Pegasus and the Fight for Olympus (16 page)

Cupid looked doubtful, but he seemed satisfied to be told to wait behind. ‘All right, I will give you a short time. But if there is trouble, I will fight.’

This was the best he could hope for from Cupid. Using all the stealth of his thief ’s experience, Paelen crossed through the parking area and crept past two patrolling guards without being seen. He could feel, more than see, that two other guards would soon be approaching from the other side as they constantly patrolled around the large enclosure.

After a short, silent sprint, Paelen reached the side of the tent. The main opening was around the other side. But that was unavailable to him as a guard’s station had been set up there with two large, burly soldiers sitting at a table. Their weapons were drawn and they looked ready for anything.

Paelen crouched down to the ground and tried to lift the edge of the tent. But he discovered it had been tacked down to the ground every few centimetres. Tearing it up would cause too much noise. He groaned inwardly, knowing what he had to do.

Checking to see the position of the patrolling soldiers, Paelen used his power to manipulate his body. With each crack and pop of his bones, he feared discovery. Soon he was too thin to fit in his clothing. With a bit more stretching, he turned into the snake-like body he used to get into tight areas.

Paelen lifted up the edge of the tent as far as it would go and slid easily inside. He returned to his normal body shape and stood amongst the debris that had once been the Red Apple.

Despite the complete lack of light, he was able to see clearly. He was in what had once been the kitchen area. He made his way back to where he, Joel and Cupid had changed their clothes in preparation for their assault on the CRU facility. Paelen forced himself not to dwell on the memories of that disastrous rescue. He was here for his sandals, nothing more.

The acrid smell of recently extinguished fire stung his nostrils as he quietly climbed over the charred debris. He cursed every time the destroyed timbers cracked under his weight, but was grateful to discover that the area where they changed looked undisturbed. It had yet to be searched.

‘Sandals, where are you?’ he muttered softly, looking around.

There was a slight stirring in the burned debris. Paelen’s sharp senses caught movement to his left. ‘Sandals?’

Once again, there was movement. Paelen recalled what Mercury had told him when he’d given him the sandals to keep. He said they didn’t belong
to
him, but
with
him. Suddenly that comment made sense. Their initial devotion to the Messenger of Olympus, and now to him, was because the sandals were alive. They were responding to his voice. Buried beneath the debris, they were trying to get back to him.

‘Where are you, sandals?’ he softly called.

Not far ahead a deep pile of rubble shifted. The sound of stirring and movement set Paelen’s heart pounding. What if the soldiers outside heard it? He climbed over to the area as quickly and quietly as he could. His nerves were stretched to the limit. ‘Sandals, where are you?’ he softly called again.

The movement was right in front of him. A large chunk of burned roof was covering the area. As Paelen caught hold of the edge, he hoisted it in the air. He peered beneath and, with a sigh of profound relief, saw his two sandals amongst the ashes.

Quickly retrieving them, Paelen lowered the roof and made his way back to the side of the tent. He stretched his body and slid under the edge. His clothing was still waiting for him.

But so were the soldiers.

As he returned to his normal shape and rose, bright lights blazed to life and shone painfully in his eyes.

Two armed soldiers rushed at him. ‘Freeze or we’ll open fire!’

Paelen barely had time to think before a soldier’s rough hands caught hold of his arms and hauled him forward.

‘Drop the shoes!’ another voice ordered.

‘They are sandals,’ Paelen corrected. ‘And if you want them, you shall have to take them from me.’

As more soldiers came forward, they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Cupid dived down from the sky. His arms were filled with large stones and he started to hurl them at the unsuspecting soldiers.

After a first pass, Cupid swooped away, turned in the sky and came at them for a second assault, throwing more stones at the unsuspecting soldiers. They had been prepared for a ground attack, but hadn’t been warned about enraged winged teenagers coming from above.

As the soldiers scattered and tried to raise their weapons, Cupid landed and charged at them fighting with all the Olympian strength he possessed. Paelen took the opportunity and wrenched his arms free of the man closest to him. He tackled him to the ground. With one punch, the soldier was unconscious.

Not thinking, just reacting, Paelen lifted another soldier in the air and threw him across the parking area and into the trees. The Olympians were in the fight of their lives and knew everything was at stake. They couldn’t get caught. With Cupid fighting beside him, not one soldier had time to fire his weapon. Before long, they were all down on the ground.

‘Grab your clothing and the sandals,’ Cupid ordered. ‘We must go before others arrive.’

Paelen followed Cupid back into the trees. Pausing only long enough to dress, he was grateful to feel the winged sandals back where they belonged, on his feet.

‘We must fly,’ Cupid called as he collected his own clothing. ‘We still need to make that phone call.’

Cupid was first in the air. Paelen ordered the sandals to follow and thrilled as their tiny wings lifted him easily into the sky.

Within minutes of their escape, they heard the sounds of sirens rising from below. Flashing lights of police cruisers, military trucks and CRU vehicles shone on the roads as they raced to the Red Apple. Both Olympians knew it had been a close call.

Paelen flew closer to Cupid. ‘They must have raised the alarm. We cannot go into the town to make the call. We should try the place where Joel and I bought food. They are always open. Perhaps we can find a telephone there.’

Cupid agreed and let Paelen lead the way. He ordered his sandals to take him to the superstore. They were both grateful to see it was on the far end of town, well away from the Red Apple and all the gathering soldiers.

They landed a short distance away and walked back to the superstore. Paelen jumped when the sliding doors at the large entrance whooshed open at his approach. He still didn’t understand how they knew he was there. Perhaps a small nymph controlled them?

‘Come along,’ Cupid said irritably. ‘We do not have time to play. We must find the telephone and get back to the cabin.’

‘Who is playing?’ Paelen asked as he nervously stepped through the mysterious doors, still convinced they would snap shut on him at any moment.

Inside, Paelen was once again struck by the sights, sounds and smells of the brightly lit superstore. There was so much sugar here. But there were also a lot more people than when he and Joel had shopped. That made him nervous.

‘Cupid, can you smell that?’ Paelen asked softly as his stomach started to gurgle.

Cupid nodded. ‘We will make the call first and then we must eat. I have been too long without ambrosia and I am feeling weak.’

The two Olympians stood at the entrance of the superstore, wondering what a telephone looked like and how they found it.

Finally Cupid moved. He approached an attractive young woman carrying several bags of shopping and smiled radiantly at her. Paelen watched him working his magic. The winged Olympian didn’t turn on his power, he didn’t need to. Just his smile alone was enough to turn the woman’s cheeks bright red.

‘Can you help us, please?’ he said in his most charming voice. ‘We need to make a call and I cannot find a telephone.’

The woman’s cheeks reddened further. She reached into her pocket and produced her cell phone. ‘You could always use mine if you like.’

Cupid took the small device and looked at Paelen quizzically. When Paelen shrugged, he looked back at the woman. ‘Would you mind showing me how to use this?’

‘Not at all,’ she said. ‘What’s the number?’

Cupid handed her the piece of paper with the doctor’s telephone number. The woman dialled the number and held the device to her ear.

After a moment she shook her head. ‘It’s going straight to voicemail. Do you want to leave a message?’

‘Does that mean you cannot reach the doctor?’ Cupid asked.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘Do you want me to leave a message? I could give them my number and we could wait together for them to call?’ There was no mistaking the offer in her soft voice. Paelen was once again struck by Cupid’s power over women.

Cupid smiled. ‘No, thank you. Perhaps when I next visit and we have more time.’

The disappointment on her face was obvious as she reluctantly put her cell back in her pocket and drifted away.

When she was gone, the smile dropped from Cupid’s face. ‘No doctor. We shall have to manage on our own.’ Cupid sniffed the air again. ‘Come, Paelen, this place is filled with food and I am starving. It is time we ate.’

Paelen and Cupid went back to the entrance and collected shopping baskets. Each step they took, Cupid fidgeted. ‘I really hate this. My feathers are poking into the back of my legs.’

‘It will not be long,’ Paelen promised. ‘We will just get what we need and go.’

Following their noses, the two Olympians carried their shopping baskets deeper into the store. They walked down an aisle filled with chocolates, chocolate bars and cookies.

As they filled their baskets, Paelen became aware of several children drifting away from their parents to follow Cupid. The winged Olympian looked back at the small but growing group and tried to shoo them away, but the children refused to go. Further down the aisle, a boy of no more than four broke away from his mother and ran straight at Cupid. He hugged him around the legs and wouldn’t release him.

Paelen laughed at the mortified expression on Cupid’s face as he struggled to disentangle himself from the affectionate child. ‘Go back to your mother, little human,’ he cried. But the more he tried to push him away, the louder the child protested and refused to release him.

Paelen pulled the little boy off Cupid just as his mother arrived. The woman’s face was red with embarrassment as she apologized for her son’s odd behaviour.

‘Madam,’ Cupid scolded, ‘will you please keep hold of your child.’

As she dragged her screaming son away, Cupid looked back at the group of other children pressing closer. ‘All of you go back to your parents. I have nothing for you.’

But they refused to leave. Paelen tore open a bag of mini chocolate bars and handed them out to the children. ‘Go now, young ones – your parents will be looking for you. Go on, Cupid and I need to eat.’

The children accepted the treats but wouldn’t move. They followed at a distance, waving and calling to Cupid.

‘There is only one thing I hate more than humans,’ Cupid complained as he tore open a bag of chocolate-chip cookies and started to eat. ‘That is young humans.’

‘You do not,’ Paelen argued as he stuffed his mouth full of chocolates. ‘If you did, you would have struck that little boy.’

Cupid regarded him with a dark expression. ‘I did not wish to draw undue attention to ourselves. That is all.’

‘Of course,’ Paelen said as he chuckled. ‘I believe you. No one else would, but I do.’

The two continued to eat as they made their way down the long aisle of sweets. They were still being followed by the parade of children. Halfway down the next aisle, they were met by store security.

‘You’re gonna pay for all of that,’ a guard confronted them angrily. ‘And for the chocolate you just gave to those kids back there.’

Paelen’s mouth was full of food, but he nodded his head. ‘We have money,’ he mumbled. ‘We intend to pay for everything.’

‘Then eat when you get home,’ the guard said sharply. ‘We don’t allow grazing while you’re shopping.’

That comment caused the wings on Cupid’s back to flutter with annoyance. He stood erect and his pale eyes flashed. ‘Animals graze,’ he corrected. ‘We are eating. There is a difference.’

‘Not to me, there isn’t,’ answered the guard. ‘Now bring your baskets and follow me – it’s time you checked out.’

Paelen started to follow, but Cupid refused. ‘We are not finished here yet. We will leave when we are ready. Not a moment sooner. And neither you nor any other human can command us otherwise.’

‘Listen, kid,’ the guard said as he pressed closer. He poked Cupid in the shoulder with a bony finger. ‘You’ll leave when I tell you to. And I’m telling you to go right now.’

In a move too quick to follow, Cupid struck the guard with a punch that knocked him to the floor. The children screamed and ran forward. They jumped on the guard and pinned him down, ordering him to leave Cupid alone.

As the guard curled in a tight ball, Cupid looked down on him and started shouting. ‘I have had it with you humans telling me what to do! I told you, we will leave here when we have finished and not a moment sooner!’ He picked up his basket of shopping and continued casually down the aisle as though nothing had happened.

‘We should go,’ Paelen said looking at the group of children piling on the guard. Around them, other shoppers stared in shock. ‘People are starting to stare at us.’

‘Let them,’ Cupid spat as he tore open a second bag of cookies. ‘I have not had a decent meal since we left Olympus. I am half starved, my wings are driving me mad and I am in no mood to deal with humans, big or small!’

Paelen looked around at the gathering crowds. Suddenly something Emily said rose to his mind. ‘Cupid, do you remember what Emily said? Agent O told her that since he moved up here, his only pleasure was coming to the Haunted Forest Festival.’

‘So what?’ Cupid said, spraying Paelen with cookie crumbs as he reached for more food.

‘So that means he lives in this small town. It also means he would have to buy food. This is the only place to do that in the area. What if other CRU agents and their families shop here?’

Cupid stopped and looked back at the crowds gathering around the guard. Finally he shook his head. ‘They are far too busy with the destruction of their facility and the Red Apple to come here. I am sure we are perfectly safe.’