CHAPTER 28

Cory Learns About the Trojan Horse

Cory watched Hexer until he reached the tents at the far boundary of the camp. “Does he return safely? Will he really get out of this horrible war?”

Benjamin nodded. “Yeah. We watched Hexer teleport away.”

Cory sighed with relief. “He’s the only father I’ve ever known. My parents were killed when I was a baby.”

“That’s what Hexer told us a couple weeks ago,” Andy said.

“I hate to be the one to put a damper on things, but we need to get out of here,” Heidi said. “I don’t want to meet Achilles.”

Apparently she’d taken the concubine threat to heart.

Cory pulled his eyes away from the direction Hexer had gone. “You’re right. We need to go. With as crazy as everything is around this war, even this temple’s not sacred any more. Do you guys know the way to Delphi?”

Iva nodded. “We went on an archaeological dig a while back.”

“Really?” Cory said. “Delphi isn’t an active oracle city in your time?”

Iva actually laughed. “Not hardly. It’s been gone for over two thousand years.”

“Yeah, humans don’t really put much credibility in oracles anymore.” Andy managed to avoid the glare Iva shot him.

Cory looked like he’d missed a punch line. “So how do people know their futures?”

“They don’t,” Heidi said. “Have you been to Delphi?”

“Once about ten years ago,” Cory said. “The Spartan army was fighting Athens, and we were pretty close. Hexer insisted we teleport over and visit.”

“Did the oracles read your future?” Iva asked.

“Sort of,” Cory said, “but it’s the weirdest thing. I can’t remember what they said.”

Iva pursed her lips. “They must’ve placed a block on your mind.”

“Why?” Benjamin asked. Had the oracles seen something about the triplets or the keys of Shambhala in Cory’s future?

“I don’t know,” Iva said. “But it may be important.”

“Then we need to get the mind block removed,” Benjamin said. “Let’s go. But I’ll meet you guys there. I need to go to Geros first.”

 

Geros took a good two hours, what with having to sneak into the Ruling Hall, travel down the lift tube, and figure out how to get the picture to store the life force disk. That was going to be the hard part until he conveniently ran into a Nogical named Lulu who claimed to know Jack. Lulu claimed Jack had sent her from the future, and before Benjamin had time to ask any more about it, she’d taken the disk, hidden it in the picture, and was just about to teleport away when Benjamin stopped her.

“Wait!” Benjamin said.

Lulu put her hands on her little hips. “What?”

“I need one more thing.”

She narrowed her eyes and tried to look put-upon. Benjamin almost laughed, but didn’t want to make her mad. He really did need her help.

“What else could you possibly need?” Lulu said. “I’ve already missed lunch to come back here.”

“I need you to make a record for me.”

“A record?” Lulu said. And then her eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah. A record. Jack mentioned that.”

Benjamin smiled. “So you’ll do it?”

Lulu started up the tube in the Ruling Hall. “No.”

Benjamin started after her. “But I really—“

Lulu stopped moving and turned back to face him. “Jack already did it. I was supposed to tell you that.”

“So why didn’t you?” Benjamin asked, and they started up the tube again.

“I forgot,” Lulu said. “Anyway, have a nice time in Delphi.” Then she laughed and teleported away, leaving Benjamin there in the tube in the Ruling Hall of ancient Geros.

 

By the time Benjamin finally teleported to Delphi, Iva looked like she’d claw his eyes out if they didn’t go into the city immediately.

And not surprising, as soon as they did enter the city border, Iva walked away from the group and closed her eyes. They walked over to join her. And then Benjamin felt his mouth fall open. Though he’d seen the vision of Delphi in the past—the vision in which he’d seen Iva—he wasn’t expecting this. Delphi was a bustling metropolis. And then he caught sight of it—right where he knew it would be. The Navel of the World.

Behind it sat a blindfolded woman—no scratch that—a blindfolded girl. She couldn’t have been any older than they were.

“I sense a familiar presence,” Iva said at last, not yet opening her eyes.

“Kronos?” Andy guessed.

Iva shook her head and opened her eyes. “No, not yet. Though he could still show up before this is done. No, it’s someone else.”

“Nathan?” Benjamin asked, gritting his teeth.

“Not evil. Not like Nathan Nyx.” Iva took a deep breath and looked down to the oracle girl. “And as for a TPT, there’s only one thing in this entire place that has any power at all.”

“The Navel of the World,” Heidi said.

“Exactly. It’s bursting with telenergetic power.” Iva looked like she might burst with excitement when she said it.

Cory narrowed his eyes. “We need to be careful. Delphi is not as it may seem. And getting to the Navel may not be a simple matter.”

“Why don’t we split up and look around?” Andy said.

Iva nodded “That’s a good idea. But I don’t think any of us should go near the oracle. Or near the Navel of the World. Not just yet.”

“Iva, Heidi, and I will go look down the hill,” Andy said.

Benjamin almost objected. Why did Andy want to be paired off with Iva and Heidi? But then he stopped himself. He hardly knew Cory—his brother—and it might be nice to have a few minutes alone with him.

“Just use telepathy to contact us if you need to,” Heidi said.

They split up, and Benjamin and Cory started walking.

Delphi was a city. This might seem kind of obvious, but Benjamin had just never thought about it before. It was in fact a large city. Seeing the ancient world in a ruined state had tainted his perspective.

“The colors on everything are so bright.” Benjamin tried to make conversation with his ten-years-older-than-him twin brother.

Cory laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Did you expect them to be dull?”

“When we visited here a while back, there was no color. Just plain white stone,” Benjamin said. “But that’s how all the archaeological sites are.”

Cory glanced over at the nearest building—bright gold and blue. “So the buildings never get repainted?”

“Actually, most of the buildings are falling down,” Benjamin said.

“How come people don’t take better care of it?” Cory asked.

“Lots of reasons,” Benjamin said. “War—that’s a big one.”

“Yes, war.” Cory shook his head. “It should be averted at all costs. You know the war has been going on for ten years now. Sometimes I think it will never end.”

“It will,” Benjamin said. “In fact, it must end pretty soon. It only lasts about ten years.”

“Do the Spartans win?” Cory stopped walking and looked at Benjamin.

“Yeah, they destroy Troy and either enslave or kill everyone.”

Cory sighed. “It’s brutal business, war. So much death and destruction. And all caused by telegens.”

“Have you actually met any of them?” Benjamin asked. “The false gods or goddesses?”

“I’ve met Athena,” Cory said. “And I’ve seen Aphrodite.”

“What were they like?” Benjamin asked.

“Aphrodite was beautiful.” Cory’s eyes glassed over. “But Athena was the one who made the lasting impression. And not just her brilliance; she was kind and loving and caring.”

Benjamin laughed. “It almost sounds like you were in love with her.”

Cory shook his head and the dreamy look in his eyes started to fade. “I wasn’t the one in love with her. That was Hexer.”

“Hexer and Athena were in love?”

“From the first moment they met.”

“So what happened?” It’s not that romance was so interesting to Benjamin. But they were talking ancient gods here.

“Responsibility got in the way,” Cory said. “I think I was the reason Hexer and Athena never married. For years they saw each other, on and off. She was like a mother to me. But thanks to the war, I don’t think Hexer has seen Athena in over five years.”

“Wow. I never would have guessed,” Benjamin said.

“Hexer doesn’t talk about himself very much,” Cory said. “He rarely mentions his parents or his youth. I know he never knew his father and saw very little of his mother.” Cory shifted.

Benjamin figured maybe the conversation reminded him he might never see Hexer again.

“You mentioned the Spartans win the war,” Cory said.

Benjamin nodded.

“Do you know how?” Cory asked.

“You’ve never heard the story of the Trojan Horse!” Benjamin said. “Of course not.”

“A horse from Troy causes the war to be won?”

“No. A great deception from Sparta wins the war,” Benjamin said. “The Spartans pretend to give up. They move all their ships away from port. They pack up their camps. And they build a giant wooden horse which they leave outside the city walls as a gift before leaving.”

“The Spartans give the Trojans a gift?” Cory asked.

“Uh huh. So the Trojans wake up to find this giant horse outside the wall and the whole Spartan army gone. They open the gates and wheel the horse inside. Then, later that night, there’s a big party. The Trojans eat and drink until they pass out.”

“Sounds just like the Trojans. They’re a worthless bunch.” Cory shook his head. “So then what happened? Did they forget to lock the city gates?”

“No. Once the Trojans pass out, a secret door on the side of the horse opens, and ten Spartan warriors climb out. They unlock the gates and set the city on fire.”

“Amazing,” Cory said. “I’m impressed that we actually came up with that. I wonder whose idea it is.”

“A warrior named Odysseus,” Benjamin said. “Have you heard of him?”

“Are you kidding? Everyone’s heard of Odysseus. If people aren’t talking about Achilles, they’re talking about Odysseus. He can’t stand the war. He just wants to get home.”

“Yeah, but it takes him ten years even after the war is over to get home,” Benjamin said.

Cory shook his head. “I’m just happy to be getting out of there.” But then he stopped walking.

“What is it?” Benjamin asked and then followed Cory’s gaze.

It was Ananya, dressed in a green silk sari, sitting on the ground. Chaos, her tiny monkey, clung to the long dark braid hanging over her shoulder.

Benjamin stared at the woman he had seen only hours before in present day India.

“Ananya!”

Benjamin looked as he and Cory said the name at exactly the same time.

“You know each other?” he asked Cory.

“You know each other?” Cory asked in return.

“I see you two have been reunited.” Ananya stood up, and Chaos jumped to her shoulder and screeched.

“What are you doing back here?” Benjamin tried to get a grasp on what was going on—unsuccessfully.

Ananya smiled. “Time is not the same in the world of Xanadu as it is for the rest of the Earth.”

“What does that mean? I just saw you in India a few hours ago,” Benjamin replied.

“Did you? Then I will have that to look forward to. What am I doing in India?”

“You were in the temple of Kronos—I mean Shaneeswara—trying to warn us not to use the TPT there to travel back to now,” Benjamin said.

Ananya laughed. “So I guess you didn’t listen?”

Benjamin shook his head. “No, we didn’t listen, and now we’re stuck.”

“Ah, yes—we. Where are Heidi, Andy, and Iva now?”

“They’re trying to find a way to use The Navel of the World,” Cory said.

“It will be nearly impossible,” Ananya said.

“Why?” Benjamin asked. “I thought Kronos likes when people use his telemagnifiers.”

“You forget. This is not a temple of Kronos. This is a city founded by Apollo, who maintains control with an iron fist. And Apollo and Kronos don’t always see eye to eye.”

“But the Navel of the World is here,” Benjamin said. “How come Apollo lets that stay?”

“You forget what the Navel actually is,” Ananya said.

“The Navel of the World is the stone Kronos’ wife fed to him in place of Zeus. It caused him to throw up the children he’d eaten,” Cory said. “And Apollo is none other than one of the sons of Zeus.”

“So Apollo is Kronos’s grandson?” Benjamin asked.

“Yes, though there is no love lost between the two,” Ananya said. “The Navel represents a victory over Kronos.”

“But it’s a telemagnifier,” Benjamin said. “I can sense its power.”

“It is a very powerful telemagnifier—especially for temporal phasing,” Ananya said, “for it was once inside Kronos.”

“So can’t we just sneak over and use it to time travel back to our time?” Benjamin asked.

“It’s not that easy,” Ananya said. “None but the oracles are allowed near the Navel. And Apollo keeps a tight rein on them.”

“So what do we do?” Cory asked. “From what Benjamin has been telling me, we really need to get back to his time. And Nathan Nyx could show up at any time.”

“You’re right. But I believe I have a plan. Let’s find your friends, and then I’ll explain it.” Ananya didn’t wait for a reply. She walked toward a small temple with an altar in the center, and when she got there, she stopped. “We’ll wait here until they arrive.”