So this is a long chapter, but I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that I made quite a bit of a fool of myself today in class. October is the Wednesday of the semester.
After weeks of training with a legion and being under constant threat of monster attacks, going back home felt kind of…dull. It's not that there wasn't anything to do. I had plenty to keep me busy, since we'd just gotten a new boy who was very, very hard to manage. There was always something that needed cleaning, meals that needed cooking, and I was just the guy to do it all.
Mom had hired a new girl, Paige, a Roman daughter of Fortuna, to help look after the kids. She smiled a lot and talked about karma and fortune favoring the brave and stuff, and I made a point to avoid her as much as I could. When all the chores were done and I didn't want to train outside, I'd stay in my bedroom, writing.
Most children of Apollo are good at writing poetry or song lyrics. I had my fair share of dark poems tucked away in the depths of my closet. But I liked writing stories. I liked coming up with different silly or weird situations and writing about them. Most of the time, they were pretty stupid, like a character waking up a thousand years into the future, or another character who discovers that they have dark powers. If I finished my stories, I'd write about two or three different endings, some sad, some happy, just to see which one I liked best.
In the middle of November, I was writing a story about a kid who could resurrect the dead. For some reason, I'd been thinking about Hazel, wondering how she was doing. I hadn't really left the Home in a long time. I was trying to take part in the kids' lives. Paige and I had taken the kids trick-or-treating, and I had attended dance recitals, baseball games, parent-teacher conferences and a number of other assorted child-related activities. Raising kids is a full time job.
I looked at my digital clock, which displayed the date. I saved the story I was working on and shut off my laptop. I grabbed a prism I'd gotten from a gift shop in Manhattan and took it to the window. There was still enough sunlight that when I set it at the window ledge, it created a rainbow across my wall. I took out a golden drachma.
"O Goddess, please accept my offering." I said in a loud, clear voice, throwing the drachma at the rainbow. It disappeared, and the wall started to shimmer. "Show me Nico di Angelo."
Nico was sitting on a large bed in a very plain, very dark bedroom. He looked incredibly bored, and he was throwing a black bouncy ball at the wall, catching it without any effort. I wondered how long he'd been at it.
"Nico," I said, getting his attention.
He turned to look at me, or rather, my image. His eyes widened with surprise, and he came forward. "Jamey!"
"Hey," I replied. I hoped I wasn't giving anything away. "You're not busy are you? I need you to come to my house."
Nico looked slightly worried. "Is something wrong?"
"Just come," I said. "I'll explain everything when you get here."
"Give me a few minutes," Nico said with determination.
The image shimmered and disappeared, and I smiled to myself. I looked back at my bedroom. Everything was laid out accordingly. I had snuck a foldable table and a couple of chairs into the room. On the table, I'd laid out a box of pizza, a 2-liter bottle of coke, the cake I'd baked late last night, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream, along with two objects neatly wrapped in black and gold paper. No one in the house knew I was doing this, and all of them were going out for some sort of Fall Festival, so hopefully we'd be undisturbed tonight.
Five minutes passed, and suddenly a wall of shadow spit Nico out in the middle of the bedroom. He was breathing hard, and his sword was drawn. He looked around wildly for a moment, as if scoping out a threat, when his eyes landed on the table.
"Happy birthday." I said, smiling.
Nico looked confused and bewildered all at once. After a moment, he put his sword down and looked at me. "What?"
"I know you said you really don't remember when it is, and you don't really want to make a big deal out of it. You mentioned that it was around this time. And I have this cousin who was born at home, and his mother didn't get the paperwork done until like a month after, so she forgot what day he was born. So now instead of having one day, the family celebrates different dates every year. So I figured I'd just kind of…pick a day." I looked at him sheepishly. "Is this okay?"
He looked so shocked that I thought he might punch me. After a while, though, he put his sword away. He looked at me, and I saw that his eyes were kind of shining. "You did this for me?"
"Well, yeah," I shrugged. "I just…don't know if you have any sort of traditions. I know you were raised in Italy and all, but the only Italian food I really know how to make is pasta, and that seemed a little–"
I stopped talking when he hugged me. And this was a proper hug. I put my arms around him. Strangely, I was getting used to this.
"No one's ever…" He sounded a little choked. "I didn't even think you'd remember."
"Hey, we're friends right?" I said. "Best friends. We remember that kind of thing. Now come on, you've got to try the green chili pizza."
Nico sat at the table and I connected my laptop to a larger screen that I'd borrowed from one of Kendra's ex-boyfriends so that we could watch Doctor Who. I'm a serious geek in a sorry-not-sorry kind of way, and Nico seemed pretty okay with it. We watched seasons three and four, because David Tennant will forever be my favorite doctor.
I was glad to see that Nico liked the green chili pizza, and he loved the cake. It was a chocolate cake with coffee frosting. I'd drawn a few skulls and written "Happy Birthday Nico" in white cursive. Baking was actually one of my favorite pastimes. I'd learned to decorate cakes from my mom, although she never really had time to do that much nowadays, so it always fell on me to take care of baking for the kids' birthdays. We always tried to keep things homemade.
"Just to be clear," I said. "How old are you?"
"Um, fourteen, I think," Nico said. "I still can't remember what year I was born."
"Well, alright," I handed him the two presents. "Happy maybe fourteenth birthday."
Nico opened the larger package, and he actually smiled. I'd gotten him a few new t-shirts and a new coat. I knew he liked to wear black, but he'd also mentioned that he liked the music I listened to, so I got him a couple of band shirts. One was Bon Iver, and the other was Neutral Milk Hotel. The coat was a long black coat that I'd mostly gotten because it reminded me of Sherlock.
He opened the second package. It was considerably smaller than the first, but it was a little more meaningful. It was a Native American bracelet I'd found at the Santa Fe plaza – a black leather band with an onyx bead in the center, resembling an eye. When I'd asked the vendor about it, she'd said that it was a protection charm of some sort.
Nico put the bracelet on immediately, and it looked pretty good. He looked up at me.
"Thanks," he said. "Really, I…thanks."
"You're welcome." I replied. "I really got you there for a bit, didn't I?"
"I thought you were under attack," Nico said, throwing a chunk of wrapping paper at me. "You scared me."
"It's nice to know you have my back, though," I laughed, reaching into the box for another slice of pizza. "I thought you might not show."
Nico looked down, looking kind of guilty. "Sorry I left that time. I just…"
"I'm sorry, too." I replied. "I know how uncomfortable you must've felt around my friends. They really liked you, though. Actually, Darla kept telling me how cute she thinks you are."
Nico smiled. "She's a little old for me. Perfect for you, though."
"What?" I asked, kind of shocked.
"Well, I noticed you guys were all really comfortable around each other," Nico commented. "You talk to each other about everything."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to go out with her," I laughed. "I've known Darla since I was two. She could be my annoying sister if Kendra didn't already fulfill the role so well."
"What about Mariah?"
"She's not as annoying," I admitted.
"No," Nico laughed. "I mean, did you ever think of going out with her?"
"Not really," I shook my head. "You know, for obvious reasons. But also, she started dating this guy William back in high school, and they've been best friends for a long time. It was one of those situations where they were just meant to be together, and eventually they were both brave enough to admit it to each other. They're pretty happy together."
"So you just happen to have two girls as your best friends," Nico said, nodding.
"Don't say it like that," I threw the wad of wrapping paper back at him. "But yes, I'm a highly evolved male who can have a good time with women without wanting to screw them."
"Right," Nico laughed.
Overall, I think we both had a pretty good time. It was nice to just spend time together without having to worry about anything. We watched almost every episode of season three of Doctor Who, and once I explained the plot to him, Nico got really into it. I skipped ahead a little bit to show him Donna, my favorite companion. I know a lot of people prefer Rose or Amy, but seriously, Donna was the only companion in the new series who wasn't obsessed with the Doctor. She had her own thing going, and I really respect that about her. Plus, come on, it's Catherine Tate.
Before either of us knew it, it was almost two in the morning.
"You can stay here, if you want," I said. "If you help me clean this stuff up, that is. Mom doesn't know I did this."
"Yeah," Nico said, helping me pick up some of our trash. After a night of partying and throwing stuff at each other, my room wasn't looking too good. It felt good to have company like this, though. I was really, really tired of having to spend all my time around Paige and my mother and several screaming children. It was nice to not feel like a loser for once.
We snuck downstairs with all of the trash and went outside to dump it in the trash bins. It was freezing out. Another thing that people don't understand about New Mexico is how cold it gets, especially in Santa Fe. I was certain we'd be seeing a few feet of snow this winter.
We finished dumping out the stuff and went back in. Nico helped me move the chairs and table back into the garage. When we got back to my room, I lent Nico a pair of sweat pants and an old Franz Ferdinand shirt and led him to one of the guest rooms. The house was completely quiet except for our footsteps. Hopefully Mom wouldn't feel the need to check this room when she woke up, but I had a feeling that Nico would just come up with some sort of excuse if she did.
"Thanks again, Jamey," Nico whispered before going into the room. "I think this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"I'm glad you liked it," I replied, feeling a little warm. "And…you know you can count on me for anything, right?"
Nico smiled. "I do. Thanks."
He went into the room and closed the door, and I went back to my own. I lay back in my bed and stared out the window for a little while, thinking about what Nico had said earlier that night, about dating Darla or Mariah. It would make sense, given that Aphrodite had said that my very tragic love story would involve a close friend. I didn't have very many of those. The only other one was sleeping in the guest bedroom…
Shit. No need to think about that right now. I turned off my light and closed my eyes.
Once again, I dreamt that I was falling, slowly and endlessly. I was vaguely aware of my surroundings. The air was hot and sulfurous, and everywhere I looked I was surrounded by darkness. The iron voice in my brain kept repeating the same things: Spread your wings, boy! Spread your wings! They'll help you fly! Fly!
I was doing everything in my power to obey that voice, and none of me seemed rational enough to question it. Now, I knew I didn't have wings. It was pretty obvious, given that anyone I talked to would probably think me crazy if I asked if it looked like I had wings. But that voice was persistent, telling me over and over to spread them.
Finally, I felt something ripping out of my back, blinding me with pain, and my descent slowed.
"Oh hello, Nico," Mom said, coming downstairs. Walker was stumbling along behind her. "When did you get here?"
"Early this morning," Nico said over his coffee cup. He was wearing his new Bon Iver t-shirt, and his new bracelet. He was sitting at the kitchen table while I churned out pancakes. It wasn't even even eight o'clock and the kids were already going insane. Mom was usually up by five every morning, but it seemed that she'd had a long night and had decided to sleep in for a change. I didn't blame her. Paige was running about trying to get the kids ready for school.
"More!" Tyler, the new kid, was screaming, banging his fork against the table. His face was covered in gooey syrup. "More, more, more, more!"
"What's the magic word, dear?" Mom asked, ruffling the little boy's hair.
"More!" He replied. I rolled my eyes and slipped another pancake onto his plate.
"Close enough," I said.
"Baby," Mom said. "Some discipline might do him good."
"You're the one who told me I was being too rough. It's your job now," I said. "I make the food. And he likes it, don't you buddy?"
"Pancakes!" Tyler yelled, digging in. Nico laughed. Eileen walked into the kitchen dragging the stuffed pig I'd gotten her for her birthday. She was very used to living in the Home by now, but she still wore a constant I will take none of your shit expression. She sat herself next to Nico. She seemed to be the only kid brave enough to do so. She glared quite openly at Tyler. Apparently she wasn't a fan of having her morning interrupted by screaming infants.
"Speaking of cooking," Mom said, lifting Walker onto his high chair. "I need you to help me with Thanksgiving dinner, baby."
"Who's coming?" I asked, putting pancakes on a plate for Walker and Eileen. He giggled when I put them in front of him, while she only glared at her plate.
"Just Marty and Kendra so far."
"I thought Kendra was going to her boyfriend's," I said.
"Oh no she isn't," Mom said with a very final tone. "She is joining her family for Thanksgiving. If she dates this boy for longer than three months, then she can spend a holiday with him. But the count is still only a month and a half, so she's coming here, even if I have to drive down and get her myself."
Nico and I both snorted.
"Oh, and Marty's bringing a friend," Mom added.
"A friend?" I asked. "Like…a girlfriend?"
"I don't know, baby," Mom said. "But we'll have to make plenty of food either way."
"Ugh," I sighed. "Kendra's going to be all cranky, Marty's going to be busy with his 'friend', and I'm going to be all alone."
"Well, baby," Mom was about to give me a lecture. I could practically smell it brewing. It was going to be something about family, and sacrifices, and dealing with things, and– "Why don't you come, Nico?"
"Hm?" Nico looked up. I don't think he was paying much attention to the conversation.
"Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?" Mom asked. "I know camp always does something special, but maybe you'd like to come and keep Jamey company, since he can't seem to be able to sacrifice a single day to spend time with family." Well, I was somewhat accurate.
Nico looked from me to my mom, a little shocked. "Well, if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not, dear," Mom said. "We'd be delighted to have you. And don't worry; I'll make sure that Kendra and Jamey remain civilized around each other."
Mom walked out of the kitchen.
"I am always civilized. Kendra's the psychopath." I turned off the stove, then looked at Nico. "You're okay with that, then?"
"Yeah," Nico said, putting his plate in the sink and rinsing it. "I've never celebrated Thanksgiving before."
"Oh," I put the batter mixing bowl in the sink. "Well, don't think that all Thanksgiving dinners are quite like ours. We're kind of…unique."
"It'll be nice," Nico said. "Do you need me to help?"
"Mine!" We both turned towards the table. Tyler and Eileen were wrestling over her pig. She was clearly stronger than he was, but the little boy was determined. "Mine, mine, mine, mine!"
"Tyler," I said, prying his hands off the pig. "This is Eileen's. You have your own toys."
Tyler started crying and banging on the table. I sighed and begged for mercy. Normal people would pick up the kid and hug him or something. Eileen hugged the pig to her chest and only glared. She hadn't said a single word, but she loved that pig, and she probably resented that Tyler had touched it with his sticky hands.
"What's going on?" Paige asked, coming into the room. She was a tall, athletic Navajo girl who could probably beat me to the ground without trying.
"Tyler tried to steal Eileen's pig," I said.
"Mine!" Tyler cried, his nose dripping with snot.
"It wouldn't kill her to share it," Paige said, wiping Tyler's face. "Instead of being such a bully. It's bad karma to be so selfish."
Sometimes I couldn't believe the words that came out of this girl's mouth. "Eileen has a right to her property," I said, crossing my arms. "It's her possession, and she can choose whether or not to share it."
Paige stood straight and faced me. "It's a stuffed pig." There was an edge to her tone, and I wondered if she'd actually try to attack me.
"It's all she has." I replied, feeling my insides burn white hot. "It's the only thing in the world that's truly hers. Her mother died when she was three. She's been on her own for six years. Do you even know what that's like for a kid?"
Paige glared at me, then took Tyler's hand. "Come on, Tyler. I'm going to buy you new toys, and you don't have to share them with anybody if you don't want to." She led the little boy out.
"Where did that come from?" Nico asked, sitting down again. Eileen was still clutching the pig to her chest, and she was kind of shaking.
I felt my hands clench into fists. I went to the sink and started doing the dishes, albeit a little violently. Plates and utensils clanged and crashed, and I'm kind of amazed that I didn't break anything.
"This is an orphanage," I said. "We're here to help kids, not play favorites."
"Okay," Nico said carefully. He, Eileen, and Walker were all looking at me with wide eyes, and I calmed down a little.
"Can you put Walker down?" I asked Nico, trying to get the dishes done. "If he fusses, just make a silly face or something."
"Yeah, silly faces aren't really my thing," Nico said, but he went to Walker's high chair anyway. The child thrashed about a little bit, and when Nico set him down, he ran away as quickly as his little legs would carry him. Eileen sat for a little longer, and I looked at her.
"School," I said. "Ten minutes."
She looked at me and shook her head.
"Yes," I said. "It's Friday. One day till the weekend. It won't kill you."
Eileen looked down and sighed. She got off her chair and went upstairs to get her stuff. I looked back at the sink and worked in silence for a little while.
"Even after all that, you still want to spend Thanksgiving with us?" I asked humorlessly.
"If only to keep you from tearing everybody apart," Nico said. "Yeah, I think I could enjoy myself."
I looked at him, and he smiled innocently. Damn him. He was pretty good at making me feel better. I sighed and finished filling the dishwasher, then closed the latch and turned it on.
"Well, now you know what every day is like for me." I said. "Get up, cook, clean, bitch at the live-in help, clean some more, and try not to lose my temper."
"Why do you stay if you hate it so much?"
"I don't hate it." I said. I heard the sound of the van being turned on. "Hold on."
The school-aged kids were starting to come downstairs, so I grabbed a sharpie and went to the lunch bags I'd put together earlier. I wrote each kid's name on the bag and put it on the table. One by one, the kids came by the kitchen, took their lunch bag, and went out the door. Eileen was last, and although I could see her pig poking its head out of her backpack, she looked as angry and apprehensive as ever.
"Have a good day," I told her. She only glanced at me and left.
I listened for the sound of the van pulling away, and the house was once again silent. Paige drove the kids to school nowadays, so only Walker, Nico, my mom, and I remained in the house.
"Anyway, I don't hate it," I repeated, pouring myself more coffee and drowning it with milk and sugar. "It's just…difficult for me." I went to sit next to him at the table.
"Seems like you do a lot, though," Nico said. "And no one really helps you out."
"Well, most of the kids are scared of me," I said, stirring my coffee. "And I really don't know how to relate to any of them. Paige thinks I'm an idiot. And Mom's busy trying to keep everything running smoothly. The only people here who really tolerate me are Eileen and my cat."
"They seem to appreciate your cooking," Nico said with a smile.
"At a distance," I said. I sighed. "I don't know what to do."
Nico shrugged. "Get a job? Buy your own place?"
"This is my job."
"You're not getting paid."
"Room and board, dude," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "It's the best deal I'm going to get unless I go back to camp. Plus, what kind of employer would hire a depressed, anxious, ADHD, dyslexic, suicidal maniac?"
Nico considered this. "You're not a maniac. And you have good skills. You could be a park ranger. Or a cop. You could do something music related."
I put my head on the table. "I'd have to take classes for that kind of thing. And it's not like I really have the money for any of that. Maybe I'll just become a hippy and hitchhike my way across America."
"And risk constant monster attacks," Nico nodded, although his tone suggested that he didn't approve.
"I don't want to work, though." I said. I took a long sip from my coffee. "I'm basically stuck here until…well, indefinitely."
"What about writing?"
"What about it?"
"You said you liked to write," Nico volunteered. "Maybe you could try being a journalist or something."
I smiled at him. "I'd have to find some pretty dark topics to write about."
Nico smiled. "You'd be great at an advice column."
Both of us laughed at that idea. Mom came into the kitchen again with her laptop, her calendar, and a pen and notepad.
"Baby," she said, sitting down at the table. "Can you run some errands for me?"
"As always, Mom: yes, I'll run some errands."
"Good," she smiled at me, then handed me a list. "Are you staying tonight, Nico?"
"If it's alright," Nico said. "I'm leaving tomorrow to visit Hazel."
"Then get something fun for dinner, Jamey." Mom said. "And some dessert, too."
"Can I run by Walmart and get blank CDs?" I asked. "I'm out."
"As long as you're home in time to drive the twins to dance class and Erik to soccer. Paige is taking the rest of the day off."
I sighed, which wasn't a good move. My mom hates it when I complain. She gave me one of her Looks, and a lecture was sure to follow, but I tapped Nico on the arm and got up.
"Shall we, then? Bye Mom, love you." I said quickly, grabbing the keys and running up to get my wallet.
"Bye, Ms. Sawyer, thanks for letting me stay." Nico called down as he followed me up the stairs. When we got back down, Mom was focusing on her laptop, and she'd left the debit card on the table next to her. I snatched it as quickly as I could and grabbed my coat. Nico and I got into the car and drove off.
"Your mom kind of scares me," Nico admitted. He was wearing the coat I'd gotten for his birthday.
"You have no idea." I handed him the list. "What's first?"
"Something about water filters and cat food."
"Target it is."
"Do you think this'll be enough?"
Nico stared at the spread with wide eyes, then turned to me. "What, you were thinking of making more?"
I looked at my table critically. The dining room table was set with a white table cloth, and numerous dishes ranging from mashed potatoes to deviled eggs covered almost all available space except for the center, where the turkey would go. It was almost done cooking. There were a couple of pies and a pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge. Mom and I had been working almost all week to put this dinner together, and still, I felt it was missing something.
"Damn, I still have to make the gravy," I looked at the clock in the kitchen. Marty and his friend would be here any moment, and we'd agreed to start dinner exactly at six. I checked the turkey and finally decided it was ready. I transferred it to the serving plate, then used the juices to make a thick gravy.
"Gods, I hope this is enough." I said, placing the turkey in the middle of the table.
"I'm sure it will be," Nico said. "You've cooked enough food to supply an entire army."
"Oh baby, it's perfect," Mom said, coming into the dining room. "Now run upstairs and get changed. You're not greeting Marty's guest looking like you just lost a fight to a bag of flour. Why don't you wear that nice blue shirt you wore for your cousin's wedding? And Nico, there's some good clothes in the closet next to the guest room. I want both of you to wear ties. Off you go, then."
Mom never really cared what I wore unless people were coming over, which wasn't often, because most people who actually came to the house were demigods looking for shelter. But this was obviously important to her, because she had even chosen to wear a nice blouse and white pants, and she was making sure the children were well-dressed as well.
I ran to the bathroom and scrubbed the bits of flour and turkey juice off any visible skin, then ran back to my room to find something suitable. Pants were no problem, but the shirt my mother had requested made me look like a scrawny Easter egg. I'd only agreed to wear it to my cousin's wedding because I was one of his ushers and all of the guys had to dress alike.
I put on a gray button-down which made me look just a little less dorky than all of the other ones. I resented that I had to wear a tie, since I only owned two and they were both painfully patterned. I chose the least offensive of the two – light blue with dark blue stripes running along it – and put it on.
There was a knock at the door.
"Coming," I said. I slipped on my dress shoes and opened the door. Nico stood on the other side, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. He'd chosen a black button-down with a red tie. That combined with his pale complexion and messy black hair reminded me of Billie Joe Armstrong. I refrained from pointing that out.
"Kendra!" Mom called from downstairs. "Are you ready?"
There was no response. Kendra had arrived early that morning, and although she'd acted chipper and happy around the kids, I could tell she was upset. She obviously hated having to say no to spending the holiday with her newest boy toy.
"Jamey, get your sister," Mom called up, and I sighed. I went to Kendra's door, knocking gently so as not to upset the beast.
"Kendra, Mom says to come downstairs."
"Go away."
I rolled my eyes. "I made your favorite pie, and we have sweet potatoes. You love sweet potatoes."
"Go to hell."
"Okay," I looked at Nico. "I'll leave this to Mom."
We walked downstairs. The kids were already at the table, and they were itching to start eating. Tyler was trying to snatch a buttered roll while nobody looked. Paige was spending the holiday with her own family, so really nobody was watching the kids.
"Now everybody listen," Mom said. "Almost all of us know Marty, and we know that he's a demigod, but his guest is not. As far as I understand the situation, Marty's friend is a mortal who he met in school. Therefore, we will avoid talking about anything magical or godly, and we will not mention the subjects of camp, weapons, monsters, or anything of the sort. This is a normal foster home, and we are all normal people, understood?"
"What if somebody slips up?" Maddie asked.
"Blame it on Mythomagic," I said. "That's a pretty popular game among mortals."
Right then, the doorbell rang. Mom made sure that we all looked our best, then ran to open it. There was a sound of delight, hellos being exchanged, and I was kind of surprised that the only female voice I heard was my mother's. She led them into the dining room. Marty walked in wearing a dark green button down, his hair now only blonde at the tips, revealing his natural light brown. Following him was a very tall young man with cropped brown hair, a thin mustache, and a pleasant smile on his face.
"I'm so glad you two could make it." Mom was saying. "Won't your parents miss you, Benny?"
"Well, Dad's working overseas and Mom decided to visit family in Montana." The tall boy replied.
"We're very pleased to have you here." Mom turned to look at us. "Everybody, this is Benny, Marty's–"
"Boyfriend," Marty said, taking Benny's hand. Benny smiled widely.
"Pleasure to meet you," he said.
I looked from Marty to Benny, a little confused. Well, I guess I'd never actually known Marty's sexual orientation, because he'd never really been with anybody in the time that I'd known him. Looking back on it, though, it kind of made sense. Unlike other guys I knew, Marty never really stopped to comment about how hot some passing chick was. I guess I just figured he was respectful. Turns out he had other things on his mind.
Most of the kids just waved and said hi. Maddie and the two older boys looked like this was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen, but they didn't comment. I looked at Nico to see his reaction. He was raised in the early twentieth century. No doubt the message being sent out in those days was that it was bad to be gay. At this point, though, his expression was completely unreadable.
"Well, why don't we get started?" Mom said, sitting at the head of the table. Marty and Benny took the seats across from Nico and me. There was an empty spot for Kendra.
"I thought Kendra was here." Marty said, helping Mom and serve the kids.
"She's sulking in her room," Mom said.
"I'm right here."
Kendra walked in, and I almost could've slapped her. She completely overdid it. She was wearing the tightest red dress I had ever seen on anybody, and her black hair was swept about her so that she resembled that one actress from My Cousin Vinny. Her makeup was, of course, perfect, and she strutted into the room like Aphrodite herself in a pair of high red heels. She smiled at Benny, holding her hand out to him.
"Kendra Sawyer," she said in a voice bordering on sultry. What had gotten into her? "Pleasure to meet you."
"Benjamin Bates," Benny said, oblivious.
Kendra took her seat next to me and I resisted the urge to kick her.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Kendra said, beginning to serve herself sweet potatoes. "I was busy getting ready."
"You could've said so," I said quietly. "Instead of condemning me to burn in hell."
She glared at me only briefly before returning her attention to Benny, wearing the perfect, sunny smile I'd seen her use on about a hundred different guys. I wondered if she'd heard the bit about him dating Marty, because if she hadn't, she needed to hear it soon. And anyway, she'd been upset all day about her so-called boyfriend.
"Is your sister flirting with him?" Nico whispered to me as we both ate in an observing silence.
"I don't think she knows who she's dealing with."
"I thought she had a boyfriend."
"Yeah, that doesn't really mean much to her."
"The food is really delicious," Benny said conversationally.
"I'm glad you like it," Mom said. "I had to leave most of it up to Jamey this year. Usually I'm able to do it all, but it's been so busy with all the kids, and Jamey's an excellent cook."
"I'll say," Benny turned to smile at me. "You made this all yourself?"
"M-most of it," I said. "Mom made the cheesecake. I'm still trying to get a hang of it."
"Wow," Benny said. "Have you ever thought of becoming a chef? You'd be pretty good at it."
"He is good, isn't he?" Kendra asked. "Jamey was always good at picking up on that kind of thing."
I knew she wasn't saying that for my sake. She was just trying to be part of the conversation.
"Are you in school?" Benny asked me.
"No," I said. "I haven't decided if I want to go or not. I work here."
"Well, Boston has some great culinary schools, right Marty?"
"Oh yeah," Marty said, reaching over to wipe Tyler's face. It was covered in cranberry sauce. "I don't know if they have a program at Brandeis, but you can't throw a rock in Boston without hitting a university."
"What do you study, Benny?" Mom asked.
"Photography," Benny said. "It's how I met Marty."
"Really?" Mom smiled.
"Yeah, we both ended up in the same introductory class." Benny said. "We started out as partners. We're actually doing a bit of a shoot while we're out here. I've always loved the lighting in the desert."
"Will you need models?" Kendra asked.
"Oh no," Marty said. "Benny focuses on landscape shots. All of the natural stuff."
Ah, I could see why Marty liked him. Being a son of Demeter, Marty loved nature and just about everything in it.
We managed to get through dinner without any noticeable mishaps. In the transition between dinner and dessert, though, Marty gave Benny a peck on the lips. Of course the kids though it was gross, but I looked at Kendra to see her reaction. She didn't seem fazed at all, so she'd either been aware of the relationship, or she was just really good at hiding her surprise.
I helped my mom cut the pies and cake and we ate dessert while sharing the things we were thankful for. Most people usually do this at the beginning of the meal, but Mom felt that with so many young kids, it would be easier to just feed them and then talk.
Mom started by saying she was thankful for family, for the roof over our heads, for good income, for love, and for the gods. I'm sure Benny took this to mean gods in general, but in previous years Mom had always referenced Apollo specifically, since it was thanks to him that the Home had worked out for so long.
Marty said he was thankful for new opportunities. Benny said he was thankful for life coincidences. The kids all came up with things like food, and cake, and football, and Mythomagic for their things. Nobody even understood what Walker was trying to say. I was surprised when Eileen's turn came and she managed to say "I'm thankful for my pig."
"I'm thankful for love, family, school, and my boyfriend," Kendra said. "Who unfortunately I won't get to see until next week." Whether that was a lament or an invitation was anybody's guess.
I cleared my throat. "I'm thankful for my family, my home, my job," I glanced at Nico. "And my best friend."
Nico's turn finally came and he looked a little nervous speaking in front of everybody, but he toughed it out. "I'm thankful for Jamey, because he's always looked after me no matter what."
My mom smiled widely at this, and Benny held up his glass of sparkling cider. "I think that deserves a toast."
"Cheers," Mom said, and we all clinked our glasses. The kids finished eating and ran off to do something or other. Mom and the other "adults" stayed behind to talk, so Nico and I started cleaning up.
"I think you have a lot to be grateful for," I said, putting leftovers into plastic containers. "Not just me."
"I didn't embarrass you or anything, did I?"
"Nah," I said. "It made me feel good."
"Plus, I had to say it," Nico said. "You called me your best friend in front of everybody."
"That's because you are my best friend." I put the containers in the fridge and looked at my pile of dishes. With a full stomach and my eyes starting to droop, I did not feel like battling dirty dishes.
"Gods," I sighed. "My sister was terrible, wasn't she?"
"She's very…I don't know, pronounced?" Nico let the word hang in the air for a bit. "Yeah, let's go with that."
"She's a slut," I whispered, half to Nico and half to myself. "Even after the guys kissed she was still after him. By the way, you weren't…you know, uncomfortable with that, were you? I mean, I know you were raised in the thirties and all, so it must be kind of weird for you."
Instead of answering me directly, Nico asked: "Have you met a lot of guys like that?"
"Yeah," I said. "Girls too. It's kind of a common thing nowadays. Most people don't even question it. Doesn't mean it's not a hard life, though. I've met my fair share of conservative nuts who keep blaming everything bad on gay people. And there's all that political nonsense about allowing them to marry."
"What do you think?"
"That it's really none of anybody's business who people want to marry," I said. "It's like being born a demigod. You don't choose that life, it's just part of who you are. Sorry if I'm treading on your beliefs or anything, but it'd really be nice if people would just deal with it and stop trying to ruin other people's lives."
"You're not treading on anything," Nico said, leaning against the counter. "I don't see anything wrong with it, either."
I looked at him. He was looking down, as if lost in thought. I feel like it took him a little effort to say that last bit, but it was probably just because of when he was raised. At least he wasn't outwardly protesting it.
I risked speaking up again. "They seem really happy together, though."
"Yeah," Nico agreed.
Kendra walked into the kitchen, looking just a little bit more sour than usual.
"Don't forget to do dishes," she snapped, tossing her own dessert plate into the sink. "Mom's going to bed soon, so try to be quick about it."
"Hello Kendra, dearest sister," I replied, crossing my arms. "What's that you were saying? Oh, you have a favor to ask? Well, I'm so glad you could ask in such a kind and understanding fashion. Do you need help prying that dress off you while we're at it? You look a bit constricted."
"Go to hell." Kendra muttered, walking out of the kitchen.
"I thought you guys were going to try to get along." Nico said.
"Do I get on you about Hazel?"
"Hazel's never told me to go to hell."
I started the dishes, yawning. "You've had better experience in the sister department. Kendra's made it her job to make me feel like shit since she could talk."
"Do you guys ever get along?"
"Um," I leaned against the sink, thinking. "When I was born, she gave me a duck."
"A duck."
"Yeah, a little rubber duck. She took it out of her closet and tried to give it to me, but I guess newborns aren't all that interested in that kind of thing. Maybe she got insulted when I didn't take it."
"Touchy."
"I'm going to bed, baby," Mom said, coming into the kitchen. "You don't have to do dishes now. You can leave them until tomorrow."
"Everyone's staying the night," I said. "I'd rather go to bed with a clean kitchen and make breakfast an easy ordeal. Well, easier."
"You're such a good boy," Mom said, kissing my temple. I tried to ignore the feeling. "And thanks for dinner. It was wonderful."
"No problem," I said.
"Good night, Nico," Mom said, kissing him as well. "And it was lovely what you said about Jamey. He's so lucky to have you."
Mom went upstairs and we were left alone. The house felt unusually full. There'd be lots of food to cook for the next few days. Behind me, Nico yawned.
"You can go up if you want," I said. "I'll take care of things down here."
"No, I'll help clear the table." Nico said. "They work you like a mule. You deserve a day off."
"I can leave whenever I want, remember? I just choose to stay."
Nico brought all of the extra dishes from the dining room, then pulled off the table cloth, which at this point was covered in crumbs, stains, Tyler's spit, and any number of foreign particles that had managed to make their way to the table. He put it in the laundry room, and eventually somebody would get around to washing it.
I finished the last of the dishes and Nico and I collapsed on the couch.
"That was a success," Nico said.
"If by success you mean that I managed not to tear anybody apart," I replied. "Even though I wanted to."
"It'll get better," Nico said. "You're sister's not staying for long, is she?"
"She drives back to her school in two days. And Marty and Benny are only staying until Sunday night."
"You'll be fine, then."