Today was defiantly a day for surprises. In front of each box a pendent appeared and landed on each lid.
'These where found earlier today where your parents were last seen.' Hera announced. I picked up the necklaces. The Greek design was hypnotic, I can't take my eyes off of them. They were circler, both with an A in the centre on both sides, with a stick pieces pointing out over the side. Identical, yet different. I can't place my finger on it. But I knew one thing for sure.
'I recognised these. My parents never take them, not even for sport.' My stress levels were rising along with my anxiousness.
'Same. My mum even wore this on her wedding day.' Louisa added. She returned a worried smile I sent her. She's got two parents to worry about too.
'A mirror!' We all turned to face Daniella who had gone and opened her father's box. I thought the sundial design on the box was just for show! Place the pendent against it and it acts as a key. We followed suit, me trying both pendants on each box. I wonder what would have happened if my parents got their mixed up? Archie and Atlanta. Both A's. I tried the first box with one of the pendants. I didn't expect it to open first time, I knew it wouldn't. Looking around Louisa had already opened her box and taken out a pair of nun-chucks and a photograph.
'Theresa's weapon of choice' Hera informed, leaning back in her chair. Oliver's sister, I now know to be Olivia (very imaginative) finally managed to open their box after many attempts from her brother. Inside, a laptop and the same photo.
I tried the other pendant. Suddenly the lid of the box flung open. Inside was a...well it looked like a cycling glove, you know one without the fingers, but with a wrist band connected to it by two wires. I guessed it was my mum's; Dad's hand would be too big. I tried it on and flexed my hand. A gleaming purple bolt shot out of the end and blasted the nose off of a stone bust on the opposite side of the room.
'Um...sorry?' I responded, amazed at the power.
'I remember when her mother did that for the first time!' Ares whimpered, as he randomly started crying on one of the goddess's shoulders. Some god of war! Crying like a baby!
'Ok...' I muttered, pealing the glove off and moving on to the next box. I managed to open the next one pretty fast. A handle? Great! My Dad broke it! I know he can get angry but this?
'What do I do with this?' I proclaimed, the others sharing my confusion. I passed it to Jason, who looked at it and held it out to Louisa. I swear I saw Hera smirk, as Louisa reached for the handle. She touched it then suddenly held her head. She groaned as Jason handed the handle back to me and put an arm around her.
'What's up with her?' Daniella proclaimed, checking her reflection once again in her new mirror. I scowled at her.
'Lou what's up?' Jason whispered in her ear soothingly, pulling his sister close.
'Josie it's not broken' she murmured, taking the handle (or not a handle) from me staring at it, rolling it around in her hands. 'I saw a guy, our age, with purple hair...'
'Like my Dad?' I asked, anxiously. She looked confusingly at me. How do I explain to someone how my Dad has purple hair? I pulled out my phone and showed the wallpaper to Louisa. It's a picture of me and my parents when we went camping a couple months ago. Not a very nice pic in my opinion. My hair is so out of control and extremely unattractive. My parents made a bet that my Dad could build a dam in a nearby river before my Mum got back with enough firewood for a month. We were staying for a weekend. In a field without the farmer's consent. They still did it. I sat on a log filming my Dad making a fool of himself, a video I would value at about $200 if the TV people agree, while he almost got carried away by the strong current. I didn't win it, but congrats to the owner of the dog dressed up as Elvis in Ohio, though. I think I've still got that film on my phone. Wonder if I can get signal here? Maybe they have their own service? How would they top up?
'That's him. Just older.' Louisa snapped me back to reality. This is happening a lot today.
'Is this him?' Olivia asked handing over the photo from her Dad's box. I looked up. Henry (the clueless one from earlier, with the muscles) was staring at the same photo, only from his box, with a large coil of rope on his lap. Even Daniella was neglecting her precious vanity to look involved with reality for once. This isn't fair I'm being totally out of order to her and I've only just met her! Wait...the mirror is back up and we've lost her to her face again. Typical.
'Yeah that's him. That's defiantly him.' Louisa confirmed looking at the photo. I lifted the two I had at the bottom of each of my boxes. A big familiar, grin filled about 50% of the photo with six other faces filling the other 50%. Daniella snorted at the photo, the mirror still in her hand though.
'Check out the dork!' she sniggered, pointed out my Dad. Ok I'm back to hating her again!
'Gee thanks.' I commented sarcastically. I don't have time for her now. 'That's my Mum too.' I pointed out a slender girl with spiky red hair and two piecing at the top of each ear.
'And our Dad!' the twins sang in unison (creepy), before everyone joined in pointing out their parents, until the voices dulled down.
'What was my Dad thinking?' Daniella screeched. We all ignored her. Nice to know I'm not the only sane person in this room. In this room of gods, goddess's, centaurs and teenagers...there goes my sanity out the window. Hera looked towards Jason.
'Jason, why haven't you opened your box?' she asked slightly puzzled, though I'm sure she knew exactly what he was going to say.
'Sorry Miss Hera, it's just...I'm not sure if I want to. This box it pretty heavy and my guess is it's full of things my Dad hasn't told me. Part of me just doesn't want to know.' He replied. Hera smiled. (Told ya so)
'But the other part of you wants to find out, wants to see the truth about you parent' past. That's your father in you, always looking for answers. Open the box Jason. Its time you knew the truth.' He obliged, silently placing the pendent on the lock. It clicked. He pull the clasp of the box to open it, while we all leaned in, which did look slightly weird, but I mean, this was kinda of a big deal.
'A bracelet? I get a mirror and you get a fashion accessory?' Daniella proclaimed, breaking the silence that could only have been found in a corny old adventure movie when they finally open the treasure chest. Or just go back in time to a couple seconds ago (Like that's possible!) to when Jason opened his dad's box. She grabbed it and slipped it on limply.
'It's too loose!' she declared tossing it back to him. He grasped it in his free hand the other clutching another handle, this one seemingly from a sword of some kind and a black and white stick.
'Shield...' Louisa muttered under her breath, clutching her forehead again.
'What?' Jason released the weird objects from his hands to place a calming hand on her shoulder. He is so cute and caring...Snap out of it Josie!
'She said shield' I answered picking up the bracelet from his lap. It was gold with a similar design to the pendent key thingy's, but instead of a letter the design originated from a raised circle in the centre. It looked like a button. So I pressed it. I'm just that kind of girl. See button press. Act first, ask questions later. It's just I'm not the girl to expect a metre wide blue shield to appear in front of me and to smash a vase of the table. I am such a klutz!
'Sorry!' I shrieked throwing the shield in the air to be caught by Jason, who looked at me with quite a worried stare as I sped to the other side of the room.
'Don't worry I'm sure it can be fixed!' Louisa leant over her brother to point at the vase 'look that place goes with that bit and...' as she spoke the pieces began to rise align themselves where she had said. She screamed, the pieces dropped to the floor shattering into even smaller pieces.
'What did you scream for? Now it's gonna be harder to put them back together!' Henry proclaimed before Olivia leaned over a whispered in his ear. 'Wow you two are weird!' He announced to the silent room, turning to Louisa and then me.
'Yeah check out Speedy Gonzales and mental chick over here!' Daniella laughed, pointing at us. We both scowled at her.
'Girls! Girls! Calm down! Now we need to work together to get our parents back and we can't do that with anarchy in the ranks!' Jason stated, holding his sister back and hinting for me to turn to his side on the couch. Not that I need a hint...
'Ok next step is to find out what those two handles do' Oliver suggested, looking up to view them then back down to his laptop probably googling them or something.
'Yeah umm...Lou you said they weren't handles. Any ideas?' Jason turned to his sister. She thought then clutched her head again.
'Is thinking this hard for her?' Daniella questioned.
'Daniella don't be so...' Hera began.
'Press the button' Louisa muttered. I looked at Jason. He looked at me. Our eyes met, we pressed the buttons and...
'A dog leash?' I asked, as a weird string feel out of the handle thing with a small hook shape on the end. Jason now had a pretty big blade on his handle in one hand and a large pole in the other. I didn't even think my dad liked dogs.
'It's a Hephaestus whip, upgraded to Adamantine a little before the heroes least battle.' Ares filled in. 'Come on, give it a whirl! Or better yet come with me!' He sprinted over to me and dragged me by the wrist and out of the room. Help?