Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (13 page)

When Mirissa and the team arrived back at their hotel, they chose
to put off much-needed sleep, instead congregating in her mother’s room. Beck
opened her laptop to get an update on the storms. The harried reporter looked
as though she’d been pulled out of bed and immediately stuck in front of the
cameras. Her normal pristine appearance marred by disheveled hair, and makeup
that did little to conceal the bags under her bloodshot eyes.

********

CNN Special
Report

With only two days
left until six of the largest hurricanes ever recorded make landfall throughout
the world, yet another natural disaster has struck.

An earthquake,
measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, originated on the floor of the Atlantic
Ocean, and its effect will be devastating. The tsunami it generated is expected
to send a wall of water more than twenty meters high to the western coast of
the United Kingdom and possibly spread as far south as Morocco.

Although evacuations
in these areas were already underway in anticipation of Stormaggedon,
authorities fear that no amount of preparation will lessen the destruction a
wave of this magnitude this will cause.

In related news,
reports of impromptu prayer vigils are pouring in. Religions from every corner
of the globe are banding together, putting aside differences that once led to
war, in the hopes of staving off what they are calling “the end times.”

In this reporter’s
humble opinion, that may be the one good thing to come of these catastrophes.

Stay with us here at
CNN as we bring you all of the details of this worldwide emergency. I’m Julia
Saxon, and we’ll be right back.

As the camera remained on longer than expected, the final
shot showed Julia Saxon reaching below her desk to retrieve a bottle of Jack
Daniels.

********

With the report fresh in her mind, Mirissa called her
mother, hoping for a bit of good news.

“He’s still unconscious,” Myrine said. “But you know what
they say. No news is good news.”

Mirissa had never believed that particular phrase. In her
experience, no news usually just meant that she hadn’t found out about the
terrible stuff yet.

“You heard about the earthquake?” Mirissa asked.

“Yeah, I’m watching CNN. Don’t let it distract you, Mirissa.
Everything that’s going on is being caused by the box. Once you close it, it’ll
all be over. Now, bring me up to date on what’s going on with our mission,”
Myrine commanded.

The conversation took just a few minutes, but Mirissa
relished them. Once again having her mother in charge felt like a weight being
lifted off of her shoulders. She sounded so strong and confident, like she
understood everything going on and had already chosen the best possible course
of action to take. Unlike Mirissa, who didn’t understand any of it and had
absolutely no clue what to do next.

Beck pressed a few buttons on her cellphone and said, “I’m
patching Julian into the call. He’s looking into the sword but needs more
information.”

“I’m not finding any references to a sword at Delphi,”
Julian said through a yawn. “What else can you give me?”

Mirissa told him about her vision and gave the best description
of the sword she could. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had.

A knock at the door interrupted them.

“Can I come in?” Flip asked as he entered the room.

Mirissa nodded and placed a finger to her lips to indicate
she needed him to stay quiet.

“All right. I’ll start the search and get back to you as
soon as I have anything,” Julian said.

Before he could hang up, Myrine said, “No. Let the computer
do its thing, Julian. You need to sleep. That goes for all of you. We won’t
have any chance of finding the box and closing it back up if we’re all too
tired to function when the time comes. Take a few hours and start fresh in the
morning. That’s an order.”

When the lines went dead, Mirissa turned to
Flip
. “You doing okay?”

“Great. I don’t sleep much, so I thought I’d check in on you
guys to see how things went tonight. Anything interesting?” Flip gave her an
expectant look.

Although she wanted desperately to collapse into a deep
sleep at that very moment, Mirissa couldn’t bring herself to blow the little
guy off. “Kind of. We didn’t find what we were looking for, but we did happen
upon something else that might be important. I don’t suppose you know anything
about ancient swords.”

Flip straightened his shoulders. “As a matter of fact, I do.
It’s kind of a hobby of mine. All things ancient Greece, remember?”

“Okay, have you ever heard of a long curvy sword being
buried at Delphi?” Mirissa asked.

Flip’s brow wrinkled in thought as he scratched his chin.
“It could be …” His voice trailed off as he shook his head. “No, that can’t
be.”

“What?” Mirissa asked.

“Well, it sounds a little like the scythe of Zeus. But
that’s just off the top of my head.” His gaze lowered and he shoved his hands
in his pockets.

“What’s the scythe of Zeus?” Mirissa asked as Greco and Beck
took seats on the end of the bed.

“Well,” Flip began. “Legend has it that Zeus killed his
father, the Titan Kronos, with a scythe infused with great power. It’s the only
weapon that can kill a god.”

Orano moved to stand directly in front of the little man,
crossing his enormous arms. “Just off the top of your head, eh? Tell me, Flip.
How is it that you happen to know about the one thing we’re looking into right
now? The same thing, I might add, that our computer genius came up empty on not
two minutes ago.”

Flip took a tentative step back and cleared his throat.
“Just lucky, I guess.”

Mirissa slid in front of Orano to discourage him from
pummeling Flip. “Why don’t we all take my mom’s advice and get some sleep.” She
turned to
Flip
. “I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”
The look of relief that washed over his face at the prospect of making a clean
get away from Orano brought a smile to Mirissa’s lips.

As soon as Flip left, Orano started in on her. “You don’t
really believe him, do you?”

Mirissa took a deep breath and fell into the chair by the
window. “I don’t know.”

“Come on! He was part of Daedric’s team, he just showed up
when we were at Pella, and now he knows all about the mystery sword? How many
coincidences are you willing to buy?”

Mirissa rubbed her forehead against the headache threatening
to ruin any chance she had of sleeping that night. “I admit there’s room for
suspicion. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. For now…” She yawned. “Let’s call it a
night.”

Greco waited for Beck and Orano to leave, then sat in the
empty chair next to Mirissa’s. “Do you want to talk?”

“Not even a little bit.” One corner of Mirissa’s mouth
curved in smile. “Can we please do this some other time? I don’t have the
energy right now.”

Greco patted her knee and stood. “Fine. But don’t think that
this means you’re off the hook. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room.”

“You go on ahead. I think I’m going to sleep here tonight.”
She stood to give him a quick kiss. “Thanks for understanding, Greco.”

The now-empty room felt almost too quiet. The craziness of
the last few hours, although unproductive and really painful, had at least
succeeded in keeping her mind off of her father. With nothing left to distract
her, Mirissa’s thoughts latched onto the fear of losing him. A tear rolled down
her cheek as she climbed in the bed that still smelled of his aftershave.

I’ll make everything
okay, Dad. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you’re okay.

Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was that it
might very well be the last thing she ever did.

The sun was just beginning its ascent, slowly pushing aside
the darkness. Flip lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of his small hotel room. Since
leaving Mirissa and the others hours earlier, he’d been wracking his brain, trying
to figure out what to do.

Daedric has the
scythe—the one weapon capable of wiping out the gods.

His first instinct had been to alert the Omega Group, but his
position with them was precarious. Orano’s earlier suspicion had blown into
outright accusations when Flip revealed his knowledge of the scythe. He’d
accepted that it would be risky to tell them what he knew, but what choice did
he have? They needed the information and couldn’t get it any other way. At
least not in time to do anything about it.

For now, Flip needed to make a plan. He felt pretty sure
Ares didn’t know about Daedric’s little side trip to Delphi. The god of war
might be vindictive, but he’d never lay waste to his pantheon. No, it had to be
Eris behind that idea. Even without the motivation provided by being locked in
a box for five thousand years, that goddess would have gladly killed everyone
on Mount Olympus just for the sport of it.

A shiver ran through Flip’s body at the thought of sharing
what he knew with Ares. He had no idea how the higher god would react. He could
possibly be grateful for the knowledge and reward Flip for his loyalty. But,
just as possibly—and probably more likely—Ares would dole out a harsh punishment,
leaving Flip even worse off than he already was.

As another option, Flip could do nothing, and let Eris carry
out whatever revenge scenario she pleased. Surely a god of Flip’s stature
wouldn’t be on her hit list. He could simply lay low and, as the humans said,
let the chips fall where they may. Although, he didn’t understand what falling
fried potato slices had to do with anything. The more he thought about it, the
more appealing that option became.

He’d almost convinced himself to do just that, when his mind
wandered to Jill. She’d given him the most glorious gift the night before—his
first kiss. Flip’s hand went to his lips as he remembered the moment. What
would happen to his beautiful Jill—and his new friends—if Eris left no god
alive who could protect the humans?

Flip sat up in bed, his decision made. Jill and the others
needed him to protect them, and he damn well wouldn’t let them down.

********

“What do you want, horse companion?” Ares asked in his usual
condescending tone.

Flip stood in the center of the palace’s great library, the
only place Ares allowed others to teleport to. “I have news that you need to be
aware of.”

“Then spit it out. I’m due in Zeus’s chamber for a meeting.”
Ares paced the floor as he glowered at Flip, looking even more aggravated than
normal.

Perhaps Zeus already knew about the scythe and had called
the other higher gods in to deal with the problem. “What’s the meeting about?”

“Does it matter? When he calls, we go,” Ares said. His
grimace belied his casual tone, and Flip wondered if perhaps he’d chosen the
wrong time to bring bad news to the god.

“I’ll come back later. Enjoy your meeting,” Flip said with a
crooked half-smile.

Ares grabbed him by his collar and pulled him off his feet
to meet his gaze. “Tell me your news now, horse companion. I don’t want to have
to tolerate your presence again.”

“Yes, Flip. Tell us your news.” Eris stood in the doorway,
smirking at him with Daedric by her side.

Flip glanced from Ares to his sister, then back again. Feet still
dangling above the floor, he leaned in and whispered, “Can we talk in private,
Ares?”

“I don’t have time for your games.” Ares dropped him back to
the floor. “Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of them.”

Flip swallowed hard, knowing his next words might be his
last. “Daedric has the scythe.”

The god of war’s eyes widened, then immediately narrowed in
suspicion as he looked to his son. “Is this true?”

Daedric stayed silent for a moment, apparently weighing his
options. When Eris gave him a quick nod of her head, he pulled his shoulders
back and raised his chin. “Yes, Ares. It’s true.”

Flip held his breath as he awaited the violent reaction he
felt sure would come. With each passing second, the god of war grew more
enraged. His cheeks reddened as he paced the room. With one swipe of his hand,
hundreds of books crashed to the floor as their shelves were ripped from the
wall. When he raised his arm again, Flip reflexively covered his head.

“Calm down, brother,” Eris said. “It’s all part of my plan.”

“
Your
plan?” Ares
looked ready to explode. “This has all been
my
plan. I am the reason you’re free. I am the one keeping the box away from the
girl. I am the one that sired Daedric to make all of this possible.”

When Ares turned his wrath on Daedric, Flip thought the half-breed
might soil himself in fear.

“I created you! I gave you everything, and you betrayed me.
How dare you go behind my
back!
”

Instead of shying away from his father’s anger, Daedric
fought back. “You didn’t give me anything. I did everything you asked, and for
what? You promised to make
Flip
a higher god in return
for his loyalty. What did you promise me? Nothing, that’s what.”

Flip had to lower his head to hide the smile tugging at the
corners of his mouth. Daedric sounded like a petulant child and would no doubt
be punished severely for it.

Ares’s response, however, left
Flip
the one feeling petulant.

“I had no intention of fulfilling that promise. The horse
companion will never be a higher god. Not as long as I’m around.”

Once again, the occupants of the room had forgotten Flip’s
presence, or perhaps they just didn’t care if he heard them. Although his ego
took a beating, he knew once and for all that he’d made the right choice to
help the humans. To that end, Flip decided to ratchet up the tension in the
room.

“I have an idea,” he said. Every head turned toward him as
though just realizing he was there. “Why don’t you give the scythe to Ares for
safekeeping until the deadline to close the box is past?”

Ares’s brow furrowed at Flip’s apparent attempt to help him.
“Yes. The horse
compa
…
Flip
has made a good point. Give me the scythe.”

“I don’t think so, brother.” The smirk returned to Eris’s
face. “You’ve just shown that you can’t be trusted. The scythe stays with us.”
She turned to Daedric. “Are you coming, nephew?”

“Of course, Eris.” The half-breed sneered over his shoulder
at his father before returning his attention to the goddess. “It’s my pleasure
to serve you.”

With that, the two disappeared.

Ares stared, mouth agape, at the place his sister and son
once stood. His expression said he couldn’t believe they would even consider
betraying him, even though he’d frequently betrayed anyone who made the mistake
of trusting him.

“We’ll see about that,” Ares grumbled, before
he
, too, disappeared.

Relief washed over Flip as he realized he’d completed his
task without receiving so much as a scratch in punishment. Not wanting to tempt
the fates any more than he’d done already, he made a quick exit.

********

Mirissa glanced around Flip’s empty hotel room. The bed
looked as though it hadn’t been slept in, and there was no sign of Flip. All of
the drawers were empty, but that wasn’t so odd considering they hadn’t given
the man any time to pack before forcing him to stay there.

All in all, nothing in the room pointed to
Flip
being anything other than the archeologist he claimed
to be.

When she’d woken up that morning, Mirissa realized she
didn’t have her toothbrush or other toiletries with her. She’d made the
decision to sleep in her mom and dad’s room but hadn’t bothered to bring any of
her things. When she went back to hers to get cleaned up, and with Orano’s
words still nagging at her, she couldn’t help but stop at Flip’s door on her
way back.

He hadn’t answered her knock, which increased her worry that
Orano may have been right about him. She needed to know for sure, so with a
quick glance to ensure no one could see her, she’d teleported inside.

Now, surrounded by nothing suspicious at all after violating
the man’s personal space, Mirissa let the guilt wash over her. How could she
have jumped to such a crazy conclusion? He’d been nothing but kind and helpful
toward them, even when his life was put in danger. He was just an archeologist
who happened to be unlucky enough to stumble into a nightmare.

A slight breeze lifted her hair from her shoulder, but
before Mirissa had time to register the closed window, Flip teleported in,
appearing right in front of her eyes.

“Son of a bitch,” Mirissa growled. She extended her ring’s
blade and lunged at the unsuspecting Flip. His eyes grew wide at her attack.

“Wait!” he screamed. “I can explain.”

Although her blade missed its mark when Flip teleported
behind her, Mirissa was just getting started. She’d had enough of being played.
She’d befriended him, risked her life to protect him, and defended him every
time Orano became suspicious. No, Mirissa would take him down—painfully.

Using her telekinesis, she slammed him to the floor at the
end of his bed. “Who are you?”

The look of fear in Flip’s eyes only served to fill her with
even more rage. If he expected her to go easy on him, he was in for a big
surprise. “I will tear you limb from limb if you don’t come clean right now.”

To drive her point home, Mirissa flung him from the floor to
the ceiling, then back to the floor, much as Daedric had done to her father on
Ortega.

“Please,” Flip begged. “Give me a chance to explain.”

Either he was the least powerful being Mirissa had ever come
up against, or he’d chosen to hold back for some reason. Other than
teleporting, he hadn’t used any special powers to defend himself or to attack
her. Why?

Standing her ground, but not going on the offensive, Mirissa
let him get to his feet. “You have five minutes, and if I sense even a whiff of
a lie, I’ll end you. Understood?”

Flip nodded and began his story.