The Fleece Job (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 31: As you wish

Ev

We all shuffle to our rooms. Much to our annoyance, Hugh keeps true to his word and puts us all in separate rooms. He is in a better mood after putting on an Argonauts shirt and clean jeans, and having a shot of whiskey that he's hiding from us (mostly Reese who now can't see).

Once he's gone back up top, I slip out of my room. Penny texted me that she would meet me up on deck. I mean, we could have sneaked into her room, but oh well. I have something I need to do first, though.

I knock on Ari and Reese's door.

"Shh—I just got him to sleep," Ari says, opening the door. He's still wearing my cut off tank top.

"You should wear tank tops more. You have pretty arms," I tell him. They're surprisingly well muscled, and his shoulders aren't scrawny like mine.

"Thanks I think?" Ari says, amused, letting me in.  Reese is asleep on his bunk, tucked in nicely under a blanket. His poor eyes are closed, but tearing, and Ari's put a poultice on them.

"I can heal him for a little while. He'll need glasses to protect them though," Ari says, going back to sit by him. "Crazy thing."

"Yeah. Um---I have something for you," I say, pulling an envelope from my pocket.

"What? You're dying--,"

"Not everything to do with you has to do with dying!" I laugh, handing it to him. "It's the DNA tests, of you and your dad."

"Is there any way he's not my dad?" he asks.

"So I didn't read them--,"

"But?" he sighs.

"But the labs called me like three times asking if they could have your body for science," I say, wincing.

"So there is no way he's not my dad?"

"Or your mom. He was correct---genetically you're kind of his clone, as you got both the X and Y chromosomes from him," I explain, "Since you're male you should have inherited the Y chromosome from your father and the X from your mother, but you got the X chromosome from him as well---making you XY anyway but you got them both from the same person. Which shouldn't happen. You have different DNA than him, which wouldn't be true if you were an actual clone."

"When you'd become an expert in genetics?" Ari asks, half smiling as he looks down at the envelope.

"Actually, elementary school. I have AIS which means that like you I have the XY chromosomes which are male but my body doesn't respond to the male hormones, or androgen hormones," I say, shrugging.

"Ah," Ari says, nodding, "Sorry. I forget." He knew I was intersex, and considering he's raised me from the dead he's kind of seen me naked. Didn't mean he knew my actual condition, though.

"You've had a lot on your mind," I say, smiling a little.

"Are you okay though? Like, really?" he asks, "You and your mom good?"

"Yeah. We're good, I'm a senior next fall. Maybe we could go to school together?" I ask, "You could finally go to school?"

"I don't know if I'll live that long, Ev," he says, shaking his head.

"We're gonna make it this time," I say, squeezing his shoulder.

"I hope."

"Get some sleep," I say.

"Yeah, I need it. He wakes up every five minutes though, asking if his eyes are better."

"Ah, he trusts you. You're his big brother you can fix anything," I point out.

"I wish I could," he says, looking down.

"Get some rest. We'll be right up on the deck," I say, going to the door.

"You've had quite the day as well. Did you actually fall in the Styx?"

"Yeah, it hurt."

"I would think so," Ari says, smiling a little.

"Yeah. All right, get some sleep," I say.

"I like your hair."

"Thank you, it's June."

"Ah."

Then I do go up on deck. It's a beautiful night, all things considered. There are more stars in the sky than I've seen since my mother took me camping for my tenth birthday. She said she wanted to show me the Universe. We rented a truck and rode out into the middle of nowhere and lay in the bed while she told me the stories about every constellation we could find.

Penny is standing at the bow of the ship (I think it's the bow? It's the front bit they stand on in Titanic, that bit). Her hair is freshly braided and blowing a little in the wind. She's smiling and looking out at the water, slapping her hands against her thighs.

"Hi," I say, walking up to join her, "Want company?"

"Yeah definitely. I've been thinking. Since we can die together now we both shouldn't leap into dangerous situations at the same time. We should take turns," Penny says.

"Fair. Rock-Paper-Scissors for who gets to slay the next monster?"

"I think that's fair. I was going to say toss a coin but we might not always have access to a coin."

"Reasonable," I say, looking at her face in the starlight. She didn't do a great job washing off and there's still Underworld gunk on her face. I've been spitting up the River Styx all evening. It's not that dramatic, just kind of keeps coming.

"Here, you've got stuff on your face. I'm gonna clean it off."

"Oh, go ahead. I had to text my dad and your mom that we were okay and having fun making good choices. Those are the words I used," Penny says, letting me wipe the grim from her face with one thumb.

"Do you want to do the Titanic thing?" I ask.

"What is that?" she frowns.

"You still haven't---okay we're gonna watch that movie when we get home," I say.

"Is it good?"

"No, that's why we're watching it. It's about the wreck of the Titanic. We sit there laughing at it and quoting all the lines and then we call off diving scores as people jump off the ship. It's a great time; my mom and I watch it every Valentine's Day."

"I want to watch it then. Right now I'd rather do the thing where you put your tongue in my mouth and didn't let me go," she says.

"I agree, while we're not drowning you mean?"

"Yes, while we're not drowning," she says, smiling.

"Come here then," I say, putting my arms around her. I like being taller than her enough to tip my head down to kiss her soft little lips. I just kiss her lips first, then progress to my tongue actually being in her mouth. Ari was right, that does not feel as weird as it sounds. I have my arms around her and she leans against me as we just kiss, gently, on the bow of the ship. The water crashes nicely below us. And while the other kiss made me feel alive this is all together so much more peaceful.

I take a break from her mouth and kiss her neck. She lets me, tipping her head back, eyes half closed in pleasure of it. I kiss her neck strongly, then press my face into her shoulder, closing my eyes. Holding her forever would be just fine.

Penny kisses my cheek now, and the birthmark on my neck. I didn't know I needed to be kissed there until she did.

"Good?" I whisper, kissing her ear.

"Good. Can I put my hands under your shirt?"

"As you wish," I say, kissing her button nose.