The Cult of Kronos by Amy Leigh Strickland Page B

software. Until Evan writes the software,
the line is silent. Got it? Nothing more than a, 'Hey, come meet me
at Starbucks.'”
    Jason nodded. “Zach's right.
Safety is our priority. Celene and Peter did come back, but you can
still be killed and still be captured. Remember that vase Epimetheus
and Prometheus tried to lock you in?”
    “ There's an even bigger one
of those,” Peter said. “And it's called Tartarus, the
underworld's prison pit. Our old friends are there right now. If you
think mortal cellmates are bad…”
    “ Peter,” Celene said, “The
water.”
    “ Right,” Peter said,
slipping the strap for the water skin over his head and passing it to
Jason. “We ran into someone,” Peter said, “on our way out. Ryan
Bear was hanging out by the Mnemosyne.”
    “ Ryan?” Diana asked,
perking up.
    Peter nodded, his solemn black
eyes connecting with hers for a moment. “Yes. He was worried about
you.”
    “ Most of the souls drink
from the Lethe,” Celene explained. “They forget their lives on
earth. Ryan and a few others chose a different path.”
    “ Mnemosyne,” Peter
explained, “is the river of memory. Now, dying unlocked my memories
and my ability to do this.” Without warning, Peter shifted
suddenly. He grew six inches in stature and gained over a hundred
pounds of muscle. The wild-eyed, bearded Hades stood before The
Pantheon.
    “ Woah!” Lewis shouted. “Is
that what you really look like?”
    Hades nodded. “At least the
form that Doc can safely look on without his head exploding.”
    “ Wait, what?” Nick said.
    “ I'm mortal. If I see your
true forms my head will explode,” Jason said all-too-casually. He
had been over it with Celene before the meeting.
    “ The memories are mixed-up,”
Celene warned. “You won't all suddenly remember everything at once.
It's a lot for the mind to take in. You'll have to sort it out.”
    Peter returned to his mortal
form and pointed to the water skin. “The alternative is that you
could die, but that's painful and unpleasant, and I'd have to go back
to New Orleans to fetch you. Or you can drink the water of the
Mnemosyne. Think of it as a shortcut.”
    Zach held out his hand. “I'll
go first,” he said.
    “ Why you?” Nick argued.
    “ Because nobody seems to
want you as the leader,” Lewis snapped.
    Zach shook his head. “Because
Kronos sent that postcard to me. His beef is with me. I'll go first.
We'll take turns. Everyone will get a chance.”
    Lewis began to sing,
“Ninety-nine bottles of memory on the wall, take one down, pass it
around, everyone gets the shape-shift…well the tune needs some
work.”
    Jason tossed the leather water
skin to Zach. Zach closed his eyes and tipped the bag back to pour a
few sips into his mouth. The shimmering liquid passed over his lips.
Everyone waited. Zach's eyes opened suddenly, glowing white-hot. He
dropped the bag and fell to his knees. His fingers pressed into the
wood floor and sparks surged around his forearms. Zach threw his head
back and screamed.

“ There are only two people
who can tell you the truth about yourself- an enemy who has lost his
temper and a friend who loves you dearly.”
    -Antisthenes

    IX.

    The sky over Mount Olympus had
darkened to a deep blue-purple with pinpricks of white light that
stood as monuments to Draco, Hercules, and the little bear. On the
mountain top, the version that mortals could not see from their homes
below, the kingdom of the Olympians was at rest. A night of feasting
had ended hours ago. Golden torches still burned in the streets and
in the halls of the mighty palace, but in the bed chambers of the
king and the homes of the council of twelve, everything was dark. The
constant thrumming of Cicadas was the only sound that hung in the
air, mixing with the smells of burning incense to create an
other-worldly atmosphere.
    Lord Zeus, covered only by a
silk sheet, lay sprawled across his bed, his large chest rising and
falling with steady, peaceful breath.