The patient laid under a glass shield where holographic projections showed his vital signs. Robotic devices were attached to his chest and face, helping him to breathe and keep his internal organs functioning. On the outside, he appeared to be finally recovering nicely. His wounds were healing, and his vitals were improving. In his mind, there was much more healing to be done. Almost all victims of the King of Olympus invading their minds, never recovered. For Hephaestus, the God of Fire, he was not one to give up so easily.
His dreams turned to nightmares as scattered images of the torture he suffered because he would not reveal the location of the device, raided his mind. He remembered how pain became more intense with every minute of him desperately trying to withhold the information. Only after he came inches away from feeling death’s sting did he lower his guard and the location of the device was stolen. Reliving these memories made him twitch and struggle to escape. His heart rate skyrocketed, and his vitals showed he was in danger. Thanks to the technology of Olympus, medicine was given to counter the effects. After days of battle, the God of Fire awakened.
The General sat in a chair beside the bed of Hephaestus. He heard the alarms begin to sound which meant the patient was awake. A few buttons were pushed, and the glass shield retracted along with the robotic device on his face. Rose heard the alarms as well and came running up to the side of the bed. They both saw his eyes open and each of them gave a quick sigh of relief. The General bent down closer to Hephaestus’s face and whispered, “How do you feel?”
The large glowing eyes of Hephaestus slowly moved to meet the eyes of the General. Confusion showed on the patient’s face. He slowly began to lightly touch the top of his head, then he patted his long face and then combed his incredibly long, scruffy, brown beard. He was trying to acknowledge that he was truly here and that he was alive. He looked around the room and his face of confusion quickly turned to excitement. In a matter of seconds, the God of Fire realized what had happened and where he was. He then caught the beautiful hazel eyes of Rose and then a large smile appeared across his enormous mouth. He then met the eyes of the General again and said in a weak and raspy voice, “Much better than you since I do not have to look at that ugly face in the mirror every day.”
Rose gave a large grin. “Well, the sense of humor is still there.”
“All the stories say that you are the ugly one,” rebutted the General with a smile of his own.
“Told by you, because you were so jealous of this beyond handsome face I have,” joked the God of Fire. “Not to mention my incredible behind.” Rose and the General both rolled their eyes. Hephaestus began to laugh but immediately stopped because of the pain. After a few moments of catching his breath, his face became serious. He looked at Rose and then back at the General. Both returned the same serious glare. After a few moments he said calmly, “So he is back… What do we do now?”
Igetis walked the path that led around the ginormous building that they now knew as, “The Temple of the Sky.” He felt the warmth of the two suns that shined brilliantly in the gorgeous blue sky above him. Due to him being from a world that was mostly water and having spent most of his life living under the great oceans of his planet, he did not understand how land dwellers loved the feeling of intense heat slowly roasting their skin while they “bathed in the sun.” He usually found cover from the sunlight, but today was different. Hope had reappeared and the future was not as dark as it once was. The two suns were now a great comfort because not too long ago, all looked lost. The large-eyed amphibian noticed a patch of beautiful flowers along his path. He stopped and placed his large snout next to one of the flowers and inhaled deeply. Another idiomatic expression of land dwellers that he was beginning to see why they followed. He gazed and admired the beauty all around him. One word came to his mind, “Perfection.”
He then noticed someone admiring the twelve large statues that represented the protectors of this kingdom. The statues were actual pillars of this great building that they had called home for the last few weeks. This individual was particularly interested in the one that was known as “The King of Olympus.” Her face looked particularly somber as she stared at the face of Zeus.
“Good morning, Tharros!” said the amphibian with an enthusiastic tone. “Mornings on this planet are absolute perfection. Don’t you agree?” Tharros gave almost no acknowledgement to Igetis’s greeting. It was quite apparent that her mind was elsewhere. “Tharros?” said Igetis in a worried tone. Her eagle head slowly turned and met his stare. Her golden eyes showed fear. A kind smile spread across the amphibian’s face. “I believe fear has captured your mind. Might be best to tell me what troubles you.”
“The future,” whispered Tharros as she stared upon the face of the King once again. “Where do we go from here?”
Igetis had what some called “a curse” of being able to read the minds of others. He could sense that many ideas were racing through her head. The thought that she feared the most was the great power that they all witnessed only a few days ago. “A future looks uncertain with such great power ready to destroy us all,” said Igetis in a sympathetic tone. Tharros slowly nodded. “And most of all, who now can you trust?”
She immediately turned her head to face him showing that he knew exactly what she feared. “They started all this,” she said calmly as she waved her hand at the twelve pillars. “They created a technology that has brought nothing but destruction to so many.” Her tone had slightly increased showing that she was trying to control her anger. “They took the worst of so many creatures from many different planets and created an unstoppable enemy.” The octave level was continuing to rise. Her eyes showed rage. “They allowed this enemy to survive and because of that, it has conquered numberless planets!” She had now reached her boiling point and she was now yelling. Igetis did not stop her. He calmly looked on, giving her his complete attention. “And now we have lost everything! Our homes! Our family! Everything!” She then arched her head and gave a heavy sigh. She lifted her head, and her eyes met the kind large frog-like eyes of this amphibian. His known trait of a sly smile showed on his face. “How can we trust them knowing they are the reason why we have nothing?”
“I have struggled with that same paradox as well,” said Igetis with a consoling tone. “Here on this world, the conqueror of our homes was formed. By powerful people that many consider as gods using a power that we do not understand.” He moved his large head slightly closer to her to show what he said next was most important. “This power that was created to unite a people and bring happiness to billions, did exactly the opposite because this power corrupted the heart of a King. It divided a royal family and only through war where billions of lives were lost could it be stopped.” His eyes focused on those of Tharros. She could see his desire to help her. “That power failed to corrupt the hearts of a few of that royal family. Their plan of ending this forever failed and they too are lost as we are.” His sly grin appeared once again. “But together there is hope. I have seen it… and you have seen it as well because you risked your life for them. You know their hearts and in time you will trust them as well. All of us will.”
“How can you be so certain?” she asked with tears in her eyes. “The future looks so dark.”
He placed his long-fingered hands on hers and lightly squeezed. “For this purpose, you are here. You will guide us through this darkness into a future that will be brighter than ever.”
She gave him a doubtful look and then she sighed heavily. “I wish I had your faith.”
“And I wish I had your strength,” said Igetis. He lifted one of his bony arms. “Seriously. Look at my arms. There is not an ounce of muscle anywhere. Yours are magnificent.” He began to move it up and down. “It is like I have sticks for arms.”
She could tell that he was trying to use humor to make her feel better. It was working. She smiled and then placed her head on his shoulder. The future looked brighter.
The face of the God of Fire looked shocked. “You are telling me after all we did, these nine creatures happened to stumble upon the most hidden galaxy in the Universe?!” His voice was still weak, and his heart rate was elevated once again. “Who are these nine creatures and how can we trust them?! How do you know that they aren’t followers of him?!” Rose quickly stood by his bed while giving the General a harsh look.
“What?” said the General as he saw her face. “He asked how it happened."
“And you think he is in any condition to hear this?” she responded in a tone that the General knew that there was only one right answer.
Hephaestus lightly touched Rose’s hand. “I am fine. I need to hear this.”
“Not now you don’t,” said Rose in a consoling tone. “You need your rest.” She then turned to the General and her face was angry once again. “And we are going to let him rest.” The General put up his hands in a surrendering gesture. He knew not to fight with her when she was this angry.
“Aphrodite,” said the God of Fire calmly. She turned her head slowly to meet his gaze. “Please. I need to know what happened.” She gave a heavy sigh, gave the General the same harsh look and quietly stepped back.
Hephaestus looked at the General with a face of confusion. His fiery eyes showed his true concern. They showed fear. “How did they find Olympus?”
The General arched his head, thinking of how to explain how the best hidden secret in the Universe was found. “These creatures are quite…what is the best word?” He lifted his head and met the glowing eyes of Hephaestus. “Unique.”
The God of Fire shot back a glare of disbelief. “That is the word you choose to describe them. They found a galaxy that no one has been able to find for over fifteen-hundred years and you say they are unique.” He shook his head and gave a large grin. “I thought you would say powerful or omnipotent or maybe even incredibly handsome. But unique.” He looked at Rose hoping for more clarification. She showed a face that she agreed with the General which surprised him even more. He then looked back at the General. “Where are these creatures from?”
The General scratched his chin showing his uncertainty on how to answer this question as well. “They are all from different worlds, but the Kraken brought them together.” Hephaestus's face turned to sadness knowing the Kraken’s history. “They all escaped together and were running from them when they crashed landed on the main planet.”
“Crashed landed?” the God of Fire asked with a clear tone of doubt. “Really?”
“We found their ship. With a damaged reactor and running out of power, they pushed their way through the energy shield. With a choice between suffocating in space or crash landing, they chose the latter.”
But how did they find Olympus in the first place?” replied the God of Fire, almost shouting. “You know of all the protocols that we have in place to keep this place hidden. The energy shield to block all communication, the always changing nebula, plus if anybody found this place, there was the memory lock that was unbreakable.” His face appeared more stunned than before. “There has to be a connection between them and him.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Interesting that you worded it like that,” said the General with a small grin. Hephaestus gave him another confused face. “There is one among them that is clairvoyant and can perceive one’s thoughts.”
“How ironic,” replied the God of Fire. The fear had reappeared in his glowing eyes.
The General nodded and replied in almost a whisper, “He claims to have been told to come here and was the one that led them to this planet.” Hephaestus's eyes narrowed. “After they crashed landed on this planet, it was him that led them to this temple because of visions that he saw.” His face now changed to shock once again. “He then heard voices that led him to where he was imprisoned and by some miracle, he had the three memories to open the door.” Now the God of Fire’s face showed terror. “He then smashed the globe and released our King. Zeus then took over his mind and, what makes no sense at all, left Olympus to find Rose…which unfortunately led them to you.”
Hephaestus looked at Rose who was now looking down. “It wasn’t your fault. I am the one who made contact.” She nodded without meeting his gaze. She still felt guilty. “I am just glad he did not kill you or something worse like the others.”
“When I met him, he must have still been in a weaken condition because I was able to hold him off,” answered Rose with guilt still in her voice. “He was able to knock me down long enough to…steal my thoughts but then I gave him a sonic blast that freed his captive. Then the ‘Talking Fish’ told me the whole story and I returned to find it all true.” Rose then gave a heavy sigh and tears were in her eyes. “I would have warned you if I knew he was coming for you. I am so sorry.”
“Aphrodite. I know,” said the God of Fire with his large grin. “It wasn’t your fault.” She returned a small grin of her own, but tears still flowed. After a small moment, he looked at the General and said with the same confused face, “‘Talking Fish’?”
Dyamion asked Igetis a question, but the amphibian did not respond. The Lykos looked in his direction and saw his mind was elsewhere. “Igetis?”
The amphibian slightly shook his head in surprise. “Sorry. It felt like my ears were burning. What did you ask?”
“You told me this device can show me my home world. I asked, how do I type in the coordinates? I cannot read their language.”
Igetis walked over and stood by the large wolf-like creature. The device in front of them showed magnificent holographic images of many different galaxies. It was located on the main floor of the temple where the nine first entered only weeks ago. Igetis had found that it had the ability to show millions of planets by giving it coordinates. How he was able to understand the language of the Olympians so quickly, he did not even know. He clicked a few buttons, and the images began to fade and large nebulas appeared. More buttons and it appeared as if they were flying through space faster than lightspeed. Then a large planet appeared that brought a sorrowful face to the Lykos.
“That is it,” Dyamion whispered. Much emotion was showing on his face. His eyes could write a book on what he was feeling.
Igetis placed his long-fingered hand on Dyamion’s shoulder. “How long since you have seen home?”
The Lykos shook his head. “I cannot remember when I last saw it. It must have been more than five years ago.” He gave a heavy sigh. “You can see that they have stripped most of its resources. Are these images live?”
Igetis looked over the console for an answer. “From what I can understand, these images are live. Signals sent billions of miles through space in a matter of seconds. By what means, I do not understand.” He then found a control on the console that made him give a gesture of excitement, “Oh wow!”
“What is it?” asked Dyamion while quickly looking over at him.
“Let us see what this does,” replied the amphibian as he began to turn his hand slightly. The control on the console began to move with his hand. As the control moved, the images began to change. It appeared that they were going back in time. After a few moments, they saw a planet that was filled with many of Dyamion’s kind, living their life like before. Forests, lakes, oceans, and everything else looked majestic as they once did. Beauty had returned once again to this somber planet.
A large smile caressed the wolf-like creature’s face. “Now that is my home.”
“It appears that the Olympians keep images of the past of all planets to study their change over time,” explained Igetis with a tone showing he was quite impressed.
“Maybe they can make my home look like this once again.” The Lykos scanned every inch of his planet as he watched his people live their life as they once did. None of them knowing the destruction that was coming.
“A few weeks ago, I would have never thought that was possible,” said Igetis while he too viewed life on the planet. “With what I have seen in the last few days, anything is possible.”
“So, a Dagon and his eight friends discover our secret, and you decide to tell them our whole history?” questioned Hephaestus in a tone showing his disagreement.
“That is what I told him,” said Rose, which made the General give her a surprised look. His eyes became blacker showing he was not happy with her comment.
“You had many chances to stop me,” replied the General in a displeasing tone. Rose arched her head showing that he was right. The General then looked at Hephaestus. “There is something about these creatures that makes me feel that they are here for a purpose and that feeling was…”, he paused realizing the difficulty of explaining what had happened to him a few days ago. His face showed grief at first then turned to hope. Both Rose and Hephaestus gave him a confused stare. The General continued after noticing their stares, “What I am about to tell you may make you think I have lost my mind.” Both shot back surprised faces. “But please listen to the whole story with an open mind.”
Hephaestus and Rose both looked at each other with the same concerned look. They then looked back at the General and slowly nodded.
“I had a vision,” whispered the General. Rose snorted then gave an apologetic look. A smile spread across his pale face. “I know it sounds doubtful…but the experience was incredible.” He sat himself down in the closest chair because the emotion he was feeling was immense.
Both Hephaestus and Rose looked at him with stunned looks. This reaction was new for him. The General stared straight ahead as he reminisced about the past event.
“Perseus?” questioned the God of Fire with a concerning tone.
He immediately exited his trance with a slight head shake and found himself staring into the concerning eyes of his family. A smile appeared on his lips. “Sorry. It was powerful to behold such an event.”
“We can tell,” replied Rose with fearful eyes. “This reaction of yours is scaring me.”
He gestured with his hands that he was fine. “It is just hard to explain.”
“Best to start from the beginning,” replied Hephaestus with a warm smile behind his large brown beard.
“It happened the night we brought you back to Olympus.” The General placed his chin on his hands as he began to recall everything that happened. “You seemed to finally be recovering so we thought it best to all retire for the night.” A slight pause was almost too much for Rose and Hephaestus to handle. “I heard my name being called from a voice that I had not heard before but for some odd reason, I recognized it.” Both saw the peaceful expression come to the General’s face. “I awoke to see that I was not in my bed but atop a large mountain.” He then spread his arms wide. “What I saw below were unlimited galaxies filled with all sizes of planets, moon, suns, and stars. The sight was more incredible than any sight I have seen before.” Another unbearable pause. “Then...I saw him.” A peaceful expression found the General’s face once again. “It was as if I was staring at pure light. His eyes were as blue as the oceans and his hair was as white as fresh snow on the highest mountain tops. You could feel the incredible power he possessed.”
A large smile caressed the face of the God of Fire. “Who was he?” he asked with an anxious tone.
“He did not give me his name but said that who he represented was most important.”
“Who did he say he represented?” asked Rose with the same anxious tone.
“Many,” said the General with a broad smile. Rose gave him a confused face. “I did not understand it either, but I feel that I would come to know.” His face became serious which made Hephaestus and Rose lean in closer. “He said our father has used his power unwisely and that we were brought together for this purpose. We are to stop him.”
“How can the three of us stop him?” asked Hephaestus while shaking his head.
“Not only us three,” remarked the General with a bigger grin than before.
Rose tilted her head and her beautiful hazels eyes appeared bigger than ever before. “You must be joking. Them? They are so…unique.”
“My exact answer to him.”
“You are not talking about those nine creatures that tell the story of stumbling upon the most hidden galaxy in the Universe,” stated Hephaestus. “How can they help?”
The General tilted his head and returned a sly smile.
Rose shot back a shocked look. “You cannot be serious. No one outside of Olympus has ever been in the device. The agony that they will go through. It will very likely kill them.”
“Many believes it is their purpose,” said the General with a stoic face.
“Many?” said the God of Fire.
“That is what I call him,” said the General with a shrug. Rose shook her head and gave him a stern look. “What? He did not give me his name. I have to call him something.”
“You know how crazy you sound,” remarked Rose. Her stern look still on her face. General gave a heavy sigh. “You want to place our trust on these nine individuals because of a vision you had.” She shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead. “Are you sure you have not drunk too much of the elixir?” A sarcastic smile appeared on her lips.
The General looked at Rose. His face was serious. His eyes showed determination. “I am nervous as you are about sharing our power with them.” He stood and began to walk around the room. “I would not call this event only a vision.” He stopped and turned to face Rose and Hephaestus. A smile spread across his face. “I would call it guidance or… inspiration, even revelation.” The doubtful looks returned to the faces of Rose and Hephaestus once again. “You did not feel what I felt or understand everything that I saw.” The octave level in his voice increased. “It was amazing! The sights were spectacular! The power I witnessed is indescribable! But the best part of it was…” He lowered his head and for a long moment he did not move. Rose was about to say something when he raised his head, and it appeared as if tears were in his eyes. “The best part of it was the feeling I felt. Nothing but pure peace. It has been so long since I felt that way.”
“We can tell this was quite an experience for you, Perseus,” the God of Fire whispered. “I will follow your lead, but what he is asking can lead to much bigger problems.”
“I really feel if we don’t do what Many says, then we will have much greater problems.” His face was stoic again. His eyes showed fear. “It literally could mean the end to everything we love. He will be the ruler of it all.” A chill rose up all their spines knowing well of what he is capable.
“So, you're telling me that the fate of the Universe lies in the hands of these nine individuals?” Rose's face showed the same doubtful look. “This cannot be possible.” She lightly shook her head in disbelief. “Them?”
“They have been chosen for a purpose,” whispered the General. A sly smile came to the General’s lips. “Even the annoying ‘talking fish’.”
A sound behind the General made him turn and who he saw brought a smile to his face. He gestured to the individual and Dunamis stepped over to where he was standing.
“Hephaestus, this is Dunamis. He is eager to speak to you,” said the General with emphasis on the word “eager”.
Hephaestus looked at Dunamis and smiled. “A Centaur.” He slowly nodded and Dunamis returned the nod which was a show of great respect for his people. “I would be honored to speak to Dunamis.”
The General could see the excitement on the Centaur’s face. “I will leave you two to speak. I know there are many questions he wants to ask.”
“It will be a pleasure,” said Hephaestus. A broad smile caressed his face.
“Thank You,” said Dunamis to the General. They both locked eyes and they both knew that a friendship had begun. As the General and Rose took their leave, Hephaestus, the god of fire, the god of war, the protector of the people and Dunamis, one of the few Centaurs remaining began to speak of many things. The conversation was eye opening and powerful. A truly wonderful experience that Dunamis would recall often throughout his long life.