YESSS! I GOT THIS CHAPTER OUT TODAY INSTEAD OF TOMORROW! I made a deadline, I made a deadline...
I'm sorry if this chapter's not up to scratch, because it's probably one that you've all been waiting for since the very beginning, but I desperately wanted to update on House of Hades day! Speaking of House of Hades... spoilers, guys. I don't want 'em in the reviews. Not a single one. Not because I want to protect the readers who haven't read the book yet... but because I haven't gotten the book yet. (The Minun, was the lucky one who got to be first on the library's waiting list. GRR) I ALREADY got a spoiler today, but that one was okay (somewhat) because TheChronicler137 and I had been freaking out about it since Saturday and we needed the truth. :P
IMPORTANT BUT NOT REALLY VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: I put up a poll on my profile. Go vote... if you want to. You can get a digital sticker that says 'I voted'.
ASDFGHJKLASDFGHJK? WE GOT 50 REVIEWS? SHOUT OUT TO KEYOFNOSTALGIA FOR BEING THE 50TH REVIEWER!
But we would've never got to 50 without all of you who reviewed the last chapter: Insane PJO LOver 93, Mandi2341 (more blue Jolly Ranchers for you), osnapitzsofia, MidnightEevee, and... well, KeyOfNostalgia reviewed earlier chapters but THANKS TO HER TOO!
When I got home from school, Smelly Gabe was in a bad mood. Like always, I guess, but worse. Get it?
Anyway, I was scared because I had a dollar in my pocket, and Gabe can sniff out money like some kind of police dog. I think I heard that they go around smelling for drugs or stuff, but the point is Gabe knew when I had money, and if I wasn't going to hand it over, he would rough me up pretty bad.
But he didn't even ask me if I had any for once. I was surprised, but I wasn't complaining. I went to my room as fast as I could and hid the money in a shoe box. I stayed in there, because Gabe on a bad day was something you did not want to face without, like, armor or something. Maybe a cool sword. I wanted one of those.
When it was time for dinner, though, and Mom called me out, I had to go. Mostly because I was hungry, but also because I needed to protect Mom from Smelly Gabe. Although, when I think about it, I'm not sure how I'd really do that, because he's about three times as big as me. Morbid support, maybe? Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right. I think it's something else. Oh well, I don't know for sure.
But I went down, and Gabe was already sitting at the table. Did I ever mention how Gabe was so fat that he kind of drooped off either side of the tiny kitchen chairs? I mean, I just thought that was funny. I would never say that to him, though.
Mom had made chili, which tasted really good. Obviously, because Mom made it. The only bad part was, it was bean chili, and that makes Gabe really, and I mean really gassy. Mom would say that's "crude"... but it's the truth.
The bowl got passed around, and I spilled a little when I was handing it to Gabe, but I wiped it up with my napkin real quick and no one ever knew.
No one was talking.
Finally Gabe said in a really low, grouchy voice, "Good day at work, Sally?" Then he gave her that look that meant answer me now or I'm gonna break something.
"Good enough," Mom said, but she looked tense. I felt a little sick, but I kept eating because I didn't want Mom worrying about if I was okay or not.
See, Mom and Gabe have been fighting a lot more than usual. They always fight, of course, because Mom and Gabe are about as different as ice cream and horse poop - Mom's the ice cream, Gabe's the horse poop, obviously. But in the past couple weeks they've been more on edge. They are both at the end of their rope.
I learn a lot of great expressions in school, don't I?
"Well, mine was terrible," Gabe said calmly, but he didn't look calm. He looked like he wanted to murder a cute fluffy puppy or something. "It was complete rubbish. You wanna know why?"
Mom put down her spoon and sighed. "Not particularly, Gabriel."
"You wanna know why?" he repeated, pretending he didn't hear her. He pointed a chubby finger at her as he said it.
"Why?" Mom asked quietly, and I was mad. Mom shouldn't just give in like that. Gabe was being an idiot, and she was just letting him walk all over her. She didn't deserve it. I know I said that five billion times already, but no matter how many times I say it, nothing's gonna change.
"Because I lost a bet," he said. "I lost a bet with one of my buddies."
"I told you this gambling thing was a bad idea," Mom started, but Gabe interrupted.
"It wasn't gambling! I just bet him that he wouldn't be able to sell anything to this hot lady who came into the store today, and -"
If looks could kill, Gabe would be dead. No question. Mom's eyes were pretty much on fire. "I don't think you have any right to call other women hot, now, do you?"
"Listen, I'm just tellin' it like it is," Gabe protested. "And I lost 'cause he sold something to her. I had five bucks on that, five bucks that could've gone to something worthwhile -" Like beer and nachos? I thought - "But no, I had to give it to Freddie." Then he called Freddie some naughty words.
"Gabriel, don't use foul language in front of Percy, he's nine!" Mom exclaimed.
Gabe swore again. "I am just frustrated!" He slammed a fist on the table, flipping over his bowl and spilling the chili everywhere, but he didn't bother to clean it up. I wish Gabe would get in trouble for being messy like I do.
"Do you wanna make a bet?" Gabe yelled. His face was really red, I noticed. "Do. You. Want. To. Make. A. Bet."
"I do not want to make a ridiculous bet with you, no!" Mom said, not in a yelling voice, but she sounded pretty frustrated herself.
"I wanna make a bet I can win," Gabe said. "Today I just feel like a loser, and I don't think anyone likes feeling like a loser. Let's make a bet that I can win."
"This is completely immature," Mom said, crossing her arms. "I will not."
"You will!" Gabe said, frowning. Then he blurted out, "Food can't be blue!"
Mom laughed, but it didn't sound like a real laugh. (Later, I looked up in the dictionary what a good word for that would be, and I found one: derisive. Derisive means "expressing contempt or ridicule." I'm not exactly sure what those words mean, but I think it's right.) "Food can't be blue," she repeated. "Food can't be blue."
"Yeah!" Gabe said, with a smile on his face that meant I won! "Food cannot be blue."
"Food can be blue," Mom said.
"Can't," Gabe said.
"Blueberries?" Mom asked.
"Those aren't really blue. They're more like a mix of blue and purple. Oh - indigo. Also, they aren't blue on the inside." He frowned and added, "I don't think."
"Blue corn chips," Mom said.
"Those aren't really blue either. They're more like, black or something, and who would call that real food? It's disgusting and bland. The texture is awful, too."
"Blue cotton candy! Blue jellybeans!" Mom was getting frustrated again, I think. I didn't really get why food being blue was such a big deal. I liked the color blue, though. Water's blue, or at least it looks blue if there's a lot of it and you see it from a distance. Water in a glass doesn't look blue. It doesn't have a color… that's dumb.
But I like the color blue.
"Don't count!" Gabe said loudly. "Artificially flavored."
"You never said they had to be naturally flavored," Mom said. "You just said food can't be blue. Food is defined as something that is edible. If it's artificially flavored, it's still edible, therefore it is still food."
"That's crazy," Gabe said. "You're getting too technical. Listen, it was just a silly bet."
"You didn't act like it was just a silly bet when you made it. You're angry that you couldn't win," Mom told him.
"Not true," Gabe said. "You were just taking this too seriously. I didn't mean it, I was just having fun, right?"
I think Mom wanted to say more, but she didn't. She just grabbed a roll of paper towels and started to clean up the chili that Gabe spilled, but I could see she looked mad. I was mad too. I was only nine, and I was even smart enough to know Gabe was dead serious!
I have to admit, I was a little scared to be near them for the rest of that night, because I was scared Gabe would blow up again and start yelling about making bets and food being blue or whatever. So I went to bed early.
The next day, Mom did something that she didn't usually do. She brought home some candy from the candy store she works at, Sweet on America. There was a whole bag of it, and she handed it to me when she walked in the door and told me to not make myself sick.
I was really happy, actually. I opened the bag and looked inside, and all I saw was blue. Blue jellybeans. Mom brought home an entire bag of blue jellybeans.
And I think Gabe realized how stupid he sounded last night, because he didn't even yell at me when I showed him the bag, smiled really wide, and asked him if he wanted any.
He just glared.
