Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 4: Inner Nature

I slowly submerge myself in a huge bubble bath. Moans of pleasure leave me as the warm, bubbly water slowly makes the soreness in my body leave. This is heaven. I wish I experienced this earlier in my life. God, Thalia is a genius for suggesting this. As I submerge as much of my body in the water, the doors to the bath open. Thalia walks in to join me in the water. God, she is toned...

"Do you like it?" she asks while putting her clothes to the side. "Yes! Uhm, yes, the water is good!" I say, stumbling over my words. She looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "You okay?"

I nod quickly. "Yes, I'm fine!" I say. Mentally, I curse at myself for the higher pitched tone. "If you say so..." she says and gets into the water. Thank God... eh, Gods for the bubbles...

"So, tell me Alexandra, what're your plans?" she asks me. I take a breath before answering. "I don't know, Thalia. For now, I guess I'll stick to Annabeth and you guys." Thalia nods slowly. I feel my self heating up slightly as she looks me over.

"I wonder who your Godly parent is, Alexandra. You're giving off... bad vibes," she says. "Bad vibes? What do you mean?" I ask confused. Sure, I was never popular, but bad vibes? That's a first.

"Yeah, I can't put my finger on it. It's weird. You only give it off when you're put on the spot. Like when I asked whether you were gay," she explains. Great, just great. "I feel it again. So... are you gay?"

"Yes..." I admit very softly. "There's nothing wrong with being gay, Alexandra. But, this is curious. Do you still feel being put on the spot?" I look at her as if she is crazy. Of course, I am! "What do you think, Thalia? Of course, I am! No one knows except my mother!"

"I don't feel it anymore. How very strange... I guess you trust me then! That's touching," she chuckles. I groan in embarrassment. "Hate to say it, but I'm more into boys," she says bluntly as she leans back into the water.

"I need some sleep..." I mumble out.  Thalia only laughs as she sees me getting out of the bath. "You're getting rather red there, Alexandra!" I quicken my pace to get away from her. It only makes her laugh louder.

A deep sigh leaves me as I close the door to the large bathroom area. Gods, Thalia is... a lot to handle. I trudge my way to the sleeping room that I share with the girls. As Luke is the only boy, he got his own room. As I walk in, I see Annabeth reading something on her bed. It seems she holds my ring up while she does it. She has been reading almost nonstop when we arrived.

"How was the bath?" She asks while she reads. "Very good! I wish I had that when, uhm, you know. Wake me up when something happens, alright?" I answer. She nods without looking at me. "Will do!" I plop on the bed and... oh my god! It's as if I am floating in the sky on a cloud. I feel myself drifting off to sleep in no time.

Orange orbs appear in front of me. They seem to be looking around in a hurry, searching for something. In barely a few seconds, they stare directly at me. I again feel more at peace, warmer. As they reach me, I feel myself being lifted in the air, as if something has picked me up.

I am uncertain for how long, but the orbs seems to carry me to somewhere far away. Or maybe something else? It's hard to say when all I see is darkness and the orange orbs. Eventually, it becomes similar to what I saw before. The orbs flare up a few time before becoming smaller and smaller. I try again to reach for them and even try to walk, but to no avail.

My eyes open slowly as I blink my sleep away. The sun shines in through the window, lighting up the room. I glance around the room, and apparently only Thalia seems to be sleeping. A light snoring sound emanating from her. Annabeth seems to be awake, as her bed is empty. Reluctantly, I get out of bed. Gods, the bed is so soft. I could lay on it my entire life.

I open the door to the living room, and I am met with the fresh smell of baked goods, croissants, and all the best things you could want for breakfast. Thank you, Lincoln! I love you and your coins!

"Good morning!" I hear Annabeth say, breaking up my mental prayer to Lincoln. My gaze goes to her as I see her sitting on the table with the large assortment of food and drinks. I wonder why she has a map of the city close to her plate. "Morning, Annabeth! Did you sleep well?" I say with a smile.

She nods with a smile. "That bed is heavenly! I slept so good!" She says. Luke laughs from the opposite site of the table. "You can say that again," he says through his laugh. I chuckle as I sit next to Annabeth.

"Alexandra, I have been reading..." she starts to say. I roll my eyes. "When are you not reading? We barely stepped into this room, and you beelined to the books!" I say with a smile, filling my plate with food.

"Hey! Books are good for you! You probably need to read a few to learn some manners," she says, rather irritated. Her fierce gaze directed at me. "I guess..." I mumble, shrinking a bit under her gaze, "What did you want to say?"

Luke seems to be having a hard time holding his laugh in. I glare at him with irritation. For some reason, he stops laughing as he looks a bit fearful of me. What a softy. "Are you going to listen this time?" Annabeth asks, undeterred by my glare. "Yes, Annabeth," I answer politely.

"Good," she says as she slides the map a bit towards me. "There is a World War II memorial in this city. I read it has the most complete list of names of people that died during or after the war. If you're from Virginia, which I assume you are, you will find some answers there," she explains, as she points to the map.

I am deeply touched by her gesture. She was trying to figure out where I could learn more about mother and her fate. How did I deserve you? "Annabeth... thank you," I say as I pull her in a deep hug. "You are amazing!" I feel her softly smiling as her arms go around me. "You're welcome."

Luke swallows softly and clears his throat. "Ehm, what's this about the World War II memorial?" he asks us. "Alexandra..." Annabeth was about to say before I cut in. "I wanted to figure out more about my family's role in the war," I answered. I rather not tell them about my time travel situation yet. I mean, I would like to figure it out myself first. This is not a common thing even for Demigods, I think.

"We can certainly visit the place. After breakfast, we can call a cab to bring us there," he says. I nod appreciatively. "Thanks, Luke. I appreciate it, a lot."