Pegasus and the New Olympians (3 page)

He stomped up to Emily and pointed at the stallion in the photograph. ‘Pegasus has wings. This racehorse does not. If he was created from Pegasus, surely he should have wings!’

Emily nodded. ‘I thought the same thing until I saw this …’ She lowered herself to the soft grass in the maze and started to search through the newspapers. ‘Here.’ She pointed at a close-up colour photograph of Tornado Warning in the winner’s circle. The jockey was still on his back. Beneath the jockey’s right knee, there was a trace of a large scar on Tornado’s pale-grey shoulder. ‘Look at that scar. That could be where they removed his wing.’

‘That is a crease in the paper, nothing more,’ Paelen insisted. ‘It does not prove anything.’

Joel picked up the paper and studied the image. He shook his head. ‘This isn’t any crease, Paelen, it’s a scar. And it proves one thing. We’ve got to go back there and see that racehorse for ourselves. If the CRU are capable of creating clones, just think of what they could do with your and Diana’s DNA?’

The enormity of the situation struck Emily like a brick. She looked up at Joel. ‘Not only Olympian DNA, Joel. Remember, the CRU had captured Nirads as well!’

As the sun started to set in Olympus, the football pitch had been turned into a huge party ground. Tables were laden with fruit, ambrosia and nectar as thousands of Olympians gathered to celebrate the game. Torches were lit and shining brightly on the gathering while the Muses danced and sang for the entertainment of the crowd.

Above the pitch, Cupid led a group of winged Olympians carrying flags and banners. They rose and dipped in the sky, sometimes so low they touched the tops of the heads of those below on the ground.

Cupid spied Emily entering the stadium and swooped down. Folding his large wings neatly on his back, he bowed before her. ‘Hello, Flame, would you like to come for a short flight with me?’

‘Her name is Emily!’ challenged Paelen, as he had done hundreds of times before. ‘When will you finally learn that?’

Cupid smiled radiantly at Emily. ‘When she tells me so.’

Emily held up a calming hand to Paelen and then looked back at the winged Olympian. Nothing remained of the crush she once felt for him. Cupid was just as handsome as ever, but her heart was elsewhere now.

‘Thank you anyway, Cupid, but I’d rather stay on the ground for the moment. Perhaps later.’

‘Of course, Flame,’ Cupid said, shooting a teasing look at Paelen. ‘You need only to ask.’ He kissed Emily’s cheek and then leaped confidently into the sky.

‘I keep telling you, Emily,’ Paelen said, ‘you should have left him as a stone statue in the Nirad world. It would have solved all our problems.’

‘I thought you two were becoming friends,’ Joel offered.

‘Cupid and me?’ Paelen said. ‘Hardly. I mean yes, he did help us defeat the gorgons and overcome his fear of the Nirads. But Cupid is still Cupid. He is an arrogant mischief-maker.’

Diana joined the group and faced Paelen, her expression stern. ‘Not too long ago people were saying the same thing about you, little thief.’

Paelen shrugged. ‘Perhaps. But I have changed. Cupid has not.’

‘Really?’ Diana said. ‘It is said that once a thief, for ever a thief. I know there are several Olympians who still count their coins and jewels after you leave.’

Paelen’s face dropped. Despite everything he had done to help Olympus, there were a great number of Olympians who believed he hadn’t changed his thieving ways.

Emily felt for him. What would it take to get them to believe he was different? She also knew that, despite his wounded feelings, Paelen was smart enough not to rise to the comment. Diana’s temper was legendary. It was best to let the remark rest than say something that would anger her.

Always the policeman, Emily’s father came forward to calm the situation. He put his arm around Paelen and then indicated the gathering Olympians on the field. ‘Look at this place, this is insane! Any excuse for a party. C’mon, everyone, let’s have some fun.’

Emily wasn’t in much of a mood to join in the celebrations around her. Neither was Joel or Paelen. A dark shadow was resting heavily over them. They weren’t alone in their worry. Both Pegasus and Chrysaor were showing signs of profound disquiet.

While her father left to gather drinks for everyone, Emily stood with Diana and Pegasus. Joel nudged her gently in the back and whispered, ‘Ask her now.’

Diana’s keen hearing hadn’t missed the comment. She turned back and looked suspiciously at Joel. ‘Ask me what?’

Emily inhaled deeply. ‘Diana, we need to speak with you about something important, but I don’t want my dad to know yet.’

Diana frowned. ‘This is about that racehorse, is it not?’

Emily nodded. ‘It may be nothing. But we need to go back to our world to see if Tornado Warning is something more than a horse. We must get away without anyone knowing …’

Her father was walking back to the group carrying a tray of ambrosia cakes and goblets of nectar.

Diana leaned closer to Emily. ‘After the party, meet me at the base of the Temple of the Flame. We will speak then.’

The party continued well into the night. When it was over, Emily said goodnight to her father and waited for him to return to his room. When she was sure he’d gone to bed, she left her quarters and headed into the garden to meet her friends.

Pegasus and Chrysaor were already there. After a short time Paelen and Joel arrived. For speed, they agreed to fly to the Temple. As Emily climbed on to Pegasus, Joel settled himself on the back of Chrysaor. Paelen looked down at his winged sandals and ordered them to carry him to the Temple. With a quick flap of their tiny wings, they obeyed and lifted him lightly into the air.

Of all the things Emily loved about living in Olympus, the very best was flying on the back of Pegasus. Flying at night was even better. Many times, when her father thought she was in bed, she and Pegasus would sneak out of the palace and spend a long night soaring in the skies over Olympus. Each time they went out, the bright canopy of stars never failed to take Emily’s breath away. They always filled her with profound excitement, as though the stars themselves called to her and beckoned her to join them in the sky.

It was these stars that reminded her they were no longer on her world. None of the constellations she knew appeared in an Olympian’s night sky. There was no moon, and the stars seemed brighter and much closer.

But this night, there was none of the usual excitement. They launched silently into the air and flew over the dark palace. On the ground below, strange-looking Olympians moved around. These were the citizens who lived their lives only by night.

Emily learned very quickly not to fear the night dwellers. Though they looked different with their pale skin and huge dark eyes, they spoke very softly and posed no danger to her or Pegasus. She discovered that Olympus was like two worlds in one. A day world filled with sunshine and bright colours and ruled by Jupiter; and then a night world that existed only by starlight, filled with strange, silent beings overseen by Jupiter’s brother, Pluto. Olympus at night was the underworld the myths so often spoke of.

Emily looked over to Joel and realized this was the first time he’d ever seen this Olympus. At any other time, he would have asked her lots of questions and insisted on flying down to meet them. Not tonight. He looked at the night dwellers with curiosity, but remained silent.

Up ahead they saw a bright glow shining in the dark night’s sky. It was coming from the top of the Temple of the Flame. This was the Flame that gave the Olympians their powers and strength. Without it, Olympus would fall. It was the same Flame that Emily’s power fed. She was born with the living heart of the Flame deep within her. When she sacrificed herself in the temple, her powers were released and renewed the Flame in the Temple. It was her connection to the Flame that made Jupiter and all the Olympians so protective of her. Though she still didn’t understand how it worked, she did know the survival of the Olympians depended on that Flame continuing to burn. And the survival of the Flame depended on her.

As Pegasus glided lower, Emily was surprised to see three dark figures standing at the base of the Temple. Drawing nearer, she saw her father standing beside Diana. His hands were on his hips and he didn’t look happy.

Emily stole a look over to Joel on Chrysaor’s back. He glanced back at her. ‘I think we might be in trouble.’

Emily was tempted to tell Pegasus to turn around and go back to the palace. But it was too late. With Pegasus glowing in the dark sky, everyone had seen them coming.

When the stallion touched down on the ground before the three figures, Emily frowned. Standing beside her father and Diana was a third figure that she didn’t recognize.

Emily’s father came forward to help her down from the stallion. ‘Isn’t there something you want to tell me before you sneak away from Olympus?’

Emily’s heart nearly stopped. Diana had told him everything. She dropped her head. ‘I’m sorry, Dad. I wanted to tell you, but I know you’ll want to stop me.’

‘Darn right I’m going to stop you. Emily, you can’t go back there, it’s too dangerous. What were you thinking?’

‘It’s my fault, Steve, not Emily’s.’ Joel stepped in to defend her. ‘I was the one who suggested we go. We told Diana so at least someone would know what happened to us.’

‘This is about that stupid racehorse, isn’t it?’

‘Dad, listen to me please,’ Emily begged. ‘Tornado Warning looks too much like Pegasus and runs too quickly to be an ordinary horse. You know that. If you didn’t think so, you wouldn’t have brought the newspapers to show us. We need to find out. If there’s even a small chance he’s a clone we’ve got to know. Don’t you see; if the CRU can clone him they can do the same with the other Olympians.’

‘Or Nirads,’ Paelen added.

The third shadowy figure came forward. ‘Do you seriously believe this is possible? The CRU could create New Olympians from our blood?’

When he moved closer Emily saw how much he looked like Jupiter and Neptune. But his eyes were more intense and as black as the night’s sky. His skin was pale as parchment. This must be the third brother, Pluto. He was the owner of Cerberus and leader of the underworld. She had heard all about him, but had yet to meet him.

Emily bowed her head respectfully. ‘We’re not sure, sir.’ She turned to her father. ‘Dad, you’ve seen him on TV. Can you say for sure that Tornado Warning isn’t some kind of clone from Pegasus?’

Emily’s father combed his fingers through his hair. He looked from Diana to Pluto. He shook his head. ‘No, I can’t. Human science is moving so quickly, I have no idea what they can achieve.’

‘Don’t you see?’ Emily pleaded. ‘That’s why we must go back there and see for ourselves. If Tornado Warning is just a horse, we can forget all about him. But if he is actually a clone from Pegasus then we’ve got to know. What could the CRU do with an army of cloned Olympians or Nirads? They could take over the world!’

‘Or maybe even challenge Olympus,’ Joel added.

Pluto’s voice dropped. ‘If that horse you speak of really has been created from Pegasus, all of Olympus will be outraged! Jupiter will go to your world to stop them.’ He paused before staring Emily directly in the eye. ‘I will join him. The development of such creatures from our blood must not be tolerated. If this is true and they have created New Olympians, we will have no recourse but to destroy Earth.’

Emily looked at Pluto in complete shock. Could it be true? Would the Olympians really destroy her world? Jupiter had always been so generous and treated her like a granddaughter. Would he actually do it?

‘It is true.’ Diana looked around and started to whisper. ‘Should my father hear of this, he would not hesitate to destroy your world even before there was proof. I have seen him do it before. Jupiter is capable of anything if it means protecting Olympus and the order of nature.’

Emily’s father shook his head. ‘But Earth has billions of innocent people and animals. Jupiter wouldn’t destroy all of that just to punish the CRU for doing something stupid.’

Diana sighed heavily. ‘I am sorry, Steve, but he would.’

‘Apollo has also seen the photos,’ Pluto added. ‘He came to me quietly voicing his concerns. I discouraged him from telling his father. But we are all loyal to Jupiter. If the CRU have done this thing, we have no recourse but to tell Jupiter and let the punishment fit the crime.’

‘Destroying Earth is too great a punishment!’ Steve argued. ‘Especially if it’s just a few people who have done this – and we aren’t even certain that they have done anything at all!’

‘Which is why we’ve got to go to see for ourselves,’ Emily added.

‘Emily is correct,’ Pluto said. ‘We must let them go see if this racehorse is real or an unnatural creation of your people.’

Her father started to pace the area. ‘All right, but I’m coming with you.’

Pegasus nickered softly. He approached Diana and made a long series of sounds.

‘Pegasus does not agree,’ she translated. ‘He says you must remain here. You and I are scheduled to make our full report to my father following our trip. They will only be gone a very short time. I can make excuses to my father about why Emily and the others are not here, perhaps tell them that they have gone to the Nirad world to visit the queen. But if you leave as well, it will draw my father’s suspicions; especially so soon after our return. With all that is at stake, we must not risk that.’

‘But it’s too dangerous,’ Steve insisted.

‘Dad, please,’ Emily said. ‘We’ve got to go. We’ll be really quick. You must keep Jupiter occupied and stop Apollo from telling him about Tornado until we figure this out.’

‘But how can I protect you?’ her father said as he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. ‘The CRU separated us once. I couldn’t bear that to happen again.’

‘It won’t,’ Joel promised. ‘This isn’t like before. We’re not breaking into a CRU facility. We’re just going to go see Tornado Warning at a race track.’

Steve sighed heavily. ‘I really wish I was coming with you.’

‘So do I,’ Emily agreed as she held her father. ‘But we’ll be careful. I promise. You just keep Jupiter busy so he doesn’t notice we’re gone.’