Olympus Drive Book 1: Everything is Fine

Chapter 21

Basil

If I wasn't supposed to water them with rain why wouldn't she tell me that? Why would I just know that? My dad was right; women don't always make sense. I thought my sisters made more sense but I guess not. Well I think rainwater is better for them than distilled. Also it's free why are we buying water when there is free sky water to be had? I don't know. Maybe it's a pregnancy thing making her upset. I'll buy the distilled if it means that much to her. Later. They're watered for this week.

I get out my notebooks. It is helpful to use my calligraphy set again. It makes my writing neater.

I'm still trying to find my sisters and our dad. I'm just running out of clues. Getting captured by the Titans myself in order to find them is plan 248 because Della has asked me not to because she wants me around for the baby. I asked her if she doubted me. She said she couldn't lose me. And my dad would actually just kill me if I got captured to save him. That doesn't mean I won't necessarily do it, though.

"I'm going out to mow the yard since it finally stopped raining."

"I'd assumed you liked the rain," I say, not looking up from my notebooks as Sir walks in WITHOUT knocking. He's supposed to knock. There's a sign on the door that says 'please knock'. Wait it might not be in English. Still he ought to have knocked.

"Not really not when I'm trying to mow. What's all this?" he looks at my calligraphy set, as well as some of my notes, spread out on my desk. I'm sitting on my bed at work.

"It's mine," I say, standing up to go close it.

"Where did you get this?" he picks up one of the calligraphy pens.

"My dad gave that to me please put it down," I say, getting it all out before I realize the error.

"That man is not your father," he does put down, angry now, "You hear me? I am."

"Do you ----do you remember just a few days before I went missing---I came in to wake you—because I thought I heard monsters outside. And I was crying because I was afraid they would want to eat me?" I ask, slowly getting up and coming over to take it from him, "And you told me that monsters weren't real. And you took me back to my room and left me there. Well I cried all night because monsters are real. And they were trying to get me. What's more I thought they were real.

"Then he came and took me. And he believed me when I cried at night. And he sat in the corner of my room with a dagger, waiting, to protect me, so I could sleep. He did that every single night forgoing sleep himself. Not because he thought the monsters could actually hurt me. But because he wanted me to feel safe. So yes, he is my real father."

 I don't expect the slap to come as hard and as quick as it does. But it does and I feel hot blood on my lip as I raise my head back slowly, to stare at him. He almost seems surprised he did it as well, because his hands are shaking in rage and he sputters for words.

Before I actually think about doing it, I have hold of the hand slapped me, and twist it around behind his back, snapping the fingers the wrong direction. He howls in pain.

"You will never lay a hand on me again. You never come near my child, or any of my brothers or sisters do you understand me?" I ask, twisting his wrist and hearing bones snap and grind against one another. He screams in pain which I take as a yes he does in fact understand. I shove open the door, and kick him in the back so that he falls down the stairs, trying to cradle his bleeding hand.

I slam the door closed as I hear my mother scream. I don't care anymore. I don't want to be here.

I crawl out the window and hop to the ground, then I go out the garden gate and head for the edge of town.