I refuse to move.
Water drops slowly hit my head every three seconds, and I'm too lazy to get up. The cold floor chills my back as I lie uncomfortably in my position, but I don't want to wake up yet.
Drip
Gah, did we have a leak or something?! I sit up and stay silent as I process the new room I'm in. A smile forms upon my lips as I gaze upon slot machines, kiosks, poker tables, huge stacks of poker chip cases, blackjack tables, and a huge bar. My lips curl, is this what Heavens like?
I jump up from my spot and look around, yup, it's been a while since I've been in a casino. With the move, and the thugs, and the addiction your parent doesn't exactly approve of...its hard to sneak your way in. My eyes hungrily take in every detail that comes in my sight.
The stench of light cigarettes and perfume fills my nostrils and mouth, I lightly chuckle. This place was my home, the only place I ever felt where I truly mattered. My home, my life, my obsession...my addiction. The lights were on, but only the bar lights, everything in my sight was shut off. I have to make sure that my temptation doesn't take a hold of me again.
Sure when you think about it, an addiction seems funny. Getting so attached to something that is most likely not alive, but trust me, if you could see through my eyes. The casino was the most alluring thing that has ever existed, it's a place where you play games! And I don't mean kiddy arcades that sell pizza as bland as cardboard...I meant the real stuff. And I only wanted more.
The place was beautiful, a place where everyone, anyone! Would love to venture into. Geez, add a couple of bartenders, food, booze, and a hotshot in a Liberace jacket and this would be perfection. I slowed my breathing, Liberace jacket. Old fashioned? Sure. But what's more old fashioned than the man who ran all the casinos? Sent hitmen to go mess up the guy who messed with him? Hunt down a smart ass kid.
Tay-Wer Matthews. That guy ruined everything! I felt a cool chill run down my sweaty back, I felt my heart touch my chest as it accelerated. I knew he wasn't here, but the feeling that he brought with him as he entered a room, that feeling that touched everyone. Always hit me the hardest. And it was in this room. I never knew what that feeling was, not sure I ever felt it in my life. All I know is that it killed me slowly.
But I now know it's name. Fear.
I sighed softly and looked all around the room, wondering when anyone was going to come inside...what time was it? Sharp ringing sounded in my ear digging it's way into my brain. "Aargh...green chips! That hurts!" The ringing slowly fades but it's still distant, I break out in a cold sweat.
I feel my chest rise quickly but slowly fall. Then the question came into my mind, the one I should have been thinking of when I woke up. Where was I? My father would have never let me in a casino, much less let me explore an unfamiliar city on my own. I look around the eerie room and try to find the door. I had to get out, it felt like someone was watching you every single second.
Viewing my every movement, every breath, the thing that really creeped me out was that the hair on my arms rose, but never came down.
Truly, I was about to leave. But soon my eyes landed on her. She was the most beautiful thing in the room, truly captivating. Nothing could compare to her, her name
LaFerrari
Or shall I say, the F150. Fast, light, and may I say quite the eye candy. I smile and make my way to the beautiful car that lay in the middle of the room. "Who left you here to gather dust?!" I happily proclaim to the car. My fingers lightly trail along her reflective facade, only slightly hovering over her tinted windows that kindly invited the light to cascade shadows in her interior.
I gaze lovingly at her Pirelli P Zero _____ tires...remarkable. This car was my life, she was really the only reason I learned how to drive, even though a mere old truck didn't have ESC stability control, high performance ABS/EBC, and EF1-Trac F1 electronic traction control with the hybrid system, with so much more, just like her. I sniffed and stared deeply into her headlights.
"LaFerrari...I -I think I love you. No, no I do love you." I stood up and admired her beauty one last time, she looks just as beautiful in real life as she did when they introduced her. But then I noticed something that completely threw her off, something that made her disgusting even for me...the smudge.
I shuddered in disgust as a red smudge was sitting on her window. How could I have not noticed this before? I had to clean her up before I left, it was my new mission in life. I look around trying to find an old rag or something, to clean her up. But frankly as I look around I see nothing. At this point anything would be good enough to clean her.
I look under that long table that sits next to the wall. Yet as I go deeper, cigarettes and perfume turn into rotten pork and cat pee. My knees and hands trail along the dirty floor as I crawl deeper under the table. A bright light suddenly turns on and I abruptly stop. My head turns upwards, and I find a dark sheet covering a window. My mouth twitches, found ya.
I stand up and ignore the odor surrounding me and pull of off the sheet. The heavy blanket weighs down my hands, it was soggy. I squint as I play with the cloth in my hand. "What is?..." My words end there. The sheet I hold slowly falls to the floor as my fingers lose their grip and my eyes land on what it was covering. My throat blocks any word I try to form.
Slowly, I can feel my mind melt. Every thing I have learned, all of my knowledge melts. Comprehension is beyond me now. Is this what I felt like when you weren't thinking strait? My heart doesn't stop beating as it tries to calm down, it ignores my initial feeling for what's around me, and focuses on what was in front of me. Who was in front of me. And then it came back. The fear.
"A- All-....Allison?!" I stutter. I hear my voice crack and the ringing slowly comes back. I wheeze as the sound finds its way to my mind, but I didn't want it there! Alison's dead body sits on the windowsill. Her face pale and cold, I shake furiously as I look at her blue lips and closed eyes. Her blonde hair was messy and incredibly tangled, and blood spilled from her mouth.
Don't even get me started on the golden sword piercing into her side.
The ringing sounds louder than ever, and my vision shakes even more than I am, but I don't move or fall, or even look away. I stare at my sister...who doesn't stare back. My lip quivers and my eyes sting from behind, but why cry now? It wouldn't make a difference. My legs wobble and I fall back, even though I was expecting the floor I found myself in a chair.
I grip the handles and look away momentarily. "Oh would you relax?" Laughs a voice, "It's only a dream." I look forward and watch Allison's body disappear into colorful sand and fly away. I take a breath and look around the room the ringing stops completely and a liquid falls from my nose. The chair turns around quickly and I sit at a poker table.
"You can't wake up yet -wipe your nose boy! Do you have no manners?!" A woman quickly chides and appears at the end of a table. I drag my jacket sleeve across my nose and stare dumbfounded at the woman. She smiles lively and pulls poker cards out of thin air. I stare at the strange woman flipping the cards and changing their colors. She had shiny orange hair tied into a braid, that fell over her green sparkly dress that glittered in the sudden lights that appeared.
She had light skin that seemed to glow in the dark room, she was illuminating even. Her Roman nose stuck deeply into the cards she was dealing with. "Since there's only two of us and the nymphs are out back, we unfortunately have to play Heads Up poker," she quickly speaks. I swallow and push my chair away, trying to understand what was going on.
"Um, no. I don't know, what happened?!" I spit. The chair pulls back to the table and the strange lady holds out a card, "Up or down Alex? I don't have all night." I hold out my hands and stare at the card and her, "What?! No, I can't play right now!-"
"Oh don't worry Alex," she waves her hand, "You're not addicted to the games, it's just in your blood -down? Okay."
"How do you know my name?!" I ask, stopping the cards from flying to my face. "Long story kid, now bet" she sits erect, ready for my hand. I stare blankly at her, was she mental?!
"Are you mental?!" I repeat out loud. The woman slaps the cards down, "We can't play if you won't place a bet! Well! This just isn't my lucky day."
"I'm not gonna place a bet! What's going on here?" I stand up from my chair, my confusion increasing as the cards suddenly disappear. "Oh fine. If you want to skip to the unhappy stuff, then so be it," she replies glumly, standing up from her chair and walking over to me. I back away as she comes closer.
The woman snickers and holds her hands out, "Relax I'm not gonna kill you. I am Tyche, goddess of luck and chance," she winks and waves her arms up and down at herself. I step back and clench my fists, I've dealt with crazy chicks in my lifetime, but none could compare to this one. I find the courage to speak, but even then it was pathetically low, "Goddess? What happened to Allison?! Where am I?"
Tyche scrunches her nose, "I already told you." I swallow and stay completely silent as it all comes back to me. The threat from Pamela, the argument with my father, the deep nap I'm...taking. I whip my arms down, "This is a dream!" I holler, disbelief slowly going away.
"Duh," Tyche crosses her arms and flips a coin with one hand. My head spins and I look around, how could everything feel so real? But as I stare at Tyche, the anger and frustration I had suppressed from her spills out, "I just saw my sister dead on a freaking window! And you just tell me it's a dream, so naturally you just make her disappear?! And I didn't even touch LaFerrari! What is wrong with you?! Who do you think you are?!" I bluntly scream at her.
Then Tyche snorts, "Your mother." I nod and squint, "Oh so now we're bringing mothers into this? I see how you wanna play-"
Tyche grabs my shoulder and suppresses her laughter, "No no no no, I meant...I meant that I'm your mother," she whispers. Though I might have imagined it, I thought I heard something in her voice. I couldn't figure it out, but it was there.
"What?" I inquire, tensing as her hand stays in its place. "Alex Luster...I am your mother. You are my son...my demigod." I swallow and look away from her dangerous green eyes, ignoring the last part I chuckle half heartedly. Her hand sends a chill through my jacket, as if waking me up. Strangely it did because next thing you know I utter, "No. You're not Karen, you're a dream."
Tyche glares and looks away from me, quietly snorting, "Karen," her voice drops into a sulky sound, "Was not your mother." Her hand lets go of my shoulder and she turns around walking towards the car. A sharp pinch of air escapes her mouth as she continues. "I should have known that your father wouldn't have told you about me. I would have come for you as your thirteenth birthday approached, but even then Gaia was rising...we had no connection with our kids."
She trails her fingers on the car and stares at it angrily and distant, as if she just realized that she too was in a dream. "And during the Battle of Manhattan, well he just didn't want to send you to Camp Half-Blood. Said you were too weak and too young. But look at you now," she turns to face me.
Her eyes enlarge, and scan me with obscurity. "Alex Luster. Although you don't know much of your Greek heritage, it lives within you. Can't you see it? Can't you feel it?" She cocks her head and grins with pride. Anxiety engulfs me, "Stop that!" I grumble irritably.
"Oh Alex, You have to feel it! You have to accept who you are before I can tell you what's coming ahead. You're strong now, but are you strong enough? Stubborn yes, but so I am, like mother like son-"
"Enough!" I snarl, ignoring her admiration and the compliments. And I especially ignore the warm feeling that comes with it, as much as I wanted to believe it I couldn't. Karen was my mother, she is my mother.
"I don't need new loving people in my life. At least not anymore...it's a little too late for you Tyche, actually it's way too late for you. I don't want to be your son, or your demigod whatever that is, I don't want to be in this dream!" I clench my teeth, it would be very helpful if I could wake up now. But what I was expecting from Tyche didn't come, I got a glare instead.
"Fine. If you won't accept me then ask your father. We wouldn't be having this unlucky conversation if it weren't for your fathers pig-headed decisions! But very well, if you don't want help then I won't assist you because, frankly, I'm not obliged." She snaps her fingers and disappears. I gasp as an invisible force pulls me back to the splintered chair.
"You are half god. Obviously I'm the god here, because your father was nothing but a handsome, mere old addict," her voice erupts. A spinning wheel, like the boards on the game shows, rolls up to me and spins wildly. My feet are planted into the polished floor, unmoving. I hear my heartbeat run up to my ears, the blood rushing through me.
The wheel stops onto a green panel, and the panel flies off until it's only five inches from my face. An image appears from the inside of the slab, it's blurriness is nothing compared to the loud sounds that erupt from it. "This, is Camp Half-Blood," Tyche explains. "It's your home from now on, it's a camp specifically for demigods and half-bloods. Protecting you from ferocious monsters that have sprouted from the ground and have survived for many centuries. Training you to defend mortals, and the gods themselves, to become the next heroes. Everyone and everything here will make you feel like you belong no matter what,"
"And believe it or not, it's not a casino" she whispers. My chest pounds and I quickly glance to the left, ignoring her compassion. The panel flies gracefully back to the wheel, allowing a red one to take its place. The red panel erupts in light, and the image is a girl, and I only hear panting. "This is Ava Longing, someone who will take a big place in your future. Though that is still up to you Alex, you don't have to follow my rules."
I gaze at the curly haired girl. Her bright green eyes are cloudy and afraid, she runs from nothing but the beach. I swallow and shake my head, focus. The red panel loses the picture and a yellow panel flies up to me. "This is-"
But Tyches voice disappears and the ringing comes back. It blocks every other sound and the room goes dark as I shut my eyes. "T -Tyche?!" I shout. But no voice interrupts the ringing, because the ringing only grows. I grab my head and my hairs damp with sweat. "FIND THEM, SON! FIND THEM!" Tyches screaming erupts. And then silence.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
My foot kicks a near box that sits next to my feet. I jump up and pant viciously, my hands and arms sweating more than my body. I shiver in the cold room, even though the sun erupts from the clouds in the grey sky. I look around the room trying not to think.
All of this hurt my head too much, I've never done so much thinking in my life. Yet as I view the clock that rests on my shelf, I know that my life won't be that long to live.
7:27
I whip my head towards the black bag that's just filled with money. Pamela didn't seem like she was joking about the killing my family thing. I wouldn't put it past her soulless body. No matter how hot she was, she was cold.
I frantically jump up from the floor and pull the bag with me, strapping it over my shoulder and running out of my room. But my feet collide with a box full of old files, and I land face front on my...well, face. "Aaghww" I groan, as the heavy bag lands on my back, pushing me down.
I punch the floor and stare at the papers that fluttered out, homework and report cards. I shook my head, school didn't get you anywhere. I stumble as I stand up and run out of my room. My feet angrily parade the stairs as I run, but of course someone got in my way.
"Woah, hey!" Allison cries as her hands push me away, after I run into her. "Watch where you're going dill weed!" She spits at my face, scowling. I smile and stare at my sister, who insults me and looks at me with complete disgust. "Why the hell are you staring at me like that?! Poker addict!" She walks away with coffee in her hand. My smile doesn't go away, she's still here.
Unfortunately.
I run over to the door and plant my hand on the door knob, before my dad pulls me back. I wrap my hand protectively over my bag, and stare blankly at him. "Where ya goin' son?" He asks. I purse my lips and try to think of an excuse, any excuse. "I left my...box outside. I remember I took it with me when I left last night and-"
"You're lying," he interrupts, "Wanna know how I know?"
"Not really-"
"Because I have your box," he says. I sigh and grab my bag tighter, I knew he was going to catch me. And I got away with everything.
"Now, where are you going, Alex?" He asks again.
"Dad, I have to go. You just have to trust me on this one here-"
He laughs and stares at me straight in the eye, I try not to look away, "Trust you! You've got to be kidding me?! After last night?!" He chuckles. I shake my head, "Not now, when I get back. We just can't argue now!"
He grins, which I'm assuming runs in the family, because Tyche does the same. "Oh, we're arguing all right. We will argue until this matters fixed!"
"No dad! We're not!"
"Yes we are!" He replies,
"Well then fine! But hey! Let's make this a family matter then! Why not hit up Tyche the freaking poker goddess!" I holler, dropping the bag.
My dads face turns from anger into surprise. Isn't this how all the parents work? They claim they're right and then BAM! They're wrong. And yet you can't do a single thing about it, but this one...this was one I could control. After all a family that shares together, stays together. My dad turns his head towards Allison, who pokes her head out from the hallway.
"Allison honey, go to your room." Allison turns away, without arguing. But throws a glance at me, the same look of pity that she gives me when this happens. I turn back towards my dad, waiting. He plays with his old wedding ring on his finger, the wedding ring that Karen had given him when he gave hers. Parents also cheat.
"Come again Alex," he mutters sadly. I think he knew what was coming, and it scared him more than ever...and that was my advantage. "Nevermind," I say looking away. This old man, crazy, but kind. "Alex. Tell me what happened," he looks at me. It wasn't an order or demand like it had been a few seconds ago, but a request. He wasn't telling me to do anything...he was asking. And I could have said no if I wanted to. But now my hope was gone, the way he acted when I brought up her name, that was enough proof that she was real.
"Tyche the luck goddess. She came to me in a dream, more of a nightmare actually. Didn't explain much, I wouldn't let her, but she knew you. She knows about Allison. She knows about Karen. But how come I never knew about her? She told me the reason...but she better be freaking wrong." My heart beats quickly, I feel sick, and my stomach churns rapidly. He better be right.
"Alex...I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way-"
"Why didn't I know about her?!" I holler. My hand finds the grey pendant I wear and I yank it off my neck. I didn't want some crazy woman's face on my chest. "Because you weren't ready to find out yet!" He replies.
"Oh and I wasn't ready now?! We wouldn't even be arguing right now if you would've just told me about her!"
Dads eyes widen and he grunts, "And you're handling it so well?! Tell me you didn't just see her and immediately feel forgiveness or love or whatever?! I know what you felt Alex!"
A surge of energy runs through me as I angrily throw the pendant across the room. "No you don't...Dad! I just want to know why you didn't tell me. All these years you tell me that I'm untrustworthy, flighty, undependable and yet no matter what! No matter what! You trusted me with things and always told me the truth, even though Allison, little miss Sally Olsson, was right there."
"Alex...it wasn't that I couldn't tell you, it's just that I didn't want to. You belong in the mortal world, you don't belong in the Greek world. Monsters, and gods, and halfbloods, and quests that could get you killed are too dangerous for you. You're not strong enough for that. The mortal world is much more simple than that," my father explains.
I feel humor rise into my throat, because that was the worst lie anyone could ever come up with, "You're joking dad. The world I'm living right now, is the worst way to live. Every single day I feel different, do you know what it's like to go to a school where you can't get close to anybody, because you just know that they'll get hurt if they hang around you? I've had people chase me, or look for me -the young fugitive! Because I just couldn't stay away,"
"I can't stay away from danger. Because it finds me, and I look for it. But this...here I think that Karen was my mother, all these years and yet you lie right to my face. Did Karen even know?"
"No son. She did not know. All Karen knew was that I had and affair with some woman-"
"Wait wait wait, you cheated on Karen? With some fling?"
"I was young and idiotic Alex! But Tyche could have brought you to Camp Half-Blood herself instead of leaving you with me! I love you Alex, but if you were going to live me then you were going to live a mortal life. And besides, you only ever felt like following the dangerous path because of Tyche," he swiftly answers.
My mind had so many questions that needed answers, but I couldn't bare much more yelling. "This was from Tyche," my dad says as he turns around and pulls the box out from a drawer. He puts the large box in my hand and I feel it way me down. I throw a glance at my tears eyed father and open the box.
My trembling fingers pick up the wrapping inside, and I view a skateboard. It was dark and the edges were aligned with gold. I turn it around and find a picture of a green shamrock on the board, it was elegantly drawn as if it were handcrafted. Small words aligned the bottom in an urban language:
να ταξιδέψουν μέσα από τις πιο σκοτεινές κενά
My fingers lay still on the words, what do they mean? I slowly pull the bag on my shoulder and held the light yet sturdy board. And then,
I ran.
I ran through the street, back to the shops and alley. When I ran at the correct amount of speed, I swiftly jumped onto the board, so as to glide along the sidewalk quickly. I set my mind on the one urgent thing in my life right now, to give the money to Pamela.
I couldn't let my dysfunctional family get hurt. The wind whipped at me, daring to push me away to the ends of the earth. But I kept on going, hoping it wasn't too late. My feet skidded on the sidewalk and I jumped off of the board letting it hit the closing wall of the alleyway. I walk into the shadowed place watching the grey clouds fly above me.
"Hello? I'm here!" I yelp, looking around. A prickling sensation poked at my back in the heat, and I grow uneasy. They had to come sooner or later. I felt my shoulders weigh down, I've never had so much responsibility especially none as big as this one. You can't put me in charge of a human life, I'm "undependable" as my dad would say. I could try, but I would never succeed.
Just when I thought I was about to collapse out of exhaustion, something catches my eye. Something shines out from behind the two dumpsters that sit next to each other. I put the dark bag down and walk over. The object glints in the little sunlight, calling me to grab it and pawn somewhere.
I bend down on my knees and put my hand under the dumpster. Blindly searching for the unknown object. Until my fingers grab onto something thin yet strong. I pull it out and stand up, I hold up a feather. It's long, almost two feet long. The edges are sharp and sleek, you could cut your finger on the edge of you slid it right. It was a bronze gold feather, beautiful actually.
I smile and turn it in my hand, I've never seen anything like it. A cool breeze runs over me, sending chills along my body. New York cars, taxis, and people shouting are all sounded from a distance. I listen to the hum of the machines in the alley. The humming starts off smooth, but rather than a machine, it sounds more like the purring of a cat.
And seconds later a second feather twirls in the air and falls in front of me. I step back and stay completely still. It wasn't humming, it was purring. I look up slowly and hold my breath as the creature stares at me. It's beady red eyes stare hungrily at me, resting on the top of the building was a creature.
It had the body of a black panther, and a face of the raven -same feet too, and a long, sharp beak. It's sharp claws were thin and deadly, ready to cut anything in its way open. Two large wings with feathers sprouted from its back. I don't think that animals can glare, but this one did.
I swallow and let the feather go, "Gryphon."
It growls and squawks defiantly at my face, standing up and readying itself.
I take a shaky breath, letting the feather fall to the floor.
"Craps."
Authors Note:
(Man it's late.
Thank you if you read through the entire thing, even if you came back later. I'm very thankful that a lot of you actually stayed here, and read every new chapter that came along. Even if you're new, you should still stay here and read.
But really, I have over a thousand views and I'm having a panic attack in my own home, because it means that most of you like my writing! *whispers* which is pretty cool and nice in my opinion.
I would also really like to thank those who supported me and told me that they quite liked my writing, because it fills me with such joy when people tell me things like that. I just really want to make you all feel like you contributed to this because you have. Trust me, YOU HAVE.
Especially my readers. I was honestly going to thank you all when my fanfiction reached 900, but I wasn't sure if you all liked Authors Notes or not.
You don't have to, but you can vote for my story, if it's your favorite chapter, or just out of generosity, or a "You're welcome" of some sort. It just shows me that you want more writing or more to read. And comment too, if you like. Whether it's constructive yet helpful criticism to help me improve, questions, or if you just want to tell me that you like the story.
It would help a lot. But truly, I'm so happy right now, and that's something that I want to feel more of. Happiness. (And tops to you if you got that reference.)
~KimberKatt