Celestial Bodies

[CHAPTER 8] - ARGO : FLORENCE WOLFE

Amidst the desolation, we navigated the remnants of Marco's observatory, his prized telescope and innovative contraptions reduced to ash.

"Nice place." The musician complimented, admiring his handywork. My mentor was distraught, quiet at the sight of his blackened pride and joy.

It was not just the notorious astronomer left scarred. Arcturus had been wheeled off to the med bay, and I remained in a thick haze of teeth-clattering shock. Only Orpheus seemed unphased, acting as if this was just another day. What was a normal day for a celestial?

"Alright so, I must admit, some of this is my fault, I did let Draco loose in here." Draco? The dragon that Hercules killed in the eleventh of his labours? Course it was.

"Where is he at this moment in time? Searching for golden apples, you may guess." The constellation in human form made laughing eyes at us, shining those ivory tusks. "Get it? Constellation joke. Mythology joke. No?" We walked on.

"You don't know where he is, do you?" I drearily replied, quicksand dragging me down into the thought of a dragon roaming Earth.

"Uh, no. No, I do not." Orpheus admitted with a stutter, full well knowing it took bloody Hercules to wrestle this unleashed fiend into Hell the first time. Marco didn't so much as blink.

"Where did they all go? You said there were six. Why did they leave you? Why did they even come to Earth if I was supposed to just summon you and... Lyra? How did I summon you?" Once one question broke the ice freezing over my mind, they all tumbled out in a messy contortion of ramblings and accusations.

"Hold on, dear. Your mouth is running like a wild horse. Please, one at a time." Orpheus twiddled the ream of a burnt-out seismometer, unravelling the reports like a child would unravel toilet paper. I stuttered out a semi-composed response, completely taken aback by... whatever that was.

"We help you get Lyra. Then what?" That caught the musician's attention. He diverted his focus from the ashes, giving me the full weight of his contemplation.

"Then I guess I'll owe you one."

The female security guard with elongated limbs and peculiar features, known as Vega, jogged up to us from the inner facility, offering a firm salute to Marco. Orpheus clapped lightly.

"Sir, we have received a message from Mr Arber." It was as if it couldn't get any worse for my mentor, to the extent that I silently commended his hair for resisting falling out. Orpheus raised his eyebrows in a thespian fashion, making an 'o' shape with his mouth at me.

#

Once again, we found ourselves in the boardroom, my team on one side, Arcturus, Marco, Orpheus, and I on the other. Vega took position by the only entrance and exit of the formal space, her team especially intimate with Marco since the attack.

This was the first time I had seen my team since the break-in, each of them physically as shaken up as I felt. They were only here to save Aurelia, and it twinged within to see she was the heart and soul of the Wolfe Centre.

"First of all, I want to say that it's a pleasure to meet you all in the flesh. My name is Orpheus, yes, the master musician, and I will help you get your friend back." The charmer tried his best but was met with heavy eyelids and frowns. He tongued his teeth in defeat, glancing over at me for support. The celestial was a man of odd moods and an even odder temperament.

"I have been contacted by Arber, and he claims that he too has been broken-into. He has captured one of the celestials, known as Callisto, otherwise known as Ursa Major. This is dangerous. With a celestial in conjunction with the Nexus Reader, Arber has the potential to cause damages on the scale of the Starlorn Observatory." My team leaned in with slack jaws. Leo, Lucy, Zara, and Adrian had been given the debrief of this whole situation via a document. It was another thing entirely hearing it from one of the few astronomical geniuses alive. Especially when a celestial, a constellation embodied, sat across the table from them. Seeing celestials through Gecko and then talking to one, feeling the warmth of their breath... it was two separate experiences.