Pegasus and the New Olympians by Kate O'Hearn Page A

technically, you could still be called aliens.’

    Exhaustion from the long flight caught up with them as they piled into the small motel room. The sun rose, crossed the sky and finally set in the west while the group slept. As the last of the daylight faded, they awoke and prepared for the final leg of the journey to California.
    ‘I hope we are not here much longer,’ Paelen said as he ate his last ambrosia cake. ‘You know what happens when we go too long without this. Even with sugar, we become weak and vulnerable.’
    ‘With luck, we’ll be going back tomorrow night,’ Joel said, munching on his burger and fries. ‘Once we see Tornado for ourselves and prove he’s just a horse, we’re free to go back.’
    ‘And if he really is a clone?’ Emily asked.
    ‘Then we are all in trouble,’ Agent T said darkly, ‘not just the Olympians lacking their food.’
    The final comment settled heavily in the air as the group used Pluto’s helmet to exit the room without being seen. They gathered together behind the old motel.
    ‘All right,’ Agent T said, ‘by my calculations, if we put on more speed, we should arrive at Ramona before dawn. That will give us time to find the Double R Ranch to see Tornado Warning for ourselves. What happens next is anyone’s guess. I don’t like not knowing, but we don’t have much choice.’
    As Emily climbed on Pegasus, it felt like lead settling heavily in her stomach. This was it. Within a few hours they would discover the truth. But even before they saw Tornado for themselves, somehow, Emily already knew the answer. He wasn’t a horse. Tornado Warning was a clone of her beloved Pegasus, created by the CRU.

9
    With each powerful wingbeat, Emily felt her tension grow. She looked at the others flying around her and, in the dim light of the stars, was able to see their expressions were the same. Paelen was leaning forward as his winged sandals carried him onward. His arms were crossed over his chest and his expression grim. Even Earl stopped chatting and sat quietly behind her on the back of the stallion. They were all sharing her fears.
    As they flew over mostly desert with very little population, without the fear of being seen, Alexis directed the group lower in the sky. Up high, the temperatures were much colder and it was hard on Joel, Earl and Agent T. Emily was no longer bothered by the cold, but for most of the trip when they travelled over populated areas, she had felt Earl shivering behind her.
    Continuing through the night, the landscape beneath them changed. From the sharp cliffs and mesas of Texas, New Mexico and then Arizona, they were entering a region of rolling mountain ranges that were the entrance to California. It was still all desert terrain, and yet, it looked so different.
    Ahead of them, Alexis and Agent T continued to lead the way. The ex-CRU agent was holding his compass in one hand and struggling with a map in the other. He gripped a small flashlight in his teeth. Despite how she felt about him, she was grateful he was here. It was true. He did possess skills they needed. Without him, the trip to California would have been much more difficult.
    After they had been flying for several hours Agent T directed everyone lower. They were surrounded by mountains on either side that climbed high in the sky. Though it was still dark, they could now make out shapes and structures.
    Soon they came upon a small town. Most of the lights were off and there was no traffic on the road. But almost immediately Emily felt a change in Pegasus. The stallion was snorting and his ears flicked back.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Emily called forward.
    Pegasus didn’t react. Peering closer she could see his nostrils were flared and his eyes were wide and bright. She also noticed his glow increased. ‘What is it, Pegasus?’
    ‘We are near Tornado Warning,’ Paelen explained as he flew closer. ‘Pegasus can sense him and he does not like it.’
    Beneath her, Pegasus started to