From Gods (Descendant Prophecies Book 1)(32)

     



 





Carefully, Skylar walked forward with Mason. A fast cool breeze brushed  her face, causing her to suck in air. The place stunk with the smell of  soil and something rotting was stinging her nostrils with a repulsive  stench. Ducking the spider webs, she couldn't wait to get through what  appeared to be a long hallway. The flashlights gave just enough light as  they headed farther in.

As they continued on the path, there were more withered vines and spider  webs every way Skylar turned her head. The ivory pillars had been  knocked down, broken, and scattered on top of furniture that was hardly  recognizable. Though it looked like this place could have been a  splendid castle once, fit for a royal court right out of a fairy tale,  it was a wretched ruin now. There was clear evidence it had been long  abandoned and turmoil had taken up residence there.

Out of the dim light, they entered another tunnel of darkness. Skylar  thought that if she could feel death, this was what it would be like  crawling on her skin. Being the only ones there and not knowing what was  ahead, her trepidation rose to the surface, ready to turn into a  full-blown anxiety attack.

A short time later, the flashlights were no longer needed as another  world materialized in front of them. Never would Skylar have imagined  seeing such beauty. The fluffy clouds looked heaven-sent and the ground  under her feet was plush and green and seemed to go on for miles and  miles. To the right was a small waterfall, trickling softly and flowing  into a narrow stream.

Upon approaching the waterfall, Skylar saw another entrance she hadn't  noticed before. "We have to go in there?" Skylar asked, looking into the  darkness and frowning. They had just come out from a dank, dark place  into this beautiful one. She didn't want to go back into darkness again.

"Come on. Let's get this over with." Everett entered first.

The dry air was comfortable and the flashlights were not needed after a  short distance. They followed the bright light and stepped into the  warmth of daylight. The first thing Skylar saw was a ray of light with a  radiant golden hue, spotlighting the center of the garden. It looked  like they were at the end of the rainbow with a promise of treasures of  diamonds and gold. Filled with wild flowers, the garden produced a  pleasurable scent and each tree sprouted its own special fruit.  Following the path, she took in the beauty of her surroundings, but what  she saw next was unfathomable.

An ivory statue was in her line of vision. As she continued, she saw  many more of them, lined up side-by-side to the left and right of her in  a horizontal formation. Mesmerized, she gaped at the detail in each  one. Looking at her friends, she saw they were doing the same.

"Oh my God! Is this-? It can't be." Amanda gasped, looking at a statue  in front of her with admiration. "This is Athena. She was goddess of  wisdom and war. Nick is going to be so pissed he missed this." Athena  held her head up high, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the  other.

Skylar recognized the statue next to Athena. It was Ares, Athena's half  brother. Curious, she let her fingertip glide down its cold smooth arm.  Ares was a god of war just like his sister, but unlike Athena, he was  bloodthirsty and vengeful. Though it was only a statue, just knowing of  his evil gave her chills.

"This must be Aphrodite." Mason examined her from head to toe. "She is  breathtaking." Aphrodite's garment had a high slit, revealing her right  leg. The front was low cut, showing her cleavage, and her hair was  adorned with flowers. It was a perfect image of the goddess of love who  was the fairest of all.

Skylar knew she shouldn't be jealous of a statue, but she couldn't help  feeling a sting from Mason's statement, assuming he would never say such  words to her.

"These are all statues of gods. Are they real?" Everett looked up,  placed his index finger on the lines of Zeus's robe and ran it down with  wonder.

Zeus was huge compared to Everett. Skylar wondered if that was his  actual size. She also wondered how Everett felt at that moment to be  face to face with Zeus, knowing he was one of his descendants, even  though it was just a statue.

"They are real to me," a small voice said.

Startled to hear such a voice, Skylar turned to see a short, rounded old  woman with a cane standing in front of a colossal tree. Her hair was  salt-and-pepper colored and long, down to her waist. Oddly, even though  her eyes were shut, she looked straight at Skylar as if she could see  her.

"Are you the Oracle?" Mason asked. His eyes lit up with hope.

"It depends on who's asking. Since you've crossed over, I know for a  fact that you are half bloods. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are one  of the last generations of the gods' children." She wobbled forward,  using her cane for stability, stepping out of the shadows. "Yes, I'm the  Oracle. There were three of us, but now I'm the only one left."         

     



 

"There are more of us out there, correct?" Amanda asked.

"There were many, but unfortunately some have been killed by Hades's  creatures. You know of the prophecy. It states that an unknown factor  could possibly wipe out all of our kind, the good and the evil. I wonder  if it has already begun. We called them the keepers of death."

"Unknown factor?" Amanda repeated.

"Like Remus," Everett said, narrowing his eyes at Mason.

"Yes, unknown factor. This one has me troubled. My sisters and I, gods  bless their souls, had been trying to determine when or how or who this  keeper of death could be. Will it be in a human form? Will the keeper  possess a unique ability? Unfortunately, we were unable to figure that  one out before they passed away. Even Oracles don't live forever."

Amanda looked at the statues again with amazement. "Are they real? I  mean . . . are they the real gods and now they've turned into statues? I  know this is a silly question, especially since we've been told that  they crumbled into nothing but ashes."

"No, they're not the actual gods. You are standing on the grounds of  what is left of Olympus, the home of the gods. These statues were made  and situated in the exact same spots ages ago by Zeus."

This profound revelation struck Skylar to her very core. Reading about  them during her school years had been fascinating, but to be standing on  Olympus and being a half blood was too much to bear all at once.

Knowing everyone was busy staring at the statues, the Oracle tapped her  cane once on the ground, producing a thunder-like sound. Assuming the  Oracle's action was to get their attention, it had worked. "Why have you  come?"

"To get answers," Everett said, turning his head to her.

"I have no answers to give you. I've told you as much as I could."

"No, this is different. We don't know what she is."

It was the oddest sight to witness the Oracle turning to Everett when he  spoke, especially since her eyes were shut. "Who are you talking  about?"

Everett pointed to Skylar. "Her. She is the reason why we've come. She is different."

"How different?"

"If I knew would I be here?" Everett snapped.

Surprisingly, the Oracle was calm. "What I know for sure is that you  have a temper. It will get you into trouble. It's the part of Zeus I  never liked. He had a bad temper, causing his judgment to be obscured.  As for her, I feel her heart beating in the same pattern as yours,  indicating she is not a vulture of some sort. I can also sense her warm  heart. Hmmm, I see she has a soft spot for someone."

Blushing, Skylar flashed her eyes to Mason, wondering if he had clued in  on her comment. When her eyes met his, she dropped them to her feet.

"Please," Amanda stepped in. Amanda looked at Skylar for a brief second  and turned her eyes to Mason. "I feel the same as Everett."

The Oracle heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't normally get into people's  business. It is one of the reasons why I refused to play your silly game  the last time you tried to enter-the reason why you couldn't enter  Olympus. I don't have time for ridiculous questions, but I figured your  coming again must be vital. You wouldn't have crossed the bridge and  passed the water beasts unless it was that important."

"We almost died on the bridge," Amanda huffed. "We went through hell. You have to see us."

"What do you mean you almost died on the bridge, my child? The bridge is sturdy."

"We didn't have trouble crossing it the first time, but this time the bridge fell apart. There is no bridge anymore."

"Impossible. Why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Duh . . . if only we had known it was important  information," she mumbled under her breath. Mason nudged her to shut  her mouth.

The Oracle appeared deep in thought, unaware that Amanda had made a rude  comment. Mumbling to herself, she looked like she was casting some kind  of spell. Then a door appeared on the tree she was standing in front  of. "Come, quickly."