"JASON!" Leo roared, rushing across the top of the building as soon as the elevator doors dinged open and the top of Mount Orthys became visible. While the building's lobby and elevator had been pristine and grand, the building's roof was at odds with the modern setting. Stones that seemed to be remnants of the original mountain lined the roof and large steps that were seemingly carved into the very stones led to a large platform where the prone body of Jason laid. Leo had just been about to ascend the stairs when Rhea appeared before him, blocking his path. "Move lady!"
"You must not touch him!" Rhea declared, spreading her arms and barring his path. Leo doubted that he could pass by her even without her arms extended. The whole goddess thing was completely unfair. "If you remove the burden from him now he will die before you could even attempt to save him."
"Well if you have a better idea, I'm all ears." Leo said spreading his arms in confusion. "Cause if I don't save him he is definitely gonna die."
"You cannot do anything, son of Hephaestus." Rhea told him almost sadly. "Your power lies in creating great works with your hands. You may be able to build machines that can save lives, but not at this moment."
"Well…?" Leo let the question trail off in confusion and dismay. "What are we supposed to do then? I can't leave him there!"
Sensing his pain, Calypso was at his side and slipping a reassuring arm around his waist. "If Leo cannot help Jason, then who can?" Calypso asked, understanding that Rhea had not passed a death sentence on Jason. Far from it in fact. Her tone of voice had indicated that there was a clear way to save the son of Jupiter, but Leo would not be the one to do it. She opened her mouth to speak again when the sounds of gunshots followed closely by a large crash cut her off.
Rhea glanced towards the elevator as though expecting something and then nodded to Calypso. "The third member of your party. As I said, a son of Hephaestus can build great inventions but saving lives is not their gift."
"So you are saying that dude down there, the guy who acts like fighting for his life is a game, is the one who can save lives?" Leo asked incredulously. "Lady you are nuttier than a fruitcake."
"Let us not argue the merits of someone like your friend." Rhea advised, descending the last few steps. On the platform, Jason groaned and struggled to shift his position. The groan was a piteous, weak sound that tore at Leo's heart. He only managed to restrain himself from trying to get past Rhea again because of what she had said. If Ryker was really Jason's only chance at making it out alive, fine. He had better not let Sciron kill him. "Rather, let us discuss current events."
"What, did you want us to bring you the newspaper?" Leo patted himself down as if in search and then assumed a sorry expression. "Sorry, guess I left the paper in my other jacket."
"Oh, I always have a paper." Rhea said brightly, conjuring up what Leo assumed was the day's newspaper. "I like to do the crosswords whilst I bake. I don't suppose either one of you know a five letter word for an endless void?"
Calypso shrugged while Leo shook his head. "Apologies, grandmother." Calypso said with a small smile. "You said that you wanted to discuss current events? I am assuming that you did not mean the newspaper?"
"You are correct." Rhea said, vanishing the newspaper into thin air. She waved her hand and a table with three plush armchairs appeared. She took her seat at one and gestured for her two guests to occupy the other. "Please, sit. I would rather be comfortable while we wait for your friend."
"Look, lady!" Leo said angrily, drumming a hand on his tool belt. "You might have all the time in the world but Jason don't!"
"Not true, technically." Rhea said, reaching forward and wrapping her hand around what seemed like air. When she brought her hand to her mouth a glass of water had appeared. "As I said before, the magic that binds the one to hold the sky is a strong one. Your friend could hold the sky up for millennia and not age a day. He would certainly die the instant the burden was lifted from him however."
"Whatever!" Leo turned back and made to go back to the elevator. "If I help Ryker pound that Sciron guy to a pulp we can get to saving Jason even faster."
Leo took a step forward and was knocked off his feet and backwards onto an armchair as it zoomed behind him and then placed him at the table. "Dude!" Leo said, outraged.
"Even if you were to go attempt to assist him, you would only get yourself killed." Rhea told him coolly, conjuring a glass of water in front of Calypso and Leo. "And not necessarily by Sciron. I sense a grave hunger in Ryker."
"So we just sit here and wait?" Leo ground his teeth in frustration, but he didn't try to get up. "Fine. What did you want to talk about?"
Sipping her water quietly, Rhea's eyes grew distant. "A great battle is looming ever closer. A battle such as this world has never seen before."
"What battle?" Calypso pressed, her eyes filled with determination. "Against who?"
"It is not my place to say." Rhea shook her head slightly. "I am sure that you will find out soon enough. But that is not what I wanted to discuss. Calypso, your Titan brothers and sisters are being used. Just like the giants. They are not your enemies in this war, despite all that may happen know that. They are being controlled out of fear of being destroyed. Remove that fear and you may have yourself some allies."
"Alright, so you want us to make friends with the people who have been fighting with the gods since forever?" Leo asked, one eyebrow raised as he took a drink of his water. "Doesn't seem like that's a great idea."
"You will most likely meet much resistance." Rhea agreed with a grave nod. "On both sides. Those who are ruled by fear are often hard to persuade. But if you are to win this war you will need all the allies that you can accumulate."
"Didn't you say something earlier about how Ryker needs to build a bridge?" Leo wondered.
"I believe that she said that he must act as a bridge." Calypso said with an eye roll that made Leo's heart do a backflip. "Though that does not shed much light on what you mean."
"When the time comes, Ryker will know what I speak of." Rhea told them. "But you must still make strides to reach out and offer a friendly hand to the Giants and Titans. As I said, those rules by fear are hard to persuade. However, once you win one over the others will be far easier to convince." Another crashing sound from below them made Rhea wince.
"So how do we convince them?" Calypso asked. "If they see that one Titan is on the side of the gods, would that not work?"
"It would," Rhea agreed, clearly understanding where Calypso's thought were heading. "But your time on Ogygia would make such an alliance very weak in their eyes. They would see you as being broken rather than having joined the gods willingly."
"Hold up one second." Leo said, the gears in his mind turning rapidly. "If the Titans and Giants were born to destroy the gods, once we get them on our side nothing can stop us right?"
"Were that only the case." Rhea said, her voice filled with concern. "The Giants and Titans were never able to kill the gods or goddesses they were born to, not because of their inability. They were not able to do what they had been created to do because there is only one creature alive that can kill a god."
"Well, what is it?" Leo demanded. "If we can smack it down before the enemy gets ahold of it we would have a lot less to worry about."
For some reason Leo's words were very amusing to Rhea. She shook her head slightly with a cold smile on her lips. "I am afraid that it is much too late. The enemy already has the creature."
Leo had just opened his mouth to speak when the elevator doors dinged open. The three at the table turned in their seats to see Ryker step out, bleeding from a dozen wounds. He had Sciron by the back of what remained of his tunic and was dragging him behind him as he walked. Ryker's breathed was labored as he approached the table, dumping Sciron unceremoniously on the ground at Rhea's feet. "I win." He announced, his eyes equal parts wild and triumphant.
"So I can see." Rhea said, staring down curiously at the limp form of Sciron. "Is he dead?"
"I doubt it." Ryker said, casually driving a kick into Sciron's ribs. The bandit groaned at the impact but otherwise did not move. Leo only then noticed that Sciron's two flint lock pistols and holsters were slung over Ryker's shoulder. "I tried everything I know to kill him, but he heals almost instantly. I even tore his arms off but they only grew back while the other ones crumbled away."
"You tore his arms off?" Calypso asked, horrified. Leo went green at the thought.
Ryker grinned savagely. "I did so much more than just that. But he just kept healing, so I kept tearing."
"You are sick man," Leo complained, shuddering at Ryker's smile. "You shouldn't like fighting so much. It's just wrong."
"Or maybe you are just too weak." Ryker growled, his smile fading away for his customary scowl.
"And this is the guy who you said can save Jason?" Leo asked Rhea skeptically. "How? Is he going to fight Thanatos when he comes to get Jason's soul?"
"Fighting a god…" Ryker muttered, a small chuckle escaping him. "That sounds like fun."
"I am afraid not." Rhea told Leo, patting his arm sympathetically. "I know that you may not see it right now, but you will undoubtedly grow to rely on him in time. Perhaps you will even grow fond of one another."
"I doubt it." Ryker and Leo said in unison. They glanced at each other, Leo in surprise and Ryker in suspicion.
"What's this about me saving him?" Ryker jerked his head to where Jason was. "I can hear his heartbeat from here. If he survives another five minutes I will be surprised."
"Which is exactly why we waited for you." Calypso told him. "You can save him, right?"
Ryker snorted and shook his head. "No one can save him." He said unconcernedly. "And certainly not me."
"That's not true, and you well know it." Rhea disagreed, rising from her chair and walking up to Ryker. He took a wary step backward and then felt his legs freeze beneath him. Rhea placed a hand against his chest and then pulled it away, a thin golden thread trailing after it. Ryker paled and Leo swore that he saw fear in his eyes. "A curious ability of the children of Cybele. The ability to link your soul with another being."
"Release that!" Ryker snarled even as Rhea ascended the steps with the golden thread still held between her thumb and index finger. "Don't! You can't!"
Not answering, Rhea stopped at the last step and then released the thread. Ryker breathed a sigh of relief before seeing that the thread was not disappearing. It was drifting through the sky to where Jason laid. Ryker howled and struggled desperately against Rhea's magic, but it was for naught. The string connected to Jason's chest and the son of Jupiter gasped like someone had electrocuted him. Ryker gave a gasp and staggered, bracing his knees as though under a heavy weight. Rhea descended the stairs and snapped her fingers. Where Sciron had laid was now Jason. The son of Jupiter gave another moan and managed to push himself up a few inches with his arms. Calypso and Leo were there immediately, helping him into a chair. "Jason! Buddy!" Leo patted his chins lightly in an effort to wake him. "Yo! Lightning Boy! Wake up!"
The golden thread that connected Jason and Ryker seemed to glow brighter and Jason drew in a deep raspy breath. His eyes snapped open and he looked around, pushing his chair back in confusion. "What's going on?!" He demanded.
"Whoa, easy man." Leo said soothingly, dragging the chair back to the table and pouring the contents of a glass of water down Jason's throat. "Just drink. You have been holding up the world for a while now." Leo was extremely relieved by the fact that his friend was already responding. His blonde hair had turned an even lighter shade, almost bone white, but other than that he seemed to be fast-recovering. Faster than he should have been. This gold thing must be some sort of super-medicine. Leo thought to himself, glancing over to Ryker.
The thought died in his mind as he beheld his new companion. Ryker was on his knees, his face contorted in a snarl as pain ripped through him. "What… is… this?" He demanded, smacking the stone floor in evident fury. "These thoughts?! Make them stop!"
"Rather curious side effect." Rhea noted, taking her seat at the table and observing the events. "The link that children of Cybele can make with animals allows them to share thoughts and emotions. It can also share life force. Life force is a curious thing you see. It might grow weak, but each human has the exact same amount. Jason's life force was so weak that his body is instinctively trading some of the weaker life force for Ryker's stronger one."
"Alright, so what is Ryker freaking out about then?" Leo asked, somewhat worried about him. Loving to fight or not, he had come through huge. "What thoughts?"
"I imagine that he is being given a first rate look at Jason's true nature. Sharing life force is a precarious thing. I would hazard a guess that those two are having a very good look at the true nature of the other."
