I'm considering just writing all future chapters in the Doc Manager from now on, it's easy enough to get onto from any computer so I can work from anywhere, and I don't have to worry about losing my work if my laptop breaks down. Downside, easier to procrastinate, as this week as shown me. Admittedly, this chapter was procrastinated until the last minute, too many complications and nothing else would work with me. I still doubted this chapter, so once again, thanks to Words(1oooW0rds) for looking over it for me, and then helping me make it better. Okay, so I hope you guys like this chapter, since it's not what I originally planned, but it'll do in a pinch, because I got what I wanted in it, and that was their grandmother.
Word Count: 2,055
As always, I don't own anything you recognise from the Percy Jackson series, I only own my OCs and apparently the plot, since I've not seen this done before.
January 7th
Luca's Point of View:
"Okay, one last time." I stepped out of my office into the atrium and stopped at what I saw. Hylla and Reyna stood in the middle of the room, holding hands and in the middle of practising a dance, Reyna leading Hylla in a classical waltz, it was entertaining, and endearing. My oldest daughter had taught my youngest the important lessons as she'd grown up, patience, practicality, punctuality and self-worth, now the roles were reversed as Reyna brushed up Hylla's dancing skills. I leaned against the wall, watching them as they swiftly moved around the room, Hylla's dress sweeping her legs, and occasionally brushing up against Reyna's jeans as the teenager twirled her. They were both smiling, their eyes lighting up as they danced.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" I asked when it was clear they were slowing down, both girls jumped, Hylla leaping back with a blush as if she'd been caught stealing jellybeans, I knew she'd immediately thought I was Max, but he was at work.
"Be my guest, I think Hylla needs someone with a little more height to them." Reyna teased, stepping back and giving me the chance to dance with my oldest daughter, Hylla curtsied gracefully before I led her in the dance, noticing Reyna slip into the living room to allow us to talk privately. I took both of Hylla's hands and led her in a small little dance, the kind she'd used to do with Reyna when they were younger, twirling each other around in fast circles until they got dizzy, I took it slower than they would.
"You were so small when you were born." I recalled, Hylla raised both of her eyebrows at me, silently questioning the sentimentality, I smiled. "It surprised me, because I thought you would have been much bigger. Although, when I said that to your mother she slapped me, I suppose I deserved that." I rubbed my face with one hand, fondly remembering the sharp pain I'd felt. "The real torture was when you were placed in my arms. Six pounds, seven ounces, with a powerful pair of lungs, screamed your head off when you were separated from your mom. Only quietened down when I held you." Hylla's lips quirked up at that, the edges of her mouth sliding up in a smile.
"You must have been so terrified." She looked down at the floor, bashfully, and I twirled her out.
"I was, but that all changed when I saw you, in that instant I knew I would do anything to protect you, to make sure that no boy would break your heart." I gave my older daughter a pointed look. I really hoped Esteban wouldn't break her heart, I liked him.
"You'll be the first to know." Hylla promised sincerely.
"I expect to be." I spun Hylla back in, slowly ending the dance, my legs growing tired from the standing, I needed my walking stick soon. "Shall we head to grandma's?" I suggested, Hylla rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a fond smile.
"Are you in any condition to drive?" She teased, I shrugged honestly, I really did wish to sit down and rest.
"I can drive." Reyna spoke up, I turned around to see her in the doorway of the living room, holding Hylla's overnight bag with her black backpack over one shoulder, with one finger she held up a grey woollen jacket that I knew belonged to Esteban, having opened the door to him wearing it several times, yesterday for instance.
"Have you got a licence?" I questioned, my teenaged daughter grinned hesitantly. "I'll get the warning label. Call it a driving lesson, then I'll make sure you go home with one." I said, Reyna grinned cheerfully. "Are you both ready?" I asked, looking between them. Reyna held out the woollen jacket to Hylla as if offering up a gift that Hylla was reluctant to accept.
"Yes." Hylla said, Reyna tossed her the jacket and led the way to the doorway, I fished the car keys from my pocket and tossed them to Hylla.
"Wait for me in the car." I told them, heading to say goodbye to Elisa. I found my fiancé in the living room, sitting on the sofa reading over Shaun's homework, they both looked up as I entered the room, blonde-haired and green-eyed. I limped over to the sofa and sunk into it, just for a minute.
"Heading out then?" Elisa teased, I kissed her cheek, rubbing her stomach. We'd decided at the start of our relationship that we wouldn't flaunt our relationship in front of our children, not wanting them to look back on our previous relationships as if they didn't matter. We were private people by nature, and both liked quiet moments with just the two of us, one hundred wedding guests was completely out of our comfort zones, but they were important, so we would suffer for a few hours.
"We'll be back early in the morning." I promised. "I'll take Shaun to school on my way, and then in the evening we'll go over the last details." I assured my bride-to-be, less than forty-eight hours, and we'd be husband and wife, bound by marriage. We had a bet on who was more excited, I knew I was, of course.
"Then I shall see you in the morning." Elisa promised, she kissed me and I smiled against her lips, responding instantly. A pointed cough from Shaun stopped me from being late to reach my mother's, and kissing Elisa further. We pulled back to find Shaun watching us. "Right, give your mother my best." I nodded and gave Elisa a chaste kiss, under Shaun's watchful eye.
"Until tomorrow." I promised, and followed the girls outside to the car, where Reyna was ready to show off her driving skills. They had chosen to drive the grey prius, the same one that I had given Hylla the keys to a few days ago, the same night that she had shared her story with me, with the occasional interruption from Reyna. They were in the middle of a conversation when I closed the front door behind me.
"There is nothing going on between Jason and I, Hylla. We are not dating, or in any sort of romantic entanglement, I think I would know if we were." Boys, they were talking about boys, specifically Jason. They've mentioned him before, Reyna's partner, the boy who disappeared and came back with a girlfriend. The good Roman. Upon realising that, I swiftly turned to my daughters and hesitantly cut into their conversation.
"So, tell me more about Jason." I insisted, Hylla laughed and Reyna groaned, a blush rising to her cheeks as she stalked to the driver's side of the prius. "I've heard about him as a person, and the larger-than-life Jason. So, what do you think of him as a potential boyfriend?" I asked, Hylla let out a second laugh and I took my time adding the magnetic 'Learner' sign to the back of the car, before getting into the passenger seat, adjusting it to fit me. "Have you kissed yet?" The question proved too much for Hylla, and she burst into laughter in the backseat, Reyna turned crimson as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"Dad!" Reyna complained, her voice raising an octave as she turned the key in the ignition, the car purred to life smoothly and Reyna eased out of the driveway, setting her course for San Juan first. "Hylla stop laughing, it isn't funny." Hylla didn't stop laughing and I didn't want her to, no matter how cross Reyna was.
"I'm going to take that as a no." I told Reyna, relieved that I could give 'Jason' a warning before he went around kissing my daughter, I'd have to have a small talk with Esteban as well. At least I could contact him easily, I didn't know how to get a message to Jason. Bella had told me I'd made sure Hylla knew everything that would get her far in life, everything she would pass on to Reyna. When she'd stood there in my room, in the white dress I'd wished she'd worn under different circumstances, a white dress for the day our daughters disappeared. With her alabaster skin it made her look ethereal, like an angel, or a goddess, yet, somehow she looked down-to-earth as well, I had wondered if she'd worn that when she said goodbye to Hylla and Reyna, giving them her blessings for a safe passage over the sea.
"Reyna!" Hylla stopped laughing as the car jerked, slamming us against our seats. Reyna let out a curse in Latin as a green convertible cut in front of us at the crossing, I gave her a pointed look but she only ran her hands through the loose part of her hair.
"Sorry, the idiot needs a driving lesson." Reyna apologised, she checked it was clear before she set off again, I gave directions to lead her to the highway that would take us to Salinas, and ultimately, my mother's house.
"Luca, you really must visit more often." Was the typical greeting I got when I arrived at my mother's. "I know Maria and Linda don't see me often, and I'll be having talks with them too, but you live closer than they do, it is hardly an excuse." I could recite it from memory, but I always was a momma's boy, and I loved visiting my mother every Saturday, spending five hours with her each week.
"Sorry, mom, I know I've missed two weeks, but I brought you a surprise." I winked at Reyna and Hylla as they hung up their coats, Hylla taking delicate care to caress Esteban's jacket sleeve as she lowered her hands again. Maybe I should go over the basics of 'the talk' with her? Maybe Reyna too, I wasn't sure about this Jason guy, I hadn't met him yet.
"A surprise?" I heard my mother shuffling around in her living room, probably tidying it up. "It's not my birthday, Luca." I stepped into the floral living room and smiled at my mom, she was wearing the cream knitted sweater that Linda had bought her for Christmas last year, and a rich brown skirt that fell past her knees, her still-black hair was pulled back in a bun as she turned to greet me, hands on hips as if I'd misbehaved. "What surprise did you bring me?" She asked warily, I held out my empty hands in surrender.
"Hylla, Reyna, would you like to come in?" The girls whispered to each other before appearing in the room, I instantly went to my mother's side, if she had a heart attack, or something of the sort. As it were, she didn't even raise her hand to her chest, she just stared at them, paler than she'd ever been but happiness radiated off her.
"Are you my granddaughters?" The joy in her voice was unmistakable, and I saw tears in Hylla's eyes as she nodded. Mom turned to me. "These beautiful young women are my little Hylla and Reyna?" I nodded, confirming it. Hylla and Reyna always would hold a special place in mom's heart, her first granddaughters. "Welcome home, dears." At once, any protocol Hylla and Reyna were following was abandoned as they flew across the room to hug mom, all three of them sharing a warm hug.
"I'll put the kettle on and start dinner. I'm sure you'll want to catch up." I quickly pressed a kiss to Hylla's head, before doing the same to Reyna, then leaving them in peace with my mom, hopefully, she wouldn't bring up the topic of boys any time soon, I needed to have 'the talk' with them first. Or I could ask Elisa, that idea seemed less daunting.
Yes, I am cruel, making them have 'the talk'. I'm just going to leave this short, because I want to write the next chapter before the last minute and keep up with my updating schedule, which I am keeping to, surprisingly. Expect me back next week, or don't... I wouldn't believe people were reading this story if I didn't see the traffic stats that tell me that people are. I still don't believe them.
Peace, Love, I AM SHER-LOCKED!
Love Always, Jeyna. X