1-28-14
Whoa. Um, hehe. Er…hi? Sorry it took so long to update! I've been really busy, not to mention lazy, over break. Ironically, now that my workload is picking up, I'm writing more. Weird, huh?
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! You guys gave me the push to finally get my lazy rear moving and type up this chapter. Actually, it was half finished for a long time, but whatever.
Enjoy!
"Luke!" his mom called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready! You're favorite, peanut butter sandwiches and Kool-Aid!"
"Okay," Luke called. "I'm gonna go check on Natalia first."
No reply. Not that Luke had expected one.
Luke toddled down the hall, opening the door to his baby sister's room. She was sleeping soundly inside her crib, her face almost angelic in the light of the setting sun through the window. He crept in on tiptoes, careful not to wake her, and stopped just outside the crib. He stood there for a couple moments, content to just look at his sister. He still found it strange how a package so small could scream so loudly when she chose.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" said a voice from behind him.
Luke whirled around in surprise, almost toppling into the crib at the sight of a man standing in the corner of the room. Luke was sure there had been no one there when he'd first entered the room, but there he was like he'd been there the whole time.
The man stepped out of the shadows, allowing Luke to get a good look at him. The man had curly salt-and-pepper hair framing an elfish face. He appeared to be about as old as Luke's mom, though his eyes sparkled with mischievous light unlike his mother's fractured gaze. He held a cellphone in one hand that seemed to have worms curling around the antenna, which he quickly slipped into his pocket.
"Who are you?" Luke demanded, though he was careful to keep his voice down so he wouldn't disturb Natalia. "Why are you here? How'd you even get in here?"
The man held up a hand to stop the flow of questions, his warm brown eyes briefly twinkling in amusement. "One at a time, Luke."
Luke almost took a step back before he remembered the crib was right behind him. "How do you know my name?" He squinted up at him, the man's face stirring a memory. "Hey, you were at the hospital. When my sister was born, you appeared next to Mom's bed for about two seconds."
The man hesitated, as if he wasn't sure how to reply to Luke's accusation. "Yes, I was," the man said carefully, studying Luke's face. "I couldn't very well miss the birth of my own daughter, could I?"
Luke felt like the class bully had just pushed him off a swing, because he suddenly couldn't breathe. "You're Natalia's dad?"
The man's eyes were suddenly filled with…sadness?
"Yes." The man hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision. "And yours."
It took a moment for Luke to process those words. He blinked. "You're…my dad?"
The man nodded, his face devoid of any expression.
At first, Luke felt a thrill. He finally got to meet his father. But his excitement quickly gave way to anger. "Why'd you leave us?" he demanded. "Mom is completely crazy. She grabs my arms and spews green smoke and won't stop screaming about my fate. Why'd you abandon me?"
His supposed father flinched with every exclamation as if he'd been slapped, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. Luke felt a strange sense of pleasure in his father's discomfort. At least he was getting through to him.
"I'm sorry," the man said simply. "But it was necessary."
Luke stared at him in shock. "Why?"
The man sighed. "You are too young yet to understand who you are, Luke. I cannot answer all your questions now."
"Why not?" Luke demanded. "I'm old enough."
"Not yet."
Luke scowled. "Fine. I'm going to tell Mom there's a stranger in the house." He ran toward the door, leaning out and preparing to shout at the top of his lungs when a hand pulled him back. The man pulled Luke against him, clapping a hand firmly over his mouth.
"Hush, child," the man hissed. "Your mother can't know I'm here."
Luke bit down on the fingers and wriggled away as the man hissed in pain, shaking his hand. Luke made to go for the door again, when something caught his eye and he froze in his tracks.
"You're bleeding gold," he said in awe.
The man glanced at his hand, then quickly hid it behind his back. "No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Luke insisted. But even as he said it, a fog seemed to cloud his thoughts. When it cleared, he realized that he was being foolish. The man's hand had been bleeding red, just like normal people.
As if to prove his change of thought, the man brought his hand out from behind him, showing the red covering his fingers. "See?"
Luke scowled at the man's injured hand, wondering what exactly was going on here. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I told you all ready," the man said warily. "I'm your father."
Luke looked up into the stranger's eyes, disbelieving. "Who are you really? What's your name?"
Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound, and Luke noticed the man's pocket was vibrating.
The man reached into the pocket, pulling out his cellphone with the two worms on the antenna. He pressed a button and brought it to his ear. "Hermes Express." He listened for a few moments. "Right. I'll be right over." He switched the phone off and slipped it back into his pocket, unmistakable relief written on his face. "I must be going."
"Wait!" Luke reached forward and grabbed the man's hand as he made for the bedroom door. Despite how much he despised his father for leaving them behind, he certainly didn't want him to leave again now. "Don't go! You can't leave us here!"
The man looked down, sadness etched in his features. "I'm sorry, Luke." He looked back at the crib, where Natalia had somehow remained asleep throughout the whole thing. "Your fates have all ready been determined," he said, almost in a whisper. "I cannot intervene, no matter how much I want too."
"But I have so many questions," Luke protested. "Why did you have to leave? What's wrong with my mother? Just take us with you!"
The stranger studied the boy clinging to his hand, Luke's face the picture of desperation. "I'm sorry," he repeated. He carefully pried Luke's fingers off his own, then reached up to touch Luke's forehead.
Luke suddenly felt drowsy, his vision beginning to swim. He pitched forward, but the man caught him, setting him gently down onto the floor. He curled up on the suddenly very comfortable carpet, his eyes slowly closing. He was dimly aware of the man standing over him.
"Goodbye, Luke," the man said, his voice sounding far away. "Remember, I'll always watch over you."
As Luke's eyes finally closed, the last thing he saw was the man's sandals. They had grown wings.
Luke's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he couldn't remember where he was.
He carefully sat up, taking in the familiar sight of Natalia's room: the small toy box in the corner, a tiny bookshelf, a wooden rocking chair, and finally the crib in the corner with his baby sister snuggled inside. Something was tangled around his legs, preventing him from rising farther, and he realized that someone had tucked a blanket around him. He frowned. He didn't remember falling asleep, let alone anybody tucking him in.
"Luke," came his mom's concerned voice down the hallway. "Are you all right? What's taking you so long?"
"I'm fine!" Luke called back, as quietly as he could. "I'll be out in a minute."
He stood up, kicking away the blanket and scrunching his eyebrows together as he tried to remember what had happened. He had come into Natalia's room, looked at his baby sister, and then…and then…he couldn't remember. Apparently he'd fallen asleep on the floor. But why would he do that when there was a rocking chair in the corner? And who'd tucked him in? Obviously not his mother since she hadn't even known he was asleep.
He shook his head, trying to think through the fog that seemed to have settled over his thoughts. Who cares, he decided, trying to convince himself nothing was off. It looked like nothing had been stolen, and his sister was still lying peacefully in the crib, undisturbed.
He tiptoed over to her now, peeking through the wooden bars and taking in her tiny little features. Her blonde hair wasn't that long, but was still pretty shaggy for a six month old. He smiled, reaching through the bars and patting her gently on the head.
"You're going to be really pretty when you grow up," he told her.
"Luke!" his mom called again, more insistently. "The Kool-Aid is getting warm."
Luke quietly retreated, keeping his eyes fixed on the sleeping form of his sister as he backed out of the door, closing it gently behind him.
For a moment, he stood outside of the closed door, studying it intently as if it had the answers. "Do you know what happened in there?"
The door did not reply.
"Didn't think so."
"Luke!" his mom cried again.
"Coming!"
He took one last look at the door, then ran for the dining room, wondering why the only thing that came to mind was tiny angel wings.
This one made me sad…
So what do you think? Let me know in a review! Constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated!
Also, what are all of your opinions on Luke in the books? I feel like Percy: I could just throttle him. But at the same time, I feel REALLY bad for him. It's confusing.
