Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch43

The celebration for red team only lasted so long. They stopped and surrounded me. Andrew broke through the croud with Toni and Serena.

  "Hey, the real reason I asked you out here was so you could communicate with us, maybe move on easier." He said, his voice was low but he wasn't acting like a jerk. He had definatly changed on our trip. He didn't act like a bully pack leader any more.

   "What do you mean move on?" I asked him. My stomach was slowly twisting into a knot. "Look, after demigods go missing.." He stopped and let out a small cough. "Or die....." He stopped himself again, and It came crashing back to me. The moment his grip escaped mine, the dream..He was dead.

  Tears slowly made my eyes burn, and blur. I never forgot, but the dream, plans, and distraction kept me from completly noticing. And now I was infront of everyone, crying. "No. You can't I don't want..." My voice broke. He walked forward and grabbed my shoulders. "You won't forget him." He promised me. My knees buckled and I clung to his shirt. "No." I whispered.

   "What?" He asked me alittle confused. "You can go ahead and bury an empty coffin. But I won't give up. He came to me in a dream. It may sound stupid, but it's all I've got." I said and replanted my footing. I wasn't going to be so weak, and give into what everyone else believe.

   Andrew's expression changed to a harsh one. "Ok everyone, go back go your duties and chores." He said to the surrounding people. Although no one moved. "Now!" He said like a drill sergeant.

   People started to clear out, and I got up to go back to my cabin. "Gena, I never ment to make a scene, I just wanted to help and....." I cut him of and remembered my plans. "If you want to help, then get me a person from the Iris cabin and the Hecate cabin." I said and threw the blue feather helmet I was wearing on the ground.

   Soon I was back to work, more determained than before. Cory's necklace hung around my neck, cold compared to me and the forges. I was building a frame, that was a foot in diameter, and it was deep like a turkey serving dish.

   It had groves made for place ment of coins. I asked around how people comunicate with family, the same answer came up. 'Iris message.' This got me thinking about Kaylyn being a follower of Hecate and the underworld magic thingy with the lake.

   My plan is to make a machine to link and communicate with the underworld. And with Cory's necklace to connect to his soul, I might be able to see him again. Maybe even get to ask him about my dream.

   I started making light panels with an oil covered lense, this could make a rainbow under the water. Which would be the part that allows for a message. The line doesn't hold long though so if I had one of the Iris kids here, they could hold a steady line.

   "Sis, there is a Hecate child here." One of my brother's said and let some one in. She was surprisingly shorter than I expected. I was tall finally to someone. But I couldnt' waste time getting distracted.

  "I heard you needed help." She said with a sing-songy voice; although, she said it low as if she was nervous. "Yes, please. I want to know if you can use this to link to someone who is..." I couldn't say the word. "No longer here." I said in a forced breath, and pointed to Cory's necklace. "Yes." She answered and reached for the necklace.

   I flinched, but eventually let her touch it. "The mist is seeping of this in thick amounts." She said with a shock. "What does that mean?" I asked her.

   "It's connected to his being, but it is also hiding something dark." She said and let go of it quickly. "You don't need me, it's connected." She said and apologised. Without a look back she left. I clung to the necklace, and whispered to it. "One step closer Cory, one step closer."

   It was dark out before the male from the Iris cabin showed up. He was fairly normal, and he was wearing a Nickleback Tee. "Hi, I'm Mack." He said with a warm smile. I faked on back at him. "I feel like the phone company right now." He said with a chuckle.

   "Lets just get started." I said to cut the small talk. Walking over, I held the necklace over the water with a ting of nervousness. 'What should i say to him? Do I yell at him for dying? Do I cry in front of him and tell him how I feel?' I asked myself in my head, yet only stupid things came to mind. 'Hey Cory. How's the devil? I love you, why did you die on me?' That was my plan B, then I just face palmed myself. "I'll just wing it." I said in a low voice.

   "Cory Matthews!" I said to the water and tossed in a coin. A dark image flickered, but I couldn't see anything. "Put the necklace in for the full connection." He said to me.

   The moment I placed the tip of the arrow under the surface, the bowl exploded and knocked the wind out of me. I was laying flat on the ground gasping for air. Mack tried help me up, but instead I turned over with my hands covering my face. The silver arrow head conducted the electric current, which Ignited the oil, and caused an explosion. The shockwave knocked me over and had pushed against my lung.

   "Hey it's ok. Every forge god's kid screws up at some point. You just got to try again." He said and patted my shoulder for comfort. I got up and went back to the blueprints. I was starting all over.

    *One week later*

After another failure, explosion, meltdown, and sudden popcorn making, I was on unable to keep myself together. Yet I was back at the last model of my plans. "Gena." Andrew's voice said and broke me from my consentration. He was dressed in shorts and a vest of some sort. "Come on we are supposed to be going on the boat today." He said and handed me a matching vest. "No you don't understand, I'm not done." I replied while I fixed a water proof cap over a L.E.D. light. "That can wait. You need to shower and change." He insisted, but made the mistake of removing the tool from my hand. This caused me to snap. "Andrew, give it back. I'm almost done." I said harshly. "You need to give up and realise that he is gone, I know it's hard but I'm here for.."

  "SHUT UP!" I shouted at him. "You don't control me, I won't give up on him!" I said my voice starting to tremble. "He wouldn't give up on me if it was the other way around." My voice was getting lower. "The thing will be here when we get back.." Again I stopped him. "I'm not going." I said and looked for a new version of that tool.

   "But Gena." He said, but realised that I wasn't going to change my mind. "At least go take a shower." He said and walked out the door.

  That I finally noticed I can't remember the last time I had a shower or slept. So reluctantly I headed for the shower. In the mirror an image shocked me. My hair was pulled back into a pony tail, but it was greasy. Ends stuck out hear and there. A screw was sticking in the pony tail in a small knot, my eyes had bags, and smugs of oil was a over my limbs.

  I placed my hand on the mirror. "Cory damn it. Why can't I just reach you." I asked the reflection. Suddenly the whole mirror image flickered and jumped to a new face. It was kaylyn and her boyfriend. "Gena. Yes I finally made contact." She said but gave me no time to talk. "I know you have been trying to reach Cory, with my magic and Max's ability we should be able to get you to talk to him. Place the necklace on the glass, then say his name. The boat keeper.that guides souls should show you him and give you time to talk." She continued.

  Without hesitating I did as I was informed. "Cory Mathews!" I said with the necklace pressed so hard my fingers hurt.

  Sure enough, the image changed to a dark field with a lone cloaked man swaying slightly. "The living are not permited to see this place." He said with a hoarse voice. "I just want to talk to a recently lost person." I said with hope taking control of my mind. "What is the name of this person?" He asked with a softer voice.

   "Cory. Cory Mathews sir." I answered, but suddenly my hopes lead to complete confusion. "There is no soul that you are familiar with by that name here, nor has there been any from your century." He said. My hands dropped from the mirror, and the image of him disappeared from the sheet of glass. Kaylyn and Max were exchanging confused expressions, then they were gone too.