SUUUUUUP?
WOOT!
Two new reviews!
Both from people who have already reviewed, but I DON'T care!
Sending ANOTHER virtual hug to: The Avian-Olympian and Complicated-little-Jellie
C-L-J: Thank you for appreciating my virtual hugs! :) And thanks for reviewing!
A-O: Agreed on the tree house thing. I enjoyed the book Fang, mostly cuz I love Max/Fang! (But not as much as Percabeth), but I like it as a side thing to the action and comedy. In Angel, I felt like the drama was the key point and the action and comedy was side to that. AND DON'T WORRY! They're gonna find out REAL soon! Like...maybe within next two chapters...*winkwink* I'm planning on putting ACTION into the next chapter, and well, when monsters attack, demigods collide. ;)
Ha. This is another fluffy-ish chapter that actually probably does not benifit the actualy PLOT that much. :) Oh well.
As I said, action is coming SOON!
Monster suggestions to use within this?
And Pandastyle: I'm gonna start working on the Elysium story. It'll be a one-shot, but probably a long one. :)
Song: I Don't Wanna Dance by Hey Monday
I've seen them either once or twice...can't remember...
Disclaimer: I'm currently working on plan J of stealing Percy Jackson copyright. I'll let ya know how it goes, but for the time being, Riordan still owns PJO.
READ ON!
I stood in front of my mirror, unsure. I wore a pair of ripped jeans, boots that almost went to my knees, and a tight long-sleeved black shirt that had a wide neck. My hair was loose on my shoulders.
It was Friday night and I knew I had to leave in just a few minutes to pick up Alex.
The party started at seven, but Lexi wanted us there at six to set up.
I stared at my outfit. The tip of my thumb was between my teeth again. With an exasperated sigh I gave up, deciding to just leave it. I mean, I didn't know what to wear to a legit High School party.
I grabbed my keys and went out to my car, feeling reassured by the feel of my fathers pen in my pocket. After an inward argument, I had decided to leave my father's watch at home. THough, I admit, my mothers knife was tucked into my right boot.
Feeling as though my parents were with me, even though in actuality it was just their weapons, I pulled out of my motel parking lot. It took seven minutes and about thirty-seven seconds, give or take, to get to Alex's. He lived in what appeared to be a middle-class apartment building, though it still looked plush to my eyes. I pulled into the ten-minute parking spot and walked in. I went up to the receptionist.
"Um," I said, feeling awkward that I was at a place this nice without intentions of scamming, "do you know where I can find Alex Peffer?"
"Here!" I heard a grunt to my left. I turned and saw Alex standing in an elevator, struggling under the weight of his extremely large boom box. I speed-walked over, abandoning the receptionist without a word.
"Need some help?" I offered.
"Grab the food," he instructed. I noticed four grocery bags filled with cavity-inducing snacks. I nodded, happy to be productive instead of standing there like a moron, and picked the bags up. We walked out and I directed him to my car. We threw the stuff in the backseat, and I was thankful he didn't head for the trunk. That would have been awkward, what with the trunk being entirely full of weapons. A good number of which he'd see clearly even if he was a mortal, because I did own regular mortal weapons.
"Nice wheels," he told me.
I shrugged. "It runs," I replied, assuming he was being sarcastic.
He turned to me. "No, I'm serious, cool car. How old is it?"
I thought back. "Ummm...a dozen years? Maybe fifteen?"
"Cool." We then climbed in. I pulled out and we drove to Zack's apartment building. It took nine minutes and forty-seven seconds, give or take.
I felt extremely uneasy as I pulled up. Alex pointed me in the direction of the hotel garage.
When I pulled up, one of the valet's walked up, giving me the look of 'You own a car like THAT and you are HERE?'
"Name." He demanded.
"Put it under the Raver's." Alex answered for me. "We're close friends with the son."
The valet seemed wary, but reluctantly allowed us to exit the car so they could park it for me. I felt very uneasy about handing over my car keys to strangers, not only because I valued it for sentimental reasons, but also...what if they searched the trunk? Again, that would be awkward.
Alex grabbed the boom box, and I grabbed the snacks.
He casually walked into the building, as if he was walking into his own home. I walked into it, feeling like I was walking into the Underworld itself. Actually, the Underworld held my parents. I felt like I was walking into Olympus, where the only 'people' who were there, most likely wanted me dead.
My breath caught when we walked in. The place was grand, covered with a gold that made me wonder if it was real. As if they needed to flaunt the fact they were expensive and exclusive.
Alex, again casually, walked to the front desk. He said his name, and that Zack was expecting us. The receptionist barely looked up as she handed Alex a key card. Alex thanked her and walked us over to a golden elevator. Alex pushed the 'up' button and walked into an elevator when it opened with a 'ding'.
The elevator was huge. I could probably live in it comfortably if needed, but I require very little, so that's not saying much. The walls and ceiling were mirrored with a gold bar running the width of three walls. The floor was a glittery black stone. I leaned back on a wall, gripping the railing with both hands. Alex slid the key card through a slot and pushed the last button on the wall.
After forty-five floors, the elevator 'ping'-ed open, straight into Zack's apartment. My mouth was open before I snapped in close in embarrassment. It was just...his apartment was HUGE! My entire motel room would fit twice in just the sitting room. Lexi and Kara were already there, along with Zack obviously.
The couch's had been pushed to the walls, and tables lined a wall that appeared to go to a large terrace. There was a door to my left that went to what my guess was a kitchen area. Stairs to my right probably went to bedrooms. Lexi excitedly ran over to us in a frilly pink dress. It had thick, yet tank-top, straps and was tight on top, but was loose below her waist. It went down to just above her knees. He hair was in a side ponytail.
I looked over and saw Kara was in a tight, one-shoulder, red dress. Her hair was styled to look wavy, and almost unruly. I never understood why girls purposely made their hair look busy. Why didn't they just not brush it in the morning?
I felt completely unprepared and out of place. I'm fairly positive I didn't even OWN a dress. I tucked my hair behind my ears.
Lexi and Alex began setting up a music area, almost directly across from the elevator. They also had a sweet light set up, though I had new clue where that had come from.
Zack walked over to me, and he was wearing the same thing he wore at school. A blue V-neck and black jeans. Alex had been wearing a brown plaid shirt with jeans.
"Here, let me take those," Zack said, reaching for the bags. I pulled them out of his reach.
"I'm fine," I said, far more curtly then I had intended. I realized he had just been trying to be chivalrous, but sadly, chivalry and me didn't exactly go way back. "Just tell me where to put them," I told him, trying to sound kind, instead of as if I was going to punch him, but that was kinda my natural tone so it was rather difficult.
Zack walked me over to the table by the terrace door. I set the food down as he went to grab some bowls. Wordlessly we emptied the bags of various snacks into the various bowls.
After that, Lexi set us to do tedious tasks, most I didn't understand. People started arriving a little before seven. It was then that I retreated to the corner of the room. Zack tried to play host and seemed to attempt to be social, but it was clear to everyone this was really Lexi's party.
Every now and then Zack would shoot me glances, almost as if he'd rather be standing in the corner with me, but then Lexi would drag him to talk to someone else.
Alex had the music blasting. The songs were upbeat, but undeniably pop and radio songs. I scrunched my nose in disgust. I soon fled from my corner to the terrace.
I walked out and found a couple making out quite excessively. Luckily they heard me enter and separated, not looking too bothered. They then walked hand in hand inside the building. I leaned against the railing, feeling the height make me feel a little woozy. Considering Zeus and I weren't on the BEST of terms, heights tend to make me uneasy, even though I was on the ground and not technically in his domain, but I felt like the higher up I was, the easier I was for him to just glance down casually and spot.
Nine and a half songs later, which I could still hear clearly from outside, I heard the door open. Zack walked up next to me and stood by the railing, seeming completely unaffected by the height.
"Great party, huh?" he asked sarcastically. I chuckled.
"Best party I have been to."
"How many parties have you been to?"
I looked to him, pretending to be serious. "Including this one? One, two, three..." I mumbled the last part, pretending to be counting. After a couple seconds of this I stopped and replied, "Yeah, just this one."
"I would have thought you'd been invited to plenty." He seemed serious.
I shrugged. "The troublesome girl who tends to hit any guy who hits on her does not tend to get many party invites shockingly."
He nodded. "Fair enough." That made me smile for some reason.
"How many times do 'you'" I used quotes, because we both knew this was Lexi's doing, "Throw parties?"
"I don't know. Once a month or so? My mom leaves town a lot so I'm home alone a lot."
"That sucks." I replied, feeling like I should be consoling him, but since I have absolutely NO talent in that department, 'that sucks' was the best I could come up with.
He just smiled. "Yeah, but that's life I guess. How're your parents?"
"Uh..." was all that came out, unsure about what to say.
"You don't have to answer," he said, sounding sympathetic.
For the first time, I FELT like answering. "No, it's fine. My, uh, dad died when I was little," I said, remembering I was gonna have to fabricate a little, and since this was what I told the principal, I stuck with it.
"Gosh, Len's, I'm sorry." He put his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.
"Yeah, well, like you said, that's life." I was actually more annoyed I couldn't tell him the truth.
"Was he a good dad?"
I smiled sadly, allowing myself to remember my father. His sense of humor, his kind eyes, and his loyalty until death. "I'm not sure I could have had a better one." I said quietly, but honestly.
"How about your mom? Is she cool?"
My throat was catching. "Um, yeah. She, uh, she is." I felt odd, describing her in present tense.
"What's she like."
I paused to swallow the lump in my throat. "She's, well, she's great." I said, trying to sound convincing. "She's smart, funny, caring. She's as great a mother as my dad was a father."
"She sounds great. Wish my mom was like that."
I tried my best to look sympathetic, an un-natural facial expression for me. "She can't be all bad?"
He shrugged again. "I mean, she's nice enough, she's just rarely here. Even when she is, she's not REALLY here, ya know? She's always on the phone or the computer, telling me she's too busy working to do whatever. I can't remember the last time we sat down, without electronics, and ate."
I said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm sorry."
The odd thing was?
I meant it.