Marcus DimascioThe Hurricane Throne

CHAPTER NO.20

"Marcus, slow down!"

I refused to listen to Katie, or even stopped. I kept my eyes firmly on the trail of mist, like I was in some sort of trance.

I didn't know what was wrong with me – I couldn't speak, or couldn't blink at all. All that I could do was run straight down the middle of the road, following the glowing blue light of the mist.

"Marcus," Katie cried, gasping for breath. "Wait up!"

"I can't stop," I told her quickly. We turned the corner of the street, making my heels slip on the tarmac, which was wet with the rain of the storm. "Not while we're close!"

I didn't say anything else, and all I kept saying in my head was: He's close. He's so close...

Katie ran right in front of me and stretched her arms outwards, making me stop dead in my tracks. She had a stern look on her face. "Marcus, stop. We need to wait for the others."

"We can't!" I shouted impatiently. "Chloe just told me that Kane is after us. Telepathically, before you even think about asking what I mean. And I know we're close, Katie – I can't just stop right now!"

"Marcus," the daughter of Demeter gently said, "your father isn't dying. Why are you in such a hurry to find him?"

I threw my arms up in annoyance. "Haven't you heard anything I've just said? I can feel his presence, because I'm his son! And I'm hurrying because I know Kane is gonna find us if we wait around! I've got to find Poseidon!"

Before Katie got the chance to speak, I pushed right past her and continued to run down the street. I hoped I didn't sound too harsh to her – she was trying to reassure me. But something inside me snapped, pushing me onwards.

It must've been over ten minutes before I stopped again like a statue. Katie almost ran into me, maybe surprised that I stopped running like a madman.

"What is it?" she asked me. "Why have we stopped again?"

I held up my hand, telling her to be quiet. I cocked my head to the side like a curious dog, listening carefully for something. The ringing in my ear continued, yet it seemed to be a lot duller than before. I looked to my left, where a cluster of apartment buildings stood. To my right, I stood at the front doors of the Pegasus Residence's, an eleven storey tall building.

Pegasus...How could I have been so stupid? Pegasus – the horse lord of all the winged stallions and another son of Poseidon. The horse came from the union of Medusa and Poseidon, and became another one of my father's sacred animals. It would make perfect sense that he would be in a place like this.

I walked forward to the front door of the apartment building.

I looked up at the building, and my instincts flared inside me. It felt as if I was using infrared, because I could somehow see right through the walls. My eyesight must've improved by tenfold, ever since Proculus forcefully enhanced it. I could see the inside of the building – every apartment room, the central staircase, and all the fire escapes. I raised my eyes at the near top of the structure and – just like in the infrared spectrum – I could see the unmistakable sign of a red and orange heat signature. Someone was up there...or some god.

Dad...

I ran forward.

"What are you doing?" Katie said, running right next to me.

I ignored her. I halted at the door and grabbed the door handle. I opened the door and stepped into the lobby. The place was filled with local residents and teenagers, so Katie and I had to push our way to the front desk.

"Good afternoon," the woman behind the desk said politely. She looked us over quickly. "Can I help you with something?"

I looked up at the ceiling, looking at my dad's heat signature through the hard dry ceiling. "Yeah...um...had you had anyone new come to this place in the last year or so?"

"Let me have a look, sir," the woman said straight away, typing something on her desk computer. She searched through a few documents and nodded. "Yes, we did have someone new to live here at the residence, and it is indeed a year old. According to the document I have here a Mr. John Delphine. Why, are you a visitor or a close family friend?"

John Delphine. The thought almost made me laugh, even if the situation wasn't so serious. That was my dad's alias name when someone is addressing him in the mortal world. The name was so ridiculous it made me laugh every time.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm his son and this," I pointed at Katie, "is his niece."

I leaned on the desk. "Was my father on his own when he came here?"

The woman thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it...a couple of men do come here once in a while to see if he is alright. Those were the same men who brought him here. He appeared to be asleep when they carried him into the residence, but they paid good money to keep him here."

She took out a room key from her desk drawer and gave it to me. "Here is the spare room key. If you need anything else, come back here to reception."

We quickly thanked her and rushed up to the main stairwell, where Katie fell behind and I rushed on. According to the key tag, my father's room was on the sixth level.

A complete wildness took over me. I went up five storeys, but I didn't ache despite being covered in sweat and dust. I came up to Level Six and stopped, breathing heavily. I snapped my gaze to my right and walked down the corridor, looking at several brown doors. The door handles were rusty and weathered.

Katie came up behind me, gulping for air, and her hands were on her knees. "Gods...you've got to...slow down."

I continued to walk forward, until I came up to a white, dirty door. The door handle was bronze and the frame of its letterbox was loose, the screws on the floor.

I reached out and grabbed the handle. I turned it and the door flew open.