Olympus Drive Book 5: Situation Normal

Chapter 68

Ev

"All right, this is back at Than's apartment? Oh well, whatever," I say, nearly running into Penny as she stops.

"Why are we back here?" Lee asks.

"Ari's phone is showing him at this location," Penny is using my phone and hers to accomplish this, because she's tracking him via mine and has a map of the Underworld pulled up on hers. I'm great with directions in the mortal realm, but down here I typically let her and her various contraptions navigate.

"Oh. I was assuming we were doing something more mystical than track his phone," Lee says, rubbing his eyes, as we stand in front of the up-side-down row of apartments.

"Why does he live here among the spirits?" Penny asks, shaking her head, "He could live in the castle."

"I think he likes them, genuinely," I say.

Penny shrugs, prepared to go in. Before she can, something invisible bowls Lee to the ground.

Penny and I spin, in unison, drawing weapons, as a monster materializes, holding Lee off the ground. The creature is twice the size of a horse, with long dark brown limbs, huge claws, and a weirdly human head, glowing with red eyes, and multiple rows fangs.

"Oh, this is never not painful," Lee mutters, resignedly, as the monster picks him up and cuddles him in obvious delight.

"You---know each other?" I ask, staying Penny with a hand, but not putting down my gauntlets.

"This is my dad's best friend, Aster," Lee explains, as the monster sets him down, "Aster, these are my cousins, Penny and Ev."

The monster regards us and makes a growling noise.

"Hi, does he speak our language?" I ask, nicely.

"Hi, what are you?" Penny asks, equally nicely.

"I don't know, my dad found him someplace. I can understand him, so can my dad," Lee explains, then he turns to the creature, "What are you doing here?"

"What's he saying?" Penny asks.

"My dad sent him to find me, that's it, that's very typical----Aster, can you wait out here? We're gonna go get a friend, another cousin, of mine—stop I'm fine," he says, as Aster tries to sniff the wound on his neck. Be aware, the monster's head is nearly the size of the boy's chest.

"Is he good with that?" Penny asks.

"Yeah, he's fine---okay we'll be right back," Lee says, patting the creature's head.

"How did your dad become friends with him?" I ask, as we walk in the apartment complex.

"I don't know. It was before I was born. Aster's the half brother of some girl my dad was trying to date, trying being the operative word. My dad's a mess sometimes—most of the time I guess," Lee shakes his head, as we follow Penny.

"Right, does he just show up or---?" I really want to know more about this. I don't have a friend monster.

"Oh. No, he lives with us. He can turn invisible like you saw," Lee says, like this is normal. I realize I break into the Underworld as well as the Pentagon on the regular. But still.

"Okay this is it. Than, it's me Penny and Ev. You remember us?" Penny knocks on the door. That's a valid way to introduce ourselves. Than probably likes us.

"Come on in."

"Uncle Thyme?" Penny and I say, in unison, as he lets us in and herds back Than's five greyhounds. He's holding a little mutt dog that he's clearly been giving a bath. He's dressed like he just came from a warzone, complete with splatters of blood and guts across his very imposing person. I like this dude, he's given me like four really cool knives.