The Return of the Titans Page 8

  This time, Aaron was standing in front of Coeus. Wow, thought Justin, he got the nice old man. Crap. And as he looked across at Gerry, he saw the symbol light up over the figure of Crius. And Gerry got the cool guy with the leather armor. Justin sighed. Great.

  “You okay, Aaron?” he asked.

  His friend smiled and waved his hand, palm out, at Justin. “Yup, got a symbol like Norm. He was right, Justin. It really doesn't hurt too badly at all.”

  Justin tried to smile, although he felt a little resentment. It's not Aaron's fault he was chosen by that one, he thought. “That's great, Aaron. Now you get to watch me sweat.”

  Aaron laughed and walked over to stand by the others. Gerry had already rejoined Norm. They were talking quietly and comparing palms.

  Just me left, Justin thought. Reminds me of being picked last in gym. He shook his head and moved on. This is nothing like gym, he told himself firmly. Now let's get on with it!

  He put his hand on the plate beneath Oceanus. No reaction. The same thing happened with Tethys. Well, no water for me, he thought whimsically. Next.

  He looked at the grim Iapetus and his equally somber wife. Not really eager to be in either family, he reluctantly touched both plates in turn. And again there was no reaction.

  As he turned away from the figure of Themis, he stopped short. The next portrait was of Hyperion. Justin looked at Mr. Fitzgerald. “Should I even bother with these two,” he said, indicating Hyperion and Theia.

  The man shook his head. “I think you can skip those, Mr. McLeod. If you were to react, your next meeting with a Sentinel could have...unfortunate consequences.”

  As if his words had conjured one of them, the group heard the now familiar sound of metal on stone. Uh-oh, Justin thought.

  The heavy tread grew louder and then, from the stairwell rose two sharp horns, followed by the massive torso and shaggy animal legs of the minotaur. It reached the top of the stairs, turned toward Justin and stopped, a statue once more.

  The group had moved away from the staircase, including Mr. Fitzgerald. Now they stared at the minotaur, whispering among themselves.

  “So what's with the Sentinel, sir?” Aaron asked loudly.

  Mr. Fitzgerald just shrugged. “I have no idea. They patrol Sanctuary endlessly, wandering in and out of rooms seemingly at random, although I personally think there is a pattern in their movements. But why it is here now, I don't know.”

  Justin stared at the Sentinel. I wonder if its the same one from yesterday, he thought. He still believed it was the most beautiful of all the ones he'd seen. As he watched, the burning glow in its eyes faded. He stared at it for another minute but it showed no signs of waking up. So Justin turned back and faced the portraits.

  He walked slowly past Hyperion. There was almost a tangible sense of menace emanating from the picture and the eyes seemed to follow Justin as he moved past. He felt the same as he bypassed Theia. Then he came to the portrait of Cronus.

  Noble, he thought as he looked up at that face. There was a definite sense of nobility in those features and, Justin squinted slightly, a sense of sadness and loss. The beard only seemed to heighten the feeling that here was a ruler, a king. Justin felt a shiver run down his spine. Then he turned and looked around again at all the portraits. What must they have been like? Had they really been Titans, in the full sense of the word? Giants striding across ancient Earth, living, breathing. He looked at Hyperion. Fighting, dying? I wonder what it was like, he thought.

  Then he turned, still in an almost dream-like state, and placed his palm on the black plate.

  There was a deep rumble of sound, as though a huge bell had tolled somewhere under ground. The plate under Justin's hand glowed brightly and an intense pain shot through his palm. It felt like he'd been burned with a white-hot poker. He pulled his hand back with a yelp and clenched his fist over the burning agony. A streak of light traveled up the sides of the figure and, like the three others before him, ignited the symbol over the portrait. But instead of a silvery light, a flash of pure gold lit the room.

  Justin fell to his knees. The pain in his hand wouldn't stop. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. He looked down, almost positive that he would see a hole burned right through the back of his hand. But it looked normal, there was no smell of burning flesh, which almost surprised him. Then he felt hands gripping his shoulders hard.

  “Justin, are you all right?” It was Mr. Fitzgerald. And he had called Justin by his first name! He almost forgot the pain for a moment in his surprise. The hands on his shoulders were suddenly wrenched away and he heard Mr. Fitzgerald say “What the...?”

  The pain in his palm was either easing or he was getting used to it, because Justin was able to stand slowly and look around. He gaped in surprise.

  Mr. Fitzgerald was lying on his back several yards away, with the other boys around him trying to help him up. Justin's view was blocked then by two enormous bronze legs. The minotaur had come to life and was standing over him, looking down. Justin swallowed and backed up so quickly he hit the wall behind him. The pain was forgotten in his shock at seeing the massive Sentinel looming over him. He stared up into those blazing red eyes. And then felt his jaw drop as the huge statue slowly dropped to one knee and inclined its head.

  “Holy crap,” he heard Aaron exclaim. Then he said hesitantly “Hey Justin, you okay?”

  “Um, yeah. I think so. The pain is fading finally.” He slowly unclenched his fist and looked down at his palm. Like the others, he had a miniature copy of the symbol from the wall. But his wasn't dark like theirs had been, more of a silvery color. And it seemed to glow slightly. He looked at the Sentinel again. It continued to kneel and stare at him. Justin felt his shock replaced by an awkward feeling of embarrassment. “Could...could you please get up?” he muttered to the Sentinel. At once, with a snort that sent two small jets of fire from its nostrils, the minotaur stood. It watched him a moment longer, then turned heavily, walked to the stairs and left.

  “Wow,” Justin said.

  Chapter 7

  Justin hurried over to Mr. Fitzgerald, who was getting up slowly. “Are you okay, sir?” he asked.

  Surprisingly, the man chuckled. “I'm fine, Mr. McLeod.”

  Oh, so I'm Mister again, Justin thought.

  “I've never been pushed aside by a ton of metal before.” Mr. Fitzgerald continued. “All in all, I could have lived without the experience.” He grimaced slightly as he rubbed his left shoulder. “But no matter. How are you doing?”

  Justin shrugged. “I'm okay. I didn't know that they,” he pointed at the portraits, “could do that. You know, burn like that.”

  “Did it really hurt, Justin?” Aaron asked with concern. “Mine just sort of tingled for a moment. Kind of like a hard pinch.”

  “Oh it hurt, all right,” Justin answered. “But it's okay now.” He looked down at his palm at the symbol. He hadn't really noticed before, but it was shaped like a circle, with three half-circles intersecting it, like horns sticking out around the edges. “So when does it start to fade?”

  “Start to fade?” Gerry looked down at Justin's hand. “Mine faded almost right away. Hey, how come it's shiny?”

  “That is pretty cool, Justin,” Norm said, staring at the mark. He looked at his own palm but there was nothing there any more. “Oh well,” he said with a sigh, “guess I'm back to regular old me.” The boys all laughed.

  Justin caught Mr. Fitzgerald staring at him. “Something wrong, sir?”

  “Wrong? I don't think so, Mr. McLeod. But my research did not mention anything about a silver mark on the palm, or the intense pain for that matter. I'm going to have to check into this more thoroughly. But in the meantime, thank you all for participating in this. The rest of the young people will be brought in later, in small groups. So,” he indicated the stairs, “off you go. I would think that it's nearly lunch time. It will be served in your rooms again, until we can organize a proper dining hall.”

  Everyone started down th
e stairs, discussing what had happened. Mr. Fitzgerald stayed in the room above. Justin realized that he was starving and was eager to get back to his room. Aaron said the same, as did the other two, so they all hurried down the corridor, into the courtyard and toward the hall that led to the boys quarters.

  Back in their room, Justin and Aaron barely had time to sit down when the door chimed. “Come in,” they both said and Mrs. Mallon and the same older man they had seen earlier entered the room.

  “Well, how was your morning stroll, gentlemen?” the lady asked with a smile.

  “It was...interesting, Mrs. Mallon,” Aaron answered. Justin was watching both of the adults lay large trays in front of Aaron and himself and didn't answer.

  “And you, Justin? How as your morning?”

  “Um, fine ma'am,” he said. Then he looked sharply at Mrs. Mallon. “Hey, you called me Justin!”

  She chuckled. “I think we can forgo the formalities when it's just us, don't you?”

  He nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. And thanks, Mrs. Mallon.”

  She just smiled then turned and looked at Aaron. He grinned.

  “Please, please, pretty please call me Aaron, Mrs. Mallon?” he asked, dramatically clasping his hands together as if begging.

  The lady rolled her eyes. “All right, Aaron. No need to be a smarty pants!”

  He chuckled, then gave her a puzzled look. “What's a smarty pants?”

  Mrs. Mallon burst out laughing and the man with her grinned widely. “Thanks Aaron, now I really feel old.”

  Still laughing, they both left the room.

  Aaron looked at Justin who was also grinning. “Well, what is it anyway?”

  “It's a wise guy, Aaron,” Justin said.

  “Oh, right. Yeah that's me, for sure.” Aaron sighed. “At least that's what my teachers all think. So,” he grabbed the cover of the tray in front of him, “what's for lunch?”

  They both lifted the covers off at the same time. 'Whoa!” Justin exclaimed.

  “Woo hoo! Pizza!” Aaron practically shouted. “Man, I could get to like it here.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Justin said. “Once I figure out what the heck is going on. Oh well, time for that later.” And they both attacked their meal.

  After lunch, Mrs. Mallon and her helper, whom she finally introduced as Mr. Bellisle, came back to Justin and Aaron's room to get the trays.

  “So, I'm told that you two can continue your exploration of Sanctuary today, at least until dinner time.” She looked up at the clock. “Which means you have five hours or so. We serve dinner at six.”

  Justin sat back heavily. “Maybe later, Mrs. Mallon. I have some stuff to think about.” He looked across at Aaron. “Go ahead if you want to, Aaron.”

  “Naw, I'll wait for you,” Aaron said. He glanced around the room. “Sure wish we had a TV or the Net or something though.”

  “Well, you can always play Arena,” Mr. Bellisle said.

  Mrs. Mallon rolled her eyes. “Al, you are hooked on that blasted game, do you know that?”

  The man chuckled. “It's good clean fun, Janet. What's the harm?”

  She just shrugged and picked up a tray. Mr. Bellisle took the other one.

  “Hey, wait a minute, please,” Aaron spoke up. “What's, um, Arena?”

  The man put down the tray at the end of the long table. “That's Arena,” he said and pointed at the square of metal embedded into the table.

  “'Scuse me?” Justin and Aaron looked at each other in puzzlement then back at Mr. Bellisle. The man chuckled.

  “Here, watch,” he said. He moved to sit beside Aaron. “Scooch over a bit, would you?”

  Aaron slid over on the couch and Mr. Bellisle moved until he directly faced the flat metal surface.

  “Now, to start the game, just run your finger over the runes on your side of the square.” He rested his index finger on the bottom right corner of the square and then pulled it along the symbols over to the left corner. The texture of the metal changed. It became smoother and shinier, and then an oblong circle formed just inside the edge of the metal. It rose several inches above the surface, forming a wall.

  Justin and Aaron watched with fascination. “Lean forward and look inside the Arena,” Mr. Bellisle told them.

  Both boys looked inside. The walls of the arena sloped down to the flat surface, which inside had become rough and pebbly. The floor of the arena was about a foot and a half wide and a foot long. It almost looks like a miniature football stadium, Justin thought. But there was nothing inside on the floor of the arena.

  “That's cool, Mr. Bellisle, but now what? It's just a small empty arena,” Aaron said, sounding disappointed.

  “Ah, the impatience of youth,” the man said smiling. “Now you choose your avatar.”

  “My what?” Aaron looked confused.

  “The figure that you will control when you play the game. Look at the runes again.” Mr. Bellisle looked up at Justin. “You too, Justin. They are the same on both sides.”

  “Each rune will summon a different avatar. You can also touch two or more runes for even more avatars. There are a lot of combinations. I don't think I've even seen them all yet.” Mr. Bellisle was talking rapidly. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about the game. Mrs. Mallon stood by the door, holding her tray. She snorted slightly with annoyance.

  “Al, we have to get these trays back to the kitchen sometime today, you know,” she said sarcastically.

  “Patience, Janet. It doesn't take long to explain. Go on ahead. I'll be along in a few minutes.”

  “Yes, well, don't lose track of the time. We have a lot to do today.” And with that, Mrs. Mallon swept from the room.

  Mr. Bellisle ignored her departure. “Now, guys, once you have chosen an avatar, you need to control it. Here, let me pick one just to show you how it's done. Justin, come around and watch. It'll save time.”

  Justin got up, walked around the table and sat down on Mr. Bellisle's right. Aaron was sitting on his left.

  The man touched the first symbol on the right and they watched amazed as a small figure, maybe an inch tall, rose from the surface.

  “Hey cool!” Aaron said. “It's a gryphon!”

  “Yep, a gryphon,” Mr. Bellisle agreed. “Now, once you have your avatar, rest the four fingers of each hand on the four outer-most runes on either side. Like this. Got it?” He looked first at Aaron then at Justin. Both nodded. “Good. It will take you a while to get used to the controls. Do either of you play piano?”

  Both boys said no. “Pity,” Mr. Bellisle said. “Controlling your avatar is almost like playing a keyboard on a piano. Oh well, no matter. So, watch what happens as I use the runes.”

  Both teens watched, mesmerized as Mr. Bellisle touched the runes with his fingertips. It does look like he's playing music, Justin thought.

  They watched as the tiny gryphon opened its wings and flapped them once. It reared back and waved its front talons in the air. At the same time, it flung back its head and let out a small but audible screech.

  “Oh that is so cool!” Aaron said. Justin agreed and watched as the figure paced around the arena, moved forward and back, even sat down on its haunches.

  “So how does it actually battle, sir?” Aaron asked eagerly.

  “When the two avatars touch in the arena, the fight begins automatically,” Mr. Bellisle answered. “Each avatar has two special attacks, and that's where your thumbs come in. Now watch the gryphon.” The man tapped his right thumb on the fifth rune beside his fingers. The gryphon whirled, its wings slashing the air in front of it. “And the other attack is this,” Mr. Bellisle said and used his other thumb. This time, the gryphon leaped into the air and punched downward with its two forelegs. Justin noticed a tiny, thin strand of metal kept the figure attached to the metal surface. “You can also combine the two special attacks into one. And when you are done, or want to change avatars, just remove all your fingers from the runes.” As he said this, Mr. Bellisle lifted his hands from the symbols
and the gryphon seemed to melt back into the metallic floor of the arena.

  He sat back and beamed at the two teens. For a moment, they were too amazed to say anything. Justin finally spoke up and thanked Mr. Bellisle. “Not at all, not at all,” the man said as he got up and picked up the tray. “Just don't turn into an Arena addict like me, or Mrs. Mallon will have my head.” He smiled at them and headed for the door.

  “Um, Mr. Bellisle? How do we turn it off?” Aaron asked.

  The man laughed. “Oh of course! Stupid of me. Just run your finger along the runes in the opposite direction, from left to right. Have fun, guys.” He nodded and left the room.

  Justin moved back to his couch. “So, you want to try it?” he asked Aaron.

  “Are you kidding? Of course!” He reached out and then hesitated. “Let's go through some of the avatars, see what's available.”

  Justin nodded. “Good idea. Go ahead, I'll watch.”

  “Okay, here goes.” Aaron touched the rune beside the first one that Mr. Bellisle had used.

  The floor of the arena shimmered and another little figure arose.

  “Hey, nice!” Aaron exclaimed. It was the figure of a man wearing armor. He was armed with a sword and shield. Aaron tapped the special attack buttons, one after the other. First, the warrior smashed his shield forward. Next, he crouched and then leaped up, swinging his sword downward.

  “Too cool,” Justin said as he watched in fascination.

  “Okay, Just, you try the next one. Third from the right corner,” Aaron said. He removed his fingers from the runes and the warrior melted back into the ground.

  “Right. Here goes.” Justin touched the rune. Then he gasped. It was a minotaur; almost a perfect miniature replica of the Sentinel that he had seen twice. Its huge mace was resting on its shoulder and Justin could swear that the tiny eyes were glowing red.