The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure (8 page)

Sam paused to listen before taking his next step down. “Oh, I’m sure it’s just—”

“Rats,”
I blurted, a shudder running through my body. “Oh, no. I can’t go down there, Sam. I can’t.”

“Oh,” said Sam. “That’s right.” He pulled a flashlight from his backpack, wincing as the beam swept across rows of moldering cardboard boxes, stacks of folding chairs…and a moving, furry floor. There were rats
everywhere
—hundreds of them. My chest clenched up, and I felt like the walls were closing in. I turned and started back up the stairs, but Sam grabbed me and shook his head. “The
leonte
,” he whispered.

“But you
know
how I feel about rats,” I said.

“You’re going to have to get over it,” said Sam. “There’s really no other choice.”

I took a deep breath. The basement smelled of mildew and rust and wet fur (though I guessed that last smell could be from Sam). He panned the flashlight over the writhing, squeaking floor, landing the beam on a small set of stairs directly opposite us. “There,” he said. “Those stairs lead to the main reading room. If we can make it across, we’ll be safe.”

“But how?” I said. “There must be a million of them!”

“Maybe you can get on my shoulders?” said Sam doubtfully.

“And risk you dropping me in the middle of the rat ocean? Fat chance.”

“Well, do you have any other ideas?” asked Sam, shining the light around the room.

Something brushed against my leg and I jumped straight up in the air, trying not to scream. This was literally my worst nightmare come true.

“There’re no other options?” I asked, angry that my voice sounded so weak and frightened.

“Um,” said Sam. “Not really, no.”

I nodded, glad the darkness was hiding my face. “This hero thing is the worst.”

I heard him laugh, then pause. “It’ll probably get worse.”

“It can’t get worse. This is the worst. The worst thing ever. In the whole wide world. That’s ever happened. Ever.”

He was quiet for a second. “But if you can get through this, you can probably get through anything, right? In the whole wide world? Ever?”

“Do you enjoy being annoying?” I asked. Then I sighed, knowing he was right. I had to start facing my fears if I wanted to be a hero. “What do we do?”

“They won’t hurt us,” he said. “Just stay calm and move slowly. Slide your feet along the floor, and they won’t even know you’re there.”

I tried to prevent myself from hyperventilating again, and to slow my racing heartbeat.
Get it together, Zane,
I thought. I nodded, then realized Sam couldn’t see me. “Okay,” I managed. “Let’s do it.”

“I’m right here if anything happens,” said Sam. “I promise it’ll be okay.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore. Let’s just do it.”

“Okay,” said Sam. “I’ll point the light at the stairs. Just focus on those, not the floor. Hold onto my backpack,” he said, pulling it tight over both shoulders.

I bit my lip and grabbed his bag, trying not to think about all those sharp little claws and weird naked tails and beady eyes.

“On three, okay?” said Sam, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude that I had a friend like him, someone who could literally get me to overcome my worst fears.
Focus on that
, I thought.
Focus on the good
.

“One…” said Sam, and I closed my eyes, sucking in a deep breath. “Two…Three.”

We both exhaled as Sam slowly stepped forward, sliding his feet along the floor underneath the squirming masses. I followed, struggling to hold onto his bag, nearly tripping down the stairs. As my second foot reached the floor, I squeezed my eyes even tighter and focused on matching my breath to the shuffling of our feet. IN. Slide right, slide left. OUT. Slide right, slide left. IN. Just sliding along. OUT. Nothing creepy going on.

Then…before I knew it, Sam’s backpack lifted as we stepped onto the opposite staircase.

He turned to me. “You did it!” he exclaimed. As he hugged me, the flashlight cast weird shadows across the walls.

Blood pumped in my ears and I could barely hear the squeaking anymore. I
did
do it. Maybe there was something heroic inside of me after all.

I cleared my throat, hoping my voice would come out strong. “Thanks,” I said. “Let’s get upstairs.”

Sam pointed the light up at a door, then bowed and extended his arm. “After you,” he said. “You earned it.”

My knees were weak as I climbed into the library’s main reading room. I hadn’t been there since I was a little kid. Stacks of books marched off in all directions. A few bookshelves had been overturned. Some books formed piles in the corners like snowdrifts. Others were torn and strewn around, smashed by muddy footprints. Judging from the piles of wrappers and cans, and the articles of old clothing strewn across the furniture, we weren’t the only ones who had discovered a way in. On the marble floor near the exit were the remnants of an old campfire.

I had mixed feelings about this place, but whatever you thought of libraries, there was no denying that this one was sad. Nobody had even bothered to sell or give away the books. The building had just been abandoned. Even the transients or local teenagers who’d broken in over the years didn’t care enough to bother with the books—except to use them as tinder for fires.

In the center of the room, under the ornate domed ceiling, a ten-foot-tall statue stood on a high pedestal.

The figure wore flowing robes. She held an open book in one hand like she was about to recite a poem. Her face was beautiful but stern. Her dark hair fell in ringlets around her face.

I’m sure I’d seen the statue before, but I’d never paid it much attention. Now I realized what it was.

“A Greek goddess?” I asked.

Sam nodded. “The goddess of memory and language: Mnemosyne.”

He pronounced it like
Nemo
Sign
, though as far as I could tell, the goddess had nothing to do with cartoon fish.

“Never heard of her,” I admitted. “She’s not one of the
big
gods, I guess.”

Sam cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t say things like that.”

“It’s only a statue.”

“It’s a statue of a goddess, and the gods are real. She’s one of the early Titan deities, one of the
good
Titans. She’s the mother of the Nine Muses who oversee all the arts: music, poetry, dancing, and whatnot. Anyway, libraries are Mnemosyne’s sacred place. Her spirit is strong here. She
protects
this place.”

I looked around at the ruined furniture and piles of trash. “She’s doing a great job.”

“Seriously, be more respectful.” Sam glanced at the goddess’s face. “Her presence will keep the monsters at bay. At least…it should. We’ll get our supplies together, rest here for the night, and figure out our next move.”

“Our next move…” My heart sank. “So even if we defeat this other lion that’s following us—”

“There will always be more monsters,” Sam said grimly. “Now that they’ve located you, they’ll never stop trying to kill you. You’re a demigod. Your life…well, from here on out, it’ll be hard. But I’ll be with you. You’re not alone.”

I appreciated Sam saying that, but I was starting to process the fact that I couldn’t go home. Not tonight. Maybe not ever. My life had fundamentally changed. I would never be able to go back to
anything
resembling normal.

Sam approached the base of the statue. He pushed the bronze plaque inscribed with the goddess’s name. The pedestal hissed, and the front part swung open like a refrigerator door.

Inside was a locker almost as tall as I was. I spotted two hiking packs with bedrolls and water bottles. And hanging on the back wall of the cabinet was a sheathed sword with a blue gem glowing faintly on the pommel.

Before I could say anything, a glass window shattered behind me. A lion even bigger than Ms. Roche crashed through and landed only ten feet away.

“There you are.” The lion’s voice was definitely male. His snarling face was wreathed in a shaggy golden mane. His fully extended claws gleamed white. He rose on his haunches, which only made him look scarier. “You destroyed my sister,” he snarled. “Now I will destroy you.”

My lungs deflated like old helium balloons. “Your—your sister? You mean you and Ms. Roche—”

“We are
leontes
!” the lion bellowed. “The children of Atalanta! We always hunt in pairs. Normally, the female has the honor of the kill, but since you sent her back to Tartarus—”

“Wait.” I was hoping if I bought us a little time, Sam could get us out of this somehow. Maybe one of the packs in the cabinet contained a few hand grenades or possibly a bazooka. “Um, Mr. Lion…sorry, but I always like to know who’s killing me. You said you’re a child of who?”

“Atalanta!” he cried. “The most famous Greek heroine! A glorious hunter. The fastest of runners. She and our father Hippomenes were cursed by that ridiculous love goddess Aphrodite simply because they forgot to make a few sacrifices during their wedding ceremony. Aphrodite changed them into lions! Ever since, we their descendants have prowled the world, looking for revenge. Since we cannot destroy the gods, we destroy their children!”

I was out of magical tree-growing gold coins, so I glanced at Sam, hoping he had found a bazooka. Sadly, he was frozen in terror. He may have been my self-proclaimed protector, but at the moment he was about as helpful as the statue of Nemo Sign.

“Well, Mr. Lion…” My voice sounded as squeaky as Mickey Mouse. “I can tell you’re upset. But, uh, I don’t even know the gods. I didn’t know I was a demigod until like an hour ago—”

“Good!” snarled the lion. “I will destroy you before you learn your powers!”

I looked around frantically. Should I go for the sword? Or try to outwit the lion?

The lion tensed to pounce.

“Let’s wait for another car. I really think I can convince the next person who comes by.”

Sam nodded. “Okay, I trust you. But you can’t screw this one up!”

“So much for trust! Don’t worry, I won’t.”

I walked back to the center of the road and scanned the horizon, waiting, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. Time was running out. What if that…
thing
caught us? Each of its claws was nearly as big as my head.

“Zane!” Sam pointed down the road in the same direction the last car had come from.

My heart beat faster and I started waving and jumping up and down as the car approached. It was a small station wagon driven by an old woman—
a much better option
, I thought.

As the woman slowed and stopped, I ran around to the driver’s side window. “Thank you for stopping,” I said. “We need your help.”

The woman peered at me over small metal-framed glasses but kept the window rolled up. I continued, undeterred. “My friend and I need to get to the library to meet my mother. We’re late. Could you give us a ride? Please? It’s close by. We’re very nice…” She just stared at me with squished old woman eyes and shook her head. As I trailed off, she looked back toward the road and the car began rolling forward.

“No!” I said, walking alongside the car, looking nervously at the tree line. I knocked on the window, but that only made her press harder on the gas pedal. “We’re in trouble, ma’am. Please. We need help. You have to help us.”

“Zane?” said Sam nervously. “Look!”

I watched in horror as the trees wavered and the
leonte
charged out, running toward us at full speed.

I banged on the window harder now. “Ma’am?
Please
. Let us in.”

The car sped up. The
leonte
got closer.

“We’re toast,” said Sam.

“I’m sorry!” I said, jogging alongside the car now, trying to keep up. It was going faster and faster, pulling away from us, leaving me panting in the middle of the road as the
leonte
got within striking distance. I scanned the area for a weapon I could use, but there wasn’t anything, not even a rock I could throw.

The car disappeared over the hill. I’d failed again.

Sam looked at me in despair, then turned to the
leonte
and raised his fists.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and a small white meter maid cart zoomed up. It moved so fast, it may as well have dropped straight from the sky.

The
leonte
pulled up short as a man wearing navy shorts and a light blue polo shirt stepped out of the car and raised his hands. “Stop. By the powers of Olympus, I compel you to show mercy to these two.”

The
leonte
roared its displeasure, eyes narrowing.

“Aren’t you one of those people who give parking tickets?” I said.

The man smiled wearily and ran a hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. “I almost always let people off with a warning.”

Sam squinted as he examined the vehicle more closely. “Are you a god?”

“My name is Eleos. I’m sort of an…uncle or cousin of the gods. But if it helps, you can think of me as the god of mercy.”

“And you’re going to stop this thing from eating us?”

The man considered me for a moment. His eyes, which had appeared black from a distance, were actually…not there. I suppressed a shudder as I gazed into the empty sockets. “Yes,” he said. “There are great things in store for you—if you live. But this is a one-time deal. Mercy is rare in this world. Most people aren’t lucky enough to meet me at all.”

He once again raised his hands to the
leonte
and I suddenly noticed that they were three times the size they should have been. “Run,” he commanded. “You’ve shown these young people no compassion, and I have none for you.”

The
leonte
growled, baring his teeth and crouching as if to strike.

Eleos took another step forward. “Go,” he said.
“Now.”

The
leonte
looked at the hands, glanced at us, growled his annoyance, then high-tailed it for the forest.

Eleos turned to me. He seemed weary again. “Take care with your decisions, young hero,” he said. “You won’t get another chance like this. Now go. The
leonte
will be back soon after I leave.”