Olympus: It's Not Just a Game

Chapter 48

Karl's face could have been made of the same marble as the temple around him, but his fingers practically flickered as he spoke in sign language. Jacob's eyes were glued to his speaking hands. "Help – me – something – is – wrong – with – my – voice," Jacob read. "I – told – Ms. – Sparrow – that – I – felt – like – Dad – wanted – to – beat – me – but – I never – said – he – did – it."

"Ms. Sparrow?" Lord Peter asked. "When did you see her?"

"When – I – went – to – CyberCamp. When – she – signed – me – up."

"So you were at CyberCamp!" Nancy cried.

"I – still – am."

"But they searched CyberCamp!" Nancy cried. "Your Dad and Mrs. Morrison."

"And me," Wheeler interrupted, harshly. "I was there, too. We searched the whole place."

"Not everywhere," Lord Peter corrected. "You only searched the CyberCamp building. There's no way you could store hundreds of runaways in a building that size."

"Hundreds of runaways?" Wheeler laughed. "We weren't looking for hundreds. We were just looking for Karl."

"What do I care about your Karl?" asked Lord Peter. "What is one boy, more or less?" He looked down at Karl, coldly. "Were you the only boy at CyberCamp?"

Karl's fingers flickered, and Jacob spoke. "No – there– are – others – "

"Silence!" thundered Wheeler's voice. "Karl, there is punishment for slaves who disobey!"

Karl's fingers didn't stop moving. Jacob's voice continued. "The – others – are –"

"Zeus!" Wheeler howled. "Stop him!"

A gust of wind shrieked through the columns of the temple. Lightning flashed, and struck the largest of the marble statues. An electric blue aura surrounded the figure, and it began to move. "Karl," a deep voice thundered. "You have sinned!"

The boy's fingers didn't stop moving. Jacob forced himself to look away from the enormous being that towered above them all. "The – others – are – afraid – to – speak –"

"With good reason!" roared Zeus. Fire flashed from his fingertips and looped around Karl. He screamed, and fell to the floor, rolling and thrashing to extinguish the flames. "Silence, boy!"

Lord Peter turned to face the enormous being. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Zeus," the giant answered, "king of the gods!"

"How quaint," Peter sniffed.

"Blasphemer!" Zeus shrieked. "Ares! Destroy them!"

A red and warlike figure arose, and hoisted a spear above his head. "Death to those who desecrate our Temple!"

"Death?" Peter laughed. "We are immortal now, remember?"

Zeus showered a rain of sparks upon the idol next to him, and called out, "Aphrodite, arise!" A vision of loveliness shimmered from the whiteness of marble into the most delicate ivory of living flesh. The goddess of love looked down upon them, and even cold Lord Peter was moved. Her lower lip trembled in a divine pout. "Oh, Peter!"

Peter looked at her. "My lady, this boy is a prisoner."

"I know," she answered huskily, and Peter found himself drowning in her eyes. "What of it?"