heh...heheh...hehehahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA-MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
enjoy. review. thank you.
WILL
"You're sure you can make it?" Will asked, clasping Nico's arm while Reyna held onto Nico's opposite shoulder.
"I think so." Nico replied, "I can get us within a few miles at least."
"Still," Reyna added, "It's a long way across the Atlantic, not to mention the Mediterranean as well. And remember what happened when you tried to transport the Parthenos? You nearly turned into a ghost."
"Not ghost," Nico corrected irritably, "shadow. And I'll be fine. I'm a lot stronger now than I was then. I've been practicing, too."
"I still don't understand why we can't just go through the Underworld." Will grumbled, "Your dad would probably help us and you wouldn't have to exhaust yourself."
"I told you already, the House of Hades is closer to Nyx's lair than the Underworld entrance. And the less distance we have to travel in Tartarus, the better. And remember," Nico finished, "Don't let go."
Will watched the scrawny boy beside him, saw him take a deep breath, scrunch his eyes shut . . . and then he felt like he'd slammed into a brick wall. He was surrounded by darkness, there was pressure bearing down on all sides, he was going to be squished and juiced like an orange. Will's only tie to the known world was his hand on Nico's elbow, and he clung to it like as though clinging to life itself.
What felt like an eternity in that dark tunnel was probably only a minute or so, and when everything stopped and the light returned, Will gasped, coughed a little, and then took a moment to catch his breath. Reyna, being Reyna, had recovered shortly before Will, but Nico was on the ground, chest heaving.
It was raining in Epirus. It was also colder than a troll's bottom, to quote his grandfather (a cranky geezer who refused to speak anything other than his native language; German). Will's orange t-shirt was already soaked through and his hair hung in dripping strings as he made his way towards Nico, shivering.
"Alright?" he asked, reaching out to help him up. Nico's small hand wrapped around Will's as he pulled himself to his feet. His fingers, Will noticed, were like ice.
"That way." Reyna pointed, and Will followed her gaze towards a small town at the bottom of the hill they were on.
Will did not like getting dirty. So when he arrived at the bottom of the hill, wearing more mud than shoes, with several smears over his clothing, having tasted the earth of Epirus, and freezing besides, he was not the least bit amused.
"Before we go into Tartarus," he proposed, "let's find a place for a hot shower and fish-and-chips."
Reyna nodded. "We should get our strength up. Especially you, Nico."
"I'm fine." Nico mumbled, but Will could see that the guy could use a nap.
There weren't many cars on the main road into town, and the few they did spot were obviously in a rush to get out of the rain and weren't interested in stopping for a few kids to hitchhike a ride.
"There!" Reyna spotted it first.
The sign read "THE GRANITE LADY'S BED & BREAKFAST" and a smaller sign in the window said "VACANCIES"
The bedraggled demigods wasted no time in dashing to the door and ringing the bell, huddling on the porch where they were out of the downpour for once.
After a moment, the front door opened revealing a dark interior, where a woman stood holding it open. She said something Will couldn't understand, then said it again. When it became clear that this was not getting through, she tried again.
"English maybe? You speak English? Come in, come in, please, out of the rain." Her accent was thick, but her voice soft and kind. The three shuffled in, murmuring thanks. As Will's eyes adjusted, he saw that the woman was tall and very pretty. She had flawless skin and a shapely nose, and her hair was tucked under a long beanie. Her eyes were a startling blue.
"Come in, please." She repeated, "Welcome. Do not worry about making a mess in the entrance hall," she added, noticing the puddles collecting around their feet. "My, you are unfortunate to be caught out in such horrid weather. But I am certain the rain will stop soon."
A second woman now entered the scene. She looked a little older than the first, and seemed to be the proud owner of an enormously piled hairdo. A pair of dark glasses rested on her nose and she seemed to focus on a spot on the wall; she was blind.
"You haven't introduced yourself, Stephanie." She chided in the general direction of the younger, who smiled apologetically as she addressed the demigods.
"I have been rude," she said, forgive me. I am Stephanie, and this is my older sister Elyon. And what might your names be?"
"I'm Reyna." Said Reyna shortly, then nodded to Nico, "Nico, and that's Will."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Elyon nodded. Her accent was less pronounced than Stephanie's as she went on. "I assume you'll all be wanting a shower and some clean clothes – I can hear you dripping. There are bathrooms upstairs but we don't have many spare clothes and I don't think you boys will be wearing any of mine or Stephanie's."
"We've got our own spare clothes," Will answered, "But the shower sounds good."
….
Noticeably drier and with a clean brown polo to replace his soaked camp t-shirt, Will made his way back downstairs, noticing that the puddles in the entrance hall had since been cleaned up, and that the rain had indeed stopped as Stephanie had predicted and the sun was now shoving its way out from between the clouds.
He could smell hot tea emanating from a room behind the dining area – the kitchen – and heard the kettle whistling like mad.
Reyna and Nico were already seated at a wooden table, steaming mugs in front of them. A cup of tea was then shoved into Will's hands and he was told to sit and have something to eat. The tea smelled funny, so he took a sip merely out of politeness and then set it quickly down on the table when the sharp bitterness stung his tongue.
"Not to your liking?" Stephanie laughed, noticing his badly hidden wince, "That is all right, our tea is not for everyone. It is good that it did not kill you, yes?"
"Kill me?" Will all but squeaked, having had too many close encounters with death for such comments.
"Merely my sense of humor, dear." Stephanie replied.
"Would you like some cranberry juice instead?" Elyon offered, opening the fridge. After receiving a response in the affirmative, she poured him a glass of the bright liquid.
"It is a lovely color, yes?" Elyon smiled with her teeth as she handed the glass to Will. "A beautiful red." His stomach dropped like a stone and he shared a swift glance with Reyna and Nico.
"Something wrong?" Stephanie asked, eyes flicking from one to another.
Reyna pointed to Elyon. "You," she said shakily, "Are supposed to be blind."
want to take a guess anyone? who is Elyon really?
-oldsoul