"Hey, Marisol," said a voice behind me.

I jumped. "Ah! Chris! Don't scare me like that!"

He laughed breezily. "Good to see you too," he murmured, wrapping an arm around me.

Okay, so I was no stranger to Chris's soft caresses and touches now and then, but a hug? Where did that come from? I shifted uncomfortably, feeling awkward. He let me go, feeling the tension.

"So you found your mom?" He asked, running a hand through his perfectly messy hair.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "Not exactly the motherly type. She hates me, I think. Hates me for ruining her and Father's relationship." I shivered, thinking about what Darcy had asked me. Does that make you a demigod?

"Oh, that's...um...too bad." He looked at me with his amazing black eyes, a look of concern in them.

"I don't care-I never expected her to be the perfect, understanding mother everybody seems to have, or even happy or excited to see me. I mean, she left me at birth, remember?" I rolled my eyes. "Aside from that... Chris, I have something to tell you..." I hesitated, thinking about opening up to him completely, telling him everything...

"What is it?" he asked gently. I looked up to see a bright, curious look in his eyes.

"Well, um, you know my experiments..?" I gestured towards my study/shed. We went inside, seeing all my experimenting stuff. Unable to use words, with a flick of my wrist, I lit the candles, causing the room to flicker with shadows. I next drew the water into the air and formed some sort of shape in midair before dropping it back into the bowl with a splash, followed by a multicolored rose sprouting from the table. With no hesitation, I turned quickly and punched straight through the wall, breaking a hole through the wood. Then I stopped to see Chris's reaction.

I watched as Chris looked around the room, obviously impressed with what I'd done. "You did this," he stated. I nodded in return. "Well, I can't say I'm not impressed. That's pretty cool."

I was confused and stunned by his reaction. He wasn't even shocked or anything! "You aren't even..." I struggled for words.

"Surprised? Well, I've got a kind of 'power', too," He blinded me with a huge smile. I gaped at him, unsure what to say. He walked closer to me, leaning his face towards mine. I felt his hands on my hips, pulling me closer and I only realized what was going on when his lips touched mine.

Anger surged through my body. What did Chris think he was doing, kissing me like this and thinking I'd suddenly want him? That it'd not ruin our friendship? I sayed still for a moment, not knowing what to do, before shoving him off of me with little force, but enough to knock him to the ground.

"What-" he began to say before I started yelling at him.

"What the hell, Chris!" I tried not to feel sorry for him. "Why would you do that?! You're such an idiot!" I glared at him, anger mustering through me, as he got up slowly. He had a slight smile on his face. That smile set me off again. "You could've ruined everything, what were y-" I cut myself off, suddenly overcome by a horrible, desperate feeling of want, need and Chris. I threw myself at him, unable to contain myself. I was kissing him hungrily, greedily, tangling my tounge with his. I had no idea what I was doing when I ran my hand up his shirt, but I was wanting it, needing it now-

Aburptly, the wanting left as quickly as it had come and Chris chuckled against my mouth before I pulled away and tried not to meet his eyes. "What just happened?" I thought.

"Impressed by my power?" Chris laughed again as if he couldn't contain it.

I stared at him, confused. "Your power is...kissing," I murmured,not making sense out of this.

His laugh just irritated me. "I can do more than kissing," he said, shifting his gaze to my hand.

"What-" I started to ask but stopped shortly when a flame of fire danced in the palm of my hand. I looked at him, confused. "What... I didn't-"

"I know, I did," Chris smiled cheerfully just as the flame went out. "See, that's my power-I can manipulate people into doing things I want them to do. I can make you punch yourself, I can make you want to kiss me like I did just there."

I stayed silent for a moment, letting the info sink in. "You wanted me to kiss you?"

"I didn't want to make the first move," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

I shuddered. "Please don't do that ever again." He merely smiled and that horrible wanting feeling returned. I screamed, trying to fight it, trying to block it out. The feeling shortly left and I opened my eyes to glare at Chris, but when I looked at him he was backing away and staring at my

"Marisol," he said slowly, lifting his hands. "Put the sword away. I won't make you want me anymore."

"Sword?" I loked at my right arm, seeing silvery vines wrapped around it. I touched the vines experimentally. They were stone-hard. The metal vines trailed down to my silver bracelet, the one Father gave me when I was born. From the bracelet, a shimmering blade, half the size of my arm shone. I touched it in amazement, feeling it both cold as ice yet hot as fire. The blade looked like it was made of liquid, water, like it might lose shape and melt, but small tounges of flame danced around the edges. "I... I don't understand..." I looked at my bracelet and comcentrated on making it smaller. Instantly, the vines shrunk from my arm, somehow fitting themselves into the bracelet along with the blade. I looked up at Chris in exasperation.

His face was priceless-in any other situation I would've laughed. Eyebrows inches from his eyes, mouth curved in an "o", eys filled with surprise and slight fear. "Marisol," he said shakily. "what was that?"

I shook my head. "I don't know," I said in a small voice. "I just know i need to go to Asgard." I walked past him, outside the door and into my house.