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Authors: Julie Kenner
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his small face shot straight to Jason’s stomach. But what
really
wrenched Jason’s insides was that he was calling for Zoë.
“Davy!” Zoë screamed.
Jason held his breath, waiting for her to use her telekinesis to grab hold of the boy. But she didn’t do a damn thing except run toward the ladder leading up to the platform.
The wind picked up, twisting Jason’s son in a cyclone. Soon, Jason knew, the storm would hurl his boy out of this stadium into the waiting arms of Hieronymous. He had to act now. Maybe he couldn’t control the water, but he had to do something.
And he had to do it fast.
* * *
Zoë tilted her head back, the muscles straining in her arms as she balanced on top of the platform and threw a coil of rope into the air. She maintained the futile hope that—for just one throw—her powers would return and the line would reach Davy.
No luck.
“Zoë! Look!” Deena shouted.
Zoë shifted her gaze down and watched, wide-eyed, as Shamu rose to the surface of his pool, a dolphin straddling his tail. The orca thrashed out, sending the dolphin hurtling through the sky, straight toward Davy. The two collided, dolphin and boy, then tumbled together through the air as Davy clung to the dolphin’s slick skin for dear life.
Zoë held her breath. They pair had pulled free from the cyclone, but for how long? Would the wind try again?
The storm swirled back, dark clouds above reaching down like fingers to grasp their prey. The dolphin twisted, evading capture, even as it and the boy plummeted toward the water. Then ...
They’d made it! They two had escaped from Hieronymous! Deena let out a cheer, and Zoë breathed a sigh of relief. When this was over, she was buying that dolphin a truckload of raw fish.
Except it wasn’t over.
The Protector who’d turned traitor materialized over the water, hovering there, his Propulsion and Invisibility Cloak snapping in the wind. The dolphin squeaked and barked, the anger in its voice clear. Angry or not, though, it was no match for the Protector, who grabbed Davy by the shoulders even as the dolphin bit down on the boy’s shorts. The water made a
schlooping
sound as the Protector pulled them both out. Up they went: the boy stoically silent and the dolphin locked onto the back of his pants.
Up, up, up they went as Zoë concentrated, willing her damned hormones to calm down.
“Zoë ...”
She ignored Deena.
“Zoë!”
Still concentrating.
“Aunt Zoë!” Davy called.
Now!
She lashed out with all her concentration, managing to levitate a nearby bucket of fish—presumably Shamu’s dinner. Her aim was unsteady, but she heaved with all her might and it headed straight for the turncoat Protector’s head.
Whap
! Dead-on perfect.
Zoë cheered while Deena let out a little whoop. Their celebration was premature, however, because the Protector didn’t let go of his quarry.
Apollo’s Apples!
What could Zoë do now? She didn’t know, and so she did the one thing left to do—upended the bucket on the Protector’s head, sending a flood of dead fish raining down on him.
The man howled in protest, fire shooting from his fingertips in anger. The fish bath had startled him too, though, because he dropped Davy, and both the boy and the dolphin fell from the sky and landed with a splash in the holding pool.
* * *
Jason burst from the water, exuberant, his boy clinging to his back. Davy was safe. Thank Hera, his son was safe!
But even in his jubilation, a nasty little finger of jealousy poked him. It was foolish and egotistical maybe, but he’d wanted to be the one to save his son. Hell, he’d even thought he had. But his effort hadn’t been good enough—Zoë‘d had to come to the rescue.
Some superhero he was. How helpful was transforming into a fish when there was serious super-heroing needed?
“Davy! Mr. Dolphin! Look out!”
Jason dove back down, Davy clinging tight to his back, but it was too late. The shape shifter Outcast hadn’t been thwarted. He
really
wrenched Jason’s insides was that he was calling for Zoë.
“Davy!” Zoë screamed.
Jason held his breath, waiting for her to use her telekinesis to grab hold of the boy. But she didn’t do a damn thing except run toward the ladder leading up to the platform.
The wind picked up, twisting Jason’s son in a cyclone. Soon, Jason knew, the storm would hurl his boy out of this stadium into the waiting arms of Hieronymous. He had to act now. Maybe he couldn’t control the water, but he had to do something.
And he had to do it fast.
* * *
Zoë tilted her head back, the muscles straining in her arms as she balanced on top of the platform and threw a coil of rope into the air. She maintained the futile hope that—for just one throw—her powers would return and the line would reach Davy.
No luck.
“Zoë! Look!” Deena shouted.
Zoë shifted her gaze down and watched, wide-eyed, as Shamu rose to the surface of his pool, a dolphin straddling his tail. The orca thrashed out, sending the dolphin hurtling through the sky, straight toward Davy. The two collided, dolphin and boy, then tumbled together through the air as Davy clung to the dolphin’s slick skin for dear life.
Zoë held her breath. They pair had pulled free from the cyclone, but for how long? Would the wind try again?
The storm swirled back, dark clouds above reaching down like fingers to grasp their prey. The dolphin twisted, evading capture, even as it and the boy plummeted toward the water. Then ...
They’d made it! They two had escaped from Hieronymous! Deena let out a cheer, and Zoë breathed a sigh of relief. When this was over, she was buying that dolphin a truckload of raw fish.
Except it wasn’t over.
The Protector who’d turned traitor materialized over the water, hovering there, his Propulsion and Invisibility Cloak snapping in the wind. The dolphin squeaked and barked, the anger in its voice clear. Angry or not, though, it was no match for the Protector, who grabbed Davy by the shoulders even as the dolphin bit down on the boy’s shorts. The water made a
schlooping
sound as the Protector pulled them both out. Up they went: the boy stoically silent and the dolphin locked onto the back of his pants.
Up, up, up they went as Zoë concentrated, willing her damned hormones to calm down.
“Zoë ...”
She ignored Deena.
“Zoë!”
Still concentrating.
“Aunt Zoë!” Davy called.
Now!
She lashed out with all her concentration, managing to levitate a nearby bucket of fish—presumably Shamu’s dinner. Her aim was unsteady, but she heaved with all her might and it headed straight for the turncoat Protector’s head.
Whap
! Dead-on perfect.
Zoë cheered while Deena let out a little whoop. Their celebration was premature, however, because the Protector didn’t let go of his quarry.
Apollo’s Apples!
What could Zoë do now? She didn’t know, and so she did the one thing left to do—upended the bucket on the Protector’s head, sending a flood of dead fish raining down on him.
The man howled in protest, fire shooting from his fingertips in anger. The fish bath had startled him too, though, because he dropped Davy, and both the boy and the dolphin fell from the sky and landed with a splash in the holding pool.
* * *
Jason burst from the water, exuberant, his boy clinging to his back. Davy was safe. Thank Hera, his son was safe!
But even in his jubilation, a nasty little finger of jealousy poked him. It was foolish and egotistical maybe, but he’d wanted to be the one to save his son. Hell, he’d even thought he had. But his effort hadn’t been good enough—Zoë‘d had to come to the rescue.
Some superhero he was. How helpful was transforming into a fish when there was serious super-heroing needed?
“Davy! Mr. Dolphin! Look out!”
Jason dove back down, Davy clinging tight to his back, but it was too late. The shape shifter Outcast hadn’t been thwarted. He
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