CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

 

 

Rhea and Metis carried me up the hill, where we joined our other classmates and faculty, and checked in with the Cyclopes brothers. Illuminated by the torchlight from just inside the cave, we sat and ate a bit. Despite our ordeal, most of us only picked at our food.

“What is happening to us?” Don yelled abruptly. His pale skin ran splotchy. He wiped his nose. “First Ouranos and now Pontus? And to have found out that Ouranos was our actual great-father … only to lose the only real father figure I’d ever had in my life, Coach P.”

Phi slid an arm around his waist and leaned her head onto his arm, as incoherent murmurs and grumblings crisscrossed the space. I gazed around. Everyone’s eyes were red, if not slightly swollen. Tia wept quiet tears. Meter hugged her close. Metis sat against a side wall and placed me in front of her so that I could lean back against her. She wrapped her arms around me. I wish I could’ve actually felt her touch. Aphro, perhaps not having the emotional connection as the rest of us, consoled Hera. It was an odd visual, but it felt right. It worked.

Rhea raised her hands. “This is indeed the worst set of circumstances yet to visit our school. I have a feeling that if we can just make it to the trial and get through that spectacle, all will be well. All of our eggs are squarely in that basket. The trial will solve most of this. As for right now, the beasts have no idea to where we’ve escaped, so we’ve bought some time and distance. We could’ve hurled back to Olympus for all they know. For now, let’s just try to get some rest.” She turned to me. “And Zeus, once everyone recovers from a full night’s rest, we’re going to try to heal you again in the morning.”

I nodded.

Arges hauled up some extra-large blankets for us to use since we’d had to leave the academy so hastily. I was certain everyone fell asleep in short order. I know I did. Safety never felt so warm. The caves of Mount Ida on Crete were cold and damp inside. Even when the forge was not full-bore, the volcanic nature of this place was still rather toasty.

 

 

 

 

I was grateful for a night without incident, though no one knew when or even if the gigantes would march inland. It’s difficult to know how they even found us in the first place. I needed to talk with Headmistress.

After Metis finished feeding me grapes and bread for breakfast, I whispered to her, “Hey, can you find Rhea for me?”

She nodded, kissed me on the forehead, and strode off out of the cave. I closed my eyes. Unable to move … still. I was in no mood to catch someone’s attention before I’d wanted it. Within moments, Metis returned with Rhea. They propped me up.

“Do you want some privacy?” Metis asked innocently.

I shook my head. “In fact, I need you to hear some of this too.”

“All right… but we all are in need of washing up a bit. Brontes said there’s a thermal spring nearby … says it is rumored to heal all ills. Which means that it might possibly heal you too.”

“I’m definitely game for that …” My voice trailed off under the weight of what I needed to say. I sighed. “First though, I think I need to relieve myself. It’s been a while.”

“Oh … right,” Rhea said. “I bet Brontes has something for that.”

Rhea and Metis rushed out of the cavern. Brontes’ footfalls gently shook the ground and lifted dust into the air as he entered the inner forge area and returned with a contraption.

“Rhea, you have to jab this into his bladder. That will release the pressure.” He gazed directly at me. “It would hurt under normal circumstances. But you won’t feel a thing. I cobbled it together while you all were gone back to campus. Also, you need to drink as much water as possible so you can do the other thing–”

“Okay,” I interjected. “I got it.”

After Rhea and Metis helped me through that business, I turned to Rhea. “There’s something else that I definitely need to get off my chest.”

She nodded. “I know. Go on …”

“You obviously know what I’m thinking … but I feel like I need to say it aloud to see if it sounds as crazy as it might be. I’ve had trouble trusting my own thoughts lately.”

Metis rubbed my neck.

I drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry … but none of this is random. All these attacks, these micro-aggressions by faculty and staff of academies in our scholastic system … none of it. I …” I turned to Metis, “Sorry, we … had a rather rude interaction with Headmasters Okeanos and Tethys on Crete when we visited. That was before discovering that Amalthea and the Kouretes had all been killed.”

“That still stings,” Rhea whispered. Her eyes cast downward.

“And the worst part of that was … and Metis was there, she can tell you … the worst part was that when I told my old headmasters that I was going to see Amalthea … Okeanos said … ‘Good luck with that.’ It was like they already knew.”

“Or were party to it,” Metis added. “I have no love for them, Headmistress. None.”

“And then the first gigante solo attack at the Caldron. And then the subsequent attack that forced us from Olympus.” The emotional vibration in my voice pitched upward. “And then the rude attitude of Eurynome when we arrived. And then the attack from the mass of gigantes. And after all of that … where are Eurynome, the faculty, and all the students? That Asterius giant man-thing said they’d been sent here to find us. Who sent them? Who tipped them off? How did the person know we were on Limnos? After leaving Olympus, we could’ve gone anywhere … but the gigantes followed us right to where we were!”

Rhea placed her hands on my shoulders. “You raise erudite concerns. Well thought out. I don’t think you’re far afield. All the pieces haven’t fallen in place yet but you’ve laid out the most pressing queries.”

Metis raised her hand.

“Speak your mind, dear. We’re not in class.” Rhea flashed a rare smile.

“I think someone doesn’t want us to make it to the trial.”

“Wait …” Rhea’s face turned somber again. “I’ve witnessed the wheels of justice in other pantheons. Our system of justice is the best I’ve ever seen. The Khaos Council knows what it’s doing. You’ve seen their work up close.”

I nodded.

“You’ve not met her yet, and be glad you haven’t, but Themis has one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever known. She’s the personification of fairness, law, and divine order. And Gaia, Mother Goddess to us all, presides. Yes, some transgressions occurred. Yes, my father, your great-father, was murdered. But I have yet to see justice not metered out in good form.”

“But, Headmistress,” Metis began, “what other explanation do you have for all of the events that have transpired since Hyperion and Kronos were taken into custody?”

“Yes, child …” Rhea cradled Metis’ chin in her palm. “But our entire cosmos is under assault by evil … not just us. We are a tiny pantheon. There are more. The Hindu pantheon has major tension between the Devas and the Asuras. The Babylon pantheon apparently has its own conflicts. According to Headmaster Odin, The Nine Realms of Yggdrasil Academy is under siege by a wolf who’s larger than the molten lava giants we just faced … and a serpent who swallows the sea. It’s not just us. We can’t fall into a rut of navel gazing and thinking that our problems are the only ones that exist. They’re not. All the pantheons are linked. We are alike more than we are different. As school administrators, we pledged to hook arms so to speak against any threat among us. We count on them to do their part in turning back evil. And we must do our part.”

Rhea took a breath, looked off into the distance, and continued, “Despite your current condition, Zeus, my belief is that you, along with the rest of your classmates, are the best we have to offer this cosmos … the next generation. And each generation after will progressively become stronger than the last. That should not be a basis for fear, but a banner of hope. We should want our offspring to be more powerful than we are, because if they are not … what are we even doing as parents? Our children must be prepared for the world that awaits them.” She hugged me and pressed her cheek to mine.

“Thank you, Headmistress,” Metis said. “So what’s the plan for tomorrow, Hemera Gaia?”

“We should get there early tomorrow morning near daybreak. The proceedings will begin on time. They won’t tolerate tardiness. I assume Hyperion will be first. Kronos will be second,” Rhea said, and then turned to me. “You won’t need any extra witness testimony for Hyperion. It’s your word against theirs. Just remain strong and centered and tell them what you know. Tell them your truth.”

“That’s just the thing …” I said. “I had witnesses. Back on Crete, Amalthea, Aristaeus … the rest of the Kouretes … they all saw it. They were all witnesses.” I paused to keep my mouth from going completely dry, and then croaked out, “That’s what I was trying to tell you before … everyone is dead. That was on purpose. The only other witnesses to Hyperion’s transgressions … are dead. We’re next.”

Rhea sighed deeply and rubbed her temples and eye sockets. She didn’t speak for several moments. Her gaze traveled around the cave. She collected herself and spoke evenly. “However, the Hyperion trial transpires … whatever the result, just know that the Kronos trial still has all of the witnesses. We’re going to get him, Zeus. We’re all going to be there to testify.”

“That’s the point of these hideous monsters tracking us down, isn’t it?” I said. “If we’re all dead … Kronos wins.”