From Origins (Descendant Prophecies Book 3) (20 page)

I couldn’t reach her
because Mason was holding me back. And even if I’d been able to try, I wouldn’t have been able to get to her fast enough. She wasn’t as fast as me, but she was faster than a human. I didn’t blame her. I didn’t judge her for her decision. I might have done the same. Knowing there was a monster inside her that would be raised by Hephaestus must be killing her. But…Zeus was the closest to her.

Zeus stopped her dive just as she touched the flame. He wrapped his cloak around her to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of her body and brought her to Poseidon in one swift move. Then Poseidon covered her with his cloak to mend her wound.

“You can raise the child to do good,” Poseidon said. “Give love and the child will flourish, but give hatred, the child will be broken. Look at Skylar. Your child can be just as good as her.”

“You can’t take her. She’s mine. She’s the mother of my child.” Hephaestus’s eyes flared in anger, breaking my gaze, as the walls behind us began to tremble.

“Hephaestus, you have lost your mind. Turn yourself in. Do not make the same mistake you’ve made before. Don’t be a fool,” Zeus commanded, taking one step at a time toward him.

Hephaestus didn’t answer, nor did he even move a muscle. Why wasn’t he trying to escape? When Zeus lunged for him with his staff, the robe dropped to the ground.

“You have no idea what I can do, Father. You have no idea the army I have built. And you certainly have no idea who will be coming for you. You are the fool. Meet. My. Family.” The fire grew with Hephaestus’s words.

Nothing could have prepared us for what happened next. Vultures jumped down from above in swarms. It happened so fast that it felt like they had already been there. Their growls bounced off the walls. We were completely surrounded by humans turned into vultures…masses and masses of them. They were double in size and in numbers compared to the last time we encountered them. Humans turned vultures were stronger, faster, smarter, and skilled with swords. 

“Watch out!” Nick hollered.

So it began.

Lightning, water, and fire flashed across my vision every which way I turned, and the clanking sounds of metal upon metal vibrated throughout the cave. The plan B Athena had strategized couldn’t be executed. We could never have foreseen what we’d been told or what had happened here, and I couldn’t believe it had come down to this.

Mason and I always fought side by side. No matter how capable I was, he would always have the need to protect me. To him, I came first, even before his own life. That scared me to no end. I was afraid he would be so concerned with me that he might miss the one behind him, so then it was up to me. We were watching each other’s back, and that was the way it should be.

Zeus ran after Hephaestus, who scurried away when the vultures appeared. Coward! That was what he was. He never put his life out there, instead he had his monsters do his dirty work. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these creatures. They were once human—fathers, sons, daughters. They were mostly men, but there were young adults as well. It sickened me that Hephaestus had done this to them. They had no idea what they were doing. They’d died the day a drop of vulture’s blood entered their system.

“We need to douse the flames! The heat is too unbearable.” Amanda blocked a blow with her sword and sliced across the middle of the vulture’s abs. 

“Let me try something. Fire upon fire.” Hades spurted fire out from his hand like a hose, turning in the direction of the flames.

It died, and then it would come up again. No matter what Poseidon and Hades did, the fire could not be put out.

“It’s magic fire.” Zara spun around to throw a vulture into the flame, then turned the other way to do the same. “Guard me. I need time.”

We sheltered Zara while Athena and Ares were out of the circle. With their shield and swords, they fought their way to Hephaestus.

Poseidon released my mom from his hold. Looking drained and broken, she ran to me. I held onto to her with all I had within our circle of protection, while Hades watched over us from behind and Mason and others in front. Mom needed the confirmation that we were okay. Even though it was not the right time to do so, I needed to give her reassurance…to make her smile…to give her peace.

“Mom, we’re okay. I’m really shocked by all this, but I’m fine. You raised me. You took care of me when I was sick. You were the one there for me. You sacrificed so much for me. Let’s get out of here first, so we can talk. You and Dad have lots to talk about too.” Tears dotted my eyes. To my surprise, no burn marks scratched the surface of her face or her arms. Her clothes clearly showed evidence she had been in the fire, but other than that, she was whole.

I felt so much for this being that I called Mom. Having to endure what she did and never knowing for sure whose body she would end up in must have been torture. As she wiped her tears, Mom nodded and smiled at Dad and me. She couldn’t stop caressing my face, my arm, and brushing my hair back.

“We need another plan,” Hades said, scorching the creatures coming for us. It was cool how he could take out countless numbers of them with one shot. His fire was massive, beyond what I could produce. His power had come back in full force when Zeus forgave him.

Poseidon surrounded us with water to keep the fire away from us. We were scorching hot as it was; we didn’t need more fire. With his other hand, Poseidon jetted water out, turning it into ice, then Mason and Nick would use their light to blast them to pieces. These pieces exploded out, piercing the vultures. Then Amanda and Everett used their swords to cut the ones within reach in half. The only evidence of their existence was the shards of ice that turned into black liquid, evaporating into the scalding ground.

“Back to plan B of Athena’s plan. It will work,” Zara said, holding out the second black bag.

“I have a plan, too,” Mom said. “But I need Medusa’s head, and Sky needs to come with me.” Mom explained her idea to her.

“That is very similar to plan B,” Zara said, handing me the bag.

“No,” Mason exclaimed. Having keen hearing, Mason broke in our conversation. “You don’t know what he’ll do.” He sent a dose of light with both of his hands and sizzled two vultures at once. “Your daughter is not bait.”

“If we don’t move fast, we’re all going to die,” Mom pleaded. “I know you can’t see them, but Hephaestus has placed bombs all around this mountain. He wants to get rid of all of you with one shot. He’s crazy.”

“Looks like we don’t have a choice,” Everett said, ducking a swing and cutting off the vulture’s arm.

“What are we waiting for?” Amanda shouted, bending back, then kicking up with her feet to slice through the vulture’s head. It was cool how she did that. “Let’s get that sucker.”

“I’ll explain more as we move forward,” Mom said, picking up a small dagger that had belonged to one of the vultures. Her demeanor had changed suddenly. She wasn’t the frail human; she was a warrior.

“Line formation,” I said. I had seen it in a movie, where they moved together in a straight line, back-to-back, so they could cover from both sides. Watching my mom fight with us, like a badass Titaness seemed surreal.

As we moved in that formation, we managed to reach the other side faster. Some vultures fell into the abyss, trying to jump over the split in the center of the cave, and we were able to take out most of the ones that made it over. Mason and Nick split from us and jumped from boulder to boulder, covering us from above.

“Hephaestus,” my mom called. “Stop your vultures. I’m coming to you. You don’t want anything happen to your child, do you?”

The vultures stopped at Hephaestus’s command.

“I’ve convinced everyone to go home. Skylar and I will stay by your side.”

“Rhae. You must think so little of me to think I would believe you.” Hephaestus stepped out from the shadows.

“I don’t. Our child needs a father.” Mom and I passed Zeus. His staff was still glowing. Mom held up a black bag. “Look. I have Medusa’s head.”

Hephaestus uncovered his face. His flaming eyes turned full of greed and desire. “Bring it to me. Let me see it.”

The vultures guarding him parted, leaving a clear path to him. A few feet away from him, Mom and I placed the two black bags down.

“Why are there two?” Hephaestus asked irately.

Athena’s plan was to confuse Hephaestus, and it seemed to be working.

“We were given two by the siren.”

Hephaestus looked baffled. “It can’t be. Open it.” He paused. “No! I’ll do it. Bring them both to me.”

Mom and I picked them up and placed them in front of him. As soon as Hephaestus reached down to open the first bag, I did the same with the one in front of me and breathed a few words that would unlock the spell. “
Aperi oculos tuos.” Little did he know that the one he pulled out was an illusion created by Zara. It was Athena’s brilliant plan.

When Hephaestus looked at me, his eyes grew wide and full of shock to see the serpents slithering about on the head I was holding in front of my face. I knew his eyes met hers when light shot out from them, solely focusing on him.

“Feel the wrath of Medusa,” I seethed, cringing at the sound of his cry.

Even taking his last breath, he had to have the last word. He crossed his arms to block the light, but it was too late. “You think you’ve won? You have no idea what I have in store for you, if you make it out of here alive.”

“Save your breath, Hephaestus. Adios, asshole,” Amanda announced with exhilaration.

When Hephaestus turned into a statue, the vultures puffed into black ashes, and the human vultures turned back into humans. Shouts of joy and hugs were exchanged. The relief washing over me was incomparable, but it was short lived. A blast exploded from the far back of the mountain, rippling into more blasts.

“We need to get out.” Mason’s voice panicked against my ear. A minute ago, he had been devouring me with his lips, whispering sweet, hot words that made me quiver.

“Quickly. Come,” Zara commanded, as more blasts erupted. The ground split open in various places, and the walls crumbled down from above. The whole mountain was falling apart. “I need everyone’s help. We need to create a huge portal so we can bring the humans with us. I need to borrow all your energy.”

Zara, with help from all of us, created a massive portal. The smoke didn’t bother us, but it did the humans. They covered their noses and mouths, coughing relentlessly and squinting their burning eyes to see through the smoke that enveloped us. Baffled and overcome, they followed us.

“Where will they go?” My dad asked.

“It will take them home,” Zara answered. “Don’t worry. They won’t have any memory of today, and if they have any recollection at all, it will be as if they dreamt it. Now…it’s our turn.”

Just as the ground underneath us collapsed, we were out of there.

I felt the soft
grass below me, breathed in clean air, and fluttered my eyes from the warm sunlight. It felt good to relax my sore muscles. We were safe, but where? Home? I got up to see Mason next to me.

“We’re at Olympus,” Mason answered, as if he read my mind.

He helped me up and I saw all eyes on the statue of Hephaestus. Although he couldn’t do any harm, my stomach knotted from just the sight of him. He had caused so much grief for everyone that it didn’t seem fair that this was his form of punishment. But then again, I didn’t think anything that could be done to him would give me any solace. Even if he died, he would still haunt me. Even his last words troubled me deeply, playing with my mind, clinging to my thoughts. Of course, it could have been just a threat, something to say because that was the way he was; but still, I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d meant by it. Since it seemed like it wasn’t bothering anyone else, I decided to put it aside and enjoy this moment of peace, since it so seldom happened.

“Was this part of the plan?” I asked. “Why didn’t we leave him at Mt. Hem?”

“Because I asked,” Zeus said, as if his words were final. “If we left him there, there would have been a small percentage of a chance that he would have survived. I didn’t want to take that chance. Having him here, under our supervision, will ensure he won’t bring any harm to us.”

“He’ll be placed inside the underground basement in Olympus,” Zara informed.

“What should we do with this?” Hades tossed the black bag as if it was the weight of a basketball.

“I’ll take Medusa’s head back where it belongs,” Poseidon volunteered, catching it.

“I’m sure the sirens will be happy to see you.” Hades twitched his brows. “Don’t stay there too long. We need to catch up.”

Poseidon’s cheeks flushed. “You can come with me.”

“I hate the water. And women with fins don’t turn me on. Besides, Alp…is waiting for me. I’d told her to hide and wait for my call.”

“We don’t need to hear all that. Let’s go to the meeting hall,” Zara said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes, Zara, unless you want to roll with me,” Hades flirted.

Zara’s face matched the color of the cherry blossoms dangling from the trees surrounding us. Her lips curled up mischievously. “I don’t roll, Hades. I would be too much for you to handle.”

Holy cow! Did Zara just say that?

Hades started chuckling, but it was short lived. Zara had used her magic and tossed Hades to the nearby tree. Hades got on his feet and grumbled while we all had a good laugh.

Amanda covered her ears, walking beside Nick. “Oh…this is too much. I don’t want to hear this kind of talk from old people.”

“Old?” Zeus seemed offended. “We are not old, but wise, little girl.”

That shut her up.

It was good to see my mom and dad walking, hand in hand. They had many things to talk about and things to sort out. Regardless, it was good to see them back together. At least I hoped they would be. I also couldn’t wait to see Kayla and my aunt. There was going to be a lot I had to explain.

“Before we do anything, we need to release the others. Then we’ll make our way to New Olympus and celebrate. We have many things to discuss.” Zeus stood in front of Hera, stroking her cheek. “My love, we’ve been separated too long. It’s time to wake up.” Without making eye contact, Zeus said, “Skylar, will you do me the honor and help me release all my people?”

“Of course,” I replied.

Zeus turned away from Hera and looked at me. His eyes were the color of the ocean. His smile was brighter than the sun. “Thank you. You are a brave one, and so are your friends. I can’t thank you enough.”

Being praised by Zeus, the god of all gods, made my day.

A hoard of
cheers, smiles, and hugs hailed us. Tara, Cara, and our friends greeted us warmly and welcomed us in. They were most excited to see the others gods that had been recently revived. Since there weren’t enough seats for all of us, some of us stood around the table.

“Where do we go from here?” the Elders asked.

“We start anew,” Zeus answered, smiling at Hera. Hera seemed very pleased with his words. It amazed me how, after all these years, they bounced back, as if it hadn’t happened. Hera showed no weakness and her beauty was still everlasting.

“We open a new book and start a new journey,” Zeus continued. “For those who call New Olympus your home, you are welcome to stay here. For the gods, we will stay on Mt. Olympus. That is our home. But you are welcome to come anytime as you wish. From this day, all is forgiven. We do not dwell on the past. We move forward with a clean slate. Let’s start with Cara. Come and stand before me.”

Cara’s eyes lit up and she hobbled to stand in front of Zeus with her head down.

Zeus placed his staff over her head. It glowed and sizzled. Zara and Tara, already seated near Zeus, rested their hands on Cara’s head as well. “From this day, you are pardoned from the past. You will be cleansed of all your wrong doings. Be away with the old and come forth with the new,” Zeus hummed.

Lights expanded like spider legs, taking over Cara’s body, and wrapped around her like a cocoon until you could no longer see her. After they completely covered her, they spun the other way to unveil her. What sprung out from the creation was a new Cara. She looked almost identical to Zara and Tara—just as tall, just as beautiful, just as magical.

I could feel Cara’s excitement and gratitude through her expression and her tears. “Thank you, Zeus.” She bowed.

“You are only pardoned once. Make your decisions wisely. Now…have a seat with your sisters. You are an Oracle, after all.” Zeus shifted his gaze toward us. “Hades. Come forth.”

With that swoon worthy stride, he stood before his brother and bowed with one knee down. “My Zeus.”

This time, Zeus picked up his staff and placed it in front of Hades. “From this day forth, you are part of our family. You have been pardoned for all your wrong doings…I believe there is a long list of them.”

Laughter filled the room. It wasn’t that it was something to laugh about, but the way Zeus arched his brows and looked at us with a wink, he lightened the mood. We couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a happy occasion, after all.

“Thank you, my brother,” Hades said sincerely.

“That’s not all,” Zeus continued. “You will have your seat back on our throne, to the left of me. And I promise to listen to your opinions before a decision is made. Now rise, and take your seat.”

“I will, brother. Thank you.” Hades got up and proudly sat down.

Poseidon gave him a knowing smile. “Welcome home.”

“I will announce this to the others tonight during our celebration of victory. Before that…everyone rest and please, take a bath. You all stink.”

More laughter vibrated through the room.

“Kayla is anxiously
waiting to see you,” Nick said, leading me to the garden where she waited for me. Kayla and my aunt weren’t allowed in the meeting room since they were human.

“You didn’t tell them about my mom, did you?” I asked, keeping my pace with his. I was sure he was just as eager to see her as I was.

“I only told her the basics. She has no idea about the gods. I think it’s best if they don’t.”

My fingers felt tingly, my pulse raced, and my heart pounded with excitement the closer we got. It seemed like it was ages ago that I had seen her. “Okay.” I nodded. “I agree.”

Nick pushed the door open, letting me step inside first. What made the garden so mesmerizing was the colorful flowers that decorated the trees and the ground. Kayla and my aunt hadn’t seen me yet. They were seated on a bench talking, looking out to the lake.

“Kayla. Auntie Kelly,” I called.

Kayla ran into my arms first, then Auntie Kelly. They held me so tight that I couldn’t breathe.

“Are you okay?” Kelly let go of me and looked me over, as if to look for wounds. Kayla just stared at me in awe.

“Who are you?” Kayla joked, poking me. “Who knew my cousin was a super hero?”

“I’m not,” I said shyly. “I’m still me.”

Kelly glanced around. “I wouldn’t have believed it myself had I not seen this place. The castle, alone, is enchanting, and the beauty of this place is breathtaking.”

“When do we get to go home, Nick?” Kayla asked.

“You get to go home right now.  You’re both free to go.”

“Oh, thank God,” Kelly exclaimed. “I need to check up on my diner. I asked Jack and Mona to look after it while I was gone. They don’t know anything. I promised Nick not to say a word to anyone.”

I giggled from her words. Little did she know Jack and Mona were minions.

“Does your mom know?” Kayla asked, linking her arm to mine.

“No,” I lied. I felt bad for doing it, but I had to. “Please don’t say anything to her.”

Kelly looked worried. I assumed she wasn’t happy that she had to keep a secret from her sister, but Gina wasn’t her real sister…not anymore. “I don’t like that I have to, but this is different. I know it’s to keep her safe, so I will.”

Nick’s eyes gaped between the three of us, shifting from side to side. He looked anxious to get moving. “Ladies, if you’re ready, I’ll drive you home.”

“Skylar, I’ll see you soon.” Kelly turned to Nick. “I’ll go first to give the girls a minute. I know the way to your car.”

With a nod, my aunt smiled at us and started walking.

“Seriously, Skylar. I’m so mad at you for not telling me,” Kayla pouted with her arms crossed. “You kept a huge…and I mean huge…secret from me. That is so not cool.”

I knew I was going to hear it from her. “I’m sorry, but I was trying to figure it out first. And I also didn’t want to put your life at risk.”

Kayla’s frown turned into a smile. “I was just giving you a hard time, but come to think of it…and I had a lot of time to think about while I was waiting to go home…everything that happened, the things I questioned…it all makes sense now. I’m not crazy,” she snorted.

“No, you’re not.” I caressed her hair. “I have things to take care of first, but let’s get together soon. Your mom is waiting.”

Kayla broke her gaze from me and turned to Nick with flirty eyes. “Babe, can you do the thing you did before?”