Earthrumbler

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Flare

My dreams had kept me asleep. They were soft thoughts, clouds of imagination, musings of a new reality. I’d never met my mother. On that frigid winter day, I’d come home and Dill had run after me, without my mother sitting at the bar.

My parents’ wedding was smooth. We had walked along the beach. No seaweed had curled around my ankle. Every torture that Poseidon had put me through was a nightmare that Papa had woken me from. Triton’s curse was a terrible fever that had caused me to hallucinate. I smiled until awareness ripped me from my downy thoughts.

I awoke, drenched in sweat, in complete darkness. My body was heavy, my muscles weak. I rolled out of bed, my soaked dress sticking to my back. I searched for the windows, but I realized that I was on my old bed in the cellar. I stumbled up the stairs, my injured leg lagging behind me. It ached.

The kitchen was empty, ten degrees warmer than the basement. The sound of voices carried me to the window that connected it to the bar.

“It’s nearly noon. Should I wake her?” Papa asked. His voice was laced with worry. “I should. She needs to drink something.”

Professor Lester sighed. “Eric, she cried herself into a fit last night. She’s probably exhausted. Just let her sleep.”

My mother’s voice startled me. “What do you mean she cried herself into a fit? What’s wrong with her?”

Papa said, “She was upset because some of us actually have to face death. She gave her life so you could live forever. My daughter is on her deathbed for you!”

“Eric.” Professor Lester sniped. “Athena, you’re a goddess. Surely, you know how to get rid of this. You must know how to save her.”

I peeked through the window, watching my mother nod. My stomach clenched. My legs were shaking just supporting my weight.

“I know of a cure, but…it’s a difficult situation. The only one who can help Genevieve now is my brother. I could slow the effects, but I have little energy as it is.” She paced the room, barefoot and still in Professor Lester’s dress.

Papa stood face to face with her, only inches apart. “You’re to heal my daughter, and then, you’re going to take her to your bro—you have a brother?”

“Several. All of which are half brothers,” she said. “Eric, I understand that you’re angry and you’re afraid of losing her—”

Papa grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t pretend to know anything of what I feel. I’ve been to hell and back this year. I got sick, and I’ve almost lost my daughter—”

My mother interrupted him. “Our daughter. She’s the only child I have, and all you can think about is how losing her has affected you. I gave her up. Do you not think that’s affected me? Do you think that I haven’t wanted to die after losing her?”

Professor Lester peered toward the window, and I ducked out of sight until she turned away. My fingers curled around the sill.

Papa’s face was burning into a scorching red. “You gave her up! You knew she was safe! I thought she was dead for a month! You can’t even imagine how that feels!”

“No, I cannot, and you couldn’t fathom what it feels like—”

“Enough!” Professor Lester stepped between them. When they both huffed, she said, “Thank you. I understand that the two of you have a bit of unresolved tension, but you’re going to have to overlook it for now. You’ve both seen your fair share of misery this year, and we all have. We can only think of a solution for the current problem. Now, Athena, you cannot go to your brother because he is not supposed to know of her. Is that correct?” Professor Lester folded her hands in front of her and cooled the atmosphere.