New Olympus Saga (Book 2): Doomsday Duet Read Online Free PDF

trying desperately to create dramatic tension while telling stories about a man who couldn’t be hurt, had come up with a fictitious Achilles’ Heel, a radioactive alloy of silver known as Sylverite. For decades, half of the plots in Action Tales had involved Ultimate using his wits to overcome Sylverite-wielding foes. Unfortunately for his real foes, Sylverite was a myth. Until now. The dark power he’d faced was as deadly as the fabulous metal. That realization scared him like nothing before.
    One could learn to control fear. John hadn’t had to do so for a long time. Too few things could frighten him nowadays. The old techniques came back to him, thankfully, and he regained his composure, even if it was too late to save him from embarrassment.
    “Hot chocolate?” Christine said, offering him a steaming cup. He took it gratefully and sipped the sweet liquid, mostly to give himself time to assimilate the situation. Among other things, he marveled at the ease with which the girl could read his emotions. He was nearly impervious to both empathy and telepathy.
    “Glad to see you back, Ultimate,” Condor said, acting as if he hadn’t seen John act like a frightened schoolgirl a moment ago. Kestrel said nothing, but the smirk on her face spoke volumes. Face-Off also remained silent, but John could guess what was going on behind the blank façade.
    Who gives a good goddamn what they think about you? John told himself, and set the unworthy thoughts aside. There were plenty of things at stake that actually mattered. “How long was I out?”
    “A bit over an hour,” Condor said. “By the way, I’m pretty sure the big guy that attacked you was none other than Medved, former Hero of the Revolution. I got a good look at him while he was trying to take my head off, and the resemblance to the old newsreels and newspaper pictures was pretty conclusive.” Medved. Another name from the Second World War. The man had spent the last several decades allegedly working as a mercenary of sorts; there had been precious few confirmed sightings of him, until now.
    “What happened?” John asked. The last thing he remembered was being attacked in the bizarre cave the Lurker had led them to. There had been at least three or four attackers, including the giant who had torn John apart. The fact that everyone was alive and well – except for the Lurker, who wasn’t there – meant his allies had prevailed in the end. He suppressed another surge of shame at the fact that three vigilantes and an inexperienced girl had survived the forces that had laid him low – This isn’t about you , he reminded himself – and heard their story.
    The fight at the Lurker’s cave had ended up in a stalemate of sorts. One of the attackers had been killed, and Medved had escaped with one other. John figured he would have to do better the next time he crossed paths with the giant. A lot better. The Lurker and the fourth intruder had been left behind on the island, which had exploded as a result of their conflict. The Lurker – Christine’s father, he reminded himself – was missing and presumed dead.
    “Excuse me,” he said after the story was done. “I’m going to step outside for a moment.” Condor and Christine nodded. Face-Off shrugged. Kestrel leered at him. “If you feel like company, hero, just let me know,” she said. John ignored the comment and walked off into the night.
    He needed time to think.
    What was he going to do?

Hunters and Hunted
     
    Chicago, Illinois, March 15, 2013
    Dietrich Muller looked nervously out the window of the cheap apartment. It wasn’t much of a dwelling, but there was no paper trail linking the rental property to Doctor Martin Cohen or any of the other aliases Dietrich normally used. It would probably make no difference if Ultimate came back looking for him, but he could only hope the Invincible Man would be occupied elsewhere. Dietrich had done his best to cast the onus of suspicion over the verdammt