Royal Hearts (12 page)

Hephaestus stiffened. “Come in.” He limped
aside for them to enter. “Zeus will want to talk to you right away.
Please have a seat, and I will get him for you.”

After a moment, they chose the enormous,
plush white sofa trimmed in gold.

Looking around the room, Jaz could see that
the gods and goddesses were used to the very best and expensive
things money could buy. The large chandelier in the middle of the
room was made of diamonds and had the image of each god and goddess
who lived in the palace carved into it.

Since Zeus and Hera were the head god and
goddess, they were at the top of the chandelier. The other gods and
goddesses were lower, according to their rank of importance. The
rest of the room was filled with white furniture with gold trim,
and the plush carpet was white with golden images of the gods and
goddesses woven into the fabric.

Flowers of various colors were the only
things that gave the room a sense of warmth. The rest of it seemed
more like a monument than a place to live.

Jaz turned to Lino. “We know one thing. They
didn’t talk to Queen Ann or Hathor.”

Zeus entered the room, followed by Hera,
Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo. “You said Queen Ann was
supposed to come here?” Zeus asked.

“She left Pale about five days ago and hasn’t
returned,” Jaz replied, getting to her feet. “She wanted to talk to
you about forming an alliance with us. We are expecting an attack
any day now from the clone of a former leader on our planet.”

“Attack? As in war? Now we’re talking!” Ares
said, his eyes lit with excitement.

Ignoring Ares, Zeus told Jaz, “Queen Ann
hasn’t been here.”

“That’s what we were afraid of,” Jaz said.
“We have no idea what happened to her or Hathor. The last time we
saw them, they were using the Book of Spells to come here.”

Zeus glanced at Apollo, who nodded that she
was telling the truth. “You say that there will be an attack on
Pale,” Zeus replied. “May we inquire as to the nature of this
attack and how it involves Queen Ann?”

“Our past leader made a clone of himself
before his death. We weren’t even aware he had a clone until
recently when the clone escaped from Pale. Upon examining the
situation, we discovered his plans to kill Queen Ann and then
conquer Pale. Unfortunately, the plans did not include any details,
so we cannot predict how the clone will act. All we can do is be
vigilant so we’ll be ready when he strikes with his army, which we
assume he’s acquiring as we speak.”

The gods and goddesses glanced at each other
before Athena spoke up. “Queen Ann’s disappearance must be related
to the clone.”

“That’s what we think, too,” Jaz agreed.
“We’ve sent out our best Palers and Laxes to find Omin’s clone or
Queen Ann and Hathor, but there is no sign of them anywhere. It’s
as if they vanished.”

Zeus nodded. “We will help you. What we need
is a suitable plan to find her.”

After a moment of silence, Jaz ventured to
ask, “Have any of you seen Guard Falon? He is our companion on our
mission to find Queen Ann, but we lost him back at one of the caves
along this mountain.”

“There are many caves along the side of this
mountain, but they lead to the Underworld. If he found an opening
to it, then that’s where he is right now. The Underworld is Hades’
domain.”

“So he’s safe. That’s a relief.”

“I didn’t say he was safe. I just said he
somehow ended up in the Underworld. Unfortunately, we are not
allowed down there without Hades’ permission. He is very
territorial when it comes to his domain.”

“And depending on his mood, he may or may not
let your companion out of the Underworld,” Hera added. “He’s not
the easiest god to get along with.”

“There is some hope, though, since Persephone
is about to return to him,” Aphrodite said. “Moved by his love for
his wife, he will often do generous and kind acts.”

“Persephone goes to the Underworld every six
months out of the year,” Hera added.

“I will miss the fresh flowers,” Aphrodite
said. “Demeter, her mother, is quite cranky when Persephone’s with
Hades. She never did learn to accept Hades as a son-in-law, and
since she controls the weather, we all have to bear with her bad
mood. On the other hand, it is romantic in a sad way.”

Hera rolled her eyes at the comment.

“So you think our chances are good that Hades
will allow Guard Falon to return to us?” Jaz asked, wishing to get
back on topic.

“I think so,” Zeus replied.

“And if not, we can always battle Hades to
let him go,” Ares said.

“War is to be the last resort,” Athena
replied. “Get a hold of yourself, Ares.”

“Must you always be logical?” Ares mumbled.
“You have the passion of a rock.”

“Enough,” Zeus interrupted. “We have more
important things to think about than your petty fights. We have to
come up with a plan to find Queen Ann. She’s in trouble and needs
our help. That is our first priority.”

Ares and Athena immediately stopped their
bickering.

Jaz was glad for their concern over Queen
Ann’s safety, but she was disappointed they didn’t care so much
about Guard Falon’s safety. But she would stay on Olympia until he
was back with her team. If it meant that she would have to confront
Hades herself, then so be it. No Paler would dare leave one of
their own behind, no matter what.

Chapter Eleven

Six years in the past

Dayton, Ohio

Planet: Earth

As soon as school ended for the day, Ann and
Stacey hopped in the car Ann’s mother let her borrow. They had
wanted to bring Teresa along, but since they were meeting two guys
instead of three, they felt it would be too awkward. They promised
their friend that if either one of them were going to see either
guy again, they would ask him if he had a friend they could pair
Teresa up with.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Ann said as she
threw her backpack on the backseat. She took out her car keys and
put the one she needed into the ignition. “Teresa should have been
the one to go to the college fair instead of me. I’m the one who’s
moving, not her.”

“I think you were meant to be there,” Stacey
replied as she slipped into the passenger seat. “You were supposed
to meet Hathor.”

Did Ann really believe that? Was there such a
thing as coincidence, or did everything happen for a reason?

“Anyway, you might as well enjoy going out
with a good looking guy while you can,” Stacey continued.

“True.” It certainly made life more
enjoyable, and it’d give her something fun to write about in her
diary.

“Speaking of guys, how are things with
William?” Stacey asked as Ann drove out of the parking lot. “Has he
asked you out yet?”

“He called last night and asked me out for
Friday night. He’s going to take me miniature golfing.”

“That sounds like fun. I wonder if college
guys think they are too sophisticated to play miniature golf?”

“I don’t see why college guys wouldn’t play
miniature golf. It’s a fun game no matter how old you are.”

“Good point.” Stacey studied her reflection
in her compact mirror before she closed it and looked at her
friend. “Are you nervous?”

“I am, but it helps that you’ll be there. You
know, to ease the tension. The first couple of dates are always the
worst.”

“Do you have a preference for either William
and Hathor yet?”

Ann considered the question. They were both
good looking, although in different ways. William had a rugged,
outdoors-type appeal. Hathor, on the other hand, had a regal
appearance about him that reminded her of the classic knight in
shining armor character she’d once heard about.

“It’s too soon to tell,” she finally said.
“Besides, I don’t know if things will go anywhere with either of
them. But,” she shot her friend a teasing grin, “this might be the
beginning of something big between you and Kent.”

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but I have a
good feeling about him.”

“I do, too. I think he’ll be good for you.
However, I can’t help but wonder what you’ll do about Toledo if
things work out with him. You’ve been wanting to go to college
there ever since freshman year.”

Stacey shrugged. “I can be persuaded to go to
another college if it meets up to my standards.”

Ann chuckled. She was going to miss Stacey
when she left for Florida. But she tried not to think about it.
This was a good day, and she didn’t want to spoil it.

A few minutes later, she pulled into the
visitor’s parking lot at the college. “Well, this is it. Are you
ready?”

“No and yes. If I could calm my nerves, I’d
be better off.”

“You’ll do fine. Remember, this could be
fate.” Ann parked her car and turned off the engine. Taking out the
campus map, she studied it. “The Student Union is that way.”

“Since you’re better at maps than I am, I’ll
follow you.”

Amused at her friend’s mock salute, Ann led
the way to the large building.

As soon as they spotted the guys, Stacey
grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Maybe we’d better not do
this.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know what to say. Kent’s going to
think I’m a stupid high school girl.”

“No, he won’t.” When Stacey didn’t look
convinced, she added, “Think of it this way: he’s probably just as
nervous as you are.”

“Do you think so? Do guys get nervous like we
do?”

“Of course, they do.”

“How can you be sure?”

“For one, they’re human like we are. And two,
Carson told me one time that he was afraid to talk to Lisa because
he was too nervous.”

Stacey’s face brightened. “He really said
that?”

Ann nodded. “And here’s something else to
remember: if Kent doesn’t like you, you’ll be where you were
before, with no boyfriend anyway. So what have you got to
lose?”

“I’m sure glad you’re here. I don’t know what
I’ll do when you’re gone. Oh, here they come.”

Ann turned her attention to Hathor and Kent,
and she returned Hathor’s smile. She had to admit that he was
attractive in his blue jeans and green t-shirt.

“Did you have any trouble finding this
place?” Kent asked.

“Nope. It was a piece of cake,” Stacey
replied.

By the way Stacey grimaced, Ann could tell
that Stacey felt self-conscious about the ‘piece of cake’ comment,
so she quickly said, “The map was easy to read.”

“That’s the beauty of this campus. It’s easy
to navigate,” Kent replied. “It’s just one of the reasons why this
is a great college. Would you like to see the rest of the
campus?”

“Sure,” Stacey said.

The three followed Kent as he talked about
the wonderful things on the campus, but Ann was barely listening.
She would have been more interested if she had any chance of going
to school here, but she would be going to a Florida college.

She was acutely aware of how close Hathor
walked next to her. Usually, she didn’t like to get near a guy
until she got to know him better, but with Hathor, it was as if
they had known each other for a long time, so it felt natural to be
so close to him. The same wasn’t true with William. With him, she
found herself keeping a safe distance.

For a brief moment, she thought that it was
too bad that Hathor wasn’t the one who planned to go to college in
Florida, but she quickly dismissed it. She didn’t even know Hathor
well enough to think such a thing.

“Over here are the dorms,” Kent rambled on.
“A lot of students like to live in the nearby apartments. Dorms are
smaller, but they’re also cheaper. Of course, since you two live in
the area, you’ll probably just commute from your homes.”

“Where did you come from?” Stacey asked
him.

“You’re going to laugh when I tell you.”

“Okay. So humor me.”

Kent shifted from one foot to the other.
“Toledo.”

Stacey’s eyes grew wide. “Toledo, Ohio?”

He nodded.

“Why didn’t you go to college there?”

“It was too busy.”

“You don’t think it’s busy here?” Hathor
asked. “I’ve never seen so many people crammed into one area in my
entire life.”

“Really? Where did you come from?” Ann
asked.

Hathor was ready to say something but paused.
“A place where you can go out in your backyard and see mountains in
the distance. There are certain sections that are well populated,
but it’s nothing like this. Being here, a person almost feels
trapped.”

“If that place was so wonderful, why did you
come here?”

Again, he hesitated then finally said, “I had
to.”

“No college there, huh?” Stacey guessed.

“If there was, it sounds like a nice place to
be,” Ann said.

“It is,” Hathor replied.

“We’re trying to sell them on this college,
not deter them from it,” Kent told Hathor, laughing. “Anyway, you
two are used to this area, so it won’t be any problem adjusting
here.”

“What is Toledo like then? How does that
college compare to this one?” Stacey asked.

Ann noted that Hathor seemed to be relieved
the conversation had turned back to Toledo. There was something
different about Hathor, Ann was sure of it. Her gut instinct told
her she could trust him with her life, so whatever separated him
from others wasn’t something bad. For all she knew, it might even
be good.

As Kent and Stacey talked, Hathor smiled at
her. “It’s not easy to explain where I’m from. You have to see it
to understand it. I came here because I had to.”

She was reminded of her impending move. “I
know that feeling. We can’t always choose where we end up.”

“Maybe not, but I like to think we can choose
who we end up with,” he softly said.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She sensed a hidden
message in his comment, but she didn’t even know where to begin in
finding out what that message was.