Olympus Drive Book 5: Situation Normal

Chapter 14

Lee

By the time I get off the last plane my eyes are bleary and I'm dead on my feet. My whole head is spinning with this whole fucking day. I check my phone. No missed calls. So my mom hasn't tried me yet.

"Lee?" a couple of women, dressed mostly in leather, are waiting along with a large fuzzy dog. The dog immediately walks up and starts to lick me.

"Hi," I say, vaguely recognizing my aunt Luna.

"Hi baby, are you okay?" she asks, smiling grimly at me when I don't take her gestured arm for a hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine just—tired."

"Of course," her wife says, nicely, "Come on, we're parked out front. I'm Nym."

"Does your dad know you're coming?"

"No. I didn't---I didn't call him," I admit, "I tried my mom." I really am running away aren't I?

"Do you want us to tell him where you are?"

"No. I don't want to talk to him. I hate his new wife," I spit before I can stop myself.

"Was she mean to you?" Nym asks.

"I just hate her. I'm not living there anymore. I want to stay with my mom or something," I say, "Except she works but---I don't know."

"You can stay with us for now, your grandad will be by," Luna says, leading me to the car. I crawl in the back with the dog.

"Do you guys have room?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, there's plenty of room so long as you don't mind dozens of girls," Nym says, "They're all Hunters so they'll be quite busy and getting you up early."

"I can help with your—" they run a guide business, right? "You guys are guides right? And run a shelter?"

"Yeah pretty much," Luna says, "The Hunters are the people who stay long term. We discourage relationships outside of the group, mind, so the girls may be quite cool with you."

"That's fine, I never want to have sex with anyone," I say, without thinking, folding my arms. I don't. I never have. My dad says I'll grow out of it once I get older. He's said that for a couple of years now.

"Baby, stay as long as you like," Luna laughs.

"Seriously, you're more than welcome, and if you've trained with your mother I'm sure you'll get on fine with our girls," Nym says.

"I will---I can earn my keep. I'm excellent with weapons," I say, quickly, "And I'm good with animals. Especially horses."

"Well, we have a few ponies who need seeing to, I'll work you into the chore chart until your mom contacts us all right?" Luna asks, frowning a little back at me. "You sure you don't want to call your dad again?"

"Positive," I say, "He's probably not even missing me."'

The drive back to the house is a couple of hours. I nod off leaning against the big wolf-hound. When we do finally get there Luna sends me inside to go get settled in the lounge. She says she'll bring me a snack because she wants me to eat before I go to bed. I am hungry so I comply.

I've been to the Hunter's Lodge only once I think. I was little and my mom was with my grandad and bringing me around to meet his family. So it's really all a blur. I remember it being bigger, that's about it.

When I go to the lounge I'm a bit disappointed to find it's occupied. Not by Hunters, that would be expected. No.

Between two arm chairs is propped the lanky form of Ev. 

Ev is my second cousin, they are a non-binary force of nature, who I actually know because their uncle and my dad are frenemies (that means that if they weren't married to other people they'd be in love). I've met them a few times, and am usually glad to see the last of them.

Ev is six foot three, with light brown hair and soft, glowing hazel eyes. Their skin is smooth and has almost a silver sheen to it, thick and unnaturally solid. Their arms are long and wrapped with muscles. On either wrist they wear wide copper bracelets. The word 'Argonaut' is tattooed across their bicep in blocky black lettering. Their hair is in a sharp under cut, and they're wearing faded blue jeans, thick, high top running shoes, and a two sizes too large olive-green tank top, that hangs enough to betray a tight black sports bra.

At the moment, they are propped between too chairs, idling flipping a dagger in their long fingers. When they see me they grin wickedly.

"Lee. What a surprise. Pen, you remember Lee, he's the son of that dude my uncle has a running feud with? Also our dads are brothers with his grandfather?" Ev tips their head back to address a girl folded in a chair. Penny, their girlfriend as I understand. She casts her gunmetal grey eyes at me, not smiling. She never does. She has straight blonde hair pulled back in a loose French braid. She's wearing a flannel shirt and black cargos and is playing with a set of metal spheres. She, like Ev, has a peculiar, almost sliver mesh glow to her skin, like they were cast from the same mold then not properly cleaned off.

"Hello," Penny says, looking back down at what she was reading, while levitating the balls above one hand.

"What brings you here?" Ev asks, flipping the dagger. Their voice is low, not in a masculine way, just husky and strangely melodic. They speak like their thoughts go on forever and when their words come out they build world around you, and you want to listen forever even if they are saying nothing. Their accent is faint, though it's clearly American and sometimes I miss understand them, at which point they can flip from their soft New York accent to a thick cockney one. I discovered that can also morph into a Bronx accent, southern drawl, or most anything they choose. I feel like the native accent is the New York one, though, they slip into that on the rare occasion they're not trying to talk someone into something.

"I'm joining the Hunt," I say, suddenly. It's better than the truth. Why shouldn't I? I can if I like. And I'm never going home. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for problems," Ev says, a smile tipping the corner of their cruel, thin lips. Untrustworthy, yet a wildly good time. That's the aura they give off. My dad says to stay away from them. But he says that about a lot of people. "As always."

"We're here to see Bronte," Penny answers me more correctly.

"Bronte---" I know the name but I don't know who it is? My grandad's sister?

"My favorite great nephew, not really--- I love you equally," oh yes. This person. This person looks more like a witch than most witches look. She has dark hair slicked back and stopping just at the nape of her neck. Thick eyeliner and a shade too light base complete the witchy look. Right now she's wearing a black corset over a black and red silk flowered button up, along with a black min skirt and fishnet stockings. She's also wearing red boots and a rapier.

"Hi," I really want to go to sleep.

"Stay, join us," Ev says, sweeping a hand, "You never know. You might have fun."

"I'm good, I'm gonna, turn in," I say, backing away.