Heyllo! So this is gonna be a full chapter, not like the last one. Hehe, sorry 'bout that. XD
Review!(It gives me motivation to write.)
I'm listening to Welcome to the Black Parade while writing so forgive me for what might happen. XD Oh and the marching band idea was TOTALLY before I got addicted to this song, but it gave me some ideas *wink wink*.
Chapter 5
"I can't see! I can't see, papa!"
"Come here, climb on my shoulders."
"I can't reach, papa!"
"Come, come… there. Much better now, my sweet?"
"Yes! Thanks papa. But how about little Jason? He can't see the marching band."
"Well, he can't really see much at all. He's just started to open his eyes."
Dum-dum-dum-boom! Went the drums, rumbling through the streets, the trumpets roaring after the beat.
"Can't we do this every day? Why can't we do this every day?"
"The band isn't here every day."
"But why not?" Then a pause. "Why aren't you here every day?"
Was is guilt? Regret? Embarrassment? What was it that crossed his face?
No answer. The joy of the sounds and colorful costumes overtook the crowd once again.
"Because I want to teach you to be strong." He said as they trudged home, little girl asleep in his arms. "Because one day, I'll leave you, and I won't be back in the summer, nor the summer after that. I'll march off, just like the parade."
One last kiss on her forehead. One last lullaby as she goes to sleep. Careful not to wake her up too fully, just enough for her to see him one last time. Just enough to say goodbye.
"Come on, Beryl. It'll be fun!"
"Fun." Obvious disgust overflowed in her voice as she took another swig of rum.
The two women, Beryl and Claire, were seated just outside the front door on a wooden bench. They had a plate of roasted turkey in between them and six bottle of rum, two empty and two more half drained.
"This early in the afternoon?" Jason snorted next to his sister as they watched their mother get drunk through the front window.
Thalia only sighed and put a hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Yes, fun." The woman, Claire, repeated. "It's free wine, Beryl. Free. Wine. WINE. "
"But Lisa and her goddamn chariot and gowns and 'first-class' friends and-"
"We won't have to hang out with her! We'll just walk along with her clique to the party, say 'hi', and then enjoy! We'll sit somewhere a little away from her. Allison and Jessica will be there."
Beryl took another swig of rum. "What time will we be back?"
"A little earlier than daybreak." Claire laughed, her red hair being tossed back. "You'll be fine, Beryl. You'll get to be wonderfully sober tonight!"
Then Beryl smiled. "Okay fine, you lunatic."
Back in the house Thalia closed the window shutters.
"Did you hear that?" Jason smiled ear-to-ear. "She's gone for the night! We can go to the parade!"
"Keep your voice down, you idiot." Thalia scolded, although she cracked a grin herself. "We'll see the marching band."
"And Prince Luke!" he mocked, giving an overly-sweet smile.
"Haha." Thalia rolled her eyes. "You wanna dance with Hylla?"
The little boy blushed. "Shut up!"
The two ended up laughing painfully on the floor after Jason tried to attack his sister, only resulting in him getting nearly tickled to death.
"Be quiet, you maggots!" A fist pounded at the door, silencing the two. After only a few seconds, they stifled their giggles and went back to doing their chores.
Thalia began to clean out the ash in the fireplace as Jason wiped the wooden floors with a wet cloth. They only had to wait until tonight.
"Slow down, Jason!"
"Hurry up, hurry up! We'll be late!" HE dragged her forward by the hand, weaving through the massive crowd- all making their way towards the church. It was almost at the end of town, a good way from the castle. It was perfect for a parade.
"Jason, slow down!" The girl screamed, her voice drowned out in the crowd. Her raven hair whipped around her face as she tried to smoothen out her dress, the same as the one she wore the first day.
"We'll be late! We'll be late!" He kept screaming, frequently bumping into people and dragging his sister so quickly she didn't have the time to apologize for him.
Finally they reached it. The church's courtyard was almost as big as the plaza, usually having a few market stalls in it. But now it made way to the festival goers there to watch the parade. The church itself was majestic. The brick walls stood high and might, the wood the doors were made of was smooth and dark, shining as the light hit them, complex designs carefully carved into them.
The thing that interested the children most of all was the bell tower. It stood high above the roof of the church, a giant wooden cross settled atop the dome in which two bells hung within.
In the center of the plaza, the marching band was gathered. The leader stood at the front with the drummers and trumpeters behind. The crowed shifted and muttered all pushing forward but none getting too close to the band. They all stood in a wide semicircle leaving an opening for the band to march through. Then soon they would follow behind and join the parade.
Jason managed to shuffle forward with his sister and get a good spot at the front. He watched with big, blue eyes the torches being lit, giving light to the church courtyard as the sun began to disappear over the hills.
Then a single trumpet was blown, followed by the thunder of the drums. The crowd cheered, including the two siblings.
The leader of the band, wearing a tall blue hat with black lining and a suit of blue, black, and white, raised his flag. It was a striped design with the three colors of his costume dyed on it, but the pole itself was red. So was the color of the rest of the band. All wore blue, black and white yet they carried instruments of red.
The trumpets began to sound in a lively chorus as they band began their march. Soon the people followed behind, all singing a song Thalia couldn't even remember, except for its lively and upbeat sound.
Jason had managed to get a spot close to the front of the crowd once again, so they were close to the band.
"Do you hear that?" Said a child next to them, Michael Yew. He was one of Jason's playmates back at their street. "Hear the drums pounding out of time?"
"Out of time?" Jason questioned his friend.
"Yeah. I feel like the trumpets are a little ahead."
"Who cares?" Thalia grinned at him. "It's a holiday!"
It was beautiful, everything that she could perceive from the moment she went through those gates. Those huge brass gates, swinging inward before her eyes, revealing the hidden beauty of the palace.
The torches and braziers, all made of what seemed like gold and silver, scattered around the courtyard giving off light and warmth in the dark of the night.
Food was everywhere. Rows and rows of banquet tables lined the courtyard and engulfed the center where a massive cake stood, white cream topped with berries and frosting.
The courtyard itself had to be twice, if not thrice the size of the plaza. The hedge sculptures and trees and exotic plants gave life and beauty to it, in addition to the fountains and marble benches.
And the front wall of the palace itself… it was breathtaking. The stone from which it was carved was smooth and white. The door and window frames were lined with gold. The doors, just a little smaller than the gates, were carved of lush and strong wood. A great light shone through the windows as if there was a bonfire inside- except the light was white and cold- but in a good and magical way.
The great doors were open, revealing the interior of the ballroom, but guards stood atop the entrance stairs, preventing anyone from entering or climbing them- although the people knew their place. It was like this every year, it just seemed to get more magical.
Thalia had to quickly get a spot at the front, just a little way from where the band stood, and stand on a bench so as to not get crushed by the massive amount of people who had joined the parade as well.
"We're pretty lucky today, aren't we?" Jason beamed up at her as he took his sister's hand. "This is way better than the first day."
"Of course it is." Thalia replied, feeling quite proud of herself as an older sister. "There's going to be fireworks."
Jason clapped and wrapped his little arms around her waist, which pretty much made Thalia's heart melt.
Ever since the moments faded away to memories, she knew she had to play the mother. To both Jason and Beryl. She loved her mother still, even though she was an ungrateful witch, and she didn't want Jason to grow up with no one to look up to. She just wanted to be happy, and to have the happiness last.
Now why is that so hard?
"ONE LAST NIGHT!" The king's voice boomed across the courtyard. "BUT UNDOUBTELDY THE BEST NIGHT OF THIS FESTIVAL!"
The crowd rose up in a huge cheer.
"WELCOME, AND ENJOY!"
Another rousing cheer, and then the music began. The band started to play an uplifting and merry tune, the people danced with equal joy with wineglasses in hand. The buffet had commenced, the blessed aroma of food was in the air.
Jason was wolfing down two turkey legs, one in each hand, while Thalia laughed at the grease-stains on his face as she nearly choked on a slice of cake.
"Excuse me, Miss Grace?"
Thalia turned around to find the familiar smug-looking face of Prince Luke.
"Why hello Sire Castellan your royal-ness." She addressed in the similar mocking tone.
They both laughed and shook hands- a custom they were taught from an early age.
"Hey Luke!" Jason greeted as he ripped off a turkey wing from the banquet plate.
The prince laughed along with Thalia, but greeted the boy back as well.
"Wanna go for a dance, Thalia?" He asked eagerly.
"Well…" she glanced back at Jason unsurely.
"It's okay, sis." Her little brother urged. "I'll be fine. Remember that bench we stood on? Just find me there. I'll go in a while. Have fun, you stink-bug."
"Haha. Okay fine, but you'd better be at the bench, Hylla's boy."
"Just shut up and go already!"
The two eight year olds sat at the foot of the entrance stairs in front of the palace doors. Other citizens were doing the same as well, although they couldn't go up the last few steps.
They've been having a long conversation which deeply involved Jason's favorite food, snow, the prince's pants, strawberry-mango juice, violins and eventually rounded up to adults.
"So you never knew your dad?" The prince was saying, his sky blue eyes curious and questioning.
Thalia's eyes dropped to the floor. "No, I did. I knew him. But it's like… I was so young. I remember stuff but it's… fuzzy. It's just the feelings and some of the moments."
Luke wasn't that symphathetic person. He didn't aww and I'm so sorry over her like most people did. He didn't ignore her either. He was just eager to know and ask, and even listen.
Thalia was grateful for that.
"What's his name then?" He asked. "Maybe I can help you find him. My dad knows a lot of people."
"I don't…" Her eyebrows scrunched up."I only remember his last name. Jackson."
Luke's eyes widened. He seemed ready to choke on his mango juice had he taken a sip at the time.
"What?" Thalia jumped at his expression. "You know the name?"
"Jackson?" Luke repeated. "As in Zeus Jackson? Captain of the Guard Zeus Jackson?"
"Zeus…" Thalia pondered the name. It seemed familiar yet far away. But it belonged to her dad, she knew. Her mother had used it once- in one of her rages maybe. She must've cursed at him while sober, drunkenly muttering by the fireplace, a bottle in her hand.
"Zeus Jackson. Yeah, that's him." Then she blinked and turned to him. "Captain of the Guard?"
"Yeah." Then Luke's eyes lit up. "I'll take you to him! He'll be on stage later during the fireworks. Then after the ceremony we can talk to him! It'll be so awesome!"
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Duh." He ginned at her. "We're friends now, remember?"
Umm… wow okay I dunno how Zeus is gonna react yet or if im gonna make them meet at all in the next chapter so Imma cross that bridge when I get there.
So obviously you guys got those Black Parade easter eggs right? XD
But did any of you fellow Green Day fans catch that Holiday reference?
And Michael Yew guest appearance. XD
Okie guys, till the next chapter! REVIEW! IT MOTIVATES ME.
~DemigodWho'sDadIsStarringInASeries #TrialsOfApollo