The Battle for Sanctuary: The Titan's Legacy: Vol: 2 (Volume 2) (44 page)

“
It
is quite likely not possible to use them in the coming battle. A
shame, really. They could have been of tremendous support.”

“
Yeah,
too bad it wasn't like playing a game of Arena, eh Just?” Aaron
said with a grin. “We could just summon them out of the ground
and voila! Instant Minotaur!”

Justin
smiled weakly. Like a game of Arena. Why did that nudge at his
memory?

He sat
back and stretched. The stone bench wasn't particularly comfortable,
even for a Titan and he wondered how long they'd have to wait for
Serena to get back. He thought about the size of the top level. If
she had to creep around to avoid being seen by enemies, it could be
quite some time.

He felt
someone watching him and turned around to see Prometheus looking at
him. At his glance, the old Titan stood up and walked around to stand
next to them.

“
You
mean for these four young people to go into battle, Fitzgerald?”
he asked.

“
I
don't wish it, no. But they are the ones with powers strong enough to
be of use against the renegades,”

“
I
see. Then perhaps we can give them an edge that our enemies might not
expect, hmm?”

“
What
sort of an edge, sir?” Justin asked. He knew they could use any
help they could get.

“
Come
inside and see,” the old Titan said and walked toward the
museum, Daemon scurrying in his wake. Justin looked at Fitzgerald,
who nodded.

“
Go
ahead. Prometheus is wise. He may be able to help.”

Justin
looked at his three friends. They all joined him and they entered the
museum together.

Once
inside, Prometheus had Justin lead him to the Cronus exhibit. He
stood a moment in the doorway, obviously remembering the past as he
stared at the paintings on the ceiling. Maria watched him with
something like pity in her eyes.

“
Master?
Time is wasting,” Daemon said pointedly.

“
Hmm?
Oh yes, of course. Now then.” The old Titan walked across the
room and stared at the sickle in its glass case. He turned and looked
at the four teens who were watching him in puzzlement.

“
A
Titan's weapon was more than an inert piece of metal. It was bound to
him or her by blood.” He stared at the weapon for a long
moment. “It aided a Titan by amplifying their power, making
that power stronger and easier to manage.”

Prometheus
reached out and opened the glass case. He took the weapon off of the
pegs what were holding it and handed it to Justin.

“
Take
it, Justin. Tell me what you feel.”

In awe,
Justin reached out for the sickle...and promptly dropped it.

“
Holy
cow! That thing weighs a ton!” he said. The sickle had hit the
floor with a resounding thud.

Aaron
and Jason burst into laughter. Maria smiled slightly. Justin turned
and scowled at the two guys, which only made them laugh harder.

“
Sorry,
Just,” Aaron said as he tried to catch his breath. Jason's
laughter subsided into sporadic giggles. “But the look on your
face was priceless.”

Justin
finally chuckled. “Yeah, I'm sure it was, you idiot,” he
told Aaron with a grin.

“
Um,
yes, well. I had forgotten that I wasn't dealing with pure Titans,”
Prometheus said apologetically. He looked at Daemon. “Could you
trim that thing up to a more appropriate size?” he asked the
little servitor.

“
No
problem, master,” Daemon replied. Justin watched, fascinated,
as a small opening appeared in the servitor's chest and he pulled out
several tools.

“
Now,
while he is adjusting that weapon, Jason, why don't we go and take a
look at your ancestor's exhibit. Iapetus, wasn't it?”

“
Yes
sir, it is,” Jason said eagerly and headed for the main hall.

Justin
lingered a moment, watching Daemon work but Prometheus asked him to
come along.

“
It
will take Daemon a bit of time to work on that weapon, my boy. And
between you and me,” he lowered his voice slightly “he's
a bit prickly about people watching him work.”

“
Oh,
okay,” Justin said and followed the others.

Iapetus's
chamber was much like the rest. His glass case held a long black
hammer that was, like the sickle, obviously too large for Jason to
use.

“
Not
to worry, my boy,” Prometheus said as he took the hammer out of
its case and put it on the floor. “Daemon will adjust it as
well. He's very good at that sort of thing. Maria, Daemon will also
work on Mnemosyne's staff. It isn't heavy, simply a big long for your
use.” She smiled and thanked him. “So let's head outside
for a bit, in case that scout returns. Daemon will catch up to us
when he is finished.”

As they
walked through the main hall, Aaron spoke up.

“
Sir,
um, Prometheus?” he said.

“
Yes
Aaron, what is it?” The old Titan stopped and looked down at
Aaron.

“
Well,
I was just wondering, you know, if I could get a weapon too?”
He sounded anxious and Justin felt bad for him.

“
Hmm,
I don't think that using the quill of Coeus would be very effective
in battle. Do you?”

Aaron
sagged a bit and shook his head. “No, you're right. Oh well. It
was just a thought.”

Prometheus
reached down and gave the teen a light pat on the back. Aaron
staggered slightly and the old Titan apologized. Then they made their
way back out to the fountain.

“
No
word yet,” Fitzgerald said at their looks of inquiry. “But
I wouldn't expect her back for another hour or two anyway.”

Prometheus
returned to his bench and sat down again, stretching out his long
legs. “Then we must be patient,” he said and folded his
arms.

The
group sat quietly for a while. Aaron and Justin sat side by side on
the ground, their backs against the fountain. Justin was watching the
entrance to the museum, waiting for Daemon to show up. Aaron was
tracing designs in the dust on the ground, frowning slightly. Justin
was sure his friend was brooding about not having a weapon like
Maria, Jason and him, but there wasn't anything that he could say
that would make Aaron feel better.

After
fifteen minutes or so, the doors of the library opened and Daemon
came bustling out, carrying the weapons in his arms. The four teens
jumped to their feet while Prometheus and Fitzgerald stayed seated
and watched.

“
Here
you are, young heir of Cronus,” Daemon said and handed the
sickle to Justin.

He was
amazed. The weapon was half its original size and the double-sided
head with a blade on one side and a blunt end on the other seemed
smaller and lighter. Justin could handle it easily now and he stepped
away from the others and swung it a few times, testing its weight.

“
Young
lady, I gift you with Mnemosyne's staff,” Daemon said with a
bow. “She was one of the greatest warriors ever. Do her proud.”

Maria
took the staff, made of black wood inlaid with carvings and capped on
either end by titanium. “Thank you for the gift, Daemon.”

The
little servitor handed a hammer, much reduced in size, to Jason. He
looked delighted. “Incredible, Justin. It's actually light! How
did you do that, Daemon?”

The
servitor shook his head. “Uh-uh,” he said. “Daemon
has his secrets. Be pleased with my work and I will keep my methods
to myself.”

“
We're
very pleased, Daemon,” Justin said with enthusiasm. “Thanks
so much.”

“
Yeah,
thanks Daemon. You did great!” Jason said with a smile.

The
little servitor bowed and returned to stand next to Prometheus, who
muttered something to him. Daemon nodded.

“
Aaron,”
he called over. “Would you come here please?”

Aaron
glanced at Justin who shrugged. “Sure, Prometheus,” Aaron
answered and walked over to the Titan. Justin followed a few steps
behind.

“
I
know how disappointed you are that your ancestor had no weapon for
you to use,” he said kindly. Aaron just shrugged. “But as
I grafted my gift for fire on to you, I am in a way your ancestor now
as well. There is no genetic code for Prometheus in the human gene
pool. I will never have an heir born to me.” He sounded a bit
sad.

“
That's
not important, sir,” Aaron said quickly, obviously trying to
make the old Titan feel better. “Your gift has been incredibly
useful.”

“
Thank
you, Aaron. But because I have passed my power on to you, I do now,
in front of these witnesses, name you my heir.” Aaron gaped at
him, speechless.

“
And
so, I give to you my own weapon, to use as you see fit in the coming
battle. Daemon?”

The
servitor nodded and opened the door in his chest.

“
Daemon
took a little longer inside so that he could size it for you,”
Prometheus said.

The
servitor reached into his chest and took out an object which he then
handed to Aaron with a bow.

“
Use
it well,” Daemon said and stepped back.

Aaron
was holding a glove. “Wow, sir, it's beautiful. Thanks so
much!”

Justin
stared at the glove. It was, indeed, beautiful.

It was
made of tiny links of a black metal, threaded through with veins of
titanium. The joints were articulated and on the back of the glove
was a design etched to look like flames. It was for the right hand.

“
Try
it on, bud,” Justin urged his friend. Aaron, still a bit
stunned, slipped on the glove. It fit perfectly and he was able to
twist and bend his hand with no problems.

“
It's
really amazing, sir. Thank you again.”

“
No
thanks are needed, Aaron. Simply put it to good use and I will be
content.”

“
I'll
try, sir,” he answered and walked back to the fountain.

Jason
was impressed by the glove as well and he and Aaron sat down and
talked about the weapons and what they could do with them. Maria had
stepped away from the others and was spinning her new staff slowly,
testing its weight and balance. Justin walked over and sat next to
Mr. Fitzgerald.

Stabel
had been speaking quietly with the man but stepped back as Justin sat
down.

“
Are
you okay, Mr. Fitzgerald?” he asked. The man looked very weak
and pale still and Justin wondered if sitting on a stone bench for
hours was really appropriate for a sick person.

“
I'll
be fine, Justin. Thank you for your concern though.” He glanced
at the sickle that Justin was holding. “I'm pleased that
Prometheus gave those weapons to you and your friends. Remember that
their purpose is not to actually be used in battle.”

Justin
was confused. “But they're weapons, sir. What do you mean, not
use them in battle?”

“
They
are shaped like weapons, true. But they are, in reality, items that
focus your talents. While we are waiting for events to unfold, why
don't you and your friends try to channel your powers through the
weapons. See if you can meld with them, use them as they were made to
be used. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.”

“
Okay,
sir. If you say so. I'll tell the others.”

“
You
do that, Justin. It's important.”

Justin
got up again and hurried over to his friends. Something in
Fitzgerald's tone emphasized the need for them to learn to use these
weapons, fast.

He
explained the concept to Maria, Aaron and Jason.

“
So,
we need to try to channel our talent through the weapons? And Aaron's
glove?” Jason asked.

“
That's
about it. Mr. Fitzgerald says it will augment the power, make it
stronger. I'm guessing we'll need that upstairs,” Justin
replied.

“
I'm
game,” Aaron said. “But I think I'll get some distance
between me and everyone else, just in case.” He got up and
started to walk away.

“
Good
idea, Aaron. I think I will too,” Jason said and headed off to
the far end of the square. Maria returned to where she had been
spinning the staff and began to use it on an imaginary opponent.
Justin wasn't worried about his power hurting anyone. He just wanted
to see if he could feel the ground under his feet.

Justin
sat down and leaned back against the fountain. He held the sickle in
his right hand and summoned his mark so that the rune was connected
to the handle of the weapon. Then he extended himself and pushed his
mind into the stone that he was sitting on.

He felt
the shell of earth and stone beneath him extending in all directions
across the level. The bases of the building that rested on the stone
were obvious to him and the edge of the level where the stone merged
with the vastness of the earth that surrounded Sanctuary. How far can
I go, he wondered. Down. Let's go down. His mind followed the earth
to the next level below. Wow, this is new. I can feel living beings
where they are touching the earth. Gorgons. He felt a lance of hatred
for the creatures and almost lost his focus. Careful, Justin, he
thought. No emotion. Focus. Good, there we go. Now, deeper. The next
level. Ah, sand resting on stone, the thud of footsteps. Minotaurs?
Yes. He stopped and extended his senses. Even the live ones are
beautiful, he thought. Now, down further. Yes, there. The feeling of
water flowing past rock. The metallic eels as they scrape the bottom
of lake. Amazing.