Pegasus and the New Olympians (8 page)

‘You want me to wear a sweatshirt in this heat?’

Agent T nodded. ‘Unless you want the world to see that magical silver arm and hand of yours, you’ll do as I say.’

Emily and Joel continued into the kitchen. She looked back at Agent T. ‘Who put him in charge?’

Joel followed her eyes. Agent T was back in deep discussion with Alexis. As they listened, they heard the Sphinx and ex-CRU agent discussing security measures and what they would do if they were opposed. Emily was shocked to hear them not only getting along, they were in complete agreement. If anyone tried to stop them, they were prepared to kill.

She looked at Joel. ‘I guess that’s what puts them in charge.’

When they were ready to go, they filed silently into the dark backyard. Instead of forcing Pegasus through the glass door again, Earl and Agent T took it off its tracks and opened it up completely. Pegasus fitted through without a problem.

Emily invited Earl to ride with her on Pegasus while Alexis offered to carry Agent T. As the group took to the air, they flew as high as the humans could withstand. With the light of the moon and Agent T’s compass to guide them, they started the long journey west.

Earl whooped and cheered like a kid at riding Pegasus. His excitement was infectious and kept Emily in fits of laughter as he waved and called to Paelen and then over to Joel on Chrysaor. Even after several long hours, Earl was still enjoying the ride.

As the long night slowly passed and the sky behind them started to lighten, Agent T finally directed Alexis down lower in the sky. Passing through the clouds beneath them, they saw the street lights of a large city below.

‘If our calculations are correct, that should be Baton Rouge, Louisiana,’ Agent T turned back and called to them. ‘We’re going to pass over the main city and find somewhere to stop on the other side of it. Understood?’

Everyone called their agreement. Before the dawn arrived fully, they flew down closer to the ground. Emily saw early-morning traffic on the Interstate highway directly beneath them. Following its path, they came across the last motel in the area.

Alexis glided lower and finally chose a spot to land in an open field behind the two-storey motel. Earl climbed off Pegasus first and helped Emily down. Joel climbed stiffly off Chrysaor and looked around. ‘Are we sure we want to stop at a motel? Wouldn’t it be safer to find some woods or something?’

Agent T shook his head. ‘No. That would be a mistake. Out in the open you feel exposed and never truly rest. For what we are facing, we need to stay fresh and sharp. Alexis, Pegasus and Chrysaor especially need to recover after two long nights of heavy flight. We need somewhere private for them to rest their wings.’

Emily hated to admit it, but Agent T was right. She could see Pegasus was tired. His wings were drooping a bit and his head was down.

She looked at the others. ‘He’s right. You need your rest.’

Agent T stepped up to Earl. ‘Come with me – it’s the usual cover story. We’re two brothers who’ve driven all night. Our car broke down and it’s in the garage. We’ll get a double room at the very back and say we need to sleep all day and don’t want to be disturbed.’

Earl nodded and looked to the others. ‘Y’all stay here. We’ve done this before. As soon as we get the room, we’ll come for you.’

Emily stood beside Pegasus as they waited for Earl and Agent T to return. Joel and Paelen came up to her.

‘Do you think we should trust Agent T?’ Joel asked. ‘He was with the CRU. What if he turns us in to get his job back?’

Alexis was lounging on the ground. Her eyes were closed and she was enjoying the fragrance of the predawn air. ‘He would not do that,’ she answered softly. Rising, the Sphinx padded closer to the group. ‘He may not like you,’ she said truthfully. ‘But he will not betray you. There is too much at stake.’

‘How can you be so certain?’ Emily asked.

Alexis cocked her head to the side and narrowed her green eyes. Emily was certain if she could, the Sphinx would have put her hands on her hips. ‘Are you suggesting I do not know my job? That after all this time, I can not read a human’s intentions?’

Emily sighed. She shook her head tiredly. ‘I’m sorry, Alexis, I didn’t mean to insult you. But you don’t understand what the CRU did to us.’

‘Especially Agent T,’ Paelen added.

The Sphinx calmed and sat down. ‘No, I was not there and do not know what he did,’ she admitted. ‘But I do know the man who has been riding on my back all night. He is changed. Whether it was Cupid’s charm or the realization of what the CRU have done, I do not know. But he is on our side. Tom will be a great ally.’

Emily looked at Joel and raised an eyebrow. ‘Tom?’

Paelen caught Emily’s arm. He shook his head. ‘Do not say more. She is tired and worried like the rest of us.’

The arrival of Agent T cut off further conversation. ‘All right – we’ve got a double room on the ground floor, just in from the end.’ He concentrated on Alexis. ‘We’ll use Pluto’s helmet to get you into the room one at a time. People are starting to move around and check out. No one but Earl and I must been seen.’

One by one, the helmet was used to sneak the Olympians into the cramped motel room. Once again, Pegasus had difficulty squeezing through the narrow doorway. But with help, the invisible stallion was finally shoved through.

The ‘do not disturb’ sign was hung on the door and the two mattresses were pulled off the beds and put on the floor to give more comfortable sleeping space for everyone. Before long, they had fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep.

When Emily awoke, there was still light coming from behind the curtains. She looked over and saw Pegasus was also awake. ‘You OK, Pegs?’ she whispered softly.

The stallion pressed his muzzle to her hand. His eyes were still bright and alert. There was no mistaking it. Pegasus was scared. Despite what Joel had said before, Pegasus didn’t believe it either. Deep inside, the stallion knew that somehow, Tornado Warning was part of him.

Emily rose to use the bathroom. In the tight, crowded room, she had to climb over Pegasus. Then she stepped over Joel on the other mattress. But as she put her foot down, she trod on Chrysaor. The winged boar squealed and complained loudly.

‘Sorry! Go back to sleep …’ Emily hushed, as she gave him a light pat. She looked around to see if his squeals had awoken the others. Satisfied that they remained asleep, Emily continued her obstacle course to the bathroom. But as she entered, she found Alexis lounging on her back in an overflowing bathtub.

‘Did your father not teach you to knock?’ Alexis demanded.

Too stunned at the sight of the Sphinx in the bath, Emily backed out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her. Paelen was awake and smiled at her.

‘She’s been in there half the day,’ he whispered.

Irritated by the need to use the toilet, Emily muttered, ‘I thought cats hated water.’

‘I heard that, Emily!’ Alexis called from the bathroom.

Hours later, everyone was up and moving around. Joel was introducing Paelen and Chrysaor to the joys of cable television. Paelen held the remote and was learning to channel surf. ‘Pegasus, move out of the way, you are blocking my view!’ he complained as he tried to see around the large stallion. There was just so much to watch, he couldn’t settle on one station for more than a minute or two. ‘This is amazing,’ he cried as he started to follow a science-fiction movie. ‘We must get this in Olympus!’

Chrysaor squealed loudly in protest when Paelen changed the channel again. He tried to snatch the remote from Paelen.

Joel looked at Emily. ‘Do you think Jupiter would go for satellite or cable TV?’

‘Neither,’ she laughed as she watched her friends enjoying their first television experience.

On the bed behind them, Agent T was counting out his remaining money. ‘Earl, how much cash do you have left?’ he asked.

Earl opened his walled and pulled out two ten-dollar bills. ‘Twenty bucks, that’s it.’

Agent T looked at Emily. ‘Did you bring anything from Olympus we can sell?’

‘No, we didn’t expect to be here this long. The plan was to get a close look at Tornado Warning and then go right back.’

Agent T sighed. ‘We have ninety-seven dollars left. That won’t get us another room, let alone a lot of food.’

‘Well, we can’t go back to Olympus for more,’ Emily said.

Alexis finally emerged from the bathroom. Her dark hair was up in a towel and she was struggling to pull on a T-shirt with her paws. As Emily helped her finish getting dressed, the Sphinx’s eyes settled on Paelen. ‘It is lucky that we have a very good thief among us.’

Paelen looked up. ‘I am not a thief any more,’ he complained. ‘Why will no one believe me?’

Agent T rose from the bed. ‘Because we need a good thief right now and you’re elected.’

Paelen handed the remote to Chrysaor and came closer. ‘What do you need?’

‘Money,’ Agent T said.

‘And food,’ Earl said. ‘We can’t all eat the ambrosia, you Olympians need that.’

Paelen nodded. ‘I will go. How do I find money? The last time we needed it, Cupid won a costume competition. I do not know if there is another such competition around here.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Joel volunteered. ‘Your sandals can carry us both. And if Alexis will let me, I’ll use Pluto’s helmet to stay invisible while you use your talent to stretch yourself out and fit into whereever we need to go.’

The Sphinx carried the helmet over to Joel. She smiled warmly. ‘Anything for you. You just ask and it will be my command.’

Emily balled her hands into tight fists. As she did, the ceramic lamp on the table beside her exploded.

‘What the hell?’ Earl cried as he jumped away from the flying pieces.

‘Sorry,’ Emily quickly said. ‘My hand accidentally hit it.’

‘That wasn’t your hand,’ Joel challenged. ‘That lamp blew up!’

Emily was shaking in fear as her new powers surfaced again. She couldn’t let the others know about them. Not now, when the world was at stake. ‘No, Joel, it was me, I hit it. Now, are you going or not?’

He nodded, but continued to inspect the remains of the lamp. ‘Yeah, we’re going.’ Finally he looked at Agent T. ‘Do you know how much money they keep in bank machines?’

‘More than enough,’ the ex-CRU agent said. ‘But they are built tough. I doubt you’ll get into one before the police catch you.’

‘I’ve got this,’ Joel said as he held up his silver arm. ‘All I need to do is get it open. Paelen can do the rest by slipping in and getting the cash.’

Agent T nodded. ‘Try it if you want, but be careful. Those things are heavily alarmed. If that doesn’t work, you’re going to have to go somewhere else. Try to find a pawn shop. They always have a lot of cash in them. But be warned. The owners are usually armed and there are going to be cameras everywhere.’

‘That’s why we’re taking this.’ Joel held up Pluto’s helmet. He looked over to Paelen. ‘The sun is down; let’s go.’

When Joel and Paelen left, with little do to but wait, Emily took a bath. As she lay back in the tub, she was glad to finally take off her leg brace. Though it helped her to walk, it was heavy and rubbed her skin painfully.

She dozed in the warm water until Alexis entered the bathroom. ‘Did your father not teach you to knock?’ Emily challenged, repeating the Sphinx’s words back to her.

Alexis ignored the comment. She shut the door and approached the side of the tub. ‘Do you wish to tell me what happened out there?’

Emily looked away and shook her head. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘You may fool the others, but you cannot fool a Sphinx. You were angry at me and you caused the lamp to explode.’

Emily gasped. Alexis knew everything. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

Alexis sat beside the tub and put her paws up on the side. ‘You may not wish to, but you are going to. I know you do not like me, and that is your choice. But I took an oath to protect you and this mission. If I see something wrong, I am going to act upon it. So you might just as well tell me because I am going to find out anyway.’

‘Aren’t you going to give me a choice?’ Emily asked. ‘Bargain with a riddle or something? If I get the riddle wrong I tell you, but if I get it right, you leave me alone?’

‘Not this time,’ Alexis said. ‘You must tell me what happened.’

Emily dropped her head and sighed. She looked into the penetrating green eyes of the Sphinx. ‘I have more powers and I can’t control them,’ she admitted. ‘When Vesta first told me about the Flame, she said I’d learn to control it, and I have …’

Emily lifted her hand out of the water. She summoned up the Flame and it burned brightly and painlessly in the palm of her wet hand. ‘I can do anything I want with the Flame now.’

‘But …’ the Sphinx prodded.

‘But these new powers are unpredictable and they really scare me. Sometimes I can move things. Sometimes items disappear and I can never find them again. And sometimes …’

‘Sometimes they explode,’ the Sphinx finished. ‘Why haven’t you told anyone? I am sure Vesta and Jupiter would be very interested to know.’

‘I was going to,’ Emily said.

The Sphinx tilted her head to the side.

‘Eventually,’ Emily finished. ‘But then Dad came back with the papers, talking about Tornado Warning, and that became more important.’

‘More important than making things disappear or destroying them?’

‘I know,’ Emily said. ‘But if I told anyone, I couldn’t have come back here. And look what we’ve learned so far.’

Alexis sat back and dropped her paws to the wet floor. ‘I do understand, Emily. Your dedication to Pegasus and this world is a credit to you. But you have endangered everyone you care for by not telling Vesta and letting her try to help you control these new powers.’

Tears came to Emily’s eyes. Now used to the explosive danger they posed, she kept the sea-green handkerchief with the embroidered Pegasus that Neptune had given to her close. It alone had the power to contain her tears so they couldn’t do any harm. She reached for it and gently dabbed her eyes and watched the tears slipping into the secret pocket. ‘I’m just so scared. What am I supposed to do?’