~Chapter 10~
Amelia
“Amelia, where do you think you’re going?” her mother asked her, as she reached for the doorknob. Ms. Kether studied the plaid skirt and white blouse she was wearing. Her hair was also pulled up into a neat pony tail.
“I’m going to Lindy’s, mom.” Ami put on a bored and flat expression. Her mom didn’t need to ask where she was going every single time.
Instantly, her mother’s scowl turned into a sweet smile, “You’re really going along with that Clarisse girl, are you?”
Ami rolled her eyes, “Her name’s Clarence, mom. Jeez, do you have amnesia?”
“Just be back on time, Amelia,” her mom told her. Ami ignored her bossy tone and went out the door. Her mother could be really sometimes.
Wait, no.
Her mother could be annoying every time.
As the elevator began ascending to the floor above and the cheesy music started playing, Ami grew a lot more….free. Ever since Clarence – or Clover, whichever – jumped into her life, her mother was allowing her to go out of the house more often. It’s been a week since Clarence began her training and since that, Ami was visiting her house every single day. Mostly to teach and train her, because Lindy was gone and a few times they would just hang out and be friends. Talking about their lives, their feelings, exchanging jokes – corny or not. Yep, Clarence Meadow was officially Amelia Kether’s best friend.
Letting out a loud ding, the elevator stopped on Clarence’s floor. Ami practically skipped to their front door. Clarence opened it. Her hair was tied up into messy bun and she was wearing a sweat shirt and sweat pants.
“Look who woke up late this time,” Ami giggled.
Clarence playfully glared at her, “Shut up. I already ate breakfast…so that means I didn’t wake up late.”
Ami rolled her eyes and let herself inside, “Whatever.” After a few days of getting to know Clarence, Ami learned that she has this habit of sleeping late ‘coz of staring up at the stars at night. And then in the morning, she’s all grumpy if she has to wake up early or if someone forces her out of bed.
“Are you hungry? There’s some food on the kitchen table,” her friend told her. Ami shook her head and crashed on the couch, “Nah, thanks. I already ate.”
Clarence nodded, “Okay, I’m going to take a bath first, and then we should get started.” Ami noticed her face still looked sleepy. She watched as Clarence went back to her room to take a shower.
“Don’t fall asleep!” Ami called out. All she received for a response was a low grunt.
Ami chuckled to herself. She knew Clarence was a bit unlike her. Amelia was the girly-ish type, the kind of young lady her mother molded her into. Clarence was the tough, fierce type. Just like Artemis. She’s not exactly tomboy-ish, but Clarence is the kind of girl who would kick any guy who would threaten her in the nuts.
A few minutes, later, Clarence came back, all fresh and clean. Her hair was down and she was wearing faded out jeans and a baggy shirt. Just the kind of clothing she would be most likely to wear.
“So, where do we start?” Clarence took a seat beside her. She pulled the bowl of M&Ms onto her lap and popped a few candies into her mouth.
“Let’s take a little break from training and lessons,” Ami told her. Clarence raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Why?”
“Don’t you want a little break and vacay?” Ami shrugged, “We’ll just kick back and relax for the morning, then in the afternoon, we’ll be resuming with our training.”
“Okay, fine with me. What do you want to do?” Clarence questioned.
Ami’s eyes lit up, “Oooh, what about we ask a few questions so we get to know each other?”
Her best friend gave her a teasing shove, “You already know me, Aims.”
Ami threw her arms, “Come on, Clar! There are still some things you don’t know!”
Clarence sighed, “Fine. You start.”
Ami started thinking. She decided to start with something simple and usual,
“What’s your full name?”
Clarence replied, “Clarence B. Meadow. Period. What’s yours?”
“Amelia Jane V. Kether. What’s your favorite color – or colors?”
Clarence seemed to think for a moment before answering, “Blue and silver. What’s your favorite food?”
Ami smiled, “I have to say…Ambrosia and nectar!” She had tasted that a few times when she got hurt (which was rarely) because Lindy had a small supply of it. “What’s your favorite hobby?”
“Painting and drawing,” Clarence answered in a ‘duh’ tone. “What’s yours?”
“Uhh…well, it’s hanging out with my friends. What or where is your favorite place?”
“Just somewhere I can see the stars.” Ami laughed at her typical answer, “What’s the most embarrassing moment yet in your life?”
“When I just found out that I was a demigod and I was new with my powers. I got claimed in camp, then I almost electrocuted Chiron and the praetors.” After she finished, Clarence burst out laughing.
“So what’s the happiest moment of your life?” Ami asked.
“When I just sit on the grass out in the cold chilly night, staring at the stars like nothing matters anymore. Oh, and also meeting you and Lindy.” Her friend replied, “Have you taken control of your powers yet?”
A light blush crept up on Ami’s face, “Err…nope. Some…accidents happen.” She just brushed it away and continued, “What would you do if someday or somehow you get to meet your mom?”
She can feel Clarence tense up beside her. Clarence looked like she was thinking deeply. After what seemed like forever for Ami, she said, “I would slap her across the face.” A smug smile was etched on her face.
Ami decided not to question this anymore. Instead, she listened to Clarence’s question, “Who’s your favorite Olympian and why? Not counting Jupiter, of course.”
Ami made a thinking face, “I’d choose Aphrodite because she shows real beauty. Inside and outside. Many adore her, one of them being me.”
Clarence frowned, “What? You think she’s beautiful inside?” she snorted, “She even left her husband for that scumbag god of war!”
Ami apologized. She forgot that tragic story of Artemis and Aphrodite – also including Ares, which led to her birth.
“Okay, then,” Ami moved the topic, “Who’s your favorite Olympian and why?”
Clarence answered instantaneously, “My favorite is Athena. She’s the goddess of wisdom and crafting and more. She’s smart, and that’s one of the things I like about her. She may be a little arrogant - like my uncle – but she’s great when it comes to battle.”
Clarence questioned, “Where would you want to go to?”
Ami knew the answer right away, “Olympus, obviously. Who wouldn’t want to go there? So Clarence, what do you wanna be in the future?”
“A hero.”
Ami was half surprised by her response. Only a few demigods become heroes, ever since the war with Gaea. She would be dead before she would be claimed a hero.
“What’s your top thing in your bucket list?” Clarence asked.
“Fall in love.” Ami wanted to be in love. Like, those sparks you feel inside you and that fluttering you feel inside your stomach when that right guy hold your hand. Blushing, and definitely, the sweet sweet sweet feeling you get when he kisses you. Ami hasn’t had a boyfriend yet, or a crush but she was willing to have one soon.
A mischievous smirk made its way to Ami’s lips as she asked her best friend, “Who’s your crush?”
~ΔΟΛ~ ΔΟΛ~ ΔΟΛ~
Clarence
“Who is your crush?” Ami repeated. Clarence just sat there, staring at her as if she turned into a monster. Clarence’s mind then flew to other places. There weren’t many guys she knew at her school. Most of them weren’t friendly to her at all. She didn’t even know the feeling of having a crush.
Though there were to guys who – maybe – cared for her.
Ash and Jed.
Jed was the one more caring between the two. But she thinks Jed just thinks of her as a little sister or something. He just felt sorry for her because of Merilda’s abusing. He was different because he wasn’t afraid of Merilda. But – ew – he was her cousin, both the godly side and the mortal side. Lindy told her a few days ago that Jed was a son of Apollo (the Roman Apollo) , so he was definitely counted out.
All that’s left is Ash. She knew he was just helping her because his best friend was caring for her. They were just classmates, nothing more than that and she didn’t even consider him as a friend. Not even an acquaintance. He barely spoke to her and rarely helped her. But he was the reason that Clarence wasn’t seeing anymore monsters in Eastern. And then there was that part of Clarence that was saying that she didn’t mean anything to him. Plus, he is a son of Ares, one of the gods she despises so much.
“No one,” she finally answered. Ami searched her face, trying to find any blush or any hint that she was lying. Unfortunately for Amelia, there was none.
“B-but, how about those two demigods Lindy told you?” Ami asked.
Clarence shrugged, “Jed’s my cousin and Ash is just nothing.” She said without expression.
Ami pouted, “Awww…come on. You must’ve met the one guy who’d make you happy for the rest of your life!”
The daughter of Artemis snorted, “Yeah right.”
This time, Ami’s dreamy emotion changed and she narrowed her eyes, “What? So you plan to be a maiden or virgin forever?”
Clarence didn’t want to follow on her mother’s footsteps. There were already many things they were alike. Her attitude, the bow and arrow, the stars and her own face features…..they were so alike. Would she add another similarity on the list by staying a maiden? But hold on…Artemis was no longer a maiden.
“Well,” she said to Ami, “if I think I found the right guy, then I’ll allow myself to be with him. If the guys I meet act like total egotistic jerks to me, then I’d prefer being a maiden.”
Ami nodded, satisfied with her answer. “Do you want to continue?” Clarence shook her head. The last question disturbed her greatly.
“Come on, Ami.” She stood up from the couch.
Her friend cocked an eyebrow, “Why? Where are we going?”
Clarence smirked, “It’s my turn to choose what to do.”
Clarence led her friend to the room – which the called the gym or the training room. That’s where both girls trained to fight. For Clarence, she never missed a shot when handling her bow and an arrow. She also found out she had an unlimited supply of arrows. She was also great in hand to hand combat, which was common among demigods even without proper training. Clarence had grown quite strong, too that she thinks she can already take on Merilda. Meanwhile, Ami was handy with a knife. It’s her weapon for she couldn’t handle her powers yet.
Clarence grabbed the long wooden box which reminded her very much of her old art box. Lindy couldn’t give her a new one…yet. But there are a bunch of art materials in the house. Sometimes Clarence would paint if she was bored. Her biggest dream is to paint the most realistic painting of stars she could ever make.
Anyway, inside that box were her beloved – new treasures – bow and the quiver full of arrows. She held her bow and slung the quiver over her shoulder. Getting a silver shiny arrow, she placed it on the bow and got ready to shoot. Beside her, Ami was also facing the target, a few knives in her hand.
“Contest?” Clarence challengingly said to her.
“Game on.” Ami smirked.
Soon, knives and arrows were thrown into the targets simultaneously and both girls lost track of the targets they’ve shot. After a full five minutes, they had the equal number of bullseyes. The girls were sweating and panting.
“When will we ever fight a real monster?” Clarence whined.
Ami laughed at her desperation, “Really, Clar? Do you want to get in danger? Hurt yourself?”
“First, I’ll never hurt myself because clearly, I’ll be winning a fight against a monster. Next, if I do get hurt, then we have some ambrosia and nectar so in that case, I’ll be able to taste it for the first time. And lastly, battling is fun. It could be part of my training!” she told her.
Ami shook her head, “Oh, Clarence. I’d rather not do that.”
Clarence rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”
She wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead with the back of her hand. She recalled that one day when Lindy told her that she had actual powers. But only the children of the Big Three have powers. Lindy said since she’s special, then she had special powers, too. Clarence still had no idea what her powers are. She’s determined to learn how to use them.
“Hey, Clarence, do you want to go up the rooftop?” Ami invited. Clarence accepted it and morphed her bow and arrows into a small size. The weapon shrinks and transforms into a crescent shape which was connected to a star shape. She stuffed it in her pocket just in case.
The two girls headed for the elevator. Ami pushed the button for the top floor and in no time, the elevator was speeding upwards. As the elevator reached the rooftop, the cold spring breeze of New York welcomed them.
Clarence took a deep breath through her mouth, “It’s cool up here,” she ran to the railing and looked down. The cars were running through the busy road whilst the people walked on the sidewalk. The condo was pretty tall; she could see their company’s building from this rooftop.
“Nice, huh?” Ami said. Clarence nodded in response.
Clarence just stared at the city view before her eyes. She enjoyed being in a great height like this, mainly because her mother is the goddess of the stars.
She couldn’t help waiting for night to arrive. It’s when she can see the stars glittering on the dark sky. For the past nights, she would just walk up towards the comfy couch positioned next to her large glass window. She would stare up at the sparkles, wondering if there was a way she could get closer to them. Her eyes stayed glued to them-
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shriek from Ami.
“What is it?” Clarence snapped her attention to her best friend. Ami was looking above them, completely frozen in shock and fear. Her hand unconsciously gripped Clarence’s. Clarence shrugged her had away, taking her bow and arrow from her pocket and it immediately transformed into the weapon.
Circling above them were three large birds. Clarence could see them clearly. They had soft fiery red feathers, a sharp pointed beak and they were squawking loudly. One of them broke the circle and in a flash, was speeding towards Clarence. Fortunately, she dodged out of the way. The bird was a few yards away, but it came back and it was aiming for Clarence again. This time, Clarence ducked and positioned one arrow on her bow, preparing to shoot the bird.
Another loud scream echoed in her ears. It was Ami.
Ami was the target of another one of the birds. Her feet were stuck to the ground, and she looked pretty much helpless. The bird was darting towards her but Clarence pushed her out of the way.
“Ami! Snap out of it!” She yelled at her friend. Clarence remembered that she wasn’t in this situation before. Amelia didn’t know how to react, what to do, plus she didn’t have any weapon with her. She just wasn’t as strong and bold as Clarence.
“P-phoenix…” she heard her mutter, her eyes still wide as saucers. Suddenly, Clarence remembered the monster. Those were phoenixes, fierce and wild birds. They are like the sun, forming a new phoenix out of the ashes of the dead one.
“Ami, please!” Clarence grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Though, it was no use. Clarence’s eyes moved towards the birds and noticed another bird was flying towards them, readying to attack. Good thing the monsters were a little far. But that didn’t give Clarence an advantage this time at all. The bird attacked them, and Ami was the one badly hit. She watched as she dropped to the ground.
Clarence came crawling towards her. She still was a bit shaken up and not in the condition to fight, so Clarence dragged her to the railing and she leaned on it, resting. “Just stay here, Ami. You’ll be fine.” She said softly to her. Ami nodded weakly and Clarence grabbed her weapon which was dropped near her.
Clarence prepared to shoot. The arrow was released…but it missed. The second silver arrow was fired, but again the birds dodged it. Clarence gulped. She couldn’t possibly miss. She’d been training on targets for the past week – even moving targets. Though, she realized that the birds were far too fast for the arrows to hit them. If she could just aim and shoot perfectly….She knew the arrows might not have an effect on them even if she did shoot one bird. She needed something…
She turned to her friend, who was currently on her feet but she still got support from the metal railing. Ami’s breath came in short pants. Clarence was glad she was alright.
Then out of nowhere, a bird attacked Clarence again. She guessed it must be getting annoyed of her arrows. She tried to dodge or duck but the bird crashed on her, hitting her head hard. She hit the floor as the memories of Merilda’s abuses rushed in her head. She didn’t need to be afraid or weaken herself. She experienced worse than this. She experienced Merilda.
Clarence scrambled to her feet, brushing aside the terrible pain in her head. She ran straight towards Ami, who wasn’t noticed by any of the birds. The monsters were busy squawking and flying. Soon, they’ll be attacking again. Lucky for the girls, the mortals below, on the ground wouldn’t see the whole fighting scene due to the mist.
“Ami, I need your help,” Clarence said.
“What?” Ami asked. Clarence could tell that she was desperate to get the monsters away. Desperate to get them killed.
“Make me fire,” Clarence ordered. Ami looked at her unbelievably. She threw her arms and screamed, “Goddammit Clarence, I’m not some damn child of Hephaestus!”
“Yeah, but you’re the daughter of the god of thunder and lightning!” Clarence snapped back at her, “Come on, Ami, you have to try.”
Ami widened her eyes when she realized what Clarence was talking about, “No, Clarence, please. I can’t do this!!!”
Then, a phoenix came up to them, knocking them both over. The bird made a loop in the sky before coming back to its companions.
Once they were in their feet, Clarence reached out an arrow towards Ami. She pleaded, “Ami it’s the only way. It’ll be instantly killed if you could just set fire.”
Another bird was coming towards them. “Ami!” Clarence exclaimed.
Then, Ami yelled at the top of her lungs. Clarence noticed her using a lot of power in her body, draining most of her energy. A lightning bolt came straight on Clarence’s arrow, setting it on fire. A loud thunder followed after.
The arrow Clarence was holding was made out of special metal, so the heat didn’t creep up to her hand. Therefore, they wouldn’t be in more danger than they were in. Plus, the lightning and thunder held the birds back, and they were flying a bit slower than before. This was her chance.
She put the fire-struck arrow in her bow. She stretched it gently, aiming for the birds. She looked for the perfect time, and that time is when the birds would be aligned. Focusing her eyes on nothing but the creatures, the arrow was shot. She watched it all in slow motion. The arrow piercing through each of the birds’ body, the three monsters squawked in defeat and lastly, they crumbled into monster dust then.
The next thing Clarence knew, she was kneeling beside Ami, who was breathing heavily and her eyes were half closed. “Are you okay?” Clarence asked in concern. Ami’s energy was drained out because of summoning the lightning.
“I’m okay,” Ami managed to mutter.
Clarence lay beside her, taking deep breaths like her friend. She closed her eyes, savoring her victory. She had to admit, she couldn’t believe that helpless girl from Washington actually killed three phoenixes with one flaming arrow.
Clarence had done it.
She killed her first monsters.
~ΔΟΛ~ ΔΟΛ~ ΔΟΛ~
Victorrrrehhhh…yeah!!!!! Haha, cheers for Clarence. And me, because I managed to write this. FYI, I finished this on 7:23 PM, April 19, 2014. Yes, I wrote this earlier. Ohhhh, and this is the very first chapter in DOL that reached 3000 plus words! Haha, DOR so happpeeeee...
Ah mah gawsh, I haven't updated for sooo long! I'm so sorry...I need my vacay, too you know. We went to this beach/pool resort and spent a night and two days there! Sunburn sucks, tho XD. Anyway, I'll update more often 'coz Vi is back!!!
-Vireen, Daughter of Riches
Dedication: To a wonderful person. She read my first book, Ice and Snow, so why not give her a dedication in this book? Thanks for supporting IS, Rose!