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  The gods and goddesses came into the room, and Zeus bowed before him. “We would not have disturbed you if it had not been for Queen Ann.”

  “I am as concerned about her as you are,” Hades replied.

  Zeus tilted the hourglass slightly so that a few sands went up the hourglass instead of down. “Athena thinks Queen Ann is in the past.”

  Athena’s smile widened. “It’s the most logical assumption. It’s easier to prevent something from happening than it is to cover for it once it’s happened.”

  “I sure wouldn’t mind seeing Hathor again,” Aphrodite murmured, twirling her long blond hair around her fingers. “I enjoy mortal men immensely.”

  Ares rolled his eyes. “Is that all you can think about? We’re trying to save the Queen of Raz. We’re going to war.”

  “We don’t know that yet,” Aphrodite said with a pout.

  “Of course, we do. War is the only way to atone for the abduction of the queen. Omin’s clone won’t let her go without a fight.”

  “You are such a brute.”

  He was about to make a retort when Zeus interrupted them. “We have more important things to do than argue.”

  “He’s right. Time is running out,” Athena remarked.

  Jaz forced back her sarcastic huff. She had never seen anyone take their time in doing anything as these gods and goddesses did. They seemed to think Omin’s clone couldn’t possibly do any major damage until they reached him. They were underestimating Omin. Omin could do incredible damage in the time she and her team had wasted on climbing the mountain and then getting Hades to agree to bring the sands—and Falon—here.

  “I see that Queen Ann and Hathor were sent back to Earth,” Zeus said as he studied the sands as they went up the glass. “They are stuck six years in the past.”

  The other gods and goddesses shivered.

  “Imagine being trapped on Earth,” Ares said. “Wasn’t it bad enough when you Palers sent Queen Ann there two years ago? Must you keep condemning her to that boring place?”

  Jaz blinked in surprise.

  “Calm down,” Athena told him. “That female Paler had nothing to do with it this time.”

  “Well, the war another Paler started is soon to become our war as well,” Ares said. “Lucky for the Palers, I am an expert military strategist.”

  “Yes, we are in awe of your amazing thirst for blood,” Athena blandly replied.

  “Unfortunately, this will most likely lead to a war,” Zeus said.

  “Good!” Ares cheered.

  “I will have to notify Leader Paff that we’ve located Queen Ann and Hathor,” Jaz said, although none of the gods were paying attention to her. She shrugged and walked a few feet away from the group so she could contact Paff.

  “Leader Paff,” Paff greeted into his telecommunicator.

  “Leader Paff, this is Second Commander Jaz. We have located Queen Ann. She is on Earth, but she is six years in the past, which explains why none of our probes found her. Hathor is there, too.”

  “What could Omin’s clone want with her that far in the past?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. It is, however, reasonable to conclude that Omin’s clone is also there. The main god, Zeus, doesn’t seem upset, so she must still be safe. It could very well be that Omin’s clone is building an army. Omin rarely did anything on impulse. I’m sure his clone is the same way.”

  “I will order an immediate deployment of our finest soldiers to go to Earth. We will send them back six years from now as soon as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. I’d rather be on the offensive.”

  “I request permission to take my team to Earth with the gods and goddesses.”

  “Permission granted. Leader Paff out.”

  She ended her transmission and walked back to the group.

  The gods and goddesses were consulting Ares on a suitable plan of action.

  Falon came over to her. “So far they have decided Zeus, Athena, and Apollo should go with Ares to Earth,” he whispered. “Zeus is the head god, so he automatically qualifies for the mission. Athena is wise and logical, which will balance Ares’ hot temper. Apollo can tell whether or not someone speaks the truth, which will help them as they search for Queen Ann.”

  “That’s all?” she asked.

  He nodded. “They aren’t concerned with fighting Omin’s clone. They merely want to rescue the queen. The only reason Ares is involved is in case Queen Ann is in the middle of a battle when they find her.”

  “At least Leader Paff is sending an army over there. We will accompany the gods to Earth to locate Omin’s clone, and then we can meet up with the Paler army when they arrive.”

  There was no telling what to expect when they got there. The important thing was they were prepared for anything.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  United Nations

  Planet: Earth

  Omin-2, disguised in the human form of Alexander Napoli, slowly smiled as he picked up the chip that was the size of a grain of rice. He examined it, turning it over, careful not to drop it. It was so small that it appeared harmless. It was his most brilliant invention yet. He chuckled. Omin thought he was clever, but his clone was more so.

  He leaned back in his comfortable chair. His office was luxurious, a major improvement over the room he had been stuck in for two years on Pale. He found that he liked it here. The Earthlings were so quick to accept everything. All he had to do was implant a few terrorists with chips, and they became docile right away. The humans were so impressed they made him the leader of the United Nations.

  Now he had chips inserted into all the leaders of the countries. Today the leaders, tomorrow everyone else. Soon, all humans would be his slave army.

  “I will be a god to them,” he whispered.

  A god. Omin was never a god. He was only a leader. But these humans…they would worship him. He might even succeed in getting Queen Ann to accept the chip. If she did, then he would have no reason to kill her. She would be his slave to do his bidding, just like every other useless human being on this planet would soon be doing.

  Once he had the entire Earth under his control, he would go to Pale and make the Palers and Laxes take the chip, too. There really was no limit to how far he could go with this. He could control many planets instead of one. Again, he marveled at Omin’s lack of vision. Omin only wanted Pale. But his vision was so much greater than Omin’s.

  Sighing in satisfaction, he set the chip on his desk. He turned to his phone and called his secretary. It was time he made his announcement to the world.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  William’s House

  Planet: Earth

  William gripped the phone in his hand so hard it almost broke. He couldn’t believe Ann had just cancelled their date for the day. This wasn’t going according to plan. She was supposed to be with him. He was supposed to be the king of Raz.

  Carson. It was all his fault. For once, William had everything he wanted. He knew he had won Ann over on Friday night with his charm, but Carson couldn’t take it. Carson never wanted him to be happy. It was just like Carson to want to hog all the joy for himself.

  He realized now that Carson had set him up. Carson mentioned the fact that Ann was going to bring Hathor over to see Lisa just to tempt William into showing up at her place. For all he knew, Carson probably arranged the whole thing with Hathor. Why else would Hathor mention meeting William? He’d done it in order to make William look bad in front of Ann.

  He threw the phone as hard as he could across the room, and it smashed into the wall, leaving a small crack in it.

  There was a knock on the closed door. “William, are you okay?” his mother asked.

  “I’m fine. Leave me alone,” he grumbled.

  “Alright. If you need anything, I’ll be in-”

  “I’m not going to need anything. Just leave me alone!”

  He knew she was hurt by his outburst, but she didn’t unders
tand what was at stake here. His entire future depended on Ann and her decision to take him to Raz. He was fortunate enough to have a second chance, and he didn’t want to blow it. He was doing just fine until yesterday.

  What could he do? He had been very nice to Ann on the phone just now and told her that he understood. He even wished her well on her test. He was sure she was lying to him about the test, but he didn’t let her know that. He was a perfect gentleman, saying all the right things. He’d even apologized to Ann about yesterday, sounding as sincere as he could. Obviously, it hadn’t worked. She was still insistent on cancelling their date.

  And it was all Carson’s fault. William picked up his phone and checked to see if it still worked. When he heard the dial tone, he punched in Carson’s phone number. It was time for them to have a talk about certain limits that Carson must obey in the future.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Ann’s House

  Planet: Earth

  Ann sighed with relief as she hung up the phone. It hadn’t been easy to cancel her date with William. She was never one who delighted in telling people no, but she knew that it had to be done.

  She walked into the kitchen where her parents were eating lunch. “Well, I called William and got it over with.”

  “There goes my little girl, the heartbreaker,” her father teased.

  “I think you did the right thing,” her mother said. “After everything you told me about William, he sounded like bad news.”

  “Lisa still doesn’t like him. Carson told Lisa that William was sorry for showing up like he did yesterday, but she can’t get rid of the creepy feeling she has about him. I have to admit that there is something about him that bothers me, too.”

  “That is a feeling you should always listen to,” her father said before taking another bite of his ham and cheese sandwich.

  “Did Lisa tell you what she thought about Hathor?” her mother asked.

  “She didn’t get to talk to him, but she liked what she saw. She was impressed with how well he handled himself when William showed up. And besides, I’d decided last night that I’d rather be with him than William anyway, so she just confirmed what I was thinking.”

  “I think our daughter is showing wise judgment,” her mother told her father.

  “I didn’t raise a fool,” he replied.

  “Anyway,” Ann began, “I need to go to Teresa’s to study for the English Lit test we have tomorrow, and I would like to stop by and see Hathor on my way home.”

  “That’s fine, as long as you’re home by six,” her father said.

  “Thanks! I’ll see you then.”

  She grabbed her class notes and ran out of the house. As she pulled the car out of the driveway, the music was interrupted by a special announcement. She groaned. Why did this have to happen during her favorite song?

  “Earlier today, Alexander Napoli, the leader of the United Nations, made an important announcement that’ll affect everyone,” the radio announcer reported.

  Then the voice on the radio switched to a man’s that Ann recognized as being Alexander Napoli. “We must do everything we can to unite this world. We need to resolve our cultural, political, and religious differences in order to thrive. That is why I’m proposing something that will enable us to live in unity on this fine planet. I’m sure some will be hesitant to move forward, but I assure you, progress is nothing to be afraid of.

  “We must do everything we can to unite this world, to keep it safe from terrorists. That is why I’m proposing something that will enable everyone to live in unity. Everyone must be willing to put aside their differences for the greater good. That is why I’m proposing the Peacekeeper. It’s a chip that will be used to track down anyone who wishes to disrupt the peace, thereby harming innocent people. These chips will be available to the general public in a couple of days. I urge everyone to accept the implant.”

  Implant? As in putting something in her? Was that what the chip was for? It sounded more like a tracking device than something meant to keep people safe.

  She recalled who Alexander Napoli was from her teacher’s discussion about him in her Current Events class. She never imagined that he would play such a dominant role across the world. For sure, she never suspected that his influence would reach her on a personal level. She wondered if anyone else would feel the same way she did. Would she be forced to take this chip, or would it be voluntary?

  For the first time since she’d heard about Alexander Napoli, she began to give his presence on Earth more thought and importance.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  William’s House

  Planet: Earth

  William had called Carson and asked him to come over to his house, but Carson wished he hadn’t done so as soon as he saw his friend’s scowl.

  “What’s wrong?” Carson asked, sure he didn’t want to hear the answer.

  William got up from his bed. “You know very well what’s wrong.”

  “How can I when you haven’t told me?”

  “You want me to tell you? Fine.” He grabbed Carson’s arm and pulled him further into his bedroom. Closing the door, he turned to him. “I never thought you could be so calculating and cold. All you care about is yourself. You wanted Ann to pick Hathor over me. Well, your plan worked. She won’t go out with me today. Are you happy now? Does it give you so much pleasure to ruin my life?”

  It took Carson a moment to find his voice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “That innocent act won’t work with me. You disgust me.” William grunted then paced back and forth in his bedroom. “I told you to talk to Lisa. She was supposed to work things out for me.”

  “She said she was going to. You were with me last night when I called her up to explain everything. You heard what I said. I stuck up for you.” He paused and shook his head. “Now I’m beginning to wonder if I should have.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’ve been a total jerk for the past couple of weeks. You weren’t always like this. I don’t know what’s changed, but suddenly, it’s like you think the world owes you something. You expect everyone to fall in line and do what you tell them to. Well, I got news for you. Life doesn’t work that way.”

  “Oh wonderful. Another lecture from Mr. Perfect. You don’t know anything. You have no idea what’s at stake here. Whether or not Ann likes me will determine my fate.”

  “Oh come on.” Carson rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that a little dramatic? If things aren’t working with Ann, you should take time to examine what you did to mess it up. From where I’m standing, I don’t blame her for not having anything to do with you.”

  Carson turned to leave. He couldn’t take another minute of being around William. At one time, they had been best friends. At one time, William was actually a decent person.

  “You’re not leaving until I say you can!” William roared.

  Before Carson had time to blink, William shoved him into the wall, and he hit it head on. Pain shot straight through his nose. He reached up to touch it and winced. Lowering his hand, he saw the blood on his fingers. “What is your problem?” he shouted.

  William grabbed him by the shirt. “You are! You’re trying to stop me from becoming the king of Raz!”

  Before Carson could respond, William pushed him so hard that he stumbled into the computer desk and fell to the floor. A silver device fell next to him. Carson briefly noted it before William grabbed him, making him stand up.

  Furious, Carson swung to punch William in the face but missed and tripped against the desk. He almost stepped on the device, but William snatched it up. William examined it as if worried it was broken.

  “You seem awfully protective of that thing,” Carson said.

  “It’s none of your business. Get out of here!”

  Carson wasn’t going to argue with that. He had no desire to talk to William anymore. As far as he was concerned, this fr
iendship was over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Six years in the past

  Outer space

  Approaching Earth

  Second Commander Jaz held her breath as Zeus steered his spaceship towards Earth, concentrating on his entrance into the atmosphere.

  Ares typed something into the controls. “I have successfully jammed the radars so we won’t be seen by anyone. The first stage of war is to creep into the enemy’s territory without being detected. Our greatest advantage is surprise.”

  “We’re not trying to start a war. We’re trying to prevent one,” Athena reminded him. “War is a last resort.”

  Ares rolled his eyes. “You take the fun out of everything.”

  Jaz took out her probe to find Queen Ann, Hathor, and Omin’s clone. She frowned. “It looks like Omin’s clone isn’t where Queen Ann and Hathor are.”

  Apollo peered over her shoulder. “Oh yeah. Omin’s clone is at the United Nations Headquarters. Queen Ann and Hathor are in a place called Ohio.”

  “I wonder why Omin’s clone hasn’t killed Queen Ann and Hathor yet,” Guard Falon said. “You would think that killing them would be his first priority.”

  “I just tapped into one of the news stations on Earth,” Athena said then, holding an earpiece up to her ear. “There’s a report of a prominent leader who is gaining control over various countries through his peace plan.”

  “Why would he want to bring peace to this place?” Jaz asked. “That doesn’t sound like something Omin would have his clone do.”

  “Unless it’s a trap,” Guard Lino said. “No one would bother preparing a defense if he had nothing to fear.”

  Ares glanced at him. “Now that’s the kind of thinking that will get you into my army.”