Chapter 14
A Happy Reunion
I woke up to the smell of bacon frying and I heard what sounded like Connor and Mitena talking. I quickly got out of bed and walked into the dining room where, indeed, Connor and Mitena were talking.
I know I never told you what Mitena looks like so I'll tell you now. Mitena is ¾ Omaha Native American, and the other ¼ of her is Polish, on her dad's side if that gives you any clues. She has beautiful black hair that runs down to her waist, and striking green eyes that could pierce your soul. Her face is kind of round, but definitely not chubby and she's heavier than I am, but definitely not overweight or fat, so I guess what you'd call "curvy". Ok, back to the story.
I said, "Hey, what're you talking about?"
Mitena said, "Oh, nothing really. I was just asking Connor if maybe I could help you guys. I was trying to get him to convince my mom to let me come with you."
Connor said, "I really don't think that's the best idea, Mitena. You're not a demigod like we are. We're more capable of fighting gods, titans, and monsters than you are."
I turned to Connor and said, "Well there is something about Mitena you don't know."
Mitena turned to look at me and gave me a pleading look. I guess she didn't want me to tell him her secret. Connor looked back and forth at Mitena and me, but then just started eating the bacon that Mikasi had just put on the table.
I know I said my crush on Mikasi was small, but it really wasn't. I'd liked him ever since we were little kids. Mitena knew that I liked him, and she said she was fine with it, but I knew she thought it was a little weird. I never really thought too much about having a boyfriend anyway, as I was busy dealing with other things.
Mikasi was about 6 feet tall and had a slim but muscular build. He also had long black hair like Mitena and it also went down to his waist. His eyes were also green like Mitena's but they were softer, like the grass in a meadow or something. His face was more square than round and he had I guess what you'd call a "butt" chin and dimples on his cheeks.
I stopped daydreaming and came back to reality and realized that the bacon was almost gone. I took the rest of the plate for myself and then got up to help Mikasi make pancakes.
"So, Arrow, I guess you're back from your little adventure Mitena told me about. Mom says I have to fix a chariot for you. I already started on it last night. It's crazy that you're involved with Greek gods. It's also crazy that that chariot can fly."
"Yeah, not exactly back from the adventure. We just crash-landed, and amazingly we ended up near here. Yeah, the chariot can fly. It's pretty cool, I guess. You'd better make sure it's ready to go for us soon."
"Oh, it'll be done soon. Are you going to make Mickey Mouse pancakes or regular pancakes? Because I want Mickey Mouse ones."
"Yes, of course I'm going to make Mickey Mouse ones, regular pancakes are no fun."
Mikasi and I giggled at each other. After a while the pancakes were done and we all started talking to each other. It seemed as though Hermes and Mrs. Brooks were doing something else, so they never came into the dining room.
Mikasi and Mitena started telling Connor embarrassing moments about me. Like how when I was little I thought I was King Kong so I'd take my shirt off in the middle of school and beat my fists against my chest. That was when we were in kindergarten, though, so it wasn't too provocative or anything. Connor laughed at that. We talked some more about our childhoods, but then Mikasi left to go fix the chariot. Connor went with to help him so Mitena and I were left alone again.
"I think you should tell him your secret." I said.
"I don't think I should. If I tell him then he might figure it out about Mikasi and my mom as well, and I don't think they'd want him to know."
"Come on, he'll think it's cool. It also might convince him that you'd be able to help us more on our quest. I know your mom won't listen to you, me, or Mikasi, but she might listen to Connor or Hermes."
"Ok, fine. I'll tell him. Just help me clean all this food up first."
"Ok."
Mitena and I cleared the table and then washed the dishes and put them away. We went back into Mitena's bedroom and she gave me some new clothes to wear. We then walked out to the storage shed where Connor and Mikasi were working on the chariot. It looked like it was almost done. The floorboards still seemed like they needed to be put back into place.
"You guys almost done?" Asked Mitena.
"Yeah, I think so." Answered Connor. "Also, Arrow, I don't think that Aeolus was the only thing that broke the chariot. It seemed like something pried open the floorboards."
"Really?" I said. "I thought I told you that I saw a sack of air under the floorboards being released. Maybe Zeus or someone put it in there. Your dad seemed really wary about Zeus giving us this chariot."
"Hmmm, maybe. Hopefully we won't have any mishaps like that when we get it working again."
Connor and I continued talking about the possibilities that Zeus had sabotaged us while Mitena walked over to Mikasi to talk about what I assumed was their secret. Mitena walked back over next to me and said, "I have something to tell you Connor. You might think it's kind of cool and you might not."
"Ok." Connor said.
Mikasi said, "Well Mitena and I – well – we're – "
"Werewolves." Interrupted Mitena.
"It's been passed down on both of our parents's sides of the family. Our Native American ancestors used to be very connected to the wolf, so the wolf granted our families powers. Unlike werewolves in a lot of stories we can control what we do when we turn. We don't become full wolves, we just get really hairy, our eyes turn bright blue, we get bigger teeth, we get more muscle, and we get sharp claws." Said Mitena.
"Sometimes, when one of us got mad enough we could fully transform into a wolf, but that was only if a loved one or ourselves were in intense danger. Pretty cool, right?"
Connor looked at them with a gleam in his eye and a big smile on his face. "That is really cool! Almost as cool as being a demigod! I can't believe you didn't tell me your best friend is a werewolf, Arrow! Wow!"
Mitena and Mikasi looked relieved after hearing Connor's reaction and we all let out laughs of relief. Connor and Mikasi continued working on the chariot and Mitena and I decided to pitch in and help them. We worked on it for a while when I heard a familiar voice shout, "Arrow!"
I turned around to see my dad coming towards me. I dropped the tools I was holding and ran up to him and gave him a big hug.
"Dad! I missed you so much! I can't wait to tell you everything we've done so far! How did you know I was here, though?"
"Sandra (Mrs. Brooks) told me you were here and that you'd had a mishap with your adventure. I guess she knows about your Greek ancestry now, huh?"
"Oh, yeah. I told her about everything. This is Connor and this is Hermes."
"Hey, what's-your-name, I guess you have a daughter with the untamable Artemis, eh?" Said Hermes.
"Oh, sorry, my name's Dean. Dean Jackson. And, yes, I do have a daughter with Artemis."
Connor then said. "Nice to meet you Mr. Jackson, Arrow's told me a lot about you."
My dad looked at me with a half-smile and said to Connor, "Well, she hasn't told me anything about you." With a joking tone in his voice. He actually was serious though, because there was no way I could've told him about Connor.
My dad started laughing and Connor started laughing, too. We decided to stop working on the chariot for a while and went inside and hung out for a little bit. It was almost bedtime so we played some board games and then said goodnight to everyone. My dad had to leave to go back home, so I said goodbye to him. I knew I probably wasn't going to see him for a while again, as it seemed like the chariot would probably be fixed tomorrow. I gave him a long hug and he told me to be careful before leaving.
Connor and Hermes went into the guest bedroom and Mitena and I went into her bedroom. We talked about what might happen if we could convince her mom to let her come with us on the journey before we passed out.