Whimsical Mortality - SEQUEL OF THICKENING SHADOWS

Chapter 10

"If they're not monsters-" Grover paused to pant, "-what are they?"

The question was directed to Jack. The spirit of winter had been flushed to begin with, but now he was mirroring a tomato, his face a bright vibrant red. His long jeans tangled around his bare feet making him stumble. The others had to admit that it was a bit odd to see the usually graceful teenager stumble.

"Not now," he panted out as they entered a new cabin.

Percy slammed the door shut behind them and cut through mechanical opening mechanism. That women had been chasing them down the length of the train her husband and child hot on their heels. The scarce array of passengers on the train had cast them odd looks, but Thalia had quickly fixed that problem with a click of her fingers. The mist easily made it look as if it were just children running through the aisle.

Panting slightly, the son of Poseidon looked at the cabin. It was empty due to the fact it was the dining cart. According to the menus, the cart wouldn't open for a further hour, leaving them to have it too themselves. Thalia moved quickly and ran to the other door, easily ruining the opening mechanism on it. Nothing could get in. Or out.

"I think they're a couple carriages behind us," Grover panted and leant on his knees.

"What are they?" Thalia questioned.

Jack leant against the wall, bracing himself on his knees, "they're chaos spirits," he said between deep breaths.

"As in creator of the whole universe Chaos?" Percy asked as he swept his hair out of his eyes.

"No," Jack straightened up a little, "they're just called that. They have real names I never bothered to learn. They're our opposites. I bring snow, blizzards and whatnot. I always keep it in control- well except for '68- they're the ones who cause the deaths. They start bushfires, droughts and those kinds of things."

"So they're the evil siblings?" Percy mused as he glanced through the glass at the other carriage. They hadn't caught up- yet.

"Basically," Jack surveyed the area, "they were making the cabin warm-"

"But it was cold in there," Thalia argued.

"They absorbed the heat from the air. You didn't feel the heat because you didn't know they existed- you saw them as normal people. That's how they become strong, by absorbing heat, well, these ones anyway," Jack wiped his brow before clapping his hands together, "if I freeze this cabin, it'll become too cold for them, and they should leave us alone."

"Should," Grover repeated, "I don't like the sound of that."

"In theory it works," Jack blew onto his hands, "they usually leave me alone."

"Why?" Thalia questioned as she fingered her dagger.

"They fear Man in the Moon," Jack pushed his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes, "Man in Moons power is within me."