The Return of the Titans (21 page)

Justin glanced at Benson who was glowering
at the teacher. One of the other teens sitting with Benson muttered
something to him. He shook his head impatiently. Justin looked back
at Mr. Hunter but he wondered what Benson was thinking. Did he
actually want to use runes on someone? Justin agreed with the
teacher. It was a horrible thought.

Mr. Hunter was still speaking. “And, as I've
shown you, you must have a focusing device, like the pendent, to
even attempt to use a rune.”

“So we'll be getting
pendents like yours, sir?” Norm spoke up.

Mr. Hunter chuckled. “Oh no, not like this.”
He reached into a pocket inside his suit and brought out something
that seemed to glow in the rooms light. He placed it on his desk
and waved the class forward. They all stood up and walked to the
front again.

Justin saw a bracelet sitting on the desk.
It was solid and looked like it was made of titanium. The surface
was rough and dimpled with small bumps and dents. All around the
circumference there were runes etched deeply into the metal.

“What's it say, sir?” one
of them asked.

Mr. Hunter picked up the bracelet. “Partly,
it spells out the name of the owner of the bracelet, in Titanian.
Her name was Dania.” He looked at the runes for a long moment. “We
don't know who she was or what she did, but this is one of the few
personalized bracelets that has survived since the fall of the
Titans so long ago.” He waved them back to their seats and, when
they had sat down again, held up the bracelet.

“As you can see, the
bracelet itself is in very rough shape. I am guessing that it was
used during the final conflict and was damaged. We don't really
know. But no one can use this bracelet except the original owner,
who is, as I said, long gone.” He smiled at the class. “The
bracelets that each of you will wear will also be keyed to you and
you alone.” He suddenly looked very serious. “It may be a hard
choice, whether to actually create your own bracelet, so we will
give you some time to decide.”

“You mean someone would
choose not wear a bracelet and use runes? Why would anyone do
that?” Benson's scorn was audible in his voice and Mr. Hunter
stared at him for a long moment. Then he smiled.

“Of course they would, Mr.
Benson. None of you have to wear one if you do not wish to. You
see, once you put on one of these bracelets, you can never take it
off again.” He looked at Benson and then at the rest of the group.
“Ever.”

Benson gulped and stared at Mr. Hunter in
disbelief. “Never? But, why not?” he asked.

“Because of the binding
between Titan and bracelet, Mr. Benson.” The man held up the old
bracelet again. “One of the properties of titanium is a kind of
genetic memory. During the process of binding the bracelet to
yourself, the metal will be infused with your blood.” There was a
general gasp throughout the room and Mr. Hunter smiled slightly.
“Don't worry, it's only a drop or two. But once this occurs and the
bracelet is placed on your wrist, it will grow as you grow, adjust
itself to your wrist and stay there for the rest of your life.” He
shrugged. “So you see, that is why I want you to think about this
carefully. You can't change your mind once the bracelet is on your
wrist.”

Mr. Hunter put the bracelet back on to the
desk. “Of course, you will never be able to use runes properly
without a bracelet, but if that is your wish, then so be it.”

The rest of the lesson proceeded more
quickly, with Mr. Hunter showing them the runes for water, air and
knowledge. This last rune was shaped like a spiral and the teacher
explained that it signified the edge of a scroll.

“What's it used for?” Gerry wondered
aloud.

Mr. Hunter chuckled. “I will show you
tomorrow. We're going to be visiting the library and I think you'll
be impressed.” With that, he wished them a good day and they headed
back to their rooms for lunch.

“I like him.” Norm said as they crossed the
courtyard. “He's not grumpy like a lot of my old teachers.”

“Yeah, I wonder what he used to do?” Gerry
said. “Librarian, maybe? Seems excited to show us the library
here.”

Justin and Aaron laughed at Gerry's
tone.

“Not a bookworm, Gerry?” Aaron asked.

“Nah, I prefer sports to studying.” He
slapped Norm on the shoulder. “But now I've got ol' Norm to help me
if I need it, so I'm covered.”

Norm looked a bit indignant. “Hang on a
sec,” he said. “If we get homework, you're going to have to do it,
not me!”

Gerry sighed dramatically. “Fine,” he said.
“But you'll help, right?”

Norm looked suspicious. “Help, yes. Do it
for you, no.”

They all laughed as they arrived back at the
boys quarters.

“See you after lunch, guys,” Aaron said with
a wave as he and Justin entered their room.

Chapter 15

After they had eaten, Justin and Aaron
waited for Jonathon to arrive to take them to their next class.

“Titan history.” Justin glanced at his
schedule. “I wonder why they think that's important?”

Aaron walked in from the bedroom. “No idea.
Sounds interesting though. I mean, all we learned was from the net.
Now we'll find out the real story.”

Justin agreed. He was excited at the idea of
learning the truth about the Titans. And he was intensely curious
to know how they had predicted a rebirth of their species five
thousand years after Atlantis had been destroyed.

“I'm just hoping we get a teacher who can
make it interesting,” Justin said. “My last history teacher could
make a battle sound as fascinating as watching paint dry.”

Aaron laughed. Just then the door chimed. It
was Jonathon.

“Gentlemen, follow me please,” he said and
beckoned them from the hallway.

In the courtyard, all the teens, boys and
girls, met up and followed Jonathon through yet another door. This
time, the door led to a corridor that was decorated with simple
scenes of hills, trees and clouds. Justin found it very peaceful.
The short corridor led to a single narrow door that opened as they
approached. Jonathon stopped before they reached the entrance and
turned to look at them. He had a very serious expression on his
face.

“Your teacher for Titan history is named
Ghelena. She is an excellent teacher and knows more about the
subject than anyone else here.” He hesitated a moment. “But she is
an...unusual person and I wanted to warn you before you entered her
class that Mr. Fitzgerald holds her in high regard and will not
tolerate any insulting behavior toward her. Do you understand?”

The group looked at each other in surprise.
Several of them began to ask questions but Jonathon cut them off
sharply.

“I did not ask for questions. I asked if you
understood. Do you?”

There was a general nodding of heads and
Jonathon, apparently satisfied, turned around and led them through
the doorway..

This new room was the first one, other than
the Ocular room, that Justin had seen that wasn't made out of solid
rock. The ceiling was covered with lightly-colored panels that
glowed gently while the walls and floor were covered with a rich,
dark wood. There were many big chairs with deep pads scattered
around the room and the air smelled of cedar. Somewhere, an
instrument that sounded like a flute was playing gently. The effect
was one of serenity and calm. Justin felt relaxed as soon as he
entered and he saw that Aaron had a slight smile on his face.

“Ah, I like this place,” Aaron
whispered.

“
Me too,” Justin
replied.

The chairs were all facing the center of the
room and Jonathon waved the class toward them.

“Ghelena will be with you shortly,” he said
and left.

Justin and his three friends found some
seats close to each other and sat down.

“Did you see Jonathon's face?” Norm asked
nervously. “I've never seen him so serious before.”

“Yeah,” Gerry replied. “I wonder what's so
different about this teacher? And why would he think we'd insult
her?”

“I don't know, Ger.” Justin looked around
the room. “But we'll see soon enough.”

At the back of the room, there was a second
doorway, as narrow as the first. It was open but Justin could see
only darkness when he looked at it. He turned to speak to Aaron and
then his eyes were drawn back to the door as he heard an odd
sound.

The others in the room stopped talking and
listened as well. The sound reminded Justin of someone slowly
rubbing sandpaper on wood; a soft, persistent rhythm of a rough
surface scraping over a smooth one.

There was movement deep within the doorway
and Justin watched as someone emerged from the darkness. As the
person moved into the light of the room, several of the teens cried
out. Many jumped to their feet and Norm leaped up and back so fast
that he fell right over his chair. Justin sat frozen and simply
stared at something that should not have been able to exist.

It was a woman, perhaps. Her face was
covered by a veil that concealed all of her features except her
hair which was pale blonde, almost white and falling well down her
back. She wore a robe of deep blue that extended down far enough to
cover her feet. Except that she had no feet. Instead, she was
supported by a serpent's tail that wriggled below her waist and
propelled her along with a slow, smooth undulating movement.

As the woman or half-woman, approached, she
seemed to notice the reaction of the students, because she stopped
moving forward. She simply swayed back and forth, perhaps watching
them from under her veil.

Justin swallowed hard. He wanted to say
something but no words came to mind. For the first time in his
life, he was truly speechless.

Suddenly, a voice began speaking from
beneath the veil. Justin's shock and fear were immediately soothed
and he felt calm and relaxed. The voice was gentle, sweet and warm
and the other teens were also visibly put at ease when they heard
it.

“Please,” the faceless figure said. “Please,
don't be alarmed. I know I am not something that you have seen
before. But I mean you no harm, truly. Please sit down.”

Everyone took their seat again. Somewhere
deep inside himself, Justin was amazed at how quickly everyone
calmed down. It was only later that he was to wonder how it had
happened. For now, he listened eagerly to that delightful
voice.

“My name is Ghelena. I am here to teach you
of the history of the Titan race. Your race. It is a long tale,
filled with great deeds and much tragedy. It will take a lot of
time to tell you of it, but you all need to know what happened back
in the distant past and how it applies to you and these modern
times.”

One of the girls held up a hand.

“Yes?” Ghelena said.

“Miss, I'm sorry if this seems rude but.”
she hesitated then rushed on, “could you tell us about
yourself?”

There was a chuckle beneath the veil. “You
mean, can I tell you what I am, don't you?”

The girl blushed and nodded.

“Ah well, I suppose I should or you will be
distracted from our lesson. I am of the race of Gorgons. We were
created in ancient times by the Titans. We were their allies until
the fall of Atlantis. Most of us perished during that civil war but
some survived to continue our race.” She waved her hand slightly.
“We have lived on here, in Sanctuary since those days, keeping the
records of the Titans safe for their eventual return. And here you
are, so our long vigil has not been in vain.”

“But wasn't Medusa a gorgon?” Norm blurted
out.

There was a hiss of anger and Ghelena's
voice became sharp with rage. “Mention not that traitor! Yes, she
was one of my race but she betrayed her people and sided with
Hyperion and the others. She was hungry for power and believed the
humans to be fit only to serve as slaves.” She shook her head and
her voice became calm again. “Forgive me, but we do not speak of
her. Our shame to have harbored such within our midst is deep and
best left alone.”

“Sorry,” Norm muttered.

“You did not know. There is no need to
apologize. And now, let us begin the lesson.”

The mysterious Ghelena told them about the
early days of the Titans. She told them of the original leaders,
the twelve who were revered by ancient men as gods. The lesson
passed quickly and soon the teens were filing out of the room.

Justin's head was full of names and events
and he spent the walk back to his room quietly trying to sort
things out. It wasn't until he and Aaron were back in their room
and sitting down on their usual couches that the weirdness of the
previous two hours struck him like a jolt of electricity. He looked
at Aaron who was sitting on his couch, lost in thought.

“Aaron, did we just spend a couple of hours
talking to a snake lady?”

Aaron looked at him with a sort of dazed
expression. “What?”

Justin repeated himself and Aaron seemed to
snap out of his numbed state.

“Hey, you're right,” he said. He gave his
head a shake. “What just happened? Why didn't it freak me out? I
hate snakes!”

They stared at each other for a long
moment.

“She's a gorgon,” Justin said as he
remembered something.

“She's a gorgon? So what?”

“Well, didn't you read about Medusa? She was
one of the gorgons too.”

Aaron nodded. “Yeah, but didn't she have
snakes for hair? And turn men to stone?”

“Sure but remember how old that legend is.
She might have had hair like Ghelena, you know, kind of unusual
looking? And look what just happened to us. Her voice was almost
hypnotic. Maybe that sort of control turned into a legend of being
able to turn people to stone, over a long period of time.”