Paelen couldn’t believe the messenger was dead. Somehow, the invading Nirads had the power to kill the most powerful Olympians. If Mercury could die, so could everyone else.
He lay Mercury down gently on the ground and wrestled with himself as he thought of the messenger’s final words. Part of him still wanted to steal the bridle from Pegasus and flee. But another part of him wondered if Mercury was right. Was there more to him than he realized? Did he really have the courage to join the fight? A thief was all he’d ever been. It was all he knew how to do. He did not have the powers of the other Olympians. If they were being defeated by the Nirads, what chance did he have?
Paelen finally decided fleeing was the only option. Why should he sacrifice his own life if the war was already lost? If Pegasus hadn’t already fallen in battle, this was the time to make his move to capture the stallion.
‘I am sorry, Mercury,’ he said sadly. ‘But you were wrong. I am not the person you thought.’
Reaching down, he carefully removed the messenger’s winged sandals and put them on his feet, hoping at least that Mercury had been right about them working for him.
Paelen heard roaring and grunting behind him. His eyes flew wide in terror as countless Nirad warriors approached. He’d never seen a Nirad up close before. They were massive. Their skin was grey marble and looked as hard as stone. Each of their four arms waved a weapon in the air and their eyes blazed with murderous hatred. These creatures had no intention of negotiating. No plans for taking prisoners. All Paelen could see in their bead-black eyes was the desire to kill. Seeing the invaders up close, he understood what everyone was up against. They didn’t stand a chance. Olympus was doomed.
He quickly looked back down at the sandals.
‘Fly, for Jupiter’s sake, fly!’ he shouted.
The tiny wings started flapping. He was lifted into the air just as the first Nirad warriors arrived. Panic-stricken, Paelen yelled, ‘Sandals, go! I do not care where. Just go!’
Mercury’s sandals obeyed, and Paelen was carried away from the rampaging Nirads. He heard their angry roars at losing their prey.
With the immediate danger now well behind him, Paelen looked ahead. ‘Stop!’ he ordered.
The sandals obeyed his command and he hovered in mid-air. He looked in stunned disbelief at the devastation beneath him. He was sick to see that there wasn’t one building left untouched, nor one statue unbroken. The Nirads were destroying everything.
‘Go,’ he finally said. ‘Take me to the Temple of the Flame. I need to find Pegasus.’
As the sandals carried him towards the temple, the sounds of Jupiter’s thunderbolts grew more intense and bright flashes lit the area. The battle was still raging, but it had now reached the base of the Temple of the Flame.
Paelen saw more fallen Olympians. Yet amongst the dead and dying, he saw no dead or wounded Nirads. Not one. It was as though the invaders couldn’t be killed, even by the most powerful amongst them.
He glanced forward and saw smoke rising in the distance. The Flame at the temple was still lit. But as he approached the heart of the battle, Paelen saw Apollo and Diana crouching back to back. They were surrounded by Nirads. Diana was using her bow, but every arrow she fired glanced off the grey invaders without causing any damage at all. Apollo was using his spear, but was having as little luck as his sister.
A Nirad warrior lunged forward and knocked Apollo’s legs out from under him. More followed as Diana fought bravely to save her twin brother. But she was driven away quickly. As Paelen passed silently overhead, he heard her anguished cries filling the air as Apollo was killed by the invaders.
Pegasus. He had to find Pegasus.
The sandals drew him away from the horrible scene. Closer to the Temple of the Flame, he saw Jupiter fighting at its base. Roaring in rage, the leader of Olympus was shooting lightning bolts and thunder at the Nirads, to no effect. The invaders were steadily advancing up the tall marble steps.
Paelen finally saw Pegasus. The stallion was rearing on his hind legs and kicking out at the invaders. He was covered in blood from countless stab wounds as the Nirads used their vicious weapons to bring down the powerful stallion. A Nirad pounced and stabbed his spear deep into the flanks of the rearing stallion. Pegasus shrieked in pain and dropped back down to all fours, viciously kicking the Nirad with his golden hoof. But even as the wounded warrior crawled away, others moved in for the kill. They caught hold of the stallion’s wings and were trying to tear them off.
Pegasus continued to fight but was quickly overpowered. As more and more Nirads attacked, the stallion was knocked to the ground. As he fell, the spear in his side broke and was driven deeper into his flanks.
Paelen watched in horror as Pegasus was swamped with Nirad warriors. There was no way the stallion would survive the attack.