Chapter 13

The ether pulledus through space, making my head spin. When I arrived on the other side, I blinked, taking in my surroundings. We were still in the mountains, but it was weird.

There were enormous protrusions of rock sticking straight out of the earth, and one of them was wide enough to hold a fortress at the very top. The walls were perfectly vertical—it'd be nearly impossible to get in.

I groaned. "Fantastic."

"It's an excellent fortress. I have to give him that."

"What do you want to bet we have to climb up?"

"I'm afraid I can't take that bet. Atlas doesn't seem like the sort of man to make things easy."

"Nope." I started toward the massive rock with the fortress on top. It was a few hundred yards away, and we had to pick our way over the hilly ground studded with rocks. The fortress looked silent and still. Not a single person to be seen on the high walls, not a sound to be heard. The setting sun gleamed on the pale rock, making it look more like a statue than a real place.

My comms charm buzzed around my neck. "Rowan? Are you there?" Ana whispered.

"I'm here. I can talk."

"How's it coming?"

"We think we might have found Atlas. We may be close to an answer about how to stop this."

"Good. Because we have a problem. Cell phones have started to go out all over the world. GPS is having problems. We think the satellites are failing. We don't have long before the military loses their connections, and war will start soon after."

Shit.

It was Atlas's job to keep the magic in space from screwing with that stuff. Did that mean he was dead?

Oh fates, please no.

"We'll hurry," I said. "Any luck with breaking through the barrier?"

"No, but Hedy has developed a bomb that can take out the entire barrier if we can get it inside the dome."

"You can't just throw it in?"

"It bounces off the boundary."

"I could take it in. I'm the only one who can get past the barrier."

"No, it will detonate soon after it leaves the power source. You'd die with it. Anyway, as long as the Stryx can call you to them, it's too dangerous."

"Okay, yeah, that's a bad plan, then. I'll see what I can figure out about the barrier and the Stryx. It'll be soon, I promise. I'll figure this out."

"Stay safe," she said.

"You too. Love you."

"Love you." She cut the line.

I looked at Maximus. "I hope we're not too late."

"We aren't."

"How do you know?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't. But I'd rather assume we're not."

"Sounds good to me." We reached the base of the rock, and I tilted my head back, staring straight up. "It's got to be at least three hundred meters to the top."

Magic swelled around Maximus, and he conjured some modern climbing equipment. He handed me a harness, along with a length of rope and a bag full of something that sounded like metal bits.

He grinned. "Safety first."

I peered in the bag, spotting a bunch of metal spike-like things and a hammer.

"Put on the harness and attach the rope to it. Every twenty feet, pound in an anchor and attach your rope to it. If you fall, you're less likely to die."

"Less likely to die." I nodded. "Now you're speaking my language."

I put the harness on, and he helped me hook up the ropes.

Together, we began to climb. It was easy going at first, the slope more gradual near the bottom. I fumbled the first metal pin I tried to pound into a crevice in the rock, but got the hang of it eventually.

As we ascended, the wall became steeper, turning nearly vertical within about sixty feet. My muscles started to burn and my fingertips tingled.

"You've got it," Maximus said.

He didn't sound or look the least bit out of breath, and I'd have assumed he was a professional mountain climber.

About halfway up, I peeked down and nearly hurled. I'd never considered myself to be someone afraid of heights, but the world looked so far away from up here. The protection of the rope and metal pins seemed iffy when they were the only thing between me and certain death.

I sucked in a deep breath and looked upward.

Don't think about it.

Hand over hand, I climbed. I focused only on the immediate task ahead of me. Climb. Find a handhold. Pound in the pin. Clip off the rope. Repeat.

By the time we reached the bottom of the fortress wall, sweat was dripping down my back.

"The fortress wall is too smooth to climb," Maximus said.

"Atlas! Hey, Atlas!" I shouted. "We're here to help you, but is there a door to this thing?"

There was only silence.

Damn.

I looked at Maximus. "What do you suggest?"

His magic sparked on the air again, smelling of cedar and sounding like the roar of a waterfall. A moment later, he held a weird-looking gun in one hand. A grappling hook and line protruded from the front.

"Nice." I watched as he leaned far back and shot the thing toward the upper wall. It looked hard to get a good angle, but he caught the wall. "Where'd you learn all this stuff?"

"Did some time with a mercenary band when I first arrived in this century. Didn't like the work they did, but I learned some stuff." He yanked on the rope, testing it. "Let me go first. Once I'm at the top, I'll secure it. Then you climb up."

"What if it's not already secure and you fall?"

He thought for a moment, then conjured another grappling hook gun and set it on a tiny ledge next to him. "Hopefully my harness will catch me, though I'll be falling from pretty far. If I don't make it, try again with this grappling hook."

I scowled. "That's a shit plan. You're still dead at the end of it."

"I think it will work. Trust me." He grabbed the line trailing down from the hook and began to climb, his feet propped on the smooth fortress wall.

My heart lodged in my throat as I watched him. He was quick and graceful, but it didn't make it any easier to wait while he risked his life.

Finally, he reached the top and swung a leg over. I listened keenly for any sound of an intruder alarm going off, but my new animal senses picked up nothing.

A moment later, he leaned over the ledge and called down, "Your turn."

I nodded and grabbed the line, climbing as quickly as I could. My hands were sweaty, but I made it. Barely. By the time I swung my leg over the edge, I was tingling and light-headed.

My feet solid on the ramparts, I turned to Maximus. "Looks like I'm afraid of heights."

"You did great."

I smiled, then turned to check out the eerily quiet fortress. We stood on a wall that surrounded an open courtyard full of buildings. There were no signs of life—no plants or animals or people—and the buildings looked like they'd been abandoned for years.

"No one is here."

"Let's look around." He pointed to our left. "There are some stairs."

We hurried to the stairs and descended as quietly as we could. When we got to the bottom of the courtyard, I tilted my head, listening. "Hang on, I think I hear a heartbeat. It's faint."

"Atlas."

"I hope so." I started across the courtyard to a central building, following my ears.

It was a two-story structure built of rough stone with small glass windows. It had to be at least a few hundred years old, though my knowledge of architecture was iffy.

We were almost to the building when a small wooden door opened. A nearly skeletal man appeared. Though he was tall—well over six feet—most of his muscle had wasted away, and his eyes looked sunken in their sockets.

"Atlas?" I asked.

He stared hard at us for a moment, then nodded. "Come in."

He turned and retreated into the building, moving slowly.

I shared a glance with Maximus, catching the worry in his eyes.

We followed Atlas into the building. My eyes took a second to adjust to the darkness, and I realized we were standing in a small foyer. Atlas was still retreating down the hall, and it only took a moment for us to catch up. The whole place smelled dusty, and I doubted he came here often.

"Come, we must talk immediately." The words sounded like they'd cost him half his energy.

We followed him into an old kitchen that looked like it'd been modified only slightly from its original form a few hundred years ago. Atlas went to a worn old dining room table in front of a nearly dead hearth. Maximus knelt by the hearth and stoked the fire. As the warmth billowed out, Atlas sighed.

Though he looked to be in his sixties, the illness that had wasted him made him look far older. What the hell was he doing up here alone if he was so sick?

I sat next to Atlas, and Maximus joined us.

Atlas stared at us. "Why are you here?"

"I'm Rowan, an Amazon and a DragonGod." Wow, it sounded kinda cool when I said it out loud. I explained about the Amazons and the Stryx. My heart twisted as I thought of the Amazons, wasting away. They did so much good in the world, and now they could just…die. I finished with, "And I think you're sick for the same reason. I want to help."

He nodded slowly. "You're right, it's all connected."

"Why are you all the way out here, alone, if you're so sick?" Maximus asked the question that had been burning in my mind.

Atlas shrugged. "Because of what the Stryx are doing. That hole they're blowing into the earth is their attempt to break into Tartarus and release the titans."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"You heard me. They're trying to release the monsters within. I don't know why, but I felt it as soon as they blew the first crater into the ground there."

That really could end the world. The titans were monstrously powerful. If the Stryx got ahold of them, we were all screwed. Starting with that village near the entrance to Tartarus. They'd destroy that first. The memory of the boy and his dog flashed in my mind.

"How can you feel that they are trying to get into Tartarus?" Maximus asked.

"The layer of stone that covers Tartarus acts as the gate to their prison. It keeps them trapped by the weight and strength of the stone, but also by the magic imbued within the stone. Every bit of rock that is blown away weakens the gate." He shook his head, as if remembering terrible things. "I was cursed to hold up the heavens instead of joining my brethren in Tartarus. Long ago, I escaped that fate. Zeus and the other gods weren't pleased. If I wasn't holding up the heavens, they wanted me thrown in Tartarus. The same with Prometheus, who also escaped his torture. It was too late for the gods to reopen Tartarus and put us in, but they cast a spell that ensured that if the gate to Tartarus was ever opened again, I would be sucked in. As the gate to Tartarus is broken, it pulls on me, weakening me and making me sick."

"And the Amazons, too?" I asked, my heart thundering.

"We're connected, so what happens to me, could happen to them. And I also believe that the gods placed the same spell on them, though I don't know it for sure."

Jeez, that sucked. The Greek gods really were a piece of work, and I was one of them. Sort of. Trapped in the middle between the Amazons and the gods. This new life of mine wasn't as simple as I'd expected, but then, life rarely was.

"Don't they realize you do important work, keeping the magic that's in space from interfering with the satellites?" Maximus asked. "They aren't just modern conveniences. Militaries rely on those satellites, and if they all go down at once, at least one of those militaries will interpret it as an act of war. A seer has prophesied that World War III could start if the satellites fail."

"Their vendettas are more important to them than human wars. Even human wars that would cost millions of lives." He looked at me. "And I believe they are counting on you to stop this. That is why you are the Dragon God. And this is your hero's challenge."

I nodded, swallowing hard. "How much longer can you hold the satellites up?"

"I'm weakening. It's taking everything I've got to protect the satellites from the magic in space. But they're starting to malfunction. When they go out entirely, the world's militaries will go on high alert. War will follow soon after. You have a few days, at most."

I didn't tell him about the call from Ana that had confirmed it. "So why are you up here? You should be down where you can get help with staying strong and fighting your illness."

"The only way to help me is to close the gate to Tartarus. I can't do that myself, because if I get anywhere near it, it will suck me in. I built this place ages ago and imbued it with magic that would prevent that. But the pull is strong. I lost my strength far faster than I expected. I've been sending messages to the Amazons and Prometheus, but I don't think they are getting through."

"So you've been trapped here, wasting away," I said.

"And quickly." He frowned. "I thought this fortress was a good idea. In a way, it was. But it hasn't gone as I planned."

"Things rarely do." I studied him. "So if we close the gate to Tartarus, you and the Amazons will get better?"

"I believe so."

Oh, thank fates. "Can you feel if the Stryx have already broken all the way through to Tartarus?" I swallowed hard, chills racing down my arms. This was the million-dollar question. "Have they released any of the titans?"

He shook his head. "I cannot tell. Perhaps they have."

"Do you know what they intend to do with them?" Maximus asked.

"No." Atlas's voice turned grave. "But it cannot be good. You need to stop them before they release them. If they haven't already."

"There's a barrier around their operation," I said. "Some kind of force field that only I can penetrate."

"If they'll allow you to cross, then I believe they must need you," Atlas said.

"But why would they need me?"

"You're powerful, Rowan. Your magic is powerful." Atlas shrugged. "Maybe they want that. It could help them get the titans out, perhaps."

"So they want my magic." My mind started to whir, spinning as I considered that. "They've got something that drags me to them if I get close to the barrier. I can't fight it."

Atlas frowned. "It could be that the barrier itself contains the magic to compel you to enter and stay within. There is an ancient Greek spell that can do that."

I shared a glance with Maximus. "Makes sense. They couldn't compel me to come to them before."

He nodded. "You need to stay far away from that barrier."

But I couldn't. Not if I was the only one who could get through it. Somehow, I was key to this.

Atlas leaned toward me. "You were fated for this task, Rowan. You must find a way to get past the barrier and stop them. It is your duty as a DragonGod. Your magic is the key to all of this."

I nodded. "Okay. I can do this."

And I really thought I could. Because now, I had an idea.

We'd learned pretty much all we could from Atlas, so it was time to return to the Protectorate. He escorted us out to the courtyard, stopping at the exit of his building. "I'm sorry, but you can't transport directly from here. Protective measure."

I tried not to wince. "So we have to rappel down?"

"I'm afraid so." He pointed behind him. "But if you go to the other side of the compound, there's a rope for that. Once I know you've made it, I'll pull it back up."

"Do you have the strength?"

"I will, if you close the gate to Tartarus. And if you don't… Well, it won't matter who finds me."

I nodded. "We'll do it. Stay safe."

"The same to you." He inclined his head, then disappeared back into the house.

I felt terrible leaving him. "Wait! Atlas."

He turned.

"Can we send someone to you to help you manage around here?" I didn't know who, but I was sure the Protectorate would have some contacts for someone who could help.

He smiled slightly. "I will be fine. Best you hurry with the Stryx, though."

I nodded, and Maximus and I left.

"That was helpful," Maximus said as we climbed the stairs to the top of the wall at the back of the fortress. "But I think I expected more."

"So did I. But there was one thing he said, and I think it's the key to all of this. Something we didn't realize."

"What's that?"

"The Stryx want my magic, and it's the only way to get through the barrier. I'm going to give it to them. Only, they're not going to like what they get."