Zoe
I watched as Damien and Harry drove down the street and disappeared around a corner.
I examined the facade of the building. It wasn't like I wanted to be an architect or anything, but I knew the building had been made in the 19th century. Delicate carvings of gorgons hung over the door. The door itself had been carved out of american oak and the knocker was a hawk's head holding a silver ring in its mouth.
I stared at the hawk, and hesitated. I didn't know it would be this hard to come back. I only had a few memories of this house, like the living room and the fireplace and this knocker, which felt like it had always been here.
I didn't really know how to describe my mother. I think she had blond hair, up to her shoulders and brown eyes. Just like me. She must've had a lot of money because this neighborhood was expensive. And she traveled a lot. And she wore expensive things like leather jackets and gloves. I think I remember her wearing golden earrings.
I wondered how my step-father would react. Did he even know I existed? Would he be mad? And what about his children that he had with my mother? What would they think? And how would they understand that my father was a Greek god? Not being exposed to many mortals during my lifetime, I had no idea how they would welcome me.
I took a deep breath. "Zoe," I whispered to myself. "Just do this and it'll all be over in a matter of hours?" And then, the worst thought of them all crossed my mind.
What if my mother didn't want me?
I was about to turn around when I heard laughing inside. And then a man called:
"Hey, Katherine, while you get me that bottle opener from the kitchen, sweetheart?" My stomach twisted on itself. Katherine was my mother's name. That man was my step-father. I heard a kid scream and then another one yell. All of a sudden, the whole house was awake.
There was shouting and fighting and talking and laughing. I wondered what it would've been like if I'd stayed with her. Would she have married this man?
I stepped to the side and glanced at the name on their mailbox. The Melbourne Family.
"Stop it, James!" came a shout from the inside.
A kid's voice responded, "Mommy! Claire's stealing my Legos!"
"No, I'm not!' said the girl named Claire.
I knew I had to knock now, or I would never do it. I raised my hand and let the knocker fall onto the metal plate beneath the hawk's head. I did it two more times. I suddenly realized there was a bell right next to the door and I cursed myself for not seeing it earlier.
The house had suddenly fallen silent. I counted to ten in my head, waiting for someone to come open for me. Finally, I heard steps coming towards the door.
It opened and standing in the doorway, was a tall man with dark curly hair and a clean shave. For a second, I thought Hermes was standing in front of me, the resemblance was so much.
Then, I noticed he had a scar on his nose and a few gray hair. His hands were hairier than Hermes' and he wasn't wearing winged shoes, just normal work shoes. He had a shirt opened to reveal a white tank top. He wore black work pants and it looked like he had just come back from a long day at the office.
"Um…" He looked confused. "Can I help you?" He talked as if he was talking to a three year old. Behind him, I saw a six year old girl with blonde hair and brown eyes and a three year old boy with curly black hair and blue eyes. A pile of mismatched Lego airplanes and cars were strewn around them.
"Does Katherine Warner live here?" I used my own last name, because I figured he would realize that I was more than just a simple kid.
"You mean Katherine Melbourne?" asked the man. "No, she doesn't live here." He began to close the door but I held out my hand.
"Don't treat me like a baby, Mr Melbourne, it says it on your mailbox," I said, pointing to the tag. Mr Melbourne opened the door, but not as wide as before. I saw him reach into his pocket and I knew he had a gun. "You're really going to pull a gun on a twelve-year-old?" Mr Melbourne stopped.
"Who are you?" he asked. Someone appeared behind him and my heart skipped a beat. The woman had blonde hair that came up to her shoulders and light brown eyes. She was tall, but not as tall as Mr Melbourne. Her jaw dropped open when she saw me.
"What are you doing here?" asked Katherine Melbourne.
"Wait, you two know each other?" asked Mr Melbourne, confused. He looked from me to Katherine and his jaw dropped open too. "Wait, don't tell me this is your -"
"Yes, it is," Katherine said, nodding. Anger began to boil inside of me.
"Congratulations, Mom," I said, slowly clapping my hands. "That's the first time you acknowledge me in what….?" I began counting on my fingers and then dropped my hands and looked her in the eye. "Nine years?" My mother clenched her jaw shut. She didn't look the same as I remembered her. Her face had aged, but she was still a beautiful woman. And I was mad at her.
"Zoe," she said, calmly. "Come inside." She pushed open the door wide open and Mr Melbourne reluctantly step aside.
"Wait," he said, "how do you know this is your daughter?" I glanced at my mother, not believing she'd married someone this stupid. I mean, the resemblance spoke for itself.
"Don't worry, I know my daughter when I see her," said my mother. I frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked, more confused than angry. "You haven't seen me in nearly a decade."
My mother shook her head, a small smile appearing. "No I haven't. You may look like me physically, but you have everything from your father."
"Wait, who's your father?" asked Mr Melbourne. Ok, now, I just found this guy annoying. I wasn't mad at him anymore.
"I don't think you'd understand," I said, in a slightly superior tone. I walked passed him and followed my mother into the kitchen. There was an island in the middle, topped by a piece of white marble and surrounded by light blue cabinetry. The two kids followed close behind us.
"Zoe," my mother said. She pointed to the two kids. "Meet Claire, your step-sister and James, your step-brother." I crouched down next to them. Having been raised by a bunch of older people meant that I'd never met a baby before. I hadn't been sure if I would like them.
I loved them.
"Looks like you took much better care for them than for me," I said angrily, getting back up. My mother suddenly looked sad. Mr Melbourne walked into the kitchen.
"David, will you get some food for Zoe, she looks hungry," said my mother, looking away from me. David Melbourne nodded and opened the fridge, moving slowly so it was obvious he was listening to our every word.
"So, I continued, "will you explain? Explain, like, everything?" My mother hesitated.
She sighed and began, "Let's start from the beginning...I was a college student wanting to travel the world. My senior year came and I wanted to see what was out there. So, in June, after accumulating as much money as I could, I decided to visit Australia. I went all alone, even though my parents disliked the idea very much. I asked a friend if she would come but she was majoring in biology and she had tons of things to work on. So I flew to Australia. I visited Sydney and all the other big cities. Then, I decided to go to the Outback. And so started my great adventure. Before leaving Australia, I decided that I wanted to see more places. So instead of coming back to Chicago, I went to New Zealand. Of course, my parents hated the idea of me not coming back to them every few months, so I called them everyday. I remember visiting many countries. India, China, Russia, South Africa, Morocco, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Canada, Argentina, Peru. A few more too.
"I met your father in Mexico, when I was visiting one of the Mayan temples. He asked me, 'Do you like to travel?' I said that I hadn't stopped since June. When I met him, it was nearly a year later, in May. I decided that I wanted to see my family again. But I'd grown close to Hermes."
David's head slammed against a fridge shelf, sending Tupperwares and yogurts falling to the floor. "Wait, did you just say Hermes?" he asked, rubbing his head and wincing. "Isn't that, like, a greek god or something?"
I shrugged. "I told you you wouldn't understand." My mother rolled her eyes.
She continued: "Anyways, Hermes told me that he loved to travel too and he didn't mind meeting my family. So we flew back to Chicago. Back then, I didn't know who he really was." She glanced at David, who gave her a questioning look and kept going, "But I knew he wasn't like anyone else. We'd been together for a few months now. My parents loved him. And then, I realized I was pregnant. With you. I told him so and he grew worried. As the months passed, he began to grow more agitated. He mumbled in his sleep, but I could only catch a few words at a time. Like, 'too powerful.' or 'must take them.' I ignored what he was saying. Then, you were born and I knew I couldn't travel anymore. Hermes grew sadder as he saw you grow up. And then, he told me who he was and he left.
"I hadn't be that mad my whole life. You were more powerful than any of his other children. Since he'd grown so close to me, there was a lot of… his blood in you. He said he'd given you too much power. Whatever that meant." I knew what he meant, but decided not to tell her. "He said that he'd never loved someone as much as me and he wanted to give me a gift. Something more than the child. He gave me money, but he knew that wasn't enough, so he made you powerful.
"Because you were so powerful, Hermes decided that you couldn't stay here in the mortal world any longer. He feared they would come. So he sent the satyr to pick you up. I haven't seen you since that day. I didn't know what to do after you left. I was so lost. I had so much money too, but I didn't use any. I lied to my parents, said that I'd given you up for adoption, that I was too young to have a child Then, I decided to turn my life around and I met David. You may have noticed how much he looks like Hermes. He reminded me of your father so much. So I married David and Claire was born. But I thought of you everyday. Hermes hadn't told me where he'd taken you, but he told me that under a god's power, you would never be safer. And I trusted him. James was born three years ago. And now, you're here."
My mother's eyes had filled with tears. David set a plate of food in front of me.
"Wait," he said, suddenly angry. "So you hooked up with this dude, called Hermes, like the greek god, who apparently has godly powers that protects people, had a child with him and then he took Zoe to someplace safe and you haven't seen her in nine years?"
"I'm sorry, David," my mother sobbed.
"Man, you guys are crazy," David said, shaking his head. "Look I know Zoe is your kid, but I don't want to have anything to do with some gods and all that stuff. You know I don't believe in that stuff."
"You don't believe in that stuff because you don't see it," I said, angry too. "That wrestler you see walking down the street, he's most likely a Cyclops hidden by the MIst."
"A what hidden by what?" David blinked.
"And this," I continued. I pulled out my short sword. "What do you see?"
David squinted at the sword. "A pen, why? Is there something special about it?" I turned to my mother. I had no idea if she could see through the Mist or not. I was about to find out.
"And you?"
My mother glanced at the sword and then back at me. "Why are you carrying a sword with you? You know that's dangerous!" She suddenly seemed disappointed
"It can't hurt you," I said. "Just demigods and monsters."
"Wait there are monsters, now?" David looked confused and mad. "What the the hell is this? Some kind of joke?" He pointed to me and laughed nervously. "You're holding a pen," he said and he pointed to my mother, "but you're saying she holding a sword."
"David, I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this earlier," said my mother apologetically.
"Wait! How much is there to know?" David looked around nervously. "Are you guys playing a joke or something? Did you tell this girl to come in and try to convince me that there's no science, just gods and monsters?"
"No," I said shaking my head. "There really are gods and monsters out there. Sometimes, gods have children with mortals and I'm the product of one of these relationships." David stared at me, his mouth open.
"I'm going to bed," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe when I wake up, this will all just be a dream." He bent down and picked up James and took Claire's hand. He led them upstairs. I turned to my mother.
"You should eat before it gets colds," she said, pointing to my plate. I began to eat the broccoli and roast beef. "So, you have to tell me why you're here."
"What? You're mad I came here to ruin your perfect relationship with your husband?" I asked. "Because it looks pretty much ruined right now." My mother shook her head.
"No," she said calmly, sadly. "I'm so glad you finally came. But I expected you would come sooner."
"They wouldn't let me out of camp," I explained.
"You went to a summer camp? For nine years?" My mother smiled. "That's pretty cool."
"It isn't a normal summer camp. And it gets pretty boring after a while." My mother's smile faded. "But it's the safest place on earth."
"But now, you left, right?" she asked.
"It's not what you think," I said. "I'm still in that camp, but I'm on a quest. I have to go to San Francisco."
"With no adults?" She sounded worried.
I laughed coldly and shook my head. "Kidnappers are the least of my worries. You'd be surprised at how well I can defend myself."
"But you're alone."
"No, I have friends, but I told them that I'd rather be alone when meeting you." I suddenly realized that this was probably the first real conversation I'd ever had with my mom. She seemed pretty nice.
"Where are they?" she asked. I shrugged, I had no idea.
"Probably driving around the neighborhood."
"Driving? How old are they?" My mom looked suddenly worried.
"Thirteen, but it's a long story. Don't worry about them getting caught though." I chuckled.
"So, what are you going to do in San Francisco?" asked my mom. I stuffed a piece of beef into my mouth quickly chewed and then told her everything. She looked less worried than I thought.
I checked the time and realized it was ten. "I think I better take a shower," I said, pushing my plate away and moving towards the staircase.
"Yes, of course," my mother said. I caught her wrinkling her nose as I passed by. "Are your friends going to come?"
"Yeah, maybe in an hour," I guessed. My mom led me upstairs to a tiled bathroom. The tiles were white subway tiles and there was a big shower with a bench inside.
"Is this what you bought with Hermes' money?" I asked as I was handed a towel. My mom nodded and smiled a little.
"I'll get you some clothes," she said and closed the door behind her. I took a long shower. The warm water felt so good and the shampoo smelled very familiar. For a second I wondered if that was my mother's shampoo, or if she used the same one as before. Or maybe it was my old shampoo.
My mom had set out some clothes in front of the door. They fit my perfectly and I wondered if she had already bought those clothes when I was born, twelve years earlier.
I left the bathroom and wandered around the house. I remembered this hallway. My room was at the end of it. I reached the door.
A thin layer of dust coated the doorknob. No one had stepped into my room for years. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I closed my eyes and very carefully picked the lock with my mind. There was a click and I turned the doorknob. For the first time in nine years, I stepped into my room.
The walls were painted baby blue, with white clouds. Kind of like the Toy Story movie. There was a small wooden bed near the window, and crayons were spread around the floor, collecting dust. Pictures of figures with round body and stick limbs were hung on the wall over a small desk. The window above the desk was closed and the shades didn't let any light in.
I sneezed from the dust and the sound seemed to be absorbed by the furniture. A toy doll lay on the floor next to the crayons and it seemed like it hadn't been touched in years. I stepped towards the bed, which had a thick pink comforter with drawings of a little girl flying a kite. Next to the bed was a wooden spinning top painted in colorful shades of yellow. In a corner was a floor lamp with a red cap.
It was as if I was three again, Alvin Bertram had just arrived and my mother was ready to hand me over, crying every tear in her body. I remembered now. Alvin putting me into a really large papoose and giving me a Ziplock bag filled with dried fruits and a bottle of water. I glanced at my mother one last time, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking, as the front door closed behind her. Why was she so sad? I was only going for a walk, the satyr had said to me. I was left staring into the hawk's eyes. They began to glow gold. The satyr stared into them. A good omen, he had said to me, patting the top of my head. My eyelids drooped and I felt myself being pulled under. I was so tired. Somewhere far away, I could hear sobbing, so painful that the satyr started crying too. A thick tear dropped onto my cheek. The sound grew farther and farther away until all I could hear was a soft sniffing and a rhythmic beating of hooves on concrete. And then, I was asleep.
I heard my mom coming in behind me. I turned around.
"You remembered where your bedroom was," she said calmly. "I haven't been in here since the satyr came to get you."
"You locked it," I noted.
"And you opened it," my mom said. "Maybe you can come back here when summer is over. You can live with me and David during the school year."
"I can be normal," I whispered to myself. The doorbell rang downstairs. "That's probably my friends." I followed my mom downstairs, leaving the door to my room open. My legs didn't feel as if they belonged to me anymore. It was as if I wasn't in my body anymore. Everything was numb. The sound of my feet on the steps were far off, as if I was in another room. There was a buzzing in my ears.
I opened the door to find Harry and a very old, but familiar looking man, standing in the doorway.
"Don't worry, it's still Damien," said Harry, half-carrying him inside.
"What happened?" I asked, worried, still in that weird state.
"Long story short, Damien was turned into an old guy because he was being disrespectful," explained Harry. He turned to my mom. "Hey, I'm Harry, this is Damien, but don't mind him. He'll turn back young eventually."
"Oh." She looked confused. "Uh… Would you like something to drink?"
Author's Note
Did anyone notice the easter egg in this chapter? If you found it, please explain what it is in the reviews. I'd like to see how many people found it. If no one finds it, I'll just tell you in the next chapter's Author's Note. Please fav this story because I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out. Keep reading, there's going to be an old character coming back for a big surprise.
Note: I do not own any of the material from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or The Heroes of Olympus series and created by Rick Riordan. I do not make any money off of this story either. Rated T just to be safe, and there is some violence.