Chapter Seven
The old lady in the middle takes out a huge pair of scissors – gold and silver, long-bladed like shears. Nico and Adrestia watch as the old woman, in slowmo movie fashion, cuts the yarn.
A sudden, fearful gasp startles Adrestia while Nico rolls his eyes, knowing exactly who it was who made the noise.
"You're sucking up my oxygen," Nico snaps at Grover, who takes a step back and mutters an apology.
Adrestia crosses her arms, feeling annoyed now that Grover was here. "What do you want? I know that look on your face. There's something you want to tell us."
Grover raises his head to meet her eyes, his hands fidgeting. He looks at the old ladies, his face paling slightly, and turns back to the siblings. He opens his mouth, but before he could say anything, the bus shudders, the engine roaring to life.
The passengers cheer.
"Darn right!" the driver yells, slapping the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"
"Looks like whatever you have to tell us will have to wait," Nico says. He puts his water bottle into his backpack and slings it over his shoulder. He brushes past Grover, muttering, "If you had anything useful to say at all, traditore."
Adrestia follows suit, not giving her ex-friend a second glance.
~~~~~~~In New York~~~~~~~
After arriving at their stop, Nico and Adrestia took a taxi home. It was a long car ride.
When Sally had accepted to adopt Nico and Bianca, she only wanted $1500 as child support for Nico and Bianca separately, but Mr. Di Angelo managed to talk her into $2500. However, he didn't stop there.
He became a big albeit absent part of the children's lives, and he provided more than just the dogs, the pendants, and the occasional birthday and christmas gifts. Mr. Di Angelo got them defense lessons, swim lessons, a tutor to learn Ancient Greek, and all kinds of lessons. It was weird, but Sally assured them it was his way of looking out for them.
One of his other ways was getting them a new, bigger apartment while they were "grieving" the mysterious death of their step-father.
The taxi pulls up along the sidewalk of 28th St in front of Kips Bay Court, a series of apartment buildings with balconies and tons of amenities.
"Ah, ah." Adrestia puts her hand on Nico's wrist, stopping him from taking out his credit card. "I got us kicked out of Yancy, this bill is on me."
"I'm sorry," he chuckles, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "We were kicked out? You were kicked out, not me."
"Yeah, but –" Adrestia hands the driver her credit card " – you're leaving with me, so it counts."
"Oh, it does, does it?" Nico smirks, chortling as he shakes his head. "You know, you're lucky mom married Paul 'cause if Gabe was still here . . ." he trails off, feeling amused by his sister wincing through clenched teeth.
"Hello, military school," Adrestia sarcastically remarks. They're silent as she's handed back her card, then they burst into laughter and exit the taxi.
"He was such an asshole," Nico mutters. "I'm glad he's dead."
"Me too."
They get their luggage from the trunk of the taxi and head inside the apartment building.
"Only thing he was good for was that life insurance mom got. If she didn't have that, she would've never been able to take us to Disney."
Adrestia blissfully sighs, her eyes closing for a minute as a nostalgic feeling washes over her. "My favorite part was meeting the princesses, and getting to dress up like one. Although, I gotta say –" the two enter the elevator " – the Pirates of the Caribbean ride made me wish I was of age so I could make out with Johnny Depp without getting him in trouble."
Nico presses the button for the seventeenth floor. "My favorite ride was the Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror," he says, leaning against the wall beside Adrestia, putting his hands in his pockets.
A corner of Adrestia's lip rises into her sneer as her nose scrunches up. She glares at him. "You only liked them because you got to scare me."
Nico unapologetically smiles.
A lock clicks, and aggressive barking and growling sounds from inside the apartment. Nico and Adrestia share a look as he pushes the door open a crack. "Hello, my baby!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice through the crack. Almost immediately, the barking and growling stopped, and one of the dogs began to whimper excitedly, thrusting his nose between the crack to force the door open.
Nico steps back, letting the door fly open and the hundred and ten pound dog pounce on his sister. Not that she minded. Orthrus knew to be gentle.
"Oh, hello, baby – yes, I missed you, too." Adrestia cranes her head to the side, keeping her lips pressed in a thin line so his tongue didn't get in her mouth.
Nico slides past them, giving his dog, Crimson, a firm pat on the head on the way to his room.
"Okay! Okay!" Adrestia gently pushes Orthrus away and rises to her feet. "You know, not everyone wants a tongue bath." She chuckles, lightly scratching the underside of his chin.
Stepping into the apartment, Adrestia felt as though a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Being home, a place that ensured safety and comfort, made her feel like she was lying on a cloud or running through a field or forest like one of those carefree maidens in a fantasy world.
No one was home aside from Adrestia, Nico, and the dogs. Bianca's dog, Maria, was asleep on a chair on the balcony, eyes closed as her torso subtly rose and fell with each breath. The apartment was clean, but not meticulously so. The lower kitchen cabinets, pantry, and fridge were locked; bedroom doors closed. Pictures of the family decorated the walls, and one could tell none of the smiles were faked. The warmth wafting through the home like a breeze wasn't fake.
Adrestia locks the door behind her and heads to her room, Orthrus on her tail with the cutest smile.
She opens the door to her bedroom, stepping aside to allow her dog in first. As her eyes follow her dog, they land on a box with a skull and bones emblem sitting on her bed. Adrestia's smile drops.
While the kids had never met or seen the man who gives them so much money, they made a lot of guesses on his job title, name, and looks.
They created a group chat with their godfather/father and made a game of it. Guy who is in charge of hundreds of funeral homes, an anthropologist, businessman, owner of several hotels or resorts, and they'd even asked him if he was the leader of a cartel or mafia. Their godfather/father sent laughing emoji's and denied every last one of their guesses, but said they were close on a few. His only hint? His work has something to do with the dead.
Adrestia takes small steps towards the box, her weightless feeling replaced by dread.
She's been ignoring his calls and texts, and it appears he is not willing to let his message go unheard.
Adrestia takes a deep breath and picks up the envelope taped to the box. Her hand shakes as she gently opens it, the sound of paper tearing eating away at her. She removes the letter and unfolds it.
Dear Adrestia,
I am greatly disappointed, irritated, and sad that you would block me just to avoid my calls and texts. Nevertheless, I will leave the lecture to your mother and Paul. I have more important things to discuss with you. I would prefer to do it by phone, but again, you blocked me.
In short, it is about your pendant.
Rest assured, I have people out there searching for it. It will be found. I am not angry at you in any way that you lost it because I do not blame you. I know you, Adrestia. You may forget many things, but your pendant is not one of them. Also, because I have an informant at Yancy who has proof that it did not leave your wrist the entire night. I know what you are thinking. You don't like the idea of being watched, but I worry for you and I don't trust that school. Also, if you're going to get that angry over a pendant, I advise you get anger management or therapy. I know the pendant is special to you, but getting violent isn't the most useful tactic to get it back and a criminal charge will prevent you from becoming a marine biologist.
Unblock and call me as soon as you finish this letter.
Sincerely, your Godfather
Adrestia pushes down the unease she feels at the thought of someone watching her. Better someone her godfather hired than some rando.
She takes out her pocket knife and cuts the tape down the middle and sides. The smell hits her, and Adrestia grins.
She rips open the box, finding blue dyed candy galore: cookies, cupcakes, rock candy, a slice of cake, brownies, gumballs, and some packs of Airheads. "Oh, godfather, you are the best," Adrestia groans, every fiber of her being trembling with joy.
The moment her godfather was unblocked, he called her.
Author's Note: Wanted to release this on Valentine's Day, but couldn't get around to it. I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day, and please accept this as a late gift.