Chapter 23 - Darkest Night

"So, where exactly is Olympus?" I asked uncle Joe after we had gotten back to the apartment. It had started raining, and uncle Joe hadn't wanted me to use my umbrella spell in public even if the mortals wouldn't notice, a monster might, and Ari could only do so much to keep our scents muddled. So, instead we'd ended up taking a cab back. It was exactly as bad as I'd thought it would be. "I get that it's flying up in the sky, so do I need to book a flight?"

Would American Airlines or Virgin have the better rates, I wondered?

"What's brought this on?" uncle Joe asked.

"Well, Andromeda said..."

"Andromeda?" uncle Joe asked. "Is she one of those hunters?"

"Nope," Ari chimed in. "She's th' girl tha' Penny was makin' eyes at in th' park!"

"Ari!" my voice (most certainly did not) squeaked. "I wasn't 'making eyes' at anyone!"

"Ah," uncle Joe said, nodding with his eyes closed. "I see, I see. Sorry, go on. You said Andromeda mentioned something?"

"She said that demigods were being allowed to visit during the Solstice," I said, fighting a deep blush at being teased. "Apparently there's a chance I could be claimed by my godly parent if I go."

"Ah," said uncle Joe, the teasing tone now gone from his voice. "I see. Yes, that is a possibility. And you are wanting to go, I take it?" I nodded. "I see. Well, you should be happy to know you wont have to fly there. There's an elevator in the Empire State Building that will take you right up. You just have to ask the security desk for access to the six hundredth floor."

"Okay, now you're having me on," I said, pouting. "Everyone knows there's nowhere even half that many floors in the Empire State Building."

"Inside the building, yes," uncle Joe grinned. "But Olympus exists above the building. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that the city of the gods exists on a metaphysical plane linked to the world by the Empire State Building. The elevator that takes you there is part of the magic, and even then only when you push the call button for the six hundredth floor."

"I can't imagine mortals missing something like that," I said. "Even if they think it's a joke, someone would have pushed it by now."

"It's completely hidden from mortal eyes," uncle Joe said. "It only shows up when the gatekeeper signals for it, which is why you need to announce yourself to the security desk. If he doesn't allow you entry, you'll never get up there."

"The gatekeeper?" I asked. "Wait, you mean like the sons of Heracles? Alexander and Anakin, right?" I tried to imagine what it must be like for a god to sit at a security desk all day surrounded by mortals that didn't believe in them. I couldn't.

"Not quite, nipote," uncle Joe grinned. "Their names are Alexiares and Anicetus." He enunciated each name slowly and carefully for me. "And it's usually just one or the other at any given time. At least it was back in my day. Bring them a gift and it will ease your allowance."

"A gift?"

"Well, it is almost Christmas," he smiled. "And a gift is much nicer sounding than a bribe."

They say time flies when you're having fun. The opposite is true when you're anticipating something fun. The next couple days seemed to drag on for an eternity as I waited for the day of the Winter Solstice. The night before the Winter Solstice, Uncle Joe and I had made an extra special Tiramisu in anticipation of gifting it to the godly gatekeepers. I wasn't sure what had made it 'extra special', but uncle Joe had insisted that it was only for them, and I didn't want to argue with him.

That night I lay awake in bed, my mind racing with a million thoughts at once. What would the gods be like? I had already met a couple of goddesses - Lady Artemis and Brit - and they were totally cool. Of course, Brit had conflicting views on Artemis' twin brother Apollo. At least I could be reasonably certain he wasn't my dad. Would my godly parent be there? Given the nature of the gods, I wasn't even sure if I even had a dad. Maybe I had another mom. My heart gave a small lurch and I quickly moved away from that thought.

Would my godly parent, whoever they might be, even notice me? I was so small. Skinny and tiny. Easily overlooked. Maybe I could do something to make myself noticed. What would getting claimed even be like? Was there a competition? Maybe they sat you down in the middle of the room with a battered old talking hat that called out your parent's name.

With some effort, I forced myself to stop thinking about gods and claimings. Of course, then my brain decided to focus on the girl from the park instead. Andromeda. I felt myself smile just thinking her name. That hair, long and dark, falling down her back and framing her face in unruly curls. Those expressive violet eyes. Andromeda would be there. I couldn't wait to see her again. Would she remember me? The weird girl she'd found sleeping under a tree in Central Park. Yes, I decided. She would remember me. And then we could become really good friends!

Unfortunately I was so wound up with excitement for the next day that, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get to sleep. So I lay awake, my mind miles away, as the traffic on the street below cast moving shadows on my bedroom wall.

"I can't believe I overslept!" I cried out, running down fifth avenue.

I had finally drifted to sleep sometime around seven in the morning, and had somehow slept until well after noon. Now, the sun was already starting to go down and I still had another mile to run. Why not take a cab? You try taking a cab anywhere in New York a couple days before Christmas!

The sun had dropped as I made my way, breathless, up the steps of the Empire State Building. Once the tallest building in the world and again the tallest building in New York, I could see why the gods would use the iconic tower as the entryway to their city. After taking a moment to catch my breath, I walked inside and made my way to the security desk. The man sitting there seemed like any other normal guy in his white button down shirt and bronze security badge with a photo I.D. tag on a lanyard. He was leaning back in his chair reading a book that had a woman riding on the back of a vampire flying in front of a full moon on the cover.

"Hi there," I said, squinting to read the name on the man's badge. "Anakin... No, sorry, that's not it. Anicetus, right?"

The security god rose an eyebrow, setting aside the book; "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," I said. "I'd like to go up to Olympus, please."

"This isn't an airport, kid," the guard said. "Good luck with that, though."

He picked back up his book and leafed through until he reached a point somewhere in the middle, seemingly more engrossed with his reading than with the current conversation.

"Not Mount Olympus," I said. "Olympus. City of the gods. I need to get the elevator to the six hundredth floor."

"There's no six hundredth floor in the Empire State Building," he said, flipping a page without looking up.

"Please, I..." I trailed off, trying to not let the desperation leak into my voice. Then I remembered the gift uncle Joe had insisted I bring. "I brought this for you."

I placed the box of (admittedly slightly shaken) desert on the desk. That got his attention. He pulled it over, opening the lid and raising an eyebrow; "Are you trying to bribe me now?"

"Not a bribe," I said. "An offering. Please, Lord Anicetus. I have to get up there tonight. It might be the only chance I get to be noticed by my godly parent."

"The camp group already went up," he said.

"I'm not with them," I admitted. "But that doesn't change why I want to go. Please..."

He sighed, then reached into his desk to pull out a key card. Handing it to me, he said; "Insert this into the security slot. Just make sure there's nobody else in the elevator with you."

"Thank you!" I said, beaming as I took the card. "Really, thank you!"

"Yeah don't mention it, kid. Now, I'm going back to my book, if you don't mind."

"Thank you," I said again as he picked up his book and resumed reading.

As fast as I could without running, I made my way over to the elevators and hit the call button to bring one down. Time crawled as I waited until finally one of the doors opened for me. Just as I was about to step inside, however, I felt something big and solid crash into me sending me flailing to the ground. Suddenly I found myself pinned beneath a figure in a dark, oversized hoodie - the features of his face obscured by the shadows of the hood. Thankfully he quickly scrambled to his feet, allowing me the chance to get up and breathe, before he started to run off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I shouted. "Thanks for the help up. Next time watch where you're going, asshole!"

Without saying a word, or even looking back, the hooded figure vanished between one step and the next. I blinked. Then I turned on my Sight, making sure to avoid looking at the security desk. Nobody else was around. Had the mysterious hooded asshole teleported? Was the mysterious hooded asshole actually a god? If he was, it was a good thing for me that he had teleported away, I realized. Maybe I should stop referring to him as an asshole.

"I think I'll just look with my normal eyes when I get up there," I muttered to myself. No need to melt any eyeballs - especially my own.

Luckily, the elevator was still on the ground floor when I pushed the button again. Hands still shaking from the adrenaline of being assaulted, I fumbled for my key card only to frown in confusion as I now had two. Had Lord Anicetus accidentally given me more than one? I admit I wasn't paying attention. With a shrug, I pocketed the spare and inserted the other into the slot, resolving myself to not saying anything when I turned it in later. If he didn't catch the slip, I wasn't going to call attention to it. Besides, I reasoned, the myths are full of gods tricking heroes. It would make a refreshing change of pace.

A new button appeared, made of polished bronze and engraved with the number six hundred. With a huge grin, I pushed the button and felt the elevator begin to move. This was it. I was really going to visit the city of the gods! I could hardly wait.