Flight

Chapter 28

"Who are you and why are you in my house?"

The woman turned around, a startled expression on her small face. Her eyes were crystalline, like blue glass orbs. They were bright with life, like she had just won something. They also had kind of a sad tinge to them. Like the look soldiers have when they've seen a lot of things that they wish they could un-see.

"Hello, child," the woman said in a bell like voice, "I'm not here to rob you of any of your belongings, only to tell you somethings now that you're of age-"

A plate fell out of her reach. Kallisto snatched it out of the air. She took the rest of the plates and cups from the lady. "I'm sure you can't explain yourself if you're juggling my dad's stuff."

"Oh, yes, please, that would be of much help, thank you," She said. With her free hand, she put everything down except for the wine bottle. "This is some fine wine. Dionysus would be envious. I don't he has tasted this one yet."

Kallisto scrunched up her nose, "what-"

"Child! You have wings like mine!" The woman interrupted. "You used the-"

"Okay, who are you?" Kallisto asked slightly agitated.

"Oh, I guess that would make a difference. I'm your great grandmother, Nikê."

Kallisto dropped a cup and a jaw as Nikê offered her hand. It's a good thing that the cup was plastic. Kallisto just stared at her hand. Nikê rolled her eyes, grabbed Kallisto's hand and shook it. She looked at the wine bottle.

"You wouldn't mind if I took this, would you?"

"Oh, pssshhh, I personally wouldn't mind. I don't drink the stuff. But I can't talk for my dad."

"Oh well, that's his loss." Nikê set down the wine bottle and looked Kallisto up and down. Then her jaw all of a sudden dropped. "Your hair? My darling child, what happened?"

"It got cut off," Kallisto said, putting her face in her hands. Nikê gasped. Kallisto sighed. "So now, onto something a little bit more important, you, an immortal goddess, are my great grandmother?"

"Well, yes, I thought so," Nikê said, a confused expression on her face. "I am the mother of your grandmother, who is the mother of your mother, who is the mother of...well, you. That's how I thought it worked. Then again last time I visited the mortal world was for the Olympics."

"They were last summer."

"No, I meant the original ones in Greece. I don't give a hooey about today's athletes," she said, appearing to be amused.

"No one at all?" Kallisto asked.

"No one except Michael Phelps. He is an extraordinary swimmer," Nikê said dreamily. "He's got my blessing."

"I don't think he needs it," Kallisto scoffed.

Nikê burst out in loud, obnoxious laughter. "I'm the only reason why he is the most decorated mortal Olympian of all time. I like him more than Usain Bolt. Phelps is still humble and the wins don't go to his head."

"His face last olympics was funny, though." Both of them started laughing at the thought of his face when he beat his insulter. After their laughter burnt itself out, Kallitso was the first one to break the silence. "So, I'm actually related to a goddess."

"Yes, which brings me to why I came here originally." Nikê's expression turned dark. She brought her hands to her nose and took a breath. "Kallisto, somethings aren't always as they seem. The person whom you trust the most may be the first to stab your back in war. I trusted my father for obvious reasons, but he disowned me. Then I fought by Zeus' side and defeated the titans. I wanted to warn you. The soul of battle is coming. And he is not happy."

"Oh jeez," Kallisto squeaked, "um, are you able to tell me who's gonna betray me?"

"I cannot. I am truly sorry."

"Well, that makes my job easier."

"I am sorry, Kallisto, but that is something that you must learn on your own. Please stay strong and don't be so trusting. I'll let you decide who you trust and who you do not. Just know that anyone can be helpful and anyone can stab your back."

Kallisto kept her thoughts to herself. She wanted to ask so many questions and see how many she could get answered, but she figured that this was all that would come out of her great grandmother. So she decided to ask something not so related. Maybe she could then get an answer. But she got beat to that idea.

"So, enough about this," Nikê said, sort of smiling, "how did you get those wings?"

"I wished for them," Kallisto said, remembering the embarrassingly stupid argument with Marcus over her bracelet.

"So you used the bracelet?" Nikê asked.

"Yeah, I did," Kallisto realized that she still had the string on. She had meant to take it off before she went to sleep. Obviously that hadn't happened. "This is it."

She was about to take it off for the goddess, but Nikê put her hand on it. "Leave it on. It's very important that you don't lose it. It may help you one day."

Kallisto looked down at her bracelet. It had one pearlescent, blue bead. It looked just like it had the day she had first put it on. "Where did that come from?"

"That is a wish," Nikê said with a warm glow in her eyes, "did you notice that the bead disappeared when you wished for your wings?"

"I thought I had lost it or something."

"No. It was a wish that was granted."

"Oh..." Kallisto looked at the bead and twisted it in her fingers. "What are the limitations on these wishes?"

"No immortality, fore seeing, or changing the past." Nikê said.

"Sweet!" Kallisto squealed.

"But beware, my child," Nikê said with a serious tone, "each wish has responsibilities that come with it. It will never be just luxury."

"So like, if I wish to be a millionaire, I'll have higher taxes?"

"Precisely." Nikê said. Then she grasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no."

"What?" Kallisto asked, startled by her sudden change in attitude.

"I'm turning into Athena, I need to go!" She gave Kallisto a hug and grasped the  neck of the wine bottle. "Thank you for the wine!"

"Your welcome, I guess." Nikê walked out of her apartment, wine in hand. Kallisto looked at her bracelet. Then a question popped into her brain. Why do my questions always pop up last minute? "Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait!"

Kallisto chased her down the hall. As soon as she poked her head into the Emergency stairwell, she heard the door slam closed. She pounded up the stairs to try and reach her. She burst through the door with so much force, that she fell flat on her stomach. The impact knocked the wind out of her. She stood up and looked around.

Nikê was gone.