This story dedicated to the readers of my stories. Thank you for the comments and support you have given me while writing this series. It was and still is appreciated.

 

Andersonville 30 - The day Dennis Butz died
Written by Kelly Davidson
Edited by Geoff

Copyright 2002

Fade in - Andersonville Cemetery 50 years from now.

Gently I placed the flowers on the grave of my beloved husband with much sorrow. Three long years had past since his death, and yet I missed him as much as the day he had died. Close by were the graves of my parents, also having long ago gone to their reward. The Anderson's hadn't been my biological parents, but I had called them my own just the same.

Next to my parents was the final resting-place of my brother, Steve, AKA Al Parker. Unlike the others, he had died an early and violent death during the first Peace River riots. That left just Jennifer. Sweet, lovely Jennifer! How my sister enjoyed life. She was a grandmother now, having married and given birth to four, lovely children.

I was also grandmother, only not like Jennifer. Unlike her, I hadn't been able to conceive any children in my marriage. It was something Tom and I had always regretted, although we had adopted over the years. Tom had been so understanding about the problem. He had been a wonderful husband.

"Hello Linda," a familiar voice greeted me. I turned and smiled at the judge. Juno looked the same as she did 50 years ago, maybe even prettier.

"Hello June," I replied nervously, knowing why she was here. I decided not to waste time with small talk. "Did he decide?"

Judge Herns sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Linda, the old goat refused. I tried my best to change his mind."

"I know you did. I was hoping...it doesn't matter." I stood slowly and brushed the dirt off my skirt.

"I miss him," June said tenderly as she stared down at Tom's grave. "In fact, I miss all of the Anderson's. That's what I hate about living forever...having to say goodbye to the friends you make. It seems like they stay for just a little while and then they're gone." I didn't comment so June continued.

"I remember when I first met Tom. I didn't like him much. He was, I hate to say this, a man."

"It was hard for you to trust men back then, June," I stated the obvious.

"Yes, that's true," Judge Herns admitted. "Tom was the first man I was able to trust in a long, long time. I wish the old goat had been more like him."

Her words caused me to chuckle. "How is Judge Jasper?"

"The same. He grumbles all the time about his new town, but if you ask me it's better than the old one."

"It's warm in South America," I pointed out.

"Yes it is," Judge Herns grinned. "But I didn't say the town was in South America, now did I? You know I can't tell you its location, Linda. We wouldn't want your military to know."

I nodded, although I suspected the US government already knew where the town was but had decided not to do anything about it. Considering what the Olympians had done to the people of Peace River at the end, not going after them was a crime. It was only because Judge Herns and a few of the others had been in Andersonville at the time that the government didn't go after them.

"I remember when there were just a few graves here," I commented. "Now look, there are hundreds."

"At least most of them died of natural causes," Judge Herns pointed out. "They all lived long, full lives."

"Do you know when?" I asked suddenly. Juno looked at me carefully.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Maybe I can speed things up," I replied as together we walked slowly back to my speeder. "What difference will a few hours make? Perhaps it would be better for everyone if I went in the middle of the night like my mother."

"Do you want me to be there when the time comes?"

I shook my head. "No June, I'll be fine. My family will be close by." Then I stopped for a moment, and looked at Juno with pressing concern. "Do you think I should tell them about Dennis Butz before I die?"

The goddess's chin grew tight. "Dennis was a hero, Linda. His story deserves to be told."

I chuckled softly and continued to walk. "A hero...I don't know about that. But I think you're right, June. After 50 years the truth needs to be told."

"In that case I wish you well my dear. Since I won't see you again..." June hugged me tightly one more time. "I'm going to miss you, Linda."

"I'll miss too, June. Do me a favor, and watch over Jennifer and my children for me."

"It will be done," Juno replied as she released me and took one last look. "Goodbye Linda."

"Goodbye, June."

As we parted I didn't cry. I knew one day we would meet again, but perhaps not under such pleasant circumstances.

Fade out...

***

Voice of Linda Anderson - They say to judge someone; you must first walk a mile in their shoes. When I first came here, I regarded this town as a prison. In many ways that's still true, but only if you look at it superficially. Years later, with the benefit of hindsight, I can now see the town for what it is; a last attempt to bring peace between the Titans, the Olympians, and us, the human race. If the town succeeds, the people imprisoned in Peace River will finally be free and there will be peace. If it fails, the resulting war could end the world as we know it. There are some on all sides of this conflict who have their own reasons for seeing the project fail.

These are the stories of the men and women who made a difference during those dark days, and shaped history. It's also about those who had to face their deepest, darkest problems and what they gained from conquering them. It's a place of second chances, hope, and peace. The name of this town is Andersonville.

***

Fade in...

Kevin knocked on the partly open bedroom door. "Aunt Linda?"

"Come in, Kevin," I said cheerfully. "What is it?"

"There's a man outside from the US military. He says his name is Captain Myers."

"Really? Are you sure his last name is Myers?"

"That's what he said."

"Tell him I'll be out in a moment. Has everyone else arrived?"

"Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Rick showed up about ten minutes ago. They've been wondering where you are."

"Tell Jennifer I'm not as quick as I used to be," I grinned. "And also tell her 'no', I don't need her help getting dressed. I'll be out in a moment."

"Yes, Aunt Linda." Kevin, sensing that I wanted to be alone for a moment, closed the door as he left. I took a good long look at myself. I didn't really look that old. Oh, I had gray hair and some wrinkles on my face, but I had kept myself in shape. I looked to be in my early 50's, not my late 70's. Of course the reality was I was even older than that. The doctors couldn't understand why I was dying at such a young age.

Carefully I brushed my hair one more time and added another layer of lipstick before leaving. It felt good to be pretty one more time. When I walked into the main room I took a good look at everyone. There was Jennifer with her husband, and two of her kids who were almost grown. My sister gave me a big smile.

In the corner sat Kevin, the son of the late Ashlee Gang. He had come to live with us after Jupiter had executed the rest of his family. I worried about him. Despite my best efforts, Kevin still had a lot of hate and resentment toward Judge Jasper. It was my fear that he would try going after him one day. That would be a tragic mistake if he did.

Next to him sat Melissa with her three kids. She was a lovely woman, with fluffy blonde hair that curled and hung gently down her back. Melissa looked as pretty as her mother, Sally Anderson, used to. Tom and I had adopted Melissa when she was only 2 months old, after the sudden death of her parents.

Finally I turned to greet my guest. He was a short, handsome man who looked much like someone I once knew. I held out her hand and said, "Thank you for coming, Captain Myers."

"Ms. McClain," he answered politely with a smile that indicated he was happy to be here. "You don't know how much of an honor it is to finally meet you."

"Please, call me Linda. You're not by chance related to General Myers, are you?"

The captain beamed. "He was my grandfather. My father named me after him. He used to work in the bunker until an unfortunate incident cost him his command. Did you ever meet him by chance?"

"I knew your grandfather well...he was a good man. Did you know that after Dennis Butz removed your grandfather from his post, he reconsidered his decision and blotted out the incident from his record? Later on he recommended your grandfather for promotion."

"No, I never knew that. My grandfather always wondered how he was able to make general with that reprimand looming over his head."

"There are many stories I could tell you, Captain, but I suspect you're here for one reason."

"That's correct ma'am. I'm here to find out what really happened to Dennis Butz. There are all those rumors floating around out there. Is he really dead?"

I pressed my lips together tightly. "Yes captain, he's dead. Some would say he died a hero's death almost 50 years ago...and until today only Judge Herns and I knew how. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Please, have a seat."

Captain Myers sat down next to me and I took his hand. "Tell me Captain Myers, have you even experienced the trance power?"

"No, but I've heard it's an incredible experience."

"It is, if the story is enjoyable. Prepared to be blown away, Captain." I smiled and closed my eyes. Slowly but surely everything around us faded away.

***

I should have been working, but my mind was flooded with too many things for me to concentrate on my job. In 27 days I would be married. Married, as a woman. If someone had told me my future when I was still a teenager I would've said they were nuts. Now I wondered if I wasn't nuts. Not only was I marrying a man...I was marrying someone who looked the way I used to.

"Daydreaming again, Linda?" June ask humorously from her office doorway.

"Sorry, Your Honor," I replied sheepishly. "I'm just thinking about next month."

"I see." The judge smiled tenderly at me. "Is Tom stopping by today?" I shook my head.

"He's out of town taking care of some personal matters."

"Oh, that's too bad. It's always nice to see him here. He makes you so happy."

I blushed. "I didn't know it showed."

"It does," the judge laughed. "Don't worry Linda, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," I grinned, and then frowned slightly. "It's a little scary sometimes, June. My life is going to change, and there are times I find myself wondering if I'm doing the right thing."

"That's just nerves," June reassured me. "All brides feel that way as the time gets closer. A few years from now, when you have kids running around your feet, you'll be wondering what you did before you had them. Believe me Linda, your life is going to turn out just fine if I have anything to do with it."

"And you do," I half-grinned.

"Only when I'm needed," she replied truthfully. "This is your life...and like a friend I'll be there to support you when it's required. However, I'm not going to butt into your affairs. Your happiness is what you make of it."

"Thanks June. That is perhaps the best gift anyone could give me."

She chuckled. "If only buying all my presents were that easy. How about I take you out to lunch later on?"

"Can I take a rain check, June? I'm suppose to have lunch with Dennis today...unless you want to join us?"

She shook her head and gave me a humorous grin. "No, that's okay. We'll do lunch another time. If I know Dennis, he probably wants to talk to you about something he doesn't want me to know anything about."

"I'm sure it's nothing," I laughed.

***

"You have to decide," Crius insisted. "We cannot wait any longer. Can I count on your assistance or not?

Dennis rubbed the top of his forehead. For years he had delayed giving Crius his word, although he hinted that he would when the time came. Now it had, and Dennis was about to make a decision that would affect the rest of the world. The fate of billions of people rested on his shoulders depending on what he said. The director had never backed away from making the tough decisions, but now he was feeling the heat.

"I need more time, Crius."

"Time!" he raged. "You've had time Rhea, plenty of time. The chemical is ready, my men are trained, and the day when it is most convenient to strike is fast approaching. I have to start finalizing the plans. There is no more time, Rhea. Either you're in or you're out." Crius prayed that he was in. He may have had the backing of his people, but it was Dennis who held the power. If he didn't join, it would leave Crius in a serious bind and the old god would lose face.

"You're talking about war, Crius," Dennis defended himself. "I don't take that lightly...and you have been very vague about what my role will be."

"Give me your word and I'll tell you everything," Crius promised.

"If I give my word it's binding! What is it you want of me? Tell me first, then I'll decide."

The old god sighed. Dennis was no fool; nor could he be told the entire truth. Crius decided to tell him just enough to get his cooperation.

"After we strike Rhea, you will get the American planes and troops to attack. This will keep the Olympians busy, and weakening them at the same time. While this is going on my men will attack the caves and free our people. We will arm them, and when the time is right, strike at the heart of Peace River. Together we will bring the Olympians to their knees!"

"And the people of Peace River? You promise that they'll recover from this chemical's effect?"

"Yes, of course, of course," Crius lied in an irritated tone. "How many times do I have to tell you Rhea, this chemical will only put them into a dreamless sleep. They'll be fine, unless of course the Olympians do something to them. I can't prevent the Olympians from harming anyone."

Dennis turned and looked out the window. How could he even consider doing this? He had made friends with some of the Olympians. Now he was going to stab them in the back! Could he allow himself to agree to this madness? If he did, what happened if the situation escalated? Dennis knew that despite what Crius had told him, he was the key to this operation. If he said 'no', there might not be an attack. If he said yes...things could get out of control very fast. But if he did say no and Crius attacked anyway, more of his people would suffer. Could he live with that - knowing he had the power to prevent that from happening?

Suspecting Dennis needed one more push to commit, Crius played his trump card. "Think about your daughter and wife, brother. They're calling out for justice!"

"I'm not sure either of them would approve of war," he stated.

"Not war Rhea, justice. We will end the suffering of our people once and for all - and when we do we'll return to a time before the Olympians came. You remember that time, don't you Rhea. The humans called it the golden age, when there was only peace and prosperity. War and battles were unknown back then, and would never have been known if it wasn't for the Olympians. We owe the people of this planet a chance to return to that time once more...and we can do it if you join us. Rhea, think of all the crimes the Olympians are guilty of against our people. The time to repay them for their cruelty is now! The time to repay them for what they did to your daughter is now! The time to repay them for what they did to your wife is now!"

The words bit hard into Dennis' conscience. Crius was right; the day of reckoning had come. His treaty with Jupiter was rocky at best. Although the King of the Roman Gods had agreed to release a certain number of Titans each year, there had been no more released since Crius. Every time there were talks about releasing more of his people, Jupiter would claim the Titan's had violated the agreement somehow and he wasn't required to release anyone. Technically Jupiter was within his rights to do so, but that didn't sit well with those Titans who were free and waiting for their loved ones to join them. They didn't care about the politics; all they wanted were results. Crius had heard their calls and stepped in, thus gaining him great power among their people. Unfortunately, he still needed the director's help to succeed.

Dennis was tempted by the offer. He had slowly come to the realization that despite what Jupiter had promised; the Roman God would continue to find ways not to honor his agreement. It was almost as if Jupiter were trying to goad them into war. Could his dream succeed under these present conditions? Dennis knew it couldn't. He still believed, but he also knew there needed to be a change. He made up his mind.

"Juno will not be harmed, nor will any of the others," he stated outright. "Cronus made the mistake of allowing it - I will not! The Olympians will be treated with respect after this is over, Crius. There will be no paybacks for old debts. Instead we will work with them to smooth out old hatreds. After their defeat, we'll bring them here to live in peace with any of our people who wish to join them. Unlike other wars, there will be no retribution for past mistakes."

Crius was in anguish at what he heard. No retribution? The Olympians were to be treated as 'guests'? His followers would never agree to that.

"Some of our people won't like that ruling," Crius pointed out.

"This isn't debatable," Dennis replied forcefully. "If we don't stop the circle of hate, than this war will be like every other war...just a number in a series of wars. I want this to be the last! If you want my support then you'll swear to me right now that you and your followers will abide by my wishes."

"You're our leader, and I think it is a wise ruling brother. I give you my word that what you say will be obeyed by me and my followers." Crius almost choked on the words.

"When does this begin, Crius?"

"Two nights from now."

"So soon?"

"The moon will be full and close to the earth. It's a time when they'll be at their weakest. I've already delayed this operation by two months so we could take advantage of this situation."

Dennis nodded. "I'll talk to the general, and tell him the people of Peace River are in grave danger. This will force the President to allow military action to begin against them. I only hope it doesn't spread."

'With us on the inside they don't have a chance, Rhea. We'll end this before they know what hit them."

"I hope you're right, Crius." Dennis looked at his watch and frowned. "I have a meeting to go to. I'll talk to you later, Crius."

"I look forward to it, brother."

Crius walked him to the door, then smiled brightly after he was gone. He put his hands together like he was praying and held off shouting for joy. There was reason to celebrate, but it would have to wait until after the mission. Lucas walked into the room frowning. He had heard them talking, and he didn't like what had been agreed to.

"No retribution!" he hissed.

"Her words, not mine," Crius replied calmly. "After this is finish, Rhea will be a liability to us. She'll need to be taken care of ...do you understand?"

"With her powers?" Lucas questioned.

"You'll have to make sure it's done 'before' she gets them back," Crius explained. "Obviously I had to agree to her terms. Make sure she dies as a hero. I may be able to make use of that later on."

Lucas nodded.

***

"You seem troubled, Dennis," I observed while shoving some salad into my mouth. The director had barely touched his plate or said much. That in itself was unusual.

"I'm sorry, Linda. I was talking to Crius before we met. He mentioned my wife and...it doesn't matter."

"If it bothers you than it does matter," I replied. "Look, if you want to talk about it..."

"No," he shook his head. "No, we should be talking about something else, like your upcoming marriage."

"Don't take this the wrong way Dennis, but I'm sick of talking about my wedding. That's all everyone wants to talk to me about...especially my mother. It's taken over my life."

Dennis laughed. "It wasn't so bad in the old days when we ruled. Now it's a social event."

"Or worse," I agreed. Then I soften, and took his hand. "Dennis, I would really like to help you get through this. I know it hurts. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Linda. She's dead, and the person who killed her is walking around free."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I've known for years," he frowned. "Crius found her killer a few days after it happened."

"Who did it?"

"Mars," he answered. "He killed her because of the attacks on his wife and brother. I swore on my wife's grave I would deal with him properly. Now I just made an agreement with Crius that I won't."

"Crius told you he didn't want him harmed?" I asked in amazement. It was no secret that Crius hated the Olympians immensely. I had even heard rumors that he wanted to go to war with them.

"Not exactly. It's better that you don't know all the details. I just hope..."

"What?" I pushed.

"Linda, please understand that I don't want you or any of your people harmed. There was a time when I looked down on your race, but I've become quite fond of them. Being forced to live as a human year after year has given me a new outlook on your people. You can accomplish so much if you put your mind to it."

It sounded like a farewell speech, and made me uneasy. What had happened in his meeting with Crius? "Dennis, what's going on?"

He smiled as if trying to relieve my fears, but failed. "Nothing Linda. If things work out as planned, and they should, your people will be sitting high."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then you won't have to deal with me anymore." He frowned and shook his head. "I'll go pay the check."

"Dennis!"

He looked at me sadly. "It's okay, Linda. It's better that you don't know."

As he left I followed him with my eyes. Dennis was stiff and tense. I had seen him like this once before - at Olympus (AV 18). Then a horrible thought hit me. The Titans and Olympians were going to war.

***

"June, can I speak with you please?"

The judge looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "Of course, Linda. Come in."

I took a seat in front of her, and found myself shaking. June picked up on my condition, because she came over and sat down next to me. She took hold of my hand and asked, "What is it Linda? What's got you so worried."

"Judge, I just heard something and I don't know what to do about it."

"Well, you can tell me? I'm sure together we can work this out."

"It's not that simple, June. I don't really know if what I suspect is true - and I don't want to panic anyone."

Humm, I see," she nodded slowly. "This has something to do with Dennis, doesn't it?"

"June, please don't ask me to tell..."

"It's okay, Linda, I won't. Can you at least give me an idea of what it's about?"

"His wife. He thinks that Mars killed her."

"Do you believe that, Linda?"

"I don't know June. Mars has a pretty bad reputation, and he did kill that person who took the place of Judy Hartford (read AV 19). I don't want to accuse him of killing Mrs. Butz, but I could see him doing it."

"Don't believe everything you read or hear," she said. "I can assure you that Mars didn't kill her. He was on an assignment at the time."

"But Dennis thinks he did."

"Dennis is wrong," she stated firmly. "He's been wrong before. The reason why Crius told him that was to win his support. I hope you're not suggesting that he has."

"I don't know, June. All I do know is that it's affecting his relationship with your people. Mrs. Butz was murdered, but why?"

"I don't know, Linda. Perhaps we'll never know."

That wasn't an answer I could live with. Somehow I knew her death played a major role in all this. Something big was about to happen because of it, and I had to find out what that was. "June, I need to ask you a big favor."

"I already know what you're going to ask, Linda. Let it go. She's dead! What good will going after her killer do?"

"It'll put Dennis' mind at ease, June. It may even restore the relationship between your two people. I noticed Dennis has been acting pretty distance this past year." I looked carefully at the judge. "June, I'm getting married in less than a month. This may be my last chance to investigate a case."

"You're going to need that time to get ready for your wedding," she pointed out.

"My mother is taking care of that. This is her wedding, not mine. I'm letting her enjoy herself. I have an opportunity to do something bigger here. I have a chance to put an end to a friend's nightmare. I owe Dennis a lot, June. We've had a rocky friendship over the years, but I do respect him and...care about him."

"So all you want from me is to approve your leave?"

"No, I need you to find someone from Peace River to travel with me. I would prefer Apollo, or Mercury."

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, for reasons I can't explain, none of our people in Peace River are available." She thought about it carefully. "There is someone I could get. You've never met him before, but I can vouch for his character. He would serve your needs well."

"What's his name?"

"Phobos...Ambassador Phobos. He works in our European market."

"Isn't he Deimos' brother?" I asked, wondering what market she was talking about.

"Yes, he is...although they're as different as night and day. He owes me a favor. I'm sure he could accommodate you, and get you into Peace River again."

What makes you think I'll be going to Peace River, June?"

"Because I suspect that's where your investigation will take you. I know how your mind works, Linda. Even though I just told you Mars was on assignment and didn't kill Mrs. Butz, you're still going to check it out. I suppose that's the only prudent thing to do. Do you want me to see if he's available?"

"Yes, please."

Judge Herns picked up her phone and made a call. When the other person answered, she started speaking in a language I couldn't understand. It sounded like Latin, but I wasn't sure. They conversed for a few minutes and she hung up the phone. "He'll be here tonight. You can leave in the morning."

"Thank you, June."

She frowned. "Linda, this favor comes with a price. While I respect Dennis and his people, I'm still loyal to my own. If my people are in some sort of danger, I expect you to tell me about it right away. Is that clear?"

"Yes June. If something is up, you'll be the first to know."

"Then lets get back to work," she smiled gently.

***

The Ambassador wasn't what I expected. Short and heavy, he had just a small crop of his original hair left. Phobos was by far the most out of shape god I had ever met. It made me wonder why he didn't use his powers to make himself more fit. On the other hand, he was dressed in a tailor made English suit that would have cost me a months salary - if I were still wearing suits that is. He smiled cordially and stuck out his hand.

"So, you're the young lady who's held my brother's infatuation all these years," he said.

"Guilty," I grinned. I liked the ambassador. He was nothing like his father, who seemed grumpy and angry all the time. Nor was he like Deimos, who was shy and withdrawn. Phobos was open, friendly, and looked to be something of a practical joker.

"Linda Anderson," I said taking his hand. "You can call me Linda, Mr. Ambassador."

He chuckled. "So formal. Please, call me Dan. I'm only an ambassador when I leave the States. Juno has told me what you need. I'm to assist you in any way I can."

"Thanks, I appreciate your help, Dan." Phobos just smiled as if it were no big deal.

"Give me a call when you get there, Linda," June said. "And make sure you call your mother every night. If you don't she'll worry about you."

"I will June," I promised.

"Then good luck," she replied. "Take care of her, Phobos."

"My lady, she's in good hands," the young god replied smoothly.

***

We were flying high somewhere over the state of South Dakota. Judge Herns' private plane wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. It was meant to seat 20 or so people, and being alone in the main cabin made it seem bigger. I gazed out at the ground below, wondering if I was doing the right thing. Maybe I was sticking my nose someplace where I shouldn't be sticking it. I kept telling myself that I was doing this for Dennis, but the truth was it was more than that. This was my last chance to relive a part of my old life...to be Tom McClain, private eye. Okay I was a female now, but that wasn't going to stop me from enjoying this. I was going to make this moment count. The door between the cabin and the cockpit opened, and Phobos stepped in and sat down next to me.

"Enjoying the flight?" he asked.

"Yeah...wait a minute, who's flying the plane?"

"I am," he grinned. "Relax Linda, I'm still in control. So, a penny for your thoughts."

I laughed at his openness. "I was thinking about my life, and how it's changed. Soon it'll change again."

"Life is like that," he grinned. "A few years ago I was a traffic cop in Peace River. Now I'm jetting-setting around the globe."

"What is it that you do, Dan?"

"I represent my people, Linda. As you know, the Titan's have a 'pact' with your country, and a few others. Our people have done the same. The problem is, someone has to talk to them from time to time. My grandfather is too busy with Peace River, so I represent him in different matters."

"Like snatching their people and whooshing them off to Peace River?"

He chuckled. "Those are strong words, Linda. We give those who are dying a second chance to live."

"I've heard that before, Dan. I'm not arguing that you save their life. What bothers me is that you don't tell them the full story about living in Peace River."

"True...it's a 'buyer beware' situation. Humans rarely ask the right questions. In fact they hardly ask any questions at all. Most of the time all they want to know is if this is on the up and up. On the other hand, 97% of the people who live in Peace River are completely happy. I don't know of any other town that could beat our numbers."

"You could be open and honest about what they're getting themselves into," I suggested.

"True, but than so could the people we bring to Peace River, Linda. Most of the time they're also hiding something. I disagree that we're any more dishonest than the people we bring to our town. If they asked the right questions, we would tell them the truth. Most humans don't even ask."

It was the same argument I had heard from the others. We're doing this for their own good. We're providing our people with a safe place to live, and we heal them from their life-threatening illnesses. We want them to be happy, so we provide them with a job and a nice home. Yet none of the Olympians ask themselves why so many of their citizens died each year trying to leave. None of them ask why the Freedom Fighters not only existed, but were growing in leaps and bounds. Not one of them wondered if there wasn't a better way to deal with the human race. Dennis was right; the Olympians didn't respect us as a race. We were no more than little children to them, who needed to be watched all the time. Then I considered all the trouble we got ourselves into, and wondered if there wasn't some truth to their reasoning. If we didn't respect each other, how could we expect others to respect us?

"Can I ask why you were picked, Dan?"

Phobos sighed. "I wanted to get out of Peace River for a while. Don't get me wrong Linda, it's a lovely place, but I had been there since its creation and I needed some excitement. My grandfather recognized that I could relate to your race easier than the others so he gave me the job. I also watch over the others still in stasis."

"How many are there?"

"A couple hundred. If the town ever grows we can wake them up...'if' it ever grows. So many problems I'm afraid."

"Like what?"

"Water, food, and the right people. Creating the river around Peace River was a huge mistake - and yet because so many of your people would leave if we took it away, we need it there. What's the expression; we're stuck between a rock and a hard place? I'm sure my grandfather will work it out in time. He's always been able to in the past." Phobos paused for moment then asked, "Tell me Linda, what is it your people want?"

"The same as what you want, Dan. The freedom to live and make choices...and to travel where ever we want without being harassed."

"Really?" he stated in all seriousness. "Because if you ask me, people have that now and they still aren't happy. Look at all the depressed, lonely people out there. Look at all those healthy people who kill themselves every day. They could do things to improve their life and the lives of many others yet they don't. Instead it seems that the more a person gets, the more miserable they become...and in the process they bring other people down with them."

"You're talking about a few people who have problems."

"Am I?" he questioned. "I'm talking about your people as a whole, Linda. I've traveled around your world, to places you haven't even heard of. Do you know what I've seen? Leaders who live high off the hog and don't give a damn about the people they're supposed to be serving. Masses of people who could improve their life, but would rather complain about their problems then fix them. In fact it seems the more opportunities people have, the more they complain. Look at all the people in your country who live in nice homes, eat great food, and have at their fingertips 100's of different entertainment options. You live like kings compared to the rest of the world, and yet you complain the loudest about how hard life is. It's clear material things don't make you happy, so what does?"

"I don't know, Dan. It's different for every person. If I knew what would make everyone happy I could bottle it and be a billionaire. Sure we complain, but we also enjoy life to the fullest. Everyone gets down, and sometimes when we do we complain too much. But that doesn't mean as a whole we're unhappy all the time, or even most of the time. Don't you ever get down?"

"I suppose, but we act differently."

"How so?"

"We take our frustrations out on others."

"You mean humans."

"I suppose that's true," he confessed. "Our people can be very cruel at times."

I had heard tales about the gods; how they had used humans as playthings for their amusement like bullies on a playground. I hadn't seen much of that type of behavior around Peace River, but I had wondered if it still existed.

Phobos looked out the window and remarked, "We're almost to Baltimore. I guess I better get up front and land this plane."

"What?" I looked out the window, and indeed I could see Baltimore just ahead. "How in the heck did we get here so quickly? We've only been talking for ten minutes."

"Good tailwind," he grinned just before entering in the cockpit.

"Yeah, right," I scoff. "And if pigs had wings they could fly."

"You're right, they could," he replied with a grin. "But my grandfather didn't think that was natural, so he put a stop to it." Phobos closed the cockpit door, leaving me to wonder if he had been serious.

***

Phobos had arranged everything the night before. He taxied the plane over to a hanger where some steps were wheeled up to the door. From there it was only a short walk to a waiting 2002 Buick Lesabre. A minute later we were outside the airport gate.

"Pays to be a diplomat," Phobos smiled.

"Sure does," I agreed.

"So, where do we go first?"

Sudden it hit me - I had no idea. I had been so caught up in the moment of investigating my last case that I hadn't thought about how it was going to be conducted. I felt very foolish. "Let's go to the police station and talk to the detective who did the investigation."

"Sure thing, boss," Phobos answered with a smile. As he drove I took out a small notebook and made up a list of questions I wanted to ask. Luckily I finished before we got to the police station.

"Mind if I come in?" Phobos asked. "I've never seen a real investigation before, except on TV."

"Sure Dan," I chuckled. "Only it's not as exciting as they make it out to be. Mostly it's asking questions you already know the answer too."

"They why ask them?"

"Sometimes the way they're answered will surprise you." We walked inside and asked to speak to the detective in charge of the investigation for Mrs. Butz. As we waited I looked around the police lobby silently. Except for a few posters on the walls, there wasn't much to do but wait. The side door buzzed, and a man with a mustache wearing a wrinkled tan suit, walked out.

"Miss Anderson?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me." I took his hand. "This is Dan Phobos."

"I'm Detective Kesselring. Why don't we go to my office to talk?"

He led the way down the narrow hallway of a police station build long ago. His office wasn't much more inviting. There were books stacked on the floor and papers scattered over his desk. The detective picked up a thick file and placed it in front of me. "I had a copy made of all of my notes, just as you requested."

"I requested?" I stated in confusion. Phobos cleared his throat.

"I figured we would be coming here, so I asked for copies to be made. I hope you don't mind."

"No...thank you," I replied, suddenly feeling foolish at how rusty I had become? Maybe it was a good thing this would be my last case.

"So, what questions do you have?" Detective Kesselring asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if we could visit the accident site and I could ask my questions there."

"Sure, my cars out back," the detective answered.

He stood, and we followed him to his car. Along the way he explained how his investigation was going. It had more or less reached a dead-end. The license plate had been registered to a fictitious person and address. The witnesses had allowed the police to draw a picture of the man, but no one had been able to identify him. Although it was a crude drawing, I could tell it was someone who looked like Mars. We pulled into a store parking lot and got out.

"This is where the car was sitting," he said pointing to an empty parking place. "Mrs. Butz parked in this row, 17 spaces from the front, and was walking toward the front entrance. The driver pulled around this way," he made a motion with his hands, "and accelerated toward her. We estimate he was doing 35 to 40 mph when he struck her, causing her to fly onto the hood of the car and hit the windshield. After the suspect stopped, Mrs. Butz slid off the hood and to the ground. The suspect then accelerated again and ran over her, crushing her skull."

"I understand he got out of his car to look," I said.

"Yes, he did," the detective frowned. "At first I thought this was a hit and run accident. I figured the driver hit her by accident...panicked...got confused, and ran over her. Then he got out of the car, saw her condition, panicked even more, got back into his car, and drove off. But when we found the car abandoned and registered to a fictitious person, I knew we had a murder on our hands."

The detective had explained things so well that there wasn't much to ask. I did question him about a few things, just so I wouldn't look stupid, but nothing much came from the answers. Finally we got to the tape.

"The cameras over there," he pointed to the rooftop of one of the stores. "It caught the entire event. Unfortunately, it never got a good shot of his face because of the positioning, so we had to rely on the witnesses who were there. As you can imagine, most were in shock so that didn't work out very well. Since this was most likely a professional hit, we sent the drawing to the FBI. They came back with nothing. The case has been at a standstill ever since."

"I'll like to see the tape."

"It's back in my office," the detective replied. I took one more look around before getting in the car. Something cold touched my shoulder. Was it Mrs. Butz ghost trying to communicate with me? I shrugged the feeling off and got in the car.

***

The tape was violent and bloody. Watching the event unfold, it made me wonder how someone could do this to another person and not be bothered by it. I forced myself to watch the accident several times. The man in the car got out, but never looked directly at the camera. If the camera had been a few feet to the right we may have gotten a good shot of his face. Phobos stared at the screen silently, and it was hard to gage what he was thinking. Finally I let the tape roll.

"What are you doing, Linda? Why aren't you watching the crash again."

"Because I've learned as much as I can from it, Dan. Now I'm watching to see if anything else happens."

The small group of people around Mrs. Butz grew. There must have been a doctor close by, because a man was kneeling beside her body trying to render assistance. A few of the women stood there with their hands over their mouths in horror. Fortunately the quality of the tape wasn't good enough to show all the gruesome details.

"It's sad," Phobos observed. "People do this for money?"

"And other reasons," I answered. "Sometimes for love, sometimes for revenge. Other times they...Whoa, wait a minute." I leaned closer as a new person entered the picture. He looked familiar.

"What is it, Linda?" Phobos asked while watching the screen.

"I know him," I gritted my teeth. "Damn it, I know him. He's from Andersonville. Turn around and look at the camera guy." Unfortunately, the man didn't follow my suggested. He looked at the body, then turned in the opposite direction and disappeared off the screen.

"SHIT, I know him!"

"You can tell by looking at the back of his head?" Phobos questioned in astonishment.

"Yes I can Dan. I've seen him before, I know it." I rewound the tape and played the part where he walked in again. Unfortunately, the camera didn't pick up enough of his face for me to recognize him.

"Now what?" he asked. I didn't answer. I kept playing back the tape praying for a break. Then I saw it.

"There!" I froze the picture and I pointed to a young woman on the screen. "We need to find out who she is."

"But why?" Phobos questioned, now more confused than ever.

"Look at what's she doing, Dan."

Phobos did and smiled. "She's looking right at him."

"Which means she knows what this person looks like. Go get detective Kesselring."

"Will do, boss," Phobos exclaimed, bursting with excitement. A moment later he was back with the detective in tow.

"Can you tell me who this is, detective."

He looked, then frowned. "That's Dorothy Augustin. She was a witness to the accident, but doesn't remember much."

"Do you know how I can contact her, detective?"

"She moved recently, I know that. I asked her to keep in touch with me and she called me a few months ago. Let's see, where is her new address and phone number?" Detective Kesselring shuffled through his papers until he found the information. He pulled it out and handed it to me. "I only have a home number and address."

"No work number?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't necessary. Besides, she changes jobs frequently. Why do you find her so important?"

"No reason," I lied. "She was close by when this happened. I'm hoping she can provide me with some more information."

"You're wasting your time, Miss Anderson. I've had her here several times already. She's too traumatized to be of much help."

"Sometimes women open up more to other women, detective. Perhaps she'll open up to me."

The detective rubbed his chin doubtfully. "I guess it's your time, Miss Anderson."

***

"What time is it?" I asked nervously. We had been sitting in the car outside Dorothy Augustin's door for almost two hours now waiting for her to show up.

"The same time it was the last time you asked Linda, only five minutes later," Phobos answered in an exasperated tone. "At least I know what to buy you for your birthday - a watch."

"Where could she be?" I asked absent-mindedly. "It's after seven already. Most people get home by 5:30 or six."

"Maybe she had a date, or stopped to have a few drinks with some friends," Phobos replied. "Calm down, Linda. We'll find her."

"I'm sorry Dan. I don't mean to be so nervous. I just feel like something big is brewing at home, and my time is limited. Perhaps if we talked about something else it will take my mind off this."

"Sure, what would you like to talk about, Linda?"

"How about you, Dan. Were you in the war?"

"Wow," he grinned. "Now that's a loaded question. I really shouldn't be talking about this with you, Linda. What the heck, I guess it won't hurt. I wasn't around during the first war, but I was for the second."

"There were two wars?"

"Yeah, but you probably only heard about the first one called the Titanomachia. That war lasted over ten years and won us our freedom. The second war happened almost 200 years later. That's where the mermaids and Cyclopes came from."

"What caused the second war?"

"A small group of Titans, left over from the last war, built up a large army in secret and moved against us. It almost worked too, but we were able to stop them and regroup. The major blow came shortly after the war started, when we ambushed Crius and his army as they were crossing what is now known as the Black Sea. 20,000 men perished in that battle. Well, it wasn't really a battle. As I said, it was an ambush. We had help from Demoe, (read AV 11), who betrayed Crius for the promise of his own power. Without their military leader, it was only a matter of time before the Titans fell."

"I thought Dennis was their leader?"

Phobos chuckled softly. "Dennis, or rather Rhea, is no military leader. Politically she shines, but on the battlefield she's an amateur. In fact she didn't join Crius until a few weeks before they moved, shortly after her daughter was murdered. My grandfather crushed her on the battlefield by leading her army into a trap. Her men fault bravely, but he held the high ground. They were soundly defeated."

"Why haven't I heard of this war before?"

Phobos tugged at his small beard. "That's a good question, Linda. Unlike the Titanomachia, there weren't really that many battles. Most of them were what you would call small skirmishes, sometimes less than a hundred men on each side. Secret weapons were the theme, like the creation of the Cyclopes and the mermaids, among others. There were only three major battles, the first attack followed by the two I just mentioned. In less then a year it was over. There were no glorious victories in this war...and without glory there wasn't any reason to remember it fondly. Sort of like the difference between World War II and the Korean War. The remaining Titans in that war were defeated and banished below."

"But not Rhea," I pointed out. "If she was the leader of this second war, why wasn't she imprisoned like the rest? Why does Jupiter allow her to walk the earth, even if her movements are monitored?"

"Aww, but now you're getting into an entirely different area, one which I shouldn't talk about," Phobos smiled. "My grandfather's reasons are his own, Linda. Let's just say he owed Rhea, and repaid her."

"Owed her for what?"

"Sorry, family secrets," he grinned.

"I wonder how many skeletons I would find in your family's closet," I commented dryly.

"A great many I would imagine."

"If your grandfather was repaying Rhea back, it doesn't explain why all these years he forced her to live as a man. Did she do something similar to him?" The thought of Jupiter being forced to live his life as a woman somehow appealed to me.

"Oh no," Phobos shook his head. "Rhea was punished for her role in that war. If anything, my grandfather was lenient on her."

"Lenient!" I shouted. "How can you say such a thing?"

"Because if he had placed her down below with the other Titans, it's unlikely she would be alive today. Some of her people would like to kill her for what she did."

"Which was?"

Phobos grinned. "Again, that's not my place to say. If anyone should tell you it should be Rhea."

"And she doesn't talk much about her past," I grumbled. "In fact, she, or rather Dennis Butz, doesn't talk about much of anything when it comes to their history."

"An unfortunate situation," Phobos grinned knowingly.

"What about his daughter, Rommona? Why did Jupiter kill her?"

"He didn't."

"What? But Dennis thinks he did."

"We know."

"And?"

"And what Linda?" he asked while eyeing a car that passed by.

"And what did Dennis say when he was told Jupiter didn't kill her?"

"To my knowledge, no one has ever discussed this with him?" My eyes came close to bulging out. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

"You're joking, Dan. After all these centuries no one has tried to set him straight?"

Phobos shook his head in puzzlement. "No, why would we?"

"Because your grandfather is being accused of a crime he didn't do," I stated in an exasperated tone.

"So what," he replied, completely mystified at the point I was trying to make. "My grandfather knows he didn't do it. We know he didn't do it. Why should he have to deny something that we know isn't true?"

"Because maybe if you had there wouldn't have been a second war!" I stated. "Why else would Rhea join forces with Crius? It was for revenge."

"We weren't concerned about her joining him."

"That's not the point," I countered.

"Actually it is, Linda. You want to put human values on us, but we have our own values we live by. If war happens, we fight. We don't try to prevent it from happening or run away from it. Rhea was one more log on the fire we had to put out - but it was a fire we 'could' handle. Crius severely underestimated us back then...and if he tries to move on us now, he'll see that he made the same mistake."

"My gosh, what aren't you telling me, Dan?"

"A lot of stuff," he replied with a frown. "We haven't been just sitting around all these years Linda - nor is money the only thing that motivates your inventors. A nice house in a quiet, peaceful community along with a healthy body that doesn't age past 30 is a pretty good incentive to some people - not to mention unlimited funds at their disposal. You would be amazed at some of the gadgets your people have invented for us over the years. "

"I thought you were all powerful," I reply coldly.

He laughed. "We are Linda, but how do you think we got this way? There is power out there in the universe, if you can tap into it. Unfortunately, your people are starting to learn how."

"And that bothers you because we might challenge your authority?"

"No," Phobos shook his head sadly. "It bothers me because you'll kill yourselves in the end. Only some of your people have the wisdom to handle such power, but as a whole your race does not. I fear if such knowledge is discovered, your people are doomed."

"Sorry Phobos, but I have a hard time believing that would happen."

"Your people take drugs, smoke, and drink in excess with the full knowledge it is harmful to their bodies - with full knowledge, Linda," he said pointedly. "Do you really think such powers are safe in their hands when they discover all the things they can do - both good and bad?"

"How did your race survive then?"

"Because we had different standards, Linda. Not better, just different. Our race was better adapted to handle this power." He looked up at a car pulling in. "I think Dorothy is here."

I turned and watched as she got out of her car. Her hair was shorter than in the picture Detective Kesselring had taken of her years ago, but it was still a dirty blonde. She was wearing nice pants and an expensive jacket, as if she had been out somewhere.

"Just when things were getting interesting," I commented. Phobos smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if he were saying 'what can you do'. "Lets go talk to her."

Phobos followed my lead and walked beside me as we approached. "Dorothy Augustin?" I asked. She turned and eyed me with suspicion.

"Yes."

"Hi, I'm Linda Anderson and this is my assistant, Dan Phobos. We're private investigators. I was wondering if we could ask you some questions?"

"About what?" she questioned warily.

"I've been hired to investigate the murder of Mrs. Butz, the lady who was run down in the parking lot a few years ago. I'm going back and talking to all the witnesses who were there."

"I see." She hesitated uncomfortably for a moment as if searching for what to say next. "Look, Miss Anderson..."

"Call me Linda," I smiled, hoping it would ease her discomfort.

"Look Linda, I would like to help but...it's like this. I spent months trying to block the image of what happened to that poor woman out of my mind. I used to wake up in a cold sweat because I kept dreaming of the accident. I even had to see a therapist for a few months to get through this. I don't...I don't want to go back there again. Please, leave me alone. I can't help you."

"Miss Augustin, I understand your reservations, but the questions I need to ask have nothing to do with the actual accident. It's what happened afterwards that I'm interested in."

"Like I said, I can't help you," she brushed me off. "I'm sure one of the other witnesses can."

"Dorothy, I've seen the tape. You saw a man who may be behind all this. You looked directly at him."

"Are you telling me that I'm in danger?" she asked in alarm.

"I don't know. But if you help me, I'll make sure that you won't be."

"And if I don't tell you anything then there's a good chance he'll leave me alone."

"Maybe, but..."

"No," she stated firmly. "No, don't you see, I can't go through this again. I'm sorry she was murdered, but I can't help you."

"I only need his face, Dorothy. Please, just watch..."

"NO!" she said more forcefully. "No more - it's over." She grabbed her purse and walked away in a rush. I was at a loss as to what to do. Thankfully, Phobos was not.

"Miss Augustin," Phobos said in a forceful manner. "If that had been your mother who was run over and it was Mrs. Butz who had seen everything, would it sit well with you if she walked away from this - despite her fears? Or would you want to see that justice was done?"

Dorothy stopped dead in her tracks. With her back still turned to us she said, "That lady wasn't my mother, detective."

"She was someone's mother, someone's friend, someone's lover, someone's child," he stated. "Maybe you didn't know her personally, but you know people like her. For that brief moment she touched your life, and you cared about whether she lived or died. Don't let that concern for her end just because she did, Miss Augustin. There has to be a better reason for not caring anymore. Help us help her, Miss Augustin."

She stood there for a moment trying to decide what to do. When she turned I saw conflict in her eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Perhaps it would be better if we went inside out of the cold," Phobos suggested, now taking charge.

"This way," she replied. Dorothy unlocked the door to her apartment and let us in. There were boxes stacked all around as if she were in the process of moving again. "Can I get either of you something to drink?" she offered.

Phobos looked at me and replied, "No, we're fine." We took a seat, and she sat down across from us.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Linda," Dan said, giving the control back to me. I opened up my laptop and turned it so she could see the screen.

"This picture was taken shortly after the accident." I pointed to the person standing near her. "This is the man I'm interested in. You got a good look at him just before he left. Do you remember him?"

Dorothy searched her memory, then slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't recall anything. It was years ago, and I was upset at the time."

"It's okay," I reassured her. I looked over at Phobos, and he nodded to go ahead. "Dorothy, there's a method I can use to help you remember. The process isn't painful and there are no lasting effects."

"What do you want to do to me?" she asked in an uncertain tone.

"Nothing that involves needles or anything like that," I explained. "All you have to do is hold onto my hand. From there I'll take you back to that time, and we'll see his face together. That's all I need from you."

"Who are you?" she demanded to know.

I looked at Phobos and swallowed hard, then turned and faced her again. "I'm part of a secret government project. I have the abilities to step into other people's lives and see what they see. This woman you saw murdered was...well, that's classified...but she was very important. Knowing who had her murdered could be the key to stopping a war."

"A war?" She stared at us as if we were nuts.

"I know this sounds crazy, Dorothy. Look, all you have to do is take my hand and I can prove that everything I just said is true. Please, trust me by giving me that chance."

By now the young woman didn't know what to think. She looked at Phobos, who gave her a small, reassuring nod. Slowly she held out her hand and I took it. We connected, and the room began to fade around us."

"What's...what's happening?" she asked in a scared voice.

"It's okay, Dorothy," I replied in a calming tone. "It takes a few moments to move within your mind. Here it comes now."

The parking lot came into view, and I was staring down at the mangle body of Mrs. Butz. It was even more horrible than the pictures I had seen.

"Oh no," I heard Dorothy cry. "Oh please, not again."

"It's okay, Dorothy, I'm right here," I reassured her. "I know this is painful, but hang in there a few seconds longer. This will all be over soon, and then I'll take you home."

Something caught the corner of my eye, and I saw a man push his way through the small crowd. He looked at the body, then at me. There was an expression of joy on face for a job well done. I recognized him immediately. He turned and left without saying a word. Quickly I brought us out of the trance so we wouldn't have to view the body again. Dorothy covered her eyes and started crying. I nodded to Phobos that I had gotten what I came for, then placed my hands firmly around the crying woman.

"I'm sorry, Dorothy. I know reliving this again was upsetting, but the information you had was important."

"Do you know who did this?" she sniffed.

"I have a good idea."

"Can you stop this war?"

I shook my head. "I don't really know, Dorothy. I haven't got the full picture yet. There are pieces still missing that I need to find." Then I smiled at her gently. "You've been a big help to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She sniffed and then looked at me nervously. "What do you plan to do with me now?"

"Nothing, Dorothy," I reassured her. "In time you may find out what role you played in all this. Until then, I'm asking you to keep this a secret."

She gave me a sick chuckle. "Who would believe me?"

Phobos cleared his throat. "We better get going, Linda. There are other places we need to visit."

I nodded in agreement, and turned to the other woman. "Thank you again, Dorothy."

She smiled as if to let me know she was okay, and we let ourselves out. Phobos waited until we were outside before saying anything.

"Who was it, Linda?"

"A Titan called Lucas. Do you know anything about him, Dan?"

"A bit," he scowled. "He works for Crius, and was one of the Titans who attacked Ms. Marshall and Officer Merrick."

"You mean Venus and Mercury," I corrected, growing tired of the name games when there was no one around.

"That's another way of putting it," Phobos smiled. "Diana, Apollo, and Mercury set a trap for him, but ended up catching his partner, Leo instead."

"I guess it wasn't your lucky day," I replied. "Where's Leo now?"

"Underground," he answered nonchalantly. I knew what he meant. Leo was being held in the caverns below Peace River, known to the Olympians as the Tartarus.

"Did your people question him, Dan?"

"Yes, but he wouldn't talk."

"Why didn't you make him?"

"Torture!" Phobos stated in mock surprise. "What do you think we are Linda? Barbarians?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

The Roman God laughed. "Oh, you're a funny one, Linda. It's a good thing I have a sense of humor." Then he stopped laughing, and got serious. "The truth is Linda, we figured Leo didn't know much anyway. He was a small fish following orders from a bigger fish. If it weren't for his buddy Lucas, he wouldn't have gotten his hands dirty in the first place. So, where does that leave us?"

"I'm not sure," I said slowly. "Your father, or someone who looked just like your father, murdered Mrs. Butz with the help of Lucas."

"You still think my father is involved in this?" Phobos questioned with a just twinge of anger to his tone.

"I haven't ruled him out," I admitted carefully. "Maybe he was working with Lucas."

"Clearly you don't know my father," Phobos scoffed. "He would never work with those Titan scum."

"You may be right, but I have to find out for myself. Besides, that's not what's bothering me. Why did they kill Mrs. Butz in the first place? She didn't have anything to do with this."

"Do you think Dennis would agree to war if she were still alive?" Phobos stated boldly. A cold chill went down my spine. Could there be any other reason? Phobos saw my reaction and smiled triumphantly. "Peace River then?"

I nodded slowly. "Peace River."

"Excellent," he grinned while pulling out his phone.

***

I was standing in a huge room surrounded by polished, oak benches that rose up to create a circle pit. The scene was something straight out of the Roman Empire era. Each god had his or her place; the less important sat higher up although I suspected each had an equal say in things. So this where the Olympian's came to debate and hash out their problems. I could just imagine old Jupiter walking around the pit expressing his opinions while the others looked on. It had to be an impressive sight.

Slowly the room began to fill as each god came in and took his or her seat. I found myself a little intimated as they stared down at me with pressing concern. Fortunately, they sat together on one side of the forum. Judge Herns was also there, sitting prominently in the front row. She gave me a reassuring smile to calm me down. It helped knowing I had at least one friend in the room. Jupiter sat next to her looking over some notes. When the last Olympian arrived, he stood and held up his hands to silence everyone.

"I've been approached by Ambassador Phobos who is requesting an audience for Linda Anderson. It seems our Titan friends are up to something, and Miss Anderson has been investigating the matter. I am granting his request." Jupiter then stopped and glared sternly in my direction.

"Miss Anderson," his voice boomed out in a harsh tone. "You've being given an honor that few of your people have ever had - to address us in a formal setting. With that honor comes responsibility. You will therefore be respectful to us at all times. Although this is a place of debate, you will not be getting into a shouting match with us. You will state your business clearly, respectfully, and without any of your usual sarcasm. If you break any of these rules I will silence you. You have the floor."

Judge Jasper took a seat in smug silence. I may have had their attention, but he had made it clear who was in charge. I cleared my throat and looked at the Olympians who sat there in silent interest. Standing in the pit, I could feel the power that the forum held. At that moment, the eyes of Peace River were on me.

"A few years ago Denise Butz's spouse was murdered in a hit and run accident. Such murders happen all the time in my world, usually for love or money, but this one was different. Revenge seemed to be the reason for her death, or so we were led to believe. A video tape filmed the event, and it showed someone who looked like Mr. Marshall stepping out of the car that struck Mrs. Butz. That car was later found abandoned."

"Am I being accused of a crime?" Mars asked defensively.

I shook my head. "No - not by me anyway. However, this tape has caused others to believe you're responsible." I choose my next words carefully. "It would be helpful to my investigation if you could tell me where you were that day, Mr. Marshall."

"So you are accusing me," he replied heatedly.

"I'm just trying to piece this all together," I answered calmly.

"I don't need to explain anything to you," Mars stated in a blustery fashion. "My business is just that, my business. What I do is of no concern to you!" I noticed he hadn't denied killing Mrs. Butz. Was this intentional?

"I didn't mean to offend you, Mr. Marshall," I replied, trying to smooth things over.

"I'm offended by the implication," Mars shot back in an even more boastful tone. He rose swiftly, and I knew I was about to get an earful. Thankfully Juno also stood to intercept his attack.

"I think what Linda is asking in as diplomatic of a manner as she can is, did you have anything to do with the murder of Denise Butz's wife?"

"Why didn't she ask then?" Mars stated; his angry eyes now focused directed on me.

"I suspect Linda was afraid you'd be upset if she did," Juno pointed out humorously. That brought a round of chuckles from the others Olympians, including Jupiter. Mars looked angrily around at them in embarrassment, but held his temper in check.

"I had nothing to do with her death," he stated without emotion. "Does this satisfy your curiosity, Miss Anderson?"

"Thank you," I answered with a nod, then turned my attention to Jupiter. With him I was going to have to be really careful. "Judge Jasper, some Titan's believe it was you who murdered Dennis' daughter, Rommona."

"Yes," he confirmed as if this were old news.

"I was wondering if you knew who is responsible?"

"Her actual death, no. However, I was in her company prior to when that happened." This earned him a look of contempt from Juno, who was still married to him at the time. Jupiter ignored her poisonous glare and continued. "She told me Atlas had visited her recently, and tried to get her to join him in a war against us. He figured if she was on board, Rhea - Dennis Butz - would follow. Rommona told me she had refused his offer, and that Atlas was angry about it. I always assumed he killed her after I left to frame me, in the hopes Rhea would join them. As it turned out, his plan worked."

"So I've been told, Your Honor. I appreciate you telling me this."

He looked at me curiously. "For what purpose did you wish to know, Miss Anderson? Our people have mostly forgotten that war. Why is it important to you?"

"Because I believe the two murders are related, Your Honor." I heard Mars scoff at the idea. I ignored him and continued. "Almost 10,000 years ago someone murdered Dennis' daughter and blamed you to get his support. I believe someone is trying to do the same thing with his wife's death, only this time they're using your son as the scapegoat."

"Do you know who that someone is?" he asked.

"No, Your Honor," I frowned. "However, if you allow me to speak with Leo and Atlas, I believe I can get you your answer."

Jupiter rubbed his beard for a moment in thought. "It's unlikely either will talk to you, Miss Anderson. If what you say is true, and the Titans are preparing to strike, they will be less likely to answer your questions."

"That may be, Your Honor. However, I have nothing to lose by trying."

Jupiter nodded as if he understood, then turned and spoke directly to a man nearby. "Luther, do you object to her request?"

The man was thin and lanky, with a neatly trimmed beard that was narrow enough to almost be a goatee. His skin was pale as if it didn't see the sun very often, and he had brilliant green eyes. I knew right away it was the god of the underworld, Hades; also known as Pluto.

"No, not as long as she makes no attempt to aid anyone there. I will escort her myself, brother."

Jupiter nodded and turned back to me. "Unless you have something else to say Mrs. Anderson, our business is concluded."

"Thank you for your time, Your Honor," I bowed respectfully. He grunted unimpressed, and rose. Slowly the others followed him out. Phobos approached me with a big smile on his face.

"You did great, Linda. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm about to throw up," I stated nervously. Phobos laughed and patted me on the back. Pluto said something to Jupiter just as he was leaving, then approached us.

"My car is outside," he stated formally. Then he looked at me, and a small, tight smile appeared on his lips. "Miss Anderson, you are about to see sights very few of your kind have ever seen before. I must warn you, there is real danger where we are going. If you don't follow my instructions to the letter well - I'll make sure your next of kin is notified." He chuckled softly on the words.

Phobos laughed. "I'm sorry Linda, my uncle has a way with words. I'll make sure you're safe. Come now, lets go talk to a few Titans."

***

The ten soldiers stood in front of Crius waiting for their instructions. In reality, it should've been Lucas doing this. He was the actual leader of this group; the one who had worked out the plan and trained each of them. It was only out of their respect for the older god that Crius was in charge. At that moment Crius felt something he hadn't felt in a long time - Pride. He was proud to be leading this small band on a dangerous mission to set their brothers and sisters free. By tomorrow his name would be on everyone's lips. He would be a hero, like he should've been 10,000 years ago if fate hadn't stepped in and ruined things. But this time there would be no Demoe's to betray them. This time they would succeed and bring the Olympian slime dogs to their knees. He pushed the thought away and focused. His men - 'his' men were waiting for words of encouragement. Crius cleared his throat and began.

"As long as we can remember, the Olympians have been our most ruthless enemy. They stripped us of our land, our rights...and our history...but one thing they failed to strip from us was our 'pride'! If they had read our history they would know that we would never bow down, never 'give up', and never succumb to their laws! Some of our weaker brothers and sisters did give up, but the true Titan fights on. Tonight we carry that fight to them. Tonight will be known in our history as the night we took back what is RIGHTFULLY OURS!"

Crius stopped to let that sink in; then continued in a more solemn tone. "We've been told to be patient, to try and work with them. But our forefathers knew long ago that you couldn't negotiate with an Olympian. If you do, then you must sleep with one eye open otherwise they'll stab you in the back with a long knife. Such is the way with their people. It was for this reason that the Olympians were hunted down when they first arrived, to prevent what has happened from happening. Our ancestors failed, but we will NOT! WE...WE WILL BRING VICTORY TO OUR PEOPLE! WE will SUCCEED where they failed. WE do this NOT for 'glory', but because we are Titans...and this is what any 'TRUE' Titan would do."

His men puffed up in pride, and inwardly Crius smiled. If any of them had had second thoughts about what they were doing, they were gone now. He eyed each one carefully looking for weakness, and found none. "TO VICTORY!" he shouted.

"VICTORY!" they yelled back as one.

Lucas smiled. "Prepare the jump portal."

***

We passed through the valley of the Cyclopes, and the two who were guarding the entrance that led below. On Pluto's command, one of them grunted and moved the heavy rock that blocked the entryway. Watching the Cyclopes do so, I had serious doubts that a group of men could have moved it as easily.

"This way," Pluto motioned. Inside was nothing more than a long dimly lit tunnel. The entire situation was creepy, and I think Pluto sensed my discomfort and was enjoying it. In the distance I could make out what looked like an elevator door, and a small line across the floor. Just as I stepped over the line, Phobos stopped me.

"Uncle," he said in a serious tone. Pluto chuckled.

"I wasn't going to let her get very far."

I looked at them puzzled. "What the hell are you two talking about, Phobos?" Suddenly I got my answer. Something dark bound out from the side of the cave and rushed at us with great speed. It snarled and snapped its huge white teeth at me. In the dim light I could see the reflection of multiple eyes as it approached.

"SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed, jumping back over the line. That seemed to be the safety point, because the creature stopped just short of it. It continued to growl furiously at me, and as my eyes adjusted to the sight I saw it was a dog...well sort of. Its body was the size of a small car, covered with brownish fur that looked matted and dirty. It had the tail of a serpent with real scales. But its most terrifying feature was it's heads, three heads to be exact...and all of them were eyeing me furiously. I felt my legs turning to rubber. Pluto laughed at my fear and approached the beast.

"Calm down, Cerberus. We don't want you frightening our guest." He patted the dog on the back, and the head closest to him turned and licked his hand while the other two continued to growl.

"I said that's enough!" he commanded harshly, and the dog reluctantly lay down on the ground. He motioned me forward. "It's okay, Cerberus won't hurt you. My pet doesn't like it when other people cross the line before me."

"Nice watchdog," I observed while carefully stepping around it.

Pluto grinned. "No one ever gets past him. At least one of the heads is awake at all times.

"Except for that time when Orpheus was here," Phobos pointed out.

"Yes well, he was a special case, wasn't he?" Pluto grunted in agreement. The Roman God lifted the gate of the rusty freight elevator and motioned us in. I was a little apprehensive about doing so; the elevator didn't look very safe. On the other hand, I wasn't about to stay up top with his pet. I got in, and Pluto lowered the gate and pushed the lever forward. The elevator groaned and creaked, and we started descending at a rapid pace.

"How far down are we going?" I asked nervously.

"Almost 9.6 miles, or 15.45 kilometers if you prefer...give or take a few hundred feet or course," Pluto replied.

"That far?" I was astounded. "Where are the air shafts located on the surface?"

"Air shafts?" The God of the underworld laughed. "There is the only one way into my kingdom, Linda...the way we came in."

"So how do you get the air down there?"

Pluto smiled with amusement. "If you think Peace River is something, wait until you see my world. I have everything I need. My own city made from the finest metals. A massive forest to provide air for my kingdom and of course, plenty of free labor."

We continued down in silence. The farther we dropped, the more the darkness seemed to embrace us. The tiny light in the elevator barely kept things from being pitch black. I also noticed it was getting hotter as we went deeper.

"Yes, we keep it hot down here," Pluto remarked as he saw me start to sweat. "Don't worry, we have air conditioning, although not everyone has access to it." He chuckled evilly at his own words.

Phobos leaned over and whispered into my ears, "Remember Linda, this is his world. Whatever you do, respect him."

"Yes, remember that, Linda," Pluto added as if he had heard everything Phobos had told me. "This is my kingdom, and I'm the lord and master here. Listen carefully Linda...what do you hear?"

I listened, and over the creaking and groaning of the elevator I could hear the soft sounds of screams and moans. As we went deeper, the sound became louder until it drowned out the elevator noise. Finally we stopped at a lighted hallway, and Pluto opened the door. He grabbed my hand and led me to an opening in the hallway.

"Observe my city," he said in a chilling fashion as we walked out onto a rock balcony. What I saw both amazed and horrified me.

It was a city made of gold, silver, and other precious metals that stretched as far as the eye could see. There were streetlights made of diamonds the size of a soccer ball, and they reflected the light from above creating dancing rainbows over everything. The streets were made of gold, with silver lining the sidewalks. The buildings looked new, and were made out of every type of metal known to man. It was a magnificent sight. Above me I spotted the light source; several miniature suns that provided ample light and...a great deal of the heat.

Although the city was a marvel to look at, the people living there didn't seem to notice. In the mist of this beauty they were engaged in all kinds of painful, horrible situations. I saw one woman being raped violently on the street while others stood around laughing as she screamed for them to help.

I witness another person being chased by a gang of thugs. Just when I thought he might get away, someone stepped out of the alley and tripped him. The men quickly surrounded their victim and started kicking him with their steel-toe boots. They laughed when he pleaded for mercy, then one of them pulled out a gun and held it between his eyes. The man looked petrified, and begged to be spared. The man with the gun just smirked and pulled the trigger. I winced. A few of the gang members kicked his body for good measure before walking away laughing. Then to my amassment, the dead man got up and ran away in the other direction. Somehow I knew his fate would be repeated again and again. In this beautiful, wonderful city there was nothing but hate and turmoil. It was a city founded in Hell -- literally!

I wanted to look away, but something else caught my eye. A man came running down the street with a backpack attached to his chest. His eyes were glazed over, as if he were a desperate man searching for something. He looked left and right, then cried out and dunked into a building. The front of the building exploded, and pieces of what was left of the man landed in the street. Those who saw the flesh lying there didn't seem to be bothered by it. They simply looked at the mess and kept on walking. Suddenly the body pieces moved toward what had once been the main torso and fused together. The man sprang to his feet and looked around. He whimpered, and starting running down the street again searching for something. I noticed the building he had blown up was now restored to its original beauty.

"Terrorist," Pluto laughed heartily. "They actually believed they would go to paradise for blowing up people. This one killed 16 people; include nine children under the age of ten. I told him that if could find a place to blow up his bomb without harming anyone, I would set him free from his punishment. Of course my definition of harm is much different than his. If someone gets a wood sliver in their skin or is hit by a pebble from the blast, harm has been done. Still, he wanders the city trying to find such a place. Unfortunately for him, the city is so crowded that no such building exists. In thirty minutes he'll fail again, just like his new brothers. Look up, Linda."

I heard a roar above me, and spotted four airline jets flying in tight formation. The planes jerked and even flipped upside down, but nothing they did could keep them from their target ahead; a replica of the World Trade Center towers. I glanced back at Pluto with concern. He chuckled and said, "Don't worry Linda. The towers are empty, as are the planes, except for those who executed the plan on the World Trade Center. I've given them thirty minutes to solve a puzzle. If they succeed, they won't crash into the towers anymore. If they don't well...watch and see."

There was something sinister in his words as I turn to watch what happened next. The four jets soared toward the towers in the distance. They struck the buildings near the top, two planes for each one, and exploded in a massive fireball. Then I saw people jumping out of the windows and falling to their deaths. It was a horrible sight that turned my stomach. The building continued to burned for almost ten minutes, then the flames disappeared and the towers were normal again. Pluto chuckled and shook his head.

"A fitting fate for a terrorist, don't you agree, Linda?" Pluto said with an evil smile. "They get to spend eternity doing what they do best - only this time there is no quick death for them. They get to feel the glass and steel shooting threw their bodies, the heat and fire scorching their skin, the smoke filling their lungs; and as an added bonus, all the suffering they caused their victims. Sometimes they sit on the plane, but other times I locked them in a room where the plane will hit. They can see it coming, but can do nothing to stop it. Yes, a most fitting end for them, and others like them."

"You mentioned a puzzle they needed to solve. What is it?"

Fire flashed in Pluto's eyes; a devilish twinkle of delight. "It's very simple. All they have to do is give me a complete list of the full names of the people who died in their attack."

"But they wouldn't know who their victims were," I pointed out.

"Then they better become good guessers." Pluto paused for a moment and spread out his arms in pride. "Look at my world, Linda. Gangbangers, drug dealers, rapist, murderers...the scum of the world...and you thought my brother was tough. These people will live in a world that they created. If they happened to be a man who liked raping and torturing women, I turn them into a woman who gets beaten and raped all the time. Drug dealers...they get to experience things from their customer's point of view. And those who murder for money get what they wanted. They get to live in the richest city in the world; only it's they who are murdered over and over again. The worst thing for them is, money has no meaning here. You can't buy compassion in my world." The God of the underworld seemed quite pleased with himself.

I turned away in horror and mixed emotions, causing Pluto to frown. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten you're not used to such sights. Come, and observe another side of my world, Linda."

He led me to another balcony on the other side; only this one was perched over a lush, green forest. Below I could see all kinds of exotic birds, and fields filled with deer and elk. I was immediately intoxicated by the view.

"What do you think, Linda?"

"It's so...so beautiful."

He grinned and nodded. "Most of your people associate me with death and ugliness, but the truth is I appreciate beautiful things as well."

I spotted a small hunting party of men and woman heading toward the field where the Elk were feeding. "Who are they?" I asked. "Why are they here?"

"They are those who never heard the words, and knew no better," he answered cryptically. "They lived good lives, and didn't deserve to live in my city. I created this world for them. Sometimes I even join them in their hunt. But enough about them Linda, you came here for other reasons. Come, I will take you to a place where you can conduct your business."

I took one more look at the tribe and wondered. What words was Pluto talking about? The Bible...the Koran...or some other religious book? This certainly wasn't the hell they talked about, and I didn't think the Roman God of the underworld was the devil either. So how did all these people come to live in his kingdom? Somehow I knew Pluto wasn't going to tell me even if I asked. I let the matter drop, and followed him down the long, dimly lit hallway. Maybe it was better that I didn't know the truth.

***

"It's time," Lucas told his men. "Remember, we'll be jumping into the midst of them so don't make any unnecessary noise. To our success!" Lucas patted each man on the back as they walked into the portal. Finally only Crius and him remained.

"You're next, Crius." The old god looked a little uncertain. "Don't worry, Crius. If they were waiting for us we would've known it by now. Go on, I'll be right behind you."

Crius nodded and put up a brave front. The truth was he was terrified about going in. The portals had been developed while he was still locked away, and he was unfamiliar with their use. This made him uncomfortable. Perhaps he should've listened to Lucas and tried it out first, instead of waiting. The Titan God built up a wall of anger to gain courage, then stepped into the back hole. Suddenly he found himself encircled in darkness and surrounded by stars. There was firmness under his feet, but he couldn't see a pathway. Their home star appeared just above his head, and Crius wanted to reach out and touch it...but Lucas had warned him not to. To do so would burn off his finger.

In the distance Crius spotted a hole in the darkness of space and walked toward it. As he did, the hole grew bigger. When he got to it, Crius stepped through the hole and stumbled on something. One of his men caught him before he fell.

"Let go of me," he growled, feeling foolish that he had tripped over something and made himself look feeble in front of his men. The man did as he was ordered, and Crius straightened himself up. He looked back at the portal hole and watched Lucas appeared from it. Lucas touched a button on the small box he was holding and the portal disappeared.

"Status," he whispered to one of them.

"All clear," the man answered back. "The lake is 100 yards that way."

"Follow me," Lucas told them quietly. He led them through the dense brush until they came to the lake that was one of the water supplies for the town. "Formula 1," he commanded. Each man took out a half-gallon jug from their backpack and poured it into the lake. Crius watched with interest.

"Move carefully back to the trees," Lucas instructed them. The men did as he ordered while trying to minimize their noise. When they were safely hidden Lucas looked at his watch.

"What now?" Crius asked impatiently. "Why did you move back? What about the second jug?"

"The virus takes time to grow," Lucas explained, a little irritated by the question. When he had wanted to tell Crius how the formula worked, his master wasn't interested. Now when they needed to keep their ears open and mouths shut, Crius demanded an explanation.

"I don't understand," he protested rather loudly.

"Crius, keep your voice down," Lucas told him firmly. "Remember where we are." He sighed, and whispered, "The virus will take a couple of hours to spread. After that happens, we'll add the poison to the water and the virus will absorb it. In the morning when the humans come in contact with the water, it'll infect them. Depending on how healthy they are, most will be dead within two hours."

"Excellent," Crius said with a small hiss. "What about the night watchman?"

"I see no reason to take him out," Lucas observed. "After all, he's helping us by keeping the water circulating. We'll take care of him during the shift change. Its four now. Around 6:30 the first of the humans will be waking up for work. By the time they start dying the rest will be infected. For now we wait. At 5:30 we'll jam their communications. This will make the Olympians think they're about to be attacked, and they will rush to the perimeter leaving the interior and their people unprotected. After the poison is dropped, we'll start the pumps and head for the valley of the Cyclopes. I just hope Rhea is true to her word."

"Don't worry about Rhea...she will come through for us," Crius noted with satisfaction. The old god sat back against a tree and rested, a small, evil smile planted on his lips. Everything was going as planned. Soon the war would begin.

***

"How do you feel about what you saw?" Phobos asked curiously once we were alone. Pluto had dumped us in a windowless room, thankfully air conditioned, and ordered his men to bring us Leo and Atlas. After showing me how the security system worked, Pluto said he had other business to attend too and bid me goodbye. I was thankful he was gone.

I shook my head slowly at the question. "These people got what they deserved...yet I feel no joy in the punishment they received."

"Of course you don't," Phobos stated honestly. "That's what makes you different from them. They relished in the pain they handed out to others. They embraced it like a drug. If the tables were turned, and it was you and not them being punished, they would find it most amusing."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Dan."

"It's not supposed to, Linda. Sometimes the truth can be just as painful as the lies."

"Pluto is cruel," I stated bluntly. "He enjoys his work to much"

The Roman God nodded in agreement. "Perhaps you're right, Linda...but if he didn't enjoy it he couldn't carry out what was needed to be done. Look at his world like you were ordering a hamburger, Linda. You want the meat to be available, but you don't want to know how the cow is butchered. Likewise you want evil people like Osama bin Laden and Adolf Hitler to be punished for their crimes, but you don't want to see or know how it's being done. Someone has to be the SOB who carries out the punishment, and that someone is my uncle. Would you rather have them not punished for what they did?"

"No, I suppose not," I expressed truthfully. "You're right Dan, I want them to be punished, but I don't want to know the details."

Phobos just smiled. "As I said Linda, you're not like them. You have compassion and empathy for others. They never did."

Another thought crossed my mind. "If Jupiter hadn't stepped in...I would've ended up here, wouldn't I?"

"Most likely," Phobos explained. "You were a murderer...at least the instigator to them. When my grandfather pointed out your crimes, you saw the errors of your ways. You pleaded for forgiveness with your god, and made a commitment to change your ways."

"Damn," I said softly. "Every time I try to dislike the man, I find another reason not to."

Phobos chuckled. "Good Linda, you're learning. Most people are not just good or bad - they're in between. They can be kind one moment and harsh the next. So can the Titans and dare I say this too loudly, our people as well. However, very few are really all bad."

"But some are?"

"Yes Linda, some are," he said with a straight face.

"Like who, Dan?"

He sighed. "I think it's better if you find that out for yourself. After all, it's only my opinion."

"I value your opinion."

Phobos smiled. "Thank you, Linda. I value your opinion too. But this is something you need to figure out on your own. By the way, do you want me to leave when they bring in Leo and Atlas?

"Not really, but it might be better if you did. They might not be as open if you're here."

"Then I'll wait outside the door. Just remember, if you need help push the button underneath the table twice. We'll be in before you can remove your finger."

"Thanks," I smiled. A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. It opened, and Leo was pushed in by one of Pluto's men. He was a shell of the person I had once known. His eyes were blood shot and tired, as if he wasn't sleeping well. His hair was uncombed, and he walked with his body drooped. Gone was any sort of pride, replaced with regret for what he had done. The guard roughly sat him in a chair bolted to the floor, and just for good measure chained him to it. Satisfied his prisoner was secured, the guard nodded at me then left with Phobos. Leo didn't move. He just sat there staring down at the ground.

"Hello Leo," I said in a friendly tone. He didn't respond. "I'm here to ask you some questions. Will you answer them?"

"I don't know nothing," he muttered.

"I think you do," I responded. "I know you and Lucas are responsible for the murder of Mrs. Butz." Leo looked up when I said that. His lips got tight in bitter anger, as if my words had hurt him deeply. I took note on that and continued.

"I know this is bothering you," I lied. "The guards told me so. I want to help you."

"We both know there is nothing you can do for me," he replied harshly. "What is it you want?"

"I want the truth, Leo. Who killed Mrs. Butz?"

Leo looked down at the ground in shame. "I shouldn't have. I've regretted it ever since?"

"You were the one they made up to look like Mars, weren't you?" He nodded sadly. "Why did you do it?"

"Because Crius ordered me to," Leo blurted out. "He needed Dennis' support."

"Support for what?" I asked. Leo opened his mouth to answer, then stopped. He looked at me with angry eyes and shook his head.

"Tell me," I demanded.

A small smile crept onto Leo's lips, and I knew he would say no more. I sighed, and pressed the button underneath the desk to let the guard know I was done. He came in to take Leo away. The Titan God looked back and gave me an evil smile as he was led away. Phobos stared at me curiously and asked, "So, did he tell you anything useful?"

"He's the one who pretended to be your father. Unfortunately, he stopped short of telling me why, except that it was done to gain Dennis' support. And get this, Dan. It was Crius who ordered him to run her down."

"It doesn't surprise me," Phobos stated.

"Wait a minute, you knew Crius was behind Mrs. Butz murder?

"No, but I suspected it was him."

"What else do you suspect him of?"

"Lots of things...bad things. From what I've been told, Crius is trying to involve your government in a war against us."

"My government?" There was a knock on the door, and two guards came in holding onto a massive man who was about twice my size. I held up my hand. "Give us a minute guys." They nodded, and backed out.

"What are you talking about, Dan? My government wouldn't attack you...would they?"

Phobos frowned. "Linda, do you even know who Dennis Butz is? He's one of the most influential leaders your country has. The man runs Area 51, and a few other air bases, including the one next to your town. He's a very powerful person. He doesn't need the president's okay to launch an attack against us. All he has to do is make a call and it's done!"

"How can that be if he hasn't served in the military?" I questioned.

"Because he has the support of several powerful generals under his belt. If he tells them for the sake of their country that they have to attack us, those generals will give the order with or without the President's knowledge. We know this because of our own...well, our own spies."

"A shadow government," I whispered.

"Worse," Phobos pointed out. "A shadow government can run things from behind the scenes. All Dennis can do is start a war, and let the real government try to handle the end results."

"The President would never allow that to happen," I stated. "He would stop those planes from attacking Peace River."

"How?" Phobos asked dryly. "By attack those planes with other planes? What are the odds of that happening?"

"Oh shit," I respond when I realized he was right.

"Now you know why we're so concerned about this. With Dennis' support, Crius could destroy the world as we know it."

I shook my head at the sudden realization at what was being said. "Is Crius mad?"

"No Linda, just a dark Titan caught up in his past glory. You'll find out what I mean when you talk with Atlas. He was under Crius' command, and may provide you with more clues as to who you're really dealing with."

Phobos opened the door and motioned the guards in. They pulled the massive man inside and sat him in a chair. Unlike Leo, he didn't look broken. However, I did notice compassion in his eyes for me. Was he a gentle giant behind all those muscles? The guards chained him securely to the chair and left. Phobos followed, closing the door as he exited. I stood and faced the massive Titan, who was eyeing me with great interest.

"Hello Atlas," I smiled, hoping it would break the ice. "My name is Linda Anderson. I brought you here in the hopes you would answer some questions. Will you do that?"

"I suppose, depending on the questions," he said a little defensively.

I nodded. "Fair enough. I want to talk about the murder of Rommona. Do you know what happened to her?"

"I do," he answered rather sternly.

When he didn't continue I asked, "Will you tell me who killed her?"

"Why?"

"I'm trying to find up what happened to her for Dennis...I mean Rhea."

"I know who Dennis Butz is...and I have no desire to help him."

"What about Crius?"

"Him even less."

I give the Titan a puzzled look. "I thought Crius was your friend?"

Atlas snorted. "Lady, you need to get your facts straight. He may have been my leader, but I questioned a lot of things he did. I blame him for leading us to ruin. I knew he was leading us into a trap, but he was too arrogant to listen to his second in command."

"If I told you that by telling me the truth you may be hurting him, would you help me then?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore," he stated coldly. "I'm old and tired. I want to settle down, feel the cold air in my lungs again, and live a simple life. I have no desire for revenge in my heart."

I took a seat and thought about what to do next. Pleading with him seemed like the next, best option. "Atlas, this may not be important to you, but it is to me. I need to know what you know. Please, I need your help."

"How about a trade?" he suggested. Now it was my turn to be on the defensive.

"What is it you want?"

"I want you to deliver a message for me."

"Atlas, I'm sorry, but there's no way Jupiter is going to listen to me when it comes to setting you free."

"It's not for Jupiter, or any other Olympian scum. It's to my brother. He's up there."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Epimetheus. He was considered the stupid one in our family. It turns out he wasn't so stupid after all." There was a tone of heavy regret in the last sentence.

"I think I know who you're talking about. He goes by the name of Eric Atmos. He raises goats and sheep on a small farm. He's a tall man with red hair, and makes his rounds with a metal walking stick. I believe the top of it is shaped like a wolf's head."

My words sparked interest in Atlas's eyes. "That would be him. How...how is he?"

"I know little about him," I confessed. "I've seen him a couple of times when I've driven by his place. However, he seems happy enough."

The huge man nodded his head slowly, then looked at me intensely. "So what do you say, Linda? Information for one message."

"I would have to okay it with Jupiter."

"This message is private," he snapped abruptly.

"I'm sorry, but I have my own rules to follow."

Atlas frowned, then nodded. "I suppose it will have to do. When you see him, tell him...tell my brother that when I get out of here, I want to join him on his farm...if he will have me. Tell him I want to spend the day helping him raise his sheep, and sitting under the cold, night sky by a fire singing the songs of our forefathers with him."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing." The giant Titan looked ashamed at what he was about to say. "Tell him I'm sorry for all the mean things I did and said to him. Let him know I was...I was wrong...that I'm the stupid one...not him. Tell him how much I regret not respecting him when we were growing up, and plan to make it up to him."

"I'll make sure he gets the message," I assured him, paying close attention to his words. Atlas had said 'when' he got out, not 'if'. Apparently he knew more than I did about what Crius was doing.

"Thank you," he said with strong emotions. For moment I thought he was going to cry.

"Don't thank me yet," I replied. "We have a deal Atlas, and I want you to keep your end of the bargain. What happened to Rommona?

This time tears did formed in the huge god's eyes. "You have to understand, I loved her," he stated softly. "Rommona was a lovely lady, but unfortunately she had her eyes on power. She desired to be a powerful goddess like her mother. That's why she was seeing Jupiter. She wanted to become one of them."

"So you killed her in anger," I interjected. He glared at me with rage.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I said I LOVED HER! I confronted her yes, but I didn't kill her. That was...someone else."

"Who?"

"I'm getting to that," he replied impatiently. "After Jupiter left that night, Crius and I went inside to talk with her. This time Crius approached her. He wanted her to join our cause. He figured if she did, Rhea would follow to protect her daughter. But Rommona refused, and told us to leave. That made Crius angry, and he argued with her. When she threatened to tell Rhea what he was up to, Crius...it was too much for him. He had risked everything for this war and wasn't about to see it slipped away. He started hitting her. She screamed for him to stop, but he didn't."

"And you just stood there?" I asked in angry astonishment. "I thought you loved her?"

"I DID!" he hissed, then caught his temper. "I was also hurt...seeing her give her love to that...that 'Olympian'. My heart went cold, and I was enjoying the punishment Crius was giving her. Maybe I though it would make her realize who she was. Then Crius stopped hitting her and pulled out a knife. At first I thought...I thought he was trying to scare her. But when he plunged the knife into...into her...I...I." Atlas put his massive hand over his face as if trying to block out the memory. "She stood there with her mouth open in silent protest as blood poured from her chest. The blade must have been poisoned, because a few seconds later she fell to the floor dead."

"Why didn't you kill Crius?"

Atlas shook his head sadly. "Again, a cold heart. It wasn't until later that I realized how much I loved her, and hated Crius for what he did. He told me why he did it, and swore me to secrecy with her body at my feet. I did swear, and since then have never told another soul."

"Because of your word?"

"It's all I have," he explained solemnly. "I would rather die than break it."

"But you just did," I pointed out.

A small smile appeared on his lips. "My oath was not to tell another Titan. Crius said nothing about a human. I have waited a long, long time to tell you...human."

"Why did he kill her? Did he go too far that night?"

Atlas shook his head. "No, he planned to murder her if she didn't join him. He wanted to frame Jupiter and get Rhea's support. She had her own private army. Together with the army Crius had built, we outnumbered the Olympians by almost 2 to 1. Unfortunately, thanks to Crius' blundering, almost three quarters of them were ambushed at sea."

"I've heard the story," I interrupted. "What about the new war Crius is planning?"

"Sorry," Atlas said grimly. "That wasn't part of our deal, and you have nothing left to trade that I want." Then he got a thoughtful look on his face. "I can see you're a nice lady, Linda, so I'm going to give you some advice. Get out of Peace River before it's too late."

"What do you mean by that? Is something going to happen to it soon?"

He nodded his head so slightly that I almost didn't catch it. "I don't know when, I just know that there will be a great loss of human life when it does. I can tell you no more. I suggest you let the guards take me back now."

I buzzed the button underneath the desk and gave him a slight smile. "Thank you for the warning, Atlas."

"Remember our deal," he reminded me as the two guards picked him up and hustled him away.

"What deal?" Phobos asked.

"A message to his brother," I replied as I watched the guards take Atlas away. "I'll clear it with your grandfather later. Right now there are bigger fish to fry. Peace River is in danger." I went on to explain what I had learned. When I was over, Phobos frowned.

"That's good information Linda, but it doesn't tell us anything. We know the town is in danger, but not how or when the attack will occur."

"Leo would know, ask him."

"Sorry, can't. We have certain agreements with the Titan's on how we treat our prisoners. We can't torture them to get the answers that we need."

"You can't be serious, Dan," I exclaimed. "After what the Titans did to your people in the last war you still intend to uphold those rules."

"It's because of what the Titans did that we honor these rules, Linda. My grandfather doesn't want us becoming like them. We don't need anymore mermaid or merman, or something like them, in this world."

I couldn't fault Jupiter for that - it was a valid point. War was criminal enough...you shouldn't lower yourself to your enemy's standards to fight them unless you had to.

"I need to talk to Dennis and find out what's going on. Can you help me locate him, Dan?"

"I'm way ahead of you, Linda," Phobos answered while pulling something from his pants pocket that looked like a calculator. He punched in some numbers and pointed it at the corner of the room. Rays of light sprang from the box and began to form a portal.

"This passageway will take you to him. He's currently in his office at a place you call Area 51. Be advised, he knows someone is coming but not who, so don't be surprised if he's armed."

"You're not coming with me?" I asked.

Phobos shook his head. "Sorry Linda, but you're on your own. Here." From his other pocket he pulled out another black box that looked like his. "This is programmed to take you to the courthouse. It's good for one trip, so use it wisely. Once you have your talk with Dennis come back here. Point the box in front of you, hit the red button, wait five seconds, and then walk through it. I'll meet you there. Any questions?"

"Just point and shoot, I think I got it, Dan."

"Good luck, Linda," he smiled while holding out his hand. I shook it, then walked into the black hole and found myself surrounded by stars.

***

"We're ready, sir," one of his men whispered into Lucas's ear.

"Begin jamming," Lucas replied. A few nods were made in the dark, and someone turned on the jammer that wasn't any bigger than a portable radio. It made no noise.

"Now what?" Crius insisted on knowing.

"Now we wait until it's time to dump the poison," Lucas answered rather annoyed. "The Olympians will pick up that they're being jammed and rush to their positions."

"Won't they trace the signal back here?" This time Crius asked the question rather loudly, cause Lucas to cringe. If anyone happened to be close by...

"Crius, keep your voice down," Lucas said in a tempered tone. "The jamming devices are outside of Peace River. My men put them up last month. All this device does is control them."

"Still, the signal could be picked up," Crius pointed out.

"Only if one of them is between us and the receiver," Lucas answered strongly. "Trust me Crius, the Olympians won't find us. Now they can't use their portals to bring people in. We've isolated them."

"Unless they send someone outside to destroy the jammers," Crius replied, trying to find fault in the plan. He had to admit Lucas had thought this out well.

"Right now they're more afraid of an attack. Jupiter may send some of his people out later, but only after he's sure they won't be ambushed. By then it'll be too late."

Crius nodded and went back to being quiet.

***

I step through the hole into Dennis' office to find a gun pointed at my head. The director looked at me puzzled, then slowly lowered the gun. "What the hell are you doing here, Linda?" he asked sternly.

"I'm here to stop you from making a mistake, Dennis. You're about to start World War III for all the wrong reasons."

The director was unfazed by comments. "How about a drink, Linda?" he asked dryly. "A toast to the end of the world as we know it. I believe you used to a whisky sour." He walked over to his private bar and started making a drink before I could answer him. I turned to the awards hanging on the wall.

"For bravery and service to your country," I read off one commendation. "Another signed by Teddy Roosevelt for being a patriot to your country. What a bunch of BULLSHIT!" I tore the commendations off the wall. "It's all one big, fucking LIE, Dennis! You're about to murder 15,000 people in Peace River and who knows how many others in this little skirmish of yours."

"None of your people will die," Dennis told me calmly as he handed me my drink. I took the glass and placed it down on the table next to me. The director shrugged his shoulders and drank his. "This isn't what I wanted, but it has to be."

"Why Dennis?" I asked impatiently. "Why are you involved in this? I thought you wanted to break the Olympians hold on your people through peaceful means."

"I've tried!" he shouted in anger. "If you only knew how hard I tried, Linda. My own people hate me for trying. I've crawled on my belly for centuries trying to achieve this peace. This dream of mine even cost my people their freedom. Tell me, Linda, do you remember any of the myths about the days before the Great War?"

"I've read them. Is there one in particular that you're talking about."

"The one about my role with Jupiter."

"Yes, I recall that one. It talks about you hiding Jupiter from Cronus and keeping him safe."

"That myth is basically correct, Linda. You see; we didn't kill the Olympian children. Oh no, that would've been too uncivilized even for us. Instead we imprisoned them like rats in a cage, until they were old enough to serve us. My husband saw to that. When I witnessed how they were being treated...I couldn't bear it anymore. Nothing would change Cronus's mind, not even my begging. So I took matters into my own hands. I freed Jupiter, and made sure he was safe until he got older. I thought one day he would become the bridge between our two people. I never expected him to create an army to challenge us. When he did, and won the freedom of his brothers and sisters, there was a great cry for retribution for what we had done. For the most part, Jupiter refused to allow that to happen. He is a great leader, one who I respect.

"I was captured during the last battle. Out of a debt that Jupiter felt that he owed me, I was freed. He allowed me to continue to live as I did before the war, including commanding my own private army for protection and the use of my powers. The only thing he didn't grant me was my husband. I guess Cronus had committed so many crimes against the Olympians that Jupiter couldn't let him go without compromising his own power."

"So that's why your people hate you," I said.

Dennis frowned. "Some do, yes. They hold me responsible for the collapse of our kingdom. And when Jupiter allowed me to continue living as I had before the war, well, it only added to the rumors that I was in cohorts with him. Those that Jupiter called war criminals were hunted down. One of those became my daughter. He thought she was involved in a plot to overthrow him, only he was wrong. He killed her for no reason. When I found out, I went insane!"

"Let me guess. It was Crius who told you what happened."

"Yes, that's correct," Dennis answered curiously. "He was one of the few who stuck by me after the war. Because of that reason, I felt I owed him...and when Jupiter murdered my daughter in cold blood, I had nothing to lose. After we lost, and my followers were banished to the caves below, Jupiter was in a quandary about what to do with me. He knew if he sent me to Tartarus they would kill me, and out of his loyalty to me for saving his life he couldn't that. Instead he decided to punish me by making me live the last 10,000 years as a human."

"And for that reason you're willing to murder everyone in Peace River to hurt him," I hissed.

"Murder?" Dennis replied sternly. "As I told you before Linda, none of your people in Peace River will be harmed. In fact after this is over I plan to free them."

"That's where you're wrong Dennis," I answered and moving closer. "Crius has been playing you like a puppet all these centuries. It wasn't Jupiter who killed your daughter; it was 'Crius'! And it wasn't Mars who murdered your wife; that was Leo made up to look like Mars...under the orders of Crius!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Dennis stated angrily. "Either that or you've been deceived."

"Have I Dennis?" I pushed bitterly. "I talked to Leo and Atlas personally. Atlas was there when Crius murdered your daughter in cold blood. Crius did this to get your support in the last war."

"No!" Dennis shook his head violently. "No, I can't...I won't believe that. If that's true, then why didn't Atlas tell me himself? He had plenty of opportunities to do so."

"Because he gave Crius his word, Dennis...and you know how damn important as a Titan your word is. Fortunately, Atlas didn't promise Crius that he wouldn't tell a human. He also mentioned something about a great loss of life in Peace River when things go down."

"You're making this up," Dennis insisted. "Crius is my friend...he wouldn't do that."

"Crius wants revenge against the Olympians. He doesn't care who gets killed in the process. All he wants to do is to start a war with them. Victory over them at 'any' cost, Dennis! Do you really think he's concerned about the lives of those living in Peace River?"

"He promised."

"HE LIED!" I yelled, pushing my finger against his chest. "He lied about your daughter, your wife, and this new war of his. I suspect he even has a plan to blame Jupiter for the deaths of the people in Peace River. If you don't believe me take my hand, and listen to what Leo and Atlas has to say!" I held it out, but the director refused to take it.

"No...I can't believe any of this," he repeated.

"Can't...or won't Dennis? What's the matter Rhea...is your pride getting in the way? You can't stand the thought that a 'human' knows more about what's going on with Crius than you do? Take my hand and find out the TRUTH...or are you afraid?"

Bitter rage appeared on Dennis' face, and he grabbed my hand. "Show me!" he hissed. Slowly the room around us faded as I brought him back to my interviews with Leo and Atlas.

***

"It's time," Lucas told his men. "One at a time - go." The first man slowly made his way down to the lakes edge and poured his poison in. When he was finished, he came back and the next person did the same.

Crius looked on impatiently and asked, "Why aren't they going down at the same time?"

"It gives the poison time to mix with the virus," Lucas replied, annoyed that Crius was talking in a regular tone again. Didn't he understand that they needed to be quiet? "This way the pump pulls the poison away and brings in a fresh batch of water to contaminate. We tested the current prior to this, and found that 30 seconds was long enough. After we're done, we'll take out the night watchman and switch the town's water flow to this lake."

"There's more than one?" Crius asked in astonishment.

"There are four lakes, Crius," Lucas explained in a whisper. "The water department switches between them to keep the levels high and test the purity between uses. We discovered they have a problem with salt water from their river creeping into their fresh water supply. This water is supposed to be used later on this morning. We just intend to switch over to it a little sooner."

"And then the battle to finish the Olympians starts," Crius sang out in joy. The last battle in a war that shouldn't have happened if Rhea hadn't been so soft. How fitting that she was now the key to their end. By tonight Peace River and the Olympians would be destroyed.

"Let's hope so," Lucas agreed cautiously.

Crius frowned in disapproval. "You don't think this plan will work, Lucas?"

"Only if Rhea does as she is supposed to."

"She will, Lucas. She will." The old god chuckled at how he had used her once again.

***

Slowly the room faded back into view. Although I couldn't see his face, I could feel Dennis' grip get stronger as Leo and Atlas talked about the murders. When it was over, Dennis released my hand and paced his office in shock and rage.

"He did it...he murdered them," Dennis said to no one.

"He's about to murder even more people if we don't stop him," I pointed out. "What's Crius up too, Dennis?"

The director stared at the wall as if deciding what to do. Finally he said, "Crius developed a serum that will put all the humans into a dreamless sleep."

"Oh, it's dreamless alright," I agreed. "You can't get any more dreamless then death."

"He swore to me that they wouldn't be harmed," Dennis stated as he labored to regain control of his senses. His entire world had just been turned upside down.

"Was it the same oath he gave when he swore it was Jupiter who had killed your daughter? Was it the same oath he used when he told you it was Mars who had murdered your wife? Don't you see Dennis, he's going to kill those people - his word be damned!"

"My...god?" the director replied in bewilderment. Then he caught his senses and got angry. "I will deal with Crius when this is over."

I grabbed Dennis by the collar and swung him around violently. "What do you mean when this is over, Dennis? You have to do something now, or 15,000 people, and probably a whole hell of a lot more, are going to die a needless death."

Dennis shook his head. "It's too late, Linda. By now Crius has jammed their communications and portals. Beside, even if I did get through to Jupiter he wouldn't believe me. There's nothing I can do for the people of Peace River, Linda. But I promise you this, I will avenge their deaths."

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH," I yanked on his collar a little harder. "You helped start this war Dennis, and BY GOD you're going to stop it."

"What can I do?" he replied. "The poison is in the water by now."

"You're going to make sure it never reaches the population. I happen to know a little bit about how their water system works. There's a pump house that controls everything. We're going to go there and shut it down!"

Dennis' eyes got wide at the suggestion. "I can't go there. Do you know what Jupiter will do to me if he finds me? Even if I am trying to save his town he will still lock me away for breaking our agreement."

"I don't give a FUCK!" I screamed pulling him even closer. "I will not let 15,000 people die a meaningless death over a pack of LIES! Was that your 'vision' Dennis? To have everything you worked so hard for destroyed in a senseless war meant to feed someone's ego? We both know it won't end with Peace River. Andersonville will be next, then maybe something bigger like Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, or New York. From there it will spread, until no town or city in the world is spared. IS THAT YOUR DREAM, DENNIS?"

"That is NOT my dream," he yelled.

"Then do something to stop it before it's to late," I screamed back.

Dennis stared into my eyes, and I could see his fear. Going to Peace River would be his death sentence. Right or wrong, if he sided with the Olympians this time his people would never trust him again. He would be disgraced and branded a traitor - and that would be the start of his troubles. There was no telling what Jupiter would do to him. He shook his head. "I can't, Linda," he gasped, sounding like a desperate man.

"Yes you can," I replied in a stern tone. "Focus on what's important, Dennis. Think about why you created Andersonville in the first place. It's supposed to be a place where your people, the Olympians, and my people can live and work out our differences in peace? That dream is more important than you or me now. Sometimes Dennis...sometimes you have to be willing to lay down your life for your dreams to succeed!"

I saw resolution on his face. He nodded slowly and said, "You're right Linda. The dream of Andersonville is more important than my life. Beside, I couldn't live with the deaths of so many people on my conscience. I must do something, and quickly."

"Can you get around the jammers?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "Crius gave me a portal box that's on the same frequency. I was to join him after the attack started. I can change the settings to take me to the pump station."

"I'm going with you," I stated. Dennis tried to nix the idea.

"This particular device will only allow one person through, Linda. I could use your help, but if anyone is to risk their life it should be me."

"I have my own portal box," I explained, taking out the device Phobos had given me. I handed it to Dennis who looked at it carefully. "Can you modify it to get past the jammers?"

"I think so. I'll have to change the frequency." Dennis sat down at his computer and hooked a thin, black wire to the box. He started keying in information, and then downloaded the data into my box. A minute later he did the same thing to his.

"I've programmed them so we'll arrive at different locations. Here, look at the map." He pulled me over to his computer and I saw several blips on the screen.

"I was able to lock onto their portal boxes. When we jump, one of us will come out here, behind them." He pointed to an area they had not yet reached. "This will distract them from the pump station, which is where the other will come out ten seconds later. While they're busy with the first person, the other will disable the pumps." He looked at me grimly. "Your choice Linda. Which do you prefer?"

"I'll let you deal with the pumps, Dennis." I looked at the map again and frowned. "Aren't you cutting it kind of close? They'll be less than 50 feet away from the station. If they rush you, there won't be any place for you to hide."

"I want a good shot at Crius," he answered coldly.

"In that case, Lucas is mine. I never did like the son of a bitch."

Dennis grabbed my arm and looked at me more serious than he ever had before. The words he spoke next were just as grave. "There are plenty of trees in the area Linda, so don't be afraid to use them. I know the men on this mission, and they aren't good shots. If you stay covered you'll be fine. Remember that you're getting married soon...so don't be a hero."

"Just make sure you remember that too, Dennis. I don't want to be attending any more funerals before my wedding."

The director smiled slightly. "I'll do my best. Let's get armed."

Dennis walked over to a picture hanging near his coffee machine and took it down. Behind it was an alarm pad that he punched a code into. Part of the wall retracted, revealing several weapons. Dennis took one down and handed it to me. "Place the firing power on five. It won't kill them, but it'll knock them senseless until the Olympians arrive."

"Let me have that too," I said, pointing to a smaller gun.

"You can't hurt them with that," Dennis said while handing it to me.

"We'll see," I replied, placing the gun in my skirt pocket and then strapping the other around my leg. When it was secured, I lowered my skirt over it.

"Here, these are night goggles. He handed me what looked to be a pair of oversize eyeglasses. I placed them on my head so all I had to do was flip them down. Dennis looked at the computer one last time.

"It's time, Linda. See you on the other side."

"Good luck, Dennis," I nodded.

We pointed our boxes at different places in the room and hit the start buttons. A beam shot out and formed a dark hole in front of me. I took a deep breath and walked into it. For a moment I was swallowed up by the darkness. Something was wrong. Where were the stars I had seen before? Was it because I was using a higher frequency to get past the jammers? I hoped that was the case. I placed the night goggles over my eyes and could make out the exit ahead of me. I stepped through the hole and found myself behind a large tree. My arrival caught their attention, because I heard footsteps in the distance that suddenly came to a stop. I pulled the small gun from the pocket and looked around.

The goggles were amazing. Except for everything being green, it was like seeing in daylight. I searched in the direction they should've been, but could only see the pump house. Then the bushes off to my left moved slightly. Should I shoot? I decided on a better course of action. I lowered my gun, and stepped out from behind the tree.

"Crius...show yourself?" I yelled. At first there was no response to my command. Then I saw him stand, followed by Lucas and his men. None of them looked very happy to see me.

"You!" Crius stated, obviously surprise it was me, and not one of the Olympians standing there. His astonishment didn't last. "What are you doing here?" he asked harshly.

"I came to put an end to this," I explained. This caused the old god to laugh as if it were a joke. Lucas however didn't seem to find the situation funny. He shifted nervously and slowly raised his gun at me. Crius knocked it down.

"Don't shoot her, the Olympians may hear," he reminded him. "Besides, one human female is 'no' threat to us."

Lucas didn't seem reassured by his leader's words. "Continue to the pump house," he ordered two of his men, never taking his cold eyes off me. As I watched them go, I prayed Dennis wasn't caught off-guard.

"Come to me little girl," Crius said in a belittling tone. "Come to me, and I'll make sure that my men don't harm you."

"Go to hell," I snarled back. I heard the sound of two 'zaps' in the distance followed by heavy groans. The men Lucas had sent forward fell backwards out the door. Lucas spun around; his weapon drawn and fear on his face. Dennis stepped out the door holding his own gun firmly in his hand. The expression on his face showed he meant business.

"You 'maco' traitor," Lucas cursed while pointing his gun at Dennis.

"This is between Crius and myself, Lucas," Dennis announced bitterly. "I was going to shot him in the back for what he did...but then I'm not a cold-blooded murderer like he is."

"Leo murdered your mate," Crius volunteered, ignoring the fact that it had been under his orders. "If you have a beef with someone, it's with him.

"I'm talking about my 'daughter', Crius - or did you think I would never find out it was you," Dennis hissed. "You murdered her to gain my support in the last war, just like you 'ordered' Leo to murder my wife so I would help you in this one.

"Is this true?" Lucas asked bewildered. He lowered his gun and stared at Crius in a questioning manner. "Was it you who murdered Rommona?"

"Lies made up by Jupiter to cover his own crimes and divide us," Crius stated like a politician fighting for his life.

"Except it wasn't Jupiter who told me who murdered her, it was Atlas," I informed them. The men who had followed Crius on this mission now looked at each other in confusion.

"Our laws are clear," Dennis cut in. "When one Titan takes the life of another Titan, the family has a right to seek revenge on that person."

"Settling old differences on Olympian ground is neither the time or place," Crius told Dennis. "We can resolve this matter later, when the mission is over."

"What's the matter, Crius," Dennis mocked in an insulting manner. "Afraid to face a true warrior in battle? It's a lot different than killing defenseless women, isn't it? Tell me, did you enjoy beating my daughter before stabbing her." Crius' men stepped away from him, and the old god saw he was losing their support.

"Yes I did!" he admitted defiantly. "Every blow was for my family and friends you betrayed, Rhea! You helped Jupiter overthrow us. As your reward, he continued to let you live the way you had before the war while the rest of us suffered. You turned a blind eye to our enslavement, and preached tolerance and patience to those who suffered the most. Well we will not suffer one day longer! Today we will free our people from the Olympians evil clutches once and for all. You talk about revenge, Rhea!" Crius took a step toward Dennis. "It is 'WE' who should seek revenge against you for the crimes you committed against US!"

A small murmur ran through his men, and it didn't take a genius to see that Crius was winning them back by bringing up old hatreds and injustices. I decided it was time to upset the board.

"Not another step Crius, or I'll shoot!" I stated coldly, pointing my smaller gun at him. The old god turned and looked more bothered then concern over my threat.

"You can't hurt me with that gun, 'little' girl," he said with a patronizing smirk. "Give it to me, before you shoot your foot off."

"Maybe I can't hurt you with this gun," I answered with a slight smile. "And then...maybe I can!" I pointed the gun up at the sky and fired. A small tracer rose high into the air and exploded into a display of colors.

"FLARE!" Lucas cursed as he swung his gun around to shoot me. Suddenly bolts of energy came flying in and struck one of Lucas's men. The man yelled and fell to the ground.

"TAKE COVER!" Lucas screamed. His men didn't have to be told twice. They jumped behind the trees and started returning fire in all directions. Lucas took a few wild shots at me, but I was able to duck behind a tree.

"Mercury," I smiled, pulling out my other gun. Only he could've made it here so fast. I just hoped the others would join him soon. I popped back from around the tree and added a few shots to the firefight, hoping none of Jupiter's people would mistake me for being one Crius' men. I looked over at the pump house and saw that Dennis had taken cover behind a log and was also shooting at them too. I prayed he would be okay.

"We're surround," Lucas told Crius as a blast landed just inches from where he was hiding.

"No, its just Mercury running around us, but more will come. We have to get to the pump house and finish the job.

"There's no way we can get there," Lucas answered while taking a shot at the parameter. "Mercury would take out half of my men if we try, and Rhea would gun down the rest of us. We have to move away from here and make our escape."

"No," Crius screamed. "We can't back out now - not when we're so close to victory!"

"Without Rhea's support there'll be no victory," Lucas shot back. Crius looked into Lucas' eyes and saw...defeat. His dream of glory died. The old god wanted to yell and charge at Mercury, but now was not the time for irrational behavior. If the mission had failed, Crius had to make sure he wasn't taken.

"I have a backup plan, cover me." Crius sprang to his feet and ran to a clump of trees while the remaining Titans fired off a protecting barrage. Lucas was just about to shoot again when he heard a portal opening up from where Crius had darted. He glanced over, and saw Crius jump into it. Their leader was sacrificing them to save himself.

"Crius, you bastard," Lucas yelled angrily. He sat up and started shooting at the fading portal. That gave me enough time to take aim and plug him. My shot hit Lucas in the back and spun him around. The expression on his face was pain and betrayal. He gasped and fell over. One of Lucas' men saw him fall, and started shooting in my direction. I ducked back behind the tree and waited for my gun to recharge. Then I stepped out and fired again.

Suddenly a bolt of lighting came rushing in only inches above the ground. There was bright blast and everything turned red. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground in pain. I blacked out and when I awoke Mercury and Phobos were standing over me.

"Is it...over?" I barely got out. I felt stiff and sore.

"It's over," Phobos grinned, then added. "You did well, Linda. Take a few deep breaths - you're body has been through quite an ordeal. I gave you something to help the pain."

Mercury nodded his head at me with respect. "Thanks for warning us, Linda. My father wishes to speak with you later. I better go check on the others." Before I could blink my eyes he was gone.

"I'm feeling better," I said, trying to sit up. Phobos knelt down anyway and helped me lean against a tree. "What was that that hit us?"

"My grandfather's thunderbolt. It's quite effective."

"Quite," I agreed while rubbing part of my bruised body. "Where's Dennis?"

"In custody. He and the other Titans are being taken to the courthouse for processing."

"No," I gasped. "Phobos, Dennis helped saved your town. He's not involved in this."

"That's for my grandfather to decide," Phobos answered swiftly. "I'm sure he'll take any input you have into consideration. Do you think you can stand now?"

"I think so," I said weakly. Another person came over. It turned out to be Deimos, and he put his arms around one side of me while Phobos did the same on the other. Together they helped me up.

"Thanks guys," I said to them.

"I'm glad you're alright, Linda," Deimos said honestly. "I was worried you were too close when my grandfather fired." Phobos chuckled, and Deimos glared at him. "What's so funny, brother?"

"Nothing," he smiled in a humorous manner. "I was just observing how smitten you are."

Deimos blushed in embarrassment. "I care about her Phobos, and she cares about...about...me."

"Are you sure, Deimos? You don't sound like it."

"Guys, enough," I said putting my hands between them. "Hasn't there been enough fighting today? I though you were brothers?"

"Don't remind me," Deimos muttered.

"You're just jealous because I get all the women," Phobos laughed.

"I said enough!" This time I was more forceful with the command. "Now get me to the courthouse. I have a few things to say to Judge Jasper on Dennis' behalf."

"Right this way, Linda," Phobos answered and led the way. Deimos walked next to me in case my feet gave out. When we got to the car, I sat down in the back seat and closed my eyes. So many things had happened in the past 24 hours. Had it been that long since I had slept? I thought about everything I had been through. I had investigated a case, been to hell - at least the Roman Gods version of it, ended up in shouting match with Dennis, gotten into a fire fight with Titans, and now I was going to trial. I decided that after this case was over I was going to retire and live out a nice, quiet life.

The car stopped in front of the courthouse and I got out. Deimos helped me to the courtroom and into a seat. Ashlee was there, along with Stephanie Hall who was standing next to Dennis. She looked grim at the prospect of trying to defend him, especially after finding out he had been involved in a plot to kill herself and her family. I was surprised she had even taken the case. Maybe Judge Jasper had given her no choice in the matter? As I had been told before, he was a hard person to say no to.

Nearby sat Juno, who had a look that showed more than just a passing interest in these proceedings. I suppose like most of the other Olympians, she was relieved to see this was over.

Lucas and his men were dealt with first in a swift manner. Jupiter didn't even go through the motions of a regular trial. He gave each one a disapproving scowl, pronounced them guilty of war crimes, and told his people to get them out of his courtroom. As Lucas passed by he stopped and gave me a menacing stare, but Diana quickly ended that by shoving him forward and out the door. When they were gone Jupiter turned his full attention on Dennis.

"You were told never to come here," he stated firmly as if that's all that matter. "We had an agreement. Apollo, didn't you explain this to Mr. Butz?

"Several times," Apollo replied.

"Then what is there to be said?" The question was directed at the director.

"I'm guilty of failing to abide by our agreement," Dennis answered without reservation. "I'm now prepared to accept my sentencing."

'What?' I thought. That was it? After everything Dennis had done to save Peace River he was now prepared to fall on his sword without explaining his reasons. Well if he wasn't going to do anything to stop this I would.

"Your Honor," I shouted as I sprang from my seat.

"Miss Anderson," Judge Jasper grunted as if he had been expecting me to object. "I trust you weren't hurt too badly by my thunderbolt."

"A few days of bed rest and I'll be fine, sir," I responded politely. "Your Honor, I understand that Mr. Butz is guilty of breaking your agreement, but there are extenuating circumstances that led to this. I ask that you let me explain what they are, and take that into consideration."

"Miss Anderson," the judge sighed. "I am aware of all the circumstances that lead to your boss and friend coming here."

"Then you know he saved the lives of every person in Peace River."

"Yes," Judge Jasper agreed by nodding his head, "after he put everyone in danger in the first place. He was part of this plan, and it was only after you convinced him to change his mind that he tried to stop it. If anyone is to be commended for saving our town, it should be you."

"Linda, it's okay," Dennis said sadly. "Let it go. I'm finished in Andersonville anyway. When Crius gets done telling his side of the story, no one will accept me anymore."

Tears formed in my eyes. Damn it, Dennis had done the right thing. Okay, he was wrong to go along with their plan in the first place but, DAMN IT; he had come through for me. There had to be something I could do. Something that everyone could agree on. "You're Honor, do you know where Crius is now?"

"Back in Andersonville," Jupiter stated. "We tracked the portal line to his house. He'll stay there safe and sound, waiting until the day he can build another army to take us on."

"Can't you just pick him up?"

"Our agreement with your town prevents us from doing so," the King of the Roman Gods stated in frustration.

"Your Honor, if I could talk to you in your chambers before you pronounce sentencing please."

Dennis snapped his head around and looked at me oddly. "Linda, I don't know what the hell you're up to but let it go. It's over, can't you see..."

"SILENCE!" Jupiter roared. Dennis glared at him, but did as he was told. "Follow me, Miss Anderson. Ashlee, Mrs. Hall; this doesn't concern you. Please wait here."

Dennis watched as I stepped into the judge's chambers. Judge Herns followed, perhaps because she suspected that whatever I was planning would involve her. Jupiter took a seat in a comfortable chair and motioned for me to do the same. I did while Juno stood near my side and watched. "Now what is so important that you had to interrupt my court proceedings, Miss Anderson?"

"I wish to make a deal, Your Honor. It's Crius you want, not Dennis."

"I want both of them, Miss Anderson," he stated dryly. "Both are guilty of crimes against my people. However, between the two I would prefer Crius. What is it you purpose?"

"Crius in exchanged for Dennis' freedom."

"No deal," he declined sternly.

"Your Honor," I protested mildly. "You even said yourself that you would prefer Crius over Dennis. He's the real threat to your people."

"I will not sacrifice my principles here, Miss Anderson. Both are guilty of crimes against my town - 'your people' - and I will not release one from his punishment to get my hands on the other. Both deserve to be sent to Tartarus!"

"Would you consider an alternative punishment for Dennis, Your Honor?"

Jupiter tugged on his beard in thought. "Yes, that would be acceptable. A new holding area could be created outside of Peace River. However, my patience grows thin. You would have to deliver Crius to me within the hour...and I doubt he is simply going to come with you if you ask."

"I won't be asking," I told him. June looked at me carefully, as if sensing whatever I was up to she wasn't going to like. "Judge Jasper, if you will do me the favor of letting me speak to Judge Herns in private."

Jupiter looked at his ex-wife, then back at me. "I'll wait for you in my courtroom."

He left, closing the door as he did. I turned to Judge Herns who had her full attention focused on me. I swallowed hard. I wasn't even sure if this is what I wanted to do. I knew if I did, there would be no turning back.

"June, I can't take Crius on in my current condition."

"I can't send someone to help you drag him out of my town, Linda. I don't know what I can do to help." She stared at me with her big, brown eyes, questioning what I was up to.

"I only have to get him to Olympian property," I explained. She nodded, understanding what I meant.

"So what do you want from me?" she asked in a suspicious tone.

"I think you know, June. I need to be stronger...like I once was."

Her lips grew tight, and for a moment I thought she was going to explode. I had heard Juno had a bad temper, and at times had seen brief glimpses of it. Now the full furry was starting to build. Surprisingly, the next words out of her mouth were rather calm. "I told you before, I won't have you switching back and forth. You're Linda Anderson now, not Tom McClain. In a few weeks you'll be Mrs. Linda McClain. Isn't it enough to be getting your old name back?"

"This isn't about me June, it's about helping Dennis. He risked everything to save my people. I can't turn my back on him when he needs me more then ever."

"You should consider the punish he'll receive if you succeed Linda; and determine if it's worse than being sent below with his own people. Dennis may be happier there."

"I've seen the place he'll be going, June. I can't believe anyone could be happy there. Besides, his own people will kill him once the news gets out. He's not safe there."

She shook her head slowly. "No, I won't do it. You're Linda Anderson now, a single, attractive young woman. Why can't you accept that? Why do you resist it?" I noticed Juno's mood changed from anger to sadness. "Can't you see how much you mean to me? Why can't you be happy being who you are?"

"I don't understand, June. Why is it so important to you that I not only remain Linda Anderson, but also be happy?" Judge Herns looked away, but I swore I saw a tear fall from her eyes.

"Did you ever fall in love with someone, Linda? I mean, really love and cherish that person deeply?"

"Yeah...a few times. Is that how you feel about me, June?"

"Doesn't it show, Linda? Yes, I care about you deeply! Not in a romantic sense, but in a caring role. When I see you happy, I'm happy. These past few months, seeing you getting ready for your wedding, has been time I wouldn't trade for the world. You've become like a daughter to me."

"But why?" I probed. "Why me? What's so special about me?"

"Nothing...and everything," she stated. "Everyone is special in their own way. My love for you started when I first arrived, and learned how you stood up to the old goat. Then, as I got to know you better...well, I just fell in love with you. I wanted to help you grow beyond what you had limited yourself to."

"But not as Tom McClain," I pointed out.

She shook her head sadly. "I don't have good relationships with men, Linda. I don't hate them...but I don't trust them either. This makes it hard for me to get close to them. You would have to know my history to understand why."

"I know Judge Jasper was unfaithful to you, June. That doesn't mean all men are going to, excuse the expression, 'screw you over'. Most men are very respectful of women."

"It's not just Jupiter," she told me. "Linda, I really, really do love you. If I've seemed hard on you in the past, it's only because I wanted you to become a better person. You have grown, and I'm proud of you. I cherish the time I spend with you but...if you were a man, things would be different. I couldn't enjoy that time because of that mistrust."

I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Knowing what I knew only made this harder. I didn't want to lose our friendship anymore than June did; yet she was indicating that would happen if I did go through with this. The truth was I was happy being Linda Anderson. My male side may have hated the idea at times, but the reality was that I was happier than I ever had been before. So why was I giving this up? Just so I could save Dennis Butz from a punishment he most likely deserved? Hadn't he told me not to try? Hadn't he also helped bring the world to the brink of disaster?

The answers to these questions were 'yes', so why go back? I knew why. As much as I loved and respected Juno, I also cared and respected Dennis just as much. Not doing all I could to help him, after he had risked everything for my world, would be something I would always regret. I couldn't live with that.

I looked into the judge's eyes and said softly, "June, you talk about me growing with your help. I can see what you've done, and appreciate it so much. But isn't it time you do the same? You can't keep going through life not trusting someone simply because of their gender. Isn't that just as bad as judging someone based on their skin color or religious beliefs? Maybe it's time you started trying to get over this mistrust."

June shook her head. "I can't...I've tried, Linda. I've never been able to get close enough to a man to have that bond that I do with women."

"You already have that bond with me, June. Even though I'll be a man, I'll still be me, the person you fell in love with." She didn't look convinced, so I played my next argument on her.

"June, we humans have a saying. If you love someone, set them free. If they come back to you then they are yours. If they don't, then they never were. June, I do love you. If you love me, really love me, you have to let me go."

Judge Herns stared out the window in silence, weighing everything that had been said. Finally she asked, "Is this what you really want, Linda?"

I bit my lip hard. I had been dreading this question, but I decided to answer it honestly. "No June, it's not. I'm screwing up a good life, and it's hard to think that this is the right thing to do. But I know that once I become a man again, I'll be just as happy, maybe even more so, than I am right now. It's the rebuilding of my life I'm not looking forward to. If you're asking me if this is the right thing to do in the long run...I'm going to have to say yes. Deep inside, I always have been and will always be Tom McClain."

She continued to stare out the window unfazed by my answer. Had I reached her? I could see her head nodding ever so slightly. She slowly turned to me. "If this is what you want...Linda, I won't stop you. Stand still." She started to raise her hands, but I stopped her.

"I would like to request one last favor, June."

"What is it, Linda."

"Delay my change for a few seconds."

"Very well," she agreed, and went through her usual procedures. This time a pink ball of light rose from her hand, and struck me in the chest. She looked at me and said, "Your transformation will begin in ten seconds. Why did you want me to wait?"

"So I can hug you one last time as Linda Anderson, June...and so the first person I'm hugging as Tom McClain will be you."

I wrapped my arms around her, and she did the same. I found tears forming in my eyes, and regret in my heart. Why was this so hard? Why? I knew why. I had grown to love the life I had carved out for myself as Linda Anderson! Damn it, giving her up was going to be hard.

My body started to change, and Juno held me tighter as if she didn't want to let go of Linda. My breast started receding, and my groin tickled as an old friend reappeared. 'Goodbye periods, hello fast bathroom breaks,' I said to myself. The transformation took about 15 seconds to complete. I ran my hand over my stubble chin and smiled. "Thank you," I whispered in her ear.

June let go, and looked at me with sorrow as if she had just lost her best friend. I suppose in some small way she had. Even if our relationship remained strong, it would forever be different. "You need to see Judge Jasper before we leave," she said while walking to the door.

I followed her back into the courtroom where Dennis was still standing. When he saw me, he sadly shook his head but never uttered a word. Jupiter held his surprise well, but even I could see he hadn't expected Tom McClain to walk out his door. He cleared his throat and spoke. "I take it you're prepared to follow through with our agreement."

"I am, Your Honor. I will require the assistance of your people."

Jupiter nodded, and spoke to both Mercury and Apollo. "You two will accompany Mr. McClain back to Andersonville and bring Crius to me."

They nodded, and we left the courtroom together.

***

Crius took a long swig of his drink. It burned his throat and dulled the taste of defeat that hung heavy on his mind. He now understood why so many humans drank in excess to forget their problems. The old god cursed. He should've been drinking to celebrate a victory. All lost! What had gone wrong? He knew. Linda Anderson had been meddling where she didn't belong and had ruined everything. He would see that she was punished for it.

The sun was rising over the high mountain peak. Crius went to the window and observed the brilliant colors of the morning sky. It would have been a perfect day...if only. He bitterly turned away and poured himself another drink. He would start over again. He would rebuild his army. There would be another day for him and his people, and this time he would succeed. He went to pick up his drink but a hand slapped it away.

"Remember me?" I asked. Crius looked carefully, and shook his head.

"No, I don't. Who are you...and what are doing in my house?" he demanded to know.

I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "I'm Linda Anderson." Before he could respond I punched him in the jaw with all my might. He fell backwards like a rag doll against his desk, causing several items to fall to the floor. "That's for the murder of Mrs. Butz," I hissed.

I charged and grabbed him again. Then I spun him around and threw him into the patio door. Glass shattered as Crius crashed through it and fell onto the stone patio.

"That's for bringing in Dr. Jensen, who tried to kill my brother," I explained in a menacing tone as I picked my way through the broken glass. Crius tried to crawl away, but I lifted him off the ground and pulled him away from the house toward the small bushes that lined his property. When I was a few feet away I stopped. Gritting my teeth in anger I said, "And this is for trying to lead the world into a devastating war and planning the murder of thousands of my people you Titan bastard!"

I aimed for his nose, and was rewarded by a solid smack and the crunching of bone. Crius fell back and tripped over the bushes into the next yard. Two sets of hands quickly grabbed him by the arms and pulled him to his feet.

"Judge Jasper is waiting for you, Crius," Mercury told him. "You'll be reunited with your people soon enough."

"You can't...take...me...anywhere," he panted as blood flowed freely from his nose. "I'm in...Andersonville. You can't...come here and...grab me. It violates...our treaty!"

"You're in Peace River now," Apollo explained in an even tone. "The moment you crossed those bushes you entered onto our embassy property."

"No!" he shouted in a defiant tone. "I was forced here. This is illegal!"

"How you got here doesn't matter," Mercury smiled ever so slightly. "However, if you feel your rights have been violated you can always tell your story to the judge. Let's go!"

Mercury and Apollo had no problems dragging Crius back to their house. Judge Herns joined me, and watched him go. "We should go with them," I told her.

"No," she stated. "You have other business to attend too."

"What other business?"

June frowned. "I made a couple of phone calls while you were busy with Crius. Your mother and fiancé are waiting for you back at the courthouse."

"That can wait," I replied. "I need to go back to Peace..."

"No!" she snapped while grabbing onto my arm. "You've only been a man for less than an hour and already you've forgotten everything you learned. These people need closure in their life, Mr. McClain. Being in Peace River won't change what's going to happen to Dennis, but talking to your mother and fiancé will make a difference."

"Sounds like I don't have a choice," I answered.

"You don't," June stated unpleasantly.

"Do they know?"

The judge shook her head. "That's your job, Tom."

"Okay then," I sighed. She hesitated for a moment, and I knew there was something else she hadn't told me yet.

"What is it, June?"

"It's something the old goat didn't tell you, Tom. He promised to move Dennis to a place away from his people. What he didn't tell you is that it's the kind of world Apollo used the Oracle of Delphi to create for you, only with a twist.

"What's the twist?"

"It's an isolated world, Linda. There are no others there."

"You mean he'll be alone?"

"Unless someone wants to join him - which none of his people will do after they hear what he did."

"But that's worse than sending Dennis to the caverns below," I protested. "It'll kill him!"

"I know, Tom," she said sadly. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that."

"Will you take me to see Dennis after I'm done?"

She softened just a little. "Yes, after this matter has been settled. Come on, they're waiting."

***

I stood tensely outside the door thinking about what I was going to say. What could I say - that I was sorry? The truth was I wasn't. My decision to become Tom had saved the life of a friend. On the other hand, this was going to be a painful reunion. I knocked on the door and went it. When my fiancé saw me he gasped.

"NO!" he said loudly. "Tell me this is a bad joke."

"I'm sorry Tom, but it's no joke. I'm me again. I had to do this." I glanced over at my mother who looked sad and confused over losing a daughter. I wanted to comfort her, but first I had to deal with my ex-fiancé.

"Change back!" he pleaded. "Tell them you made a mistake!"

I shook my head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I can't. This isn't a mistake Tom, and the situation can't be turned around. Even if it could, I wouldn't be happy anymore.

"But you were happy," he insisted. "I know you were. In a few weeks we were going to start a new life together. For Christ sake Linda, we were planning to have kids and spend the rest of our lives getting old together!"

"I know Tom, I know. And if that had happened, I would've been happy. But I can't deny who I really am."

Tears rolled down my ex-fiancé face. "I love Linda! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Please don't do this to me! I can't bear the thought of losing Linda."

"Tom, I love you too. You're a kind, wonderful person, but I can't go back to being Linda again." I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Try to understand, Tom." He pushed my hand away in anger.

"UNDERSTAND!" he yelled. "Understand what? That we look like twin brothers now? What am I suppose to do - become Linda Anderson and take your place?"

"It's an idea," I pointed out. "I still love you, and want to marry you."

Tom fought the tears back and shook his head. "No, I won't go back to wearing skirts again. You want to be a man now and screw up everything you had - then fine, Linda. Just leave me the hell alone!" He rose to leave, but I blocked his path.

"Tom, there's something else I have to tell you," I explained gently.

"You mean there's more good news?" he mocked.

"I'm afraid so. There can't be two Tom McClain's running around in this world."

A sick expression appeared on his face. "You can't be serious! I not only lose my future wife, but also the life I've become accustom too? I lose EVERYTHING!"

I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Tom. I know it'll be difficult starting over again. If there was another way..."

"Yeah sure," he scoffed. "Well there is 'another' way, Linda. You can go back to who you were before this happened. You can become Linda Anderson again, be my wife, and stop 'pretending' to be me!"

"This is my life, Tom!" I said firmly. "This isn't your life, it's mine! My identity, my friends, everything is MINE! I have a right to it, you DON'T!"

My ex-fiancé' looked dumbfounded, and turned away. "So what happens to me now?"

"Judge Herns will turn you into anyone you want to be Tom, male or female."

"In case I want to be your wife," he stated bitter. "How thoughtful."

"Tom, please don't be mad..."

"Go to HELL," he replied in a hurt tone. "Go to 'Fucking Hell!" He rushed out of the room and slammed the door as he left. A part of me wanted to go after him, but I knew it was pointless. There was nothing I could say to set things right. The only way to do that was to become Linda again - something I couldn't do. I looked at my mother who hadn't said a word since I'd arrived. What was she thinking? Was she as hurt as Tom was?

"I'm sorry, mom."

"For what, Tom?" she asked softly.

"For putting you through the pain of losing another daughter."

She smiled as tears formed in her eyes. "I got you back instead, son. You never really did take the place of Linda in my heart, and the other Tom was never you. I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you back in my life again."

She stood and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then her joyful tears fell freely. I pretended not to notice as I held her tightly. There was something else I needed to tell her - something that would hurt her just as much as it had my ex-fiancé. I pushed her back and looked sadly into her eyes. "Mom, I'm so sorry. If there were another way...but I can't stay."

"You mean you're leaving? For how long?"

"For a long time, mom. I may never come back."

"I don't understand," she said in a distressful tone.

"It's complicated, mom. If I don't go, Dennis will end up spending the rest of his life alone. He's my friend, and I have to help him. He saved our town...and our world from a devastating war. In the end it cost him everything. I can't let him suffer alone, mom. I owe my life to him in so many ways...more than I knew until today."

"Can't you visit us from time to time?"

"I don't know mom. I don't know what the rules are in this world he's in."

"I see," she said sadly. "Tom, letting go is the hardest thing a mother has to do. I would like you to stay, but I understand if you must leave. Just do me a favor. Take care of yourself, and if you do come back remember there's a warm bed and meal waiting for you. I'll...I'll miss you."

I gave her a long hug. "I'll never forget you, mom. Thank you for everything you did for me." I hugged her a little longer then walked her outside. Judge Herns was waiting for me on the steps.

"Take care of him, will you please," my mother told the judge with tears in her eyes.

"I'll make sure he's safe and sound, Mrs. Anderson," she replied with a sympathetic expression.

"Goodbye Tom, and good luck." She hugged me one last time and whispered into my ear, "I love you, son." Slowly she released her hold on me, and walked away. I followed her with tears in my eyes. It was the hardest thing I've ever done by not going after her.

"Are you ready?" June asked after my mother had gotten in her car and started to drive away.

"I suppose," I answered, watching the car disappear down the street. I bit my lip and turned to her. "June, are there no other options left?"

"I don't see one, Tom," she replied truthfully. "Even if I released Dennis from his prison, the old goat would find him and put him back. He can't even stay here. That was one of the agreements they worked out - so if one of the Titans did escape from Tartarus they couldn't run to Andersonville for safety. Judge Jasper has the authority to come here and pick him up. Of course that didn't include humans who escaped from Peace River. It was an oversight of the old goat that Dennis exploited." June got a humorous smirk on her face as if she actually approved. "You're lucky he's letting you see Dennis, Tom. He's only going to allow you this one time."

"One time?" I gasped. June nodded her head.

"Once you leave, you can never return unless he gives you permission; and I wouldn't hold my breath on that happening. He's paying you back for your part in stopping the Titans."

"Did he limit the time I could stay?" I asked.

"No, that's up to you, Tom. An hour, a day, an entire lifetime if you want. Dennis will grow old and die one day. Then a new life will be assigned to him."

"Why not just do that now?"

"Because this is punishment, Tom. If Dennis wants to end his current life he can do so anytime. That was the out Jupiter gave him."

"Suicide." I shook my head. "I can't believe Dennis would do that." June didn't comment, making me wonder if she knew something I didn't. I looked at the town one last time, trying to burn the memory into my mind. It could be a long time before I returned. If only there was another way.

"Let's go to my office, Tom." We went inside and I walked silently down the hallway with Juno by my side. This was the life I had chosen - and I had no idea what it would be like. Would it get boring after a while talking about the same stuff day after day, week after week, then month after month? How long would I last before I would be ready to leave?

We arrived at her office, and June pulled out a portal box from her desk. "When I activate it, just walk on through. You'll find yourself stepping directly into his world. When you want to leave, just call me on your phone and I'll bring you back. I'll check up on you each week anyway to make sure things are okay." She stopped and frowned. "You know, I was actually looking forward to getting to know you better, Tom. Maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to grow a little when it comes to trusting men. I think you would've been a good start."

"I'll most likely be back in twenty or thirty years, June. In your terms, that's not so long."

"I suppose," she nodded in agreement. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," I answered. She pointed the portal box toward the center of the room when it hit me. "WAIT!" I shouted. She pulled back the box.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I have to get something first. Give me a minute, June." I rushed into my office and started going through my files. It might just work. I found what I needed and ran back into the room.

"What have you got?" Judge Herns questioned. I held it up for her to see. She frowned and shook her head. "It won't work, Tom."

"Why not?" I asked. "Think about it June, why doesn't it? He meets all the criteria." I went on to explain what I meant. "How can Judge Jasper object?"

"Trust me, he'll object!" Juno frowned. She stood there silently for a moment in deep thought. "I'll have to check everything out first to be sure."

"Send me through and get back with me when you know something."

She raised her hand and pushed on the portal box. A beam shot out, and a hole appeared in the middle of the room. In the hole I could see another world that looked like a desert. "Give me a few days. Now go."

I stepped through the hole into another world. As soon as I did the portal closed behind me. I looked at the gray rocky desert, surrounded by high cliffs and a few scrub bushes. It was already hot, and the sun was just beginning to rise here, wherever here was. I knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant place to stay if my plan didn't work. I listened, and noticed that except for the howling of the wind there were no other sounds. About half a mile away I spotted a small, wooden cabin with a covered porch. I made my way toward it, looking out for snakes and other animals. I found out later that I didn't have to worry. Except for Dennis, the scrub bushes, and myself, there were no other living things in this world. I guess they would have provided some interest in an otherwise uninteresting world.

When I got to the house I knocked, but no one answer. Wanting to get out of the sun, I stepped inside. The place was a dump. There were two small rooms to the shack. The main room consisted of a few old chairs and a couch. In the corner was a small kitchen with a table and two wooden chairs. It had no refrigerator, no running water, and only a few cabinets that held some can goods and old dishes. The other room was a tiny bedroom. It had a twin bed, closet, and a 4-drawer dresser. There was also a small A/C unit built into the wall that was powered by a solar panel on the roof.

The bathroom was a rickety outhouse out back that stank. The shower stood nearby, and consisted of a metal drum on stilts that had to be filled with a hand pump that sat next to it. I imagined the water in the drum got pretty hot if it sat in the sun for very long. There were no pictures on the wall, no odds and ends lying around, no nothing to give this place any type of warmth or appeal. It was one step above your basic shelter.

Not finding Dennis, I stepped out back and scanned the horizon. In the distance I saw a man sitting on a rock with his back to me. He seemed totally unaware that I was here. I took a drink of water from the pump and started walking toward him.

***

Alone! That's what Dennis was feeling. He was alone in this desolate world Jupiter had created for him. No birds to listen to, or crickets or frogs to hear at night...only the empty howl of the wind as it raced across the barren wasteland. It was the worst punishment Dennis could imagine. To be a leader of thousands of people one day, and then all alone the next. This was his home until he died. Only when it was time to start a new life would he be free from this world. Dennis imagined his new life would be far, far away from the United States; most likely in some unstable land ruled by a dictator.

As Dennis sat on the edge of a cliff sweating in the hot sun, he debated if it wouldn't be better to just get it over with. All he had to do was jump, and he would be free from this prison. There would be some pain involved, but if he landed just right it would be over quickly without much suffering. Still, suicide was giving up, and Dennis hated to give up on anything.

Sighing, the director stood and looked down at the ground while making some quick calculations. The cliff wasn't very high, only about 20 feet, but there were rocks at the base. If he landed head first it might break his neck, and he would die instantly. If he failed, it could take a while in this heat.

The decision came easily enough. There was no point in living if it involved staying here. There was nothing to do, and the boredom was already driving him nuts. At least with a new life he would have some purpose, other than just living. Dennis closed his eyes, and raised his arms in front of him as if he were preparing to dive into a pool.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked when I saw Dennis extend his arm. My questioned startled him, and he looked at me with surprise. Then he blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Can't you see I want to be alone."

"Why, so you can kill yourself?" I shook my head. "You were planning to jump, weren't you?"

"What difference does it make," he snapped bitterly. "My life is over. I'm not living; I'm existing...and yes, there is a difference. All I'm doing is breathing air without a reason. I have no goals to work toward and nothing to make my life interesting. What's the point of living?"

"The point is you can't give up. I'm here to keep you company."

"Go home Tom. I don't want you here."

"I don't believe that, not from a man who's about to kill himself."

"I mean it," he said more forcefully. "You have a life to live, go live it. Leave me alone."

"My life as Linda Anderson is over, Dennis. It was a good run, but I can't go back to it anymore."

He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't get it Tom. You gave up everything...your family, your fiancé, a comfortable life meant to make you happy and for what? So you could stay with me in this barren wasteland? Why would you do that?"

"Because you gave up everything to save my people, Dennis. I owe you, and I'm not about to let you suffer alone."

The director bit his lip and slowly shook his head. "You stupid, stubborn human. How long do you think we'll last out here together? What are we going to do when we've said everything that's needed to be said? Sit on opposite sides of the house and stare at each other. Do you know how boring it'll get? Go home, Tom. I appreciate your offer, but you're under no obligation to stay. I don't want you here."

"Like I said Dennis, I owe you."

"In that case then leave, and live a good life in my memory," he stated firmly. "Because that's the only thing that will give my life meaning. Go on...leave."

"Suppose I told you there was a way we could both leave," I said.

"Doesn't matter," Dennis stated sadly. "Even if I did find a way out of here, Jupiter would hunt me down and bring me back. There isn't anyplace I could go where he won't find me. I'm tagged."

"June is working on a loophole, Dennis. It's a long shot, but I think it'll work."

Dennis shook he head in a stubborn manner. "It's over Tom. Jupiter won and I lost. Now please leave."

"What's the matter, Rhea?" I asked angrily, switching to his Titan name. "Are you in such a hurry to die that you're not willing to wait a few more days? I read you were a strong goddess, not some limp dishrag." Dennis' anger grew, so I poured it on. "You know, your people aren't as 'noble' as you think you are. I've seen many of the same weaknesses the human race has in your own people. Obnoxious pride, arrogance, lack of empathy, and the inability to adjust when all your plans fall apart. That's why the human race is stronger than your race will ever be, Rhea. Because when the going gets tough, we 'don't' quit. We take a bad situation and turn it into something good. Look at you - you're pathetic? All those myths about the Titans being so great were lies! They were made up to make you look stronger and wiser than you really are."

"Why you self-serving, arrogant, son of a bitch," Dennis exploded while stepping toward me with his fists drawn. "What gives you the right to judge me?"

"What gives you the right to say I can't?" I shot back. The director glared at me silently. "A few days, Dennis. You can't put off adios'ing' yourself until then - not even for me?"

"Okay then," Dennis nodded with a frown edged on his face. "I'll wait. But you have to promise me something. If your plan doesn't work you'll leave, have you got that? I don't want you wasting your life staying here keeping me company."

"I'll make up my own mind when it comes to my life, thank you very much, Dennis," I replied firmly. "You worry about yourself. Now, can we please go back to your place and get out of this sun. It's killing me."

"My place isn't much cooler," he said. "I don't suppose you brought a deck of cards along with you."

"Better." I pulled a small box from my back pocket. "It's a traveling chess and checker set."

"But you don't know how to play chess," he pointed out.

"So what, you can teach me."

"Are you serious?"

"You got something better to do with your time?" I grinned.

He chuckled, and walked up to me. "No, not at the moment." He slapped his hand on my back and said, "Thanks for coming, Tom. You really are a sight for sore eyes, even if you are a pain in the ass. Come on, I'll introduce you to paradise." We walked back to the cabin together.

***

If there was a hell on earth this had to be it. During the day it was a scorcher, getting as high as 130 degrees in the shade. At night the temperature plummeted to a minus 10 below. The air conditioner barely kept the bedroom tolerable, providing you kept the door closed from the main living area. At night you had to keep a fire going to stay warm, and very little of that heat reached the bedroom. Another problem arose. Since there were no trees to burn, we had to use small sticks off the bushes. This meant you had to constantly feed the fire all night.

After the first night we moved the bed into the living room, and the kitchen table and chairs into the bedroom. During the day we talked and played chess while the AC kept us comfortable. At night we took shifts feeding the fire while the other slept. At sunrise and sunset one of us took a shower, because that was the only time the temperature was comfortable enough to do so. Fortunately Dennis liked taking cold showers in the morning. As for me, I found that if I filled the tank an hour before sunset the water was just right when I took mine.

The days dragged by with no word from June. I was tempted to call her, but thought better of it. If there were news she would've contacted me by now. Dennis and I found things to keep us busy, but by the third day boredom was starting to creep in. It was on that day that I asked a question that would change my opinion of Dennis/Rhea forever.

"Keeping your people trapped below Peace River must drain the Olympian resources quite a bit," I commented while looking over the board. Dennis was a good teacher, and I had learned the game of chess rather quickly. Although I still lost each game at least now he had to work at beating me.

The ex-director looked at me with tired eyes, and I knew something big was coming. He sighed, stood, and stretched. Then he motioned for me to take a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs across from him. He picked up a glass of water sitting in front of the AC vent and took a sip. It wasn't very cold, but at least it was cooler than the air in the room. Clearing his throat, Dennis got a far-away look in his eyes.

"I suppose you of all people have a right to know why I did what I did, Tom. For centuries, while the Olympians slept, I used my brains to thwart their plans. If I hadn't, your world would be very different today."

He took another drink of water and offered me some, which I refused. He sat the glass back in front of the vent and continued. "When the Olympians arrived they figured out what we already knew. Humans gave off an energy force that could prolong their life indefinitely. Before coming here, the average life of a Titan was about 250 of your earth years. For an Olympian it was less then 175 years. You can imagine their excitement at finding the fountain of youth. Of course there were a few problems. The harvesting of your energy wasn't very efficient, at least not for the Olympians. To get the full effect of the benefits, they had to remain close to the source. Worse, male humans produce far more energy then their female counterparts, but it was almost impossible to extract, except from a small few. Then they found a way."

"By changing men into women," I said quietly.

A small, thin smiled appeared on Dennis' face. "Correct. It was only by accident that they discovered this. You remember the story about the hunter who came upon Diana bathing, and how she punished him by turned him into a stag? The truth is, she transformed him into a woman - reasoning that since he liked staring at nude women so much this would give him the means to do so. That's when they discovered the solution to their problem.

"With the harvesting problem solved, the next hurtle was to get back home and tell their people what they had found. Their ship was heavily damaged when they arrived, and was later destroyed by us. Being fighters and not scientists, they didn't know how to build a new spacecraft. Oh, they had knowledge on how star-travel worked, but not all the fine details to make it happen. To achieve this, they needed the humans to figure it out for them. Unfortunately, your race was in no position to help anyone. It was too diverse. The Olympians needed to unify your people and set them on a path of their choosing."

"The Roman Empire," I nodded as the pieces fell into place.

"Another name for the Olympians, an older name, is the word Romans. One nation found favor with the Olympians, and Jupiter and his followers helped them conquer their neighbors. Not directly of course, but key people knew about them."

"Why not just do it themselves, and turn the power over to their leaders?" I asked.

"Because then your people would've become dependent on the Olympians for everything. If the empire was to stand for thousands of years, the battles had to be fought on their own. It created a sense of pride in the Romans that they could achieve anything. Besides, the Olympians understood that introducing new weapons without the maturity to use them wisely could destroy everything. Once the Roman Empire was established; the Olympians went to sleep until it was time to go home. They build a huge, underground bunker that would protect them for centuries to come."

"And that's where you came in, right?"

Dennis nodded. "Jupiter thought that by taking my powers away, I wasn't a threat to his plan. He was wrong. I was able work my way to the top, and convince governments to rise up against the Romans. I found power in the church to destroy old books filled with knowledge, thus driving the humans back into the dark ages."

"So you did interfere in our progress," I said in an accusing tone.

"If I hadn't the Olympians would've enslaved your world. What...you think they would've left and not came back, Tom? They would've taken your people with them. Each week a new ship would've arrived to take back not just hundreds or thousands, but millions of your people. And make not mistake about it Tom; the Olympians wouldn't have stopped until all of your people were enslaved. Your society would've ceased to exist. From that day forward your only purpose would've been to serve the Olympians and keep them healthy. I couldn't allow that to happen to your race. Unfortunately, the only way to stop their plan was to bring great death, destruction, and suffering onto your people. This came through wars, disease, and persecutions of those who tried bringing your people into the new age of discovery...like convincing everyone that the world wasn't flat. There was...I regret, no other way to stop them from succeeding."

I sat there stunned at his words, unsure of what to say. Dennis had saved our people, but the cost to us had been horrendous.

Dennis seemed to understand how I felt, because he added, "I'm both a hero and a monster, Tom - but considering all the misery I bestowed upon your people to stop the Olympians, I'm probably more of the latter. Now do you understand why I didn't want you to stay? I don't deserve your comfort. My cure was just as bad as the disease I was fighting."

"The human race will survive because of what you did," I pointed out.

The director nodded. "Yes, providing you don't blow each other up. Your government now has the weapons to protect themselves from the Olympians if they come here in force, thanks to Titan technology. Your people have only recently reached the point where they can handle the responsibility. I pray they use it wisely."

"That still doesn't answer my question, Dennis. Why do the Olympians keep your people imprisoned? Why don't they just kill them?"

"Because the energy we produce is needed for their trip home. You see Tom; space has a damping effect on the energy your people produce. Maybe it's something in your race that causes this to happen; or maybe it's in theirs. No one really knows the reason why. What that means is, they can't use you during the journey home.

"How can they be sure?"

"The Olympians built a crude spaceship long, long ago and launched Hercules into space with a few humans. Unfortunately the ship crashed on re-entry, killing the humans. Hercules was injured, but before he was put into stasis he told them of the results. That left Jupiter and his clan with only one option - to keep us alive. You see, during their war with the Medusa, the Olympians started capturing our people and using them in their ships."

"A galactic battery," I mused.

"Not all races get their life-sustaining energy by eating meats, fruits, and vegetables, Tom," Dennis explained. "In the beginning the Olympians did, but over time as food supplies fail to keep up with the population growth, their race was forced to find more efficient ways to satisfy their bodies hunger. The Olympians still have to eat solid foods, but only a tenth of what they used to. Imagine how healthy you could become if 9/10ths of your body needs came from pure, healthy energy. The problem is that after a while your body becomes so dependent on this energy you can't cut it off without starving."

"That's amazing," I said dumbfounded. "I knew Olympians used us to live longer, but I had no idea they were so dependent on us."

"Without you they couldn't exist," Dennis confessed. "And without us for the long journey home, they couldn't make it either. So that's why they don't kill us. They need us to get back. Unfortunately, the Medusa told me something just before it died about the war that is most..." Dennis clinched his teeth tightly, "disturbing."

"What is it?"

Dennis frowned, and shook his head. "In a few years you'll see, Tom. Don't worry, your race is in no danger from it."

"Are we going to be visited by them again - or by your race?" I pressed. "What is it, Dennis?"

"I suggest you watch your king, Tom," he said grimly while ignoring my question and moving back to the table. "I see checkmate in six moves."

I looked at the board and smiled. Moving my rook forward, I placed his king in check. By doing so, Dennis would be forced to take it with his knight. I would counter by taking his knight with my queen and thus, winning the game. He saw my move, shook his head, and grinned ever so slightly. "You're learning, Tom."

"I had a good teacher," I grinned back.

***

On the fifth morning Dennis was preparing for his shower when there was a knock on the door. I looked at him, and he looked at me.

"Were you expecting company?" I asked.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I asked our next-door neighbors over for breakfast," Dennis replied. He wrapped the thin towel around his body and hurried into the bedroom to get dressed.

"We need to communicate more," I laughed and opened the door. Judge Herns was standing on the porch smiling.

"Hello Tom? I didn't catch you guys at a bad time."

"Just Dennis," I grinned. "He was about to take a shower...and let me tell you June; he needs it.

"I heard that!" Dennis growled from the other room. "You don't smell so good yourself."

"As you can see, we're getting along great." I looked at her carefully. "I thought you would call if you had some news. I take it you do have news."

"I do," she nodded. "Can I come in, or do I have to tell you out here on the front porch?"

"Sorry," I apologized, and held the door open for her. She walked in and looked around.

"The old goat didn't set you up very well, did he?"

"It's better than a tent," I replied. Dennis walked out of the bedroom wearing a gray T-shirt and pair of pants.

"Hello Juno," he said politely. "Come to take Tom back with you?"

"Yes...and you too," she said cryptically.

Dennis looked puzzled. "What have you two cooked up?"

"It's Tom who thought of it," June explained. "All I did was checked out the paper work. I'll let him explain what's going on." She took a seat on the bed and pulled the required papers from her purse. I reached over and took them from her.

"Are those what I think they are?" Dennis asked carefully.

"Yep," I grinned. "A contract to a new and wonderful life in Andersonville. I must warn you Mr. Butz that if you agree to go there, you will never be allowed to leave Andersonville again. Furthermore, Judge Herns will be assigning you a new identity. That may involve modifying your body in some way."

"You're both crazy," he scoffed. "Jupiter will never allow it. The minute I step foot in that town he'll have someone there to take me back."

"He won't have the authority to do so, that's the beauty of it," I grinned. "Remember the agreement you signed with him? It only allows him to take 'Titan' POW's out of Andersonville."

"In case you forgotten Tom, I am a Titan. In fact I believe just a few days ago you called me a 'Titan bastard'."

"I was wrong, Dennis. I remembered you telling me long ago that Jupiter turned you into a human, and forced you to live as one. So I had June check to see if this was true...if you really are a human by Olympian standards. It appears that you are."

"That may be, but I'm still a Titan inside," he replied. "I'm Rhea, remember?"

"Your spirit has no bearing on the matter?" Juno answered. "The definition you and the old goat agreed on was a physical, human body. There's no mention of the soul of the individual. Since you're the proud owner of a human body..."

Dennis smiled and finished for her. "He can't touch me."

"Providing you sign a contract allowing Judge Herns to turn you into who ever she sees fits. Dennis Butz has to disappear for this to work, otherwise he can still claim you."

"So the bottom line is, I become a citizen of Andersonville...with no say over who I am to become."

"Like everyone else who enters our town," I nodded. "So, what do you say Dennis?" I held the contract and a pen in front of him."

"Looks like I don't have a choice," he said sheepishly. "I never thought I would be caught in my own creation"

"Cheer up, Dennis. Andersonville isn't the worse place in the world. You could've ended up living in a shack in some barren wasteland for the rest of your life."

"Thanks for the reminding me, Tom," he grinned. Dennis glanced around the room, and then took the contract. He held it against the wall and signed his name on the dotted line. After Dennis was done he gave it back to me. I handed it to Judge Herns who looked it over carefully.

"Yes, I think everything is in order," she said while standing. From her purse she pulled out her portal box and pointed it in the middle of the room. "I suggest we go to my office and complete the deal."

A hole opened up in the room and I could see the judge's office on the other side. I went through first, followed by Dennis and then the June. Once in her office, Juno turned and faced him. "I think you know how the process works, Dennis. Stand still please."

The judge closed her eyes and placed her hands together in front of her. She mumbled something under her breath that I couldn't understand, and her hands began to glow. Slowly a ball of blue light rose from her hand, causing me to smile. So Dennis was going to become a woman.

The ball of light shot out from her hands and struck Dennis in the chest. Immediately he began to change. His body got smaller and started shifting around as it became more feminine. His hair grew long and dark while two, firm mounds grew out from his chest. The pants and shirt he wore merged into a short, green dress. The outfit was completed with a pair of dark hose and a pair of two inch, high heel shoes. He...she looked gorgeous. I saw a silly smile appear on her face, and knew that the last reminder of being a 'he' had just disappeared. Dennis smiled joyfully.

"Thank you, June," she said gratefully.

"I couldn't let you suffer as a man anymore, not after saving our people" she nodded. "Welcome to Andersonville, Mrs. Laura Coors."

"I'm married?" She seemed shocked by the thought.

"Better, you're newlyweds...only three months."

"I...I..." That was all Dennis/Laura could get out. She sat down in a chair and started crying.

"Don't do that, you'll mess up your makeup," I grinned handing her a Kleenex. Judge Herns started laughing, and Laura joined in.

"I'll have Tom drive you home, Laura. It'll be his last act working for me.

Last act? What was June talking about? I hadn't resigned.

"Laura, can you wait outside for me?" I asked.

"Sure Tom," she smiled. "I need to use the bathroom anyway and freshen...freshen..." She started sobbing again and hurried out the door. I turned and faced June.

"You're letting me go?" I asked in surprise.

"No Tom, you never worked for me," she stated honestly. "Linda Anderson did, and she...quit a few days ago."

"So hire me," I suggested. She shook her head.

"I would love to Tom, but somehow I know your future isn't here in this courthouse. You belong out there. I've deposited $37,000 into your new bank account." She handed me a checkbook. "You can stay in Andersonville or leave, it's up to you. The old goat won't bother you again, I promise. However, before you make up your mind, I think there is someone you should talk to first."

Smiling, she opened the door that led to her courtroom. A pretty, young woman stood in the doorway looking anxiously at me. It was a face had seen in the mirror these past few years.

"Hi Tom," she grinned. "I bet you didn't expect to see me here."

"Tom?" I asked. "Is that you?"

"I decided to take you up on your offer." She walked over and kissed me on the lips. "I love you, Tom."

"I love you too...Linda," I said in a shaken voice. "Are you...sure about this?"

Linda Anderson looked into my eyes, and I saw them burning with love. "More sure than I ever have been, Tom. I can handle this."

I smiled in relief. The last thing I wanted was another marriage like the one I had to Jennifer. A thought crossed my mind. "Is the wedding still on?"

"I think we need to postpone it for a while," she explained. "I need some...time, to get used to being her. It's kind of weird."

I laughed out loud. "I know what you mean!" We kissed, and that old magic returned.

"Thank you, June," I told her. "Thank you for everything you've done."

"No Tom, thank you," she replied. "I'm sure the two of you will have a long, happy life together."

"Especially if you have anything to do with it," I grinned. I grabbed hold of Linda's hand, and we walked out the door together.

***

The room faded back into view, and Captain Myers blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the light. "That was incredible," he said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, captain," I smiled wearily.

The army officer noticed how tired I looked and became a little alarmed. "I'm sorry Linda. I didn't mean to wear you out. It's just that...well, I always thought you were the real Tom McClain."

"So did everyone else," I nodded. "We did that on purpose, so people wouldn't think the judge could change them back to their original bodies - not that many wanted to anyway. After Andersonville was revealed, a few of our citizens did go to court and lose. The contracts Dennis had them signed before coming here were binding. I was brought in to testify at a few of those cases."

"Yes, I've read about some of them," Captain Myers nodded thoughtfully. "I don't suppose Dennis, I mean Mrs. Coors, is still around."

"I'm sorry Captain, but she passed away two years ago in her sleep. Her family never knew the truth about her identity. In my case the magic between Judge Jasper, Judge Herns, and the effects of the Dr. Jensen's serum left me unable to have kids. Fortunately I was blessed with Kevin and Melissa." My words caused both children to smile.

"Well, I guess that wraps everything up." Captain Myers placed his note pad into his briefcase and closed it. Then he got a funny look on his face. "I'm curious, Linda. Did Tom ever find out what the Medusa told Dennis about the Titan/Olympian war?"

I nodded sadly. "As you know, years ago on a cool December night a bright star appeared in the sky. People around the world called it the Christmas star, but in reality it was supernova pronouncing the death of the Olympians home planet. The Titans had used a doomsday weapon against the Olympians sun, and the Olympians had retaliated by doing the same. In about a hundred years of so you'll see the Titan sun exploding in the sky.

"After that the Olympians universe started to unravel, as they struggled to deal with their pain. During the fall of Peace River many of the suspected Freedom Fighter members were rounded up by order of Judge Jasper and killed, along with others - but then I'm sure you know the story, Captain.

"All to well," the captain commented. He cleared his throat and rose from his seat. "Well, this has been a most interesting evening. Linda, thank you for your time. I wish I had better news to report to my supervisor."

"I'm sure everything will work out fine," I smiled. "If you will excuse me captain, I need to rest now. Please, stay a while and have some coffee before you go." Slowly, with the help of Melissa and Kevin by my side, I rose from her seat.

"I'll take her," Melissa told her stepbrother. Carefully she walked with me down the hallway and into the bedroom. Once she sat me on the bed, Melissa closed the door and faced me with a frown. "You lied in there, mom."

"Did I?" I answered with a tired voice.

"Yes, you did. You told Captain Myers that Dennis Butz became Laura Coors, but that can't be true. I remember you telling me that Jupiter wouldn't allow Dennis Butz to bear any kids...that he was sterile. Mrs. Coors gave birth to two kids. Mr. Butz couldn't have been her."

"You're a good detective, just like your father was," I smiled. "You're right my dear, Dennis wasn't transformed into Laura Coors. I said that to protect him."

"You mean he's alive?" Melissa asked. I kept quiet and smiled. "So what really happened to him?"

"Take my hand daughter, and I'll show you. Just...try to understand."

"Of course mom," Melissa answered a little puzzle. She placed her hands in mine, and the room faded back to Judge Herns' office.

***

I stepped into the judge's office and waited for Dennis and Judge Herns to follow. I think Dennis was a little concerned that there would be a welcoming committee from Peace River already waiting for him. He stepped from the cabin into the room followed by June and the portal quickly disappeared. The Judge walked around her desk and shuffled through a stack of files on her desk - all potential people Dennis could become.

"Normally I don't ask this, but do you have a preference?" June asked in a strict, businesslike tone.

"You mean what gender?" Dennis responded suspiciously.

"Yes. Do you have a preference?"

"Female...or course," Dennis answered dryly, suspecting a setup.

"I see." June shuffled through the files and frowned. "The prospects are limited. You're not suited for many of our female citizens, that is unless you want to start off as a six month old." Dennis stiffened, horrified at the suggestion.

Although it was entirely up to the judge who Dennis was to become, I decided to add my two cents. I cleared my throat in a loud manner. June stopped shuffling through her reports and looked at me. "Yes Tom?"

"Your Honor, does it have to be someone who's already here? I mean you could create a new person, couldn't you?"

"Well, I suppose," she stated. "Still, a lot of paperwork is involved, and you know how the people in the bunker hate paperwork." She looked through the rest of her files and grinned. "The last one. Humm, an interesting prospect. What to do here?"

At that point I got the feeling she was playing with Dennis, who was standing there nervously. I couldn't say I blamed him, but neither could I blame the judge for pulling his chain just a little. Not after the mess he had caused them.

"I'm sure you'll do what you think is right," Dennis stated, now resigned to his fate. June smiled.

"I think you know how the process works, Dennis. Stand still." June closed her eyes, and placed her hands together while holding them out. She mumbled something under her breath that I couldn't understand, and her hands began to glow. Slowly a ball of blue light rose from her hand, causing me to smile. So Dennis was going to become a woman after all. I only hoped he would end up being old enough to appreciate it.

The ball of light struck Dennis in the chest, and he began to shrink. The once manly face he had became feminine, as did other parts of his body. His hair grew long and dark, and his breast big and firm. Then I watched his face as it changed, and realized it looked familiar. It couldn't be! The clothes he wore changed into a green dress complete with dark hose and green heels. He...she looked gorgeous. I saw a slight smile appear on her face, and knew that the last reminder that she had once been a man had just disappeared. When the process was complete, she looked down at herself.

"Thank you, June."

I found myself laughing, puzzling the former director who didn't understand what I found to be so humorous. June glanced at me with amusement. "I see you approve, Tom."

"Approve?" I laughed. "Hell June, I couldn't have done better if I wanted too."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" the young woman asked a little annoyed.

June looked at her with a straight face and said, "Welcome to Andersonville, Miss Linda Anderson."

"WHAT!" Dennis/Linda responded in shock. I couldn't say anything. I was enjoying the irony of it all. "Are you serious, Juno?"

"Look in the mirror," she smiled while making one appear out of thin air. Linda stared at the reflection in bewilderment.

"Well Linda," I replied, slapping her on the shoulder and chuckling under my breath. "Kind of a fitting end for the late Dennis Butz, don't you think?"

She grinned mischievously and nodded. "True, but I don't understand why you're laughing."

"Don't you see the irony in all this Den...Linda?" I smirked real big so she couldn't miss the pleasure I was feeling. "You had me changed into Linda, and now you're her...and I'm me again. Not only that, I'm free from you?"

"Are you sure, Tom?" she replied with a huge smirk of her own.

"I...well..." I thought about it carefully. It didn't seem possible that Juno would allow her to run Andersonville any longer, not after what had happened. I shot the judge a glance, but she just stood there looking amused. "Yes, I'm sure of that. Why?"

"Because you're suppose to be marrying me soon, or did you forget? And you should know by now that in any marriage it's the woman who's always in charge."

"Now wait a minute," I protested. I looked at Judge Herns with questioning eyes. "Marriage?"

"Well, I suppose if you plan to stay that would be the case?" June chuckled. "You did asked her father for permission to marry her, Tom."

"Yes but...that was the other Tom...and to me," I challenged.

Linda giggled, and took my hand. "No more late nights out with your friends without my permission. No more unescorted trips outside of Andersonville without 'my' approval. No more spending money without asking me first. Yes sir, it's going to be like old times." The two women beamed at me.

I sat down defeated and grumbled to the judge, "I suppose you're going to tell me this is for my own good too."

"I would, but I think you already know that, Tom," June giggled, followed by Linda and then me. All things considered it wasn't the worst thing that could happen to me. At least I would still have the Anderson's as my parents.

***

The bedroom faded back into view, and Melissa stared at me in disbelief. "You're Dennis Butz?"

I smiled weakly and shook my head. "No dear, I'm your mother, Linda. Dennis died a long time ago. I suppose it's more proper to say, I used to be him."

"So many people have wondered what happened to you...I mean him. Why didn't you tell Captain Myers the truth, mom?"

"Because my dear, I wanted to spend my last hours with my family, not with some military brass who don't care two beans about me. Captain Myers would've reported his findings to his supervisors as ordered, and more people would've shown up asking questions about the whereabouts of Dr. Jensen's formula, among other things. They may have even tried to extend my life. It's better if they think he's dead and gone." I paused for a moment. "You know, I've never lied before. I've misrepresented the truth, even held back information, but never lied. It makes me feel...dirty."

"I'm sure God will forgive you this once, mom. What ever happened to the other Tom?"

"Judge Herns changed him into a man as he requested, and he left Andersonville never to return. Well that was his plan. Unfortunately it didn't turn out that way. He ended up back in Peace River as Candy Lane again. Perhaps if you look at the history files you'll find out what happened to him."

"I'll do that," Melissa promised. She stopped and gave me a silly grin. "Judge Herns didn't really make dad marry you, did she?"

I giggled ever so slightly. "No...but because of our...relationship, we saw a lot of each other after I came to live here. Since I was no longer able to work as Judge Herns secretary because of what had transpired, I had to find a new job. Tom opened an Italian restaurant a few weeks later and I became his partner. Working together day after day, well, it didn't take long for us to realize how much we loved each other. A year later we were married in a big ceremony. It was a good marriage...I was happy and so was Tom. I was sad to see him leave this world."

"Soon you'll be joining him," Melissa said sadly, realizing how painful this was for her. She wanted her mother to be happy, but at the same time didn't want her to leave.

"Yes dear, I'll be going where he is," I said with almost no joy. Only part of that was true. I would go there, but I wouldn't be staying. Mercury would make sure of that.

"You should rest now, mom," Melissa suggested, worrying about how weak I looked.

"I will dear, but first I should say goodbye to the others. Can you send them in one at a time please."

"Oh mom," Melissa cried as she threw her arms around me.

"I know dear, I'll miss you too. But I'll watch over you, I promise." I gave my daughter one long reassuring hug, and then patted her on the back. "Please now, no more tears in front of our guest. Send in the others so I can say my good-byes."

"Yes mom," replied Melissa, wiping the tears from her eyes.

***

Early in the morning Melissa watched as her mother labored to breathe. It wouldn't be much longer. Jennifer sat beside Melissa with tears in her eyes as the last remaining member of her family began to fade. It was painful.

"She told me to take care of you," Jennifer said, watching Linda's chest rise slowly. "I told her you were a grown woman, but she just smiled and asked me to do so anyway. She loved you so much Melissa. You made her proud."

"She made me proud," Melissa sniffed. "Her and Dad used to tell me stories about my father. Dad even told me about the times when my father was still Al Parker. I should've guess he was really Tom; it makes sense now. I never suspected Dennis Butz was my..." Melissa stopped and realized she had said too much. Jennifer didn't take her eyes off Linda. Instead she smiled softly.

"I knew, Melissa. It was obvious Linda wasn't Linda anymore, and Tom wasn't Tom. They had to tell us what had happened, only my mother never really believed their story about Tom becoming Linda, and Linda becoming Tom. She told me just before she died that she suspected Linda was really Dennis Butz. The two of them had a close relationship after my mother remembered her past life. I guess there were too many things about the new Linda that reminded her of him. I promised mom I wouldn't tell a soul, not even you. She thought if Dennis wanted anyone to know he would tell them. I'm so glad she told you."

"So am I," Melissa agreed while staring down at her mom. "She was a great mother."

"And a good sister," Jennifer added. "I'll always appreciate what Dennis Butz did for me, and the love he showed me as my sister. I will miss them both."

Linda gasped, and her body twitched. Then her chest rose and fell one last time. Linda McClain died.

"Goodbye...mom," Melissa choked just before losing it. She turned to her aunt for support, who cradled her in arms.

Jennifer looked at the body of her sister and whispered, "Thank you, Dennis." Then she too started to cry.

***

A peaceful darkness surrounded her as death came. Rhea had experienced this many times before. It wasn't painful and it wasn't scary. She felt her soul rise, and suddenly was looking down at the body she had once occupied. Melissa was crying in Jennifer's arms, and Rhea wanted to reach down and comfort them somehow. She could see the sadness radiating from both women. Unfortunately they could neither see nor feel her.

An opening in the room appeared next to her, and Rhea felt herself being pulled into it. It was a long, dark tunnel with a bright light at the end. Rhea's soul sped toward it. She could feel the warmth and love that radiated from the light. It was so pleasing. Suddenly the light flashed as it reached out for her, and she found herself in a 12' by 12' room. It was a room she had been in hundreds of times before. All the walls were white and void of anything, except for one that had a door. Rhea felt apprehensive as she moved toward it. Would it open this time? Disappointment flooded her soul when she found it was locked, like it had been all the other times.

"Hello Rhea," a familiar voice said. The goddess turned and saw Mercury standing there in his police officer uniform. He was neither pleasant nor unpleasant toward her.

"Mercury," the goddess acknowledged. "I don't suppose you're here to bid me off."

A small smile appeared on his lip. "No," he shook his head. "I think you know why I'm here. It's time to meet your next host."

"I don't get a choice this time?"

"After your last life...rising up to control one of the greatest military powers? My father thought it would be better to pick a life for you. There's a young boy of a poor farmer in South America who's dying. He will be your next host.

"I hope I'm out of diapers," Rhea said dryly. "There are other options here, Mercury. You could let me go and tell your father I got away."

The Roman God shook his head. "Sorry Rhea, but I can't. It's time you accepted your fate. Are you coming peacefully, or do I have to drag you away."

Rhea tried the doorknob one more time and hung her head. "I'll go peacefully."

"Good," Mercury smiled. "You know how much I hate fighting with you. If it means anything to you, I'm sorry. I don't like doing this job but..."

"Yes, I know. Jupiter is not someone you can say no too."

"I'm glad you understand, Rhea. Please take my hand." Mercury held it out for her to grab.

"Not so fast!" another voice rang out. Both gods were startled, and spun around to see who was there.

"Tom!" Rhea gasped. Her pervious husband was standing against the wall as if he had walked through it. He looked young, perhaps no older than twenty, and was wearing a long, flowing robe.

"Hello Rhea," he smiled warmly. "I've been waiting for you to arrive. Sorry I'm late."

"What's the meaning of this?" Mercury asked in a defensive tone. "What are you doing here, Tom?"

"I came to take Rhea with me, Mercury. She's earned her place here."

"I have my orders, Tom," Mercury explained. "Don't interfere with my business. I don't want to hurt you, and we both know you can't take me alone."

"This is 'my' business, Mercury. Rhea doesn't belong to you or your father. She belongs to the God of light, and I'm here to see that she gets there. Besides, I'm not alone Mercury. Al, are you there?"

Al Parker stepped through the wall as if it wasn't even there and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "I got your back, Tom," he grinned.

Mercury raised his hand into a defensive position, putting himself between Rhea and them. "I'm warning you Tom, I won't hesitate to use my powers to get what I came here for."

"You cannot defeat us all," another voice spoke. Mercury spun around startled and faced both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. "We've come to bring our daughter home, Mercury. She no longer belongs to you."

Mercury shoved Rhea behind him, and glanced back and forth at the two groups of people on each side of him. Suddenly three more people stepped through the wall in front of him. It was the Anderson's children; the real Steve, Linda, and Jennifer.

"We're also here to bring our sister back," Linda told him. "Let her go, Mercury."

"I'm warning you," the Roman God stated in a menacing tone. "You don't know who you're dealing with. I have great powers."

Tom shook his head as if his threats were meaningless. "So do we, Mercury. It's called...Love!" He raised his hand and pointed it at Mercury. A white ball of energy, about the size of a baseball, came out of his hand and struck Mercury in the chest. The Roman God was pushed back a few inches, and he blinked his eyes in surprise at what had just happened. "As you can see, Mercury, it's not painful, but it is effective."

The others smiled and pointed their hands at him. Mercury took aim, and fired at Tom. A ball of green energy shoot out from his hand, but just before it hit Tom it exploded in a shower of colors. Tom smiled.

"The power of love, Mercury. It's an awesome power when used correctly. We want Rhea, Mercury. No more, and no less."

"You can't have her," Mercury stated in frustration as he took a few more shots at Tom, all with the same effects. He tried shooting at the others, but his powers were useless against them also. Al and the Anderson's took aim and fired. Their energy hit Mercury, and pushed him away from Rhea. When he was far enough away, they shot in front of him to create a transparent wall. Mercury reached for Rhea, but found the divider was as solid as a real wall. He took a few shoots at the wall but found he couldn't penetrate it.

"It's over, Mercury," Tom explained. "You can't break through this wall of love we have for her. Please leave before we force you too."

Mercury looked at Rhea, then at Tom. "Very well, I know when I'm defeated. My father won't be pleased to hear how you, all of you, interfered in his business."

"He usually never is," Tom smiled.

The Roman God smirked, and nodded. "Goodbye Tom." He opened up a portal for himself and slipped away, leaving Rhea to stand there with her mouth open at what had just transpired.

"You did this...for me?" she asked.

"What else could we do, Rhea?" Mrs. Anderson explained happily. "You helped us when we needed it the most. You're our daughter, our sister, and our friend."

"We'll meet you inside, Tom," Al said cheerfully. Everyone turned and walked back through the wall, leaving the two of them alone.

Rhea looked at Tom perplexed. "I don't understand."

"You're going with me into the afterlife, Rhea."

"You...you mean that, Tom?"

The young man smiled. "I do, Rhea. I was told to bring you there myself. Are you ready?" Rhea nodded nervously, and Tom stepped forward. "Take my hand...and don't be afraid."

He reached for the doorknob and opened it. On the other side Rhea saw a vast mountain covered with pine trees rising up into the light blue sky. There were birds singing, and the happy laughter of children playing nearby. Everything about the world looked warm and inviting.

"Come on, Rhea," Tom said with a reassuring smile. "Let's go in."

They stepped threw the door, and Rhea was bombarded with a sense of love and security she had never felt before. The warmth from the sun filled her spirits, as did the feeling that everything here was perfect. The air was heavy with the sweet smell of wildflowers in the field they had stepped into. An eagle soared high in the sky, making slow lazy circles in an effortless manner. Rhea looked around in wonderment, and spotted some mountain goats grazing on the ridges of a cliff without worry. Close by was a wolf playing with her pups. The goats didn't even seem to care that they were so close to them. Tom watched her reaction and smiled. "This way, Rhea."

He took her hand and they walked up a small hill. When they got to the top, Rhea peered down into the valley. There were thousands of people sitting at picnic tables, and when they saw her they started cheering and clapping. Rhea looked closely and realized she knew them. They were people she had known throughout the centuries. Old friends, past lovers and spouses, children who she had adopted and raised as her own, and others she had helped during her time on earth.

"They heard you were coming," Tom told her over the cheering. "They wanted to celebrate with you. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Rhea said with tears in her eyes. "How could it get any better then this?"

Tom smiled and cleared his throat. "Look that way!" He pointed to a girl running toward them. Rhea gasped and got choked up.

"Rommona," she whimpered softly.

"She's been waiting a long time to see you," Tom grinned.

Rhea hugged Tom, then turned and ran toward her lost daughter. As she did, Tom smiled and yelled out, "Welcome to heaven, Rhea. Welcome home, sister." Then he looked up at God whose love was lighting the world. "Thank you." Tom smiled, and walked toward the two women who were embracing each other.

Fade out...