Ashley & Apollo

Chapter 2 - Beyond the Clouds

As a demigod, Ashley was well acquainted with magic. Although she'd spent the last nine years of her life on earth, where magic was only found in story tales and fiction, the first twenty-two had been on Olympus. In the realm of the gods, magic was everywhere. Flying to reach the top shelf, or using a gust of wind to open a door was as natural as breathing. No one trained Ashley to use her powers; she grew up with them.

There were societal expectations on Olympus, which meant she'd never seen magic blast through chunks of concrete before. But when a third of the gymnasium wall hit the ground, the floor barely wobbled and the rest of the wall remained in place, albeit swaying. The resounding thud was loud, but restrained in volume. Ashley's ears weren't ringing, nor was her balance off. Normal explosions weren't so controlled.

When the dust settled, she ran toward where the teacher had been standing. Ms. Moore beat her to it, calling out a frantic "Sylvia!"

"I'm okay!" came from behind some of the debris. Ms. Moore beelined toward it, and helped "Sylvia" up.

"My ankle got a little banged up, but I'm fine," Sylvia said, coughing. Her face was ashen with shock and obvious pain, but nobody called her out on it. If a potentially sprained ankle was the only injury to come from the explosion, Ashley wasn't going to complain.

"What is happening?" said a boy. He was brushing a fine coating of dust off his arms. "First we get blinded by some weird light, and now the fucking school is—"

Ms. Moore cut him off. "Let's get outside to safety before we chat. We'll use the exit in my office." She herded them away from the wreckage, wrapping her arm around Sylvia, who was hobbling along with her for support.

As they began streaming towards the far end of the gym, an arm linked through Ashley's, and Katherine popped up next to her. "Well, this has been an interesting gym class," she whispered. Ashley could only nod.

They emerged outside and into the back parking lot of the school without any trouble. In the wake of the rumbling destruction, the calm background noise of wind rustling the trees felt eerie; the few clouds too fluffy and white. Ashley and Katherine were at the tail end of the group, so they slowed down to take in the scene.

From outside, Oceanview High School didn't betray that its foundations had exploded—the exterior of the school looked as new and sturdy as always. The only signs that something was wrong were the other classes congregating in the lot, farther away. A few pedestrians had paused on the sidewalk to gawk at the spectacle. Sirens steadily approached in the distance.

Something grabbed the neck of Ashley's t-shirt and wrenched her backwards, smashing her head into the concrete. The impact slammed the air out of her lungs, and she gasped fruitlessly. The world blurred until there was only blue sky bearing down on her and a large shadow in her peripheral vision slowly coming into focus. The figure leaned over her.

He had a genial face: chestnut brown hair, brown eyes, and a warm smile. Even bent over, she could tell he was tall, at least six foot three. His arms were clearly muscular underneath the thin red sweater he wore. Yet Ashley felt an ingrained tingle of uneasiness at his presence, that only a deep-rooted rival of Olympus could evoke.

"Hello. I've been waiting to meet you," the giant said, in a low, strangely monotonous voice.

"Who are you?" Ashley asked.

"What the heck, dude!" Katherine said.

With effort, Ashley propped herself up, finding Katherine on the asphalt next to her. She was cradling her elbow and glaring at the giant.

The giant ignored Katherine. "There is no need for me to tell you who I am, but you can call me John. I quite like that name." He clapped his hands together and Ashley flinched. "Now, with our introductions out of the way, I'm afraid we're here to kill you, demigod."