Olympus Drive Book 5: Situation Normal

Chapter 53

Hector

"I told you to put that thing away."

"He's not hurting anyone," my mother snuggled me against her soft chest. A hand stroking my hair gently. Her grip was too tight almost, like she expected him to rip me from her arms any second. I'm sure she did.

"I ought to kill it. Does it even talk yet?"

"He's very smart. You said I could have him. You said if I helped you and let you use my power then I could have something so long as I made it myself and so I did. And you promised, you swore I could keep him," she said, holding me still closer to her.

"I did say that yes. What I do not understand is when you were creating sentient life you immediately thought 'oh I know. I'll make a horrible monster that kills things and is powered by death, that'll be great for us'."

"Shh, you're fine, don't listen to him," she kissed the top of my head. I listened to him though.

"Like, why would your mind go there? That's the question. The girl that likes plants ---that makes sense. But the one that shoots flames from its hands? And this one? No, forget it. You have the other three."

"No, you said I could have them."

"I said you could have one. You said this one killed people because he was lonely, which we now know-- and you probably always knew--- is not true at all. Because he still does it. Give him to me. Let me see him."

"No," stepping away, I took my face out of her dress to glare at him.

"Why would you make his eyes like that? Come here boy, you know I'm your father."

"You're not my father," I mumbled. I knew that much. I knew that the first and only thing I remembered was my mother. Her beating heart. Her breath. Her voice whispering enchantments and spells as she held me in her heart. As each and every day she held me and I got more and more alive. And now I'm alive. I'm very alive.

"Why would you make it like that? You're the one always wanting everything to be kind to you--- he isn't kind."

"I like him," my mother said, flatly, holding me tighter.

"Where's the other boy you keep hoping I'll forget about?"

"Crying because you won't let us have any water."

"That fits," he scoffed. I hated him. Then, quicker than motion, he was striking me from my mother's arms and throwing me to the stone floor. My head cracked it painfully and I sobbed out a breath before he tugged my very breath out of me.

"So it's mortal? Why else would it cry?" His evil voice, as he shoved her to the floor as she tried to gather me up and save me.

Despite the pain I forced myself to stand. I didn't want him hurting her. He always made her cry.

"Leave, her, alone," I said, my voice ragged, holding up a little hand to suck the life out of him. I did. But he was a Titan, and the strongest of them. That life kept coming. And I was small and still weak.

"Stop---stop, it's all right," my mother swept me back into her arms, breaking my hold on him.

"It does have some power. Tell me, is it immortal do you think? That will make killing it harder," he went back to his wine.

"You swore I could keep him. So I am," she said, sweeping me away, down the hall back towards our jail, blood dripping down her face from his blow. "Don't do that love. Don't confront him. It's best that way. You're too little yet."