CHRONOLYMPUS

Chapter II: I Learn to "Spread My Wings"

―Z―

During the car ride, I discovered that my injuries were worse than I thought. The knuckles of my right hand were bruised and bleeding, and it was probably broken. Bits of glass had embedded themselves into the flesh of my hands, and I could hardly talk because of the blow I took to the face.

Orion instructed me to open the glove compartment. I did so, and it was packed to the brim with vials filled with a honey-colored liquid, and Ziploc bags with what looked like lemon squares.

"Eat one ambrosia square," Orion ordered, "no more, no less."

I decided not to question him, so I did as told. I didn't know what it would taste like, but the flavor of my Dad's homemade blueberry pancakes filled my mouth, pleasuring my taste buds. Immediately, I began to feel the swelling in my cheek go down, and the skin on my hands spat out the glass before the cuts closed completely. The bruises on my knuckles were gone, too.

"Why can't I have another?" I asked, pleased to find that I could talk freely without my face feeling like it got hit by a rock (which technically was the case).

"If you eat too many, you'll die," Orion said plainly. "But what's cool about them is that they taste like your favorite food."

That explained the blueberry pancake taste. But how would I die if I ate too many of them?

"Your body will burn up," Orion answered, as if he had read my mind. "A nymph explained how they work, but I wasn't really paying attention."

Right when I was about to ask what a nymph was, he tossed me his cell phone. "Call your Dad, let him know what happened, and that you're on your way home. Tell him to meet us there."

I dialed my Dad's number, and thankfully, he picked up right away. I explained everything that happened at school, and he only responded with a dead silence, which wasn't good. He was utterly speechless. After an eternity, he said, "I'll be at home in a few minutes. Stay with Orion."

"I-I will," I promised. "I'll see you in a few."

And then the call ended. I wished I had said more, voiced my emotions like I wanted to. I was terrified for my life, for his, for Orion's. I wanted to ask him what was going to happen to us, and if our lives were going to be different.

I buried my face in my hands. This can't be happening, I thought as I heard my quickening heartbeat resonate throughout my body, as if someone had plugged it to an amplifier. This isn't real. This isn't real.

"W-What's going to happen?" I asked, trying to calm myself down to no avail. "Why did those monsters come after us?"

I looked at Orion, but he avoided my gaze. His jaw grew taut before he said, "You and I are gods."

I remembered that the Earthborn called me "young god", but I didn't think much of it. This didn't make sense. "W-What?" I asked, almost speechless.

"We are reincarnations of Greek gods," Orion explained. "Do you know about Greek mythology?"

"N-Not really," I stammered.

"Well, those monsters, the Earthborn, were sent from our grandmother, Gaea, the Earth Mother. Basically, she wants us dead. And as a bonus, her son, Kronos, who is also our Dad, wants to kill us, too. But the good thing is that they are both dormant for now. Gaea is asleep, and Kronos is in Tartarus, which is the deepest part of the Underworld, but Gaea can still attack us. Even though she isn't at full power, she can manifest and appear for short periods of time. But her children, the Earthborn and whatnot, are hell-bent on destroying us, too."