II xiii. the long-lost brother... II
EVERYONE was silent as the pair stared at each other. The group waited with bated breaths. The breeze seemed to slow, the snow no longer was flying everywhere. Even the snowstorm seemed to calm-
"Wait, he's your brother?" Andromeda asked, finger pointing at the blonde boy, and making him turn to her with an offended look.
"What?" Thalia breathed, her blue eyes unblinking.
"I said I'm your-"
"My gods!" Jason looked terrified as Thalia lunged forward, wrapping him in a hug. He awkwardly patted her back, before she parted and did the same thing she'd done to Andromeda-scanning every inch of his face. "She told me you were dead! Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip-you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"
Leo laughed. "Seriously?"
Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers -excellent source of iron."
Thalia was talking so fast and so energetically, Jason seemed to be having a bit of trouble keeping up. "W-wait," He stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"
At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."
Piper did better than that. She slipped from Jason's grasp and collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.
Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah-never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"
Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"
Thalia looked at Leo, a stern glare on her face. "You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl and Andromeda to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."
"It's cold out there!" Hedge whined. "I'll freeze my horns off."
Leo sighed. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."
"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."
Andromeda comfortingly patted his shoulder as he pouted and the two started towards the tent. As Leo began to follow, Jason's voice stopped him. Andromeda glanced back once to see Leo making his way towards them once again. Her eyes connected with Thalia, and she winked-giving her a thumbs up.
THE TENT was in fact, extremely warm and cozy. Andromeda had to fight the urge to just slump from exhaustion right then and there. But she had enough energy to greet the red-head as she turned to her with a blank face.
"Hello, Andromeda."
"Phoebe!" Andromeda smiled, arms open. "I thought I told you to call me Andie?"
"I'm aware of what you said."
Andromeda's hands dropped, eyes blinking in confusion. Phoebe shuffled past her. Coach was sitting on a chair in the corner of the tent, eating a Styrofoam cup, and Piper was laying on a cot, face sickly pale. Alabaster was leaning against the back of the tent, playing with his ring. Her heart immediately twisted and she turned away.
"Here." Phoebe had appeared again, holding up a neatly folded outfit similar to her own. "Thalia wishes for me to give them to you."
"Thanks," She smiled tightly. "I love seeing you giving from the heart, Phoebe."
The red-head rolled her eyes. Ducking into another area of the tent, she quickly slipped into the cargo pants, black t-shirt, and parka, tying her hair up to attempt to) maintain the curls. Some spiraled out, and absolutely refused to be tucked back in. When she peeked out, her eyes immediately darted around the tent.
"Andromeda."
She inwardly cursed, looking to the side to see her brother with a frown on his face. Her face reciprocated his own, and she attempted to move past him. "Excuse me, Alabaster."
"Andie," He pleaded. "I need to talk to you-"
"About what, exactly." Andromeda suddenly snapped. "If it's an excuse as to why you left me-why you left us in a fucking snowstorm than save it."
Alabaster reeled back at her tone. "No-I mean, yes-but I need you to understand-"
"You know," Her voice wobbled. "You could have at least told us you'd be back? Maybe a little note or some shit-I don't know."
It was obvious now that she wasn't talking about the snowstorm and the cave anymore. Alabaster's adam's apple bobbed. He reached out to grab her hand. "Andromeda please listen. It wasn't my fault. I didn't want to leave you."
A frown morphed onto her face, and she yanked her hand away. Now he was seriously going to try and pin it on something else? "Whose fault was it then? What did Hedge's bat scare you away? Is that what it was?"
"Andromeda, you're not listening to me!" His tone was growing, but so was Andromeda's temper.
"Don't fucking give me that shit, Alabaster!" She stumbled. "Just leave me alone. Leave all of us alone." Andromeda seethed, roughly rubbing away the tears forming under her eyes. He didn't even fucking deserve her tears. "How many times are you gonna make up excuses until I realize that you're a shitty brother."
Shoving past him, Andromeda ignored the stinging in her heart and the tears running down her face. She could feel Alabaster's stare on her back as she stormed out of the tent. Hopefully he felt like shit.
Her back met the outside of the tent, her cold breath lingering in the air in front of her. Calm down, she scolded herself. You need to stop crying all the damn time. Her hands covered her mouth, silencing the sobs that attempted to escape. One tear after the other, they just wouldn't stop. Why did she have to have such a screwed up family?
"Andromeda."
Startled, she looked up through her tears to see Phoebe standing above her. "Oh, hey Phoebe."
The red-head spoke nothing as she knelt down in front of her, hands clasped. She waited patiently as Andromeda's tears ceased, the only thing remaining were puffy eyes and a heavy heart.
"What are you doing out here?" Andromeda sniffled, using the back of her sleeve to uselessly wipe the continuous tears away. "Is Piper okay?"
"Piper is fine." Phoebe nodded. "You're not."
She managed a laugh. "Yeah, thanks for the observation."
Phoebe smiled. She smiled at Andromeda. "You know, I do not hate you Andromeda."
"Good to know."
"I hate your boyfriend." She deadpanned. "And you two are strikingly similar in troublemaking. But behind all that trouble, you are a kind and sweet girl. Even if some people can't stand you more than others," She sighed. "You never give up on them. And I admire you for that."
"Well, I don't know about that Phoebe," She sighed. "I used to have a grudge against Jason-a grudge that he wasn't even aware of. And I hate my brother for other reasons he is aware of."
"Andromeda, you cannot put yourself down for feeling that way towards men-ever." Phoebe said. "They are a whole different species. Something about them just...pisses everyone off."
Abrupt laughter left the green-eyed girl. "No lie there."
Phoebe nodded. "Listen closely, Andromeda. You must not let all these men in your life control you. You can either control them, or not. That is a choice for the woman speaking. But never allow them to control you."
She smiled. "I'm starting to get the feeling you really don't like men, Phoebe."
The ginger winked. "Well, some women have to knock men off their pedestals to remind them of their place, yeah?"
"Oh, definitely."
"Glad we agree on something," Phoebe said. "Now, let us go inside and discuss how awful men are while drinking hot chocolate."
THE HOT CHOCOLATE was delicious.
"Phoebe, you really need to give me this recipe." Piper muttered, putting the warm cup back to her lips. "It's amazing."
Andromeda nodded in agreement, too busy gulping it down to talk. Piper looked much better than a few minutes ago. Her face had regained color and she wasn't shaking. Whatever Phoebe had done to help her, Andromeda was grateful.
"Thank you," Phoebe nodded. "I was taught by Lady Artemis herself."
"Praise Lady Artemis!" Coach belched. He was on his sixth cup (quite literally, eating the styrofoam cup).
Noise echoed from outside, and the tent opened up to reveal Leo, Thalia, and Jason. Immediately, Leo's mouth dropped open as he scanned around. "Oh, no way," He said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"
Phoebe sniffed, sending a pointed look to Andromeda. "Boys."
"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."
Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes. Phoebe begrudgingly handed them hot chocolate, and when Leo took a sip, he looked like he'd died and went to Elysium. Before she had time to laugh, his head was back in the hot chocolate.
"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge, shoving his seventh cup in his mouth.
"That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said, a half melted marshmallow in the corner of his mouth.
Jason suddenly frowned, setting down the hot chocolate. "Hey, Andie, where's Alabaster?"
Andromeda went silent when Leo also looked over. Phoebe raised her eyebrows. "He said he would be back before we left."
The boys nodded, before Thalia moved over to Piper. She patted her back. "You up for moving?"
Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."
Thalia winked at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one." Andromeda coughed loudly, causing Thalia to raise her hands in mock surrender. "Just jokes! Any Aphrodite kid can be tough."
"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it!"
Thalia ignored him, marching out of the tent. Andromeda stood with the rest of them and made her way to Leo-bumping his shoulder. "Maybe next time."
ALABASTER really wanted to be dead. He had wished it with all his heart when he'd seen the pained look on Andromeda's face at his pathetic interjections. Then he'd told Phoebe he needed some air. Running away was starting to become a really bad habit.
When he'd made it back to the tent, Phoebe had already taken it down. The whole group was formed on the outside, getting ready to move out.
He cursed under his breath when Piper saw him. "Look, it's Alabaster!"
Everyone looked over at him when he came into the clearing, and he received at least more than three glares. Not even including his sister, who seemed determined on walking along with the hunters. Oh, how he wished he were dead.
They didn't give him time to utter a word as they immediately started trekking up the mountain. Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! McLean! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo-"
"Let's not," Thalia snapped.
They ran in silence. Alabaster strayed in the back, keeping away from his sister and her scary hunter friends. He was better off alone, anyways.
"What's the matter, kid."
He turned his head to see Coach running next to him. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Great, now this goat was gonna completely diss him the whole way up this goddamn mountain. "Nothing. Just thinking."
"Sibling fight?" He ignored him. Coach continued. "You should try to actually explain it to her this time."
Alabaster scoffed. "And how the hell would you know what I'm trying to explain."
"I'm gonna be honest with ya, kid. You're a wimp."
It was like a slap in the face. He hadn't even given Alabaster time to prepare for it. But to be fair, no one gave the person their slapping time to 'prepare' for it. "I am not a wimp."
"'Andromeda let me explain why I ditched the camp, but-sike! I'm not actually going to explain!'." Hedge said in a high-pitched voice (which Alabaster was sure he did not sound like).
He had forgotten the satyr had been in the tent with them. How was one supposed to react to a satyr who technically wasn't eavesdropping? "Are you mocking me?"
Coach shrugged. "Just sayin', if you keep wimping out you'll never get the chance to make it up to the family you lost."
Alabaster was silent. Why doesn't he just tell her the truth? To protect her? Or to save himself from embarrassment. Also, why did this satyr know so much about him? Just by hearing a small argument between himself and his sister? It was starting to freak him out. He looked forward, watching Andromeda talk with the hunters. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if he could never have her as a sister again. She was the closest thing to family he's ever had-
He slammed into a hard figure, and a gruff voice made him yelp and pull away. "Hey, hey, watch it kid!" Coach Hedge bellowed, before skipping towards the front of the line. The group had stopped, all looking upwards. Alabaster raised his eyebrows.
"That," Leo choked, "is a really large rock."
They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Alabaster could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands-or teeth. But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone.
The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress. The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.
"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo said.
Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."
"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"
"The Mist." Andromeda responded, still gawking.
"Still, mortals do notice it indirectly." Thalia said. "Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."
"It's enormous," Jason said.
Thalia laughed, looking towards Andromeda. "You should see Olympus, little brother."
"You're serious?" Jason asked, staring wide eyed at the girls. "You guys have been there?"
Thalia grimaced, and Alabaster ducked his head, attempting to avoid their eyes. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."
"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"
Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait ... Jason, you can fly?"
Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean...you can't fly?"
Thalia swallowed. "Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."
Alabaster moved forwards, pushing past Coach, who was getting ready to quite literally jump on the bridge. "I'll go first," He said, not even bothering to look back and see the hunters smug faces. They were no doubt hoping he'd fall.
"Aw, c'mon! I wanted to go!"
"Gleeson," Thalia warned. "I think it's best if Alabaster tries. Besides, he can control the mist just fine."
"Wait."
Alabaster finally looked back at his sister's voice. She looked genuinely terrified for her brother's safety. Andromeda nervously eyed the way the bridge swung with the slightest breeze. "I think I should go with him."
Immediately, protests went out. Thalia grabbed her arm. "No, Andie. It's too-"
"What." Andromeda frowned. "Too dangerous for me but not for him? C'mon Thal, I'll be fine."
Reluctantly, the blue-eyed girl let her arm go. Andromeda took a breath as she stepped out after Alabaster. As soon her foot touched the step, it swayed. The group watched with bated breath as Andromeda gasped, subconsciously reaching in front to grab Alabaster's arm. The two siblings steadied themselves, and the bridge stopped moving.
A second passed. "Okay, us next!" Coach yelled. Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge-ignoring the Hecate children's screams to slow down. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Piper, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand."
"No, that's okay-" Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.
The group of four moved down, with Coach yelling at the siblings to move faster, and Andromeda screaming at him to be quiet. When Alabaster reached the end first, he hopped off, and pulled Andromeda off after him. Coach and Piper in tow.
Soon enough, Jason and Leo made it to the end, but not before burning the whole bridge back. Of fucking course. When they reached the floating island, Piper and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the vapor bridge vanished.
Andromeda was staring at the space in shock, probably coming to the same conclusion he had.
"What happened?" Piper demanded. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"
"Better question," Alabaster mumbled, "What did you do to the bridge?"
"I got a little heated," Leo gasped. He turned back to the blonde. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't-"
"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."
song for next chapter:
D
OIN' TIME
(lana del rey)