Pegasus and the Rise of the Titans (Pegasus #5) (13 page)

Police and fire sirens competed with the larger warning siren as the ground continued to tremble and shake. Windows in the buildings closest to the volcano shattered and rained glass down on the streets. People flooded out of their hotels and ran further inland in blind panic.

As they flew over downtown, the street lights flickered and went out. Electrical boxes shorted out and started to burn. They watched a car tearing through an intersection and crash into a taxi going in the opposite direction. It was pandemonium on the ground as Honolulu suffered the large earthquake.

As they reached the patio area of their suite at the top of the Outrigger Reef, Chiron was waiting for them. ‘What has happened? The earth is shaking. Did you do this?’

‘We couldn’t get the shard,’ Emily explained breathlessly. ‘Pegasus used his powers to open the ground. But then it started an earthquake and the crater filled with water.’

Joel and Paelen ran into the living room and switched on the television. News reports flashed on all the networks, advising the public to remain calm – but due to the large earthquake and aftershocks centred in Honolulu, tsunami warnings were now in effect for all the Pacific Islands. Everyone was advised to move inland to seek higher ground.

‘A tsunami?’ Paelen asked.

‘It’s a tidal wave,’ Joel explained. ‘That must have been the loud siren we heard. It means a big wave is coming. It will destroy the coast if it hits. We’ve got to evacuate.’

‘We can’t,’ Emily said. ‘We still haven’t got the shard.’

‘How do we get it?’ Joel said desperately. ‘Especially now that the whole crater is filled with water!’

‘This is not good,’ Chiron said. ‘We have endangered all these people.’ He turned to the stallion. ‘Pegasus, I fear you have underestimated your powers. Now that you have drawn water from the ground, it will not stop. The shard is even further from our reach.’

‘Wait,’ Emily said, looking around. She held out her hand. It was steady. ‘The earthquake has stopped. Maybe it’s not so bad.’

‘Em, we filled the whole crater with water!’ Joel said. ‘That’s just about as bad as it gets!’

‘If only Neptune was here,’ Paelen said. ‘He could clear the water from the crater in no time.’

‘Good idea,’ Joel agreed. ‘And maybe Jupiter could open the ground to get the shard. Can we call them to Earth?’

Chiron rubbed his chin. ‘We could try. But with Olympus under attack, Jupiter may be hesitant to leave.’

‘He’s going to have to,’ Joel said. ‘Emily’s life is at stake.’

Chiron nodded. ‘Fawn, please speak with your sister. Tell her what has happened and that we need the Big Three here as soon as possible.’

As Fawn started to reach out to her sister, the door to their suite burst open.

Standing in the doorway was a young woman wearing a straight, long, floral dress and finely tooled sandals. She had waist-length black hair and a wreath of white flowers around her head. And if her face was anything to go by, she was livid.

‘What are you doing here?’ Her dark eyes flashed from Chiron, to Pegasus, down to Chrysaor and, finally, Fawn. She frowned. ‘And just what is a night dweller doing on my Island?’

27

‘Who are you?’ Joel challenged the stranger. ‘That door was locked. How did you get in here?’

‘I am Pele, and these are
my
Islands!’ The woman stormed up to Chiron. ‘Answer my question, Centaur. Who are you?’

Chiron stood tall and bowed elegantly in respect. ‘I am Chiron of Olympus. It is a great honour to finally meet you, Pele.’

‘Chiron,’ the woman repeated. ‘The Olympians left this world millennia ago. What are you doing back?’

‘Indeed, dear lady, we did leave. We have returned for a very good reason. I assure you we intend no disrespect and come here in peace. We do not seek trouble with you.’

‘And yet your presence here has caused a disaster. Look what you have done to Oahu!’

Emily was fascinated by this strange, exotic woman. Her dress appeared to be alive. All the flowers on it moved as though in a gentle breeze. Hummingbirds were woven in the pattern, but were drinking nectar from the flowers and flying all around the dress. As she watched, one flew over Pele’s shoulder and disappeared down her back.

Pele’s fiery eyes landed on Pegasus. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? You did this – I can feel your guilt. You flooded Leahi.’

‘Hey, wait a minute,’ Emily said, snapping out of her enchantment with the dress. ‘You leave him alone!’

‘You would do well to show me some respect.’

‘I’ll give respect when I get it,’ Emily challenged. ‘When we
all
get it. This is Pegasus of Olympus. You will be nice to him—’

‘Or what?’ Pele challenged.

Pegasus nickered and stepped quickly between Emily and Pele. He bowed his head before the Hawaiian beauty.

‘Pegs, what are you doing?’ Emily asked.

‘He is doing what you should!’ Pele paused and her black eyes pierced Emily’s. ‘What is this I feel from you?’ She moved closer. ‘Two in one?’ Her fine hand reached out and grasped Emily’s chin. ‘This makes no sense.’

Emily tried to pull away, but Pele’s grip was unbreakable. She leaned in close to peer into Emily’s eyes. ‘Hmmm . . . Not human and not Olympian. Tell me, what are you?’

‘Get your hands off her!’ Joel jumped to Emily’s aid. ‘Who do you think you are, storming in here and making demands?’

‘Joel, it is all right,’ Chiron soothed. ‘I know who this is. Let me speak with her.’ He turned to Pele.

‘Emily is part of the Xan – an ancient race older than all of us. Long ago, an important part of her crashed on these islands and became trapped in the Diamond Head volcano.’

‘That was you!’ Pele snapped. Her eyes flashed and for a moment flames blazed in their dark depths. ‘You are the one responsible for this ceaseless pain in my side. For an age I have used all my powers to keep your invading Flame from harming me. It does not belong here.’ She gazed around the room. ‘None of you belong here!’

Emily’s temples pounded as Riza responded to Pele’s words. ‘So it’s you who is stopping me from removing the Flame-shard from Leahi or Diamond Head or whatever it’s called.’

‘It is Leahi,’ Pele said. ‘British sailors changed the name to Diamond Head long ago. But that is not its Island name.’

‘Diamond Head or Leahi, it doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is that you are keeping the shard prisoner. When I tried to remove it, it couldn’t move.’

‘That’s because I have put protections around it to keep myself safe.’

‘Look, I don’t know who you are, lady,’ Joel exclaimed. ‘But you have to release the shard. Without it Emily will die and the Titans may gain control of Olympus.’

‘Why should I care about this girl?’ Pele demanded. ‘Or that ridiculous struggle between the Titans and Olympians?’ Her accusing eyes flashed on Chiron. ‘Your foolishness nearly destroyed this world ages ago. We all breathed a sigh of relief when you left.’

‘I understand your anger,’ Chiron said respectfully. ‘But you yourself just said that the shard has been causing you pain. If you help us release it, we will take it far from here and it will trouble you no further.’

‘I would be happy to have that thing removed from me. But thanks to you, I can’t.’

‘I do not understand,’ Chiron said. ‘You are Pele and these are your Islands. You can do anything here.’

‘Yes I can,’ Pele agreed. ‘But not while waters continue to flood
Diamond Head
–’ Pele stared at Emily with a challenge – ‘Is that name easier for you?’

Emily was about to say ‘Yes,’ but a warning look from Chiron stopped her. Chiron obviously knew who this woman was, and they were going to have to trust him.

‘Pele, please,’ he continued. ‘There is more at stake here than you know.’

The Hawaiian turned on him. ‘If you truly know me, Chiron, you would understand why I can’t go near that volcano now. Those waters give access to my ocean sister. I can’t risk it.’

‘Are you two still fighting?’ Chiron asked.

‘What business is it of yours?’

Emily had no clue what that meant, but whatever it was, they would still need Pele’s help. ‘Then we’re stuck,’ she said to Pele. ‘I can’t remove the shard because you’ve put a spell around it. You can’t remove it because there’s water in the crater.’

‘Pele, hear me,’ Chiron pressed. ‘You may not care about our struggle against the Titans. But you must realize what Saturn will do if he has his way. What transpired here in the past will be repeated, only much worse. This squabble you have with your sister will mean nothing.’

Chiron paused and took her hands. ‘If Saturn conquers Olympus, he will not stop there. You know him – he will set his sights on Earth once again. You will all be enslaved if we are not there to fight for you.’

Pele pulled her hands free and focused hard eyes on him. ‘What are you suggesting?’

‘Make peace with your sister – if only for a short time during this crisis. After we remove the shard, you can go back to warring as you always have.’

‘I doubt that Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i will care. Should Saturn come here to conquer Earth, the seas and oceans will remain intact. She will stay safe. It is the rest of us who will be enslaved.’

‘Or worse,’ Paelen added.

Pele nodded. ‘Yes, or worse.’ She walked to the windows and threw back the curtains. ‘I have stopped the earthquake you started. There will be no tidal waves.’ She turned and faced Emily. ‘But you have chosen a bad place to hide your shard. This is Oahu – it has the largest military presence in the Pacific.’

‘Military?’ Joel asked, flicking a nervous look at Emily. Military often equalled CRU.

Pele nodded. ‘Have you heard of Pearl Harbor? It is not far from here. It was bombed during the Second World War. After that, Oahu became the biggest military base in the Islands – which is why I live in Kilauea on the Big Island.’

‘You haven’t heard of the CRU, have you?’ Emily asked, hoping the answer would be no.

‘Of course I have heard of them. I would be a fool not to. I have managed to stay “under their radar” as the saying goes. My family and I remain safe by masquerading as humans. We draw no attention to ourselves. Even so, we do not risk exposure by living on this Island. But this earthquake and the flooding at Diamond Head will not go unnoticed as an unnatural event. You must be on your guard.’

‘What do we do?’ Joel asked. ‘Where can we go?’

Chiron answered. ‘We wait to see if Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i will cooperate and remove the waters in Diamond Head. Then we get in there, get the shard and get away from here as quickly as possible.’

‘And if she refuses?’ Pele said.

‘Then we wait for Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto to arrive. Neptune will no doubt have the power to halt the waters, which will free the volcano for you to open.’

‘You already know how I feel about Olympians,’ Pele said. ‘You expect me to welcome more to my Island?’

‘If you want that shard out of your side you will,’ Emily said.

Pele looked around. ‘I don’t think I like you very much or your attitude.’

Emily opened her mouth to retort, but Chiron stopped her with a raised hand. ‘Pele, please,’ he said, ever the diplomat. ‘Without your help, we will have no choice but to ask the Big Three to come.’

Pele sighed heavily. ‘Fine, I’ll talk to my sister. I am assuming none of you have checked in to this hotel?’

‘No,’ Joel said. ‘We don’t have any money. We thought we’d get the shard and go. We didn’t expect this trouble. But we’ve been lucky so far – no one’s discovered us.’

‘This is Honolulu in the tourist season. It’s unlikely this suite will remain empty for long,’ Pele said. ‘I will arrange for you to stay here. You will not be disturbed.’

‘You can do that?’ Emily asked.

Pele nodded. She walked up to Pegasus and pulled a floral lei from around her neck. She placed the wreath of bright-red flowers around the stallion’s white neck and kissed his muzzle. ‘Aloha, Pegasus. I welcome you to my Island and place you under my protection. This lei is part of me. If you need my help, I am bound to give it to you.’

Emily was fascinated by Pele. She held the respect of the Olympians in the room, but spoke like an ordinary, modern woman. She also appeared to be wearing only one lei, yet each time she gave one away to the Olympians, there was always one still around her neck.

Pele approached Joel. She lifted on to her toes, pulled the lei around his neck and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Joel blushed bright red and smiled at Pele. ‘Thank you.’

‘You are most welcome, Joel.’

Pele stood before Emily now. ‘As you are the cause of my pain, I don’t feel inclined to welcome you. I wish you no ill, but offer no protection.’

Emily shook her head. ‘But that’s not fair! This isn’t my fault.’

‘Maybe not, but the shard is yours. Until it is removed from my side, I can feel no warmth towards you.’ She started towards the door. ‘I will try to reason with my sister and will let you know the outcome. You will be safe for the time being. But watch yourselves – there are military eyes everywhere. And I warn you, don’t abuse my generosity.’

Pele waved her hand and the door magically opened. It slammed shut after her. When she was gone, Emily shook her head and asked Chiron, ‘Who is that woman and why did you bow to her?’

Chiron looked down on the lei resting against his bare chest. He sniffed the fresh, fragrant flowers. ‘I have known of her, but this was our first meeting. She is Pele. The simplest way to describe her, for you to understand, is that she is the most powerful god of these Islands. Volcanoes are her domain and, just like you, Fire is her power. She and her kind have been on Earth since the beginning of time.’

‘So you’re not the only gods?’ Joel said, confused.

Chiron shook his head and chuckled. ‘Oh heavens, no. Each culture has its own gods. We are one kind. Pele, her ocean sister and their family are another. But unlike Jupiter and his brothers, as you heard, Pele and her sister do not get along.’

‘Why?’ Fawn asked.

Chiron sighed. ‘Like many family squabbles, it starts out simple and then escalates. In this case, they were fighting over a man. It was said that Nā-maka-o-Kaha‘i saw him first and fell instantly in love with him. But then Pele saw him swimming with her ocean sister and used her powers to charm him away from her.

‘After that, the fight grew. Now, if Pele creates a volcano, Nā-maka, as we knew her, stirs the oceans to extinguish it. This is why Pele resides in the Kilauea Volcano. She used to live in Diamond Head. But it was too close to the shore and N
ā
-maka extinguished it. Her current home is too tall for her sister to reach with her waves – though she does cool the lava that reaches her shores.’

‘No, no, no,’ Joel insisted, shaking his head violently. ‘Volcanoes are caused by gases building up in the liquid core of our planet. It’s science. Pele can’t create them. That’s just a myth.’

Pegasus nickered and seemed to be laughing. Chiron joined in. He patted Joel on the back. ‘Joel, you do amuse me at times. Not everything has a scientific explanation. Yes, volcanoes are formed by gases and lava building up and leaking through breaks in a planet’s crust. But it is Pele who makes that happen here.’

Emily frowned. ‘Does that mean Pele creates all the volcanoes on Earth? Like the one in Italy that destroyed Pompeii or even Mount St Helens, that erupted in the US?’

Chiron shrugged. ‘I do not know. Among those of us with power, we tend to respect each other’s territories and do not interact. But I do not believe her powers would extend to all the volcanoes in the world. Pele is an Island god.’

Paelen elbowed Joel. ‘What she is, is beautiful.’

‘She sure is.’ Joel grinned and lifted the lei around his neck to sniff the flowers. He tried to lift it off his head, but it would not budge. ‘Hey, it’s stuck.’

Chiron nodded. ‘These are Pele’s promise of protection. No one can remove them but Pele.’

‘Really?’ Joel asked. ‘But she came in here only wearing one. Where did these others come from?’

‘They came directly from Pele,’ Chiron said. He looked at everyone in the room. ‘I need each of you to remember your manners around her. Pele is known for her power, passion, jealousy and capricious nature. She has a ferocious temper! This is her Island and we are only visitors here. We must respect her laws.’

‘What if she doesn’t respect us?’ Emily said.

Chiron sighed. ‘Then when the Big Three get here, we could have a very large problem.’