‘I don’t know,’ Emily shrugged. ‘Diana doesn’t talk to me much. I don’t think she likes me. She’s really mad at what Joel and I did to Pegasus when we dyed him these colours to keep him hidden from you. She nearly killed us when she saw him.’
‘No wonder she’s mad,’ Agent O said. ‘Look at the mess you’ve made of her cousin.’
‘Pegs is her cousin?’ Emily repeated in genuine surprise.
‘Diana is the daughter of Jupiter, right?’ said Agent O. When Emily nodded, he continued. ‘Well, the myths say that Pegasus came from a union between Medusa and Neptune. As everyone knows, Jupiter and Neptune are brothers. So that would make Pegasus and Diana cousins.’
Emily looked at Pegasus. ‘Medusa and Neptune are his parents?’ she repeated. ‘How is that possible?’
‘You tell us,’ Agent J said. ‘You’re the one who’s claiming they all come from Olympus. You’re the one who’s spent time with them. Surely they must have told you this.’
‘Pegasus can’t talk,’ Emily said. ‘All I know is what Diana told me. And like I said, that hasn’t been a lot. She really hates me because of what we did to Pegs.’
‘From what we’ve seen, Diana hates everyone,’ Agent J finished bitterly. ‘But what did she tell you about the Nirads? Why are they here? And more over, why were they trying to kill you and Pegasus?’
Emily had been dreading this question. What could she tell them that would sound reasonable? Joel was the one who knew the Roman myths, not her. But she knew that if she didn’t say something, they would take her away from Pegasus and she couldn’t let that happen.
‘I was hurt by accident,’ she finally said. ‘The Nirads weren’t after me. They seemed to be after Pegasus. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and this one Nirad got hold of my leg.’
‘But what are they?’ Agent J pressed. ‘Why are they here?’
‘I don’t know,’ Emily answered honestly. ‘Even Diana doesn’t know. All she told me was that for some reason, they were after Pegasus. Probably because he can kill them when no one else can. She said the last time the Olympians had enemies was long ago. There had been a big war with this other race. But I can’t remember their names. Maybe they sent the Nirads here to get Pegasus.’
‘The Olympians were at war with the Titans,’ Agent O offered.
‘Yes, that was the name Diana said,’ Emily quickly agreed. She looked at Agent J. ‘I don’t know why you are asking me all these questions when he,’ she pointed at Agent O, ‘seems to know all the answers.’
‘I studied the myths,’ Agent O responded. ‘That’s very different from knowing the answers to these questions. If Pegasus and the others really are from Olympus, then the old tales may be true. But if that’s the case, where have they been all this time?’
‘Finally a question I can answer,’ Emily said as she offered up another plausible lie. ‘I asked Diana the very same thing. She said that we didn’t need the Olympians any more. So they stayed in Olympus and stopped coming to our world. She said her father says it’s too dangerous with all our new weapons and technology. He’s actually forbidden anyone from coming here, which is why Diana and Pegasus were chasing the thief. They didn’t want him captured and the secret of their existence getting out.’
‘Then it seems they haven’t done a very good job of it, have they?’ Agent J said sarcastically. ‘But that still doesn’t answer the question of the Nirads. If Diana needs the stallion to fly, what means of transportation are the Nirads using?’
Emily paused. That was a good question. How were the Nirads getting to New York?
‘I honestly don’t know,’ she said truthfully. ‘Diana never told me. She said she used Pegasus and the thief used the messenger’s sandals to get here. But she never did say how the Nirads were getting to New York. My dad told me that at the beginning, there were reports of four-armed demons coming out of the sewers. But that still doesn’t explain how they got here or if there are more on the way. I’m really sorry, but I just don’t know.’
Agent O looked at his companion, ‘I think she’s telling the truth,’ he said. ‘She really doesn’t know. We have to get these answers from Diana herself.’
‘That woman is impossible,’ Agent J said, looking furious. ‘We stand a better chance of getting blood from a stone! Nothing works on her. Paelen’s just as bad. Drugs? Torture? Threats? Nothing loosens their tongues. Emily here is our only hope of getting at the truth.’
He concentrated on Emily again. ‘OK, let’s try this again from the top. Tell us once more what happened on the night of the blackout?’