Olympus Drive Book 1: Everything is Fine

Chapter 32

Della

I wish Jasmine had just come with me. I'm off today. But she's very insistent about her time with her dad. Often I wish she didn't worship him like she does. It is good he is her dad but----I'd rather she have a normal life. Basil is far from that. With me and Ethan at least she can get closer to normalcy. I don't want to pretend Basil isn't her father but—I know it doesn't help her in school. Everyone knows we're the weirdos who got kidnapped and had a baby together in high school. I know how that affected me it doesn't need to affect her like it does. And Basil showing up at her school functions drunk isn't exactly helping. Nothing he does helps. Also I really don't approve of the number of women and men he has through that house when she's around. Isn't the goal that she grow up to be successful and not like us?

"If you're that worried about her, why don't we go get her?" Ethan asks, waking me from my thoughts as I park my care in the supermarket parking lot. It's both of our day off and we're doing errands. I haven't fully explained to him, as in at all, what's going on. He knows we were kidnapped and that we just found Raven but that's all. That's literally all.

"What?" I ask, laughing.

"You know I know what you're thinking," he says, smiling, "If you're worried about Jasmine go pick her up. It's not like you have a custody agreement you'd be violating."

"That's the thing—Basil and I don't have a custody agreement because typically we do fine and I don't want Jasmine's life ruled by some court document—but I don't see why she's spending the day with him when he has to work and I don't until later—and we're pulling her out of school anyway," I sigh, "We have the stable home for her—we both have normal jobs. He's on a student teacher's salary and has about fifteen girlfriends who change out every week. Also he drinks around her, a lot."

"So maybe you should get a custody agreement, maybe it's time," Ethan says, shrugging. Basil is not his favorite person. Basil had sex with his mother. In Basil's defense it was only one night. In Basil's condemnation it was the night of Ethan's and my wedding. I didn't find out until weeks later because Basil admitted it because apparently he didn't know that was Ethan's mother and he was trying to ID her because apparently she was emotional and had left before he woke up and he was concerned. I slugged him. Ethan did too. Basil laughed and offered to teach him to throw a punch. That did not help the situation.

"I don't want to do that to him,---I know what she means to him and I don't want him to have less time with her," I say.

"Don't you?"

"I trust Basil with my life—it's not that. I just want her to not be like—I was—am, and he basically raised me so how do I expect her to turn out," I sigh.

"You two are the same age, though," Ethan says.

"Yeah but—Basil's always been in charge," I say, as we walk in the cool store. Not many shoppers this time of the morning, which is always nice. I'm something of a fixture in Winfell by now. Ethan doesn't mind the stares. And by this point I feel like I sort of blend in. I dress normally. I don't walk around in a velvet coat sometimes with no shirt, drinking from a hipflask at ten am. But I am associated deeply with the person who walks around Windfell in a velvet coat sometimes with no shirt, drinking from open containers of alcohol at the public park, often carrying a child. My child. Yeah I'm deeply associated with him. So, still some stares.

"Maybe it is time though, just to clear things up for Jasmine, have a lawyer draw something up it might make you feel better, " Ethan points out.

"That would never work, if I tried to take it to court Basil would wind up getting full custody and I'd probably have to pay him child support," I say.

"He's an alcoholic who lives off a grad student stipend, how would he get a better lawyer than you?" Ethan asks.

"By sleeping with them—if he hasn't already---- he probably has," I say.

"Well why would the judge side with them lawyer or no. You and I own our own home we'd at least get majority custody," Ethan says.

I stare at him

"What you think he'd sleep with the judge too?"

"There are like, three judges in Winfell and I'm well aware he's slept with two of them already I have no reason to believe he wouldn't go for the third," I say.

"He gets around," he says, doubtfully.

"In Basil's defense he was seeing the same girl for a couple of months here, one of the professors, she was cool," I say, as I sort in my purse for the list.

"That short girl?" he asks, frowning, "The one we had dinner with that time?"

"Yeah her, they broke up though a couple of weeks ago," I say. I was actually rooting for that. She seemed decent and I would prefer someone permanent around Jasmine. As it is she refers to over half the population of Winfell as her daddy's old boyfriend/girlfriend.

"Why?" he asks.

"She went back to her husband—the one he'd stolen her from to begin with. Nobody ever said he could make good decisions," I say, "On which note I'm going over there tonight to help him sort out some stuff with Thyme."

"His other kid?" he asks.

"Yeah, I just kind of want to be there to help out---Basil pisses me off a lot of the time but he is my brother; he's got a good heart," I say.

"No of course—do you want me to help?" he asks.

"No you're fine, it's probably best to keep it quiet for the kid—he just misses his mom," I say.

"Understandable, poor guy, do you know where he's been all this time?"

"Nope, it's weird," in a cell poor baby. He's a nice boy, looks exactly like Basil acts like him too though I'm sure Basil won't admit that. Jasmine doesn't seem jealous which is good. I'm surprised though she usually doesn't have competition for her dad's affection. Maybe it'll be good for her to have a sibling. Maybe I need to lighten up a little.

Maybe those are Titans standing at either end of the aisle.

"Oh shit," I sigh, looking both ways. Two on either end, in their crisp black suits, looking at me through dark glasses.

"What?" Ethan ask, he was looking at the list then up, "What're they—?"

"Stay here," I say, patting his arm.

"What are you ----" He moves to stop me then seems to think better of it

"You really want to do this here?" I ask them.

The ones nearest me take a step closer drawing guns from their holsters. One has a taser.

I raise my arms, slowly, closing my eyes.

Roots reach up through the earth, splitting through the cement then the tiles of the store, to wrap around the Titan's legs, swiftly entwining their bodies.

They scream as the roots ensnare them, dragging them down to the ground, splitting their skin open like an overripe tomato, and tearing them apart as the roots descend back into the earth.

"What---what the---" Ethan is staring the carnage on the ground, splattered in their blood.

"You trust me, right?" I say, then I kiss him.

"What the hell?" he whispers.

I kiss him again, "Let's go home."