The Holly Tree (Demigod Story)

Perks of being a Pretty Boy.

I refused James' offer, but he seemed to think "no" actually meant "please continue begging so I might change my mind."

After I said "no" about a hundred times, he disappeared.   A silver key was left in the seat that James had been sitting in.  I picked it up and examined it; a skull was carved to the stop of it.  I dropped it into my pocket as a little trophy for getting him to leave, but the car door swung open to show that James was the least of my problems.

Michael stepped into the car and sat where James had been sitting, slamming the door closed behind him.  I flinched as the car shook from the force he applied to the door.  His breaths were heavy and he refused to look at me by keeping his gaze down.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, unsure of whether or not his anger was directed at me.  I stared at Michael's shiny black hair as he continued giving me the silent treatment.  I dropped my eyes to his shoulders, noticing that his arms were well-built.  On his tinted skin, I noticed that part of a tattoo was peeping out of his Legions shirt.  I couldn't tell you exactly what the tattoo was of, but I thought that I saw a part of a claw.

My gaze went from the tattoo to meet his eyes when he finally lifted his head.  Once our eyes made contact, his squinted as he began to laugh.  It was a humorless, mocking laugh that made me uneasy.

I crossed my legs and leant back into my seat as I asked, "What's so funny?"

His laugh immediately stopped, leaving only a smile that made my blood run cold.  "You know-" he interrupted himself by shaking his head and biting his lip.  "You know--I don't know what to think of you," he admitted.  I remained silent as he waited for a response.

"I had prayed to Venus that she'd send someone...special.  You know, someone to love and fight for.  I expected a daughter of Jupiter or Mars to appear, but you know who mom sends me the next day?"  I lowered my head, bracing myself for the answer.  "Well, do you know?" he questioned, intimidating me by raising his voice.

"She sent her pretty son his perfect match?" I murmured, praying that it wouldn't be me.

"Shut it, death breath," he snapped.  "She.  Sent.  You."

My breath was caught in my lungs as the information came to me.  He called me "death breath," he knows my parentage...

"And do you know what the worst part is?" he asked.  "She knew what she was doing.  I was warned against asking Venus for favors because she'd make sure to include many twists and turns."

"What does that even mean?" I questioned.

"For example, you.  I'm the leader of the most prestigious of the Legions.  Meanwhile , my supposed 'soul mate' is Greek," he stressed.

"Stop being racist.  I might be Greek, but that don't make me a bad person," I claimed.

"I'm not being racist-"

"But if I was Roman, it wouldn't be no problem," I interrupted him.

He rubbed his temples and took a deep breath before answering.  "Holly, bear with me here.  My job is to interrogate you.  Meanwhile, you've been getting twelve hours of sleep, plenty of food, and restroom breaks," he paused, looking at me expectantly.

"What?  I don't see a problem," I lied.

"The problem is that you use your privileges to go on a murder spree!  You took advantage of me and killed three of my soldiers, two of which were friends of mine!" he exclaimed.

My legs quickly uncrossed and I grabbed the seat.  "What?  No!"

"Skip the petty excuses and just admit it.  When you shadow traveled from the restroom, where did you go?  What did you do?" he roughly asked.