The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Had A Picnic In The Sky

I trailed slightly behind Moreno in the air. I hadn't quite got the hang of navigation in the air yet. He kept glancing at his wrist unit to check the direction or a map, but he seemed to have a pretty good idea where we were going. 

After about ten minutes of flight, he descended. I followed him down, and the moment we dipped towards the ground, I realized where we were. The edge of Jontun was jagged and waiting there for us. 

I landed on the ground beside Moreno and sucked in a breath. This was a different spot on the border of Jontun than the one we'd found Moreno at yesterday. A small stream trickled across the ground and off the end of the world into the abyss, making a strange waterfall. 

"This was one of the first spots in Jontun that I found beautiful," he said. "Hellene brought me here before the rest of the Ethesis clan threw me out. I was eight years old, and I felt so lost, but I was reminded that my mother always said that the impossible was only that until the odds changed."

I stared at the stream and watched it fall into nothing. "Where does the water go?"

"Who knows?" His wings closed back into his pack. "There's a lot of things in Jontun where the only explanation is magic."

"Magical," I repeated. "Does my power bother you?"

Moreno shook his head. "Giant powers don't bother me. Yours at least can't hurt anyone. Not like the Ethesis gifts."

Magnetism. I'd seen powers like that in science-fiction movies. I couldn't remember a single character who could do things like moving metal that was categorized as a hero. 

"Hellene isn't hurting anyone," I said. "She's sweet."

Moreno bit his lip. "Can I tell you something I've never told anyone?"

There was a hint of fear in his eyes. I let my wings collapse and leaned in closer to him. He wrapped an arm around me and enveloped me in his spicy warmth. 

"What is it?" I whispered. 

"Hellene isn't the only Ethesis with that gift," he said. 

That didn't surprise me. Magic for giants was hard to hide because of the eyes being two different colors, but I didn't suppose it was impossible. Not to mention that those who could use magic were controlled and regulated. 

I looked up at him. "You're not... don't tell me you have powers."

Moreno shook his head. "No, but my father Horus does."

It took a moment for my brain to process that. Moreno's father was locked up in a giant prison. He'd been there almost ten years, and all this time, he had magic.

"Couldn't he break out?" I asked. 

Moreno winced. "He promised me he wouldn't commit any more crimes. He promised me he'd finish his sentence, and then we could be a family."

"I hate to ask how long his sentence is," I said. 

"Twenty years," Moreno said. "I think the king wanted him to miss the childhoods of his children. So far, he's kept his promise to me, and he hasn't broken himself out of Gorgon's Keep."

"How did you keep this a secret?" I asked. 

"He didn't develop powers until late, like you," Moreno said. "And he had an accident that left him blind in one eye when he was young, so the color change didn't develop quite like the others. He didn't use his powers much because it was his secret. I never told anyone because it never really mattered to me. My mom sure didn't care."

He set the pack on his back on the ground and spread a picnic blanket on the clouds. Moreno patted the ground, and I sat down beside him. Then, he produced two bags of Doritos, two sandwiches, and sodas from the depths of the bag.