Chapter 4: I Lose my Mind… And Possibly the Girl I Like: Ashton's POV
At school I'm known as "the most popular guy" or "the dude with all of those chicks following him" or "Ahhh, it's HIM". Don't take me for the snobby jock type. Yeah, I play all the school sports, but I'm actually really down-to-earth. I've been helping out at those environmental beach cleanups since I was seven. I help tutor elementary school students twice a week. And, I'm part of the eighth grade student council.
That's where I met Valerie Hanson, actually. She's the president and I'm the vice-president. And since I've met her, I've been trying to figure out how to ask to ask her out.
But I'm not even sure if she likes me. She always seems so shy around me.
Today I was reassured though. I spontaneously gave her a hug after she—and Cinder, of course—saved Colin and I. It felt REALLY great, and I think she really liked it too.
Now I sat next to her, with my arm around her, in Grover and Juniper's chariot. We were flying… of course. Like this day could get any weirder.
Cinder was sitting next to Val too. Colin, Chris, and Sam sat on the bench behind us. Grover and Juniper answered our questions as they drove the black pegasus. Blackjack was his name? I think that's what they said.
I heard Cinder lean over and whisper to Val, "Looks like it was meant to be." Val blushed. I laid my head on hers. Oh, this day was getting better and better…
'Will you to love birds keep it down?' I heard a voice say.
"Huh?" I blurted, "Who said that?"
"Said what?" Sam asked in her soft voice.
Val looked up at me curiously, "What did you hear?"
"Um, nothing. It must be my imagination…" I replied, a little nervously.
Grover turned around as Juniper took the reins.
"So," he said in a confident tone, "anymore questions?"
Chris spoke up, "No, I think we've got it. Greek gods and goddesses have always existed. Their children, us, are demigods; the spawn of a god and a mortal."
Colin picked up there, "Monsters exist too. Like those hellhounds back there. But they can't die. They can only go to Tartartus until they are reborn…"
Sam chimed in, "So that's why we have to go to Camp Half Blood, to train until we can defend ourselves in the real world."
Cinder spoke up, "We'll be put in cabins based on who our godly parent is. We'll find out who our godly parent is because of 'claiming'."
Val looked at Grover, "Claiming is where the symbol for our godly parent appears above our head."
'Anything you'd like to add, lover boy?' I heard the voice again.
"That's it! Who said that?" I yelled.
Everyone just stared at me.
Val coughed, "Um, I was just talking about claiming, Ashton…"
"No! Not you Val! Who called me lover boy?"
An incredibly awkward silence dragged on.
'That would be me.' There it was again.
"Who are you!" I shouted.
Thunder and lighting cracked in the sky. There was a heavy rain falling. Everyone was getting drenched. We certainly weren't in San Diego anymore…
"Ah, Zeus!" Juniper looked up.
"That's the sky god right?" Sam asked.
"King of the gods too." Added Cinder.
'You want to know who I am, just look who's driving this thing!'
"Juniper?" I asked.
"What?" she said, "What is it?"
'No! Not the tree nymph!'
That explains the green skin…
'Me! The horse! Blackjack! Good gods, the boss would never treat me like this!'
"I'm talking to a horse." I said over and over, "I'm talking to a horse."
Val scooted away from me, as did all of the other demigods.
"Wait, you can talk to Blackjack?" Grover asked.
"That's what he said his name was." I ran my hands through my brunette blond hair.
"No…" Grover murmured, and then shouted, "OH GODS NO! JUNIPER, WE HAVE TO GET TO CAMP HALF BLOOD, NOW!"
Grover and Juniper rushed Blackjack.
'Hey, take it easy!' the pegasus said, 'Even I have limits you know!"
"It all makes sense!" Grover said to Juniper, "The rough skies, Ashton being able to talk to horses…" Then Grover looked up at me, "Ashton, you're not wet."
Everyone looked at me and I looked down at my clothes and discovered that while everyone else was soaked head to toe, I was completely dry.
Grover sighed, "Hail Ashton Fliter, son of Poseidon, god of the sea and horses."
