The son of Health

The doc just dropped a bomb on us.

"I threw up?" I asked a little too loud for comfort as Jamie walked forward

"yeah and it looked like you were going to puke your brains out from out of your stomach and then-" he got cut off by a nurse who came in and took out my IV. " You are going to need stitches. Would you like sleeping medicine?" I shook my head, that was a mistake.

Jamie was turned towards the door. I could tell he didn't like blood either, but Alex seemed fine with it. I looked at her as a distraction from the pain. I looked at her mark below her eye more carefully and could tell that it was not mud, it was a scar. I wanted to ask how she got it but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't like to talk about her past. I can't tell you how I know but I have this thing where I can tell how someone is based on the look in their eyes. She focused her eyes on me and shrugged as if saying what are you looking at? I quickly moved my gaze and fixed it on the stitches, they didn't bother me anymore.

As soon as the nurse left and closed the door I told Jamie and Alex what I remembered, about Graham and the ball coming at my face." This makes no sense, why did I need stitches?"

" You hit the metal post of the basketball hoop and cut your arm on a loose screw." Jamie quickly replied

"Do any of you guys have a phone? My," I hesitated for a moment too long "My uh My mom's going to be worried." I lifted my freshly stitched arm and scratched the back of my neck. Iied

" Sorry dude, my step-mom says I'm too immature for a phone, I always tell her that even though I'm fourteen I can handle a phone but no I haven't proven I'm 'worthy yet', well guess what Quinn a phone isn't Thor's hammer!" Jamie implied

" So I take it as a no?" I said calmly

After a while, Jamie calmed down" yeah I don't have a phone, sorry, she is the worst she won't trust me or anything"

Alex muttered something under her breath but I could make out some of the words. "you're lucky you have one." At first, I thought she was talking about the phone, right as I was going to tell her all we have been talking about for the last 3 minutes were that Jamie didn't have a phone and that his mom was the worst, she spoke up " I um have to go to the bathroom" she sounded like she was going to cry but before I could say anything she ran out. I turned to Jamie who was leaning against the wall. " She is upset, what do I do?"

" Go comfort her."

" And just how do I do that?"

" I don't know, maybe start with hugs?" he noted as if he solved the world's biggest problem,

"With what?"

I didn't want to tell him that I had never liked physical contact, so I did the stupid thing and looked for Alex.

I was dreading the thought that she was really in the bathroom so I looked everywhere else. I found her in a waiting room filled with blue cushioned chairs and plants, I walked up next to her and she looked up.

" i-am sorry I ran out on you guys it's just-",

"uh, I have emotional jumper cables. I will give you a boost, just attach like so...'' I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. "This is just a hug," she declared confusingly

" Is it working?"

She didn't say anything, she relaxed her head on my shoulder and took a deep breath.

I pulled back slowly. "Sorry, I don't really do the whole 'hugging' thing so that's why I'm being weird. Anyways, What's wrong, are you okay?"

She nodded slowly and then got serious. " Did you leave Jamie by himself?"

"Yeah, why?"

" Because when he is alone he is crazy" she took off running in the direction of my hospital room and I followed her. By the time we got there, she was panting like crazy but I was fine. " how... Are you... not tired" to be honest I had no idea, we had run from one side of the hospital to another. As soon as we got to the hospital room we saw Jamie on the floor examining hospital tools and gauze all over the place. " What happened here?" Alex shrieked

" To be fair I was unsupervised" he went from laughing at his joke to deadly serious.

" What happened to Alex? Is she okay?" Before I could answer she stepped in " Yeah I'm okay just bad memories."Jamie knew something about Alex that I didn't because he seemed to look sorry that he asked. " Man, I'm sorry Alex, here I am blabbering about how bad my mom is when you don't even have one."

"Sometimes memories can be the worst form of torture," I muttered

Everything was making sense now. "it's fine, family isn't who you are born with, it's who you would die for, right?'' The room fell silent, the only sounds you could hear were the shaky breath of Alex Griffin and the echoes of dying patients across the hall. A doctor rushed in, breaking the silence and locking the door behind him. "You are Nicholas Ryhs Ramírez correct?'' How did this doctor know my middle name? Only my family knows it and now Jamie, and Alex both know it too.

" Yes, that's correct, why?"

" You and your friends," he said, pointing at the two people besides me. " have to find four pearls located in the kingdom of Hades or the underworld as people call it." he finished, what was he saying, none of this made sense.

" Okay a few questions, one: you mean Hades as in the god Hades? Two: why us three: how do you know my middle name. And four, are you even a doctor?" he didn't bother with questions 3 or 4. " Yes the gods are real and they have kids, your father is a god, your friends are demigods as well, you have powers according to your godly parent, If he is Zeus you shall have lightning powers and flight. It has to be you to save the world because the world is depending on you and your friends. If you don't succeed, the world's destruction will be under your name. Time is ticking, you have 18 days and 11 hours to find the pearls, One more thing, whatever you do, don't let Hades get the pearls, or else the planet will perish along with everyone on it." Just like that he disappeared, in his place where he had been standing was a note, map, and timer.

00:25

00:24

The number kept getting smaller and smaller. It took 15 seconds to figure out what was going on.

00:09

The flashing red light sparkled in Alex's eyes and they lit up in terror, she let out one word "Run" and with that, I quickly grabbed the map and note, and together we broke through a glass window 2 stories up.