The Mars Experience

Chapter 17: Athena's POV

We took the baby. We really took the baby. And it thinks I'm its mom! I can't handle the responsibility of being a mom, even though I'm not actually. My mom just died two days ago. I shake my head to try and clear the thought away from me. Focus on the mission.

The mommy and daddy couple jokes for Jedrek and I will start soon, and I just know it. Given my situation, I guess it's not the biggest of my concerns. Still pretty annoying, though. He seems to effortlessly get under everyone's skin, including mine.

"Athena, I think we should rename Apollo," Jedrek declares.

"His name's Apollo. He responds to it. We're..." I trail off. "You and I are keeping it like that."

"Well, maybe you should get off your high horse. He picked you as the mom, but he picked me as the dad. I should have a say in this."

"Jedrek, we're not his parents. We probably just look like them. But Apollo is his name. Regardless of what the baby says, we're not his parents, Jedrek."

"Fine." Jedrek storms off and hands Apollo to Emma. "Take this."

Apollo wakes up and begins crying for me. "Mama!"

"Ugh." I massage my temple and take him. After a few minutes of shushing, I can calm him back down to sleep.

"We need to leave him. There's no way we can make it with him," I murmur to Emma. "He'll cry unless he's with me or Jedrek, Jedrek's mad at him, and I can't carry weight. He's, like, four years old. He won't die out here."

"There's no way I'm letting you do that. I'm sure Jedrek won't mind carrying him," she argues.

"I'm positive he will mind. Come on, please."

"No. He will starve," Emma enunciates.

"Fine. If Jedrek carries him and puts him to sleep right now, he stays. If not, it's back in the bushes. Deal?"

"All right." Emma and I shake on it.

I silently walk over to Jedrek. "Take it. I can't carry him, remember?"

"Ok." Apollo begins to fuss, but Jedrek takes him in his arms and shushes him back to sleep. I can't help but smile, as I never thought Jedrek, of all people, could be so kind.

"Thanks," I whisper, a little frustrated I was wrong about him. He just smirks and nods at me.

I walk back over to Emma. "Well, I guess you win."

"I told you he'd do it!"

I stare back at Jedrek, looking endearingly at Apollo in his arms. "I have to say, I am a bit surprised. Didn't think he could be that nice."

"Well, he's always wanted to be a dad. Ever since his dad left him for that model, he's been saying stuff like," she lowers her voice. "'Man, when I'm a dad I won't treat my kids like they're worthless. I'll treat them good.'"

I continue to stare at him. "I didn't take him for that kind of guy."

"I think you should've learned by now first impressions are often wrong." She walks away to talk to Hugo.

What Emma said has really left me to think. Am I the only one who hasn't learned anything from this? Sure, they seem to have warmed up to me, but am I still the arrogant rich girl I was when I stumbled on to that Porsche and called them all losers? I can't think of an answer, because Hugo walks over to me to talk; instead of yelling like he usually does.

"Athena. We're leaving. Do you have everything?"

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?" He stares concernedly, meeting my gaze.

"I'm fine." I begin walking, while he's left standing and staring at the ground alone. I stop and take a few steps back to where he is. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiles. Looks like I had wrong first impressions about two people today. After a moment of awkward silence, he finishes off with, "Well, ready to go?"

"Yes." I grimace at the fact I was so embarrassed earlier today and scratch my head. What I probably looked like keeps replaying over and over in my head and won't let me think about anything else. Hugo walks off without looking back or saying another word.

I look around at the sandy-colored cement, without a building in sight. Only a few minimalistic wooden houses spread miles from each other. It's the biggest amount of silence I've ever experienced in my life. I didn't even know places could be so empty.

Looking at the people in front of me, I think about what Hugo said. For a moment, I can forget the weight on my back to look upon the diverse, scattered chit-chattering full of people that care about me, at least a little. The warmness that comes with having them around me isn't a replacement for the feeling I felt my mom or my old friends. It's better. Not the same, of course, but it's stronger; more alive. Relieving, the way we've been through so much together. They make me look forward, instead of feeling guilty about all that I've done. It's cool.