The Daughter of Apollo

Chapter Twenty-Two: Drew is Crazy

Chapter Twenty-Two-Drew is Crazy

You'd think I was worried the minute I heard this. Or maybe I started crying. Or maybe I sat down in the booth, with a shocked looked on my face. The truth? I nearly didn't care.

What had my mother done for me that she should deserve my help? What had my mother done except either neglect me or try to control my life? Had she even the slightest care for how I felt all those years?

But I thought of my dad. He had been there when I needed him, even if he wasn't really my dad; I grew up with him as my dad. He'd consoled me when Drew wasn't around to do so, and when I grew quiet, he somehow managed to make me talk.

So, I stood there. A blank look on my face. I heard myself say, "So?"

Lana looked at me horrified. "You don't care that your parents are missing?"

"Not really," I said coldly and shrugged as I started to walk towards the door. A voice stopped me though.

"That's not the Jaycee we know."

It was Faith's voice. I froze in my place. The café's little occupancy was looking at me as Faith approached and placed her hand on my shoulder, the small band of demigods back at the booth. I could only imagine how many monsters we were attracting right now.

I shrugged Faith's hand away.

"That Jaycee doesn't even exist yet. That Jaycee will never exist if you try and help me right now. You gotta trust me on that one, Faith. I have to go through some metamorphosis and it has to deal with this. So if you try and help me right now, the one you know will cease to exist." Even though I wasn't looking at her, I could tell she was shocked. "I've watched and read enough time travel stuff to know."

With that, I walked out of the small café, its occupants staring after me curiously. I kept my hood up, and my hands in my pockets. My thumb was fingering my iPod that was tucked behind my phone in my pocket. Why would someone-anyone-want to kidnap my parents? I didn't have anything of value to give for trade.

A cold laughter rang in my ears and tingled up my spine. My eyes widened as I immediately straightened as if being zapped by lightning. I fell to my knees, clutching my stomach, as something powerful overwhelmed me. I closed my eyes as the pain grew and my grip on my sides tightened.

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't on the streets of New York City, though I knew I was still there. What I saw in front of me was my little devil of a half-brother, Jace, and my parents, all hugging each other tightly. Stephanie was unconscious on the ground. Jace's shirt was in ruins and his gaming device was shattered at his feet. He was complaining loudly about how it had taken him hours to get to Level 3 (Though it took me only minutes to get to Level 5, proving that he was super slow). My mother was crying into my step-father's shoulder. I had finally decided to say that Scott Carter-who I had thought was my real dad-was my step-dad.

My step-dad was stroking my mom's short, red hair as tears spilt through her closed eyes and drenching a small portion of Scott's shirt. An arrow whizzed past, impaling it into the wall next to my mother's head. I was surprised to see that the archer who had shot it was...Drew Carter. My wonderful big brother had kidnapped our parents? What sense did that make?

"Stop crying!" He ordered in a tone I'd only heard him use once, when he and our mother got in their biggest fight early in the morning hours.

"Drew..." Scott's voice drawled as our mother tried desperately to stop the tears.

"Shut up!" He demanded. "It's all your guys' fault! It's your fault that she ran, you know!" He pointed a finger at mom. "You neglected her! You acted as though she was invisible, and then when we both find out that Apollo, the Greek God Apollo, is our father, and you deny it! You tried to tell me that the Greek Gods don't even exist! And you know that they do!" He then pointed to Scott. "And you never told her that you weren't her dad! She went on believing that lie for fourteen years! And you didn't even bother to try and understand her problems to help!" Then he pointed to the whimpering little boy. "And you, I have no words for," My brother scowled, something that didn't suit him. I understood anger towards our mother, who had neglected us. I understood annoyance towards Jace, who was a spoiled brat. But I didn't understand anger towards our step-father, who had tried his best.

And when I thought about it, I was only angry at my 'friends' for spying on me. And when I thought about it, I wasn't exactly angry at my mother, more annoyed and wanting her attention and praise for what I do, not what she tries to do for me. And everyone had the right to be annoyed with someone like Jace. That needed no explanation. But when I looked into the eyes of my brother's image-knowing this was only a vision-I saw fear. Fear that this was his fault. He needed someone to blame. So he blamed our mortal family. Any reasons behind kidnapping them may have been also for protection.

They said the place was ransacked, most likely by a monster, so he got them out safely, and then anger took over. And I got all this information just by looking into his eyes.

I closed my eyes again and when I opened them, I took a deep shaky breath. I found that I was lying on the sidewalk of the city street, Connor Stoll's face hovering above me, his brother Travis behind him a little.

"Oh, thank the gods! You're all right!" Lana cried. "We walked out of the café following you, and then you collapsed, and you weren't breathing, and we almost had to have Connor give you mouth to mouth! But you woke up before anything like that had to happen!"

Connor's face flushed as Lana started hyperventilating after her explanation.  I sat up groggily, with the Stoll Brother's help. When I got a proper look around the place, I noticed the blind son of Iris, Noah, standing behind Meg.

"I got here as fast as I could! I had a feeling something was going to happen. I figured out who kidnapped your parents, too! His aura was left all over the apartment. It was-" I cut Noah off.

"Drew. My brother kidnapped our parents and half-brother. Yeah, I know."

We all shared a look before Travis asked, "But, why?"