The Return of the Titans by James Thompson Page B

at
them. She actually held what looked like the full moon in her
hand.
    “The next one is Oceanus,
lord of the seas.” This one was surprising to Justin. The top half
of the figure was that of a handsome man wearing bronze armor and
wielding a huge axe. But the lower half was that of a serpent,
swimming through waves. “His wife, Tethys is beside him, lady of
lakes and streams.” The woman was wearing full bronze armor but
held a small axe and a shield.
    “Iapetus is next, with his
wife Themis.” Both the man and woman had long black hair, tied back
and reaching their waists. Both wore iron armor and carried heavy
hammers.
    “And last...” Mr.
Fitzgerald hesitated. He was staring at the portraits of the two
figures that had surprised Aaron and Justin. They still looked evil
and furious, Justin thought.
    “These two are the most
interesting, in my opinion. The man is Hyperion. The woman is his
mate, Theia. In mythology, he is the god of light. She is
unassuming and non-threatening. Unfortunately, mythology doesn't
always get it right.” He sighed and shook his head.
    “What do you mean, Mr.
Fitzgerald?” Gerry spoke up.
    “I mean, Mr. Smithson,
that those two began the last war, the war that destroyed
Atlantis.” Gerry gasped and Justin and the others stared even more
intently at the portraits. “They wanted to rule the entire world.
They gathered other like-minded Titans. Cronus and the others did
their best to defend their people but, in the end...well, you know
what happened.”
    “Atlantis sunk beneath the
waves,” Norm whispered. It echoed through the suddenly quiet
room.
    “Exactly, Mr. Holden.
Exactly.” Mr. Fitzgerald looked at them all keenly. “But now,” he
continued on in a more brisk tone, “ you all have a small task to
do, in this room.”
    “Task sir? What task?”
Justin asked.
    “As I said, each of these
portraits represents one of the original Titans. Each one also
represents a family of Titans.”
    The four teens looked at each other in
confusion. Justin looked back at Mr. Fitzgerald and waited for him
to explain.
    “I know I'm dropping
things on you quickly, but as I told you all yesterday, we've had
to accelerate this process somewhat.” He walked over to the closest
portrait, the one of Oceanus. “As you can see here,” he pointed to
a round section of flat black metal that was inset on the wall
below the portrait, “there is a plate set in the wall below each
figure.” Justin looked around and saw that Mr. Fitzgerald was
right. He hadn't noticed them until now, since he'd been so caught
up in the portraits of the Titans. “I'd like each of you to pick a
portrait and lay your hand flat against this plate.”
    “Um, why?” Aaron
asked.
    “Each Titan family bears
certain gifts passed down from the original Titan. The plates were
created to test your DNA and see if it matches the family of the
Titan represented. If you decide to stay, part of your training
will be geared toward your strengths inherited from your
family.”
    “No offense, Mr.
Fitzgerald, but that's just weird,” Gerry said. Justin could hear
the skepticism in his voice.
    “It is, isn't it, Mr.
Smithson. But the writings preserved here tell us that this is true
and so far, they've been right.” He smiled. “If they hadn't been,
you would not even be here”
    “Good point,” Aaron
whispered to Justin. He nodded.
    “So what happens when we
touch the plates?” Gerry still sounded unsure.
    “I'm not quite certain,”
Mr. Fitzgerald answered. “But I can show you what happens when an
ordinary human touches one.” He reached out and laid his hand palm
first on the plate. The boys watched anxiously. Nothing happened.
Mr. Fitzgerald shrugged and chuckled. “But then I'm not a
Titan.”
    Justin found his gaze returning to the
portrait of Hyperion. “Mr. Fitzgerald?”
    “Yes, Mr.
McLeod?”
    “What if one of us is a
member of his family?” he nodded toward the portrait.
    The man's smile faded. “I