Cornfield Circles

Nerio was an ancient war goddess and the personification of valor in Roman religion and myth. She was the partner of Mars/ Ares in cult practices.
Enyo was a minor Greek war goddess
Alala was the goddess of war cries and the daughter of Ares' son Polemos
Astyokhe was a nymph in Troy who was loved by Ares
Saxa, Oreiro, Timar and Olez are my own inventions.

More than two months had passed since I'd been at Ares' place the last time, and at that time I had come as a lover. Now it was business instead. Ares lived way down on a lower Manhattan address in a posh area, and although I thought my new place large and fancy it held nothing against the home of the God of War. He had a three storey penthouse all by himself and with the most magnificent view over the waters. Down in the basement there was a large garage with room for all kinds of vehicles from segways to tanks. On the roof he kept his own helicopter. Last time I came there it had been late night and the lights had been low, the god had played soft music on the Bang Olufsen surround system, and we had made love in several places before falling asleep in his large bed. I felt like I was betraying Apollo slightly when I found myself longing back to that wonderful night.

But today it was - ah - so different. There were people everywhere, not only Ares' group was here, but also Hercules and Athena together with several of their warriors. The music was traded in for CBS, CNN and other news channels showing the act of terror against the Cairo central station over and over again and on several TV screens. The Titans had hit right in the rush hour, and the death toll was 300 persons and counting. There was blood and screaming people everywhere. A bedlam of rescue teams, ambulances, police and overexcited news reporters. It was Madrid and London all over again, although tenfold worse!
"Hello Aidra" Penthesileia greeted me with a hug, as soon as I had got off my coat and scarf and given them to the nymph who managed the wardrobe. "We are to gather in the war room."

She had arrived together with her brother Romulus, who looked oddly like a civilian cop in his dark gray suit and tie. Perhaps because he usually was with the US Secret Service, protecting president Obama. Enyo, a former girlfriend of Ares, looked like the complete opposite with spiky, blond hair and a worn crimson leather jacket over likewise worn and holed jeans, through which black net leggings were shown and a Metallica T-skirt leaving her belly bare. She was also pierced in all possible places and then some. I couldn't decide if her look was vintage or just dated.

As the four of us entered the war room, people were taking seats around an eclipse shaped table, all preoccupied with the horrible event. Athena's son Oreiro was feeding information into a computer system and next to him was Penthesileia's son Timar with some USB memories which obviously held more of the kind. Some people were paying attention to the news broadcast but most were talking and the nymphs were handing out coffee and other beverages and small food. I saw Ares over in the corner discussing something with Athena, the latter was trying to calm him down it seemed. But Ares kept pointing at a lap top screen, clearly upset about something.

Phobos came up to me and Penthesileia, complaining about some logistic problem and letting all and everyone know that he hated Egypt.
"So what else is not new," his sister returned with a huff. "You might not have to go there. Or you may if you keep pissing people off. Let's hear what's dad has got to say!"
"I don't mind Egypt," Enyo said. "It's a bit hillbilly but it's better than Saudi at least. Now, that's backwater!"
"Oh, it's the same shit, whatever," Proioxis made a face. "Why would anyone want to go to these places anyway?"
"To kick Titan asses!" Cloë suggested.
"Aye! Let's nuke them to Tartaros once and for all!" replied Xantos.
"Don't be so daft!" Bia snarled. "If we could've done that, don't you think we'd done it centuries ago?"
"We didn't have nukes centuries ago," Kydoimos pointed out.
"Yes we had," Lysandros replied.
"Well why don't we nuke them?" Cloë shot back. "Is the intelligence about their whereabouts really so hard to acquire? After all we have almost all the mortal intelligence bureaus running our errands. Ever since Napoleon we've been..."

"Yeah and what good have it done?" Bia replied. "We still haven't learned anything other than that the Neotitans tend to work in a cell system, not really having a physical headquarter like most people would assume."
"Which I think is not true," Lysandros turned. "All psychological research shows evidence of these kinds not being that innovative but ought to have a superior who..."
"But where do we find that superior?" Kyknos asked. "We have yet to understand where those bastards hide so we may even begin to root them out."
"Perhaps we have been looking in the wrong places," Bia responded. "I've suggested again and again that we..."

Then people starting to hush around us and Androkles tapped Bia on her shoulder:
"Bialia! The boss will want to begin the meeting now."

We sat down, I ended up between Penthesileia and Lysandros and I was glad I didn't have to ask all dumb beginner's questions. I bet Bia would have given me quite a chew-up then. Now she only tried to continue her lecture, until Medon told her to shut up.
"But she's right!" Oenomaus defended Bia and crackled his big knuckles.
"Pipe down!" Penthesileia snapped. And then there was silence in the large room as the God of War walked up to the short end of the table. Athena had sat down next to him and on his other side sat Hercules, Achilles and Bellona. Achilles was blond and as stately as the myths held him for and Bellona looked like a lethal version of Hera, with her dark hair cropped shot and what appeared to be down dressing turned out to be expensive label stuff. Next to Athena was Nike and then her brother Kratos. The latter was the only one in a dress uniform, with stripes and stripes with colourful dots representing medals. Although I guessed it was only part of what he actually had received since he had been in every war from the original Titan one to the Iraqi ditto. Then there were all kind of fighters from samurais like Ishiro to Native Americans like Alante. For the first time I was beginning to get a real gist of what a gathering of Olympian warriors looked like in the 21th century.

Now every head was turned in the direction of Ares who took up a remote and silenced the news, where ironically the President of the United States had just came on screen in front of the usual blue drapery.
"Sorry, Barak," Ares said. "But we'll have to listen to you later. Now we are actually going to deal with the planet."

Then he went over what had happened in Egypt, a short brief. The terrorists hadn't been Titans themselves, but some of their human followers, who doubtless had been promised a happy afterlife if they had gone out there and done the Titans' dirty deeds. Amazing that there were always some poor idiots who believed enough in such humbug and thus became used by coldhearted charlatans. Ares went on by informing that there were some people who had been heading for the pyramids too, but that they had been stopped by Kratos, Cloë and Aventinius.

"Unfortunately our trio didn't manage to take them alive; when they found themselves surrounded they committed suicide so there was no immediate intelligence to gather. We've sent Hades and his crew after their souls to see if there's anything of value to retrieve, but taking earlier events in mind we don't have the highest of hopes. Meanwhile we are raising the level of alertness from three to five on our scale of seven. There will be gods out on every site of importance the nearest days, including the lot of you in here. You will be assigned your areas and we'll send you two and two or three and three as soon as this meeting is over. I'm sorry for those who had hoped and planned for more days off but the Titans don't give S-T about holidays. And as usual Polemos, Enyalios and Astyokhe will make sure you get armed according to your requirements. Questions?"

"The Pyramids?" Kydoimos asked. "Are they really of no importance in this case? After all we know that their strategically placing above the earth lines have been used earlier in history to create havoc."
"We can't rule them out," Ares replied. "In spite of the pyramids having been cordoned off with wires of draconian-uranium alloy to stop their psychic transmissions we cannot be certain that the Titans going there didn't have a plan to use them as well."

"What about those cornfield circles?" another voice was let up. That was a goddess called Saxa who I had only met briefly at the solstice party.
"Show them the shots!" called another voice. Olez, the young, black god of supersonic flight.
"Is that really necessary?" asked Nemesis who sat next to Achilles, looking like a futuristic punker in her black, iron studded leather and silvery latex. "After all we know that the Titans are using these to communicate sometimes. Although we haven't been able to really interpret the yet."
"I don't think they are of importance," said Enyo. "I think they are just smoke screens."
"I disagree," Romulus replied. "We know that they always have increased in number just before a major terror attack, and just because we haven't been able to interpret them doesn't mean that they are of no matter."
"How can we then be sure they matter?" Aristides asked and reached for yet another sandwich from a plate with a hastily shrinking content.

Then everybody started to talk and Ares had to raise his voice to make people quiet down again.
"Dickheads!" Penthesileia muttered next to me, but she didn't elaborate on it. But her sister Hippolyte, who sat next to her, made an agreeing sound and rolled her eyes.

The God of War took up the remote again, but instead of letting Obama in he flipped a switch and the screens went off before a Microsoft Windows interface replaced the broadcast, a desktop showing Ares' coat of arms with the sword and the rooster and among the usual icons quite a few I didn't recognize.
"Oreiro!" he turned to the son of Athena and the dark skinned god started tapping the keyboard. Soon an Adobe Photo Album opened up and then a picture of an elaborated cornfield circle appeared on the screen.
"This one was taken over Western Hubei in China in August last year." Oreiro said.

"What does it say?" Olez asked, leaning forward, scratching his goatee.
"We THINK it says Beijing and then a date and a time," Athena's son went on. "The problem with the Titans is that their concept of measuring time is quite different from ours. They use a kind of moon calendar with four quarters with seven days in each, clearly borrowed from the human system of measuring time. But the thing is that they regard every present 'month' as month zero and then counting forwards and backwards from that one. Years they don't bother with at all."
"So you need to know which day they made a circle to be able to tell the appointment from that one?" Aventinius asked as he sat next to Bia, writing things down in a little red Apple notebook.
"Yes - or at least which month. They break by new moon by the way."
"Just like the Arabs," Saxa said.

"So what's bound to happen in Beijing?" Nemesis wanted to know, clearly not interested in discussing Titan calendars.
"Something did happen in Beijing." Oreiro replied. "If I've interpreted the circle correctly it took place during December. The tenth or the twelfth."
"And what happened?" Nemesis again.
"Sword, that's the only one I've been able to make out," admitted Oreiro. "It says Beijing, Sword and four-months-ten-dayafter-dayafter-tomorrow."
"No one really knows what it was," Nerio said and pulled back some purple and cyan coloured braids from her face. "So either it was of no importance or it failed."
"And the rest?" Nemesis pushed on.

Now Oreiro became briefer in his explanations, he flashed up cornfield circle after cornfield circle going:
"Champagne, France, also in August - saying Threeheaded-dog - which means death or kill and then Chicago and then nextmonth. That's the little circle up in the corner."
"And who died in Chicago in September?" Kyknos asked
"Some thousands, none of any seemingly importance. Perhaps it was not even a human. Could be anybody or anything. Liquidation of assets perhaps." Oreiro shrugged before moving on: "This one was found in South Africa about a year ago, saying Iceland and what I thought meant nuclear reactor at that time, but later found out being volcano. Same here, very similar glyphs."
"It was that - what's its name spewing ashes, right?" Bellona asked.
"Yes. Eiyafjallajokul," Oreiro nodded his head at Bellona. "The one Hercules and Androkles put a stop to."
"Was a nice change from all gun-handling," Androkles let up his deep voice and Oiroro went on.

"Next - found in Denmark in September - saying thirteen-months - roughly a year from now - and bigtower and Paris. So we'll have to keep several eyes on the Eiffel tower. Next found in Peru last month, saying kettle - have no idea what that mean and then Jordan or perhaps Korea and four-months - as in April this year."
"Jordan OR Korea? How can you not tell those countries apart?!" Zelos asked.
"Their glyphs look similar. Korea is just a bit more skewed." the god of cryptograms pointed out.

"Oreiro!" Athena interrupted him, "Is there any cornfield circle hinting at Egypt or Cairo this month?"
"That would be the obvious thing, right, mother. And noticeably there's no one. The one we were keeping an eye on was one hinting at the middle of next month saying Atlantic City or perhaps Atlanta and ironhawk, which means airplane or helicopter. Or could be just any mortal flying vehicle."
"Maybe we've done some miscalculation then." Athena sighed.
"If we have - then the whole system is askew," Oreiro sighed and pushed a slender hand through jet-black curls. "And Narenna and I'll have to start over. Nothing will add up, not even those we started with back in the 50ies and which pointed out the murders of the president Kennedy and reverend King."

"We're not getting any farther with these things right now," Ares said. "You tech heads may have to discuss those circles and calculations a bit more. As well as the other Titan communication ways, like those graffiti signs Dobrezea's twins had been recording from various cities and the ads placed in various newspapers."
"Glad they don't understand computers and can use the internet." Timar said.
"It's over their thick heads," Alala, the fierce redhead daughter of Polemos, smirked.
"Don't be so sure of that," Hekate said dryly.

By that comment I felt a collective intake of breath as if people were planning to start a discussion of that matter, but Ares made a 'cut' sign with one hand horizontally over the other and presented a grim face. He was obviously craving more discipline here and now. Then he went over some more details about the Titan attack, how it had been performed and what we could expect in the future, should they try something similar anew. After that he began to hand out assignments.
"...Three Mile Island nuclear plant outside Harrisburg: Aidra, Penthesileia and Saxa. Remember there was an attempt against that site 32 years ago. Penthesileia, since you was there the last time you'll update the girls! Hoover Dam: Kyknos, Alala and Bia, Nuclear Power Plant of..."

Gee! So I was going to Three Mile Island! Then I guess there was no chance to meet Apollo within reasonable time. I had hoped to remain in New York at least for a week more. But luckily I was not going to the Angelus Communication Centre of Area 51 like poor Hekate and Ishiro. And Deimos became sent to an oil field in the Atlantic together with Bellona. Phobos got lucky though, he got to stay in Manhattan together with Xantos to keep an eye on the UN and the construction site where the One World Trade Center were being raised. Ares himself though showed that he meant very much business by locating himself in Washington DC together with his daughters Proioxis and Palioxis to keep an eye on the Congress and the White House. Not so far away from home perhaps but a dire site, he wouldn't be able to turn his back on it for a mere heartbeat. Romulus was of course going there as well, since he had a mortal identity and an assignment connected to it. There were other gods who were likewise just returning to home bases in places like The Pentagon, Norad and various worldwide defense centres.

0O0O0

"How soon do you want us on location?" Penthesileia asked Ares later, when we were down in the armory getting equipped by Enyalios and Astyokhe.
"Tonight," the war god said shortly, hardly looking up as he was examining a rocket grenade which seemed to be some kind development demo.
"But Ares," I began, "I have some things I need to do before I leave. Tonight I'm having dinner with my parents and..."
"And nothing," the War God snapped. "While you mayhap dine and drink there might be another meltdown in that remaining reactor. Is that where your priorities lie?"
"Ares, no but..."
"It is an order, soldier!" The god of war raised his voice just a tad; still he was deadly serious I could tell. His daughter stood silent and looked over her gun, apparently uncomfortable with the situation.
"Okay I'll go to Harrisburg tonight. But you sure are making two elderly people disappointed. Then again I guess that's something you cannot understand since you are immortal and don't comprehend the concept of limited time."
"Trust me Aidra I do that very well."
"Then how come you're so insensitive that you can't give me just twenty four hours to..."

"Don't start with me, Aidra!" Ares snarled. "Make sure you get your ass over to Harrisburg instead! And with the equipment in due order!"
"What? Haven't I...?" I began but Ares just turned his back and left, going up the stairs from the armory room, grabbing an automatic rifle as he went.

"What's with him?" I asked as the war god had left.
"Moody," his daughter replied and put down her gun in its holster.
"It seemed almost like he was pissed at Aidra for some reason," Saxa said and tossed back her flowing waves of jet-black hair. "So what's the deal, we're going there tonight, where do we stay and what..."
"It's all in the 'puter." Penthesileia said. "Go home and pack for a fortnight for starters. And be prepared for a lot of idle time as well, since I bet it's going to take a while before anything happens. If ever at our site."
"Then I'll guess I'll be hanging on Facebook a lot," Saxa replied.
"How long do we have to stay by that power plant?" I asked while checking my own weaponry.
"I guess a fortnight. They might extend it or call us back earlier. That depends on the development. If Hades' people find anything. Or if there are any remaining traces of energies giving us hints of what might be in the can."

"A whole lot of worms I take it." Saxa said and stashed ammunition in a green canvas bag. "I bet there's going to be more shit of this kind soon. There has been a feeling of calm before the storm ever since that volcano was turned off. Ever since the failed attempt against the European Parliament to be true."
"Was there an attempt of terror against that? When?" I raised a surprised brow.
"Back in '08. Laodice found out about it and then Ares, Ishiro, Saxa and I could stop it." Penthesileia told.
"Terrible!" I exclaimed. "I've never heard about it."
"Reasonable," Ares' daughter replied. "Very few people did. After all it never made the news. It's been classified information since. Very few mortals know about it. Some Euro-honchos and then Obama and a handful of people within the CIA. I don't think more people need to know about it, the panic is enough as it is now."

Penthesileia had taken command and given Saxa and me two hours to pack and after that we were to meet at her place and she'd drive to Harrisburg and the power plant. I couldn't help feeling moody. I didn't want to leave New York, not so soon after coming home again. What was I going to say to my parents? They would probably let me know I was neglecting them. So what was I going to tell in reply? That I went to safeguard a bloody nuclear plant because the God of War thought it necessary. Then again they had probably too seen all about Egypt on TV and knew that everyone had to do her or his duty in the war against terrorism. Therefor I held a slight hope that they would understand.

0O0O0

"What about those cornfield circles really?" I asked Penthesileia as we left Manhattan behind us, driving west. The sun was already setting, the darkness coming early this time of year. I was sitting in the passenger's seat next to Penthesileia; Saxa had taken the back seat, letting us know she wanted to take a nap. Then she had lied down, pulled a blanket over herself and dozed off. I was fighting the weird feeling of not holding a wheel since Penthesileia's British Lotus was right-hand driven. The first quarter of an hour I had fiddled in the air after controls which weren't there and the Amazon had laughed heartily at me. Finally I sat upon my hands and forced myself to accept that I was actually in the passenger's seat even if it didn't feel like it.

"They're Titan communication glyphs." Penthesileia replied as she blew past yet another large truck. "The Tits started to use them in the 40ies, but the use didn't really become common before the 80ies when the mortals started to take over all of the radio frequencies."
"But why corn fields?"
"It's easy to make the signs in corn fields. Easier than in grass or on stone. Well, they have been using snow and sand as well but not so frequently."
"Leia, it sounds so - new age!" I giggled and the Amazon smiled as well.
"That's what the mortals make out of it. Everything they cannot explain they put the big fat New Age stamp on and pretend it's not there. Or that there's some 'natural explanation' to the phenomena. Which might be all the way ridiculous, but they cannot care less. As long as it's not supernatural so they can sleep well in the night."
"I wouldn't sleep well with human terrorists next doors." I replied. "I'd take a supernatural but benign being any day."

"NOW you say so, yes." Penthesileia reminded me and tapped her fingers impatiently at the wheel when a red light didn't want to switch. I glanced over at the Amazon, her dark hair shone slightly in the highway light; it was beginning to darken, early as always this time of year. I had to admit she was right. Before I turned immortal I would also have denied every existence of many of those things I took for granted these days. Including the origin of cornfield circles - and people who never aged. People who were gods.

0O0O0

"That's my story." I told Saxa. "Now I want to hear yours."
"All right," the dark-haired goddess said and pulled her legs up under her where she sat in the plush sofa. "Zeus and Hera's daughter Bellona had a son called Merlin. He went down in history through the tales of King Arthur of England even if he was hardly the man of importance in the Court of the Round Table. Not as important as the tales make him at least. He was in fact an ambassador from Avalon, the little island which used to be located south-west of Ireland. He and his daughter Morgaine, my mother, died defending Avalon from one of the first attacks of the Neotitans. At that time the gods didn't know what was coming for them and they were unprepared and unable to defend themselves. Thus my mother and grandfather perished protecting the island which was sunken very much the same way as Atlantis got lost two thousand years earlier, while the first Titan war was raging.

I became one of the few survivors, hardly more than an infant who came ashore in a little boat in what's today's Wales together with two priestesses who had saved me when the island died. I hardly remember my mother or my grandfather but my great grandma took care of me and raised me in Greece. I only returned to Britannia when I was in my hundred and sixties, trying to find some tracks of what had been my native island. But already back then Avalon had been relegated to the myths very much as Atlantis already were. At that time the population was turning Christian very fast so most people refused to talk about Avalon and the old priesthood and gods. They feared the new Christian power. I was sad and hurt by what I learned but my gg-ma told me to not push the matter. So I returned to Greece and begun working for the Olympians instead."

"Gg-ma?" I echoed enquiringly.
"Great grandma. You'll learn that soon enough. After all the lines can become quite long with us."
"I guess I will," I sighed. Once more I turned my attention back to the nuclear plant which laid there silent in the pale January sun as if no danger at all was present. Penthesileia had been right. This would be getting boring. We had been here for only two days and already was I sick of looking at these reactors and scanning the surroundings.
"Darn Titans!" I told Saxa. "Is that the new Titan strategy - bore us to death?"

0O0O0

We got to spend two weeks glaring at that nuclear plant. Two seemingly endless weeks, where the most interesting thing happening at the plant was two Three Mile Island employee's cars bumping into each other. The only fun was in fact the company. Penthesileia and Saxa were two cool ladies with a lot of stories to tell and charming humour, but then there have to be more to life than just 3 ladies chatting endlessly. Even if Ares' daughter had been in every war there was, there are only so many war stories you care to listen to before you get bored. So we watched a lot of movies at the pay TV channels as well. Saxa hung on Facebook chatting with some blokes she entertained who wanted to meet her and I tried to explain to my upset mother why I had to leave New York so soon. Penthesileia and I also spent some time practicing Kung Fu. No matter that I had won prices in the NYPD competitions, I had nothing against the Amazon. She really toyed with me.

Then, on the third Monday after our arrival, Penthesileia received a phone call from her brother Deimos ordering us to get over to the C56 oil field out in the Atlantic where he and Bellona were stationed. Apparently Titans were coming there. And Bia, Kyknos and Androkles were also on their way.
"Roger that, we're on our way!" Leia replied.
"Finally some action!" Saxa answered, spun around and headed for her room, no doubt with packing in her mind.