Basil
Had a nice long talk with Luna. I have a plan set. Brielle has a phone and is safe with the Hunters for now. Thyme is still gaming in the living room with now Anna and Alice both curled up with him. I am okay. I am handling this.
"Okay, so not to alarm you or anything but—"
"Dad! Do not do that," I nearly electrocute him. Damn, Thyme is affecting me.
"I led off 'not to alarm you'-----so things are not looking like, stupendously great violence wise in the near future," my dad, wearing his proud-mom t-shirt, looking at one of his notebooks. His hair is pulled back in a messy bun low on his head though strands are sticking to his sweaty face. He's clearly not been to bed either and is remarkably unconcerned about nearly being electrocuted.
"Could you be more specific?" I mutter.
"Oh good you're awake," Hector appears in my kitchen. That is not a good thing, he brings a flurry of bats with him because he's dramatic like that. He's wearing a full suit, his glasses, but no hat or tie and his dark hair is slicked back. He sorts in a black folder with his black leather clad hands.
"You knew I was awake---what are you doing? Oh my gods who died?" I ask.
"Why do you ask who died when I show up---?"
"Maybe because you control the dead!?" I sigh, exasperated.
"Reasonable. So. It would seem as one of my employees is disastrously prone to bribes---"
"Fuck Charon," our dad, scribbling in his notebook.
"A mortal has escaped my realm. I'm going to dispatch proper people to get him back, but your kids are undoubtedly harboring him—"
"What—wait—a mortal? Not a soul---if it were a soul it couldn't get out—so what was a mortal doing in your realm?" I ask.
"That's really none of your business," Hector says, very, very condescendingly.
"It is if you're trying to just kill him. What was he doing there?"
"Being imprisoned. For decades. By me."
"What—why?" I ask.
"I felt like it," flatly.
"That's cruel----let the mortal die naturally then," I say, shrugging, "Why should I give him to you?"
"Because I am telling you I want him back," Hector says, annoyed.
"No, not just because--- you can't keep prisoners just because ---who are you, Helen?"
"That's completely unfair. Why can't I have him back?" Hector groans.
"Because you're not explaining why!"
"Yes I am! I want him in prisoned in Tartarus-- that's why."
"But why do you want him imprisoned?"
"It makes me happy that way! Why can't I just have this one thing?" Hector pleads.
"You're happy torturing some random innocent person?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because knowing he's in Tartarus makes me happy on a daily basis."
"No, forget it, that's mean," I say.
"I didn't want to have to do this, but--," Hector whips out a very long scroll.
"What is that?" I ask, suspiciously.
"A list, only going back five hundred years, of all of the stupid shit I've put up with and helped you and our brother do to save your egos and for your libidos in general," Hector hisses, as the scroll unfurls. It's long. It's really long.
"That's ridiculous," I say.
"Yes, it really is," Hector says, flicking the scroll.
"Here, you've missed some things, anybody got a pen?" our dad is reading the other end of the scroll.
"I just said I only went back five hundred years."
"Here, you've missed some things, anybody got a pen?"
"Oh, knock yourself out," Hector tosses a sharpie over his shoulder and hits our dad in the face with it.
"So, what about Luke and I? That doesn't make it okay---also my children—"
"Your various chaotic bastards and their bastards?"
"Yeah them—don't have anything to do with you torturing someone!" I cry.
"It does when I'm asking for exactly one thing and you won't give it to me! Since when do I ask you for anything?" Hector asks.
"You're married to his daughter might wanna hold back a bit there, son," our dad, still scribbling on the scroll.
"No, we don't go there if Jasmine wants him that's fine---my point is dredging up old shit isn't anything to do with him actively torturing a mortal who isn't dead," I sigh, "Not when he's not explaining why."
"It is when the mortal's a pain in the ass," our dad mutters.
"What, you're on his side?"
"What, you're on MY side?" Hector and I are equally surprised.
"This one mortal is gonna cause more problems alive or him trying to get to be alive, also, probably will get killed soon anyway," our dad says, not looking up from writing.
"What---what are you---why didn't you tell me that happened? I asked if you that happened you said no?" Hector points to the scroll.
"Didn't want to stress you, but now it's helpful, shush."
"What is WRONG with them?" Hector is just reading now, looking at another section my dad marked up.
"I dunno, been wondering that for years."
"Thanks, dad," I sigh.
"What do you mean dunno???? You MADE them?"
"You made Zag, fucking shut up."
"I like Zag like this. Just nobody else does."
"Well maybe I like them like this." They both start laughing uncontrollably at that.
"Seriously? You laugh at me? In my own house? While I stand before you in my eighth best jeans?" I ask, pouring myself a drink.
"Please?" Hector sighs, "You heard our parent---the mortal will only cause trouble."
"Tell me why you want him so bad," I say, frowning.
Hector vanishes, with his scroll.
I shrug, "That was weird."
"Your brother is; don't you have kids to tend to? I'm gonna go yell at Charon."
"Someday I'll figure out who that is," I mutter, as he limps away. Why's he limping? Never mind I have more than enough to care about.
YOU ARE READING
Olympus Drive Book 5: Situation Normal
Adventure"Things" are breaking out of the Underworld, Death is missing, a wild boar is on the loose, and there's a murder trial going on. It's situation normal in Winfell as heroes and demi-gods assemble for a boar hunt. Chronologically after all of the Olym...
