Unlocking Olympus: Chapter 7

Unlocking Olympus

Chapter Seven: Alectrona

I left the human clothes Krissy bought me, hidden deep in my bed back at the treehouse and I don’t regret it one bit. Flying in the sky in a tight-fitting dress must be the hardest and stupidest idea in the whole world. I would be visiting my dear brothers, not him or any other god she had in mind. But I did get the Louis Vuitton bag with me just in case my brothers give me any souvenirs.

Swooping lower below the clouds, lower and lower until the tips of my fingers were touching the ocean, I teared through the opposing current of air at full speed. I did hope to reach Rhodes by the time the sun was beginning to set. I encountered sea nymphs, waving at me like they’ve known me for so long. I waved back at some, thinking that my mother was like them, a water-based nymph that the Titan-god of the sun, Helios, had fallen in love with, who bore him the Heliadae and me. We had other brothers and sisters by my mother’s sisters but it didn’t matter.

I was lost in thoughts that I had to stop mid-air to look back at the island of Rhodes. I was home. A smile spread across my lips and I flew back, descending, toes first on the ground. Raising both hands to tie my hair in a tight ponytail, the golden bands wrapped on my arms and ankles, I stayed invisible to eyes of the humans. I didn’t come for them, I came for what’s left of my nine brothers.

The island was lively as always and bursting with human activity. The modernity of humans, if, at one point amusing, was still something the gods couldn’t grasp. And though we are adapting with the times, we couldn’t help retaining our olden inclinations.

Walking past familiar roads and unfamiliar surroundings, I could easily see the spot where the Colossus used to be. It’s a statue of our father: so massive and divine, it was how the people of Rhodes worshipped him. But it was only destroyed during one of Poseidon’s angry days, trampling it down with an earthquake that was so powerful. Of course, father didn’t turn a blind eye on it and asked for repentance. Poseidon’s answer was his own daughter.

True, their relationship had a rough start but eventually they fell in love, and had ten bouncing children. I could say it’s a rather pretty tale. And you don’t always get that same love story with any other gods.

I reached my brothers’ ‘den’ and entered the massive wooden doors. It wasn’t the old stone house they had built millennia ago, it was a two-storey house, with glass windows, the walls painted white. It was so sleek that I couldn’t help feeling amazed at how modern they were.

Auges, the second to the youngest of my nine brothers, welcomed me with a warm hug. “Well, look who’s here!” he exclaimed, putting on his work belt his telescope.

“Where are the others?” I asked him, looking around their house. “How did you manage to build this house?”

“Ochimus is in the observatory upstairs.” He mentioned, and whispering, he added, “He practically lives there. Cercaphus is in the kitchen. But I doubt he’s cooking something. He’s probably staring at constellations once again. Thrinax…” he paused, catching his breath. “Hmm, staring at the skies.”

“Yeah, about that.” I started but he went ahead towards the left side of the house.

“Come, the kitchen’s this way.” He called, his sky-blue eyes sparkling, reflecting the rays of the setting sun. I gazed at it by the window on my side, the feeling of being abandoned by the one thing that kept you strong sinking in my gut.

“Ah, Auges!” I called, trying again to ask them if they know something about what had happened in Olympus. Even if they weren’t in the actual place, at least they can sense something. They aren’t just gazing at the stars like complete buffoons, they could also observe beyond them. And I hoped they saw what Olympus the day I went down.

“You see,” he turned towards me, stopping short. He leaned on the frame of the door and crossed his sleeved arm. Even though it was warm this evening, he was wearing a wool sweatshirt. “Cercaphus had this fling once… about a century ago. She was a beautiful nymph. Great-great-great whatever granddaughter of Poseidon, I guess. He was ready to ask her hand in marriage but then he found her dead. Apparently, a jealous satyr had killed her. You know the usual stuff? You can’t be mine then nobody will ever have you. That kind of drama.”

I gasped. “That’s horrible!”

He shrugged and chuckled. “Devastating.Cercaphus was depressed. Vowed to avenge her and flayed the satyr alive.”

“Well, that isn’t new.” I walked over to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “My, you’ve grown taller!” I commented silently but didn’t really interrupt his story.

He looked back, a nerve popping on his neck and I followed suit. Cercaphus was there, leaning on the sink of their kitchen. “He got her corpse and blessed it. Now, she’s in the skies, as a constellation where he could stare at forever.”

I breathed out in sympathy and caught my other younger brother in a tight hug. His arm raising in surprise, Cercaphus looked back and hugged me back. “Hey, it’s been a long time, Electryone.”

Laughing, I patted his shoulder. I can’t believe he’s now taller than me. “You’ve grown too. And no, people call me Alectrona now.”

“Ah, yes, yes.” He absentmindedly nodded, “Time has changed, passed and will never return to what it was before.” He sighed, returning to his earlier position. I looked worriedly at Auges and he shrugged.

He pulled me by the hand and smiled softly. “Come, let’s meet the others. They’ll be ecstatic to see you.”

“By the way, Auges, I’ve been meaning to ask.” I finally managed to interrupt. “You’ve been watching the skies, correct?”

“Yes.” He simply answered, not looking at me.

“Then—”

He stopped, his head bowed. I could sense the anxiety wrapping his form. Auges had always been the happiest kid in the litter, but now he was different. The grim expression on his face, the dark look in his eyes all spelled one thing: something’s definitely not right. “You have fled Olympus sometime last week.” He started and I thought I should talk to him about this in the couch. So I was the one who led him to their living area, walking around like I knew the place and sat beside him. “The gates have been closed. Most of the temples are destroyed but the gods… they’re still up there. Imprisoned, unable to come down.”

“Yes, apparently that’s what had happened. It was what I last knew before coming down.” I said, playing with the frills of my silk tunic, the smooth cloth suddenly felt cold to the touch. “But who would do such a thing? I know there’s always been war among the gods. It’s like a norm but to close the gates? Well, that’s a first.”

“At least now, I have one culprit in mind.”

“Hades?” I knitted my brows. Of course, with all that had happened among the Big Three, it was always Hades with this kind of scheme.

To my surprise,Auges slowly nodded. “Corpse Breath isn’t present at the banquet the day before even the day when that happened. Barnacle Beard, though arriving late for the meeting the day after, was there. And yes, Air Head, of course, wouldn’t miss a thing. I’ve scanned every bit of Olympus. Hades isn’t anywhere. What’s more, the spot where the gate is was totally blurred, like something odd is enveloping it. What that is, I don’t know.”

Auges shrugged his shoulders and we both looked up to a crashing sound and the eldest among them, Ochimus’s voice. “Thrinax, I told you not to tinker with my binoculars!”

“He’s still using binoculars?” My face crumpled in disbelief.

Auges finally laughed. “Apparently, yes. Says it’s better than telescopes.”

“But I thought…” I mumbled, pointing at the ceiling.

“The observatory?” he asked, “Nah, the room has a large glass dome above it. We still have to wait for the gigantic telescope Hephaestus was making. But then again, with the situation now, who knows if we can still receive it.”

“Hi, Electr—I mean, Alectrona.” Ochimus greeted from the stairs, and I looked up at him. He was holding Thrinax by the shoulder, pushing him downwards. “Keep still, you little—”

“Hey, hey!” I stood, relieved for a moment at the welcoming atmosphere of my brothers’ bond.”Thrinax!”

“Alectrona!” he exclaimed, escaping from our brother’s hold. “You’re safe! Ochimus and all of us were worried you won’t be able to come out of Olympus.”

“Where are you staying now?” Ochimus asked, appearing behind Thrinax. “Chrysopeia’s?”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?”

“I saw through my binoculars.” He bragged, putting on his proud expression.

“He’s lying.” Auges snapped, breaking his ego. “He checked on you once. You know him, acts like the eldest when you are.”

“I’m still the eldest brother, at least I should keep watch. She’s still our sister.”

I smiled. Ah, I guess this stay will be worthwhile. And I do hope I find out more while I am here.

Gazing again outside the window, at the blackening sky, the horizon tinted only with a dark orange line, I began to feel at home once again.

 Check out more of my stories in Wattpad!

Read Project: Exodus by Marigold Uy!