Temple of myths part 1

“Are we there yet?” asked Michael.
“Not yet, Max replied, “where exactly is… there?”
“I don’t know, Michael said, “but it’s like my father used to say once you get there, there’s no there, there.
All of a sudden Michael tripped over a strange jagged piece of what was a glass-like object.
“What do you suppose it is?” asked Max.
“I have no idea, Mike replied,” Lets dig and see if we can find more of it”.
They kept on digging and finally, after two more hours or so, it was revealed. It was a small door with steps heading down to it.
“And it all started with a lost kite.” Max said amazed. “Should we go in?” Max asked.
“I don’t know should we go in? Mike asked back. “No I’m asking you, Max said, “Should we go in?” This went on for several minutes. Eventually they decided to go in. so they opened the door, or at least thought it would open but it was locked. So they went home, forgot all about the kite and didn’t say a word to their parents. The next day they were back to try and hack the door open. Meanwhile in an unknown location……….
* * *

He tried to hack and claw at the two-inch statue that surrounded him even though he knew escape was futile. Five millennia since the destruction of Atlantis, the only home he had ever known, all that time scratching at that statue hadn’t done much to it. He only hoped Jenga had done slightly better he had. He was surprised that Jenga hadn’t gotten out yet. He had expected Jenga to get out at least two thousand years ago. All of a sudden without warning the first beam of sunlight he had seen in five thousand years burst through the small eye hole he had been given upon his capture. He had found Jenga at the age of 9 in the Amazon rain forest.
Anyway, he rarely used the eye hole given because there wasn’t much to see in the outside world. He knew that he could be rescued now. The words gently came out of his mouth, explorers!

* * *

Michael (mike) was tall and broad with thick glasses and shiny jet black hair. Max was shorter and slightly pudgy beaming with self confidence.
They stepped inside the “temple of wonder” they called it. Max was the first person to step inside the temple. The boy inside the statue watched in horror as Mike was about to step on the “free all prisoners” button. He tried to shout out but his voice was muffled by his thick coat of Atlantian fortress concrete. Almost at the exact moment Max stepped on the button he also cowered in fear of the horde of mythical beasts he had just freed. The beasts ignored them and went out destroying anything or anyone that got in there way. Strangely the boys stayed in the temple after the prisoners were freed. Slowly the prince of Atlantis, Kastor, and his pet jaguar Jenga emerged, from what they thought to be their tombs, well alive and ready for any battle they might be needed for. Kastor had red gingery hair, hazel eyes and was shorter than one might expect. When he saw the boys were not enemies but rescuers he bowed and introduced themselves. “Hello, my name is Kastor and this”, he pointed to the jaguar next to him; “this is Jenga.”

“When I get my hands on a weapon I will be ready…, Kastor said, “to plunge it through the heart of Cryos, my capturer.” “Tell me again”, asked Mike, “What these statues are for.”
“They are for imprisoning dangerous mythical beasts. You freed some of the most dangerous mythical beasts made slaves by my grandfather, Cryos.” “So you want to kill your grandfather?” Max said “My life’s simpler than that, I love my family, and I go to school every weekday and…er...And... “And you found a ten thousand year old mythical beast prison”, Kastor finished, “in which you freed all the beasts and will have to capture them again” Mike nearly swallowed the rock he was trying to break with his teeth. “WHHHHAAAATTT!!!!” Mike screamed blowing the rock across the room. Even though his exclamation was loud nothing could have prepared them for the next sound. It was Kastor screaming out in pain the two boys jumped backwards as they saw a red gash in the side of his shoulder. Thick blood oozed from the wound. They noticed an archer drawing another arrow. In a blur of soaring rolling balls of color(and occasional red splats everywhere), Kastor was on top of Jenga speeding toward the archer, dodging each flaming arrow as if the archer wasn’t even trying to hit them. Jenga jumped and did an awkward flip and he swiped the archer, dead across the chest and landed as if nothing had happened. Kastor picked up the bow and arrow and said “there’s plenty more where that came from”. Then he sat down and explained life in Atlantis and his past. Then he explained the guard and, because they were looking at Jenga but not him with awe, about Jenga. “Now that we know about your culture that was some five thousand years ago the way to live, they both said in a teasing way, “you need to get seriously up to date. “First, Mike said “We need to get you out of those clothes. He said pointing at his royal robes. They took in the royal robes for khaki jeans and a red t-shirt with a black denim vest. “Now he looks more like a gangster than a saver of earth’s humanity” Mike said with a laugh. Max laughed too. So Kastor adjusted to life in a small hut they built next to the temple. Soon news reports were herd of strange sightings of destructive beasts. One day the three met and Mike said “we must find the beasts with the help of the temple of wonder….. “Don’t call it that”, interrupted Kastor, “It shall be called the temple of myths. They entered the temple for the first time in months. And a voice spoke to them. It was low and deep like thunder. “The first beast you will have to capture will be the griffin” the voice said. “It is on a remote island in the middle of the pacific. To assist you,” the voice went on, “Is Pegasus, the only good beast unleashed.” Jenga gave an offended grunt. The voice ignored it as the temple became silent.

Flying overland on a horse was strange but awesome. Kastor wasn’t surprised; he used to ride Pegasus’s every day. Without warning an arrow whizzed by them they looked up to see another guard riding another Pegasus. This guard had not only a bow and arrow but a sword. Kastor needed to win this fight! He took out the flaming set of arrows he had gotten from the first guard. The two boys took out small bb guns. The battle begun with arrows shooting back and forth every once and a while, then the sky was full of flaming arrows. Eventually, after they took about five hits, the guard was down. “Get that sword!” He ordered Pegasus. They dived spiraling down dodging a few planes Pegasus got hold of the sword. “Your welcome” Pegasus said irritated. There dead ahead was the island, The Island of the Griffin. The island was surrounded by guards. Kastor gave Max the bow and arrow. Max Shot down 8 guards with knockout arrows then Pegasus dropped castor near the other two guards. When the guards saw him and the sword it was too late. Kastor, max and mike walked slowly across the beach and for a moment the sky seemed to be on fire. Lightning fell from the sky in brilliant beams of pure energy.
They asked a satyr if he had seen a griffin only to find they had the capture him as well “are you ready, are you sure?” Kastor said
“The Question!!” said max and mike.
“What the heck?” Castor Asked
“School Play” they replied.
“Lets get on with it, castor said, Battle On!”
In the distance the griffin watched. He heard the clash of the horns on metal. After the battle they congratulated Pegasus. Griffin saw that they seemed to be disrespecting Jenga and paying more attention to Pegasus. “This has potential; the griffin said to himself, he could be useful in my master’s plan for world domination. Next came an evil laugh.

* * * * *

Jenga really wanted to get away from the others. Stupid Pegasus, he thought he thinks he can steal castor from me? Ha! I’ll show him. I’ll make a move he will never forget. He wandered deeper and deeper into the jungle. “I have been expecting you”. A voice said
“Wh-who are you, tell me who you are!”
“A friend…… or a foe. That is for you do decide. I feel your anger. Would you like to get rid of Pegasus?”
“More than anything! But I don’t want to kill him” Jenga replied
“Don’t you see? Pegasus hates you! He only wants to steal castor and the others trust. Follow me” griffin appeared and led Jenga to a temple similar to the one max and mike discovered. “Welcome to island base.”
“I’m listening” Jenga said in a low voice.

* * *
“Jenga….Jenga...Ahhh where the heck is he. Jennnngaaaa!!! We’ll have to go on without him” Five guards in Atlantis battle armor suddenly appeared. “We’re surrounded”
“You have that right” a voice said from behind one of the guards. The guards moved to reveal……Jenga! “Get them!” the first guard lunged at castor but he pulled out his sword just in time. CLANG! The swords clashed time and again. The guard had an advantage; his armor. Every time the guard was hit he just dented the armor but castor couldn’t afford to be hit in the first place. Eventually he killed the first guard. “You don’t have to do this Jenga who put these thoughts in your head?”
“You will find out….in time I’m counting on it. Guards leave. Next time we meet you will be the one without a head.”
“Oooooookkkkaaaayyy, max said, well it was nice knowing him”
“So that’s it, mike said, your going to give up on Jenga?”
“Well yeah, did you hear how he said; “next time we meet you will be the one without a head?” Imitating Jenga
“Yes but that doesn’t mean we can give up on him…..does it?”
“I see your point”
“Guys!” Kastor interrupted.
“SORRY!” they said synchronized.

Jenga paced back and forth through his new room on “island base” What to do, what to do? He thought I could give them a poison apple. No get a hold of yourself. Think, think, and thin... mwuahahahaha

“We’re lost lets face it” max said
“What were the “voices” instructions? Head from the spot where you were attacked by the guards”
“Right”
“Then find the cut down tree with all the scratches on it”
“We passed that 27 ti…..28 times already”
“Alright then, we’re lost.”
“RIGHT AGAIN! Came Jenga’s voice, now listen closely. You obviously know me and know how far I go for revenge. I’ve planted bombs everywhere around the island so I can kill you anywhere. If you don’t follow my instructions you die. If you don’t go where I tell you, you DIE! Bring Me Pegasus!!!!”
“Alright Jenga. You can have Pegasus just leave us alone. OK?!”
“As you wish Kastor”
“You don’t think he really wants to kill us do you?!”
“You don’t know Jenga”
“Pegasus cannot know he wants to be killed alright”, Kastor said, “otherwise we might wind up dead as well”
“OK!” they replied.
“PPPEGGGGAASSSUUUSSS!” they all shouted. They waited a few seconds then Pegasus appeared out of the sky and started to fly towards them.
“You rang?” he said humorously.
“Yes we did” Michael replied.
“Come I want to tell you something” said Kastor.
Pegasus came and the only thing Kastor said was: sorry Pegasus…….

“W-w-were am I? Kastor, KASTOR! He whacked me on the head.
“Jenga-a” Pegasus stuttered “Shut the heck up. Why did you try to steal Castor’s trust from me?”
No comment
“ANSWER ME!!!” he thundered
“I’ve NO idea what you’re talking about, Jenga.
“Don’t have any idea? Well you did, but I got the better of you. Your plan didn’t work and now I can, and will kill your friends if you do not ANSWER ME!!!” he said again.
“What do you mean!?
“I’ve put a bomb in every tree on this island; I can detonate any individual one, or all, of them at the push of a button”
“Jenga cant you see what he’s done he’s made you believe we’re the enemy, join the good guys again!”
”Good is a point of view Pegasus”
“What about Kastor?”
“Alright, I am doing this for them not for you.”
Jenga freed Pegasus and Pegasus said “compassion is such a weakness” and he kicked Jenga against the wall.

* * *
“Why did we have to do that?” Mike whined.
“Because we’d be dead if we didn’t” Kastor said
“But I don’t want Pegasus to die”
“Did someone mention my name?”
“PEGASUS!” they all shouted.
“We have to get off this island.
It is going to blow any second,
Hop on”
“What happens when a beast is killed, Kastor?”
“How the heck should I know?
“Griffin is still on the island. Pegasus, make sure that griffin doesn’t get off the island!” mike and max said.
Griffin didn’t try to escape he just laughed saying, “You haven’t seen the last of me”
“If I had a dollar for every time I heard that….” Mike said.
They didn’t see it but they heard the island blow up in the distance. After the explosion they stared at the debris against the slowly setting sun.
What’s next?

“Did any thing else make it off the island?’ Kastor asked, “A raft, a log, ANYTHING!?”
“I’m sorry Kastor but…Jenga is gone!”