Pegasus and the Fight for Olympus (18 page)

Behind her, Pegasus was going mad. He reared and whinnied furiously as they were led forward, until he broke free of the Nirads surrounding him and charged ahead.

The stallion stopped just before the thrones. He reared up high and opened his burned wings. His head was thrown back in fury as he faced the two snake-women. The winged boar was seated between the two thrones and rose on his haunches and squealed loudly at the stallion.

‘Calm down, Chrysaor,’ one of the monstrous women said, stroking the furious boar’s head.

‘Listen to Euryale,’ said the other. ‘This is a time of celebration. We have the Flame of Olympus in our midst. We must not have her thinking ill of us, or that we do not welcome her visit.’ She turned to Pegasus. ‘So say what you will, Pegasus,’ she hissed through her thin snake-like mouth, ‘it will change nothing. The time of retribution has finally arrived. We will finally have justice. Jupiter and all Olympus will pay for the murder of your mother. Our beloved sister, Medusa, will be avenged!’

Emily had stopped screaming. But she trembled in terror as she looked at the two hideous women. Fear was making it hard to think clearly. But part of her almost remembered the name.

Medusa was a
…
a
… Emily strained to recall what Joel had told her about Pegasus’s mother.
Gorgon!
She finally remembered. His mother, Medusa, and her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale were gorgons. Pegasus was born when Jupiter’s son, Perseus, cut off Medusa’s head. Joel had told her that the stallion supposedly sprang from the blood at her neck. But Emily had never believed him. She suddenly remembered that one look at a gorgon was meant to turn you instantly to stone.

Emily looked at all the stone statues in the room and realized at least that part of the myth was true. But if one look at a gorgon could turn someone to stone, why hadn’t she been turned? Or Pegasus and all the living Nirads in the hall?

With Pegasus locked in a loud, furious fight with the two gorgons, Emily took a longer look around the throne room. Her eyes fell on a large cage set up directly behind the repulsive snake-women’s thrones. It was made entirely of gold, with fine narrow braided bars that Emily knew even she could break out of. On the roof of the cage was a huge stack of more gold. The only part of the large cage that wasn’t gold was the single black stone chair that sat in the very middle.

Seated in the chair was a female Nirad. She was the smallest Nirad Emily had ever seen. She was certain if they stood together, they would have been the same size. She looked very young, with fine, gentle features that were almost pretty. And although she still had four arms, she was a lovely shade of dark pink with darker pink marbling. Instead of wearing rags like all the other Nirads, she was wearing a gown of the palest pink, which made her skin even prettier.

Emily sensed something special about this young Nirad. But one thing was certain, whoever she was, she was by far the saddest creature Emily had ever laid eyes upon. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were downcast as they lingered on all the stone children gathered around the thrones. When she finally raised her pale grey eyes, Emily’s heart nearly broke. The pain they held was unbearable.

Emily glanced away from the sad, pink Nirad, and continued to investigate the throne room. To her right, she saw part of another large cage. Unlike the braided gold bars of the cage at the front of the room, this one had thick, solid black bars. As Emily strained to peer around Tange to get a better look at it, her eyes settled on the occupant lying on the floor of the cage. She gasped.

It was Joel.

If Joel was here, were the others too? Emily desperately searched the room for signs of her father, Paelen and Cupid. But she could only see was Joel. She tried to call to him, but Tange was still covering her mouth. Her hands flew up and tried to drag his away as she renewed her struggle in his arms. Yet the harder she fought, the firmer he held her.

Tange was shaking his head, trying his best to get her to stop.

But her squeals and struggle did not go unnoticed. As Pegasus stood before the gorgons, he turned back to Emily. It was only then that the stallion also noticed Joel. He whinnied loudly and trotted over to the cage. Pegasus reared and tried to kick the large lock off the door. But even after several vicious blows, the lock remained undamaged.

‘You will not break it, Pegasus,’ Stheno hissed. ‘That lock is secure. But do not fear, the human boy inside is unharmed.
For now
…’

There was no mistaking the threat in the gorgon’s voice. Pegasus trotted back up to the dais and continued to protest loudly. But the louder the stallion became, the softer the snake-women spoke. Emily strained to hear what was being said, but she couldn’t.

Joel’s back was to her. She was relieved to see his sides moving with steady breathing. From what little she could see, he looked all right. Emily finally gazed back up into the face of Tange. She nodded her head, trying to tell him she wouldn’t scream or fight any more.

Tange removed his hand from her mouth. His eyes were locked on the stone children standing before the thrones. As her initial terror finally faded into a steady fear, another feeling started in the pit of Emily’s stomach. She recalled the pained expression on Tange’s face when she’d asked if he had any children. ‘Are those your children?’ she asked him.

Tange didn’t move for a long time and she wondered if he’d even heard her. Finally he looked down on her and nodded.

Emily’s eyes flashed back to the stone children. Her throat tightened when she saw the terror on their young faces. It looked like they were running away from the throne when they were turned to marble. Suddenly, a crucial piece of the strange puzzle fell into place.

‘You invaded Olympus and came to New York because those gorgons were threatening your children, right?’

Tange nodded.

‘And if you didn’t cooperate, they turned them to stone?’

Once again Tange gave a slight nod.

Emily looked away, too stunned to speak. She had become so accustomed to hating and dreading the Nirads that it was hard to imagine that these fearsome, powerful creatures were actually a conquered race of slaves. They deserved her pity and compassion, not fear and hatred! The Nirads were being forced to serve the cruel gorgons or face the destruction of their children.

As she looked, she saw some of the child statues had been smashed and the pieces scattered around the room. It was bad enough that the gorgons had turned them to stone. But to smash them as well was just too cruel.

Her eyes drifted back to the pink Nirad in the cage. ‘Is she important to you?’

Tange looked up to the cage. She watched his eyes grow even sadder. He nodded his head slowly.

Before Emily could guess who the pink Nirad was, the conversation between Pegasus and the two gorgons ended. The stallion turned away from the throne and tried to come back to her. But Chrysaor sprang forward and blocked his path.

Pegasus reared again and faced the boar. Chrysaor rose on his stubby legs and challenged the stallion. But before their fight resumed, the two gorgons started to scream. The sound was loud and shrill and caused everyone in the throne room to cry out in pain and put their hands over their ears.

Emily had never experienced anything like it in her life. Even Tange reacted to the horrible sounds and covered his ears. His other arms gripped her tighter and quivered. When the sounds finally stopped, Emily removed her own hands from her ears and expected to find blood.

‘Pegasus, enough!’ screeched Euryale. She rose from the throne and stepped down from the dais, kicking aside a child statue as she went. The statue spun and fell over, breaking one of its tiny arms. In the cage, the pink Nirad howled in pain.

‘Silence!’ Euryale warned. ‘Or I will destroy more.’ She turned and looked on the boar, ‘Chrysaor, we will have no more fighting between you two.’

Emily tensed as the snake-woman drew near. She could feel Tange actually start to tremble. But was it fear or rage? Looking at Tange’s face she couldn’t tell.

‘So,’ said the gorgon, ‘this child is the Flame of Olympus?’

The closer she got, the more Emily could hear the living snakes on her head hissing and spitting. She stood before Emily. ‘A human child? Vesta was a fool to hide the heart of the Flame in a human.’ She reached forward and stroked Emily’s cheek with her cold bronze finger. ‘Humans are all so –
delicate
. What could she have been thinking?’

Emily felt sick at the touch. She couldn’t look at the gorgon. She kept her eyes locked on Pegasus. The stallion was pawing the marble floor and trying to get closer, but the boar squealed again.

‘I told you to stop, Chrysaor,’ Euryale spat. ‘Leave your brother alone.’

Emily’s eyes flashed open as she looked at the winged boar. That was Pegasus’s brother? She was far too stunned to be repulsed by the closeness of the snake-woman.

‘What is this?’ the gorgon said as she studied Emily’s face. ‘Did you not know that Pegasus had a twin brother? They were born when the murderous Perseus cut off our dear sister’s head.’ She let out a horrible, harsh laugh. ‘See, Pegasus? See how ignorant the humans are? Is it any wonder that we used to feed on their flesh? Why you should choose to give your loyalty and time to this one is well beyond my comprehension.’

Stheno flew down from the throne and approached her. Emily had to fight to hold back more screams. Her eyes were drawn to the snakes that covered the tops of their heads as the hideous creatures squirmed around and hissed at her.

As Stheno reached for Emily, Pegasus whinnied and charged forward, trying to put himself between the gorgons and Emily.

‘Hold your tongue, nephew,’ Stheno hissed as she smacked the stallion’s muzzle. ‘You know we have killed for less. You will have her back. But not until she has done what we brought her here to do.’

Emily grew cold. These horrible child-killers expected her to do something for them? ‘I don’t know why you brought us here. But whatever it is you want me to do, forget it. I won’t do it!’

Both gorgons laughed their terrible, screeching laugh. ‘Such fire!’ Stheno said. ‘She truly is the Flame of Olympus.’

Euryale drew closer to Emily and caught her by the chin in a painful and cold grip. ‘You are wrong, child. You
will
do exactly what we say, exactly when we say it, or you will know pain the likes of which you have never experienced before.’

Emily tried to pull away but Tange held her steady. ‘I don’t know what you think I can do. You’ve got more powers than me; I am nothing.’

‘True, child, you are nothing,’ Euryale agreed. ‘But for reasons unknown, Vesta has imbued you with all the powers of Olympus. You alone have the power to do what no other being, alive or dead, past or present could ever do.’

‘What’s that?’ Emily asked fearfully.

The gorgons looked at each other. Then they turned together to Emily as both of their snake-like mouths spread in hideous smiles.

‘Kill Jupiter.’

Despite his loud protests, Pegasus was locked in a large cage. Emily was carried over to the cage containing Joel. Tange lowered her to the floor and started to close the door.

‘Wait!’ Stheno called. She held out her hand. ‘Give me your golden brace.’

Emily looked down at her leg. ‘But I can’t walk without it.’

‘Look around you child, where do you think you will be walking to? If you were to somehow escape that cage and leave our palace, every Nirad in this world would try to kill you. They know you are the cause of all their misery.’

‘I didn’t do anything!’ Emily challenged. ‘It’s you who have hurt these poor people. Look what you’ve done to their children. You’re the monsters here, not me!’

The gorgon stood erect and started to hiss. ‘Do not raise your voice to me. It is time you learned some manners!’ She stormed over to the cage containing the pink Nirad. ‘Segan, call another child in here!’ she ordered fiercely. ‘Do it now, or I will kill twenty!’

Emily watched the pink Nirad drop her head as her shoulders started to shake.

‘Do it!’ Stheno commanded.

The pink Nirad looked up and closed her eyes in concentration. Moments later, a grey Nirad entered the throne room carrying a screaming and growling child. If it were human, Emily guessed it couldn’t have been more than two or three years old. The child tried to bite the grey Nirad’s arms and struck out with her clawed hands to scratch his face.

‘Over here,’ Stheno ordered. ‘Put her in the cage with the humans.’

The screaming child was carried over to their cage. Emily crawled closer to Joel as the hysterical Nirad was placed inside the cage with them.

Across the room, Pegasus whinnied furiously, trying to break down the bars of his cage.

‘Silence, Pegasus!’ Stheno cried. ‘The Flame of Olympus must be taught obedience!’

The Nirad child took one look at Emily and Joel and started to cry in terror. She stumbled back to the door and tried to get out. Her four arms rattled against the bars of the cage and she began to howl mournfully.

‘Now, Flame of Olympus, learn your lesson well!’ cried the gorgon.

Emily’s eyes flew wide as Stheno’s eyes turned from emerald green to a glowing gold. She looked down on the Nirad child. ‘You have caused this, Flame of Olympus. This child will die because of you!’

‘No, don’t!’ Emily panicked. ‘Please, don’t do it. You can have my brace. I’m begging you, please don’t hurt her!’

‘Too late, Flame,’ the gorgon screeched. ‘Learn your lesson. You will obey us!’

The child’s frightened wails turned to howls of pain as its skin darkened slowly and became solid. It tried to move, to get away from the deadly stare, but it couldn’t as each second more and more of it was turned to stone.

‘Stop!’ Emily begged. ‘You’re killing her!’

With a final agonized cry from the child, it was done. Emily was looking at a tiny marble statue. Up in the golden cage, the pink Nirad wailed in grief and the other Nirads in the throne room dropped their heads.

‘Segan, be silent!’ Euryale shouted at her. ‘Or my sister will kill another!’