Chapter 36: The Story of Vincent

I was taken to my house. I looked around and I saw my little girl self see Daddy drinking heavily, his eyes watering. The voices rang in my head. They were happy. Dad was finally going to do what they said.

Little Dezzie went upstairs, scared. I watched as Dad pulled a black gun out of his pocket and he stared at it and let out a hysterical laugh. He stood up and walked into his office. In the corner I saw Vinny watching Dad. His eyes wide in wonder to what Dad was going to do with it. And I couldn't help but notice that Mom ignored Vincent as she ran up the stairs to go ask me where Dad was.

He followed Dad as he went into the office. He stood outside for a moment and he reached for the doorknob. I wanted to scream at him not to twist it.

I was dragged inside the room and I saw my dad numbly writing on canvas those words I didn't ever want to see again. His neat writing that would be the end of my world. He dropped the paint brush and sat staring at the gun. Tears were running down his face. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, leaving his family. But it was for their safety from him and what he could do if he snapped. I kept screaming: "DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!" But he wouldn't listen. He couldn't hear me anyway.

He brought the gun up to the temple of his head, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger.

Vincent opened the door. Splatters of blood hit his little face. His eyes closed but when he opened them he saw it.

I screamed and stared back at those hazel eyes. Those eyes woke me up at night screaming sometimes. And now I was reliving that nightmare. "Daddy?" Vincent whispered quietly. "Daddy?"

I heard the sound of my feet running downstairs following the sound of my mother's. Mom got there first and she let out a scream. I saw little me running after her. Little Dezzie's eyes went wide at the look on her brother's face. She ran over to Max and clutched his little perfect shoulders. "Max! What happened?" she screamed.

"He…" But then Mom pushed the two children and she fell to her knees and started crying nonsense that Little Dezzie didn't get. But since I was older now I got what she said.

"I'M SO SORRY! I SHOULD HAVE BELIEVED YOU! I'M SORRY!" she sobbed as she held my father's cold hand.

I heard sobs coming from the back of my throat and my vision was blurred from the tears.

Little Dezzie looked up and she gasped in horror. She stared at the words and the blood and brains and then she started to cry. Vincent hugged her close and he buried his face in her shirt which was getting bloody but she didn't care. She hugged back and her lips trembled. She began to cry silently and she held him closer than ever now.

I stared at them and I tried to remember the last time Vincent had ever let me hug him that closely. We were adults now and all innocence had left us. I closed my eyes painfully and I whispered, "Oh Gods, I'm sorry."

Aunt Rose came and she ran into the studio and she stared at her brother's dead body. She said she needed some time alone so we left her. Except me right now, I stayed in the room and watched her break down.

"YOU PROMISED!" she screamed. "YOU PROMISED TO STAY WITH ME! YOU PROMISED! YOU'RE A LIAR JACOB MILES STOLL! A LIAR!" she fell to the ground and she held her tears in the palms of her hand as she continued to sob and scream. "Y-You're a liar… You are… Damn you… please… I love you… I need you… we were the only ones left…"

Suddenly the sophistication that Aunt Rose pulled off when she was an adult disappeared for a while when she was alone in that room and suddenly I saw that little girl who cried for her mommy and daddy. That girl who had coffees thrown at her for being what she was.

"Please, come back…" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "Please…"

The scene faded and I saw time move by. But then I was stopped and I was at a park. I looked around and I saw my 12 year old self walk into the park and go to the swings. I stare for a moment to let myself think and then I walk to her and sit on the swing next to her. She looks up at me and she looks surprised. I smirk a little knowing what she's thinking.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers!" Little Dezzie piped.

I looked at her and let out a snort, "Puh-leese, I know you don't listen to that crap," I chimed in my British accent as I swung a little bit.

"Do I know you?" Little Dezzie, asked, puzzled.

I let out a sigh and remark how innocent I am. "Hon, you know me like the back of your palm, you just don't know it yet. And try to be less mean to everybody. You don't know what you have 'till you lose it." I sighed. She stared at the hem of my shirt and saw a hospital gown stick out. I smiled a little knowing that I was going to ask if anybody mental escaped from the mental facility.

I knew she wasn't going to listen to my advice until it bit her in the butt. The scene started to fade and I knew that little me would be freaked out that I left. Then I was gone from the scene and I kept moving on.

I travel through time again and then stop at a teenage girl leaning against a car, lighting a smoke. I hide behind a tree and watch her. Her hair is messed up and the tank top she wears is messed up and her bra strap slipped off her shoulder. There are cuts all over her arms but she doesn't seem to mind.

Then I realize it's me. I look so different from the last time I saw my younger self. Her makeup is smeared and I can tell that the random boy I slept with in the past didn't care about the cuts across her arms or how much of a wreck she was.

I walk to her and lean against the car. "You know, smoking is bad for you," I say softly. She looks at me annoyed, but then her eyes get wide

"Oh my Gods, it's you." she gasps.

"Yup. It's me, although you see me every day," I say staring at the houses across the street.

"What the hell do you want?" past me asks, still smoking that damn cigarette.

"That you're beautiful," I say.

"What?" she says. I know it sound narcissistic but 15 year old me really need to hear that when she thought all hope was lost and when it was pretty dark for her.

"You're beautiful and if your dad saw you doing this or if my old fiancé saw that you were doing this then they would be ashamed since you don't believe what I say," I smirk, not revealing the future to her.

The cigarette falls out of her mouth and she stares at me. "What the hell makes you think that you can use that against me bitch?" she asks and it stings but I still stand my place.

"Because it's true Desiree, only you can't see it because you're too busy angsting around and acting like the world is against you. But trust me honey, it's not sunshine and butterflies in the future so you better enjoy your time now and stop being such a downer for yourself!" I yell.

Desiree glares at me. "You don't know how it is!" she argued. "You don't know what it's like to be me!"

I roll my eyes. "Please girly, I know exactly what is like to be you," I snort kicking the ground. I hate talking to myself; she's so hard to talk to without getting pissed at her and wanting to punch her. But then again, I can't touch her if I didn't want to risk a ripping up the fabric of time.

"I'm not a child!" she screams. "So don't talk to me like one!"

"You are a child!" I argue.

"Why the hell do you even follow me around?" she yelled, stepping away from me. "Are you some sort of stalker?"

The world around me started to fade and I smiled. "Well, I guess I am,"

"I can call the police on you!" she says.

I smirk. "I know you won't though," and then I'm gone.

Then I'm in my childhood house again. I'm standing next to a pubescent boy with dark hair. He's staring out the window as he watches his sister leave him and his family. Instead of watching her leave I watch him. How much hate is in his face, his scar less face.

To my surprise, they don't drag me to myself. Instead, I stay here with Vincent. I follow Vincent and he goes up to the Math Teacher. "Where did Desiree go?" he asks.

The Math Teacher looks up from reading. "She's gone," he says.

"Where did she go?" Vincent asks, his tone of voice shows his annoyance rising. "She just left."

"Max, she claims she's not coming back, don't worry, you don't have to deal with her anymore,"

"But she's my sister!" he argues. "She can't just leave me!" Guilt settles in my stomach. I reach out to touch his shoulder but my hand just waves through.

"Max," Seth says. "Listen. It's better without her. All she has been doing around here is being all dramatic and making it all about her."

Vincent glared at him but didn't say a word but a whole string of swears were forming in his head. He just walks away from him and thinks about his words. "She's really not coming back," he said out loud gently petting a squirrel, his fingers curling around the soft fur. The feeling of abandonment filled me and I realized it was his emotions.

Then I was dragged over to Mom. She was crying. Because of me.

"I'm a horrible mother!" she cried as Seth took her shoulders.

"No you're not." he said firmly. "Maybe she needs to take time off. Plus she's probably going to come back. That's how teenagers are."

"She's just like him," Mom sighed. "He would totally do that."

Seth shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like it when we brought up Dad. But it's not like we were going to abandon the thought of him. Seth just didn't see it like that. Plus my dad was way more awesomer than him. For one, he was a motherfucking Stoll and all Stoll's are made of awesomeness and are B.A.M.F.'s.

Then I was pulled out of the scene and thrown back into camp. It was winter which was odd since I never stayed at camp during winter. Except I'm in the Big House.

"We need three brave campers to retrieve something for Apollo," Chiron said. The Apollo councilor, Jake Sol, leaned in closer, listening more attentively now. For some reason Vincent was there too.

"We need three brave campers to retrieve a sheep that was kidnapped from Apollo's flock," Chiron announced.

Everybody except for the Apollo councilor stared at him. "A sheep?" An Ares kid, Liam, asked. "A damn sheep? That's not a brave quest at all."

"Why can't Apollo get his own sheep?" An Athena Councilor asked.

"Yes, but it's a sacred sheep," Chiron said calmly.

"So what? This is a sacred shoe!" Carter said. He proceeded to take off his shoe and throw it across the room. "I'm not going to send somebody on a dangerous quest just to get the damn shoe! I can just buy another pair! And in Apollo's case, he can just make one of his sacred sheep have a sacred baby lamb so that sacred baby lamb can take the other sacred sheep's place!"

"You don't understand!" Jake protested. "It's a sacred sheep! You just can't replace things like that!"

"Where is this sheep anyway?" Vincent asked. "I mean if we were to 'save' this damn sheep we need to know where it's been taken."

"It's been taken to the Appalachian Mountains by a clan of chimeras. They will use that sheep for a feast in three days so the questers must not make haste." Chiron said. Rachel was sitting there bored, not really caring about one sacred sheep. "Now, please, I need three campers to agree to go."

"I will go!" Jake yelled, standing up. "To make my father proud."

"Two more." Chiron said, looking hopeful.

"Actually, one, the prophecy only spoke of two going on the quest." Rachel spoke up.

Chiron looked around but nobody volunteered. Vincent rolled his eyes and stood up. "Since nobody is volunteering, I'll volunteer." he sighed. Chiron smiled.

"Thank you." he said curtly. "Now Rachel, if you please."

Her eyes rolled back and her eyes glowed green.

Two heroes shall go on the quest

To save the divine

But in the end one with flee

When one another is down

A fraud shall save the fallen

I paled. I knew who the fake person was. Her eyes rolled back to normal and the two boys glared at each other, thinking who would abandon who. "We should leave by sundown," Max said firmly as he got up.

I watched as the two boys packed and then after dinner they met up by the gates of the camp. "Ready?" Jake asked.

"Yea, just keep up pretty boy," Vincent said as he began to walk in a fast pace which was his normal walking pace.

"Hey!" Jake protested. "Slow down! I need to talk to you."

Vincent stared at him with a black expression. "Um, let's make a pact to never abandon each other." Jake suggested.

"It will happen anyway." Vincent said, his voice monotone. "So what's the use?"

"So you'll be the one abandoning me," Jake sneered. "I see."

"No I won't." Max said. "I promise."

"Promise on the River Styx," Jake said.

"Okay, I promise on the River Styx that when you are fallen in battle of getting one sheep, I will not abandon you." Max said.

Jake smiled. "Thanks."

I watched them as they crossed terrain and finally they were at the mountains. I didn't get why Vincent didn't use his shoes to teleport places. But I guess it didn't cross his mind while he was on a quest.

"We're here!" Jake said triumphantly. "I never thought we'd make it!"

"We only have one more night though so we can't rest tonight," Vinny says staring at the wide expanse of land. The both nodded at each other and then started hiking up the land in their worn out Converse. Both boys looked dirty and their clothes were lightly ripped and burnt from fighting monsters.

When they ran into people who lived in the Mountains they asked if there were any caves. The folk would just look at them funny and ask what they were doing up the Mountains. They would just say that they were hunting for things in caves. The people wouldn't really believe these city boys but then tell them that there was this huge cave down east.

The sun came up and both boys were tired. They found a spot of grass and slept for a few hours before getting back up.

"Wake up!" Jake hissed. Vincent stirred and sat up. They both stared at a cave in which fire was coming out of. "I think we found our Chimeras…"

Then I was dragged to the cave and I saw the two boys fighting herds of Chimeras. Jake was firing arrows at the hearts of the beasts and Max was slashing at them. The sheep was on a pedestal and it was baahing in fear.

The last wave of Chimeras came and when there was one left, Vincent was fighting it while Jake ran to get the sheep. His feet staggered and he made a swing to block a claw of the Chimera. But the Chimera slashed across his face and poison jetted out of the claws. The claw mark went across from his forehead to his right peck.

He fell to the floor clutching his face and staring at his fingers when he took them away from his face. He saw his speckled blood tainted with green ooze.

I was going to scream when the Chimera was going to take one last blow at my brother but Jake shot his last arrow at the Chimera and it fell to the ground. I let out a breath of relief as Jake ran towards my brother.

I saw his arms reaching out to him and my brother looked relieved. But then I watched as the boy took Vincent's shoes off and put them on his.

Vincent wiped his poisoned blood from his face so he could talk. "I thought we had a promise!" he yelled.

"No we didn't." Jake said, tying the laces.

"You swore on the River Styx!" Vincent protested, spitting out blood that leaked into his mouth.

"No you did," Jake sneered. "Do you know how long I wanted my father to notice me? Do you know how long I've waited to be the hero? No filthy quad-blood freak is going to take that away from me!"

Vincent glared at him, his blue eyes filled with hatred. "It's just a sheep!" Vincent yelled, spitting out more blood.

"I'll make up a story saying that you died a heroic death, don't worry," Jake said lifting the sheep in his arms. "And plus there's nobody here to save you, whoever this 'fraud' is. Turns out they didn't show up. Too bad for you,"

"You can't leave me!" Vincent hissed.

"Oh yes I can." Jake hissed back. "Teleport."

Then he was gone. Vincent's big blue eyes stared at the empty space where the traitor once stood. He turned around and tried to stand up. But his arms shook and he swore out loudly and spit out the blood. The poison was slowly killing him. He tried to crawl to the entrance of the cave but then both arms gave up.

I saw tears running down his cheeks. He was sure he was going to die. And he didn't want to die yet. He made himself flop over to his back and he stared at the cave's ceiling. I stepped forward and my feet accidently kicked a stone. Vincent's eyes flashed to me and he stared at me. His eyes fogged up.

"Are you the fates?" he asked, not caring if blood was getting in his mouth anymore. "Come to take me to hell?"

"Vincent. Please, don't talk," I said softly in my British accent, coming to his aid. I cradled his head and watched him settle down. I rubbed his palm with my thumb just like Dad did when he waited for Aunt Rose to wake up. His eyelids fluttered shut and he fell asleep. I almost freaked out and thought he was dead but I heard his breathing and I took a deep breath. "Just calm down and I'll teleport."

Then we were in the center of camp. They were feasting at the success of the quest. But the table clothes were black assuming Vinny was dead. And I'm keeping you up to date because you were basically passed out and you had no idea what happened after you woke up.

A large gasp filled the dining hall and I was about to scream that I wasn't there but they couldn't see me as they rushed over to my brother and some of them ran right into me and then out.

"Oh my Gods! He's alive!" somebody shrieked.

"Hurry! Get him to the infirmary!" An Apollo kid yelled. A team of Apollo kids picked him up and they ran to the Big House's infirmary. The rest of the campers turned to Jake.

"So you were saying about his death?" Carter said, stirring his drink which was alcohol. He had turned to alcohol when Connie passed. She was the only family he had. They stuck with each other ever since they were little kids. But now… she was gone. I didn't ever tell him that I was dating a Roman. He would have flipped out. Plus I couldn't tell him because he died when he ran into a busy street in front of a taxi when he was staggering around drunk.

"Uh…" Jake stammered. Then he faked a smile. "Oh my Gods! It's a miracle! He's alive!"

People expected the Gods to punish Jake. But they didn't. They let him be. They wanted Vincent to die that night. They wanted to kill us. That was the only reason why I had damn cancer. They tried to kill me and Emmet with it too. But why do they train hormonal teenagers together? They're hormonal, they'll jump on each other, some of them may fall in love like Travis and Katie did and then make pretty babies together.

Stoll babies are pretty cute, trust me. I have seen three generations of Stoll babies.

Then the scene faded and I was in an infirmary. The boy lying on the bed was sleeping peacefully as the sun hit his bandaged face. Before I got there I saw glimpses of them draining the poison out of his body. I heard his moans and groans and then he was healed.

I watched as a curly haired man with elf airs peered into the room. The man looked familiar and then I recognized him as Hermes, our great grandfather. I studied Vincent more. He was shirtless and the Band-Aid wrapped around his head to his torso. He shifted a little bit in his sleep and muttered something in French.

Hermes stepped timidly in the room and set down a pair of fresh black Converse near a chair where a change of fresh folded clothes were sitting. He was going to leave when his eyes met with Vincent's who were lazily staring back at him.

"Uh…"

Vincent yawned and rubbed his eyes. But then he stared at the shoes sitting on the ground and then back to his grandparent. "Thank you."

Hermes stared at the kid who was laying there. "You're welcome…" Vincent buried his head back into the pillow and sheets and fell back asleep. Hermes smiled a little bit and then left the room.

Once the room was quiet again I walked to Max and sat on the chair next to him. I went over to stoke his cheek but my hand went right through him. I thought of how Katie would take care of her children when they were sick. One memory flashes in my head of her smiling sweetly at her sleeping son, his hair all messed up from rolling around in bed. She runs her fingers through his hair before kissing him on the crown of his head and moving to another child of hers.

I thought about the times where I stayed with Katie when she was little and when she fell asleep on my lap. I would run my fingers through her long blonde hair. I missed the days when things weren't complicated. And I wasn't even real back then.

His bedhead starts to fade and suddenly I'm in the middle of a busy New York street. I see Vincent running down the street, his fingers clutching onto the grip of his sword tightly. "Oh Gods…" he muttered. His sword clashed with the fury's claws and he tried to attack again but the sword just clashed again. Vincent was older this time, 14 years old. He was in his school uniform. It was a year before he became that genius boy.

He was throw to the ground and he braced himself but all of the sudden a large expanse of stone was thrown at the fury. I watched as the fury shrieked in pain but then it poofed into dust. Vincent lay there in amazement.

"Aren't you gonna get up stupid?" a female voice asked. He looked up and a girl with straight black hair and amber eyes was smirking at him.

He staggered up and turned to her. "Did… Did you do that?" he asked,

"Why yes I did," she said, smiling. "Impressive huh?"

"I could have killed it myself," he argued.

"I know you could have," she said putting her hands on her waist. "But I wanted to do it for you."

The girl was in a school uniform that had a plain grey skirt and she sported a red blazer. Her ears were pierced as well as the cartilage. She also had a little silver nose piercing. She looked very dark but her eyes were bright and full of life. She wore black mid-calf high boots and knee high black and grey striped socks came out of them. He blinked for a moment at her strange appearance.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"The name is Anna-Marie Di Angelo but I will kill you if you call me Anna-Marie or Marie." she said,

"Di Angelo?" he asked. "Like Nico Di Angelo?"

"No like Potato Di Angelo, what the hell do you think smarty?" she said sarcastically.

"Are you like this all the time when you meet people?" he asks, snapping. She snaps too and green mist flows out of her fingers too.

"Only when they don't say thank you for saving their life." she smirked. "And they don't tell me their name."

"Vincent Maxwell Stoll, but if you call me Vincent I will cut you," he replies, smirking.

"What, so I should call you that nerdy name Maxwell?" she teases.

"No, just Max," he says. He begins to walk away. She follows.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asks.

"Home so I can get ambrosia," he says.

"No, you can't go home!" she says. "You can't!"

He stares at her with intense eyes and I can feel her breath hitch a little bit. Although he doesn't notice. "Why can't I go home?" he asks.

"Because we were meant to meet and you can't go meet yet!" she whispers franticly.

"I think I'm going home because you're a freak." he says, turning.

"I'm a medium!" she says, following him and pulling on his wrist. "I'm a medium and I'm supposed to tell you something!"

He stops walking and he faces her. "Okay, listening."

She lets go of his wrist. "Your dad has been talking to me," she says. He glares at her.

"Are you sure you aren't mental? My dad wants nothing of me," he hisses.

"He told me you would probably act like that!" she protests. "He says he's sorry Vincent. He's sorry that he left you and your family. He says he was selfish and he's sorry,"

"He's not sorry!" Vincent hisses. "That son of a bitch is never sorry! If he's sorry he would have thought twice about killing himself!"

"If you would listen to me!" she hissed back, getting in his face. "People like you make my job hard because you can't accept the fact that the dead regret! Well, let me tell you chum, they regret so they use me in hopes you make amends with them! So fine, you don't have to accept it, just know that he tried hard enough!"

She stepped away from his face and crossed her arms. They both stayed quiet for a while and people pushed pass the two teenagers. I watch as realization fills his eyes and some of his hate washes off. Except his hate for me is still there. He clears her throat. "So… you say you're a medium, huh?"

She looks surprised at first and then realizes it's him trying to make amends with her. She softly smiles and that smile will make his heart melt in the future. "Uh, yea..." she giggled. "I'm a medium…"

I watch the two teenagers walk away. That was the start of a friendship that would last for a long time.

Awh, I love them. So thanks for reading. So now you know how Vincent got the scar. Yeaaa. Bye.