Free Seven Wonders Journals by Peter Lerangis Page A

blue. It gathered around the statue, whistling and screaming.
    The statue’s expression was rock-stiff, but its eyes seemed to brighten and flare. With a pop of breaking stone, its mouth shot open, and it roared with a sound that seemed part voice, part earthquake. The swirls sped and thickened, and in moments Zeus was juddering as if he had been electrocuted by one of his own thunderbolts.
    In that moment we could have run.
    But we stayed there, bolted to the spot by shock, as a bright golden-white globe landed on the stones with barely a sound and rolled toward a café. Its surface glowed with an energy that seemed to have dissolved the centuries of grit and bird droppings. I felt my body thrumming deeply, as if each artery and vein had been plucked like a cello.
    â€œThe Song of the Heptakiklos . . .” I said.
    â€œSo it is a Loculus!” Aly said.
    I couldn’t take my eyes from the orb. I staggered toward it, my head throbbing. All thoughts were gone except one: If we could rescue Health—with this, we would have four.
    â€œJack, what are you doing?” Cass screamed.
    I felt Aly grabbing me by the arm, pulling me away. We rammed into Cass, who was frozen in place, staring at the statue. We all looked up. Before our eyes, the statue’s veins of marble turned blue and red, slowly assuming the warm,fluid shape of human skin.
    Zeus was shrinking. The massive statue was becoming a man.
    Or maybe a god.
    As the mist receded, Zeus lowered his head. His eyes were a deep brown now, his face dark and his hair iron gray. The muscles in his arms rippled as he stepped toward us, lifting the scepter high above his head. “Loculus . . .” he murmured.
    â€œGive it to him!” Cass screamed. “He doesn’t see it! He thinks you stole it! Yo! Zeus! Your godliness! O Zeus! Look—it’s on the ground! ”
    â€œHe doesn’t understand English!” Aly said.
    â€œ IIII’LL GUB YOUUUU MY PITTTTY !” the statue bellowed.
    â€œThat sounds like English!” Cass said. “What’s he saying?”
    â€œWait. ‘I’ll get you, my pretty’?” Aly said. “From The Wizard of Oz ?”
    I have no idea why I wasn’t running away. But it was moving so slowly, creakily. It clearly hadn’t moved in a long time and its eyesight wasn’t good. I had no intention of backing away. I wanted that Loculus. “Guys, I’m going after it. Back me up. Distract Zeus.”
    â€œAre you out of your mind?” Cass screamed. “We came here to be kidnapped!”
    â€œWe came here to win back our lives,” I said. “Who knows if we’ll ever have this chance again? Back me up! ”
    â€œBut—” Cass stammered. Aly placed a hand on his shoulder. Stepping between Cass and the statue, she straightened herself to full height. “Yo! Lightning Boy!”
    The statue turned to face her.
    And I moved slowly, step-by-step backward, through the shadows, toward the Loculus. The statue’s eyes didn’t waver from Aly. He was speaking a string of words in a strange language. It sounded vaguely Greek, of which I understand exactly zero, but the rhythms of it seemed weirdly familiar. Like I could hear the music but couldn’t identify the instruments.
    Go, McKinley. Now.
    I turned. The pale moonlight picked up the contour of the fallen orb in the shadow of a café. As I crept closer, my head was jammed up with the Song of the Heptakiklos now. Gone was the noise from the TVs, from Aly’s conversation. The Loculus was calling to me as if it were alive. As I reached for it, I heard something behind me, in a deep, growly rasp.
    â€œ OHHHH, LUUUUCY, YOU ARE IN BIIIIG TROUBLE NOW .”
    I turned. Aly and Cass were both gawking at the statue. “Could you repeat that?” Aly said.
    The statue lifted one leg and hauled it forward. Itthumped to the ground. “ TO THE MOOOON,