Tides of Change
Disclaimer: All characters that don't belong to me, belong to Rick Riordan. I'm just using them for viewing pleasure. Enjoy
People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed.
-Hephaestus
Chapter 2
Giant metal bull attacks the fieldtrip!
McKenzie-
I stared ahead out my window, looking over once I saw Toni sleeping in the front, her baseball cap covered the top part of her face, shielding her eyes from our sub teacher Mrs. Deneli, who looked old enough to be Toni's grandmother, but didn't look even half as ageless as Ms. Danial Preston. It always made me wonder why the girls in Toni's family were given boy names, Ms. Dani, or Nana Dani as she liked to be called, said that every woman back as far as she could remember -and that was pretty far- that they always had masculine names. Toni's Great Great Grandmother was named Jules Preston, Her Great Grandmother Jamie Preston, Her grandmother Danial Preston, her Mother Treyelle Preston and finally her Toni Preston. I found the tradition weird, but hey as my mother would say, different fish, different pond.
I sighed and leaned back in the uncomfortable school bus seat, I looked down at my clothes for a second, taking in account just out of pure boredom. My jeans were torn at the bottoms and around the knees, and covered in motor-oil stains from when I did my part time job at my Uncle's garage shop during the summer and breaks. I loved working on old cars, it really made the stress go away and just made you feel in your own little world. I've been working there since I was 8 but for the first 4 years I worked on an internship, but since I'm still under legal age, I get paid under-the-table, and now get 60 bucks a week during the summer and winter breaks. My Mother doesn't know, she'd probably scold my uncle for doing it, and my step-dad certainly doesn't know. The jerk-wad would probably start demanding that I pay rent. So that's why the only people who know about the money are me, my uncle and his accountant and fiancee, Jessica know. Ofcourse Toni and Mitchie know, we've been best buds since kindergarden. Mainly it's because we all have Daddy-issues. My dad's a drunk, no-good, make my mother do all the work jerk-wad. Toni's Dad isn't particularly bad, until Toni's mom, Treyelle, got into a car-accident and went into a coma. It's been 4 months since then, and every other week Toni and her grandmother have to fight him tooth and frickin' nail to keep him from pulling the life-support plug. Mitchie's dad left her and her mother when Mitchie was a baby, her mother took it hard, 6 years ago Mitchie's mom OD'ed and didn't wake up. Mitchie took it hard. Since Mitchie had no other family that would take her in, she was about to be put up for adoption in a Foster home, but Toni's Mom adopted her before that happened, so Ms. Treyelle's current condition is heartbreaking to her as well.
I sighed and leaned back, thinking back to when our lives weren't so troublesome.
It must have took a second to click in my head, cause all I knew that from one second to the next, I was flying, up out of my seat, weightless and free. Then reality hit like a cold, ruthless dog.
I slammed into the cold metal floor with a smack, people screaming as they tumbled around the bus, It to me a minute to process what was going on. I heard glass breaking and the bus driver screaming at the top of his lungs, before I knew it, I was flung to the back of the bus, landing right on a barely awake Mitchie. I grabbed her hand and dragged us both under neath one of the seats, Toni flew right into us, but luckily enough I got a good hold on all three of us before we all tumbled back.
finally, after what felt like hours tumbling in that hunk of metal, the bus stopped, and everyone let out a sigh of relief. Mrs. Deneli began making sure everyone was alright, when she got to me and the other two, She helped me get Mitchie into a booth, and went to yell at the bus driver. Toni blinked and looked at me,
"What the hell just happened!" She asked, grabbing Mitchie's hand, well the one I wasn't holding that is.
"I have no clue. Felt like the bus driver ran into a tree or something..." I said, leaning against the window, I closed my eyes for a bref moment, before my breakfast caught up with me.
I covered my mouth with my hand and nearly flew through the bus and out the double doors. I ran over to the side of the road and emptied the contents of my stomach. I felt someone pull my hair from my face and another pat my back. Finally, I stopped and wiped my mouth on my sleave. I looked up and saw Toni handing me a bottle of water, which I took greatfully, and Mitchie was still rubbing my back, her eyes were looking around wearily, as if she was waiting for something to jump out at us.
I stood up shakily, with Toni's help. Soon Mrs. Deneli was running over to us, "Girls I know this is alot to ask, but the driver says that we passed a gas station about a half a mile back, do you three think you can get there and get help before the weather catches up with us?" She asked, pulling her thin jacket tighter against her. Toni stood up and nodded, Mitchie followed second and I got up lastly.
We had maybe walked 30 feet away from the bus, when Mitchie froze.
"Kérata ti̱s Moíras
Orgí̱ ti̱s Gaías
epilegeí eptá
pólemos maínetai
Elli̱nikí̱ fo̱tiá
Ro̱maïkí̱ así̱mi
Eirí̱ni̱ aió̱nia
Gia pánta desmef̱tikí̱
Káto̱ apó mía si̱maía!" She said her eyes glowing brightly, I shared a look of shock with Toni before grabbing Mitchie's hand, she then collapsed against me. I almost fell down because of the unexpected weight.
I heard a loud screching sound, and looked up briefly to see a giant metal bull with fire-y eyes. I froze, never letting my eyes leave it's frozen form.
"'Kenzie..." I heard Toni whisper, and for a split we both knew that we weren't seeing things.
I tensed and for a spilt second went on instinct. I let Mitchie go and ran at the bull full speed, it raised it's massive horns and charged at me, I closed my eyes and placed my foot on its head when it had gotten close enough and launched myself over it's massive body. I landed in a kneeling position. I glanced behind me to see the bull melting before my eyes. I felt warmth, but not fear. I felt safe and sound for just a second before the feeling -and the bull- dissapeared without a single trace.
I was still in shock when Toni and a now very much awake Mitchie ran towards me. Toni was the first one to reach me, when she did she tackled me in a bear-hug with Mitchie joining in a second later. We sat like that for a while, hugging with Mitchie crying silently and Toni's arms never loosing their grip.
XXXXXX
BTW Kérata ti̱s Moíras
Orgí̱ ti̱s Gaías
epilegeí eptá
pólemos maínetai
Elli̱nikí̱ fo̱tiá
Ro̱maïkí̱ así̱mi
Eirí̱ni̱ aió̱nia
Gia pánta desmef̱tikí̱
Káto̱ apó mía si̱maía!
Means in English
Horns of Fate
Gaia's wrath
chosen seven
war raging
Greek fire
Roman silver
Peace eternal
Forever binding
Under one FLAG!
I know it doesn't rhyme but then again, she's not an expert prophetess either. So sue me if you want to get technical.
