Ballad of Jason Grace ||Heroes of Olympus||

2. THE GOD OF BEER BELLIES AND BELCHING

"We need to get out of here now!" My Mother yelled as sirens in the distance became louder. Her eyes glazed over with fear and anxiety.

"What's happening?" I shouted in panic. The adrenaline from the attack had started to wear off and it had just occurred to me that for a brief moment I became nothing but light. "Why did my necklace turn into a sword! You... you were leaking black smoke! You jumped twenty feet into the air!" I shouted, my mind was going into complete overload. Had I really been swallowed by my Principal?

Students began to shift as the toxins of the Python wore off. I stared at my mother in horror. She had an angry and miserable expression on her face as if she was silently begging me to drop it. I furrowed my brows and swallowed my confusion.

She held out her hand, I took it.

"I'll explain on the way." Was all she murmured. We rushed out to the car and drove home going way over the speed limit. Which probably wouldn't have bothered me so much if I didn't feel like puking out my lunch. Not to mention the poison wound on my elbow, but I decided it wasn't important at the moment.

As soon as we got home she sent me to pack a bag. I rushed into my room and grabbed what I could as fast as possible. Fresh clothes and items I deemed important, the picture of me and my dad at the St. Louis archway, a nightlight, my old Polaroid camera, and a blanket. I didn't have many things of value. I didn't have many friends either. I was known as the odd girl who didn't quite fit in, but wasn't weird enough to bully.

After I finished packing, I ran downstairs to find my mother picking out small snack foods. Wherever we were going I hoped it wasn't too far judging by the foods she was bringing. She grabbed cheese, crackers, and beef jerky along with two water bottles. After that she closed the fridge, which seemed minuscule considering we would probably never come back.

"Let's go."

It was pitch black out now, I stopped just long enough to admire the stars. I'd never actually seen them before. Not in their natural beauty anyways. Even inside of my house mother always locked the doors and windows at night, she put lights in every nook and cranny so there was never a shadow cast. It was scary yet enthralling to see the world I had known my entire life be thrown into darkness.

As we drove out of town a growing feeling turned my stomach, a sense of sadness or maybe even anger arose from with in me, I might never see this place again, this town or my house. I shook my head at the silly thought and turned towards my Mother.
"Alright talk."

She looked nervous and maybe a little scared. It was a look I had never seen on her before.

"I'm not your real Mother, that you already knew. I let you believe that I adopted you from your Homeland and that I had no idea who your parents were. The truth is, I do know who your parents are. They gave you up for your own protection."

Confusion riddled my mind as emotions I buried deep within my heart came flooding back. My parents didn't abandon me? The topic was always a sore spot, a part of myself believed I could never talk about it without tearing up. "Why?" Was all I could muster.

She looked speechless. "It's... so complicated," A heavy sigh left her mouth. "your mother is a very powerful person, but she had her enemies. In order to keep you safe she gave you up, I've been looking after you ever since."

I didn't know what to think, it was like my entire life was crashing. Everything I knew had been a lie? I couldn't believe it. I stared at her, willing her to continue.

"Your real mother is..." She paused and did a take two. "She is a Goddess. A very old and powerful one."

I was silent for a long moment. If it weren't for the gymnasium sized snake I had just turned to ash I might've been inclined to call her a lunatic. That's what I wanted to say, but my gut knew she spoke the truth.
"What?"