TWENTY-SEVEN
Garrett didn’t waste any time running for the door, but it did him little good. Alex lifted her hand, throwing a force field up, which he bounced off of. He grunted as he hit the floor. In moments, Sebastian and Russell drug him to his feet, Sebastian’s gun pointed to his head. “You can’t fire that in here!” Garrett spat. “You’ll give yourselves away.”
Sebastian looked coldly into Garrett’s eyes. “I’d risk it.”
The aging doctor flushed as he looked from face to face. “Oh, thank Jupiter you guys found me.”
“I don’t think so,” said Aspen. “That story isn’t going to work.”
Garrett sputtered in desperation. “Well, what would you have done?” asked Garrett. “I’m only a mortal. I couldn’t back out of this with Venus watching my every move for the last three weeks.”
Alex got right in Garrett’s face. “It was you. You did this to me.” Garrett shook his head. “Garrett,” Alex said, looking into his eyes. His face started to relax in an odd kind of way. “Tell me everything.”
Garrett’s voice slid between his lips, but there was little expression to go with it. It was like Garrett was talking in his sleep, even though he was awake. “It was Venus’s idea to kill you. When you were brought in, she knew you might recognize her from that day of the demon attack in the alley with Sebastian and Aspen because she had seen you. Venus had asked Mars to meet her there to get him to join her cause, fully intending to let him take the fall for the demon attack. She was only feet away from you when you saw Mars running toward the coffee shop. If you recognized her, all would be lost. She had me switch your blood with that of an Arrow for the second transfusion. She expected it to kill you. She didn’t know it would make you a demigod. No one has ever made a demigod that way before.”
Garrett stopped, and seemed to want to go to sleep. Alex jerked her head and his head shot back up, sweat dripping down his face despite the coolness of the room. Russell glanced at Alex, but her eyes never left Garrett’s face. “Go on.”
“When you were created a demigod, Venus thought it might work in her favor. If Jupiter punished Psyche and Cupid for creating a demigod in their Temple, she might get some of her power back. Instead, Cupid took his case to Jupiter and was pardoned. She was furious.” Garrett shuddered at this. His eyes started to droop. Alex took a threatening step forward. “What have you done with my brother?”
Garrett’s eyes bulged in his head and blood began to run out of one nostril. Sweat was running freely down his face now. “Tell me!” yelled Alex.
Sebastian laid a hand on Alex’s arm, which she shook off, watching Garrett. Garrett swallowed. “He was killed.”
“No!” screamed Alex as Garrett collapsed on the floor. Suddenly, everything in the room began to float. Sebastian and the others watching jumped back as everything that wasn’t bolted to the floor defied gravity. Vials crashed to the floor and doors of the refrigeration units opened, spilling blood. Alex screamed, throwing her hands to her head, her rage letting her powers run crazy. Computers exploded, glass shattered.
Russell rushed to Alex’s side, stepping into her line of sight. “Alex, sweetheart, please stop.”
Alex’s eyes focused on Russell, and she began to cry, tears running from her eyes, sweat running from her brow. “How could they, Russell? He was just a mortal! He was just here because of me.” She began to cry in earnest, her red rimmed eyes closing. Russell stepped forward and took her face into his hands. Turning it to his, he pressed her cheek to his chest, enveloping her in his arms. Russell looked over her head to see Evans with her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. All of the objects that had been floating crashed back onto the ground. It created such an incredible ruckus that the demon snapped out of his trance and roared. Alex turned, lifting a hand, but it was too late. They could hear answering roars in the tunnels.
Alex was shaking. The episode with Garrett had drained a lot of her energy. Sebastian ran to an open refrigeration unit and grabbed a handful of packets of blood and turned toward the tunnel that went
back the way they had come.
“We need to go, now.” The others ran, Russell helping Alex as they went. Sebastian handed her a packet of blood, which she tried messily to eat, dripping most of it on herself as they ran. Sebastian could hear the demons coming behind them. He hoped beyond all hope the others had made it out safely before the commotion had started.
They reached the medical room, the heat starting to build again as they pressed into the tunnel to take them back to the large room where the now empty circles stood. Alex was able to run well on her own after a couple minutes, rejuvenated from the blood in the packet, but Sebastian noticed she looked worse off than before. Alex had reached her limit.
Running full out, they stumbled into the main room, which looked incredibly empty with all the captives released. As a matter of a fact, there was only one person in the room.
“Well, well,” said Venus. She said as the group slammed to a halt. She looked at Alex. “Garrett told me I wouldn’t have to be worried about you being here today. It’s not the first thing he was wrong about.”
Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat as his heart sank. He had no hope for their escape now. Venus was a powerful god, thousands of years old. They were all going to die down here. He looked over Alex’s head to Russell and saw that his brother was thinking the same thing. Resignation covered his face. Aspen turned her head to Sebastian. She swallowed so slowly, he watched it happen as if in slow motion.
“Sebastian.” Sebastian looked at Venus, hardly daring to blink. Venus approached him slowly, her eyes starting to glow. He could hardly bear to keep his eyes on hers as she approached. Despite the temperature in the room being well over eighty degrees, his sweat had the chill of fear. Venus stopped a few feet away. “I figured you’d find a way to get in here when I saw you weren’t among the ones in the circles. ‘He giveth, and he taketh away.’” She quipped. “It was your research that got me this far.”
“You’re the one who took the notebooks.”
Venus nodded. “You were…detained in Aspen’s room for a while before the meeting that morning. I simply slipped in and liberated them from you, letting Mars take the blame. I was prepared to face you again if I had to.” Venus turned to glare coldly at Alex. What I didn’t count on was you."
Alex shivered as she watched Venus approach. “You have been the hang up in my plans all along, girly. First you recognized Mars. Then you didn’t die. Then you became a demigod. Now you have liberated me of my captives. Tell me,” Venus said sweetly, approaching Alex until they were face to face, only inches apart. “How am I supposed to get my kingdom back without followers?”
Alex was silent, her eyes glowing faintly as she tried her newest weapon. “You don’t want to hurt us. You want to let us go.”
Venus threw her head back, laughing. Alex’s face went white as Venus’s laugh cackled, echoing throughout the room. “It’s so amusing. You think you can compel ME?” Venus yelled the last word, making them all jump. “I’m a GODDESS. You are MORTAL!” She reached down, grabbing Alex around the throat. Before anyone could react, Venus tossed Alex across the room, where she thudded against the stone wall. Russell started to run to her aid, but Sebastian grabbed his arm, holding him there. Russell stopped, but did not look away from Alex until Venus’s voice snapped him back.
Venus laughed. “Dear Russell. You’ve been such a sucker for her from the start, haven’t you? And what good would that do? She’ll die on you. There’s a reason why demigods are forbidden. Yes, FORBIDDEN!” Venus yelled, her face reddening. “Jupiter himself made the very rule he allowed Cupid to break, silly child. He’s been spoiled his whole life, and that’s the problem. I let him throw his little temper tantrum all those years ago. That was my mistake. I should have just killed Psyche myself instead of indulging myself with the game of cat and mouse. I always assumed Cupid would become bored by her when he saw how weak she was.” She shook her head. “I know how stubborn he can be, but he’s gotten away with everything his whole life, including giving what is mine to his wife.”
Sebastian waited, trying to think of what to say. It was Aspen that spoke, making them all jump. “But you let him, didn’t you?”
“Let him what, silly girl?”
“You let him have her. Why did you do that?”
Venus stopped to consider. “Good point.” She sighed. “I guess I looked at my own history with Jupiter. I knew, even though he was my father, he would never love me. I could only watch Cupid pine for so long before I started to see myself in him, the way I wanted my father’s approval. Cupid was furious with me.” She paused briefly before she picked up her speech again, walking while she talked. “I figured once the mortal Psyche failed at the tasks she was sent on, he’d see the folly of falling for a mortal. But then Jupiter granted her immortality.” Venus’s face was now a portrait of nastiness, her anger causing a dull red light to glow from her eyes. “He did it only to upset me, and I knew it then as I know it now. He wanted me to have less power. Mine was starting to rival his own. I went from the goddess of love, to the goddess of heartbreak, for that was the only emotion I felt after that day.”
She stopped in her pacing and looked at them. “And now you have taken my revenge from me.” She looked over their shoulders, and Sebastian turned to see demons standing there, blocking the exit. A glance at the other tunnels in the room revealed demons standing there too. He’d been so absorbed in watching Venus, he hadn’t seen or heard them approach. Venus lifted her hands, and all of the demons started approaching as she spoke. “You all will be the donors to replace the blood that was lost. Unless you struggle. Then you die.”
Venus’s voice was cold, and Sebastian knew she meant every word, but he contemplated what he could say to delay her. “They all know where you are.”
Venus laughed. “Obviously. I’m not stupid. None of us will be here when they return. We have other plans.”
The demons were almost upon them. Sebastian laid his hand on his gun, preparing to fight to the death protecting his brethren. He shot a look over at Russell, Victoria, Evans, and, lastly, Aspen. Her eyes clashed with his, full of fear and resignation. He took a deep breath and turned, raising his gun, prepared to fight to the death.
Suddenly, the demons all stopped. Venus’s eyes popped open in shock, anger crossing over her face like a jolt of electricity. The demons were all halted mid-step. Sebastian shot a glance at the floor where Alex had been tossed. She was raised up on one arm, her other hand extended out in front of her. Venus turned and saw Alex. Roaring, she threw her hands toward Alex, but was surprised when the power she threw ricocheted a few feet from her, forcing her to duck as it bounced back. “What the…?”
Sebastian suddenly understood and shoved the group toward the exit, yelling, “Go! Go!” They all ran past the frozen demons to the opening of the tunnel that would take them out. Sebastian turned to see Venus’s power bouncing inside of the force field Alex had constructed around her, adding to her fury. Her hair stood on end, her eyes crazed, as she attempted to break through and reach Alex. Russell dodged away from the group and turned to run to Alex’s aid, but she flicked her power at him, turning him back toward the exit. “Leave, now!” Russell watched in shock as Alex’s nose started bleeding. The cave started vibrating and pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. Alex focused her power at the top of the cavern, trying with all her might to crumble the cave on top of Venus. The rock bounced off of the force field. Venus could easily withstand a falling boulder….but a whole cave? He didn’t know. While he drank all of this in, Alex growled at him, her eyes bleeding now as well. “GO!” With that word, Russell was flung into the exit tunnel and a shower of rock fell behind him, blocking the way back in. The others were only a little way ahead, looking uncertainly behind them.
“Alex!” yelled Russell, struggling to break through the wall of stones she had created.
Sebastian grabbed his brother, pushing him the other direction as the tunnel started to collapse. “Run!” yelled Sebastian. “She’s going to bring down the cave!”
The group ran toward the exit, fumbling without a flashlight, but it mattered little. This way had no real turns. They ran through the main, large tunnel until they could make out a faint light. Sebastian hadn’t realized so much time had passed, but as they approached the exit, they saw it was night. Sebastian and the others ran toward the opening, jumping back as large rocks began to fall. About twenty feet from freedom, a boulder fell on Sebastian pinning him to the ground. He yelled out as the rock broke his leg. Aspen turned, seeing Sebastian pinned, and ran back. “Sebastian!”
He groaned, looking up as Aspen reached him. The boulder was bigger around than she was, and he was pinned under it by one leg. “Sebastian! No!” She pushed and shoved on the rock, but it was a useless attempt.
Sebastian yelled at the incredible pain of his shattered leg, cursing. “Run. Get out of here!”
Aspen turned instead and yelled for help. The others came back to try to help her, but the rock was too large and more were falling every moment, forming a pile that was pinning Sebastian to the ground. Russell yelled for help, but Aspen could only cry as horrific sounds erupted from the inside of the cave. “It’s coming down!” yelled Sebastian. “Go!”
Russell looked grimly at his best friend and brother before hauling Aspen back. She fought him every step of the way, tears running down her face as she struggled. Victoria and Evans hugged each other and cried. Finally, Evans couldn’t bear to watch as the cave gave a massive growl of collapse. She turned her head in time to see Mars running into the tunnel with three Guardians. Their Swords of Light came slashing out of their scabbards. They hacked the stones to pieces, pulling Sebastian out of the wreckage while the cave collapsed around them.
Mars hauled Sebastian out and over his shoulder, and the group ran away from the cave as if Venus herself were on their heels. Sebastian wasn’t conscious to see the cave collapsing inward or the Guardians and Arrows plunging into the wreckage. He wasn’t awake to see the helicopters that landed, laden with reinforcements. He wasn’t able to watch as Auster used his powers to lift the worst of the wreckage from the caverns to begin the massive search for Venus. He slept all the way back to the Denver Temple in the helicopter with Aspen by his side, begging him to answer her, tears running down her cheeks.