ground. He looked ready to attack.
‘Em, you’re the only one who can get near him,’ Joel observed, as he and Paelen took a cautious step back.
Emily looked at Tornado and frowned. ‘Why will he let me touch him?’
‘Silly child, do you really not know?’ Alexis approached. ‘You are the Flame of Olympus. Your powers call to him as much as they do to all of us. He is drawn to you as we all are. He does not understand his need for you, but it is there nonetheless. He will not harm you.’
‘Are all Olympians drawn to my power?’
Alexis nodded. ‘But do not think it is only your power that draws us. We are drawn to you . Though some of us may not show it, we all care for you.’
Pegasus approached Emily, but his eyes remained locked on Tornado Warning. Tornado opened his wings threateningly.
‘Stop it,’ Emily said sharply to the racehorse. ‘Pegasus needs help and I’m going to give it to him. Stay there and behave yourself.’
The tone of her voice stopped further protests from Tornado Warning as Emily crossed the distance to Pegasus. ‘Oh, Pegs, what am I going to do with you?’ She stroked his neck. ‘You know I’ll always love you best. But you can’t blame Tornado for being what he is. You should pity him, not try to kill him. Promise me you won’t attack him again.’
Pegasus reached back to Emily. He nickered softly and drew her to his head. Emily hugged his face and let her powers heal his many wounds. When it was finished, she kissed him softly on the muzzle. ‘There, all better.’
Across the stable, Agent T called, ‘Not that this love fest isn’t touching but we’re wasting precious time.’ He held up his weapon at one of the stable workers they had captured. ‘You there, tell me, where is Rip Russell?’
The man said nothing as he kept his eyes locked on the Olympians. Alexis walked over to him. She rose on her hind legs and rested her paws on his shoulder. ‘I do not have patience for your silence. Answer the man.’
‘ Diablo ,’ he muttered as he tried to cross himself.
‘Not diablo ,’ Alexis corrected. ‘Sphinx. And I would suggest you not call me that again.’
The worker’s eyes went large with terror as he looked into the face of the Sphinx. ‘He is there,’ he stuttered fearfully and pointed at one of the men Emily’s powers had tossed across the stable. ‘The one with the gun.’
Agent T nodded. ‘Fine. Alexis, would you please escort him and the others to one of the empty stalls? We don’t want any heroes here.’
The Sphinx nodded and directed her attention to all the workers. ‘You heard him,’ she said loudly. ‘All of you, into that stall. Now!’
An elderly Mexican man stepped away from the others. ‘Where do you come from? What magic do you do to Tornado Warning? I have trained him all his life.’ The little old man touched his head. ‘He is loco – crazy. How can that girl touch him? He has killed two riders already.’
Emily turned to the worker. ‘What did you say?’
The elderly man nodded. ‘Tornado Warning is loco . He has killed two riders. No one can touch him unless he is drugged.’
‘You keep him drugged?’ Joel was shocked.
The worker nodded. ‘ Sí . It is the only way to keep him calm.’
‘What do you give him?’ Agent T demanded.
‘Sedatives and sugar,’ the little man said. ‘Lots and lots of sugar. It make him more better.’
Emily suddenly understood. ‘No wonder he’s so vicious. He’s starving. He needs ambrosia.’
‘What is ambrosia?’ the little man asked.
‘Never mind,’ Alexis said as she directed him to join the others in the stall. ‘Just count yourselves fortunate that I do not kill you for what you have done here. Tornado Warning should not exist.’ She closed and locked the stall door.
Paelen walked across the ring to where the two men lay unconscious. He rolled over the one they knew to be the owner of Tornado Warning. He started to shake him.
‘Time to wake up,’ he
‘Em, you’re the only one who can get near him,’ Joel observed, as he and Paelen took a cautious step back.
Emily looked at Tornado and frowned. ‘Why will he let me touch him?’
‘Silly child, do you really not know?’ Alexis approached. ‘You are the Flame of Olympus. Your powers call to him as much as they do to all of us. He is drawn to you as we all are. He does not understand his need for you, but it is there nonetheless. He will not harm you.’
‘Are all Olympians drawn to my power?’
Alexis nodded. ‘But do not think it is only your power that draws us. We are drawn to you . Though some of us may not show it, we all care for you.’
Pegasus approached Emily, but his eyes remained locked on Tornado Warning. Tornado opened his wings threateningly.
‘Stop it,’ Emily said sharply to the racehorse. ‘Pegasus needs help and I’m going to give it to him. Stay there and behave yourself.’
The tone of her voice stopped further protests from Tornado Warning as Emily crossed the distance to Pegasus. ‘Oh, Pegs, what am I going to do with you?’ She stroked his neck. ‘You know I’ll always love you best. But you can’t blame Tornado for being what he is. You should pity him, not try to kill him. Promise me you won’t attack him again.’
Pegasus reached back to Emily. He nickered softly and drew her to his head. Emily hugged his face and let her powers heal his many wounds. When it was finished, she kissed him softly on the muzzle. ‘There, all better.’
Across the stable, Agent T called, ‘Not that this love fest isn’t touching but we’re wasting precious time.’ He held up his weapon at one of the stable workers they had captured. ‘You there, tell me, where is Rip Russell?’
The man said nothing as he kept his eyes locked on the Olympians. Alexis walked over to him. She rose on her hind legs and rested her paws on his shoulder. ‘I do not have patience for your silence. Answer the man.’
‘ Diablo ,’ he muttered as he tried to cross himself.
‘Not diablo ,’ Alexis corrected. ‘Sphinx. And I would suggest you not call me that again.’
The worker’s eyes went large with terror as he looked into the face of the Sphinx. ‘He is there,’ he stuttered fearfully and pointed at one of the men Emily’s powers had tossed across the stable. ‘The one with the gun.’
Agent T nodded. ‘Fine. Alexis, would you please escort him and the others to one of the empty stalls? We don’t want any heroes here.’
The Sphinx nodded and directed her attention to all the workers. ‘You heard him,’ she said loudly. ‘All of you, into that stall. Now!’
An elderly Mexican man stepped away from the others. ‘Where do you come from? What magic do you do to Tornado Warning? I have trained him all his life.’ The little old man touched his head. ‘He is loco – crazy. How can that girl touch him? He has killed two riders already.’
Emily turned to the worker. ‘What did you say?’
The elderly man nodded. ‘Tornado Warning is loco . He has killed two riders. No one can touch him unless he is drugged.’
‘You keep him drugged?’ Joel was shocked.
The worker nodded. ‘ Sí . It is the only way to keep him calm.’
‘What do you give him?’ Agent T demanded.
‘Sedatives and sugar,’ the little man said. ‘Lots and lots of sugar. It make him more better.’
Emily suddenly understood. ‘No wonder he’s so vicious. He’s starving. He needs ambrosia.’
‘What is ambrosia?’ the little man asked.
‘Never mind,’ Alexis said as she directed him to join the others in the stall. ‘Just count yourselves fortunate that I do not kill you for what you have done here. Tornado Warning should not exist.’ She closed and locked the stall door.
Paelen walked across the ring to where the two men lay unconscious. He rolled over the one they knew to be the owner of Tornado Warning. He started to shake him.
‘Time to wake up,’ he
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