Underground Angels

Chapter Thirty-Five || Constantine's Mom Takes Us Camping

“That’s nice.” Sneered Lola, siting across from Noel with Stephan.

“Mother, tell us what you came to say.” Constantine said abruptly as she gave them cups of warm tea in silver saucers.

“I guess you took after me.” She said. “Your father always liked small chat.”

“Why are you skirting the situation like this?” he accused. “You’ve never checked up on me, dropped by for a chat – you want something.”

Athena’s fake smile melted into a scowl, making her look more frightening than beautiful. “Fine, since you refuse to play nice, I’ll just say it – you should turn around, go home and forget about your friend.”

The gang gawked at the Goddess. “You’re kidding us, right?” Lola choked out. “Gabriel’s in Hell, we can’t leave him there!”

“I’m warning you now, turn back now or you will suffer more than you can imagine.” She warned, tossing her long, thick brown braid over her shoulder. “Abandon this journey my son, take your friends home. There is no helping the boy now.”

Constantine clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white. “We are not giving up, Mother. How could you say that, suggest such a thing?”

Athena lay back in her pillows, sipping from her silver saucer. “Is he even worth it, Constantine?”

Shooting up, tea cup falling to the ground and spilling, Constantine looked as if he might actually hit his mother. He was shaking so hard Noel could hear his teeth rattling.

“We’re leaving.” He stated, motioning for them to follow.

“Constantine, wait.”

Stopping at the door of the tent, the others around him, Constantine didn’t turn around.

“Stay the night here, you will be safe, I’ll make sure of it. Nothing will bother you.” She moved past Noel, Stephan and Lola to Constantine, hand hovering just over his shoulder. “You are a good friend, Constantine.”

With those words Athena left the tent, leaving Constantine shaking in his shoes and no way to lash out at a mother that didn’t care.

            It was early when Noel woke up in Athena’s tent, still groggy and with some serious bed head. Looking around the tent she saw that Stephan and Constantine were still asleep, but that Lola was gone.

It was still chilly this early in the morning, so Noel put on a sweater over her pyjamas and left the tent, finding Lola sitting on a log outside, feet stuck into a small stream. The water looked cold trickling over her feet; Noel noticed she had on purple toe polish.

“Hey.”

Lola glanced back, smiling a little. “Morning.” She patted the log. “Come sit.”