"Aagh!", Aris' bawled helplessly as he hurtled towards the ground.
As he plummeted toward his demise, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd done wrong. Had he offended the rainbow bridge? He wasn't aware bridges could even be offended.
The ordeal lasted seconds, with each second greatly bolstering the pounding of Aris' heart. That was until, without warning, Aris landed.
His fast-plummeting-fall cushioned by soft bags encased in a huge metal tin. Suddenly aware that his screaming had lasted a moment too long, Aris sat up - hasted by embarrassment and worry, It was at this moment that he became acquainted with the foulest of odours.
"Ugh!", he hurriedly jostled himself to his feet, before leaping off the container's ledge. Aris was not pleased to find that the smell had decided to fasten itself to the confines of his clothing.
'A garbage tin...?', Aris murmured, confused.
He hadn't a moment to linger in his confusion, the incessant beeping of cars caused him to swivel his head. A mistake on Aris' part.
He hadn't anticipated the assault caused by an onslaught of light. He blinked cautiously as tears began to swell in his eyes from irritation.
Still, he braved on, his eyes half shielded by his palm as he stepped out of the dark alleyway.
As soon as he removed his hand, Aris' body stilled. His neck tipped back to better allow his eyes access to every nook and cranny. He took involuntary steps forwards, overcome with the desire to get closer.
"Wow...", Aris allowed himself a deeper intake of breath, "Where on earth am I?"
His voice came out softer than he'd ever heard it, it was as though speaking any louder would dispel the illusion he was experiencing.
This world looked similar, but so, so different. There were cars, Aris had seen cars before - of course, but not like this! They were shinier, and looked more like space-pods than they did automobiles. But, that wasn't the only difference.
The most startling was the giant screens that were plastered onto the buildings! With colour, no less! Aris' eyes fixed onto a screen with a particularly beautiful woman advertising some sort of cream. He analyzed the detail of her face with wonder, the quality was better than his own eyesight!
Lost in his studying, Aris failed to notice that he had stepped onto the pavement.
"Dude! Get out of the way!", The ringing of a bike followed the terse call directed at Aris, who was startled awake from his daydream. The owner of the bike scowled as he swerved around Aris.
"Dude...?", Aris crinkled his nose, "What on earth does that mean?"
He looked around and noted that his state of dress definitely did not align with wherever he had ended up. Suddenly mindful of his clothing, Aris shuffled cautiously to the side where the buildings were closest.
Not deigning to look anyone in the eyes, but all the while drinking in every sight he was exposed to, Aris made his way through the city.
Eventually, he remembered advice his mother had once imparted upon him. He'd have probably remembered it earlier if he wasn't subjected to an awe-filled state every few seconds.
The memory of his mother caused Aris' chest to cave in. He felt the uncontrollable desire to cry but quelled it desperately. He brushed his pained expression washed away and displaced it with steadfast determination. "Find a policeman, that's all I have to do."
He looked around desperately for a police box but had nought to find any. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that there weren't any police boxes in the place he had ended up in. So Aris settled for asking a nearby stranger.
"Excuse me.", Aris tugged at the coat of a woman speedily walking.
"What d'ya want, kid?", she brushed his hand away impatiently and fixed Aris with a stare.
Aris pinched his lips together in frustration before answering, "I'm lost, and I don't know where my mum is."
The woman raised her eyebrows, "Even I get lost around here sometimes, your mother should have held you closer."
Aris gripped his fists tight, his fingernails indenting the soft of his palm. "I'm aware. Look, can you just tell me where to find the police?"
Not wanting to stunt her day's proceedings with this encounter, she responded in a clipped manner, "Keep heading straight until you get to the pizzeria, take a right by the junction on the end. You'll find the station roundabouts there."
With a reluctant lilt to his voice, Aris murmured his thanks and made his way towards his destination.
The woman continued her strut for a moment before stopping and shouting, "Hey kid!"
Aris turned back, interested in why the woman had beckoned him.
"I'll walk you there.", she smiled reassuringly, "New York is a scary place for adults, never mind a little kid from England."
"I'm not little.", Aris argued back, missing any anger in his tone. Whilst he wouldn't admit it to the woman, he had grown to become a little intimidated by his surroundings once the initial awe had dispersed.
A while later, Aris waved goodbye to the woman, and made his way into the building.
He calmly explained his situation to the receptionist at the desk, who then directed him to one of the seats beside the side of the entrance.
"New York...", Aris whistled appreciatively, "I didn't know things were so...different in America."
He hadn't much to gauge in terms of living here, but the woman had said that if someone wasn't able to pick him up soon - they would have to sort out living arrangements for Aris.
He...did not want that. Aris found himself desperately homesick, a stark difference from his early disposition. It had only been a couple of hours since he was excited about visiting his mother' home. And Erik's.
Aris sagged against his chair and let out a deep sigh.
Minutes passed until finally, a policeman showed up and for whatever reason, he was holding a camera.
"Alright, we're going to have to take your picture kid.", Aris's eyebrows knitted tightly, which the policeman must have noticed because a second later - he elaborated. "The picture is going to be posted online. Your parents might see it and think, 'That's my snot-filled midget! Better go collect him'. "
The policeman winked at Aris conspiratorily before pointing the camera and-
Click!
"Meh, that'll do.", he moved closer to show Aris the final product but paused midstep when his eyes slid over towards the door.
"Let me go!", the door burst open.
There were two policemen wrestling a bald-headed man in handcuffs. He seemed to tower over them, almost a full two heads above theirs. It was a wonder that they'd even managed to capture him.
Aris watched the man reproachingly. He had done something wrong, and so was going to jail. Therefore, he was a bad man. He'd never actually seen a criminal before, it was his first time in a police station. He couldn't help but become very still as he watched the man with bated breath.
Maybe Aris had been staring a little too hard, because the bald man's eyes caught Aris'. He then, for reasons unbeknownst to Aris, sniffed in his direction. Twice.
The man's face cycled between a grimace and a smirk of satisfaction. It was as if he was on the cusp of finding something he'd been searching for his whole life, and something he had wanted to avoid the most.
The whole time, the subject of his undivided attention laid solely on Aris.
"Do...you know that guy?", the policeman asked assessingly.
Aris shook his head rapidly, "I've never met him before!".
The man must have made up his mind after hearing Aris' declaration because suddenly his body started morphing...
His tall stature became goliathan! He towered well above Aris and the others. Forget about two heads worth, he was two whole bodies taller than the policemen!
He opened his mouth to reveal rows of yellow, jagged teeth, "I've found you."
Aris turned his head towards the policeman next to him, but he hadn't apparently noticed that the criminal was now a monster, because the next thing he had said was, "I thought you didn't know him!".
"I don't!", Aris shouted almost hysterically, "But I think you have bigger problems on your hands! And I mean much bigger!"
The policeman turned to look at where Aris was pointing, but for whatever reason - had remained oblivious. "Think you're funny, d'you kid?"
Realising a lost cause when he saw one, Aris launched out of his chair and burst out into a sprint, ignoring the officers' cries for him to wait up.
As expected, the monster with the weird fixation on Aris, clambered after him. He crashed through the glass doors, and heaved behind Aris. His footsteps caused Aris' body to bounce slightly as he was running, the feeling becoming more prominent the closer he got.
"Oh no, you don't!", he roared, "I've been sniffing your scent for too long to just let you go!"
Aris dove into an alleyway, hoping he'd lose the giant beast - but came at a loss when he found himself with no exit. He searched frantically for a gap or area he could escape through but was faced with nothing.
"Now then," the giant growled, displaying the yellow daggers in his mouth that he probably called teeth, "I can finally have my demigod dinner!"
"Put your hands up! You're both to be detained!", a group of policemen rounded behind the giant, holding batons and waving them menacingly. Well, it may have been considered that if it were a human they were facing.
"Stupid mortals!", the bald giant snarled fiercely, "I let you hold me, I let you lead me to my prey!"
He jumped into the air, smashing his fists onto the ground before them, "Don't think that you could ever be as strong as me!"
Aris thanked the policemen for the distraction as he ran around the nearly 10ft tall giant, eager to get away from whatever that thing was. He cursed himself for being such a magnet to these monsters, only a couple of hours ago did he have to face a monster similar to this one. And this time, he didn't have his uncle Erik to help him.
So he did the only thing he could do, move his short legs as fast as he could without looking back.
The monster must have caught onto what Aris was doing because with a single kick it floored two of the officers, with the last two backing away and calling for help. It then continued giving chase.
Aris took advantage of his small stature to weave through the streets until eventually, he found himself at the gate entrance of a park.
A sudden burst of trepidation filled Aris. It was dark, and to be isolated with the monster was akin to signing away his life and deciding he would rather die. He'd thought against going in until he heard a whisper.
'Aristaeus...go into the park...there's a lake inside.', It was a deep voice, and for some reason - Aris thought it familiar. He could swear he had never heard it before, but it felt almost a part of him...
Dutifully aware that the last time he had heard a voice, it had turned out to save him - instead of being a trap like he assumed it was; Aris ran underneath the gated entrance and into the park.
He could faintly hear the giant stampeding behind him through the roaring of his heartbeat. Not sometime after, he found the lake.
It was too late, whatever the lake was supposed to do - it was not doing it. It hadn't spawned a water spirit like Aris had hoped it would, nor did give him a weapon to defend himself with. Deep down, Aris had hoped that the lake would somehow be able to bring him to his parents, or his parents to him. 'I suppose lakes don't work like that, even in this crazy of monsters.'
Aris put his hands up, tired from running so far and so quickly. His hands clammed with sweat, and his knees buckled weakly.
"Why are you hands up, I'm not a policeman!", It growled annoyedly, as it leaned over Aris and picked him by the collar of his sweater, "I'm a Laistrygonian! And you're my demigod prey!"
Aris didn't know what a 'las-tree-gone-eenan' was, but he understood it well enough. He was about to become its food.
He shut his eyes as he felt himself being lifted higher towards its mouth. Tears pooled behind his eyelids. Aris' heartbeat sped up, his veins pulsing beneath his skin. He felt his stomach lurch and heat in his stomach rising. He closed his eyes harder, the heat rising until it was unbearable until suddenly he knew...he had to struggle.
If he were to die, he'd do it trying to fight back. There's no way he would die so pitifully. His shoulders tightened as his eyes flicked open and he screeched, "Let me go!"
The lake behind him flared up at Aris and his attacker, bombarding them with enormous concussive bursts of water. The bursts of water shot out with such speed that they pierced the giant whilst launching him high into the air, way above the reach of the tall trees that surrounded them.
Aris, however, was seemingly unaffected by the force - and sent hurtling towards the ground after being dropped by the giant.
With the last of his strength, he managed to swivel his body mid-air and land on his back instead of his forehead, but it hurt all the same.
He coughed loudly, almost hacking up his lung. He felt his ears ring from the earlier impact, but he was grateful nonetheless - he would have died had he not turned. So, this alternative was quite fine in his books. Even if the pain was unbearable.
Aris was exhausted and could feel himself slipping out of consciousness. With grim satisfaction, he watched as the screaming giant burst into yellow dust, sprinkling the lake with his ashes. 'That's what you get for being bald.'
Aris let his eyelids fall, but not before hearing - "There you are!".
His stomach dropped in anguish. Unable to register who or what it was, he fell asleep thinking the worst. That he had ended up as dinner to some other monster vying for his body.
'Why couldn't they just eat normal food for once...?'
