Olympus Drive Book 5: Situation Normal

Chapter 54

Lee

The underworld is much more upside down than I imagined. And much colder. I shiver even though Charon gave me a sweater (I had six nickels. He loves nickels). The light comes from upside down, yellow street lamps. Spirits are everywhere, flitting past us, mostly not noticing us, though a few Penny and Ev purposefully avoid. There are a few hell hounds, but they seem to be fairly polite, just growling. Penny blows a whistle and they leave.

Penny and Ev are far more comfortable than anyone ever should be when touring hell. They were singing songs with Charon on the Styx, and now they're eating and happily chatting. I walk behind them a bit, wrapped up in my navy blue fisherman's sweater. I still feel sick from having died. I'm quite out of it and tired.

"What were you thinking your dad was going to ask me?" Ev asks, scuffing a running shoe on the damp pavement.

"What?" Penny asks.

"When you asked me why it took us a minute to come in—and I told you what he said---what were you thinking he'd say?" Ev clarifies.

"Oh. I thought he might---I was talking to him about school. And he said he didn't want me living alone. But I want to live somewhere other than with my mom. And he lives too far away from my university. I asked him why I couldn't stay in the dorms or whatever and I was mad because my mom's reason is Autism. But he said it was just because he didn't think it was very safe and that my mom has a point it helps to have other people go and do shopping and things," she says, hands fiddling with those magnets she forever has.

"Oh."

"So I said you could live with me but he didn't get to answer and then you knocked."

"Oh."

"So I thought he was threatening you to go live with me since I didn't want to live at home."

"That's very very in character, yes. No, he wasn't. But yes I would like to live with you," Ev says.

"I don't have anywhere to live yet, though."

"That's okay," Ev says, smiling really big.

"How come you don't want to live with your mom?" I ask Penny.

"Because she wears me out. She wants to do everything for me. Or make me do things she thinks are good for me. Or not do things she doesn't think I should do. And everything. And she wants to talk through everything I do. And vary my diet," Penny says.

"Oh," I say, nodding.

"What did you get in a fight with your step-mom about?" Ev asks, frowning, "You said that was why you thought your dad wanted to kill you?"

"Because I hate her," I say, folding my arms.

"That's not very descriptive," Ev says.

"So? What's it to you?"

"Um, you died. It's significant," Ev says.

"Sorry," I hang my head. They are helping me I shouldn't snap at them. "She just---she's weird. I didn't want to live there anymore."

"Could you—tell us what happened?" Ev asks, gently.

"Why?" I ask, realizing I'm starting to cry again.

"Because you really haven't seemed happy since we got here—"

"No, I haven't been happy since we got to the Underworld—"

"I mean since we got to Winfell," Ev says, "And it might help to talk about it. Look who you're talking to? Three time Underworld-escape champions."