Chapter 11-Stow Away
Dae's POV
All thirty-three brothers are staring at me, 66 furiously gleaming eyes with furrowed brows. They all have the same 'What the hell?' expression on their faces, topped off with their hands on their hips, red faces, and dead silence.
I am just waking up. I rub my eyes, ridding them of sleep. This action only causes my brothers to grow angrier. I look up at them innocently not knowing what the fuss is all about.
"What?!" I demand rather grumpily. I look at each and every brother in the eyes. Confused, I sit up but stop due to the feeling of an extra arm on my stomach. Lying right beside me near the wall is the 5ft 7 inches pale man with curly-ish black hair and navy blue eyes, sleeping. As if knowing that I am looking at him, Aelix gives off a huge snort, and then goes back to lightly snoring.
"It's true about Daughters of Dionysus" Greg thinks out loud, a huge smirk on his face. "You are all sluts!"
All of my half-brothers, even the ten year olds, laugh at Greg's comment and my reaction; my mouth hangs agape.
"For your information, we are both fully-clothed!" I spit out furiously then pull the covers off for emphasise. I glance over at Aelix hoping he isn't giving any reason for my idiotic brothers to go on with the assumptions and name-calling. Luckily, he is wearing a black shirt with matching shorts. Again, as if on cue, he gives off a huge snort-bigger than the first one- before waking up. He bolts into a sitting position, accidently slamming his forehead on the top bunk. He curses in Greek while bringing a hand up to his head. All of my brothers start laughing their heads off. Aelix looks around, unfamiliar with where he is—until he sees me.
Aelix goes from confused to 'Oh crap' as he hurriedly looks from me to my brothers then back again. Greg steps forward with a pissed off vibe to him. Aelix looks up at him like a puppy begging for mercy. I watch in horror as Greg unsheathes his butcher knife and points it at Aelix's Adam's apple. He sits on my legs so I can't move.
"Start talking Mr. Hotshot" Greg venomously sneers at poor Aelix.
"Greg, put the butcher knife away and Aelix will tell you everything." I say cautiously, my voice shaking, and then glare at Aelix. "You ARE going to explain, right?"
The boy in question's face has a mask of glistening sweat; a sign that he is nervous. He nods his head quickly, but not too quick, wary of the shiny object. One wrong move and Aelix could die. Greg sheathes his knife, Aelix and I visually relax. All of my brothers sit down—some on my bed, some on the floor, and some on ME—to hear his explanation.
"I was on my way back to the Phobos cabin after getting a drink of water. As I walked past the Dionysus cabin I heard a wretched scream—like someone was getting murdered. I ran in to find Diona," he gestures to me, "screaming, sweating, tossing, and turning rapidly. I went over to her to attempt to wake her up. When I touched her arm, she immediately stopped screaming and seemed to relax. I pulled my hand away and she went back to screaming and yelping. Since I'm from the Phobos Cabin, I can take people's fears away temporarily, just as long as I am in contact with them. I decided to climb into bed with her ONLY to make her stop suffering." My heart rate starts speeds up and I find myself almost in tears that he would be THAT caring. When he finishes talking, my brothers weigh this in for a few minutes.
"Eh, I believe him." Greg thinks aloud again. All of my brothers disperse; the ones on my bed jump off and the ones on the ground rolling and moaning as they go.
Aelix and I sit on my bed for a few awkward seconds, until I swing my feet off the bed and stand.
"Well, I have to go change clothes. You can, uh, let yourself out." I tell him trying not to be overly rude. We both look at each other and his posture is totally relaxed. A smile dances on his lips.
"Kind of like how I let myself in?" He inquires. I smile as I pull out my suitcase of clothes. I open it up to find the purple, green, multicolored, and various stereotypes Dionysus clothes. The only non-Dionysus clothes are my jeans/shorts (yet some of those are purple) Aelix leaps off the bed swiftly and crouches next to me. He pulls out a purple shirt that says 'Life of the Party' in green neon letters.
"Even though this is stereotype, I think you should wear it." He thrusts the shirt in my direction. "It will bring out your marvelous green eyes" He adds with a blush after slight hesitation.
"Um, thanks," I mumble as I pull out some jean shorts. I hear snickering coming from the corner. Aelix stands up while sighing.
"I sure hope no one is spying on us!" He calls, causing more snickers. I watch as Aelix sneaks over to the corner and turns it while yelling 'BOO'. Fearful, surprised screams follow, and then the sound of sneakers thumping against the floor fills the cabin—sounding like a herd of elephants. Aelix walks over with his hands in his pockets. Our gazes meet and we both burst out laughing.
"Brothers..." Aelix manages to get out amidst his laughter. I shake my head and shrug.
"Can't live with em', wouldn't be able to have fun without them."
I am still smiling as I change clothes, ten minutes after Aelix leaves.
"Okay, Diona. All you have to do is show me I can throw a challenge at you and you will be able to rely on survival skills I taught you in the first half of class." Sandra explains. We are currently on the beach—the sun is shining, there is a slight breeze, and off in the distance I can see some mortals sailing along with mermaids in the water. The mortals of course can't see the merfolk or us due to the Mist.
"You ready?" Sandra asks.
"Wait, what?"
Sandra looks at me funny. She shakes her head and passes me a huge bag.
"Basically, use whatever is in this bag to save you." She instructs. I look at doubtingly.
"Save me from WHAT exactly?" I counter. Sandra snaps her fingers, causing the temperature to go from perfectly warm to scorching hot. I can already feel the sweat on my forehead. Sandra smiles evilly.
"Good luck. FYI, Evaline and Josie helped me decide what to put in the bag." She informs me before sprinting away. I decide to open the huge bag.
There is probably some tools and stuff for survival I think to myself while fiddling with the zipper. I dump the bag onto the now-smoking-hot sand and out falls fifty rolls of duct tape...
"Okay class, today we are going to learn how to master your powers. During this session you may find out about powers you had no idea were even possible." I hear Aelix explain from outside his cabin. I am a little late to his class due to survival 101. What I learned from that class is DON'T mess with an Apollo kid.
"Only from finding your true inner self can you really be one with your powers. Begin." He orders, his masculine voice sounding enticing, making you want to listen. I hear shuffling from inside, along with an aura of power emitting. I decide at this point to walk in.
The walls of the Phobos cabin are a weird murky green color and all the bedspreads are black with golden mazes. Aelix is sitting on a chair, legs crossed, and still in his pajamas. All seven of his students are in a semi-circle on the floor with open textbooks. The door slams behind me, sounding like a volt door closing. Everyone looks up to see what the racket is. Aelix looks up last, and when he sees me his face goes from relaxed to concerned. The students snicker at me making me look down in embarrassment.
"Holy crap! Diona, are you okay? What happened?" Aelix asks sternly, while jumping quickly off his perch. "Nothing happened, I'm fine." I mumble, but I can tell by Aelix's face that he doesn't believe me. He strides over, grabs my sunburned arm, and holds it up. I give off a little whimper of pain, trying not to start crying in front of everyone. "No you are most certainly NOT fine. I can see that." He drops my arm once he realizes that he is hurting me, but crosses his arms—clearly I'm not going to slide my way out of telling him. "I was at survival class 101 with Sandra as my teacher. The first half of class was easy-she taught me different survival methods. The second half was the tricky part. Sandra took me to the beach and gave me a huge bag. She then used her powers over the sun to intensify the UV rays, and left. I opened the bag to find 50 rolls of duct tape. I had no clue what to do with them so I lay on the sand until Sandra showed me mercy. I got sunburn on my front side, and because the sand was hot I burnt my back side." I explain while trying not to take offense of his smile. The class bursts out laughing and I can feel heat in my cheeks. I'm blushing yet they can't see it because of the sunburn. It's at this point that I realize he isn't smiling because he's happy; it's because he feels bad. Aelix turns to the class.
"Class, I don't think any of you would be laughing if you were in Diona's place right now!" Aelix yells over the laughter. The class immediately shuts up. Aelix rolls his eyes at them then turns his attention back on me.
"Did Sandra give you anything to help the sunburn?" He asks looking dead serious. I nod quickly while searching my bag for it.
"I didn't bother putting any on because I didn't want to be late for class." I admit as I pull out the vial on lime green liquid. Aelix quickly snatches it out of my hand. He leads me over to the bed labeled 'Aelix Phillips'.
"Lay down on your stomach." Aelix commands. I give him a skeptical look.
"Why?" I ask, dragging out each sound. He arches an eyebrow while placing his hands on his hips.
"How else are you going to get the hard-to-reach-places on your back?" Without letting me answer he points to the bed. "Now lie down and relax." I obey him. I hear a few snickers as come from the seven classmates as Aelix pulls up my shirt, not daring to go past just below my chest. I jump at the touch of his cold, aloe covered hands causing him to pull back.
"Sorry, did I scare you?" Aelix sounds concerned.
"No, it's just cold" I lie slightly. It is cold, and he actually did scare me. He gently and slowly places his hands on the small of my back and begins to spread it out. At first, my skin feels as if it is on fire, but after a few minutes, it starts to relax. The mattress is made of foam so I sink into it a bit. The pillow-Aelix's pillow- is squishy like a solidified cloud. I tilt my head to the side to look at him. He doesn't notice this movement due to intense concentration.
Why is he concentrating so hard on something so easy? I think.
When he finishes my back, Aelix exhales in relief and stands up. He looks at me expecting me to get up, but I don't.
"Okay, I'm done." Aelix informs me yet I still don't move. I wiggle my legs hoping he gets the message.
"Oh, you want me to, um, put some on your legs?" He asks rhetorically, his voice cracking a few times. I nod and close my eyes.
"Just, don't kick me, okay?" Aelix tries making a joke but it comes out as nervous.
"I'll try not to, but if you tickle me I will."
Before he starts, I hear some footsteps approach us. I open my eyes to find a girl no older than twelve with dirty blonde hair and a natural smirk on her pudgy face. She looks a bit like, but not very much. Aelix turns to her.
"Yes, Lydia?" He is back to his perky self. Lydia crosses her arms in front of her chest.
"Two things," She snarls at him "One: You shouldn't be flirting with your students. Two: I can't find any powers. Being a Daughter of Hermes sucks!"
"One: Do you think it is easy to concentrate with a sunburn? Let alone a FULL-BODY sunburn?! Two: They will come. Everyone has a variety of powers that come at different times." He tells her without being rude or mean. The girl pouts, knowing that she won't win this fight. Lydia saunters away in a huff.
Five minutes later, I hear soothing music come from nearby. The music is slow, peaceful, and makes me want to cuddle up to a fire with a warm blanket and sleep. My eyelids start to feel heavier and heavier, and I start to blink rapidly. The blinking soon stops due to my eyelids feeling like concrete. My breathing starts to slow down until I am breathing deeply. I feel myself slip into sleep…..
"Diona Agetha Envis!" I hear my mother yell from downstairs.
Ugh, crap! I think What does she want now? Setting down my Biology homework I hastily walk downstairs. My house is 3 floors, each floor the size of nine standardized master bedrooms. My bedroom is located near the back of the house, near a bathroom and a guest room. The stairs splits up these rooms from my mom's bedroom, another guest room (currently owned by my mom's new boyfriend, Ryan) and the laundry room. Downstairs, the kitchen is under the guest room, the living room is under my mom's room, and the stairs lead into it.
I find my mother and her new boyfriend sitting down on the couch reading the newspaper. My mother looks up angrily when I enter.
"Care to explain this?" she spat at me. I slowly walk over to read the newspaper headline:
Girl Destroys School
The article is about the school I currently am enrolled at- MacHencia High- and how I supposedly exploded it. I set it down on the coffee table, annoyed at the lies.
"It wasn't my fault! Please hear out for once mother!" I demand, but she only looks madder.
"That was the seventh school you somehow managed to damage! There is only one school left that is close to here; Campbell High!" She yells at me.
What she doesn't get is that I wasn't the one exploding the school, it was the fact I keep meeting people who want to kill me. Then again, I wouldn't exactly call them people; all of them turned into these things. The weirdest part is no one seems to see them for their true form.
"Mom, it wasn't my fault! These weird things seem to find me and try to kill me! That should be enough for you to believe me!" I scream back. My mother's new boyfriend puts his hands on my mother's shoulders and starts to massage them. Mother looks at him as if telepathically saying: Not the time. He whispers into her ear to which she sighs.
"Fine, you can try but I doubt it'll work." Mom huffs while standing up. She dashes past me, puts on her coat, then turns to face me.
"I'm going out for groceries so you two can bond, okay?" She calls to me as she heads out of the door. Once Mother is gone, I glance over at her boyfriend skeptically, and he returns it with a smile. After the car is out of the driveway, he motions for me to come closer to him.
"I have to do my homework; tons of Bio 101 to study for a test tomorrow." I quickly say then bolt up the carpet stairs, almost tripping a few times. I swiftly enter my purple-just-about-everything room and resume studying. Studying is hard with dyslexia, but I have been able to recognize and memorize just about every word from the dictionary.
A knock on my door draws my attention. "Come in" I call, still looking down at my textbook. My mom's boyfriend walks in and sits next to me on my bed.
"Yes, Mr. Clark?" I dryly say to him, still looking down at my textbook and pretending I can read.
"Please," Mr. Clark says while grabbing the textbook and pulling it lightly out of my hands. "Call me Ryan."
I glare at him as one would at a murderer.
"Okay Ryan, what do you want?" I ask venomously. Ryan moves his light brown hair out of his blue eyes, bringing an olive-colored hand to point at the textbook.
"I'd help you with your homework, but your school exploded. I don't think you will have that test tomorrow." He states, my cheeks burning pink. "Besides, with your dyslexia you can't read anything." Ryan says simply. I bug my eyes out at him.
"How did you know I have dyslexia?" I ask slightly furious and a bit incredulous. His big blue eyes meet my emerald green ones with one hundred percent honesty.
"Because I have it to."
I gape at him. I'd never expect a 6ft, 3 body builder like him to be dyslexic
"Surprising right? I also have ADHD so I'm pretty messed up." Ryan admits while smiling down at me. I then realize something.
"Why would you help me study if you can't read it yourself?" I question, but Ryan shrugs.
"I wanted to strike up a conversation with you. Speaking of conversation, if you don't mind me asking, how much do you know about your dad?"
My mouth goes dry at the mention of my dad, and I get a tingly feeling in my chest.
"I know that he skipped out on my mother while she was in labor and she never saw him again. I didn't even get the chance to see him." I don't realize I'm crying until Ryan wraps his arms around me in a comforting embrace.
"Was there anyone after that?" He asks but then adds, "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay."
"In the length of my sixteen years, I have seen 20 other guys come and go. There was one who came off and on for 5 years. That was probably the happiest I have ever seen my mother. His name was Aaron Warell. I particularly didn't like him because he gave off an aura of power that made me feel small." I get lost in a few flashbacks of Aaron beating on me, calling me weak, pathetic, and various other names. Five minutes pass, Ryan gets up off the bed he looks down at me and puts a firm hand on my shoulder.
"You seem like such a sweet girl, which is why I'm going to hate killing you." Ryan's eyes cloud over with red going from sweet to murderous. Before I can reply, Ryan is on top of me with a sword at my throat and my wrists above my head with one hand and most of his weight on my legs. I struggle a bit, but Ryan only laughs down at me.
"Foolish girl. You can't win against a MAN!" Ryan spit at me. This really ticked me off. Not only did he spit on me but he also said men are more powerful than girls are. I remain quiet though so I can wait for the right moment to slip free.
"My master has sent me to kill you." He informs me, purring almost cat-like.
"Why would you want to kill me? What do you get out of it?" I counter breathlessly. He removes his weight from on top of me. Thinking this is my chance, I attempt to jump off the bed, but Ryan still has a hold of my wrists. He picks my up by my wrists and slams my back against the floor. The impact doesn't affect me at first, but then Ryan resumes his position causing each and every vertebrae scream in pain. I wince at the searing pain swarming my nerves. Ryan tilts his head to the side.
"You haven't proven to be what he... expected. Just like the first one."
The first one? Who is that? Is he crazy? Yes. Suddenly a buzzing noise emits from Ryan's pocket. He looks down at it in annoyance. Here's my chance. I use his falter of focus to head butt him. Not expecting this, he lightens his grip on my arms. I am then able to release one of my hands and punch him hard in the crotch. He lets out a noise that can only be described as sounding like a monkey trying out opera. He lets go of me entirely, a look of genuine surprise on his face. I then flip him on his back, pushing him down by his shoulders. He looks up at me exasperatedly.
"You may be just a man, but I am a woman, and women are definitely capable of defending ourselves." I glare down at Ryan while turning his own weapon against him.
"Are you going to kill me?" Ryan snarls.
"No," I say while glancing at my open bedroom window. A plan quickly forms in my head. I use the hilt of the sword to bonk him on the head, knocking him out. I throw his sword into the tree, then return to pick him up. I carry him downstairs in a piggyback position- he is really light for someone his age.
As I set him down on the couch, I grab the phone and dial 911. A female picks up immediately.
"911, what's your emergency?" A kind voice answers. Whatever composure I have been keeping slips away and I break down into tears.
"My mom's boyfriend just attacked me after she left the house for groceries. I was able to defend myself and actually have him passed out on my couch. Can you send some help? For him, not me. I'm, fine—just a few bruises." I sob a bit, but am able to get back my composure.
"Okay, where is your house?" The lady says after a hesitation. I gulp.
"I…. um… don't know. I am dyslexic so I can't read the signs." I tell her, a bit embarrassed. The kind lady on the other end talks to someone else in hushed tones.
"DO you know your home phone number so we can track your house?" The same woman asks. I blurt it out to her.
"We are on our way." She pauses but then gasps.
"One last thing, dear; what's your name?" She exclaims on the other end.
"Diona Envis"
When my mom comes home, the police and ambulance are gone along with Ryan. Her arms are full with groceries and she struggles to come into the house. I quickly rush over to her aid. While grabbing a few bags I swiftly give her a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, Daesy," she breathes. Once all the groceries are in the kitchen, we head to the living room. Mother freezes at the entryway, eyes wide open.
"Where... The HELL... is Ryan?" Mother asks through gritted teeth.
"He decided to go home. Ryan wasn't feeling good" I reply calmly, but the look on her face lets me know she doesn't believe me. She stomps over, grabs me by the color, our noses just a few centimeters away.
"What did you DO to him?" Mother snarls.
"Nothing, I swear! He just wasn't being himself" I exclaim to her. Here's the thing about my mother and the past few boyfriends she has had:
They have all tried to kill, harm, or kidnap me. Mother doesn't know this because they have all attacked me under her radar. (One of them even attacked me on the way to school.) For the first few, I didn't see it coming; but after a while they start to form a pattern. After the first couple of days—usually 10—the guy would try either to get close, alone, or both, and then they would either to get close, alone, or both, and then they would try their plan.
So, of course my mom thinks that I somehow got rid of them, therefore she fears me. She tries to seem like she isn't but I can see it in her eyes. She stares at me for a few minutes.
"Let's say I did. What would you do? Call the cops? They don't have any proof. Hurt me? I will just call a social worker. Face it mom, you can't do anything!" I point out venomously. She lets me go.
"I can punish you without abusing you." I raise an eyebrow while crossing my arms in front of my chest. "Like enroll you at an all-girl high school where they have a dress code and strict rules" She smiles like a Cheshire cat while I gape at her. My mother goes into her purse and pulls out a piece of paper.
As she hands it to me and I realize it's a brochure. The title says:
Campbell High; All girls, all spiffy
"Diona? Diona? Diona?" Aelix says while shaking me awake. My eyes flutter open to be greeted by navy blue eyes. I groan while sitting up and stretching.
"Where am I?" I groan, still not fully awake. I look around and find out that I'm in Aelix's cabin, lying on his bed. My arms, legs, back and face aren't sunburnt anymore (thanks to Sandra's magic aloe-vera and Aelix's kindness) and is back to its regular pastiness. I look over to Aelix, whom I just realize is smirking at me.
"What?" I ask, my brain still trying to revive from my nap.
"Two things," He says while trying not to laugh "One: You do realize that you fell asleep during training plus the class is almost over, right?"
I gape at him, which only causes the dark-haired boy to roar laughing. I impulsively summon up vines and trap him to the floor. I glare at the boy and manipulate his brain to go fuzzy-as if he has had too much alcohol. Lastly, at the snap of my fingers, his brain goes back to normal except for the fact he feels as if he has a hangover. I stand, walk over to stand above him, and smirk back at him.
"Do you think I need training with my powers?" I ask rhetorically. He looks me straight in the eyes. An image flashes in my brain. I undo the vines and collapse to the ground, hot tears streaming down my face. Aelix rushes over to my side. He wraps his arms around me in a hug and pulls me toward him.
"Why did you do that?" I demand into his chest through sobs. He pulls out a tissue box and starts to wipe my face.
"I'm sorry. I usually don't inflict people's fears on them, but it was self-defense-"
"I was GOING to let you go!" I yell at him. The picture of the doctor stabbing a huge needle into my arm flashes before my eyes, causing a shudder to run up my spine.
"I'm sorry, so very, very sorry! Please forgive me?" Aelix sincerely pleads. "Part of your training is learning how to overcome and/or deal with your fear. I'm sorry, but I panicked. Please stop crying I don't like seeing you cry." Aelix sounds like he's close to tears.
"I forgive you, just DON'T EVER do that again!" I whisper.
After a few minutes of sitting on the floor, I finally stop crying. Aelix still hasn't moved from his position; in fact he looks pretty comfy.
"Aelix? Why won't you take away my fears?" I ask curiously. He looks down at me.
"I am not allowed to do that. I swore on the River Styx that I wouldn't fully take away someone's fear unless given permission." He explains.
"But wouldn't that make things easier? Demigods wouldn't fear anything!"
"Without fear, all demigods would be in danger. Fear is a bunch of emotions tied to your system. Demigods would go extinct." Aelix explains I give him a 'yeah, right' look.
"Do you really think I'm going to face a doctor with a needle as a weapon?" I sarcastically ask. He thinks about it.
"Well, you did fight my brother, whose weapon turned into a needle. Plus there are some pretty vicious Apollo kids…." He thinks aloud. "Oh! And the government has had some suspicions about all these accidents—monster attacks—and if they ever found out, you would be their best target due to your fear of doctors and needles." He adds and I gape at him. Suddenly a beeping sound comes from his pocket making both of us to jump a bit. We get and walk to the 'main area' of the cabin. His class is all focused on their powers; an Apollo kid has multiple vials in front of him with various liquids, one of my brothers is trying to turn water into alcohol but to no ado. The Hermes kid from earlier has a paper and pen and is writing something down. She puts it in an envelope, and then throws it like an airplane. It sprouts wings and flies out the window of the cabin.
"Good job Lydia! See, Hermes kids DO have powers!" Aelix congratulates her. Lydia's face turns sour and she looks at me.
"Slacker" she says venomously. I decide I'm through with her crap. I conjure up some vines and make them grab Lydia. She struggles to get free, kicking and thrashing her body in different directions. I tighten the vine's grip, which makes her stop. I snatch a bottle of rubbing alcohol from the son of Apollo, pouring it onto the vines. I manipulate the alcohol to break free of all the other chemicals and aim it at her face. Before I squirt it at her, I turn to see Aelix, shoulders slumped forward, mouth open, in utter awe. The rest of the class backs away.
"Lydia, I don't want to, and WON'T deal with your crap anymore. No name calling and no comments unless they are positive. Got it?" I snarl at her. She nods her head quickly." Aelix finally snaps out of his little trance as I let Lydia go.
"What the Hades?" Aelix practically yells. "You are not allowed to use your powers in this class unless someone attacks you!"
"But she DID attack me! There are more types of attacks than physical. There is emotional and verbal, and I am NOT going to put up with it," I retort. The silence that follows is broken by Aelix's phone ringing again. He glides over to the door and makes an ushering gesture.
"Class dismissed"
My next class is Strength, taught by Ajax Victor, Sandra's boyfriend. It is being taught somewhere in the woods. Since I have no clue where that is, I head over to where Aelix said Sandra would be; the beach. (But not before getting changed into some baggy clothes.)
When I get to the beach, I am hit with heat rays, sweat instantly appearing my forehead. About 10 meters from my current location is a bunch of kids in a lean-to made from duct-tape
Why hadn't I thought about that earlier? I think while face-palming myself. I look more closely and notice something up in a nearby tree. She climbs down the tree and starts to inspect the lean-to. She nods approvingly and dismisses them. I choose this moment to run up to her.
"Hey Sandra, do you mind showing me where Strength class is? Because I have no clue where it is" I ask her.
"Of course I can! And maybe Ajax will go easy on you today because your fresh meat!" She cheerily informs me.
Fresh meat? What's THAT supposed to mean?
And off we go.
Ajax's strength class is small. Sandra, Evaline, Ammon, Cole, Joselyn, and I are the only people in it. It is located in the middle of a small clearing in the forest. At the center of the clearing is a stump.
When Sandra and I arrive, everyone is in a circle around Ajax—who is on the stump with his arms crossed. Ajax smiles for a second at the sight of Sandra, but he soon goes back to stern.
"Who's this?" Ajax asks, referring to me and jumping off the stump gracefully. His green eyes examine me as he walks over and begins to circle me. Ajax has golden blonde hair, sun kissed skin, and a seemingly permanent smirk on his face. His build is one of a personal trainer.
After about three circles, Sandra runs up to him and wraps her arm around him.
"Honey, this is Diona Envis!" she delightedly informs him. Then, as she walks to join the group—who are all staring at us, by the way—she whispers 'be nice' into his ear. Ajax continues to circle me.
"How old are you?" he states rather than asks. I gulp nervously.
"S-s-sixteen" I stutter. I hear him chuckle from behind me. Suddenly, I feel hands on my shoulders and his breath on my ear.
"Do I make you nervous?" Ajax whispers. I shake my head 'no' rapidly.
"Hold out your arm and flex your muscles." He demands once he is front and center. I do as I'm told. He walks over and feels the (little) muscle I have in my arm.
"Weak" Ajax spits at me, then turns to the class "Twenty push-ups everyone!" he yells.
Sandra, Cole, and Eva finish first, soon followed by Ammon then Joselyn. They form a circle around me to watch. Ajax leans down to my face.
"Come on Envis! That's only FOUR!" he yells at me. Joselyn smacks him on the arm.
"Dude, she hasn't had as much training as the rest of us! Cut her some slack!" Joselyn defensively demands. I hear a finger snap then see someone's sneakers near me. I feel something placed against my back as I come out of push-up number 5, then 150 pounds. I collapse to the ground, bringing the weight down with me. My lungs feel like balloons someone took a pin to.
"Oh please. I'm not THAT heavy, am I?" Cole's Spanish accent jokes. Sandra quickly ushers Cole off me and rolls me onto my back. I start to hyperventilate, blink rapidly and feel light headed.
"Deep breaths, Diona!" Sandra commands. I try to take deep breaths, but it sounds as if I have a harmonica lodged into my trachea and I feel like I'm breathing through a straw. Ajax is suddenly by my other side, taking control of the situation.
"Sandra—give her an inhaler. Joselyn get ready for possible shadow travel. Cole, set yourself on fire. Diona is freezing cold. The rest of you, give her space" He orders while checking my pulse.
"Hey! I'm the doctor, shouldn't I be the one giving directions?" Sandra counters while forcing the inhaler into my mouth. She presses down on it, letting some medication into my lungs. I instantly feel relief as my lungs fill with air. Sandra pulls out a stethoscope and checks my heart. After a minute, she sighs in relief.
"She's good!" Sandra calls over to Evaline—who is holding onto Ammon's arm—and the rest of the crowd. Joselyn walks over so that she is kneeling next to me. She pats me on the back, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Girl, you give us quite a scare!" She exclaims. Everyone, including me, laughs. Then her face perks up. "Hey! You didn't faint this time!" She adds, causing everyone to roar laughing.
Ajax gestures for Cole and Ammon to come over as he stands up, and the girls to back up a bit. Ammon looks over at Evaline, who just notices the position she is in. She pulls away quickly, her cheeks turning a bit pink. Ammon—shocked emotionless—jogs over. Cole and Ammon take my arms while Ajax positions himself behind.
"Alrighty boys, on three"
A silent 1, 2, 3 passes through them and they haul me up. I start to feel a bit dizzy, so Sandra and Evaline help me over to the stump. Eva grabs a water bottle then passes it to me.
"Thank you," I mumble before chugging the 750ml of water down.
"You look cold" Sandra observes, and it's true. Eva presses her hand on my right lower arm—causing my birthmark to tingle a little—and nods. Her hands are hot compared to mine.
"You need some heat?" She asks raising an eyebrow. I nod while crossing my arms and shivering slightly. Cole, whom is a few meters away, hears this and perks up.
"Watch out Eva!" He calls before engulfing himself into a ball of fire. Eva moves out of the way, a fire ball just missing her, landing near Sandra. She collapses to the ground, hiding her face with her hands. Despite my state, I rush over to her side—looking like an idiot walking in a zigzag pattern—to kneel beside her.
"What's wrong?" I ask softly. I get a glimpse of Sandra's face, which is red and tear-stricken.
"Cole! WHAT THE HELL?!" Joselyn screams while stomping over to him. I hear a smacking noise soon followed by Cole whimpering and muttering "Ow."
"Cole, you ASS! You know that Sandra is afraid of fire!" Joselyn shrieks. I glance over to see Joselyn pulling the Latino boy into the forest, a bruise forming on his tanned face.
I feel Sandra lean into a hug to cry on my shoulder. I start rubbing her back while letting her cry. Evaline and Ajax approach us and kneel beside Sandra and I. Ajax taps the crying girl on the shoulder, holding out a tissue box. Sandra looks at him thankful but goes back to lightly sobbing. Ajax whispers something in Eva's ear and she nods in reply, both glancing over at Sandra a few times. Ajax stands up, but not before picking Sandra up wedding style. Sandra buries her face into his chest while he carries away. I turn to Eva.
"How did Sandra's parents die?" I ask, a little mad because I still haven't had answers. Eva's face fills with sadness.
"Sandra's parents died in a fire when she was nine. They died right before her eyes. Nico and Joselyn went to investigate—you know, see if a monster had to do with this—but during their investigation, they heard someonescreaming. Joselyn found Sandra crying from her bedroom window. She has been scared of fire ever since," she explains sorrowfully. I hear a male voice swear, but is soon over powered by Joselyn's ticked off screams. After about 10 minutes, I hear some angry stomps, which I soon learn belong to Joselyn. She storms into the clearing, Cole in tow with Jose's whip tied around his arms and mid-section. Cole's dark hair is tousled and he has some bruises on his face, arms, legs, as well as a few scratch marks. Joselyn looks the same as before, except her face is red—if she was any madder steam would probably come out of her ears. Ammon stumbles out behind them, a bruise on his knuckles.
"Nobody messes with MY friends, not even my boyfriend!" Joselyn venomously informs us, her eyes seeming to glare into our souls. For all we know, the daughter of Hades really COULD be staring into our souls. I smirk.
"Chicks before dicks?" I suggest, making Eva, Ammon, and Joselyn laugh. Cole grunts.
"What exactly did you do to him?" I ask through laughter.
"Ammon held Cole down while I lectured and swore at him, adding a slap or low voltage electrical shock here and there," Joselyn says as if it was nothing, maybe even boring. I glance at Ammon's knuckles.
"Then why are his knuckles blue?" My voice rises up an octave. Just looking at his bruise, along with Cole's state, makes me want to throw up. I can't look at Cole without wanting to help him- if I did, I'd probably get the same thing done. I focus on Josie, expecting an answer. Ammon suddenly walks over to Cole.
"I'm sorry bro; I shouldn't have done what I did." Ammon whispers. Cole nods.
Cole looks down.
"Yeah, I know that you're afraid of my girlfriend. We all are." Ammon looks as if he has just been punch in the stomach.
"I am not!" He exclaims, causing Joselyn to whip her head in his direction.
"WHAT was that Nikomedes? You BETTER be scared of me, I can kick your ass!" Joselyn is clearly enraged. She rolls her eyes while swearing he will pay sometime and then looks at me.
"After I slapped Cole, he got angry and tried to get away. Ammon then punched Cole in the ribs, forcing him into a tree, where I tied him up with my whip and continued to lectured and zap him."
I look at Cole, who is giving me a puppy-dog look. I can't help it anymore! He looks so defeated it's really sad. I know the strong, combat teacher Cole. This one is unfamiliar. I run over to Cole before anyone can object, releasing him from the binds. I whisper "You own me, meet me before they leave" to him right before Cole runs back to the direction of camp grounds.
"DIONA! Why did you do that?!" Joselyn shrieks at me. Before I can answer, Eva steps forward.
"Never show a pain phobic anyone who is beat up, unless you want something like that to happen!"
Since Ajax is with Sandra and not teaching the class, I head to the main area for lunch. But before we go, I decide to try and put my plan into action. I run to catch up with Ammon, whom was on his way to go find Ajax.
"Ammon, wait up!" I call to the Hermes kid. He reluctantly stops to allow me time to catch up.
"Do you really want Eva going on the quest alone? Without you there to protect her?" I play the guilt card on him, hopeful that he will do as I say. To my relief, he shakes his head warily.
"I'm planning on sneaking into the van. You in?" I ask in hushed tones. To my relief he nods.
"Can you also tell Ajax that? But without Sandra knowing, okay?"
"Okay." His voice is small and quiet, but it is also very masculine, which is ironic.
He runs off to his cabin while I make my way to the main area for lunch.
After lunch, all of the Apollo, Poseidon, and Hades cabins plus friends come to say goodbye to Sandra, Eva, and Josie. I am one of the first ones to hug them and say goodbye, which just adds to my plan. I rush over to a bush nearby where Aelix is waiting.
"You have the bag?" I whisper. He nods his quickly. "Good, now all we need is for Ajax to break away from Sandra, Cole to clean up a bit after that heavy make-out session they 'privately' had, and-Oh! Here comes Ammon now." I exclaim the last part because Ammon is approaching. Ajax and Cole follow. Cole is wearing camouflage cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and some (noticeable) cream on his marks; the white cream stands out like glow paint in a black hole.
We all turn our heads at the sound of a car opening; Percy just unlocked his van. Percy loads the bags into the large trunk. Advantage much? He heads over to start the car, making sure to get the cool air running in through the ventilation system. Now's our chance!
"Okay guys. GO GO GO!"
We all pile into the van's trunk behind all of the bags. Unfortunately, there is only enough room for the four boys to fit in the back with their legs crossed.
"Crap! Where am I going to sit?" I whisper. Aelix taps his legs with his hands, his face smiling as if I'm a hunting target.
"You could sit on my lap!" He whispers. Voices cause my attention to go to the crowd of demigods. Joselyn, Eva, and Sandra have finished saying their goodbye and are going to be here soon.
"Fine. But don't try anything, okay?" I huff while placing myself behind the bags, onto Aelix's lap. He pulls me in closer and places my head on his collarbone.
"You can sleep." He lets me know. The trunk door closes with a bang, almost making us scream and blow our cover.
"Aelix? Remember earlier when you told me you had two things to say, but you only told me one? I'm wondering what the second thing is." I whisper into his chest as I make myself comfortable. He chuckles, which in turn makes his chest go up and down along with my head.
"You sometimes talk in your sleep. I promise I won't let Ryan—if he is still alive—or any of your mother's future boyfriends hurt you anymore."
The car starts, and it sounds somehow soothing. I close my eyes, drifting off to sleep on Aelix.