Hey guys! I'm back, sorry, I think this was the longest one to update ever! I'm so sorry, I've just been so busy now that school is done, my mom wants me to do a bunch of stuff. Plus, I've had writer's block and this is like my third draft of this chapter! :S So please forgive me!
Chapter 6: Kelsi
They were already aboard the plane once Thalia's hands started trembling. The plane hadn't even taken off yet, and still she was shaking terribly. She was starring out the window, with her fingers wrapped around her armrests.
Of course, Thalia thought, the window seat, of all places on this damn plane.
Thalia felt a steady hand wrap around her shaking ones. Not once had Thalia's eyes left the window and nonetheless, she knew that it was Luke trying to calm her down. Duh. For starters, she knew he was seated beside her and lastly, even if it had been Drew at his place, she didn't seem like the "here, lean on me" type.
The touch of his skin warmed her to the bone and somehow, she had forgotten it was the middle of winter. Even so, it wasn't the cold making her shiver.
"Do you have your seatbelt on?" he asked softly, tilting his head a bit towards hers.
Thalia nodded absently. She had fastened the damn thing the moment she had found her seat.
Her mind started to drift off to all the possible worst case scenarios. If the plane crash landed and they all died, then this whole thing would have been for nothing. She would have dragged Luke and Drew down with her. Or maybe they'd survive the crash and they would get stuck on a deserted island, a bit like Oliver Queen in Arrow. Damn, she had marathoned the whole first season while she was at Luke's. This was probably the first time ever she'd regret watching TV.
Suddenly, she felt Luke nudge her. Thalia turned to him as he pointed at the front of the aisle. A woman, one of the flight attendants was doing a demo of what to do in case of an emergency.
"Just watch," Luke whispered. "Maybe, it'll help you relax."
Thalia leaned forward on her left side, towards Luke, so she could try and look at the flight attendant. She watched and listened as the woman demonstrated how to inflate a life vest, how to use a mask and which paths lead to the nearest exit.
Once the demo was over, Thalia felt a pair of eyes on her. Luke was staring at her intently, with a grin plastered across his face. For a second, Thalia had forgotten she was leaning over him to watch the woman in the stupid vest.
"What are you smiling at?" asked Thalia, trying to force a slightly annoyed tone in her voice.
Luke's smile only grew. He raised his eyebrows and directed her to the window. Thalia twisted her head around. Her electric blue eyes grew in shock and terror.
Outside the window were clouds. Dozens and dozens of differently shaped cotton balls covering a beautiful blue sky. And she hadn't felt this terrified in a long, long time. She had faced many, more dangerous creatures yet, the gorgeous view she was staring at the moment probably terrified her a thousand times over.
How hadn't she realized they were moving? Her hands had started to tremble once more, and that's when she realized Luke's hand never left hers. He squeezed her tightly and gave her a reassuring look.
"You were trying to distract me," she mumbled as she realized his ploy.
"Yeah," he admitted, with a sheepish smile. "I thought it would help you cope. I've heard that the takeoffs and the landings are the scariest part of the ride."
Thalia remembered the one time she ever attempted to drive anything—Apollo's sun chariot—and how that had gone so well. "Trust me; crash landings are a lot more terrifying."
Although Thalia wasn't staring at the window anymore, she could still feel the goose bumps on her bare skin and her limbs shake violently.
"Get up," Luke ordered.
Thalia raised an eyebrow as she stared Luke undoing his belt – his seat belt, that is, not the one around his pants.
"What in the name of Hades are you doing?!" Thalia shrieked. "Luke, the seatbelt sign is not off! Put it back on right now!"
Luke placed his free hand—the one that wasn't clinging on to her left hand—on her shoulder. "Relax, Thalia, I'm just trying to switch seats with you."
Thalia stopped for a second. Her eyes locked with his. "Are we allowed to do that?"
A small shrug was her only answer before Luke stood up. Hastily, Thalia unbuckled her seatbelt and slid into his chair. Luke dropped his bottom on the window seat and let out an exasperated breath. Luckily, no attendant seemed to have caught or seemed to care enough to stop them.
Once Luke had a belt back on, Thalia placed her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you."
Now, the shaking had diminished. Luke seemed proud for the tiny act of heroism. Thalia would have pointed that out, though stopped herself when she remembered that Luke hated it when people admired him for his bravery or quick thinking.
"Wait 'till you see this," Luke said.
Thalia followed his hand, which was now closing the blinds. It blocked out the view of the sky. Thalia could suddenly feel her body relax. She was thankful it was Luke flying with her. Had it been anyone else, they would have laughed her off.
The demigod turned her head and looked around the plane. Across the aisle, Drew starred at the couple in awe. She sat beside a redheaded guy, who couldn't have been a year older than Luke. He was good looking but surprisingly, Drew didn't seem to pay him any attention.
Instead, she leaned over him and closed their blinds shut, copying Luke's movements.
Thalia suddenly felt grateful. Perhaps, Drew really did have a heart.
With her head on the Luke's shoulder and her hands wrapped in his, she fell asleep, forgetting that she was hundreds of feet in the air.
After a couple of hours crammed against the window, Luke didn't know how much more he could take it. He stared as the man sitting in front of them stood up, and make his way towards the restroom, out back.
Damn it, Luke thought, I should really stop drinking so much Red Bull.
Beside him, Thalia was leaning on Luke's shoulder; she had fallen asleep two hours earlier. Though, she could never have done it alone. The tea, which Thalia had described as disgusting, had helped.
Gently, Luke poked her forehead. At first, she did not stir. The second nudge was a tad harder. Thalia's eyes opened a crack and scanned the floor before closing shut, once again. "Thalia," Luke whispered while giving her one final poke.
This time, her eyes stayed open yet, she still looked like she was in a daze. "Have we arrived yet?" asked Thalia. "Please tell me we're here. I think I'm getting air sick."
Luke chuckled. He hadn't laughed so easily in so long, it felt slightly odd, as if his smile was a bit rusty. "Sorry to disappoint," he told her with an apologetic look.
Thalia groaned, putting her hand to her forehead. "We're taking a boat on the return trip," she announced.
The blond nodded. "As you wish," he said.
Raising an eyebrow lazily, she asked, "So why'd you wake me up?"
Pink overwhelmed his cheeks. Luke had no idea why he was so sheepish. Wasn't he supposed to be some sort of fearless demigod? Luke coughed uncomfortably. "Well, um, actually… I really need to go to the restroom and since you're kind of using my shoulder as a cushion—"
This time, it was Thalia's turn to flush. The moment she had woken up, her head hadn't left her 'pillow'. Now, Thalia sat up straight. "Gods, I'm so sorry. Here, go ahead." She moved her legs so that Luke could pass between her and the seat in front of them.
Awkwardly, Luke made it to the aisle and made his way to the tail of the plane. Walking down the lane, he turned to look at Thalia, who now had her elbowed propped on her armrest and her hand on her face, shaking her head.
Luke couldn't fight his grin. Although, he was quite embarrassed, he was sure Thalia would be scarred for life.
Once he arrived at the end of the vehicle and read OCCUPIED, Luke leaned on the wall, gritting his teeth in frustration. He turned his gaze toward the seat that was in front of his. It was still empty, the man who sat there was probably still inside the restroom. Luke leaned his head back and closed his eyes, he let a few moments pass until he heard the door unlock.
Relieved, he opened his eyes. However, instead of a 30-year-old man on vacation, he found a tall, blonde flight attendant coming out of the lavatory. She didn't look much older than Luke.
When she saw him, she beamed an unnaturally white and wide smile at his direction. It was so odd, it felt off. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said. Her voice was so high pitched; Luke imagined Mrs. O'Leary could hear it all the way back to Long Island.
"It's all right, um…" Luke tried to look for the flight attendant's nametag. It took Luke a few moments to decipher what was written, since he was dyslexic. KELSI was written in gold over the blue tag "It's no problem, Kelsi."
Luke hadn't noticed earlier how close he and Kelsi were. She took a step toward him, a totally random and unnecessary step. Though, Kelsi was tall and wore heels, Luke still towered over her. Their bodies were almost touching. She was pretty; Luke couldn't deny that. The flight attendant had long, flowing golden hair and flawless skin, even under the thick layer of makeup on her face. The lipstick she wore was deep red, almost like blood, which made her look even more attractive.
"What are you—" Luke said, looking slightly confused. But Kelsi kept coming forward while Luke wouldn't back away. He couldn't back away—he was up against the wall.
And when Luke thought Kelsi was about to kiss him, she sniffed him. Yes, the way a Labrador would. Throughout the years, many, many girls have done odd things to, towards and at Luke. But never had they sniffed him, as if he was a doggy treat.
Luke was so crept out that he couldn't find any words in him. He didn't have to, though. Kelsi inhaled his scent one more time before grinning mischievously.
"Mmmhhh," said Kelsi, "demigod. Kelsi's favorite dessert."
Luke's eyes grew wide in surprise as the realization struck him. "Empousa," he whispered in horror. The color drained from his face, even more once he realized he didn't have any of his weapons with him. All their swords were towed away in the storage area above their seats. It had taken Drew forever to charmspeak every security guard at the airport to let the three demigods pass with sharp and pointy tools.
"A very, very, verrryyyy handsome demigod, indeed," Kelsi said. Her "s" was hissing.
This time, Kelsi's arm wrapped itself around Luke. Her long fingers found the back of his neck and she pulled him in, crushing her red lips on his. Though, Luke's chat with Thalia just a few minutes earlier was extremely embarrassing, this kiss was even more awkward. Luke had no idea what to do with his hands, his mouth—he had no idea what to do, period.
It wasn't like there was ever a class at Camp for "What to do when a dangerous, yet obviously extremely hormonal creature tries to make out with you 101".
Finally starting to come to his senses, Luke tried to push the Empousa off of him. It was to no avail. Luke was strong, but the monster was a lot stronger.
Pulling the lavatory door open behind her, Kelsi the Empousa dragged him inside with after her. She closed the door shut and locked the door.
Oh great, Luke thought, I'm about to get raped by a psychotic monster from the Underworld in an airplane's restroom.
Luke would have to remind himself to write that down on his lists of lows. He could feel Kelsi's mouth kissing him and her hands touching Luke's skin under his shirt. Though, unlike the dozen other make out sessions in his life, Luke kept his eyes wide open.
And all he could see way red.
The bathroom was covered in blood. To the mirror, the sink, the door, walls and floor. Luke could feel his body tremble.
Kelsi didn't seem to mind. She effortlessly pushed Luke onto the covered toilet seat and positioned herself on his lap. Kelsi wrapped her long legs around his waist. She took Luke's hand and put them around her body.
That's when Luke realized he could taste something metallic. And the wheels in his brain started to turn. The red on Kelsi's lips weren't just makeup, but blood. The flesh of the man who sat in front of Luke's seat. The Empousa must have lured him into the lavatory and had…well, her lunch. And like Kelsi said, Luke was dessert.
I really need to get out of here, he thought.
Luke needed a weapon. It wasn't like he was rubbish at hand and hand combat but he doubted he could throw a fist in the closet they were in. And then, Luke remembered the nametag. Sharp.
Decidedly, Luke played along. He placed his hands all over her body. They slithered around her neck and then slowly moving down towards her chest. Kelsi pressed her breasts harder against the demigod's chest. Luke felt so sick; he thought he might puke all over her.
At least, he thought, that would get her off of me.
Suddenly, Thalia's image flashed inside Luke's mind. And then, he thought about her soft hands in his and the way her electric blue eyes always seemed to be the center of attention. Thinking of Zeus's daughter made the situation just a bit more bearable.
After what felt like forever, Luke found the tag and ripped it off from Kelsi's blazer, leaving a small hole in its wake. In one quick motion, Luke sliced the bare skin in between Kelsi's collarbones and another slice, cutting her neck wide open. Luke had no idea if Empousae had arteries, or hearts for that matter, but if they did, then it would be where Luke had just cut her.
Luckily, blood oozed out of Kelsi's slash and she stumbled back. When Luke looked at her once more, Kelsi no longer looked like a flight attendant. Her skin was white, empathizing her flaming hair and red eyes. As the monster screeched, her fangs were revealed. Under her skirt was one prosthetic bronze leg and—Luke's personal favorite—one donkey leg. As if perfectly timed, the door behind Kelsi was thrown wide open and a sword burst out of her chest.
Before Luke could blink, the monster—that a second ago was on his lap—turned to dust in front of him. He choked on the empousa ruins. Luke could feel his eyes water as the dirt entered his eyes. Once he was able to see again, Luke made out two figures standing in front of him. The one in front was small—it was Thalia's silhouette and the taller one behind hers was Drew's.
Thalia was the one holding her sword in midair, where Kelsi was once was. Luke tried to read her expression. Thalia held her stance with her knees bent and a wild look in her electric blue eyes. For some odd reason, he could feel himself redden with embarrassment and shame. But, why should he feel like so? It wasn't as if he was cheating on Thalia or anything. Just by thinking about it made him redden. It wasn't like they'd ever end up together.
The Hunter didn't seem to be thinking about that, though. Her expression changed quickly. From that crazy look all demigods have when they attack, to an expression Luke rarely saw on Thalia: fear.
Luke suddenly remembered his surroundings. Blood. Everywhere. He fought the feeling to hurl. Even the stench was horrible.
"Holy—"
Luke had totally forgotten Drew was there and the sound in her voice mirrored Thalia's expression and Luke's thoughts. He felt so sick that Luke found it harder and harder to keep his lunch down.
Luke examined the room. There was only blood, and he thanked the gods silently, when he saw that there were no guts splattered on the wall or cerebral tissue in the sink. That's when another disgusting thought popped into his head. "Where the hell is the rest of the body?"
Turning towards his companions, Luke saw their faces grow pale. Both pair of eyes looked towards the same place, towards the toilet bowl.
"Oh gods." Drew backed away slowly, taking a few steps back and covering her mouth with her hands. "Please, oh gosh…"
Luke's jaw tightened. "Drew, go back to your seat. Stay calm. Check if anyone's coming, crew or passenger. If so, stop them," said the eldest of the small group. He tried to stay calm, though his voice wavered just slightly. "We have no idea what mortals will see when they enter this lavatory. We don't want to accidentally traumatize an old woman."
"Yeah," Drew said. Her hands were shaking. "The way we are right now."
"Drew." Luke's voice was confident, trembling, but confident nonetheless. The look in his eyes was serious yet, still understanding. "I—I need to—please, I need your help. I need to clean this mess up."
Drew bit her lip. "Fine. But I'm pretty sure you'll need a ton load of tissue if you want to get rid of all of this," she said, gesturing towards the lavatory.
Luke gritted his teeth. He had no idea what he was going to do, he just hope he'd been trained enough to think good on his feet. "Just, go. Please. Get rid of all the other flight attendants and close the curtains afterward."
"How in the name of Hades am I supposed to do that?" she cried.
Luke glared at her and mouthed charmspeak. Drew seemed to realize that a beat later and spun around, mumbling an "oh, right."
Only once Drew was gone, did Luke realize how still Thalia was. She hadn't moved from her spot. She had only put her weapon at her side. The pale of her skin only accentuated the ebony of her hair and the water in her eyes.
"Thalia," Luke said with a calming voice. "You can stay outside, if you want; I can handle this."
Swallowing, Thalia shook her head. "It's not the blood I'm afraid of. But what if there are more, Luke? I mean, the ones that Percy encountered were by two."
This time, it was Luke's turn to turn white. For a second, he forgot all about the possible remnants of a dead body stuffed in the toilet bowl. We're on a plane, he thought, hundreds of feet of the ground. He had no idea how many more empousae there could be on the aircraft.
Thalia felt sick to the stomach. When she decided to go on this quest, she didn't sign up to do this. Clean up duty. And never in her life, did Thalia want to puke so badly.
She had pulled the top of her shirt over her nose to try to block out the smell, but it did close to nothing. She wiped the last of the blood off the mirror with a tissue paper and into a large plastic bag just outside the lavatory. So far, Drew had done a good job at people keeping away from the plane's tail.
Indeed, when Luke pulled the toilet seat up, floating in the water was a decapitated head and limbs that seemed to be broken into a million pieces. The stench was so unbearable that even Luke had to take a moment and step out.
Trying to be a gentleman, Thalia supposed, he volunteered to clean up the remnants of the dead body. Although, she didn't want to seem like those types of girls, she didn't oblige. She had no idea where Luke went to get rid of it. And in all honesty, she didn't want to.
Once all the blood was cleaned, Thalia and Luke hauled the two giant black trash bags full of soaked in blood tissue paper inside one of the carts, in the back. They cleaned all evidence of the red liquid from their skin and clothing, and finally, returned to their seats.
Drew was also back in hers, looking awfully pale. She kept her eyes on the employees, as if suddenly, they would bear fangs and jump her.
Through all the panic and fear, Thalia hadn't really been able to process anything. And now that she was strapped back into her seat, everything came to her at once. An Empousa almost drained the blood out of Luke. He could have died. And it was all her fault.
The worst part was that she felt the slightest bit of anger towards Luke. How could he be so stupid?! There were on a quest, for gods' sake! How could he even be thinking about making out with some random flight attendant? Who also just so happened to be a flesh feeding creature!
Luke was beside her, with beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Thalia couldn't help but worry for him. If anything happened to Luke—or Drew, for that matter, she didn't know how she could ever live with herself. Luke could have died earlier, and they hadn't even arrived at LAX, yet.
Gods, Thalia thought, this is going to be one heck of a ride.
Guys, just and fyi, I found various spellings for "empousa" and "empousae" so I just took random ones, okee? Also, I'll definitely post the next chapter sooner because I have less things to do and my fingers are on fire! (ew, please don't think in a dirty way). I already have a few ides for the next chapter so yay! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! More monsters are to come and the killing will have a lot more action to it, I promise. Thanks for reading!
