Crossroads (39 page)

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Authors: Wendy Saunders

BOOK: Crossroads
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Theo nodded, taking Olivia’s hand as they picked their way over the uneven rocky ground, towards the dark horizon. There was no vegetation, no trees, just darkness and rock. The air was tinged with heat and the scent of brimstone. Olivia’s dragonflies pulsed gently with blue fire, hovering close to her shoulder nervously, as if to not draw too much attention to themselves.

‘Why don’t you try the Compass again?’ Theo suggested.

Nodding in agreement they paused as she pulled the golden chain from her collar and flipped it open, looking down at it expectantly.

Nothing.

‘Are you shitting me?’ Olivia hissed angrily, ‘after all this and the damn thing still won’t work.’

‘I guess we’ll just have to keep moving,’ Theo took her hand again and they set off across the rough terrain.

‘So Cronus is Hades’ father then?’ Theo asked quietly as they moved.

‘Yes he is,’ Olivia replied softly. ‘Cronus was born from Uranus, the Sky and Gaia, the Earth. He overthrew his father’s rule and took his sister Rhea as his wife.’

‘His sister?’ Theo’s eyes widened in shock.

‘You’ll find it’s very common amongst the ancients’ Sam told him, shrugging casually, ‘believe me the Egyptians and the Romans were just as bad.’

‘So anyway,’ Olivia continued in a quiet voice, ‘Cronus and Rhea took the throne and ruled as king and queen but Cronus learned that he was destined to be deposed by his own sons just as he had in turn usurped his father’s throne. He sired the Gods Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades and Poseidon by his sister Rhea and as soon as they were born he devoured them in an attempt to prevent the prophecy from coming true.’

‘Devoured?’ Theo frowned skeptically, ‘you mean he actually ate his own children?’

‘That’s the myth,’ Olivia nodded, ‘and he devoured them not ate.’

‘Is there a difference?’

‘He swallowed them whole so they remained intact and anyway they’re Gods, so they can’t die. Then when the sixth child, Zeus, was born Rhea and Gaia hid him from his father and instead gave Cronus a stone wrapped in baby blankets to swallow.’

‘This is so disturbing,’ Theo shook his head.

‘Anyway, there are many different accounts, a lot of variations but the general consensus is that once he was grown, Zeus either cut open his father’s stomach to free his siblings, or gave him some sort of emetic to force him to expel them by disgorging the contents of his stomach.’

‘That’s disgusting.’

‘So after that Zeus and his brothers and sisters overthrew Cronus and the other Titans and cast them down into Tartarus.’

‘Shush,’ Sam stopped and listened, ‘there’s something going on up ahead.’

Olivia pulled her dragonflies in close, their flames banking down so they were barely visible as they crept forward in the darkness. In the distance a dim glow appeared which grew brighter as they approached. They sneaked up to the edge, hidden behind a wall of rocks, as they peered over into the sooty red and orange glow. A great pit yawned open in front of them, spanning miles and dropped down deep into the heart of Tartarus. Filled with stairs and ladders carved painstakingly out of the rocks, it was a hive of labor and industry. Ragged heavily chained slaves pushed metal carts filled with rocks. Great pulleys heaved up more carts full of rock, forges burned releasing greasy smoke and filling the air with sparks and firebrands. The sound of hammers and anvils rang out through the air.

‘God, it’s like the mines of Moria, are you sure we haven’t dropped into Middle Earth?’ Olivia whispered, but when she turned both Sam and Theo were staring at her blankly. ‘Seriously? Lord of the Rings? The Hobbit? None of this ringing a bell?’ she shook her head in disgust. ‘You two should be ashamed of yourselves, I’m guessing a Frodo reference would be wasted on you both right now.’

‘Sam shook his head slowly, ‘I don’t know where we’re heading but I’m pretty sure we want to avoid that place.’

‘Agreed,’ Theo nodded, casting a look around. ‘I can’t see much but the ground seems to be sloping down and away from here.’

‘Okay let’s head that way then,’ Olivia nudged Theo and they started moving once again.

Slowly the sounds of the fire pit seemed to fade away and the air cooled marginally. The darkness returned and once again her dragonflies brightened and took the lead. Suddenly the ground ahead of them changed color, and from where they were approaching it seemed to transform from a dark sooty black to white stone. They approached cautiously, not knowing whether the surface was solid or not. Stopping at the edge Olivia reached down and ran her fingers over the surface. It was white stone and it was cool and smooth to the touch.

‘It seems stable enough,’ she turned back to the others but as she straightened up the ground suddenly began to tremble.

They all stumbled back a few paces watching dumbfounded as the white stone surface began to rise up from the gravel and rock. It unfolded itself and began to stretch up higher and higher as it rose into the dark sky.

Olivia’s head tilted back and her mouth fell open as she watched it grow and when it finally stopped she found herself staring at a huge figure of a man, easily as tall as the statue of Liberty. He was half naked and completely colorless, as if he were a statue carved in exquisite detail except the sculptor had not bothered to paint him. But he wasn’t a statue, he moved with the same lithe grace and economy of movement as a regular man. He looked down at them and as his milky white eyes locked on hers she sucked in a deep breath. She wasn’t sure how but she knew exactly who he was. Her heart began to hammer in her chest and her blood ran cold.

‘Oh my God,’ she whispered, ‘Prometheus…’

 

Chapter 23.

Olivia stared open mouthed, mesmerized by the gargantuan Titan in front of her, barely registering Theo pulling her protectively behind him. As he raised his arm the metal embedded within it didn’t just melt and flow down to his hand to coalesce into a knife, but instead burst into bright blue and silver flames which ignited the whole of his arm in glowing blue vines. The knife itself throbbed and glowed with power.

Prometheus’ eyes flicked over to Theo and narrowed in interest. He leaned over and effortlessly scooped him up from the ground. He grabbed one of his legs between his cool stone fingertips and dangled him upside down as if he were a fascinating insect he was about to pick the wings off.

‘Put him down Prometheus,’ Olivia told him calmly.

Prometheus looked down and his eyes widened in surprise. Olivia stood with her bow of fire drawn and aimed directly at him, her gaze narrowed on him with total focus as she regarded him as nothing more than a target. A black and blue bolt of pure Hellfire vibrated against her knuckles just waiting for her to let it fly.

Sensing his moment whilst the Titan’s focus was on Olivia, Sam drew in his strength and flashed into Prometheus’ hand, grasping hold of Theo and translocating them both to the ground. Prometheus started in surprise, glancing at his empty hand and then back at the two men now on the ground, as if he couldn’t quite understand what had happened. Finally, he turned his gaze back to Olivia, studying her intently.

‘It’s you...’

Olivia wasn’t sure what she had expected him to sound like, maybe some kind of thunderous sonic boom, but nothing prepared her for the soft lulling timbre of his voice. It coiled around her like a blanket and held her softly. Her gaze lost some of the sharp focus and she lowered her bow just a fraction, her eyes puzzled. She could feel him she realized with a frown of confusion. Being in his presence was slightly overwhelming as she could sense the vastness of his consciousness. This was a being who had stood from almost the beginning of time, watching worlds spin from chaos. He brought with him a feeling of timelessness, as old and immovable as the Universe itself. It was comforting. This was not the being she had been warned of, she felt no hostility from him, only curiosity and…relief? He was pleased to see her, that much she could understand. She lowered her bow and let the flames peter out taking an involuntary step towards him.

‘Olivia,’ Theo started towards her in concern, catching her arm gently to still her movement.

‘It’s okay Theo,’ she laid her hand on his in reassurance, her gaze moving back to Prometheus as he watched her silently. ‘He won’t hurt me…,’ she whispered.

‘You don’t know that’ he frowned, ‘Hecate said…’

‘Hecate does not know everything,’ Prometheus spoke softly causing them both to stare up at him. ‘She certainly should not presume to know my mind, nor predict my intentions. I was here long before she came into being.’

‘And we are just supposed to believe you?’ Theo asked bluntly.

‘That would be your choice,’ the amusement was reflected in his voice. ‘Believe; do not; it does not concern me, but the female is right I intend her no harm.’

He kneeled down beside them and extended his hand for Olivia to step forward.

‘Olivia,’ Theo warned.

‘It’s okay Theo,’ she smiled softly as she brushed his hand from her arm, ‘I know what I’m doing…trust me.’

Theo pulled in a deep breath, his mouth fixed in resolution as he allowed her to pass. She stepped onto Prometheus’ outstretched palm holding onto his thumb for balance as he lifted her high into the dark sky until she was level with his face.

‘What is your name mortal?’

‘Olivia.’

‘Olivia,’ he replied softly his mouth curving into a smile, ‘I have waited a long time for you.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘You know who I am?’

‘Prometheus,’ Olivia replied, ‘the son of the Titan Lapetus and the Oceanid Clymene.’

‘And do you know why I was cast down deep into Tartarus?’

‘You stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to the mortals, which angered Zeus.’

He smiled slowly, his voice low and soothing.

‘I was once known as the greatest benefactor of humanity. I, who tricked Zeus into accepting the bones and fat of the bulls brought for sacrifices, leaving the true meat to sustain mankind. I, who stole away to Mount Olympus and took back fire so that the mortals could flourish. I was worshipped for my beneficence. Even when Zeus cursed me to die in agony every day only to be reborn every night just so that I could perish again the next day, I never regretted anything I had done for the mortals. Even when Zeus tired of watching me being mutilated every day and cast me down into the deepest pit of Tartarus, I still did not regret my actions and do you want to know why?’

‘Why?’

‘Everything I have done was for one reason and one alone.’

‘What was it?’ she asked in confusion.

‘To bring you into being.’

‘What?’

‘The world has waited for you to be born for so long,’ he told her. ‘I tricked Zeus into allowing the mortals meat so they would flourish, because I knew one day you would come from them.’

‘No,’ she shook her head.

‘The fire I stole from Zeus was not for the mortals. They already knew the secret of Earth fire, they knew how to prepare their food and warm themselves. What use would they have for something they already held the secret of?’

‘The fire you stole from Mount Olympus…’ Olivia breathed in understanding, ‘it was not just any fire.’

‘No, it wasn’t. It was the fire of the Gods, ancient and full of magic.’

‘Hellfire.’

‘I stole into Zeus and Hera’s palace to the great fireplace in their bed chamber. In the hearth burned the fire of the Gods, in all its many colors. I took one single flame of each color, one of the deepest ocean blue, one as silver as the most precious metal, one as red as the finest wine, one as purple as the heavens as the sun begins its descent and one as green as the endless grassy fields of Elysium. I took these flames and twisted them together, fashioning a single flame of the five ancient fires.’

‘What happened?’ she whispered entranced.

‘I crept away under the cover of night and fled to the mortal world. There I found a young girl sleeping in her bed, so young, so sweet, with pale skin and dark tresses, barely more than a child. I came to her in a dream. I gave her the flame and told her to keep it safe, knowing that when she woke with the dawn she would have no memory of our conversation, nor any memory of the flame that lived inside her, lying dormant…waiting.’

‘Why her?’ Olivia was almost afraid to ask…afraid that she already knew the answer.

‘Because I knew one day a child would come from her bloodline, a woman by the name of Althethea.’ His white eyes locked on Olivia’s, ‘you know of whom I speak.’

She did know. As Bridget had explained, Althethea was the mother of Carrigan, the first of the West women, and she was her direct descendant.’

‘The little girl you gave the flame to…’

‘You are of her blood. The fire has awoken and you are the one destined to wield it.’

‘But why?’ her eyes widened in disbelief, ‘why me?’

‘Because it was always you, granddaughter,’ he looked at her, his expression tender and filled with affection. ‘You will shake the very worlds to their foundations.’

‘No,’ she shook her head in denial.

‘You know it is true,’ he told her softly, ‘it all begins with you.’

‘What begins?’

‘The dawn of a new era, everything will change and you will rise, a living banner, and the whole universe will tremble.’

Olivia stared at him, not trusting herself to speak. Not even knowing what to say. The fear and pressure was almost overwhelming. She had never dealt well with being told what to do and now she was being told… what exactly? That she was supposed to start some sort of revolution? It was insane, all she wanted to do was go home and crawl under the covers and maybe sleep for the next month or possibly three. She didn’t want to be given this kind of responsibility, it was too much.

She didn’t trust herself, she’d felt the edges of the power she’d summoned and she knew how easy it would be to allow herself to become lost to it. She was pretty sure there was a good reason the ancient fires were the domain of Gods and not mortals.

‘Why do you fear the darkness granddaughter?’ Prometheus asked curiously, as if he could sense her thoughts.

‘Because it is too easy to lose yourself to it.’

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