Underground Angels

Chapter Eighteen | The Beautiful Side

Chapter Eighteen

The Beautiful Side

 

            In the middle of the camp ground was a huge bonfire, curving into the light wind and burning brightly. It was twice as tall as Constantine, who towered over Noel as they wove through the crowds.

“Constantine, can I ask you a question?” Noel asked as they sat down on a log.

“Of course.” Reaching behind him, Constantine pulled out two long sticks and a bag or assorted smore ingredients “Marshmallow?”

“Thanks. But, Constantine, about the Niasyn stuff -”

Constantine shook his head “It’s a myth Noel, really.” He rotated his marshmallow slowly “It’s a favourite topic of conversation, a good fire side tale – but it doesn’t really amount to much.”

“It only happens to children of the major gods, the – uh – all powerful or something?”

A laugh escaped the slim lips of Constantine “Nobody really calls them that, not really. They’re all sort of -” he lowered his voice “Asshats in person.”

Eyes widening, Noel didn’t notice when her marshmallow caught on fire “You’ve met a god in person?”

“Sort of, yeah.” He shrugged “Once a kid was visited by their parent and well…it didn’t go down well. Demigods rarely see their second parent, or have a complete family.”

“What about you? You’ve got Mae and Lena.”

Constantine sighed “It’s not the same thing, not really– I love Lena and Mae, I truly do. They’re just not…well, Mae shares no genes with me, Lena and I will never share her in the same way. We come from different people, grew in different wombs.” He smiled, seeing her uncertainty “Lena is my sister Noel, I would do everything for her as any other big brother would – there are just certain differences that are sometimes hard to see past.”

Struggling to understand something she’d never had to really think about, Noel watched as her marshmallow turned into a gooey mess and dropped off the end of her stick “Who is your mother?”

“Athena,” he said, making a smore with a perfectly roasted marshmallow “Goddess of wisdom. My Dad was a strategic planner in the army, and Athena found that attractive – that being one of her talents.”

“And Lola?”

“It’s funny, how twins ended up being with twin gods, but that’s how it went.” The flames flickered, casting a warm light over Constantine’s face as he spoke of his cousin. It was evident he truly cared for her “Lola’s father is Apollo, god of music and poetry, archery. She’s one of the best archers in the festival.”

Noel stuck another marshmallow on her stick and shivered; though wearing two Christmas sweaters and a large winter jacket she was still cold. “I don’t really get this whole festival thing, and Gabriel’s whole weird role in it. Is he some kind of – of counsellor or something?”