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were going to ask questions, but the MLO would put a good spin on his work. A freak miniature tidal wave, maybe? And that was their problem, not his. Right now he needed to go check out the rest of the park.
    Jason frowned, suddenly realizing that the storm had ceased. The sky was perfectly blue, not a single cloud marring it.
    Thank Zeus
, he thought, then immediately cringed, realizing he had nothing to be thankful for. There was only one reason for the storm to have ended so abruptly, and it wasn’t good: while Jason was occupied with the Tower, Hieronymous had gotten what he’d come for.
    Damn
. Where in Hades was his backup? If he’d had some support, maybe they could have saved the mortals
and
prevented Hieronymous from finding the mysterious talisman he’d sought. As it was, Sea World was eerily quiet, so Hieronymous had probably gotten what he’d come for.
    Jason’s stomach tightened as he remembered Davy. His boy was somewhere in the park. And even if squashing Davy wasn’t on Hieronymous’s agenda, Jason was certain that the Outcast leader would have no qualms whatsoever about doing so if the opportunity presented itself.
    With his heart pounding in his chest, Jason leaped—in such a hurry to get to his son that he didn’t even check to make sure his cloak was still functional. Fortunately, it was. He adjusted its controls, and power surged around him, shooting him forward, across the park toward Shamu’s theater. As he soared over the building at the back of the enclosure, the pool came into full view—and so did Davy.
    Jason shuddered. His father had outdone himself this time. Davy was strung up above the pool, tightly bound with sturdy white rope. The only thing missing from the horrifying picture was sharks swimming below—though that, considering Jason was on friendly terms with all the sharks in the park, could have come in handy.
    But, no; the water was clear with the exception of the lovable orca Shamu pinioned to the bottom of his pool by some particularly strong-looking cables.
    Jason exhaled, fighting to stay calm and professional. But it was hard. Hieronymous had both his son and his friend. Both were okay for the moment, but one of the first things they taught young Protectors was that when evil madmen string up children above a deep pool of water, it’s rarely for a nice reason.
    In this case, of course, Jason knew the reason: revenge. This was retribution against him for not joining forces with his father.
    His gut tightened, his hand clenching in anticipation of his own revenge. One way or another, he would make Hieronymous pay. And the more Hieronymous fought back, the worse it would be for him in the end.
    Jason took two steadying breaths, focusing on the immediate problem of rescuing his son and Shamu.
What happened?
he called to the whale.
    No answer.
    Jason swallowed, fearing the worst. Unlike some species, orcas didn’t stay down for long, usually maxing out at fifteen or so minutes. And orcas needed to be conscious to breathe. If Shamu had been knocked out...
    I’m okay
. The whale’s voice was weak from under the water but understandable.
But I’m trapped
.
    What happened!? Who did this? Is Hieronymous here
? Jason spewed out his questions machine-gun style, one right after the other.
    Someone else . . .
    Who
? Jason looked around wildly.
Where is he
?
    Dunno. He was here, and then he was gone
. Confusion filled the whale’s voice.
He said something about me being on to him, and then he talked to himself about how this wasn‘t the right time; then the next thing I knew, those squid guys were strapping me to the bottom of the pool
.
    Jason grimaced.
Henchmen
. He’d suspected that they’d be here doing Hieronymous’s bidding. The slimy, slithery creatures were a pain, but he could handle them.
    Protectors knew the truth about what mortals thought was only a bedtime story: creepy, crawly creatures really did roam the earth, often disguised as humans. For centuries, the