Big thank you to Lady Starry Midnight who helped with the editing process for this big update while my brain recovers. This update wouldn't be posted for a few more weeks without their help! They've got a story on their account they've just started if you're a fan of the OCs in PJO universe story style! Thanks again! Hope readers in enjoy!
~secreathalfblood
Jpov
"I'm sorry, you want me to do what?" Harper said looking at me incredulously.
She'd been struggling to place a book on the top of one of the many shelves lined along the walls of her room, but had frozen to stare at me like I was growing a third arm.
"Libby wants to find a breeding ground for griffins." I said grabbing the book, realizing it was the one I'd retrieved from Chiron not too long ago, when Libby had first mentioned the idea we'd returned to last night.
"On purpose?" she asked her expression indignant and I shrugged, placing volume on the shelf.
"Well… yes." I said, frowning as she continued to stare at me like I'd gone mad.
"James." Her tone was reproachful.
"It could be helpful." I argued trying to sound as persuasive as possible while her expression darkened, clearly not thrilled about the idea. "For what she wants to do. Lucy and I found tons of them in the Rockies."
"Somewhere in Canada." She said in exasperation, sitting on her bed.
"If you can just get us in the general area-"
"Of Canada."
"Of a certain part of Canada." I corrected and she shook her head. "Just get us close, and I can handle it from there."
"So you can track down griffins." She said glaring at me. "Who will probably be pissed off you've gotten anywhere near their nests."
"Possibly." I admitted.
She sighed and put her head in her hands.
"You can't be serious." She muttered through her fingers, sounding as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"What's wrong?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't get Ashton's little sister killed."
"Harper, I can handle a few griffins." I said crossing my arms over my chest, almost insulted I had to remind her of this, but she was shaking her head again and hadn't looked up. "Besides, what happened to 'Libby is an adult?' Are you seriously gonna say she can't decide-"
"James, you can do whatever you want." She said with a sigh and looking up. "You don't need permission from me. If you want to go I'll send you through. But you're playing with fire."
"I'm not going to let her get hurt," I assured, but the look she gave me was shrewd.
"Libby is not the person I'm concerned about."
This caught me off guard and I looked at her, uncertain how I was supposed to respond.
"Harper, I can't-"
"Oh yes you can." she said standing impatiently. "Ares might be able to run you over with one of his tanks without consequences, but that's not the sort of thing we're talking about here James, is it?"
She sighed and seemed to regret the statement, glancing down at the ring on her left hand before she shot me a knowing expression.
"I'd know."
"It's not like that," I said quietly, but when she simply stared I knew she didn't believe me. "Look, I know this isn't the sort of thing I'd normally sign up for."
"If anyone else had asked you do this, you would have laughed in their face." She said incredulously. "No actually, if Lucy asked you, you would have laughed. Anyone else and you wouldn't have even answered. Just glowered at them until they ran away."
"But I do genuinely think it could be helpful." I continued ignoring her argument. "Not just for what she wants to do, but for everyone. Isn't that why you let her research her over the summer? To try and consolidate what we know about creatures in the mythical world? To take the information we have here and make it useful? We've already learned some of its outdated."
"Since when do you care about everyone?" she asked skeptically. "And I agreed to let Libby research here. Not something like this."
"You don't have to do anything." I insisted. "All you'd have to do is just send us where she wants to go. You do it all the time. It's not a big deal."
"And what if something does happen?" she asked stubbornly.
"It won't."
"You don't know that." She countered. "You're a magnet for monsters James, and angry gods, look at what happened with Hypnos." She said gesturing towards me as if to emphasize her point. "Do you really want Libby getting caught in the cross fire?"
This I didn't have an answer for, and it wasn't until I saw her expression falter that I realized I was a little upset.
Maybe she had a point. This idea might have been dangerous not because of what Libby wanted to do, but because of who she'd be with.
'It's her decision.' A voice said in the back for my mind as I considered Harper's warning. 'It's what she wanted.'
She'd asked me to go. So why did it feel like I was being selfish?
"Why do you care so much about this James?" Harper asked eventually. She sounded tired and perhaps a little exasperated still, but mostly, she just seemed confused. "If you want to go crawling around in some remote mountain chain you can just ask, I'll send you wherever you want to go you know that. Why get involved with this insane monster scavenger hunt at all?"
The question hung between us a bit awkwardly and I found myself struggling to answer it. It took me a second to realize I was uncomfortable. I didn't like not having answers, Harper and I were so often on the same page about everything that if I didn't she usually did. But it was clear from her expression she didn't understand, was looking to me for some sort of explanation to make this request make sense. It always felt like Harper knew everything, not just what was in the library, but about me. It felt weird to try and explain something to her. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had to.
"I dunno." I said trying not to feel a bit disappointed at the resistance I was meeting. I didn't think Harper minded the outdoors, and she didn't object to roughing it for a few days if there was a purpose, primarily rare and powerful texts hidden in abandoned pockets of the world. At the very least she didn't complain. But it was clear this wasn't the sort of thing she'd want to spend her limited free time on, and liked the idea of Ashton's little sister going even less. "I guess it just sounded like fun."
I expected her to laugh at this, or even roll her eyes but she didn't. She just kept staring at me and it made my discomfort even worse.
"Fun?" she asked incredulously.
"What?"
"The idea of scrambling up mountains and tangling with angry griffins, just so Libby can take notes on them, sounds like fun to you?"
"Well… yeah." I said with a shrug.
Silence.
"You're nuts James."
"How is it any different than what we do?"
"Griffins aren't instruction manuals on ancient and dark magics waiting for people to find them!"
This I couldn't deny and I found myself thinking that if I was going to sell Harper on the idea, I was going to have take a different approach.
"That doesn't mean they can't be learned from." I pointed out, attacking Harper's opposition on its weakest front and I felt a slight sense of satisfaction as she seemed to consider this. Harper loved absorbing new information of any kind. She'd entertain just about any argument if it was peer reviewed. I didn't hesitate to press the advantage. "I know you like to think you know everything Harper, but that doesn't mean we won't find anything useful."
Her resolve was wavering at this point, I could see it, and I felt a surge of something close to excitement as I realized she was actually contemplating the idea.
"You said some of the information Libby had come across was outdated?"
"Appallingly so."
"And you really think updating our records is something she could do?"
"Yeah." I said with complete honesty. "I do."
The temptation for new information must have been too much at this point for Harper, because she sighed.
"Fine. But she's not going anywhere without you ok?"
"Alright." I said easily but she seemed to not even be listening.
"I swear to Hades James if something happens to her-"
"Harper, I'm not going to let anything happen." I said, cutting across her rant and her gaze met mine. "You know that."
It wasn't a secret how seriously I took the safety of the people I cared about, and Harper knew more than anyone if faced with a dangerous situation, the life I assigned the least amount of value was my own.
She'd learned to stop arguing with me about it over the years, but I could tell she was debating bringing the subject back up.
"Yeah, well," she said stiffly. "Don't let anything happen to you either, alright?"
She gave me a significant look before getting to her feet and walking towards the door. But when we made it to the main level, I saw that Libby appeared to be on the phone, her expression conflicted.
"Yeah," she said distractedly, pulling the phone from her ear and checking the screen, probably to look at the time. "Yeah I can be there, I just need to grab my stuff. Uh huh, yeah, no problem. See you soon."
She hung up and shot me an apologetic look.
"Hey, sorry, change of plans." She said guiltily. "I was just asked to cover a shift at the clinic. Someone called out sick."
"Oh." I said and I was surprised to realize I felt strangely… disappointed.
I was sure not to let it show however, as she gave me one last uncertain glance before looking at Harper.
"Can you send me back to my apartment?"
"Sure." Harper said with a shrug making her way towards the stairs, but not before shooting me an expression that told me that while Libby might have been ignorant of my emotions, to Harper, they'd been as easy to read as one of her many books.
I followed, mostly out of habit more than anything, however it felt a little awkward walking towards the doors knowing that really, I didn't have a reason to go through them. The girls were talking, probably about their chaotic schedules and not knowing what else to do, I pulled up my email on my phone, not expecting to find anything.
I was surprised however, to be reminded of the email from Mel. The one that I'd yet to respond to.
'Sorry…'
I hesitated, part of me tempted to open it, before locking the screen and putting the device back in my pocket.
Libby glanced at me occasionally, no doubt feeling anxious about something as she often seemed to, but I ignored it.
She said an apologetic goodbye to which Harper waved and I nodded, my gaze lingering on the door to the mortal world as she stepped through. I found myself wondering if this time, she might manage to keep her balance on her own.
I forced myself to look away, only to spot Harper watching me, and while she didn't say anything, she didn't have to. Her expression was enough.
'I told you so.'
Neither of us spoke for a moment. There didn't seem to be anything to say. It wasn't Libby's fault she'd gotten called into work. There wasn't a real reason she shouldn't have gone in.
So why did I feel this way?
It wasn't anger or irritation, emotions I was quite familiar with dealing with. I knew how to handle them. This… this was different.
It was something bitterer than disappointment. I felt sick, unsettled, blindsided by a wave of emotions even I knew were unreasonable, and angry with myself because again, this wasn't Libby's fault. I knew I had no reason to be upset. No reason to feel so… rejected.
It was a brutal realization, especially as I didn't think it had ever happened before. At least not like this.
"Do you want to go anywhere?"
Harper knew me better than anyone, so she would, of course, know that if my mind was occupied I'd want to be on the move. I didn't like to sit with uncomfortable things, and perhaps it was this that had me asking.
"Do you remember where you pulled me from last time I left London?"
She scoffed.
"And I thought the griffins were a terrible idea." She narrowed her eyes. "You're determined to make bad decisions today, aren't you?"
I didn't answer and she sighed.
"This isn't going to make you feel better."
"Just open the doors."
"Fine." She said putting up her hands in surrender. "I won't stop you. But you're being stupid."
"Noted." I said stiffly and she shook her head.
"Go ahead." She gestured towards the door that had started to glow.
I stepped through surprised to find that not only had Harper managed to get me to the exact building I wanted, she'd also managed the proper floor.
I glanced to my right to see Mel's apartment number and debated for a second, about to knock on it when I hesitated.
'Harper was probably right…' I thought bitterly.
I already hated revisiting my past, and using it because it was more familiar than my present was probably one of the worst ideas I'd had as of late.
I'd just dropped my hand and was about to call Harper to get me out of here when the door opened and to my surprise, Mel looked as if she was about to step out.
"James?" she asked in obvious shock.
She looked dressed for an evening out, heels, an expensive looking dress and make up that was obviously intended to make an impression. Even I had to admit, she looked gorgeous. It did little to affect my mood however.
"You wanted to apologize?"
I felt myself revert almost automatically to a personality I'd spent years perfecting. The person everyone had met at camp, that Harper's brother, and her boyfriend, I guess fiancé now, probably believed deep down I really was. The one Harper and Lucy seemed to so easily see through, and was impossible to summon with Libby around.
"Yeah." She said still clearly wrong footed. "I just… I sort of have a date..."
She said holding up her phone. Notifications, probably from whoever she was meeting, popped onto the screen.
"Cancel it." I said knowing I was being an absolute cad, but I didn't care.
It was hard to have any remorse when I felt like this and I started making my way towards the lift without looking back. I'd learned from Harper that if you started walking, people generally followed you.
Melanie was no exception.
"Erm, ok." She said jogging after me, struggling to keep up in her heels.
I expected to feel gratified that someone was cancelling plans for me after I'd just been cancelled on, but I didn't. For some reason, I felt worse. Whoever she had plans with probably didn't deserve it, but I was too selfish to care at this moment.
"What do you want to do?" she asked and I was surprised to hear she sounded a little excited.
I hesitated realizing that despite growing up in the city, I really didn't know what was around Mel's apartment. It had been so long since I'd walked through the London without a purpose.
"There's this really cute bakery a few roads down." She suggested, smiling at the idea. "I've been meaning to go there, it's got amazing reviews. And there's a park with-"
It was at this point that I realized Mel might have thought she'd cancelled one date for another, and I decided to take control of the situation.
"Is that book store by the post office still open?"
When in doubt, stick to what you know.
"The used one?" she asked sounding surprised and I nodded.
"You want to go to a book store?" she asked incredulously.
Another nod.
"Why?"
I hesitated for a moment, not entirely certain how I was supposed to explain this to someone like Mel. It wasn't as if she'd exactly understand.
"I'm comfortable around books." I said shrugging and when she shot me an expression that clearly expected me elaborate, I decided to up the ante. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. You can go on your date."
"No." she said shaking her head. "If that's what you want to do…"
We stepped off the lift and walked towards the doors of the building.
"You're just as odd as you ever were, aren't you?" Mel asked as I scanned the street for monsters, and wincing as she pushed open the door before I could make sure nothing was outside.
"You have no idea…" I muttered feeling my jaw set in irritation, but stepping out after her anyways.
She grinned a little.
"So what do you do?" she asked curiously.
"I don't really feel like talking about work." I said looking not at her but up the street, trying not to think about Libby disappearing through the doors.
"Alright." She said quietly. Her smile had vanished, almost as she felt scolded and I realized I might be out of practice speaking to people who didn't already know what was going on in my head like Harper and Lucy, or Libby, where idle conversation didn't feel like a necessary chore.
"What do you do?" I asked more out of habit rather than actually caring and her expression brightened.
She went into an explanation about social media accounts and analyzing trends that frankly, I didn't quite understand but from context figured it was probably had something to do with marketing. It got us to the bookstore, a tiny shop with volumes double stacked on the shelves jammed into what little floor and wall space there was to be found.
I felt my anxiety level a little at the familiar smell of dust and paper. Automatically I started scanning the titles to see if I found anything interesting, and maybe shouldn't be here, realizing a bit belatedly that, though I'd told Mel I hadn't wanted to talk about work, I gone straight back to doing it.
"What do you read?" she asked curiously, following me as I moved down the stacks.
"Everything." I said honestly.
We got books on just about every subject at the library and while unlike Harper, Lucy, and maybe Libby, I didn't spend much of my free time doing it, I still ended up reading a lot.
I pulled a likely looking title, seeing that it was a history of legendary creatures in England and opened it curiously.
"You're a fan of myths?" Mel asked and I looked up realizing I'd almost forgotten she was here.
"Sort of." I said grinning as I spotted one of the illustrations, a dragon, and thinking back to when Libby had almost been cooked by Hephaestus's book mark.
It was a lot funnier in hindsight than it had been in the moment. When it was happening, I'd been terrified.
"What do you read?" I asked and was surprised when she looked a little self-conscious.
"Oh, er, I don't really read unless it's on my phone." She said sounding embarrassed. "Sort of got out of the habit after school."
"Ah." I said finding this extremely odd, then realizing I might have been the peculiar one here, and that maybe the reference point of the girls in the library might not be the most representative.
"Well," I continued closing the book and looking at her. "Let's see if we can't find something for you then."
She looked surprised at the suggestion, clearly wondering if I was serious, but when I continued to look at her, she smiled.
"Sure."
…
To my very great surprise, I actually ended up having a pretty good time in the bookstore with Mel.
It was a bit awkward for about ten minutes when I'd lost focus and slipped back into obscurity behind the Mist and she'd thought I'd ditched her, but for the most part, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant evening.
She often tried to ask about what I'd been up to in the years we hadn't talked and I continued to doge the questions. It seemed to be a point of determination for her which was irritating, but I did enjoy hearing about the others of our group and what they'd been up to.
"So." She said giving me a suspicious look over her drink.
We'd ended up at the pub near Tom's apartment again, but it was just the two of us as well as the pile of books I'd bought at the store, and the novel that was sitting next to her on the table. It was a romance and, I suspected, a bit of a hint, but I'd pretended not to notice.
"Did you really go to military school?"
"Where'd you hear that?" I asked in surprise. It wasn't the lie that surprised me, it was my own after all, but the fact she'd heard it was unexpected.
"Henry." She said with a shrug. "He checks in on your Mum every once and a while."
"Really?" I asked shocked.
"Yeah," she said with a bit of a smirk. "She told him that's where you ended up, and Lucy was going to school in America. To be honest, I think he's rather disappointed you were the one who turned up after all this time."
"That doesn't surprise me." I said and she grinned.
"I think it's rather sweet, don't you?"
"That's my little sister, Mel."
"Yeah, and he fancied her for years." She said then frowned. "Actually, now that I think about it, he was pretty devastated when you two vanished. Maybe it isn't all that sweet." A flash of concern crossed her features. "He was not ok for a very long time."
She looked a little disturbed for a moment, then shook her head.
"Sorry." She apologized sounding a little distracted. "Wow that got dark rather quickly. Where were we?"
"Military school." I prompted and she nodded.
"Right. Is that where you actually were?"
"What do you think?" I asked raising an eyebrow and she shot me a suspicious look.
"Hard to tell." She said her gaze considering. "Quiet, it seems as if you've gotten into your fair share of fights." She continued her eyes falling on to the scar she'd taken an interest in outside her apartment the time I'd walked her home. "You certainly look the part."
Something about her tone had me thinking this was supposed to be a compliment, even if it was far subtler than something Libby or even Harper would have said. I had to admit, there had been a bit of a culture shock getting to know Harper so well, on both ends. Even if those two were on the extreme end of the spectrum, I'd come to find Americans to be pretty direct and I almost grinned as Libby's comments about accents and abs popped into my mind.
What Mel said next however, brought me back to the conversation.
"Plus your friend. Her father's military, pretty high up, right? Or was at least."
I stared at her.
"How do you know that?"
"Have you heard of the internet?"
"You googled Harper?" I asked incredulously.
"I looked up her boyfriend." She said sounding completely unabashed, as if she thought this should have been obvious. "Since Colin was raving about him. The blokes an author." She added pulling up something on her phone and turning me to show the result. "His rank is on the cover. Some sort of military genius, right? Does lectures?"
I was pretty sure the twin's father did a fair bit more than lecturing and writing books, not that I thought either of them was aware of it, but the fact the information was so readily available was a bit disturbing to me.
"I don't buy it though." She continued interrupting my thoughts.
"Buy what?"
"The military school rubbish." she said pointedly. "You never liked doing what you were told, even back in primary."
"People change."
"You're right. You're even more stubborn than you used to be, and I honestly don't know how that's possible." She said frowning. "I'm pretty sure if a drill sergeant came up to you screaming and trying to give you orders, wouldn't even blink."
"I might laugh at him." I said charitably, but she looked unconvinced.
"Maybe when we were kids." She said with a shrug. "You don't seem to laugh a lot now."
I thought back to the last time I'd laughed, really laughed, and once again had to work to keep a straight face as Libby's collapse in a fit a hysterics took up residence in my mind's eye, as well as her expression as she'd smiled through the phrase, 'Whole sale slaughter.'
'Gods.' I thought, not wanting to explain this to Mel. She'd think I was insane.
"People aren't very funny these days."
"Yes, it's the worlds fault." She muttered sardonically and I shrugged.
We didn't stay for much longer, the pub had started to pick up as people filtered in for dinner, and Mel had just started the process of suggesting we make plans again when a harsh voice said.
"James Albright."
"For the love of-" I cut my sentence short with a string of swears that surprised even myself.
"You've got to be kidding me." I snapped turning to see an unfortunately familiar mortal with short jet black hair and dark eyes narrowed at me.
Alyssa Burns was leaning against the exterior of the pub, clearly waiting for us to exit.
"How do you keep finding me?" I asked her angrily.
"How are you moving so quickly?" she asked sounding just as annoyed. "I have reports of you on your friends' campus just a few hours ago."
"Reports?" Mel asked looking between us. "James, who is this?"
"Another brunette." Alyssa said with a smirk, ignoring Melanie who looked offended. "You certainly seem to have a type."
"What's going on here?" she asked uncertainty, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her up the street, trying to get away from Alyssa.
"Leave it alone Mel," I muttered. "She's mad."
Of course, she walked after us.
"You're going to regret following me." I said darkly. "And so will whatever friends you have that are stalking me if you don't call them off."
"You can't have gone through customs." She said frowning. "I've got a friend at the airport. She checked for your name."
"Leave it alone Alyssa." I growled.
"Whatever you're doing, however you're traveling, it has to be illegal."
I let out a hollow laugh at this, which seemed to irritate her as she didn't let up
"I could have you detained."
This was harder to ignore and before I knew what I was doing, I'd turned to face her.
"I would love for you to try."
Most people would have cowered under the look I was giving her, but her chin was set stubbornly up in a way that bizarrely, reminded me of Libby.
I couldn't help it. I grinned.
She didn't like it.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm a child."
"Well you are rather short Alyssa."
"And you're a liar." She said darkly. "And I don't care what it takes. I'm going to figure out what happened to you. And your sister. Or have you forgotten she's still missing?"
A flash of rage went through me that took effort to tamp down, and in that moment, Mel too it upon herself to address our pursuer.
"Lucy is fine." she said frowning and looking at Alyssa uncertainly. "James said-"
"Oh James said." Alyssa spat cutting her off and throwing me a filthy look. "So I guess I should just stop looking for her then? Because James said."
The sarcasm in her tone was as evident as it was disgusted.
"No one has seen her for years. James only recently resurfaced and look at him."
She gestured towards me and the many remnants of past injuries I'd sustained in the years before I'd taken on Achilles curse.
"Who's to say his sister isn't worse, if she's even still alive." She glowered at me as I tried valiantly, to keep my temper in check.
It wasn't working. Already I could feel something catching inside me, anger turning to energy. An energy that was all too eager to convert into power.
I pushed it aside, forcing myself to keep walking.
"What did you James?" she asked nastily. "Join a cult?"
I ignored her.
"Kidnap your sister into joining with you? Or are you part of some sort of paramilitary organization?"
"You're insane."
"Are you a mercenary? Did you hurt someone? Is that why you seem to be in hiding?"
"You'd better hope I don't start to consider hurting you."
"That's an empty threat." She said.
"Is it now?" I asked stopping to look over my shoulder.
Melanie looked uneasy at my expression, but Alyssa was far from cowering.
"Questions about your sister aside, you're protective of women. It's part of your profile." She said harshly. "You don't hurt them."
"My profile." I said with a scoff, continuing to walk. "Alyssa, you don't know what I am."
"James Albright," she repeated. "Twenty two, son of Emily Albright, brother to Lucy Albright. Disappeared for good at the age of thirteen seemingly without a trace with his sister, ten at the time."
"How observant."
"Good marks in school, despite frequent truancies," she continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Increasing along with reports from Lucy's teachers that included recommendations for psychiatric evaluation and hasn't been seen since."
"Bugger off."
"Clearly you've been trained, though I doubt it was any sort of military academy like you claim."
At this I couldn't help but glance at Mel who was looking more and more apprehensive by the second.
"Known associates, Ashton Wells, Harper Davis and her twin brother Charlie."
"I see you've done your homework." I snarled.
"Libby Anderson."
I froze.
"What?"
Anger and something like fear poured through me as I turned, causing the power I'd been struggling to keep a lid over to light faster than butane.
"James…" Mel said anxiously trailing after me as I stepped towards Alyssa who was smirking.
"I see that got your attention."
"How do you know that name?" I asked surprised to hear my voice was almost shaking with rage.
"I have my sources."
"If you don't tell me in the next-"
But before I could finish the threat, the world started to tremble.
"What-" Mel began, but her question was cut off as people started shouting, clearly panicking about a possible earth quake.
I looked over my shoulder only to duck, grab Alyssa by her jacket, and throw her out of the path of an oncoming fist. The massive arm was scaly, almost the size of a tram, and crashed into the road, splintering the tarmac leaving a deep crater in the center of the street.
I took a step back in surprise as second fist went for my head, followed by a swipe of a reptilian tail.
I dodged another hit only to see a clawed hand the size of a bull shoot passed me, reaching after a Melanie who screamed.
"Mel! Don't!" I shouted but it was too late. She attempted to run. Almost immediately one of her heels snapped and she went sprawling into the buckling street.
I grabbed the creature's arm and kicked out, feeling a vague sense of satisfaction as a sickening pop was followed by a shriek that told me that the elbow dislocated. I dropped the arm and looked up to see that, as suspected, the creature wasn't alone. Three giants, humanoid bodies and scaled skin, standing several stories high, had stumbled into the street.
"Well," I muttered shaking out my shoulders and cracking my neck. "This is unexpected."
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Melanie screamed as Alyssa, whose eyes were practically popping out of her head, stared at the creatures in paralyzed shock.
"You should probably get out of here." I warned wishing I'd thought to bring my sword into the mortal world with me.
'Ah well,' I thought almost glad to have somewhere to channel the energy that had been darting across my nervous system, practically begging for an escape. 'Slug fest it is.'
No time like the present.
I threw myself at the creature in front of me, easily dodging a kick that tore open a wall of a building along the street. I drove my fist into it's stomach, satisfied when it flew back into one of its friends, and laughed.
It didn't last long.
The first giant, screaming in pain and fury charged. Not quite fast enough, I evaded it's attempt to grab me, but got hit with the tail and slammed into a car. Glass shattered and the metal twisted on impact, sending a dull wave of pain throughout me that was easy enough to ignore. I heard the creature chuckle stupidly, but I managed to stay on my feet and glowered at it. Not quite infuriated yet, but something a little past annoyed.
"Ow." I said glaring at the giant, who gaped at me with idiotic surprise. As if it was genuinely shocked it hadn't killed me and now wasn't quite sure what to do.
The impact had hurt, but not nearly enough to hesitate to launch a second attack or a third. My knuckles started to burn as my fist connected against the creatures' armor like skin over and over. Another wave of pain as a blow threw me into the sidewalk, but again I ignored it. I rolled to my feet, shook out my hand before lunching forward, the concrete splintered under me as I pushed off, the world turning to little more than a blur as what felt like a wildfire within me started to take control.
Pipes burst under the street and a shock wave shattered the surrounding windows on the street but, far from caring about property damage, I continued to hurtle after the creatures that were retreating haphazardly, tripping over cars and traffic lights, crushing the metal of both as easily as if it was tissue paper.
They looked scared now and I grinned, almost relieved to have an outlet, letting the euphoria that accompanied the activation of so much magic drive out all of the exhaustion and frustration of the last few weeks, and the emotions that had been attached.
It felt so good, I barely registered the ache in my shoulders and the way my heart was hammering against my chest. Almost as if it were trying to escape. I didn't care that I was burning up. A part of me that was always in the back of my mind, was pushing me to test my limits. See just how hard I could hit, how fast I could run. How long could this level of power be sustained.
In the end, it didn't matter.
It didn't take long for them to run, clearly not used to facing something so comparatively small that would give them so much trouble. I debated a pursuit, and if I'd had a weapon, I probably would have. But in the second's hesitation, something tackled me in an embrace and I had to override just about every instinct I had so as to not accidentally murder Mel.
"Bloody hell James." She said looking around at the wreckage as slowly, people ducked out of doorways and cars they'd taken shelter in. Her voice was shaking and her eyes were wide. "Wha-what was that?"
"Let go of me Mel." I said quietly, trying to keep the crash after the exhilaration from rebounding onto her in the form of anger, as what felt like every muscle in my body started their complaints.
It was obvious the Mist had done its job, already the mortals were fabricating a plausible explanation for so much damage. I heard rumors formulating in their early stages, a bomb or a gang war, though, most people seemed convinced that a train had derailed in the underground.
No one really noticed me. Why would they? I wasn't hurt, not visibly anyway, and the Mist had a history of covering my activities, but Melanie was looking at me uncertainly, visibly shaken.
Clearly, she'd something, even if it wasn't the truth.
"James, you're burning up."
"Let. Go." I muttered feeling my jaw clench.
"But-" she protested, I easily broke her grip however and scanned the debris of shattered glass, and ripped up concrete.
The pain had really started to set in now, joints aching accompanied by a pounding in my skull that seemed to increase with each second that passed along with my irritation.
"Alyssa!" I shouted over the sounds of emergency signals, annoyed with myself.
I didn't think I'd broken anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got a lecture from Libby the next time I saw her as I flexed my fingers and felt a searing pain in my right arm. Clearly something had torn.
I didn't remember which hit had caused it, but it continued to sting as the injury healed, trapped in what felt like a never-ending cycle of damage and repair. Car alarms were going off, as well as the security bell of what appeared to be a bank, making a little difficult to concentrate, but eventually I spotted her and started to walk.
Apparently her survival instincts were better than Melanie's, because she'd ducked under an armored vehicle just outside of the bank's doors, clearly designed to transport large amounts money safely. Judging by the wires that darted out at me and bounced off of my chest, she'd even managed to get a hold of one of the Tasers inside.
"Nice try." I said ducking down to look under the car, and grabbing the fist that swung in my direction, holding a piece of what looked like a mangled metal support.
I sighed and stood back up, allowing her to clamber out from under the car, but when she tried to run, I grabbed her jacket, easily blocking the punch she threw, holding her up as she attempted to kick me.
"You might be even shorter than Harper." I said absently as she continued to struggle.
She managed to slip out of her jacket and spun upon contact with the ground, lashing out with a final kick which was easy enough to catch.
"Stop that." I said letting her overbalance and she went tumbling back to the ground.
"What were those things?" she asked her eyes going wide as she scrambled back, only to hit the wheel of the truck.
She seemed terrified to realize she'd been cornered. It was clear she'd seen more than Mel, more than any of the other mortals most likely, but something about the utter confusion on her features had me thinking if Alyssa had the ability to see the mythological world, it wasn't complete. That or she didn't know what she was looking at, at the very least.
"You've got the sight?"
"The what?" she asked her breathing picking up with what I assumed was either mounting adrenaline or fear. With her it was hard to tell.
"Calm down." I said as evenly as possible while trying to force the magic that was colliding with itself within me back into a dormant state.
"Don't get any closer!" she shouted as I took a step forward, reaching frantically to her sides, clearly looking for a weapon and I halted.
"Relax." I said, but her eyes narrowed and locked on to me.
I put my hands up, trying to reassure her but she still didn't look happy. She glowered at me and I eventually relented.
"Fine." I sat on the pavement making sure to keep several feet between us, knowing it was a pointless gesture, but it seemed to make her feel a little better. Her posture at any rate was slightly less rigid.
It didn't really matter in the end. Sitting or standing, if I didn't want Alyssa to get away she wasn't going anywhere. I had a feeling she knew it too. But maybe she just wanted to feel as if she had some sort of control over the situation.
"What are you?" she asked and I laughed, but even I could hear the bitterness in it.
"You don't want to know that."
"You-"
"Have you considered darling," I interrupted, the words a mockery of affection. "That I might not be the enemy here?"
"Don't patronize me." She said obviously irritated by the term, and I tried to gather my patience.
It was clear she was terrified and as naturally as it came to me, sarcasm wasn't going to do me any good here. I tried to remember how I used to get Lucy to calm down when she was in one of her rages years ago. I hadn't been great at it, but it had worked sometimes. I got the feeling however, it would be far more difficult for someone who wasn't my sister, and I didn't much like Alyssa.
But I didn't want her to be afraid of me either.
"You're right." I said eventually. "I'm not going to hurt you. But those things weren't after me Alyssa."
She didn't answer this, not that I expected her too. Just continued to watch me, her dark eyes still narrowed, clearly on alert for some sort of sign of hostility or aggression.
'Gods.' I thought. 'Was I really that much of a monster in her eyes?'
Then again…
I looked over my shoulder at the destruction throughout the street. Confused mortals shouting and crying, first responders attempting to clear the wreckage and make sure everyone was alright.
After what she'd just seen, could I really expect her to think any differently?
I tried not to dwell on the justice of this comparison and whether it was warranted or not. I knew just how much I was capable of, but I also knew how much worse other forces in the divine world could be.
"Has it occurred to you that there might be nastier things than me in the world?" I nodded to one of the many craters in the road. "I might be ill tempered, but at least I don't have claws."
I stood and gave her a meaningful look.
"Maybe you should focus less on what I'm doing and start worrying about what will happen if you run into those things. Because unlike me, they won't have a problem with hurting you. And I've got enough people on my watch."
I noticed with some relief, that I might have gotten through to her, even if only in some small way. She looked a bit unnerved, but also less angry. She appeared to be thinking, and it had me hoping that if she had even the slightest bit of sense, Alyssa would realize she'd gotten in way over her head and would finally stop digging.
"Whoever you're asking for information about me, you should probably stop." I gestured at the destruction. "Clearly, they don't want you talking. The more you know, the more likely it is they'll be back. And I won't always be around."
I gave her one last glance before walking back to Melanie, who was still staring at me eyes wide. As if she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing.
'Zero survival instincts.' I thought a little amused.
"C'mon Mel." I said gesturing for her to follow me. "I'll walk you home."
"Alright." She said quietly, and with a hasty look at Alyssa, she scurried after me trying to avoid broken glass.
She'd ditched her heels and there was a tear in her dress along the collar revealing a nasty cut she must have gotten at some point during the chaos.
A surge of guilt went through me as I realized she'd been injured and it was, essentially, my fault. Even if the monsters had been after Alyssa, they wouldn't have been anywhere near Melanie if I hadn't come to see her.
"You ok?"
"Fine." She said shaking her head, but her voice was still shaking and I felt a twinge of uncertainty go through me at her expression.
"You sure?"
She looked down at herself and suddenly went very pale.
"Mel?"
"I'm bleeding." She mumbled in alarm.
"It isn't that deep." I assured her as she touched the injury and looked at her fingertips which came away stained with red.
She let out a thin, almost hysterical laugh, and what little color she'd had left drained instantly from her face. I saw what was about to happen a moment before it did. Melanie's knees wobbled and I darted forward as she plummeted towards the pavement, catching her easily enough. She wasn't heavy, but the scene around us was already in shambles and now I had to deal with a girl who'd quite literally fainted.
"Zero survival instincts." I muttered with considerably more irritation at this point as I picked her up.
It wasn't difficult to get her back to her apartment, or unlock the door, one of the few things I could actually thank my father for. Fortunately, my ability to hide behind the Mist seemed to extend to Mel for the time being. Otherwise the image of an unconscious woman floating down the streets of London might have left a few people a somewhat disconcerted.
Her apartment was small but nice, the decor far more modern and muted than Libby's place for sure. I put her on the couch debating what I should do, noticing somewhat distractedly that she didn't appear to have any roommates and probably lived on her own.
I thought back, trying to remember if I'd ever had a contact for either of her parents, but if I did, it wasn't coming to me. That was if they even still lived in the city. I could call Tom, but despite the fact I was certain she'd be ok, Mel unconscious and her clothes covered in blood would be a lot to explain and despite his open personality, I didn't see that conversation going very well.
But I couldn't leave just leave her like this.
The after effects of the curses were starting to kick in. I felt exhausted, completely drained, and feverish. Everything felt more sensitive, from my senses to my skin, and my heart was still pounding on and off in my ears.
I wanted to see my sister, to talk to Harper, and to lie down. I regretted this whole stupid idea of an evening, and most of all, I wish I'd been able to just go to the damn mountains with Libby like I'd been supposed to rather than his absolute clown car of a trip back home. It certainly would have made me feel better right now.
What the hell was I supposed to do? The injury wasn't serious, I was sure she'd be fine, but leaving her felt so… heartless. It also felt cowardly, though I wasn't sure why.
I'd just decided I should probably stay until she woke up, despite how much I didn't want to, when I felt my phone vibrate.
"Harper?"
"Please tell me you're not still in London." She said in what was almost a groan and I frowned.
"Where am I supposed to be?"
"Did you decimate an entire city block?"
"It's on the news already?"
"What happened?" she snapped.
"Ran into a couple of giants."
"More than one?"
"Three actually, but they weren't after me."
"Really?" she asked sounding stunned.
"I know, strange isn't it?"
"What were they after?"
I hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Melanie.
"You know that detective we ran into a while back? The one that keeps spamming my email?"
"With the bad attitude?"
"Yeah." I agreed. "I ran into her while out with Mel. I think she was their target."
"Why?" she asked and I could her a frown in her tone.
"Dunno." I said honestly. "But I don't think it's a coincidence she could see them. Or that she knows so much about me."
"Maybe she's not as mortal as we thought."
"Maybe." I said but not entirely certain this was the case. "She could be a legacy. Libby's roommate is one."
"Is she?" she asked with what sounded like interest.
"Yeah. She doesn't like me much either."
"That I did know." She said evidently amused, but whatever entertainment she'd gotten from this information didn't last very long and she sighed. "Gods what a mess. You should probably get back here, before someone has you arrested for destruction of public property."
"I think we're good on that front." I said glancing back at couch. "But I'm going to stay here for a bit. Mel was there. She sort of fainted."
"Is she hurt?" Harper asked sounding concerned.
"No. Well she got a cut," I amended as I realized that yes, technically she had been injured. "It wasn't bad, but I think she doesn't do well with blood. One look at the stuff and she was headed towards the pavement."
"She would not do well around here." Harper said with what sounded like a grin. It was clear she meant the library.
"I had a similar thought."
"Try not to break anything else while you're out." Harper said sounding distracted. "You know what happens when you draw attention to yourself. Olympus is going to start getting twitchy."
"That's much easier to do when they don't send giants after people." I pointed out and I could practically feel her irritation through the phone as she said.
"Good point. First that thing you ran into in Brazil, then the Hunters call for help, now this. Things are getting weird."
"Think we should look into it?"
"Maybe." She said uncertainly. "Though I'm not sure it's worth kicking a hornet's nest that's leaving you alone for the most part. You said they were after the mortal, right? Make the gods deal with it."
"You and I both know they won't." I said darkly and she let out an aggravated noise that suggested she agreed with me.
I couldn't really bring myself to believe the Olympians would care if a mortal found herself in trouble after getting sucked into their world of monsters and magic, they certainly hadn't when it was Lucy and I. I seriously doubted they'd look into what was going on with Alyssa, even if Harper asked them to.
"You're probably right." She muttered. "Well," another sigh. "It's your stalker. What do you want to do?"
"I need to think about it." I admitted.
I didn't think Alyssa should be left on her own to deal with whatever trouble she'd gotten herself into, but she clearly didn't trust me. Probably thought I'd kidnapped my own sister for some messed up reason, and trying to explain the situation to someone unfamiliar with the modern mythological world probably wouldn't help my case.
"Do you know where your dad is?" I asked remembering my conversation with Melanie earlier.
"Somewhere in Asia I think." Harper answered and while she'd responded quickly enough, she didn't sound completely confident. "I'm not exactly sure, he's on a book tour. Said signal would be spotty."
"Right." I said skeptical of this story, but it was clear Harper had bought it. "Well, when you get a hold of him, let him know I want to see him."
"Why?"
"He might be able to help."
"How?" she asked with a laugh. "By checking the grammar on your application for a restraining order?"
"Just ask him." I said impatiently rubbing my face with my free hand in frustration. "Sooner rather than later, please."
"Alright." She said defensively, now sounding just a touch annoyed. "Gods what's up with you?"
"I was just attacked by giants Harper, three of them."
"Yeah, and you thoroughly enjoyed it I'm sure." she countered perceptively. "What's wrong?"
I hesitated for a moment, realizing she was right. Something was bothering me, I just wasn't quite sure what.
"Alyssa mentioned Libby." I said eventually, feeling a sense of unease spreading through me.
There was a clattering on the other end of the line leading me to think Harper had dropped her phone, probably in shock.
"What?" she snapped, but there was a distinct note of alarm in her words at this point. "Libby? As in Ashton's sister?"
"Yeah. Had her last name and everything."
"How could she know that?"
"I dunno, might have looked up Ashton. Though, I'm not sure she knows they're related."
I thought back on the evening, to when I'd exited the pub and Alyssa had chased after me and Mel.
"Ashton has a million siblings." Harper said unconvinced. "How would she know to single Libby out?"
"Why do you think I'm such a bad mood Harper?" I asked. "I don't know."
"You're right, that is concerning." She said quietly. There was a tense silence between us for a moment and not for the first time, I could practically feel Harper's brain working over the line.
Eventually, she broke it.
"You think she has eyes on the library?"
"No." I said shaking my head automatically. "No, she's got no clue how we travel. It actually seems to be a point of irritation for her. But someone is telling her something. Who and what we should probably figure out. Before she gets herself into more trouble."
"Yeah. I think you're right."
"Call your dad." I repeated.
"Alright." She said and while I could tell she wasn't totally sold this would do anything, she didn't argue this time. "I'll reach out to some other contacts as well, see if they've heard anything."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet. We're most likely going to have to do some favors if we want any information that's useful. You're probably going to be pretty busy in the near future."
"I look forward to it." I said smirking.
"Gods that's probably true." She muttered. "Look I've gotta go. Let me know when you're headed back ok?"
"Always do." I said cheerfully. "I sort of have to."
"Shut up." She said and I grinned knowing she'd rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later."
"Bye Harper."
"Later."
The call disconnected and I looked around suddenly remembering where I was.
Mel was still out cold on the couch and I glanced down at myself, wincing as I realized that while I'd left the fight unscathed, my clothes hadn't.
"Hell." I muttered.
My jacket was beyond saving and I tossed it onto the nearest chair figuring it would probably have to be binned, but my shirt might have been salvageable.
Figuring she couldn't really complain about losing a little bleach, considering it was her blood after all that was staining my clothes, I went searching eventually finding a bottle under her bathroom sink.
I'd just started to think maybe the situation was a lost cause, the stains staying stubbornly in place when I heard a faint voice say.
"James?"
I looked up and caught my reflection in the mirror above the tap, just as a door opened, and Mel leaned into the tiny room.
"Oh." She said sounding a little surprised, her eyes meeting mine in the glass. "Sorry I-"
But she cut herself off, her eyes going wide as she really got a look at me and the evidence of past injuries. The scars that all demigods had, dialed up to eleven.
I almost winced at her expression. She looked horrified. I knew to her I probably looked pretty beat up. My life had been pretty rough, even by half blood standards, but the people around me were so used to it, it really wasn't a topic of discussion anymore. Harper and Lucy had been there for many of the injuries, Libby, and even Ashton in some cases, had treated quite a few. Since I'd taken on Achilles curse however, it was sort of irrelevant. Clearly though, Mel, who didn't know any of this, didn't think so. I could feel her gaze on me and I sighed, bracing a hand on either side of the sink before turning to face her, a wave of exhaustion rolling over me.
"Thirty seconds." I said annoyed.
"What-" she started in shock, stumbling a little over the words. "James, what- how?"
I cut her off.
"You get thirty seconds to stare. Get it out." I said gesturing towards myself. "After that I don't want to hear about it."
She continued to stare at me for a moment, clearly at a loss for words. Her expression a mix of emotions, fear, astonishment, and worst of all, pity. She was looking at me a bit like I was a bomb that was about to go off, but also like I was the most heart breaking thing she'd ever seen.
I was starting to think Libby might have been on to something with having a divider between us as I'd told her everything that had happened to me, ridiculously fluffy or not it had been effective. And it was better than seeing the look at that was on Melanie's face at the moment. And if Libby had looked at me like that… I didn't think I'd be able to stand it.
I didn't deserve that sort of sympathy her. Not after everything I'd done. Mel didn't know me, not really. Even if we'd grown up together we were practically strangers today. To her I was simply some boy who'd disappeared out of her life ages ago, and I could do it again in a heartbeat without hesitation and without remorse.
Maybe that's why it was easier.
In the end, with Mel, once I was gone I wouldn't have to think about this again. Move on with my life. I'd never be able to out run the guilt of the danger I'd put Libby and the rest of the camp in though. For the danger both my sister and Harper were in for even just associating me. I didn't deserve too either. Seeing Libby feel sorry for me would have made me feel like the most worthless thing in the world. With Mel, it was easier not to care. To even feel like maybe I deserved some sympathy. Even if the Gods didn't think so…
"Time's up." I said tersely.
"James-"
"I'm not talking about this with you Mel." I snapped feeling angry, but it was quickly replaced with guilt as she winced and I sighed. Her reaction was normal, even if I hated it, and I tried to remain patient as I continued. "Trust me. You'd rather not know."
"Something really terrible happened to you, didn't it?" she asked quietly.
I didn't answer but I was pretty sure I didn't have to. She continued to look at me, her expression so full of the pity I couldn't stand. I'd almost wish she'd yelled at me. If she was angry, I could have justified walking away.
She reached out automatically, as if to try and comfort me, and I took a step back, my heart pounding as a dose of adrenaline kicked into my system. I knew she couldn't hurt me, but I felt a bit cornered in the small space nonetheless.
"Don't… touch me." I said stiffly, trying to sound polite but she still looked hurt.
"But-" she started, I cut her off however, almost unable to believe the position in which I currently found myself. I didn't owe her any explanations, we weren't friends. She had no business looking so upset.
"It has nothing to do with you Mel." I said trying not to feel resentful. "I just don't like being touched."
"Alright." She said softly, glancing at me quickly before looking at the wall. "Is Lucy ok?"
"She's fine."
"Because some of the stuff that mad woman was saying earlier had me a little unsettled." She continued hesitantly. "And you look like you've been used as a human test subject for… I don't even know what, but it looks bad."
"I didn't hurt my sister." I said quietly and while I'd managed to keep myself from shouting, I could feel anger boiling within me, my pulse pounding louder more quickly with each passing second.
"I didn't say that." She snapped but I'd pushed passed her into the corridor and pulled out my phone.
Harper was right, it was time to get out of here.
"James, someone obviously hurt you." she said walking after me as I searched for Harper's contact. "You don't have to talk about it but you can't blame me for asking if she's alright. You look like you've been through hell."
I paused for a moment, just about to start the call before I turned back to her.
"This really isn't your business Mel." I said emotionlessly. "We're not friends. I don't have to tell you anything."
I didn't know if I'd been trying to hurt her with what I'd said, but I was surprised when she wasn't.
"I guess that about you hasn't changed either." She said shaking her head. She let out a laugh and it was acerbic.
"What?"
"I've never met anyone who can put so much malice into something, and still look like they don't care. I'd almost think you were a sociopath sometimes, except I know how much you love Lucy. And I saw you with your friend. You obviously care about her too." She hesitated for a moment before saying. "I dunno who that Libby girl is, but she's got to mean something to you. When that Alyssa girl said her name, I thought you were going to pass out."
She laughed again and while it was just as hollow, there was a slight note of self-depreciation this time.
"Guess I had that covered for the both of us."
"Why do you care what happened to me Mel?" I asked.
Even when we had been friends, we'd never been all close.
"Why do I care?" she asked incredulous, and I realized that she was the one who sounded angry at this point. Acting as if the answer was supposed to have been obvious, when it really wasn't.
"Why do I care?" she repeated, looking at me as if I were unbalanced. "You disappear when we were kids, no one's heard from you, no family, no friends, and then you come back like it was nothing, like we didn't all think you were dead for almost ten years. Meanwhile, you're walking around looking like you've spent that last decade in a warzone, with your new friend, who acts just as weird as you do by the way, I don't care what the rest of our friends say. Lucy is still nowhere to be found. You say she's alright, but you don't want to talk about her. You don't want to talk about your job, but it seems like all you ever do is work. I know you haven't seen your Mum even though she's still in the city, and when you do turn up, you're either making shady business deals with Tom, or being chased around by a madwoman and I'm not going to get into everything that happened after she showed up."
She shook her head in what appeared to be agitation as she continued.
"Then you go an act as if I'm the one being unreasonable. Like I'm too stupid to notice something really messed up is going on. Of course, I care what happened to you James." She said angrily. "Anyone would. So why are you acting like it's a crime?"
The words hit me harder than I would have thought. Not because it was anything I hadn't heard, but because deep down, a part of me knew she was right no matter how I little I liked it.
What was I even doing here?
It hadn't been fair of me to come back like this. To drag up a past that, for me, had been settled for years when clearly, Mel and the rest of my mortal friends felt it had never been truly resolved.
I was suddenly very tired. I didn't know whether it was the situation with Alyssa, the after effects of the fight, or just everything that had happened today and dealing with Mel, but it suddenly felt as if weight of the world had dropped onto me and I decided this just wasn't an argument I wanted to have.
"Lucy is fine." I said closing out of my call list and pulling up a photo taken around this time last year. Both Harper and Lucy in the same color scheme, red, white, and blue, but decked out in memorabilia of different flags.
"Harper's really into Holidays." I explained when I saw her eyebrows shoot up. "It was the Fourth of July. Lucy protest every year on principle, it's not as weird as it looks."
"If you say so." She said uncertainly, but then grinned. She continued look at the photo, and laughed when she spotted the hotdog in Harper's hand then the mug of tea Lucy was brandishing cheekily towards the camera as if in toast. "Wow she still looks just like you."
"We are related." I pointed out and she shot me a look before going back to the photo.
"You know, the more I look at it, this is actually kind of sweet." She said her expression softening. "Seems like your friend loves Lucy as much as you do."
"She does." I said with certainty.
"Where's your girlfriend?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Girlfriend?" I asked and she looked a little confused.
"I thought Tom mentioned it when we ran into you at the restaurant. And maybe that was why…" but she cut herself off and flushed, and it took me a second to realize she might have remembered more of the night I'd walked her home than I'd originally thought. "Well, anyways," she cleared her throat a little awkwardly. "From the way that girl was trying to wind you up earlier, and how you went kind of mental when she mentioned her. I dunno." She said crossing her arms and looking away. "When I saw your expression, I thought that might be who 'Libby' was."
There was a certain emphasis as she said the name, but also like she was trying to be careful. As if she thought this might be a sensitive topic for me and upon reflection, I realized it sort of was.
"I don't have a girlfriend." I said more to move the conversation away from Libby rather than anything else. "Tom was joking about Harper who, incidentally, is engaged now."
"Locked down the athlete, did she?" she asked with half a smirk.
"I cannot stress enough to you how backwards your impression of that situation is."
"Really?" she asked with interest. "He likes her that much?"
"Put it this way. If we lived in a cartoon, the second he looked at Harper, Ashton's eyes would be replaced with hearts." I rolled mine. "The impression I've gotten is it's been that way since they were about fourteen."
She looked as if she tried not to laugh at that statement, but then smiled.
"That's actually kind of adorable."
"It's nauseating," I said rolling my eyes. "The pair of them. She's not much better when he's around."
"Unfortunate for you." she said with a smirk then frowned. "So then who's Libby?"
I hesitated for a moment wondering how I was supposed to answer this question.
"She's Ashton's sister." I said then regretted it. That just sounded odd. "A friend. She's working with Harper and I over the summer."
"Oh so she's allowed to know what you do." Melanie said her tone a bit incredulous, but her smile was good natured. "Are you sure Ashton is the only one with hearts in his eyes?"
I simply looked at her, convinced my expression would be enough to tell her how ridiculous she sounded, but I was surprised when she shot me a knowing look.
"Tom was right." She said sounding amused. "You do have a thing for Americans."
"Tom's a prat."
"True." She agreed. "But in this case, I think he's right."
She hesitated for a moment, an odd expression crossing her features before asking.
"Did you want a shirt?" She sounded a little uncertain and when I looked down, I realized that I'd left mine in her bathroom sink. "A guy I dated about a year ago left one here and never came back for it."
"Yes, actually." I said gratefully, feeling a bit disconcerted and she nodded.
"It might be a bit small, but it's better than one of mine."
She gave me a final once over, her face briefly troubled, but I was able to ignore it as she turned and walked down the narrow hallway to her room.
I crossed my arms over my chest feeling more uncomfortable by the second, but caught the shirt she tossed to me automatically without bothering to look at her.
"Nice catch." She said sounding impressed. "How did you-"
"I've got good peripherals." I said dismissively.
"Still weird…" she muttered as I pulled on the long sleeve, realizing it was indeed tight but not so terrible as to justify taking it off.
I weighed a sarcastic retort, but figured the comment wasn't worth a response. She didn't seem to want to let it go however.
"At least you're better looking." She teased and I shot her an irritated look that I hoped would discourage this sort of behavior, but simply seemed to divert her.
Feeling a bit strangled, I tugged the camp necklace out from under the collar of the shirt and glanced at my phone when it vibrated, expecting to see a text from Harper, but surprised to see it was from Libby.
'Sorry I had to cancel. Not quite a griffin, but hopefully this guy makes up for it.'
It was followed by a video of a bird with long white feathers, taking rhythmic steps and bobbing his head along to what sounded like a hip hop song playing in the background. I could hear Libby laughing behind the camera.
I couldn't help it. I smiled.
"Guessing that's the girlfriend?" Melanie asked her expression a mix of shrewd and something I couldn't quite define. "Judging by the grin." She added when she noticed my confusion.
"I don't have a girlfriend Mel," I repeated and then very deliberately added. "And I don't want one."
"Because of Libby?" she asked somewhat petulantly, putting an emphasis on the name for a second time, only this time she wasn't as careful and I didn't like it.
"Because." I said feeling my tolerance with her rapidly wearing thin. "My life is really messed up."
It wasn't worth dragging someone into my issues, let alone trying to explain them to someone like Mel.
"James-"
"I should go." I said pretending not to hear her.
"Just wait a second."
"I've got to get back to work."
"Could you just hold on?" She snapped reaching for my shoulder, I easily dodged her grip and not for the first time today, I had to suppress the feeling that I was under attack.
I threw her an angry look and she pulled her hand back.
"Right. Sorry." She muttered looking away. "Don't like to be touched."
"What do you want, Mel?" I asked harshly.
What did she want from me? Why was she doing this? Why had I even come here? This was so stupid…
"Look, I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to upset you, it's just…" she hesitated, then took a breath before saying. "Could you stay here, tonight?"
"What?" I asked, completely thrown by this request. "Mel I told you I don't-"
"Not like that you prat." She said looking a little irritated before shifting in apparent embarrassment. "It's just. I'm a little freaked out from what happened earlier ok? Those guys that went after Alyssa like that before the street sort of blew up. It really kind of freaked me out. I'd feel better if I wasn't by myself tonight."
It was an interesting insight into what Melanie must have thought she was seeing through the Mist and I frowned.
"Call Tom." I said flatly.
"Tom has a girlfriend, who lives with him." She shot me significant look. "You don't. Also have you seen Tom throw a punch? It's quite pathetic. And you sort of decimated those men…"
I sighed and looked around the apartment.
'This can't be happening right now.' I thought annoyed, but knowing if anyone was responsible for the situation I was in, it was myself. 'Gods. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse...'
As always, Harper had been right. This whole evening had been nothing but a series of bad decisions leading me to even worse situations. Why had I done this to myself? What was I thinking?
"Don't you have anyone else you can call?" I asked her in frustration.
"That can get thrown into a car and walk it off like it's nothing?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "No."
I felt my jaw set at the statement, but couldn't quite figure out an argument around it.
"Look, you don't even have to talk to me if you don't want. We can read the books we bought or whatever, and you can stay out here." She gestured around the living area. "I just, I don't want to be alone right now."
I looked at her, trying to get a sense if she was telling the truth or not.
I wasn't sure if I'd put it past Melanie to lie about this sort of thing, though I wasn't exactly sure why she'd want to, but she sounded sincere. I guess it wasn't too unbelievable that she might still be a little shaken after the events of the evening. She wasn't a demigod. It wasn't as if this sort of thing happened to her all the time.
"Fine." I said grabbing the first of the books off the counter and sitting on the couch,
It wasn't until I'd opened it, that I realized it was the book on legendary creatures.
It reminded me that I hadn't responded to Libby yet. I opened the conversation after sending a message to Harper saying I was going to be out for the night, and already I was dreading her response. I had a feeling this would not go down without plenty of teasing from Harper at my expense.
I found myself drawing a blank however, when looking at what Libby had sent. I wanted to respond, but it felt a little odd talking to her while I was at Mel's apartment, even if she'd said we didn't have to speak.
She'd settled in a chair by the counter, and while she probably thought the glances she was sneaking towards me were sly, it wasn't the sort of thing I missed. Not knowing what else to do, I pretended not to notice.
I abandoned the attempt to answer Libby's message figuring I'd get to it later. When I glanced up, I noticed Mel was looking at me openly now, not even bothering to attempt to hide it.
I cocked an eyebrow.
"Can I help you?"
I made sure to keep my tone cool, but I felt uneasy.
She seemed to be deciding something to herself, her expression intent. I was usually a pretty good judge of what was on someone's mind, but in this case, I had no idea what she was thinking.
"You really don't have a girlfriend?" she asked.
Her expression was skeptical, as if she found this unlikely or thought I might have a reason to lie.
"No." I said calmly, but starting to feel irritated again all the same.
Why was she so fixated on this?
"Then I don't feel guilty." She said shrugging as she got to her feet, closing the space between us with a few determined strides, and sitting next to me on the couch.
"What are you-" I started, shifting automatically to create some distance, but before I could even finish the question, Mel had leaned forward and kissed me.