Olympus: The Agency (Book One)

14. Heart of Darkness

Zeus was watching Phil's hands on the controls of the shuttle, committing it all to memory so if he ever needed to, he could take over in a pinch.

'How long did it take?' Zeus asked.

'Flight school? 3 years, then another one because I failed the flight test first time. Crashed into the ocean. Second time, though... I managed to pull it up.'

Zeus smirked at the story. 'You crashed into the ocean? How?'

'Oh, god,' Phil groaned, 'my partner dared me to break the record for pulling up. I was cocky, and dive-nosed into the water. I nearly drowned.'

Zeus laughed with Phil, heard from the passenger area of the shuttle. Apollo looked up at Dionysus with a grin.

'You look good for Swiss cheese.' he said.

Dionysus rolled her eyes, grunting as she breathed out. 'Thanks. Being a guest of the medical wing was fun.'

'Shut up, computers are evil!' Apollo growled.

Epione snorted from her seat and chuckled lightly. Minnie frowned, however. 'You're all... normal'

Epione smiled genuinely at Minnie. 'Why wouldn't we be?'

Minnie hummed to herself with the engines, a habit she had when she was nervous, and looked at her tablet, cataloguing her equipment again.

Thanatos and Tartarus were on the opposite end of the shuttle, looking through the window at the stars and space junk as they traveled to Bjarni.

'Such splendour is evidence of his divine design,' Thanatos murmured.

Tartarus shook his head. 'Yeah, cause his design on the things like cancer and those bugs that lay eggs in people's eyes are so splendorous.'

Thanatos smiled at these words. 'Ah... like so many, you focus on what is bad for you. Do we not kill the lamb to eat and keep ourselves warm? Do we not battle each other to fight for the family back home? His design encompasses all. Sometimes it benefits us... and sometimes it does not. But in a true testament to his vision, we are still here.'

Tartarus grunted, knowing he wasn't getting anywhere with this.

Kurt was watching Enyo write on her tablet with spider-like grace, fascinated as he listened to her.

'-and that is why a grenade with a black hole inside it will not work!' Enyo finished with a gleeful grin.

'Wow,' Kurt said quietly, 'though a black hole in a grenade would be a great tactical advantage.'

'I know,' Enyo said, bouncing in her seat, 'That's why I'm designing one!'

'But you just said-'

'I am Russian, Mr. Dwarf. Nothing is impossible for me.'

Kurt smirked at her confidence, then checked on his rifle.

All conversations were cut short when the shuttle lurched. Phil turned her head over her shoulder. 'Hey, strap in, all of y-'

The shuttle lurched again, more violently this time, knocking everyone who was standing to the ground. Tartarus pulled Thanatos up and the two buckled in. Dionysus, Apollo and Kurt all buckled their harnesses quickly, but Epione and Enyo could not understand how it worked. Minnie cried out as her tablet skidded across the floor, and she dived after it.

'Zeus, get them buckled in. Now!'

Zeus nodded, using the walls to prop himself up as he moved hastily towards Minnie. He picked the Elf up and slammed her into a seat, pulling the harness over her.