From Deities (16 page)

“Go to the door and find out.”

“Surprise,” Kayla cheered.

“Kayla!” My tone was just as loud as hers. Being beyond happy to see her, I pulled her in for a long, tight hug. That hug meant a great deal to me. It gave me comfort. It gave me normalcy. Mason knew what I needed and I was grateful that he was so thoughtful.

“Don’t forget, I’m here, too.” Nick stuck out his lower lip. There was no doubt that he had a cute pout. After a warm hug from me, he looked over my head to Mason.

“Mason! Oh my God! I haven’t seen you in so long.” Nick was mimicking us in a playful way; he even sounded like a girl with that high-pitched voice.

Kayla and I glanced at each other, and busted out laughing. When we saw Nick trying to hug Mason, the way we had hugged, we laughed even harder.

“Shut up and get off me.” Mason chuckled, shoving Nick away. “That’s so wrong.”

Nick practically tackled Mason. They were huddled together when suddenly there was a flash of bright light. Nick’s body flew backward a few feet, landing hard on the ground. Luckily, Kayla’s back was turned. She didn’t see the light.

“Nick, stop playing around. You might break something,” Mason chuckled, hiding the fact that he’d just stunned his brother with his light.

“Nick,” Kayla squealed, running to him. “Are you hurt?”

Nick glared at Mason and started laughing. “I’m going to get you back for this. That was freakin’ uncalled for. I just wanted a hug.” Then he turned his attention to Kayla. Standing up, he pointed to his cheek. “I bumped my face. I think I need tender loving there.”

Kayla moved in for a kiss. “There,” she giggled.

“I bumped my arm,” Nick purred.

Kayla kissed it. “There. Better now?”

Nicked nodded and pointed to his lips. “I bumped here, too.”

Okay…I had seen enough and knew where this was going. Mason slid his arms around my waist. His chest felt warm and tight on my back when he squeezed me. “You are the only one I want a hug from.”

“Only me?”

Mason let out a small chuckle. “You’re sort of repeating my words again, Echo.”

“Hey, you want to eat or what?” Nick broke our conversation.

Mason released me. “Did you bring lunch like I asked?”

“It’s in the car.”

“What did you bring?”

“What you asked for.”

“Okay, then. It’s not going to walk itself to the front door. Let’s go get it.” Mason and Nick started to head out the door.

“We can set the table and get the drinks,” I said to Kayla. She followed behind me. Just before I heard the door slam, I heard Mason yelp, “Ouch. That freakin’ hurt.”

“Payback’s a bitch,” Nick laughed. It was cut short when I saw lights from the corners of my eyes.

Kayla was too busy chatting away. Her back was turned again so she missed the light show. Those boys. I shook my head, but I couldn’t control the smile on my face. It was good to see Mason being playful and laughing. It was good to see him relax. And it especially felt good to see the bond between the two brothers.

The Grand brothers
, Amanda, and I walked behind my dad. Shuffling the sand beneath our feet, I gazed out at the vast ocean. The waves gently rippling gave me a serene feeling, but when I was reminded of how I’d almost drowned, it gave me cold, icy chills.

Amanda seemed annoyed. “Why did you bring us here? There is nothing here except the ocean.”

“Just a few more steps,” my dad answered, leading us to an area where the sand dipped low and the boulders piled up high. He was calm, in spite of Amanda’s sharp tone. She was not a patient one.

It was the strangest feeling; I still couldn’t get used to the fact that my dad was alive and that he was one of the descendants, too. I didn’t know why, but I had a hunch he wasn’t telling us the whole truth.

“A few more steps to what?” Amanda continued.

I didn’t blame her. I was thinking the same thing, but Amanda had a big mouth and I was more than happy to have her speak for the both of us.

Suddenly, my dad stopped. “The only way you can enter the other side is if someone inside allows it. Once you are allowed to enter, you will be able to see it from now on.” My dad turned away from us, stared into space, and started mumbling something.

“O–o–okay.” Nick furrowed his brows, dragging out the word. “What’s he doing?”

“How should I know? Maybe he’s meditating,” Mason snorted softly.

Nick did a double take of Mason and chuckled lightly. “You cracked a joke! Look at that, Sky actually broke down all of your walls.”

“Shut up.” Mason lightly shoved Nick.

Nick was so busy goofing off that he didn’t notice my dad was talking to someone, but there was no one there.

“What the hell?” Amanda looked flustered. “He’s completely lost it. I think we should go back. They say when you get older that you start talking to yourself. Maybe it’s true.”

Everett shook his head at Amanda’s comment.

I took several steps closer to my dad and tried to listen to what he was saying.

“You can trust them. Let us in.” He paused. “Yes, my daughter is with me.” He paused again. “I know what I’m doing.” Then he turned to us with a smile. “Welcome to the New Olympus.”

Suddenly, a dim light glowed, creating a tunnel of colorful waves that spread massively in its space. Magically, a new world slowly started to appear, as if it was being careful not to reveal itself all at once. And behold, there were my dad’s people, standing, waiting for us to enter.

I gasped at the number of people I saw; a number of descendants I would have never have imagined could exist. It was overwhelming at first, but it was also comforting to know there were many of us out there. I didn’t know what we would be up against, but at least I knew we had a chance at this war—the war Noah kept talking about.

Mason slid his arms around my waist, pulling me out of my trance. When we entered, people moved away like the parting of the Red Sea. Some were smiling at us, while others gawked in disbelief.

What I saw beyond the crowd was breathtaking. Valleys and hills surrounded the land. Soft waterfalls flowed down to a stream. Tall trees gave shelter, and the various multi-colored flowers made it look like we were at the center of a garden. Ahead of us was a huge castle that looked like an ice sculpture. It was majestic and grand; one that you would imagine seeing in a fairy tale. I felt like I had just stepped inside of a story.

“Look at this place. It’s so beautiful.” Amanda turned her head in every direction in wonder. “I don’t understand how this place exists.”

When the grand double doors swung opened, Noah, Tim, Aaron, Colin, and Sarah came toward us, all wearing smiles.

“Welcome,” Noah greeted. “Pretty neat place we got here, don’t you think?” After his eyes met ours, they went straight to Amanda’s.

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Amanda curled her lips into a flirtatious smile.

Colin stepped into our line of vision, wearing his suit and armor. “We’ll show you the rest of the place.”

Walking further in, light penetrated the high crystal-like ceiling and the glass-like walls. It felt as if I was in the middle of a crystal ball. Furniture was simple and elegantly adorned the room, but there was little of it.

“Where does everyone else live?” Nick asked.

“We all live inside these walls,” my dad explained. “This place is large enough to accommodate a lot more than you can possibly imagine. With multiple layers, or floor levels, we make sure everyone is comfortable.” My dad paused, then turned to his people. “Why don’t you give them a tour? I have a meeting with the Elders. Let’s meet in an hour for dinner.” Dad turned to us. “There is someone very important I would like for you to meet.”

After we agreed, we went our separate ways.

“This is our
indoor courtyard,” Sarah said.

“How long have you lived here?” Everett asked, admiring the trees bearing various fruits.

The courtyard was full of flowers and trees. In one corner was a fountain of Poseidon, another one was Zeus, and the third one, and the most surprising, was Hades.

“After we saved Victor from the sea creatures we call sea vultures, we lived in Maui for a couple of months,” Noah explained. “When Victor wanted to move closer to Sky, fate stepped in and we ran into Zara. She led us to this place, called New Olympus.”

“How did she…was this place already here? I mean….” Nick paused, unable to finish his question, raking his hair back. I knew exactly how he felt. Before Nick could continue, Noah answered as if he understood.

“Yes, New Olympus existed before we arrived. In fact, it was created before all of the gods vanished. You’ll meet Zara soon. I’ll let her explain.”

“Zara?” Amanda asked. “I’ve never heard that name before. Who is she?”

“We were quite surprised ourselves. We were told not to say a word, so you’ll have to wait to ask her questions when you meet her,” Tim said. “Let’s move on.”

Noah led us to the west wing. When he opened the door, I expected to see a room with furnishings. Instead, it was a grand chamber filled with various types of weapons—swords, axes, spears to name a few—hanging on the walls or leaning against them. It was amazing to see that many. Everett and Amanda were most excited. Their eyes beamed in delight, taking in the view of the weapons they could use for defense. I could understand their excitement since their powers were limited.

Some people were sparring with a partner, and others were testing the weapons. When they spotted us they stopped, but after a nod from Noah, they continued as if we weren’t there.

Off to the corner was a room that was darker in comparison to where we stood. Sparks of red and orange light flashed, catching my attention. Sounds of machinery and hammers echoed, spiking my curiosity.

Aaron pointed to the room. “Over there is where the descendants of Hephaestus make the weapons. They design and create various types. As you already know, Hephaestus was known for his craftsmanship. He was great at working with iron.”

Aaron peeked in and turned back to us. “You don’t want to go in there. There are a lot of sparks and it’s hot as hell.” Aaron peeked in again and gestured someone to come out.

“Hi.” Adam waved, looking shy, lighting a sheepish grin, but he wouldn’t make eye contact. It was adorable to see this big guy, who could crush a person with his bare hands, look so timid and humble.

“Hi,” we said back.

“I better go back to work. Bye.” Adam kept his eyes glued to the floor, and then he was out of our sight.

“Let’s continue our tour.” Colin led us out of the room. He was our guide now. We followed him into a long hallway. The walls and the floor were made from what appeared to be thick glass, somewhat clear, yet foggy at the same time. After we turned another corner, we came upon another room filled with books.

“This is our library, where you can find just about any book you want to read.” Colin beamed.

From the expression on his proud face, he seemed like a book lover. I understood why he looked the way he did. I was sure I was wearing the same excited expression on my face. Wall to wall, wooden bookcases were lined up from floor to ceiling. Not only was this room humongous, the old English sofas and tables made it appear elegant and antique. There was even a fireplace against the back wall, with a coffee table and sofa that matched the theme of the room.

Something about the smell of books heightened a spark of euphoria in me. It was the love of adventure, action, and romance that dwelled in each book, with each unique plot. I couldn’t help myself as a thrill shivered through me. “Wow! There are so many books, and it’s magical and beautiful in here.”

“You love to read?” Colin asked, looking surprised.

“Yes, I do.” I smiled, unable to take my eyes from this wondrous place.

“You’re welcome to borrow any books you like. We don’t have a librarian here. We borrow on the honor system.”

“Thanks.” My eyes shifted to the color paintings.

“I can spend hours in here,” Sarah added. “There’s no one in here right now. They were asked not to be here during your visit.”

“Okay, enough of this room,” Nick said, already heading out.

“Never mind Nick,” Amanda started to say. “Girls are the only things that occupy his mind. If he only knew the badass girl characters he could fall in love with, he would be reading all the time.”

Nick stopped suddenly, causing everyone behind him to halt. He turned to Amanda and said, “I’d rather fall in love with a real woman.” He turned to Colin. “No offense. To each his own.”

“Never mind my brother.” Mason pointed a finger at him as a small spark nicked Nick from the back.

Nick turned with a playful scowl. “My turn.”

Before Nick could do a thing, Everett slung his arms around him in a tight grip. “Don’t make a move.”

Just as we walked out the door, a short, quick light flashed. Everett yelped while sliding down the hall on his butt, and Nick’s laugh was way too contagious.