Heart to Heart at the A&W
Shujin
M. NightShujinlan
- Location
- New York, New York
An Undertow of Sand
A PJO Fanfiction
A PJO Fanfiction
Apollo definitely knew his sister was a bitch, I complained to Hypnos. He could have told me.
The Elder God shrugged.
I don't know how long I've been asleep getting things off my chest, but I wasn't feeling any better. Dad always told me to talk out my problems, but it wasn't working right now. Maybe I was doing it wrong. She didn't owe me anything, right? She didn't claim to be anything. Lord knows, I've forgiven Mom for some shit. It's just me being stupid. I knew that. That rusted nail of betrayal wasn't coming out clean though.
I know it's none of your business, but...how bad is it? Really?
Hypnos shrugged again, radiating an apology.
I get it. You guys are a bit out of the loop.
The gods who called the Underworld home weren't really outcasts. Technically. They just had their own thing, Olympus had theirs and the only crossover was Hades once a year at Winter Solstice. They were basically their own kingdom. I think it was because, unlike the Sea, all of the big Names of the Underworld could make Zeus really regret pushing the issue.
Nyx. My brother Erebus. Tartarus who was probably still asleep? My cousin Achlys was still standing before the bridge to the center of Chaos last Mom checked and that's before you get into all the prisons down there.
But you're not surprised either, I commented.
Hypnos' presence bobbed with another shrug before I got a brief flash of Mt. Olympus as if to say 'Olympians...what can you do?'
Yeah, I was afraid of that.
I sighed. Girls suck.
Hypnos blasted me with a bark of amusement before giving me this condescending pat. Before I could call him out on it (he was married and he liked bitching about it) I felt myself being shaken out of his grip.
Someone was waking me up.
We exchanged quick goodbyes and then I woke up to Luke peering down at me, hand on my shoulder.
I was still in the backseat of Corey's car. We were parked outside of an A&W beside the highway with Apollo's sun chariot winking at us with morning light. Luke took a step back, leaning a bit on the open door with Artemis tucked under his other arm. Bradley the Idiotic Terrier was bouncing around his legs staring up at the rabbit, letting out little whoofs every three jumps as she silently stared down at the dog with her little nose twitching. I don't know what she was thinking.
I don't care.
"Bradley!" A piercing whistle sounded as I stretched. I adjusted my sunglasses, wincing a little at the sore bridge of my nose. It was Corey, coming out of the diner with a few bags and bottles under his arm. "Leave the fucking bunny alone already, Christ!"
Luke was giving me an assessing look. "You alright?"
He had a newly healed scar cutting through his bottom lip. Maybe in a week or two it wouldn't look as bad as it did now, still an angry red color with a bit of scabbing in the middle. He changed his shirt to a black T-shirt and I knew his other one was full of blood stains.
Crossing the border looking like there might be a body in the trunk was probably a bad idea.
"I'm okay," I said quietly.
He nodded. Bradley made a daring jump and he lifted Artemis out of the way like she was a small bag of flour over his shoulder. She didn't protest. Her little back paws and tail hung limply against his collarbone.
"We at the border?" I reached out a hand for my backpack. I was going to have to Dream my sword back, but...not now.
"We're about an hour from Quebec City," Corey volunteered as soon as he got close enough, shooing his dog away with a foot. "Luke had your 'passport.'" He did air quotes with one hand. "So we got through just fine."
I glanced at Luke and saw the small smirk he had on. He wiggled his fingers at me.
An illusion using the Mist.
"I just -" Corey continued with a self-conscious shrug. "Well, if I dropped you off in Montreal, you would have only been an hour out from...that." My blood ran a little cold.
It would heal.
It was still behind us.
We were still being hunted.
Corey's greenish-hazel eyes shifted color to something more of a blueish-hazel as he squinted up at the sun. He wasn't particularly tall, maybe two or three inches shorter than Luke with a thinner build. In the light of day, he was the color of espresso with wavy dark hair. He was wearing a long sleeve sports shirt with jeans. I don't know the team, but its logo looked like an elongated red C with an A or an H in the center.
"It's less than a three hour drive back home and it's for a good cause." He said with his lips pursed. "Luke filled me in a bit. Big guy lost his fucking lightning bolt and you're putting a stop to El Niño."
Basically.
"I said we'd reimburse him for gas at least," Luke said, giving me a look.
"Oh. Yeah." My fingers curled into the canvas of my bag. "Next gas station. I got you covered."
Corey's eyebrows bounced. "Can I just say how weird it is that a twelve year old is the one that has the money?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "My job sucks."
Corey shook his head, smirking. "Well, thanks. Now, I hope you guys don't mind some sausage and eggers. Brad needed a break and a walk anyway." He hefted the bags he was carrying and the smell of bacon hit my nose. "Thought we could all use some breakfast at the same time."
I felt this warm feeling spread in my chest. I felt less numb. Mom really was looking out for me. She knew about my choice and she didn't leave me alone.
Mom...
I needed to stop doubting her. Maybe I don't know the reason for everything, but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason. I knew she loved me. She said I would be going back to my school next year and she doesn't lie.
I needed…
I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. I chose my own fate.
I don't want to die.
So I won't.
"Hey," Corey called softly. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, little man?"
I took in a deep breath as I unbuckled and stood. Luke hip checked the door closed behind me and Corey awkwardly handed me the raspberry iced tea bottle he had stuffed under his armpit.
Mom sure knew how to pick 'em.
A breeze blew past us, picking its way through our clothes and hair as we headed for one of the outdoor dining tables in the shadow of an eighteen wheeler. I tried not to look into it. Even if it felt like someone pressed a kiss into my hair. Sometimes the wind is just the wind.
I rubbed at my eyes a little. "I'm fine. Really."
Our breakfast neighbor was blasting loud eighties music in his truck as he browsed a newspaper, munching on a wrap. We each had one of those styrofoam plates with sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, some hash browns and two strips of bacon. Luke had a coffee. Corey had these foldable plastic bowls for his dog, filling them with dog food and water from a bottle for the little, lop eared canine. Luke just cut open the small bag of hay with his probably illegal switchblade and set it on the table, trusting the former goddess to know what to do with it as he went back to his bag.
"You know," Corey said thoughtfully between sips of orange juice. "I've never seen a rabbit with silver eyes before. Did you get her from a breeder or something?"
"We found her in a trash can," Luke quipped. Artemis froze mid nibble, slowly turning her head to stare at the demigod of Hermes with grass sticking out of her mouth as he pulled out a pet comb. He shook it at her, and we all watched the rabbit's eyes narrow.
Luke mockingly narrowed his eyes right back.
"It's true," I said dryly, backing Luke up. "Guess her family just didn't care that much."
Her head reared back from me with hay falling out of her mouth, straight ears and wide eyes. I then remembered Zeus' insistence that she can't fail. Rabbit or no.
Whoops.
She slumped and turned back to the hay. I should feel bad about that.
I don't.
"Shitheels," Corey muttered.
Truer words have never been spoken as far as I was concerned.
Luke's eyebrow quirked. "You're telling me."
Corey's hand drifted down to ruffle his dog's ears. "Good on you for taking care of her then."
Hermes' son was smirking as he ran the comb down the rabbit's small back. She stiffened under it. I was pretty sure Luke was only bothering just to rub it in that she was completely reliant on us right now. He told his brothers Travis and Connor off for that kind of petty payback often enough, but he totally did it too.
Might be a Hermes thing.
Tufts of pale red hair pulled free. "Her name's Artemis."
Corey grinned.
"Like the - " He waved a hand vaguely towards the sky. "A fucking moon rabbit?" He chuckled as he dropped a piece of bacon on the pavement for Bradley. "Not a fan of anime are you?"
Luke blinked.
"Japanese cartoons," I explained. Close enough. Luke's been living at Camp since he was fourteen and before that he was on the street. Dude was practically a Greek barbarian. "One of my god brothers is really into their style of comics."
Aether, if you're curious. On one of our Fridays, Mom caught sight of some of the bookshelves in Barnes and Noble and got a few for him. I think it was supposed to be some kind of in-joke between them that she didn't think all the way through.
Now he was addicted.
He had a habit of eating icy moons and asteroids, but I guess everyone needs a hobby.
"Oh righ'?" Corey turned to me. "Remember what he likes?"
"He's on this one about a pirate kid who ate a magic fruit…?"
Corey nodded. "One Piece. That's a good one. He has good taste."
"Mom got him hooked on it, really," I shrugged. "I think he just really likes anything new."
"Come on," Luke broke in with this little half-smile. "Your mother gives her immortal children comic books, eh?"
"Only one of her kids gets manga. She gets me Legos sets." Luke's smile slipped off his face. "The Fates used to get new sewing kits and Darkness does watercolor painting - "
"Stop." Luke held out a hand. He stopped brushing the rabbit and buried his face in the other hand.
I blinked. "Gods are people too."
"Just stop," he repeated a bit desperately. "Please."
What was his problem?
"Your mom is Fate," Corey sighed, slumping forward and rubbing his forehead. "Jesus Christ." He sighed again, rolling his head until his neck cracked. "I almost forgot. Demigods." Bradley had finished his bacon and was begging for more with his front paws on his owner's lap. Corey absently scratched the top of his head. "Aliens and monsters." He huffed. "And they called Mémé crazy," he murmured tightly.
His eyes paled from blueish to yellowish when he dropped his head, shadowing them. Wolf eyes. If you weren't paying attention - if you didn't know he was clear-sighted - you could be convinced it was just the light hitting his eyes differently. Or maybe other people didn't notice because Hecate was hiding the results of her handiwork?
"They called her paranoid. Monsters don't exist." He worried at his lip. "My grandmother...locked herself away in her home shortly after my parents had me. She was always talking about… I don't know. She was hard to understand on bad days. She saw things my parents couldn't, but I think..." Corey's brows drew together. "I think I did…I know I did." He frowned harder. "I was never left alone with her."
"I think…" Luke began slowly. "My mother could see too." He looked down for a moment. "It didn't do her any favors."
"Oh so that's no longer outlawed?" came out of my mouth.
Luke gave me a bewildered look. "Outlawed?"
Shit.
"Uh, nothing." He continued to stare at me. "Long story."
Made sense, I guess.
You'd have to explain to Young Gods like Hermes, who didn't know anything, why demigods with clear-sighted demi-aliens weren't allowed. The whole 'sometimes nothing happens and sometimes you get freaks of nature' thing.
Like Herakles.
Hermes didn't even know the gods of Olympus could build altars to Elder Gods.
Aliens would probably blow his mind.
"Jesus. Is that what I have to look forward - " Then Corey froze. "Wait a fucking second. It's not just the Greeks, is it? Does that mean people - gods - like Odin…or Tsukuyomi -" There was a very, very faint flicker of someone's attention.
The Japanese moon god would be paying attention to all of Selene's descendants.
It was a little personal.
"Names," Luke warned, looking spooked right along with Artemis. I was kind of surprised he felt that. I was trained to feel that and it barely felt like anything to me. The attention of a Young God usually felt like nothing unless they put real effort into it. "It's not just the Greeks," Luke said faintly. "It's not just the Greeks. Fucking Styx."
This wasn't my fault.
Tsukuyomi outed his pantheon all on his own.
"Sorry," I muttered and got this wild eyed look from him.
"You're sorry?"
"Okay." Corey gulped. "I just...when I say God, is he really listening?"
Luke snapped out of his shock with a shaky scoff. "Not - not that one? He doesn't exi - "
"Mom won't give me a straight answer on what he is," I cut him off. "But I get the feeling she kind of hates the shit out of him."
There had to be something to the whole business or else she wouldn't have this thing about me going to church with my grandparents. It's just that, uh, my grandmother also had this thing about it. Long story short: Nana earned the awe and adoration of toddler me by breaking everything in her arm punching out my mother, who I think was still missing a tooth.
And I went to church.
Yeah.
Mom is never going to forgive the Greek Orthodox thing.
"I still go to mass with my grandparents when we visit. Makes it a little awkward," I admitted. I munched on the last of my bacon and as I swallowed realized that it had gotten real quiet all of the sudden. I looked up to see both were staring at me.
In the silence, Artemis let out this oink as she fished another blade of hay out of her bag. Then the bunny paused, seeming to realize what she just did, closing her eyes and slowly leaning over until her nose hit the table.
"You're Christian?" Luke asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"Think about it!" I insisted. My Grandma made a good argument about it this one time at church. "God is such a generic word. There are thousands of those. If he's really paying attention every time his multi-tasking must be crazy good." I sipped my juice. "Like, you don't even know. My mom can't even do that and his demigod is also super chill." I frowned. "Jesus stood Thor up for a duel a while back, but I can't blame him? Thor's kind of obnoxious."
Luke had this scary blank look on his face. He was just still. I think he stopped breathing. Artemis gave him a worried glance. The Canadian Boyfriend's eyes searched my sunglasses. Then he gave Luke this helpless look.
"I can't." My fellow demigod finally breathed out. "I hate that I can't tell if you're fucking with me."
"I'm not!" I yelped, a little hurt. "I don't know everything, but..."
Luke waved me off and then patiently steepled his fingers in front of his face. His mouth opened, then closed. Then he slowly asked, "Tell me something I don't know about -" He suddenly balked. He swallowed thickly and for a moment he looked almost afraid. You could see him cast about in his mind for something else. Anything else. "Athena."
Uh.
Okay?
He already knew about the King deal.
So.
Something small, I guess?
"Probably still engaged to Prometheus," I said after a moment.
Luke's eyes closed wearily.
"I mean, Oceanus and Tethys are her parents, right?" I offered. "I think it was Tethys' idea."
Unlike Hestia, Athena isn't under any kind of virgin oath. The pantheon was still Old School. The father was responsible for setting marriages up for his kids, but Zeus kind of pissed that right away. Hera convinced him to marry her off to Hephaestus during the Giant War, but Oceanus shut them down pretty hard.
"They actually tried, but Athena is…" I searched for the words. There were too many. "Athena and Prometheus is a genius idiot."
Corey snorted.
How would Dad explain it?
...he would probably say Athena was some kind of divine melee gish skill monkey character with rule breaking stat allotment points roleplayed as an asshole. That made Prometheus the overpowered wizard with sky high INT, but WIS was his dump stat. On paper it was fine. In practice it was a dumpster fire.
Maybe you didn't get all that.
It's true though.
He's lucky Mom's ex-boyfriend Time has a soft spot for knowledge seekers. The Gate would have eaten him alive otherwise.
Uh.
Like that eagle ended up doing because Zeus found out he tried to open it.
Long story.
"Their kid was king of Athens for a bit. We covered him in class last week."
"Class." Corey deadpanned with this resigned grin. "...public school class, right?"
"Summer school."
"Erekhtheus," Luke said dully with his eyes still closed. "Otherwise known as Erikhthonios. The snake eyed child from the earth."
"From clay," I corrected him.
That was an interesting lesson. Apparently everyone was told Hephaestus was his father instead of Prometheus, somehow? And that the Earth Mother was his mom who gave him to Athena to take care of and then she tried to make him immortal, but it fell through because her priestesses were morons and went mad?
Like she would adopt anything the Earth Mother gave anybody.
Goddess of Wisdom, not Stupidity.
At least that last part was true-ish. Her priestesses were morons and they did go mad, but the ritual didn't fail because Mom's ex did show up to help -
Oh.
Duh.
That's why the story was changed.
Now that I thought about it, it was obvious. Immortality was complicated. Did you know that kids at Camp Half-Blood read myths in books that tell them ambrosia and nectar makes you immortal? Then they pack it in Ziploc bags and some thermos to help with injuries and no one asks why it doesn't meet the hype. If it was that easy to make people immortal, there wouldn't be a huge ass poisonous dragon guarding Hera's stolen apple tree.
There was nothing like having every single kid in that classroom stare at me, daring me to open my fucking mouth because I had the audacity to squeak at the blatant lies. However, the whole Earth Mother thing was still a no-no!
Dude.
Athena really is smart.
She kind of hamstrung everything I could say with three sentences.
I'll just tell them later!
"Isn't she one of those 'no kids' goddesses?" Corey asked around a mouthful of sausage.
"She thinks her kids into existence," I explained. "Usually. Erik was her first kid, some kind of proof of concept? Joint project."
"I am not asking you enough questions," Luke said with this quiet, intense tone. "I underestimated how much - I need to ask you more questions. About everything. Ever." He let out a very long sigh. "It is...too early in the day for this."
"You asked!" I protested.
He rubbed his face. "I know."
The rest of breakfast passed without too much drama. Corey told us about himself. His dad was from South Africa who attended university in Canada where he met his French-Canadian mom. Corey himself studied abroad in Dublin where he met his current girlfriend who had been doing the same thing.
" - it was crazy. I almost thought I saw - " He stopped then groaned. "I probably did see it. Fucking...fuck."
He was twenty-seven.
His sight should have started dimming by now. Maybe he just didn't notice? It took Luke being told and a few seconds to see the creature hunting Artemis for what it was. Corey saw it right away. His sight should have started dimming by now. It wasn't really alien puberty like he said, but it was basically alien puberty? By the time they get to around fortyish, they can see a bit less than a normal demigod. It would take effort to pierce the Mist. Eventually, even that goes away.
It took longer to fade the more eyes they had though. I didn't really know how that worked. I wasn't his eye doctor. I was probably worrying over nothing.
"Welcome to the real world." Luke drawled at him. He mopped up the rest of his sandwich like nothing was wrong, but he gave me this look while we were cleaning up. It reminded me of that considering look Apollo gave me the day before we left.
"Sorry," I apologized to him again as we tossed the bags. Artemis hovered around our feet, keeping a wary eye on Bradley. "About the whole pantheons plural thing - "
"It's fine," he said. His blue eyes examined my sunglasses for a second, before he turned away. "Why did Hermes bring you to Camp?"
I blinked as I let my napkins fall into the trash can.
This was the first time anyone asked.
I snuck him a cautious glance.
"...because I'm Greek," I said slowly. "And my father's wife is Celtic." Luke's nostrils flared and I shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I was raised by The Mórrígan," I mumbled. "Olympus has some stupid rule against it, so they took me away."
"...that explains a lot. Both of your mothers are gods." His lips twisted unhappily. The scar on the bottom one was flushed an angry red. "Do the demigods of other pantheons go to a 'Camp Half-Blood' too?"
I'm not stupid.
I knew the question wasn't about the name of the place.
"Norse demigods usually don't get trained until after they die." I watched his eyes widen. "I guess that's better," I murmured. "Because your kid not getting into Valhalla is a big deal and Frigg will probably kick your ass."
Luke's face scrunched.
"Depends on the god for the Celts, but most of them raise their demigods." Mom and her - shit, I forget if Manannan mac Lir was still her King or was it technically Jupiter? Anyway, his daughter came to my tenth birthday party. The uh, the one ruined by fucking pixies.
Her fault, not mine.
"The Shinto have this internship thing where everyone gets a personal spirit trainer and I heard the Bureaucracy has like three colleges you have to go through after you go through college." I waved my hands. "It's crazy! Egyptians don't really have demigods at all, but then they are kind of on ice, but the House of Life keeps track - "
"Stop," Luke choked out.
I shut the fuck up.
The son of Hermes waved Corey off as he slowly, shakily sat down right there on the curb by A&W's outdoor trash bins. He was probably getting leftover chocolate milkshake and a rotting tomato slice on his ass. Our breakfast partner started up his eighteen wheeler truck, his music roaring louder as if it was trying to drown out the massive engine as Luke buried his face in his hands. I stood there, feeling like sludge as I watched his shoulders tremble once.
"It's just us, isn't it?" he said brokenly. "We're hunted down. We're lied to. We're thrown away." His voice strained. "Just us."
"I - " I didn't know what to say. "I don't know about everyone." It felt like a weak excuse. As far as I know, only demigods of Mt. Olympus were regularly hunted down by monsters at all ages, because our Queen of the Gods was a cunt. "I don't - I mean maybe - "
Luke shook his head.
A drop of water hit the ground between his feet.
Corey was glancing back over his shoulder at us in concern, distractedly tossing a ball for his dog. We probably looked weird. An older boy having a crisis on the curb of an A&W parking lot with a twelve year old and a rabbit looking over him.
"All...those...thrones…" Luke said slowly, in this lilting, dark tone. Artemis made the mistake of letting out a worried sounding chittering. His head snapped up as he snarled, "There are fourteen girls sleeping on the floor in Cabin Eleven while yours - " His voice rose to a roar. " - is empty for years at a time!"
The rabbit recoiled from him.
Bradley started to bark his little head off as the last of Luke's shout died in the wind.
Before I got to Camp, some of those girls would have eaten their meals on the floor, because sitting at Artemis' empty Table for her Hunters wasn't allowed. Cabin Eleven had less free time in their schedule, because everything was divided by Cabin. They had rotating shower blocks because the showers were already crowded. Throw in a Cabin with twenty some more kids than the maximum it should have had competing with other populated Cabins like Apollo, Aphrodite and Ares. Try to get them all to breakfast on time. Make sure they all had enough to eat and finished on time. You can't.
Luke tried.
"You are a disappointment, Artemis - " He paused and then rolled one of her titles off his tongue. It sounded like a hydra's poison. "Paidotrophos."
The bunny's eyes went huge.
That meant Caretaker or Nurse of Children.
"Your throne is a waste. Only fit to be ground to dust under the whimsical cruelty of Fate," Luke said softly. "I like the sound of that." He stood up and absently brushed off his pants. "Come on," he muttered. "The faster we figure out how to get the Bolt, the sooner I can do something about our worthless lot in life."
I kind of just stood there like a dumbass.
"My mother always gives me a boon after a Quest," my mouth said numbly. Proportional, so I couldn't ask to be President of the United States because I chased off a dryad's stubborn ex. My biggest wish so far was healing my grandfather. "I don't know what I would have asked for this time."
Maybe making Dad immortal? Was that allowed? Their marriage vows were the 'until death do us part' version. If Mom meant forever, wouldn't it be forever?
Yeah, I know.
My father put a ring on it.
I do not need to be having secondhand angst over her commitment issues.
I'm pathetic.
"I gave it to Luke." Artemis looked up at me sadly. "So that he would help me protect you." I snorted, trying to hold back tears. "He was fucking right. About everything."
Her eyes dropped to the ground.
Corey wandered over, casting questioning looks at Luke's back as he clutched Bradley tightly to his chest. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I croaked. I just realized Luke had been festering in rage this entire time and maybe Mom's going to end up wiping Olympus off the map because of my stupid crush, but otherwise I was fine.
The lop eared terrier stretched to sniff my face and reeled back with a whine.
Take it back.
Otherwise, I was stinky.
"It's just...been a long day."
Corey's head bobbed. "I hear that."
We stood there a little while longer in silence.
"Thanks for helping us out, Corey," I murmured.
The Canadian Boyfriend shot me a look, but he shrugged, bouncing his dog. "Not a fucking problem, believe me." He lowered his voice. "And you're twelve. I couldn't not do something."
"Age doesn't matter," I muttered as I headed back to the car. Luke was leaning against it, flipping his switchblade. "I'm a demigod."
Of Fate.
As promised, we were only an hour out from the outskirts of Quebec City. We didn't carry the tension with us all the way. Corey wouldn't let us. I don't even know how it started, but somewhen between fighting over the radio, his awful Greek mythology Dad Jokes (who's the Greek god of regret? Apollogies. I was using that one) and Luke's list of pranks, we drove right over the bridge leading into the city arguing Disney movies.
"They're terrible," I insisted. "Not suited for children. Abominations."
Luke snorted. "Have you ever seen a Disney movie?"
"I saw Bambi."
"Oh shit," Corey said as Artemis buried her face in her paws.
I don't know who was more traumatized.
Me or my mother.
"Abominations," I repeated.
Luke thumbed his bottom lip, checking the scab. "I liked Hercules," he said quietly. "Speaking of, how is he?"
"How is he?" Corey asked too. He had this exasperated expression on in the rear view mirror. "Sure, okay, why the fuck not."
"Demigod bullshit," I reminded our Good Samaritan. "Guarding the Old World." Luke gave me a questioning look. "Greece. The Earth Mother is imprisoned there, so he was exiled to the border." I thought of another way to phrase it. "Like a prison guard posting transfer from cushy New York to Bumfuck, Alaska."
Luke made a silent 'ah' face. "What'd he do to earn that?"
"Athena was his King."
"Wait, what?" Corey asked as Luke settled back, thoughtful. "Herc - Ath - Earth - you can't just drop that shit on me!"
"He's been doing that for as long as I've known him," Luke said dryly.
"That doesn't make it okay!"
"Dude," I said. "Chill."
"Fuck no!"
Apparently the other stuff he could swallow with a few strips of bacon and some orange juice but Heracles still being around was what got him.
Mortals are weird.
But you know the saying. All good things come to an end. Corey pulled into a Shell gas station off the main highway. I swiped my card for him.
Quebec City was a cool place. It didn't have the same claustrophobic, super modern look of Manhattan. It was a North American metropolis on the bank of the Saint-Charles River that looked more like a French city than Paris. Everything had this really classical look of red and brown brick walls and few high rises. Once you got off the highway, the thoroughfare narrowed to cobblestone streets with the same kind of traditional hanging signs and awnings I saw in Plattsburgh, New York. The whole place was built around a massive hill, where a castle stood on top behind an honest to god walled upper town. If you took out all the MacDonald's, cars and electric lights, it would look like we were still in the 1700s at the latest.
"Nice place," Luke whistled.
Corey grinned at us from over the hood of his Volvo. "If you ever come back with some free time, take the chance to look around. I could give you a tour." He looked around himself, absently shoving Bradley's head back into the car as a white limo turned into the gas station. "Got any idea where you're headed?"
Uh.
Good question.
Luke raised his eyebrows at me.
"Boreas has a penthouse," I muttered at him. It'd be so much easier if the North Wind's palace was like Mt. Olympus on the Empire State Building: hidden by the Mist. I'm pretty sure a floating building would be easy enough to spot on the Quebec City skyline. "Give me a minute to remember the address."
All my brain was spitting out right now was 112 French Name French Road which wasn't helpful.
112...Something French...Sainte-Anne…?
Or was it Champlain?
"I can probably run around screaming his Name," Luke volunteered dryly. "If he doesn't smite me on principle, he might just send someone."
I sighed. "He can't just - "
"Hey guys?" Corey interrupted us absently. "I think he just did."
We both looked.
Oh okay.
Wind spirit in a tuxedo.
That was kind of a dead giveaway. Not gonna lie.
We watched the person-shaped swirling breeze in a black tuxedo with white gloves open the door on the white limousine that had been conspicuously parked across from us.
And that was a goddess.
With a dress made out of snow and high heels made of ice, she wasn't even trying to hide it. I glanced at Luke only to see his eyeballs were trying to escape his skull. Corey looked like he had been slapped with a pool noodle and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
"She has snowflakes in her eyes!" He hissed excitedly.
"I know!" I hissed back.
The goddess finished stepping out of the limo, absentmindedly shortening the length of her dress so it wouldn't touch the ground. She kind of looked like a sixteen year old Snow White with long black hair and milk white skin. The only spots of color being her pink cheeks and lips. Snowflakes danced in her eyes as ever-changing geometric patterns that never repeated.
"Khione," she introduced herself simply as the goddess of Ice and Snow. She had a soft French accent. That didn't mean she was French or French-Canadian though. Still Greek. The accent thing was a choice, just like their appearance was.
The Mórrígan sounded Irish. Athena was British. Mr. D was from a Jersey trailer park and Apollo from Beverly Hills. Before pissing my mother off, Artemis had the classic Greek accent, but most people would probably mistake it for Spanish.
"I understand you have business with my father."
Her dress was that kind of high fashion shoulder cut away thing, but I felt like she was wearing it inside out. It exposed the dark ugly, puckered puncture wound scar under her right collarbone where something had punched right between her second and third rib and then cauterized it.
I feel like I should know what caused that.
...Apo...llo…?
Which was weird. I was assuming she was pretty. Gods usually aren't not pretty unless they're weirdos like Mr. D. And in Apollo's own words he tried not to hurt pretty girls if he could help it. His definition of 'if he could help it' was a little fucked, but Dad's been working on him for years.
Two words: My mother.
Dad had experience.
The staring contest was broken by a tiny, high-pitched squeal.
"...shut up Bradley." Corey muttered.
"That was you," Luke whispered.
Corey ignored him.
"Demigods on a quest to save the Eastern Seaboard for Mt. Olympus are met by the daughter of the North Wind," he narrated, clearly having a whoa moment.
Khione's lips twitched as she inclined her head.
"That does sum it up, yes." Her eyes roamed over us. "Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. Perseus Stele, son of...Fate." I waved a little awkwardly with a muttered 'Percy.' She glanced over Corey.
"Extra," he volunteered.
"Are you not missing someone?" she asked leadingly. Luke reached backwards through the open passenger side window and hauled out a small auburn fur ball.
"Behold," he deadpanned. "Our mascot."
Artemis cringed in his hands.
"How absolutely...delicious." Khione did not smile, but it looked like she really wanted to. "The fierce huntress, defender of her own virtue, beauty and pride." Her lip curled into a sneer as she brushed fingers over her scar. "You certainly won't be mauling anyone who dares take pride in their appearance like that." Her gaze flicked away dismissively. "Behold, indeed."
Oh my fucking GOD!
"Wait." Corey caught on. "The fucking rabbit?"
Yes.
The fucking rabbit.
"Okay." I sighed. "Is there anyone you haven't screwed over?"
Artemis gave me a wounded look.
"Honest question."
Khione let out this musical little laugh. "I can see why Olympus has been so...lively, as of late."
"He has no filter," Luke agreed.
Which, uh, excuse me -
"For the better." Khione cracked a small smile. "You have ended father's silence on certain matters and for that, I will be forever grateful."
Right.
So if I had to guess...
"Like why the fuck Aeolus?"
Luke groaned as Khione blinked with a surprised bark of a laugh.
"No. Filter," he repeated.
"I have a perfectly working filter," I made sure to correct my hugely mistaken friend. "You have no idea what no filter looks like."
Corey raised his hand like he was in a classroom. "Sorry, who's - "
"The Master of the Winds," Khione answered calmly with a slight shift of her eyes to him, then back to me. "He commands gods while not being one himself." Her expression didn't really warm so much as it got less cold. "Thank you, truly. I have found myself revisiting much of what I thought I knew. Weakness became pragmatism. Hesitation to patience."
"Uh, don't mention it?" I tried. What the fuck did I say? Was this about him choosing Athena over Zeus and being on house arrest for the last few millennia? Or did Boreas just decide shit was fucked so he spilled the beans on everything? Was I reading too much into this? "I wouldn't put Aeolus in charge of a popsicle stand so it was kind of - "
Corey pointed at me. "Is there some rule I'm not getting about the Names thing? I thought that was a bad idea - "
"It is a bad idea," Luke admitted, stuffing Artemis under his arm. "Unless you don't care about the consequences."
"Or the consequences do not exist," Khione said smoothly but her lips twitched, amused. "There are many who would avenge a careless invocation of their Name, but this is the son of Fate." I'm not sure if it was just the swirling snowflakes in her eyes that made her stare uncomfortably intense or what. "There are very few who would dare."
On that cheery note, Khione gestured towards her limo. "Please. Allow me to offer you a tour of our beautiful city and we can discuss your business in a few hours over lunch."
We were...kind of on a time limit?
One a bit more urgent than Zeus'.
Khione's eyebrows furrowed a tiny bit. "I do have my father's full confidence and can tell you everything you need to know about the theft on Mt. Olympus." Her eyes shifted to Luke. The snowflakes in her eyes slowed their turning into an icy kaleidoscope. "And perhaps offer my assistance in retrieving it? In place of...your mascot."
Artemis squirmed a little, growling but Luke just squeezed, trapping her against his bicep.
"Sounds great," he said with a winning grin. She didn't smile back, pinning me with a questioning raised eyebrow.
I squinted.
She's been nice so far. My last godly Quest member tried to kill me so it can't get much worse than that.
"I guess…?"
The goddess spun on her heel, throwing herself back into her limo seat in this boneless flop that just managed to not look stupid. "Excellent!"
Luke grumbled wordlessly.
The gas pump thunked as it kicked off and Corey started, before rushing to pull it from the nozzle from the tank.
"You said yes first," I hissed at Luke as we got our bags from the backseat of Corey's car.
"Not the point," he hissed back, as he tossed Artemis onto the seat and strapped his yellow fanny pack back around his waist.
"Then what was the point!"
"Ask me again in a few years!"
I hate it when Dad says that and I hate it now too.
"Guess this is it, huh?" Corey murmured, patting Bradley on the back as the dog leaned out of his window to watch us.
"Yeah," I said sadly. "You've been great, Corey. I - " had an idea and if Iris didn't allow it, I'd just ask Cliff. "What's your last name?"
The Canadian Boyfriend raised his eyebrows. "Achebe."
"I don't have a cellphone but I will call you." Then came the self-consciousness. "I mean, if I'm ever in the area again and you don't mind our kind of weird butting in…"
"I won't mind." He smiled. "No phone, no number but will call, huh? More demigod bullshit?"
I grinned back. "You get it."
He held out his hand and when I shook it: "One last thing," Corey said with a mischievous smirk. "The Illuminati still doesn't exist, right?"
"The whole triangle and all seeing eye of enlightenment shit? Course not," I said and as Corey started to nod, I continued with, "The pyramid is a metaphor for the three founding members who've been around since Rome and some dumbfuck in the 1700s added the eye bit. No idea why it stuck."
Corey's grin disappeared. "...what?"
"If you're really curious, they're like super corporate now, publicly traded and everything - "
"Hurry it up!" Luke called back.
Corey let go of my hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was an expression I saw a lot at Camp.
But, uh, Corey wasn't a Camper. I was just used to -
My bad.
I probably fucked up.
"You asked?" I tried.
"Yup." He said shortly. "I sure fucking did."
"Right." I was getting the feeling saying anything else was just going to make it worse. "Bye!"
He waved half-heartedly as I crossed the gas station aisle to the white limo.
"Whoa." Stepping inside was like stepping into the inside of a snow globe. Flurries of snow fell around us, blown by unfelt winds like the doors of the limo were made out of the same material as the Star Trek holodeck. The chairs were definitely made out of real leather (white, duh) along with the typical 'I'm so rich, I replaced my brain cells with MONEY and no longer know what's a good idea' accessory pack.
"Do you like it?" Khione asked me curiously.
Have you ever tried to play Ping Pong in a moving vehicle?
Why?
"It looks...expensive," I said honestly as I sat down. I glanced out the window as the limo began to move and saw Corey still standing outside, but with his head buried in his folded arms on the top of his car.
Yeah, I fucked up.
As soon as Luke loosened his grip, Artemis wriggled free and made a beeline for the back of the limo as far from us as she could get.
All three of us rolled our eyes.
"You will love our city," Khione said, ignoring the grumpy rabbit. "A tour of Old Quebec, a walk among the fortifications and divine wards at the Edge, perhaps the cable car over the Montmorency. It is taller than even your Niagra Falls."
That actually sounded really cool. I loved my trip to the Falls with Dad.
Sensing she was winning me over, Khione offered, "There is a ferry along the river St. Lawrence. Of course, the ice flows have melted, but…" She gave me a little sly smile. "Winter can return for one day."
I chewed on my lip. "We can't take too long."
"Of course. A few hours and then to the Old Port for lunch at the finest restaurant in the city. We will make our preparations there." She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs making part of her split dress fall and Luke turned to look out the window. "Do not fear. The Bolt is as good as recovered. Olympus will shower you in praise soon enough."
Yeah," I muttered. "All hail the conquering hero."
Zeus was still on my shit list.
I was pretty sure he would continue to be himself, so I don't think the current King of the Gods was moving off my shit list any time soon.
Which put me in a bit of a pickle.
When Khione looked at me then, something happened in her eyes. It was like the never-ending rotating snowflake kaleidoscope had, for just a second, messed up or jumbled and made an altogether different weird pattern. It was jarring. It didn't belong, like a random trumpet in a string symphony. It was beautiful though. She turned her head to the side absently, as if listening to a gust of wind.
"Yes," she said softly. "All hail."
The hairs on the back of my neck shivered.
Fuck.
I twisted in my seat to look out the window again, scanning the highway even though whatever it had been passed. My neck felt fine. I wasn't sure it was even a warning. It felt different. I wasn't taking any chances though.
"Hey, there wouldn't happen to be an obelisk in this place?" I asked tightly.
Luke gave me this bewildered look.
Oh.
I never actually told him what I needed obelisks for.
"...there is the Wolfe–Montcalm Monument," Khione said after a moment. "The second oldest war monument in Canada and not too far from the Old Port."
That'll do.
She gave me a puzzled look. "Is something wrong?"
Yes.
"No," I said. I reached for the seatbelt with shaking fingers. I was supposed to buckle in as soon as I sat down. Dad'd be so upset with me.
Safety First.
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