draw attention to ourselves.’

‘No, of course not,’ Emily agreed. ‘We didn’t cause the earthquake or open Diamond Head to all that water. And we didn’t crash on the roof a couple of nights ago, making more noise than a bomb. No, we didn’t do anything at all!’

‘All I meant,’ Paelen corrected, ‘is that we have not been seen. I was very careful this morning. No one saw me.’

The more they tried to convince themselves they were safe, the faster they walked. Soon something funny settled in the pit of Emily’s stomach.

That ‘something’ was confirmed the moment they turned a corner and reached the road of their hotel. Dark-green military trucks were pulled up in front of the Outrigger Reef and armed soldiers filled the lobby. Hotel guests were being lined up and their identification checked by men in dark suits wearing grim expressions.

‘Please tell me this is just a drill,’ Joel whispered as they joined the curious crowds gathering across from their hotel.

Suddenly a loudspeaker rang out. ‘Put down your phones and cameras. No photographs permitted! Clear the area immediately, this is a military order. You are instructed to clear the area.’

The sound of rotor blades was deafening from above. They looked up and saw a large black helicopter approaching the roof. Emily’s heart skipped as it hovered right above their suite. ‘They’re black,’ she whispered tightly. ‘It’s got to be the CRU!’

A heavy cable was lowered from the helicopter and a large green tarpaulin was hoisted off the roof. They could see movement in the tarpaulin and even from this distance, Emily could hear the sound of Pegasus’s screams.

‘No!’ Emily wailed. She lifted her hand to use her powers, but Joel threw his arms around her and pulled her hand down. Pain tore through her temples as Riza pounded her warning.

‘You can’t help him,’ Joel whispered urgently. ‘Em, stop, they’ll see you.’

‘But they’ve got Pegs!’ Each scream from the winged stallion cut through Emily’s heart like a knife. She cursed herself for not having the power to stop them. All she could do was watch the helicopter pull away, taking Pegasus with it.

Soldiers crossed the street and approached the crowds. ‘Move along, there’s nothing to see here. Just keep moving.’

A second black helicopter moved into position and another heavy cable was lowered down to the hotel’s roof.

As they were forced away with the crowds, a second tarpaulin was hoisted into the air. They watched two hands shoot out of the top of the tarp, followed by hooves and a head with a flash of long chestnut hair. Chiron was trying to climb up the cable.

‘Look! There’s a man in there!’ a woman called. ‘What are they doing to him?’

‘I don’t know,’ her husband said, ‘and we don’t want to know. Let’s just do as they say and get out of here.’ He caught her by the hand and drew her quickly away.

Emily felt sick with helplessness. Pegasus and the others were being taken and she was powerless to help them.

‘Kids, this way . . .’ A hand closed around Emily’s arm. She looked up into the face of Mickey, their hotel representative. ‘Quickly, before they see you.’

‘What’s happening?’ Emily said.

‘You already know,’ Mickey said. ‘Soldiers are tearing the hotel apart, looking for you. It won’t take them long to check the surrounding area. Come with me if you want to stay free.’

Paelen gripped the wrist holding Emily. His face was dark and threatening. ‘We are not going anywhere with you until you tell us what you know of this.’ The hotel worker winced as Paelen crushed his wrist. ‘Tell us!’

‘Answer him, before he breaks your arm,’ Joel threatened. ‘Who are you? What do you know about us?’

‘I serve Pele,’ Mickey said quickly. ‘She told me to keep an eye on you. She’s with her ocean sister and commanded me to keep you safe. She said you are under her protection.’

‘Pele?’ Emily cried. ‘We tried to call her today but she didn’t answer.’

‘She won’t, not if she is with Nā-maka. Now, hurry. We only have moments. My car is parked down the street. I must get you away from here.’

With soldiers searching the area, they only had a second to decide. ‘All right,’ Emily said. She looked from Paelen to Joel. ‘We don’t have a choice.’

Keeping their heads down, they moved quickly away from the hotel without looking back. Each step was a pain tearing through Emily. Her worst nightmare was realized.

Pegasus was back in the hands of the CRU.

30

Mickey’s house was several miles from Honolulu. He showed them into a lounge area and left them alone to get refreshments.

Joel grabbed for the TV remote. ‘Let’s see if there’s anything on the news.’

But there was nothing at all about the events at the hotel.

‘It was the CRU, wasn’t it?’ Emily asked.

‘Looks like it,’ Joel said heavily. ‘Same black helicopters and men in suits.’

‘Can this get any worse?’ Emily exclaimed. She got up and started to pace the room.

‘Em, calm down – don’t blow a gasket!’ Joel warned. ‘We’ll find them.’

‘How?’ Paelen asked.

‘OK, everyone, think,’ Emily said. ‘We’ve gone up against the CRU before; this is no different. So where would they take them? This isn’t that big an island. Could the CRU have an underground facility here?’

Joel shrugged. ‘I don’t know. There are mountains in the middle of the island. Maybe they’ve got a place there.’

‘Or perhaps they have taken them off the island,’ Paelen added.

Emily hated to admit it, but Paelen could be right. It would be more logical to take the Olympians away from Honolulu. She flopped down on the sofa and moaned, ‘It’s starting all over again. They’ll make more clones, just like in Las Vegas.’

‘No they won’t, not this time,’ Joel insisted. ‘Fawn is with them, she’ll get a message to Jupiter. I bet he knows already. They’ll be here any moment.’

‘Then what?’ Emily asked. ‘The Big Three will do to Hawaii what they did to Las Vegas?’ She looked back at her friend. ‘Do you realize wherever we go, we cause destruction? Here, Greece, Las Vegas, even New York.’

‘We’ve never been to Greece,’ Joel said.

‘Yes we have!’ Emily snapped. ‘You just don’t remember it. I lost control of my powers at the Acropolis Museum and accidentally destroyed Athens.’

‘Em, stop,’ Joel said. ‘That won’t happen. I promise.’

‘I want to know how they knew about us,’ Paelen said. ‘We were careful. No one saw anything at the hotel.’

Joel shrugged. ‘I don’t think that family saw Pegasus or Chiron. Gregor was hanging around the balcony a lot, but he was cool.’

‘And he was more interested in the ocean view than us,’ Emily said.

Mickey returned with a tray of drinks. ‘Here, everyone drink up. It’ll help.’

They each took a glass and drank down the cool fruit juice. ‘How long have you been serving Pele?’ Emily asked.

‘Oh, it seems forever.’ Mickey took a seat beside Emily. She could feel him trembling.

‘Are you all right?’

He nodded. ‘Just a bit nervous.’

‘What have you got to be nervous about? We’re the ones they’re looking for,’ Joel said.

‘I know, but I might have been seen helping you. My job is on the line. Maybe even my life, if I’m not careful.’

‘So,’ Emily said, changing the subject, ‘how is it that you serve Pele? I mean, you don’t exactly look . . .’ She stopped.

‘Hawaiian?’ Mickey said.

‘Well, yes,’ Emily admitted.

‘You don’t have to be from the Islands to serve the gods. I was born in Los Angeles but raised on the Big Island. When I was young, I was visited by Pele.’

‘Really? That must have been something,’ Emily said as she finished her drink.

‘It was the worst day of my life,’ Mickey said. ‘There’s a legend here in the Islands that the tour guides tell visitors. It’s more like a warning, really. But basically it’s said that if you visit the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, you must never take away any of the black rocks on the ground. If you do it will anger Pele and bring bad luck. In fact,’ Mickey rose and looked out of the windows nervously, ‘there’s actually a special postal service around here that returns the rocks that tourists take home with them and then send back when the bad luck starts. Those rocks are all returned to Kilauea.’

‘So why was meeting Pele your worst day?’ Joel asked.

‘Because Pele is mean-spirited, vicious and power-mad. Before I knew about the legend, I visited Kilauea and took a large piece of shiny black rock. I thought it was pretty and wanted it for my mineral collection. But Pele appeared. She was furious and threatened me. If it hadn’t been for Nā-maka intervening on my behalf, I’m sure Pele would have killed me. I was just a dumb teenager, I didn’t know any better, but it didn’t matter. She said I disrespected her and stole from her home. From that day forward, I swore service and devotion to her sister. Pele is a monster, just like you and the Olympians.’

‘Wh-what?’ Paelen said. He stood and staggered, looking at his empty glass. His eyes grew foggy and heavy. ‘What was in this?’ The glass fell from his hands and shattered on the tile floor, just as he collapsed.

‘It is a special drink, prepared just for you by Nā-maka. I hope you like it.’

Just then, Joel fell back on the sofa.

‘Joel, Paelen!’ Emily cried. She reached over and checked the pulse at Joel’s neck. It pounded steadily and his breathing was normal. But he and Paelen were out cold. Her eyes flashed to their drinks glasses. ‘What have you done to them?’

‘What I was commanded to do.’ Mickey looked at her empty glass and frowned.

Emily stood. ‘Whatever you put in our drinks won’t work on me. Now, who are you really?’ she demanded. ‘Are you working with the CRU?’

‘Those idiots?’ Mickey rose and backed away from the sofa. ‘Don’t be stupid. I told you already. I serve Nā-maka.’ He reached to his desk and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Emily. ‘I don’t know what you are, if the drink didn’t work on you. But I’m sure you’re not bulletproof.’

‘Actually, I am,’ Emily said darkly as she advanced on him. She raised her hand to summon the Flame but even before the thought was finished, Riza shot a pain through her temple. If she was going to survive this, Emily needed a good bluff.

‘Stop!’ Mickey cried. He turned the gun on Joel. ‘I’ll bet he’s not bulletproof.’

‘If you fire that gun, it will be the last thing you ever do.’ Emily pushed past the pain and summoned a very small Flame in her palm. Riza had to understand this was necessary and know she wouldn’t summon any more. ‘Now, drop the gun before I lose my temper.’

Fear rose on Mickey’s face. ‘You’re just like Pele – a fire demon.’

‘I’m no demon,’ Emily said. ‘But I will do anything to protect my friends. Believe me, Flame is the least of my powers. Now, tell me, why have you done this to us?’

‘You really wanna know? Fine, it won’t change anything. For years, Nā-maka has been waiting for the chance to overpower her sister. Your coming here has provided the first opportunity she’s had in a very long time. We are not going to waste it.’

‘Now who’s being stupid?’ Emily challenged. ‘You have no idea what’s happening here. There’s a war going on out there. A big one. Titans versus the Olympians. If the Titans win, they won’t stop with Olympus. Their next move will be to come here and conquer Earth. They will enslave everyone, including the Hawaiian gods. Pele and Nā-maka must stop fighting and unite to help us defeat Saturn. He is their enemy too.’

‘Empty threats,’ Mickey said. ‘Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i is much stronger than your Olympians or Titans. She has promised me eternal life for my service. I will not betray her.’

‘You betrayed us for eternal life?’

‘I would do much more than that,’ Mickey said darkly.

‘So what does she want you to do?’ Emily asked.

‘I am to hand all of you over to her.’

‘What does she want with us?’

‘You’re the one who doesn’t understand what’s going on. Let me spell it out for you. Pele put you under her protection – so her word and honour is at stake. Should anything happen to you, it will weaken her position as leader of the gods, because she couldn’t keep her word. These gods are all honour driven. If her promise is broken, she will lose the respect and support of the others. It will completely upset the balance of power and she will be replaced.’

His eyes lit with a strange kind of madness. ‘I can’t wait to see it! Once she is gone, Nā-maka can take control.’

‘You’re wrong. Pele didn’t offer protection to me. Do you see any flowers? If you really want to hurt her, you need to get Pegasus and the others away from the military. Those are the Olympians she has under her protection.’

The gun in Mickey’s hand wavered and then pointed at Paelen and Joel. ‘No, they’re wearing Pele’s lei. They’re under her protection too. Besides, I can’t reach the others; they’ve been taken to the Honolulu Zoo.’

‘The zoo?’ Emily cried. ‘How do you know?’

‘Who do you think called the military in the first place? When they arrived at the Outrigger, I overheard them talking. The Olympians were being taken to the zoo instead of the base at Pearl Harbor. The zoo is a trap and the others are bait. It’s you they’re really after.’

‘It was you who betrayed us?’ Emily cried. ‘You stupid moron! You don’t know what you’ve done!’

‘I did as I was commanded,’ Mickey said. ‘If they’d taken the Olympians to Pearl Harbor, it would have been easy. That’s right on the water and Nā-maka could have claimed them already. But they’re at the zoo and that’s too far inland for her. I now have two choices. Offer to trade you to the military in exchange for Pegasus or that Centaur, or I make do with you three. If the military wants you, Nā-maka may want you too.’

Mickey paused and looked at her strangely. ‘Why is the military more interested in you than the others?’

‘I’ll tell you if you put the gun down,’ Emily said.

‘Now who’s being stupid?’ Mickey spat. ‘I don’t care what you are. Just sit down and shut your mouth.’

Emily stood before the armed man, weighing her options. She could try to summon whatever was left of her powers, but would they work? How much could she use before she destroyed herself and Riza? Would it be enough to save Joel and Paelen? What would happen then? Lorin would get the shard and then there would be no stopping her or the Titans. Could she risk it?

No.

Emily lowered her hands and sat down. ‘Please, Mickey, listen to me. If you do this, Nā-maka may defeat her sister, but to what end if the Titans enslave Earth? Please, help us stop them. Then Pele and her sister can go back to their own war.’

The madness returned to his eyes as he pulled a roll of duct tape from a drawer. ‘You’re so convinced that your Olympians and Titans are more powerful than the Hawaiian gods. But you’re wrong. Nā-maka can raise a wall of water to drown these Islands if she wanted. She commands all the oceans.’

Emily was tempted to say that Neptune could do the same thing, or that the Big Three could destroy the Earth without even coming here. But she chose to stay silent.

She sat still as Mickey bound her arms behind her back. She hated surrendering to him, but with Joel and Paelen unconscious and her powers all but gone, there was little she could do on her own. She would use the time to think up a plan.

Emily watched Mickey bind Paelen’s hands and then move to Joel. But when he pulled off Joel’s glove to reveal the silver hand, he frowned. ‘What’s this?’

‘Vulcan made it for him. The Olympians are very clever and generous. If you help us, I’m sure Jupiter will grant you eternal life. You don’t have to do this to us.’

His eyes grew dark and stormy. ‘Are you asking me to betray my oath?’

Emily shook her head. ‘I’m asking you to think. You are in the middle of two big fights: the Olympians versus the Titans, and Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i versus Pele. If it continues, no one will win.’

‘I told you to shut up.’ He came back to her and put a strip of tape on her mouth. He leaned in close to her face. ‘You are
not
changing my mind.’

The angrier Mickey became, the rougher he was with Joel and Paelen as he put tape around their hands and then legs. He hoisted Paelen up on his shoulder and carried him away. He then did the same with Joel.

When he came back, he lifted Emily on to his shoulder. She mused on how easy it would have been to defeat him with her powers. But now, she couldn’t even stop him from carrying her through the small house. She felt completely helpless as they passed through a door and into the garage. Emily was deposited roughly in the back of an old white van in between the unconscious bodies of Joel and Paelen.

Mickey showed her the gun as he slipped it into his waistline. ‘Listen to me. Don’t go trying any of those fire tricks. If I smell even the tiniest smoulder, I swear I will put a bullet in Joel’s head. Do you understand me?’

Emily nodded as Mickey climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Soon the automatic garage door opened and the van was pulling out of the driveway.

Emily struggled to sit up and peered out of the front window as the van made its way through the neighbourhood. There were lush green mountains directly ahead of them as Mickey manoeuvred the van on to a highway. Wherever he was taking them, it was away from Honolulu.

Mickey reached for his mobile phone and dialled a number. ‘Yeah, Kono, it’s me. I’ve got ’em. Two of them are out cold. The girl is still awake . . .’

A voice at the other end asked a muffled question.

‘Of course I gave it to her, but it didn’t work. I don’t know what she is, but I don’t think she’s normal. She can make fire just like Pele. It doesn’t matter anyway. If Nā-maka won’t take her, we can trade her for one of the other animals – either that flying horse or the pig. I doubt they’ll let that Centaur go. But she’s the one they’re really after.’

Another muffled comment came from the mobile. ‘Yeah,’ Mickey answered. ‘I’m on Highway Three right now, crossing the island. We should be there within the hour. Get the boat ready. I want to go the moment we arrive.’

So Mickey wasn’t working alone. Emily nudged Joel, trying to get him to wake up. When that failed, she tried Paelen. But he remained unconscious. Whatever Mickey had given them must have been powerful if it was strong enough to knock out Olympians.

Time stood still as Emily lay in the back of the van. They were in deep trouble. Mickey and his accomplice planned to hand them over to Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i. If her temper was anything like her sister’s then what the CRU was doing to Pegasus and the others would pale in comparison to what they were facing.