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  Jaz caught sight of a swarm of military aircraft heading straight for them, and given the fact that she didn’t recognize the design, they had to be from Earth.

  “I thought you jammed their radars,” Apollo snapped at Ares.

  “I did! These controls are the best we have,” Ares said.

  “Unfortunately, they found us anyway,” Athena added, although such an observation was unnecessary.

  “Omin’s very clever,” Jaz said. “It’s not surprising to find that his clone is just as smart.”

  “How did he find us? Is Earth’s technology that advanced?” Ares asked with an underlying hint of respect in his voice.

  “We’ve got to get out of this trap,” Zeus said. “Ares, what’s our best course of action?”

  “Open fire,” he replied. “When you’re backed into a corner, you might as well defend yourself to the death.”

  “Then we’ll be injured for sure,” Athena argued. “And the Palers will die. I say we surrender, create another plan, and follow it out when the time is right.”

  “No way!” Ares shook his head. “That’s the sissy way out.”

  While the gods argued over the appropriate action to take, Jaz picked up her telecommunicator and contacted Leader Paff to notify him of the situation.

  “We are almost ready to leave Pale,” Paff said when she was done. “Do you think you will survive until we can get there?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It all depends on what Omin’s clone wants to do with us. He hasn’t even gone near Queen Ann or Hathor yet, so I think our chances are good that he’ll keep us alive…at least for now. He’s waiting for something. I suspect that he won’t act until the time is right. You know how Omin could hold his prisoners for days, or even months, when it was in his best interest to delay an attack.”

  “Yes. I remember his tactics all too well. Make sure you have your emergency signal on so I can find you when we get to Earth.”

  “Will do. Second Commander Jaz out.” She turned off the telecommunicator and activated her emergency signal. “Leader Paff and his army will come to our rescue when they arrive here,” she told the others.

  Athena, Apollo and Ares stopped their arguing for a moment to stare at her.

  “Are you kidding me?” Ares asked. “It’s a disgrace to get rescued without a fight. We should at least defend ourselves against this tyrant clone and his army.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Athena said. “You’re immortal. They aren’t.” She pointed to the Palers.

  Ares huffed. “And that’s my fault?”

  “Look, it’s no use,” Zeus interrupted. “I ran a scan on their equipment and these humans have superior weapons. We aren’t as advanced in this area as they are.”

  “So that’s it?” Ares asked, his eyes wide. “We’re just going to give up without a fight? We’re not even going to let them know that we object to their bullying?”

  “Ares,” Athena began, “you need to remember that in wartime, sometimes it’s best to hold off an attack until the time is right. If we tried to fight them now, the only thing we would accomplish is serious damage to this ship.”

  He grunted and crossed his arms. “I can’t believe this. Let’s just hand them everything they want.”

  “Stop acting like a child!”

  “Enough, you two,” Zeus intervened. “Now I remember why I put your bedrooms on opposite sides of the Ivory Palace.”

  Ares frowned but kept silent.

  “We’ve been ordered to surrender,” Athena said as she listened to the transmission through her earpiece.

  The group looked at each other.

  Jaz didn’t relish the idea of seeing Omin’s clone. It would be like seeing Omin all over again. She recalled reading through his thoughts and memories. It was the only time she had truly understood him, and she’d been utterly repulsed she could have ever loved someone like that.

  “When the time comes, we’ll act,” Zeus assured them. “In the meantime, I’ll expect you to make several plans of action, Ares.”

  Ares was ready to make a clever retort, but one look at Zeus’ stern expression silenced him. So instead, he nodded and issued a surrender.

  ***

  Six Years in the Past

  Teresa’s house

  Planet: Earth

  When Ann arrived at Teresa’s house, Teresa pulled her into the living room where her parents were mesmerized by something they were watching on TV.

  “You have to see this. Alexander Napoli is amazing,” Teresa whispered.

  Curious, Ann sat in one of the chairs and turned her attention to the middle-aged, good looking man on TV. The news station carried the footage of a speech he had made earlier that day.

  “Peace is a dream that has, until now, eluded us,” Alexander was saying. “I want peace to continue, not just in the Middle East, but all around the world. We have been at war with one another long enough. With peace, we can accomplish great things. We can eliminate poverty, starvation, and crime. Imagine not having to lock your doors or carry a gun. Imagine knowing that your children will be safe when they play outside.”

  Ann blinked several times. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy as she continued to focus on what he was saying.

  “This is a dream that is close to coming true. But I need the help of everyone on this planet. We must all come together for the good of mankind,” he continued. “I have created a tiny device that will make this dream possible.”

  The camera zoomed in on the chip he held up.

  Ann squinted at the image. It was so small.

  “It’s barely even noticeable,” he continued. “I know what you’re thinking. How can this tiny thing possibly ensure peace? Though small, this chip can do wonders. With it, the police will be able to rescue a kidnapped child or prevent a woman from being raped. Even if you cannot scream for help, the chip will pick up on your fear and call for help. The proper authorities will be notified immediately. You don’t have to try to find help. Help will find you.”

  Ann’s body seemed to sink right into the chair. She couldn’t recall feeling more relaxed in her entire life.

  “This device is to serve you,” Alexander said. “It will not invade your privacy. You will not be recorded. Your life will still be your own. All this chip does is make sure that everyone is safe to pursue life, liberty and happiness. It simply slips under the skin, and best of all, it’s painless. One second of your life and you will be completely safe. This is my dream for peace, and I hope it is yours as well. Thank you.”

  The audience at the United Nations applauded.

  Teresa smiled and turned to Ann. “Isn’t he amazing?”

  Ann’s mind felt foggy, as if she were between the state of being asleep and state of being awake. She had to admit that his plan was reasonable. It made good sense. She wondered why she was so opposed to it when she heard about it on the radio.

  “They won’t have the chip available for ordinary people like us until the middle of the week,” Teresa said.

  “That’s too bad. I’d like to take it now,” Ann replied.

  Something in the back of Ann’s mind warned her that Alexander Napoli wasn’t the hero he claimed to be, but the groggy feeling kept taking over, telling her that Alexander was the best thing that’d ever happened to the planet.

  “We should get to our studying,” Ann finally said, having enough of the news.

  It wasn’t until they were in Teresa’s bedroom that the groggy feeling finally left.

  “I’m so glad you came over,” Teresa said as Ann pulled out her notes. “Are you sure you’re not mad that you had to break your date with William?”

  “Positive. In fact, I’m glad. There’s something about William that doesn’t seem right.”

  “It’s good to find out now. Hathor’s not bad looking either, so I’m sure it’s no sacrifice.”

  “I like him better anyway. Hey, did Stacey ever find someone to fix you up with?”

  “Actually, this
morning she called and told me Kent knows a freshman who likes to draw as much as I do. We’ll be going on a double date this Friday.”

  “Good old Stacey pulls through again,” she said. “Okay. We’d better start going through this stuff. There’s a lot of it and most of it’s boring.”

  “You mean all of it is boring.”

  Ann chuckled at her friend’s joke before they turned their attention to studying.

  ***

  Alexander Napoli’s Underground Chamber

  Omin-2, still disguised as Alexander Napoli, watched in great amusement as his Earthling military officials brought the prisoners to him. His officials had already received the chips, so they were fully under his control and never questioned his commands. They hadn’t told anyone else about the aliens. They’d brought the Olympians and Palers to his underground chamber without a single argument, which only proved how obedient that chip made humans.

  He clasped his hands in front of him and waited between two chairs. Two of his assistants waited by the chairs, each ready to inject the chips into his prisoners’ hands. Omin only thought to create a Great Prison that took months to brainwash someone. But he was much smarter. His chip would conform everyone into mindless drones right away.

  “Greetings, friends,” Omin-2 said. “It’s so nice you stopped by to see how I’ve fared since I left Pale.”

  “Friends?” Second Commander Jaz asked, her tone indignant. “Your creator wasn’t our friend and neither are you.”

  “I take it you are Jaz. Stupidly believing everyone deserves to be treated equally.” He rolled his eyes. “How fitting it is you’ll be the first to receive my chip.”

  He motioned to one of his assistants. “Bring her.” He pointed to a chair.

  She started to run away, but five bodyguards grabbed her and dragged her to the chair. Despite her best efforts, they strapped her in so she could not escape. While she might’ve been strong enough for a couple of them, she couldn’t win against all of them.

  “I’ve had enough of this,” Ares said then punched one of the guards, who fell to the floor, unconscious.

  The other prisoners followed his lead and fought their captors.

  Omin-2 rolled his eyes. Having expected such an outburst, he radioed in for reinforcements. Then he ordered his assistant to inject Jaz with the chip while the others weren’t paying attention.

  The assistant obeyed, and at once, she stopped fighting against him. More guards ran into the room, armed with guns, and started shooting at the gods and Palers. One guard shot Lino in the arm, and as soon as Lino stopped fighting, three guards ran to pin him to the floor.

  Ares and Zeus managed to grab a gun from one of the guards, but Omin-2 snuck up behind them and knocked them unconscious by hitting them on the back of their heads with his own gun.

  “Give them their chips,” Omin-2 told his assistants, who rushed to obey him.

  Athena, who’d been the weakest of them all, couldn’t get out of a guard’s hold, and had given up trying to fight well before this point. She allowed an assistant to put a chip into her, but warned Omin-2 that his victory was only temporary.

  Omin-2 shook his head at her lack of vision. If she only understood how intelligent he was, she wouldn’t be making such a ridiculous claim.

  Falon tried to knock Omin-2 down, but Omin-2’s personal bodyguards shot him in the leg. Falon, in turn, fell down, grabbing his leg. An assistant ran over to him and implanted a chip in his hand. The other assistant got a hold of Lino’s hand and inserted the chip before he could pull his hand away. Falon and Lino, now under the control of the chip, got up and helped the guards pin Apollo, Ares, and Zeus down until the two assistants were able to insert the chips into them as well.

  Finally, the commotion died down.

  Omin-2 smiled. “That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Good job, everyone.”

  “Alexander,” one of the guards began, “what will we do if others protest getting the chip?”

  Omin-2’s smile grew wider. “Eliminate anyone who is an enemy of this world.”

  “Eliminate, sir?”

  He nodded. “We cannot allow anyone to disrupt the peace.”

  The guard bowed. “Your wisdom will prevail.”

  Soon, Omin-2 thought. Very soon they would all worship him. Glancing at Jaz, an idea came to him. Queen Ann was still a threat to him as long as she lived. The Olympians obviously came to Earth to rescue her because they had no connection to anyone on Pale. And that meant more Olympians could be coming here.

  He crossed his arms and examined the situation. He had planned to wait to do anything about the queen, but this new development caused him to change his mind. He had something far better in mind for Queen Ann, and Jaz would be the perfect one to carry it out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Six years in the past

  Lisa’s house

  Beavercreek, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Lisa heard the doorbell ring from her bedroom upstairs. She was busy painting her fingernails, so she waited for her parents or brother to answer it. The ringing continued, almost in desperation. Remembering that her family had gone to the grocery store, she put down her fingernail polish and headed down the stairs.

  From the window by the front door, she could see Carson. She gasped when she saw his freshly bruised nose. She flung the door open, her wet nails forgotten.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He entered the house. “William’s crazy! He hit me. He thinks I intentionally ruined things between him and Ann.”

  “You tried to talk me into telling her that he’s a good guy.”

  “I know. He was right there listening to our conversation.”

  She watched as he sat on the couch in the living room. “I’ll be right back.” She ran to grab a hand towel and wrapped it around a bag of frozen peas. When she returned, she handed it to him. “Tell me everything.”

  He took the frozen peas from her and put it up to his nose.

  “When did you see him?” she asked.

  “Just now. He called me up and asked me to come over. He sounded like his usual happy self. I had no idea he was mad at me.”

  “He was mad because….?”

  “Ann cancelled their date for today. She said she had to help a friend study for a test.”

  “That’s the truth. She told me late last night about it.”

  He sighed. “I guess even if I told him it was the truth, he wouldn’t have believed me. He was insane. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so angry.”

  “He hit you because Ann cancelled the date?”

  “He hit me because he thinks I had you talk Ann out of seeing him. Then he basically told me that he didn’t want to see me ever again.”

  “I know you told me that I should stick up for him when I talked to Ann, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And looking at you now, I’m glad I listened to my gut instinct. William is bad news.”

  “I wouldn’t be friends with a creep like that. He’s not the same person I grew up with.” Carson shook his head. “It’s as if he’s been replaced by a bitter, selfish person who thinks that everyone is out to destroy him.”

  “Are you mad at me for not telling Ann what you told me to?”

  “Are you kidding? Telling her to avoid him was the best thing to do. I had no idea he could flip off the handle like that. He was rambling on about being a king of some place I’d never heard of. And worse, you should have seen him when I almost stepped on this thing that looked like a smartphone that could flip open. He really went ballistic. It was like he couldn’t afford to lose it or something.”

  Lisa couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t thought William was good for Ann, but this was outrageous.

  “I’m not going to talk to him anymore. As far as I’m concerned, he’s no longer my friend,” Carson said.

  She put her arm around him. She knew he didn’t like losing his best friend, but she was relieved to see he wouldn’t be
putting himself in danger anymore. William just couldn’t be trusted. She would have to call Ann later on to let her know that she made the right decision in choosing Hathor over William.

  ***

  William’s bedroom

  William frantically typed in everything he could think of to activate the device that had brought him back in time. He had it properly hooked up to the computer, hoping he could find a way to communicate with it again. He really messed it up with Ann. After she found out what he did to Carson, there was no way she was going to give him another chance.

  So his only option at this point was to go back in time again to the day they met. This time he would track Hathor down and kill him before he had a chance to meet her. He had to! He couldn’t keep losing like this.

  With every command that failed, William grew more irritated. Why weren’t the commands he used before working? After another command didn’t go through, he banged his desk. His fist broke the cheap fake wood. He rubbed his hand which hurt from the impact, especially after having punched Carson earlier that day.

  When he realized he wasn’t going to succeed, at least for today, he unhooked the device and put it back in his desk drawer. He would try again later. He sat on his bed, staring blankly at the wall and cursed his ill luck.

  He hated Hathor. Hathor got in his way, even more than Carson did. If it weren’t for Hathor, he’d be with Ann right now because there would be no competition. Hathor had incredible nerve to come between him and Ann.

  William deserved to be with her. He knew he would make a better king than Hathor ever could. He gritted his teeth. He would find a way to pay Hathor back for ruining his life.

  ***

  United Nations

  Omin-2 felt the probe under his skin throb. Someone was trying to reach him through the device Omin had sent out upon his death. Omin-2, still disguised as Alexander Napoli, calmly excused himself from the meeting he was in and went to his office.