Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch23

As we walked, Toni informed me about himself. Only letting up to breathe, just so he could finish talking. The only reason he was walking with me was, because of the dream I told him about. He only shrugged it off as if it didn't phase him.

    We stopped at a crosswalk, and let the cars pass the green light. They mirrored and mocked our faces, by warping our reflections on the metal surface. "Maybe you are just psychic." He said trying to find an excuse.

   "Oh so I'm psychic huh? So that would make you the pope." I said sarcastically, even though it made no sense. Past him I could see a telephone booth, that had a phone book inside and on the floor of the booth. I walked over to it and opened the door.

   "Hotels. Hotels." I said to my self as I thumbed through the book, until I found the part that I was looking for. Soon my pointer finger landed on the only hotel with the letters T, B, and E in that order. It was: Tru Blues Inn.

   "Toni, look I don't think Trisha taking your gun was putting your sister in danger. You see its our blood type that draws monsters near us and..." I started, although he cut me off. "I know. I know that it means I'm putting her in danger, but I can help it. She is the only thing left for me. I don't know if its bad luck that I have or if its something every demigod has to deal with. I would be worse than death if I lost her." He finished, and took a small forced breath.

    We walked in silence. Silence that seemed to make the walk feel longer. Silence that made me want to do something other that the nothing that we were doing. We past so many building, restaurants, and other places, but never stopped.

    We reached the hotel, it was a large burgundy place. The windows lined the large walls and gave it a empty look. The curtains that hid the interior were all marine blue, and they matched the artistic shutters. Multiple flag poles stuck out of the building, all having brightly designed flages on them. The building was surrounded by bushes of white roses, and lilies, that gave the place a foreign look. "Ok I this is the place." I said motioning to the building.

    Entering the place made me feel like the place was expensive. It had a lot of statues and figurehead that made the place pop out at you. "Can I get you two a room?" I heard a woman from my left ask.

   There was a fairly elder woman behind the counter. She wore thick glasses, but she still squinted at us while she starred. "Yeah I'm looking for some of my friends. Black haired girl, and a blond male?" I said it as if to ask her if she seen anyone like I described.

    She started to hum, and write something down. "Ma'am?" Toni called he attention. "Who are you? Are you here to steal from me?" she asked and picked up a letter opener.

   "No. This is a hotel. We have friends here. Can we get the room number." I said slow and calmly. She squinted at us and then asked something completely new.

    "Are you here to fix the Television?" Which took us by surprise. Toni got close and whispered in my ear: "Ok look miss fruitcake over there obviously does know much so I'll sneak around her and just see which key from the hooks are missing." He offered me, but my hoodie popped into my head. "No I got this." I said and pulled the hood over my head.

    Soon my hoodie changed colors, matching my surroundings. The woman didn't seem to notice me as I made my way around the side. She looked at Toni and made a face to him. "Didn't you just have a dog?" She asked him in a confused tone.

    "N.." He was cut off by her rambling. "I smell a dog. We don't allow animals at this hotel." She continued writing as she said this. Looking over I could see that the only missing key was one for a honeymoon suite. 'Well I don't know if it's them or not, but it is worth a shot.' I thought to my self and made my way back to Toni.

    "You have a camo hoodie? Dude that's awesome!" He exclaimed as we made our way to the suite. The hallways were extremely long, and they looked as if they turns would be endless. We were up to room 184, but we stopped when we saw the suite. It was the only different door in the place.

    The door was a mahogany collor instead of tan like the others. Its frame had tacky hearts on it and the number: 186 written on it.

  I knocked on the door and was greeted by Andrew. "Cory, thank gods you're here. Something is wrong with Gena." He said pointing to her. She was laying on a bed with many burn marks on it. Her skin was glowing, and her is were fluttering as if she was having a seizure.

   I rushed over to her, and as I got closer I could feel the warmth in the air. Like sticking your hand near an open flame, only I wasn't being burnt. Infact the blisters on my body were fading, along with the pain of my broken bones that I kept trying to ignore.

   Her head turned to me, and her golden eyes peired at me. She looked as if she was trying to say something, but nothing came out. The heat in the air made it hard to read her lips, so I got closer. "Cory." Toni called from behind me. "Cory, her soul is fighting a larger one." He said to as if he could see it.

    As I got closer, I could hear that she was whispering. "Fire isn't destruction. Fire is life. Fire isn't destruction. I am not destruction." She was whispering, with pain in her eyes. "Cory. I can't hold on. This other half is so strong." She said, but stopped and look at the window.

    As if to add more trouble, a small line of fire started to make the shape of a hammer. I middle aged man appeared as if by some cosmic force. He had a similar glow like Gena, but he wore some mechanics gear. His face seemed like he was angry yet afraid. "Father." Gena said in a whisper,  which made me realize that whispering was the only energy that she had. "Mr. Hephaestus sir. What is going on?" I asked as I exchanged glances with Gena.

    "The god half and titan half are fighting over control and the mortal part is caught in the middle. The place where her soul connection exist, where that plain takes place in the under world something is wrong. Gaia must have done something." He said, while he moved closer to comfort her. Her temperature was going rouge and it was surprising that she was still conscious. Since Prometheus is no longer existent, the half is trying to make her its vessel." He tried to explain.

     "Cory, you have to go to the underworld and reconnect the link or.." He paused, "Or else she will become a titanness. And a titanness will be slaughtered or if her hod-hood overpowers the titan powers she will be a goddess. One chosen by or not allowed by the council are sentence to death. Either way...She is dead unless her mortal half becomes in charge again." He finished, as Gena's eyes clasped shut. More heat filled the room. "God energy is very powerful. Monsters will smell it and come to get the person letting it off. You must provide a way to cover her." He said and his eyes landed on my hoodie.

    Without a word, I took off my jacket and put it on her. Almost a second after, the heat in the room dwindled down to a far more bearable temperature. "Take care of my daughter, or I will forge a curse on you so unbearable, that your last problem will look like a gift of life. Do I make myself clear?" He said with anger very noticable in his voice. "Yes sir. You do." Was my answer.