Chapter 1: Goat and Death
Anya is not really in a great mood. Really. If you were in her place, you'd probably be thankful of your life. Well maybe she's exaggerating, maybe not.
It was a Sunday afternoon and it was supposed to be all smile and sunshine but not today. It was one of those days that made her almost wished she hadn't ran from the foster home. Almost. It wasn't the worst place but definitely it wasn't the best. Especially for a kid with ADHD and dyslexia, the place would be what you'd call a torture zone.
She is different and she knows that. But she didn't need people to keep pointing it out for her. Not to mention that the nuns of the place always looked at her disappointed. It's like they're contemplating on why they'd even pick her up in the middle of nowhere. And yes they did. They found her in one of those inhabited islands when they were doing this survival-slash-retreat kind of thing. Like when they want to experience God's presence in some weird place.
Well not like she didn't believe in God. Ever since her mind was able to understand that the monsters under her bed were actual monsters, she decided that if the devils were real and so is God.
Well back to the weather, at first it was just clear skies but all of a sudden, as if sensing her arrival, the clouds suddenly went darker, turning into some huge cumulonimbus. Well that's how others see it probably. As for her, she can see them, the devils.
They've been following her for days, making a mess of her every now and then. She couldn't really understand them. Those electric eyes just scream mischief every time she sees them. Not to mention that she actually thought they were angels only to find out that they were trying to kill her.
Before she could look away, they spot her. Her gray eyes widen and she went for a sprint. Her legs ran as fast as it can. She passed some cafes and bumped some passerby that cussed and yelled at her. Some not in a language she understands. But she ignored them. After all some spawn of Satan is flying towards her smiling like beautiful angels while saying 'You look good to eat.'
"Damn it!" she cursed as she accidentally tripped and fell on the ground. If she had time she'd probably kicked the root that made her slip. But she didn't have some, so she got up as gracefully as she can, ignoring the quiet murmurs and laughs behind her.
"Ignorants." she murmured pointing the insult towards the onlookers. It wasn't exactly an insult but it's the best she can describe them. Like how can they not see what she's seeing? Are they stupid? Though, she didn't say that out loud and just kept on running.
She turned into a corner, and for the love of God, she bumped into another person, who seems to be also in a hurry. They both fell on the ground due to impact and she almost screamed from what she saw but the dude immediately covered her mouth. Her instincts told her that it was safe but she still pushed him off, her eyes not leaving the sight of some hooves that were immediately pushed in some shoes.
"Are you okay?" the hooves man said, looking for some bruise or something.
'Well how do you describe okay?' she wanted to ask but she's pretty sure she looked like a mess. Her short black hair probably looked like some bird's nest, some dark eye bags to compliment her tired grey eyes, and her face might have some smudge here and there.
Her clothes? Well not the best. She was wearing an oversized white shirt under a brown old jacket that she found somewhere along the road. Her black jogging pants were stained and ragged and was a little bit short, so they end up showing some white socks. At least her black rubber shoes were a perfect fit. Though, she stole them from a store near her foster home. She did leave a note to just charge Sister Erika, the head nun for it.
"Are you okay?" he asked this time a little more worried. He probably thought she hit her head because he mouthed the words like she's some sort of a baby.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said noticing how weird he actually looks. He was wearing an orange shirt that says 'YOU HAVE GOAT TO BE KIDDING ME' and some black loose pants. His shoes were orange and she wondered if she'd just actually hallucinated about the hooves. He has a goatee in which she thought was lame because she hates beards and his hair were messy curls under his orange baseball cap.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked again this time lending a hand for her to get up.
"I said I'm fine." She muttered annoyed and swats the guy's hand away. She wiped the dust on her pants and before she could motion herself to run again, the guy took her wrist.
"Hey!" She yelled annoyed. Here she is trying to keep herself alive and someone just has to slow her down. "What do you want?" She asked annoyed.
"It's okay. I don't have time to explain to you but I'm a protector." He said convincingly that her instincts told her to run fast. It wasn't the first time someone told her that they'd help her and only to figure out that she'd be their dinner.
"Let go of me!" She struggled as panic started to rise within her. Tears started to pull at the corner of her eyes and she screamed. "Someone help!"
She looked around but noticed that no one is paying attention to her. And it dawned on her that people aren't exactly that nice. They probably thought that she's some thief that was caught and asking for a distraction to run away from her captor.
She tugged a little more and this time she slipped from his grasp. She was about to give herself a mental pat in the head but she just bumped into another person. She looked up and she immediately prayed that she didn't. She wanted to cry. She was cornered. The goat man wasn't alone.
There stood in front of her is man probably around his late twenties. One thing to describe him is death, definitely dangerous. His hair is black and was properly trimmed. His face is so pale that she thought the guy probably never left his room except for today. His brown eyes were looking down at her, probably contemplating if she's worth the trouble. He wore a black aviator jacket and some fit black jeans and some boots that looked like they had walked on glass shards, though the bright yellow sun necklace he has contradicts him.
She held a gasp, trying to look as brave as she can, with some devils chasing after her and two men trapping her. She isn't even sure whether the other one was a human to begin with.
"What happened to you?" Goat guy asked sounding shock from the appearance of the other guy.
"Shut up." Death man said annoyed at goat man's stare. "Is it bad?" he asked as he consciously combs his hair like he wasn't used to it.
"Not at all." Goat man said fidgety, waving his hands. "I mean why'd you cut your hair?"
"Some young campers from the Hermes Cabin were messing around and I was a fool for thinking they'd leave me alone while I rest on the bench after a sparring." He said clearly annoyed and his next tone only scared her more. "Travis and Connor were actually behind it, daring the kids and something about a prize. To cut the story short they put chewing gum on my hair. Will helped me cut my hair." In the last sentenced, he sounded shy and looked away, and she saw the hint of blush in his pale skin.
"Ohhh." Goat man said as if he doesn't know what to do with that.
The two continued to talk and then she realized something. They were distracted. She has to run fast. And that's what she did. She ran fast and never looked back. She took a hard left and went inside an alley. It was small but big enough for her but not for her pursuers. Well maybe the devils can follow her through the alley but certainly not the two men.
She continued to run and took a risk of looking back. There was no one behind. She probably lost the devils too. She smiled to herself but it didn't last long. When she looks back in front of her, there stood Death man.
She shrieked in horror and due to the sudden stop of her speed, she fell to the ground face first, her hands desperate to keep balance as she fell. She groaned and rolled her back on the floor. That was an awful fall. She had to admit it. She felt her knees ached and her nose was probably pointing left for all she knew.
She risked looking up and she noticed how death man was trying his best not to smile. And from where she came from, she heard goat man running towards them, his voice ragged and breathing hard.
"Gods of Olympus, you sure can run." He staggered as he said the words.
Before she knew it, Death man helped her up and tried to swat the dust that clung to her.
"Oh." Goat man winced. "That looks awful." He said pointed at her face. If she didn't fell down, she would have been offended because she was pretty sure she wasn't that ugly.
Death man moved and faced her. When he saw what the other was pointing he frowned.
"Want me to put it back to place?" He asked looking disturbed.
She kind of realized at that point what they were talking about. It was her nose. She reached for it and yelped as she touched it. All locked up feelings surged and the trigger would be her dislocated nose.
Before she knew it she cried. This was too much for a thirteen year old to handle. She imagined herself running for life while devils made fun of her nose, making jokes that she'd definitely have to go left because that's where her nose is pointing. She'd rather die than to live her life like that. No guy would like her anymore because it wasn't her life that's a mess, even her nose. She'd have to live her life alone as the world continued to make fun of her. She'd be a bigger hit than Rudolf the reindeer.
Her cries grew louder and she starts to hiccough. She desperately tried to wipe her tears away but more continued to flow.
"Shit." She heard death man said. "You made her cry." He stated like he wasn't part of it.
"Really Nico? I made her cry?" Goat man questioned a hint of annoyance in his voice. "At your age, you should be at least matured enough to know you can't just point fingers. I'm not the only one at fault."
With that Goat man crouch down so that his head was levelled with her.
"Everything is going to be okay." He said reassuring her as he pats her head. His face showed care but she couldn't stop her crying.
"No one's going to marry me anymore." She said between hiccoughs and cries. "My nose will never be the same!"
"We'll fix it." He said reassuring and handed her a hankie and some golden cubes that she thought were sweets. "Here have some. It will make the pain go away."
She hesitated for once after all she didn't know them. But then she realized being poisoned to death isn't that bad. Might as well take the risk and see the results. Who knows, maybe they were good guys after all. Well maybe not Death man but Goat man surely is.
She took one cube and nervously ate it. At that moment Goat man was definitely winning kindest goat-man, whatever he is, forever.
She munched slowly as if living every moment she have. It was the most delicious thing she has ever eaten. She couldn't tell where she tasted this before but it reminded her of something warm, like a home. She couldn't see an image but she felt it. It was enough. It was evidence that she once had a home and she could taste the chocolate chip cookies. They were perfect.
"Great right?" Goat man asked and he smiled so kindly.
"Thank you." She said in a smile then she remembered her nose. The thought made her frown again. "How are you going to fix my nose?" She asked meekly, looking down.
Before goat man can answer, Death Man spoke. "Shit. They spotted us."
The two of them looked up and there near the dark clouds were the devils.
"We have to run." She said in panic as she grabbed Goat man, trying her best to pull him.
"Don't worry. We got this." He said reassuringly and this time she believed him wholeheartedly. "Nico, let's go."
With that, Nico-Death man grabbed her and Goat man by the hand and the next thing she knew was the feeling of her body going full speed as if it was disintegrating in darkness.