Apologies for not replying to reviews, been busy, but I'll try and reply to them ASAP.
Nearly a thousand though! :D
Crystal awoke to the smell of kippers. She hated the smell of kippers and had made that pretty clear.
Then the smell changed and the aroma in the air was suddenly that of roses and lavender and other wild flowers. She was quite happy breathing that in, closing her eyes and imagining herself free in a large field brimming with floral beauty.
Hunger got the better of her though and she reluctantly got up. The smell of flowers changed to freshly mown grass and then something akin to a stable.
"Morning." Alvie smiled. He was sat at the table, surrounded by books. With every flick of his fingers, a different smell wafted into the air. Most of the texts about him were open and his eyes flicked across all their pages studiously.
"Morning." Crystal knew not to touch books, especially Alvie's ones. She had messed the order of his books up once and regretted it almost instantly- the poor guy had been so rattled, she tidied up. "What are you doing?"
"It's a masking spell." He explained, pointing at something in one of the books. She peered over his shoulder and then realised she couldn't read Latin. "Say if someone is tracking you by smell- this could really help."
"So… dogs? Wolves?"
"Monsters." He added, not noticing her sarcasm.
"Oh. Right." She had mingled with demigods since she was twelve and still didn't get things right. "What else is there?"
"I can make other things disappear and reappear somewhere else."
"I thought you could do that anyway?"
"No, only myself and occasionally passengers." He pointed at the coffee table to demonstrate and it materialised behind Crystal with a small pop. Seconds later, it was back in its original place. "Accidently turned it invisible and tripped over it instead." He told her, rubbing at his jaw.
"You've got a big bruise there."
"I know."
"How long have you been… studying?" He looked sheepish. "Alvie…" She warned.
"Most of the night." Crystal frowned and he bowed his head. "I couldn't sleep. Too many new books." She sighed. "I made breakfast though."
"Oh, that makes everything better." He nodded, looking relieved, and then realised she was being sarcastic and went back to his 'I-didn't-mean-to-I'm-innocent' look. "Please tell me it's not kippers."
"Full English." She brightened.
"That's much better."
"Was that sarcasm?"
"No."
"Oh." He smiled. "OK." She ruffled his hair and left him to his spells. Her breakfast was still warm, sitting on the counter- toast, beans, bacon, eggs, black pudding, hash browns; the works.
"Thank you, Alvie!" She called, retrieving a fork and tucking in. He didn't cook full English breakfasts often, but when he did… yum.
In response to her thanks, a vase of her new favourite tropical flowers appeared before her with a pop. She breathed in the heavenly scent and sighed, content. She could get used to this.
She returned to him, sitting on the end chair as far from the books as possible. How he read all those at the same time, she would never know. Then again, he had mad mind skills, so… "Anyway you can make a million billion dollars appear?"
"What for?"
"I feel like treating myself."
"You could buy the world with that." He paused. "Well, maybe a country…" He frowned then, trying to figure it out. He looked up at her with that adorably perplexed look he got sometimes and she took pity on him.
"I'll buy a country. Less trouble that way. Although…" She wolfed down a strip of bacon. "If I was able to buy the world, I could round up all the idiots everywhere and have them shot." He blinked at her and she gave her best angelic smile. He started to say something, thought better of it and looked back down at his books.
A knock on the door brought an end to their peaceful breakfast. "Who is it?" Crystal called.
"Melanie!"
"Brilliant." Crystal cackled to herself, setting her near empty plate before her and then bouncing to the door. Ever since reprimanding her three weeks ago, Melanie had backed right off and didn't talk as much in that highly annoying babbling way. Nor did she try to grab hold of Alvie's hand or hug him or anything. She didn't even make eye contact with him.
Crystal mentally patted herself on the back. He was her bookworm and no-one was taking him from her.
Whisking the door open, she beamed at Melanie. Her eyes instantly dropped to the floor and she mumbled a hello. "Can I help you?"
"I… um, I was just… just stopping by to see if Alvie had made his mind up yet."
"Alvie?"
"Still working on it!" He called back. A torrent of thuds followed that and then a muttered 'stupid'.
"Alvie?" Crystal asked again, more concerned.
"No, I'm OK, I've got it." She took a few steps back and saw that Alvie had knocked over one of his book stacks trying to get up. With a snap of his fingers, the books neatly stacked themselves in three small piles on top of the books already on the table.
"That's so lazy." He just nodded in agreement, dusting his hands on his T-shirt. He looked exhausted, but that was his own fault, staying up all night to read books. Again.
Melanie dithered in the doorway, wringing her hands nervously. "If he does teach," Crystal told her, "I want to be in those classes."
"Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, Miss Watson."
"You'll get it eventually." Melanie nodded, shuffling awkwardly. Alvie poked Crystal in the small of the back, torn between you're trouble and behave.
"I'm still going over stuff, but maybe next week, week after?" Melanie smiled, glanced at Crystal and then bowed her head, keeping her excitement under wraps.
"Thank you." She hurried away. Crystal closed the door and laughed triumphantly.
"I've broken her!"
"You're cruel."
"Thank you." He shook his head at her, smiling. "Besides, it's nothing compared to you driving people insane."
"I didn't like doing that though."
"I've noticed." She muttered. "Killjoy."
"Heard that."
"Good." He frowned at the books. "What's the matter? Tired?" He nodded, catching a yawn in his hand. "Diddums. Should have gone to bed last night like most people." She punched him in the arm playfully. "Unless you're thinking about becoming nocturnal." Alvie shook his head, waving his hands. The books floated up and danced through the air, neatly slotting themselves on the shelves in alphabetical order. "Are you really going to teach that lot?"
"I'm going to try." They had mingled a bit with the acolytes- as they were called- over the past fortnight. The majority of them were OK, pleasant and well-spoken. Others were eager and curious and constantly asked questions that made Crystal's head spin. And there were a few Crystal wouldn't have minded throwing off the cliff or cutting down with her chainsaw. WAIT. She didn't have a chainsaw. Not her, no; she was too lovely for that.
And Alvie wouldn't let her have a chainsaw anyway, insert major sulk.
He was talking again. "It can't be that bad, surely?"
"How many of them can actually… you know, do stuff?" She waggled her fingers, indicating magic.
"Most of them can, to an extent. That's why they're asking me to help." He snapped his fingers and her vase of flowers appeared in his hands. "Remember when I first started all this?"
"You couldn't lift a pencil without nosebleeds and headaches." He nodded, handing the vase over. "Are they like that then?"
"Minus the nosebleeds."
"Why do you get them then?" He shrugged. "When was the last time you had a nosebleed?"
"About two months ago, I think." She frowned. She had been thinking something about six months ago, maybe more.
"What did you do?"
"Um… Helping Alokia move her bookshelves about."
"Stupid."
"I know." He nodded.
A week later, Alvie had his first class. Melanie was letting him start easy, giving him a class of simple telekinesis students. For the first twenty minutes, they asked him and Crystal many questions, mostly wondering how she had coped with Alvie's psychic abilities and how Alvie had found out how he could do everything that he could; questions like that.
And then they went on to moving books and stationery about. Crystal narrowly avoided having a smack across the back of her head with an encyclopaedia. The student yelped apologies and rushed after the text only to find it dancing up and out of his reach. One of his friends stood to the other side of the room, giggling to herself. Alvie cottoned on instantly and pointed at the encyclopaedia. His telekinetic powers over-ruled all of theirs put together and he didn't let up until the book was safely back in the owner's hands. "Thank you!"
"So unfair!" The girl protested. She had to be about their age, maybe a year or so younger. "I was just getting the hang of that." Alvie replied by mentally willing a set of chairs to move to stand in a circle around her. They wouldn't budge when she tried to move them herself and she grumbled.
"If you were getting the hang of that, you can move those."
"But chairs are heavy!" He moved one for her and then went back to the rest of the class. "Un. Fair!" She argued. Her friend with the encyclopaedia laughed at her misfortune.
Alvie stopped at Crystal's side, summoning a bowl of fruit for her.
"How did you know I wanted grapes?" She asked in mock amazement. Alvie just smiled and tapped his nose, making her laugh. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "Although, I'm pretty sure the students are supposed to give the teacher fruit." He shrugged, looking pleased with himself. "Shoo." Crystal waved him away, helping herself to grapes.
"Alvie!"
"Lord Poseidon!"
"Sea King!" Acolytes scrambled and formed lines, dropping to their knees and bowing. Alvie and Crystal stood there, him smiling at his grandfather and her picking at grapes.
"You are excused." Poseidon told them kindly. They rose, bowed again and left, walking backwards as to not turn their backs on their god. "Alvie." Poseidon contemplated the psychic. "Glad to see you are alright." He looked at Crystal. "Hello, Miss Watson." His eyes sparkled knowingly.
"You heard that then, huh?"
"We all did. It was enough to make Hades smile."
"Awesome." Crystal grinned. Poseidon chuckled. "Grape?"
"No thank you. I don't trust grapes." Crystal must have given him a funny look as he said, "Louisa", as if that summed everything up.
The god turned back to his grandson. "I don't appreciate my son having his memories wiped. Again." Alvie bowed his head, shame-faced. "I understand why you did it, Alvie, but I am sure there are other ways of dealing with things."
"We're going to go back."
"When?"
"Once everything's calmed down and they're safe." Poseidon sighed.
"A demigod family. Safe is a loose term." Alvie and Crystal nodded. She had eaten most of the grapes already and found she was still hungry. More food for her, yay.
"Without being rude, sir," Alvie began quietly. "Why are you here?"
"Just checking up." Crystal cast her eyes to the heavens. Poseidon glanced at her, mildly irritated. "Fine." His sea green eyes found Alvie's. "My acolytes do not necessarily require teaching. They are trying to advance their skills to better defend themselves." He paused. "Or to attack."
"Attack?" Crystal repeated. "Why- who-?"
"It is hard to tell. I tend not to pry too much, but… Alvie, you must have felt it." Alvie nodded, sending a wave of confusion over Crystal.
"Felt what?" She quizzed.
"There's something bad here." Alvie told her, not quite meeting her gaze.
"Aw, what? The one nice place and it's dangerous!" She huffed. "I like it here as well, that's so unfair."
"Unfair." Poseidon mused, more to himself than them. "Another loose term."
"What do we do?" Alvie asked him. It took a second for Poseidon to gather his bearings, his eyes hardening in warning.
"I would suggest leaving, but- as you know- these students are very capable of tracking you down."
"So… if they track us down, what? They'll kill us?"
"No. Well, not exactly. Alvie is far too valuable to their cause and you're far too valuable to Alvie. If he refused to aid them or left, they were surely use you to get to him."
"Charming."
"No." Alvie said at the same time. Poseidon frowned. "They're not all the same, sir. There's a small group of them that may be trouble, but I can't pin point them." The air around Alvie seemed to shimmer, almost troubled. Crystal set down her bowl of fruit and moved forward to comfort him.
He stepped back.
"Oy!" She argued.
"No, wait." He examined his hands and the shimmering stopped seconds later. He held his hand out to her and she took it, crushing it for extra measure.
"What was that about?"
"I didn't want to set off your flicker again." She had started flickering three times since the encounter with Melanie, but Alvie had managed to stabilise her. He had told her of Nico's problems when he used his son-of-Hades powers too much and worried that if she got too upset, the same would happen to her. She could literally fade from existence. Not good.
"Ah." Poseidon's eyes sparked, remembering something. He drew a box from his pocket, narrow and long. He handed it to Alvie. "We talked about this the other day." He said kindly. Alvie nodded in understanding.
"Thank you."
"What is it? Is it shiny?" Alvie smiled half-heartedly.
"Later." He promised, pocketing it.
"Oh…" She complained, shoulders slouching in mock sulk. "Meanie."
"Child."
"One more thing, both of you." They looked back at the god. "Be careful. Watch out for each other." He glanced over his shoulder. "Brace yourself."
Sorry if this is pants, I'm trying to get to the hundred chapter mark before wrapping this up.