The Undoing of My Reality [UNDOING I]

Road Trip

Baptized in bloody water. I'll make you famous one way...
Or another.
The lyrics blared from my headphones in a low quality, with the occasional static. I found that my walkman had some buffers and glitches, some things to be fixed. Sometimes I had to hit the side of it to get it working again. Nonetheless, I could listen to music just fine. My mom put songs on there that she thought I would like. Apparently, an obscure banjo guy singing about Jeffree Dahmer reminded her of me. Shit still slapped, though.

At that time I was sitting along the backseat, no seatbelt. I had my cat blanket draped in my lap, laying on a unicorn pillow pet. My bag was in the trunk, my walkman in my lap as well. I had my glasses off as well, they were on the floor, my coffee in the cup holder. I stared at the ceiling, blankly, assessing my situation and trying to figure out what was going on.

The song skipped. I hit the walkman again. Oliver looked over.

"You good?" They asked me, grinning widely. I glanced up at them, meeting their chocolate brown eyes.

"Eh? O-oh, yea I'm fine. This darn thing just.." I could barely hear myself over the vibrations of Will's old car, but they seemed to understand me well, nodding their head.

"I'm not one inclined to fixing things. I'm the odd one out at the hephaestus cabin, all I can do is make detailed Skyrim armor. But I do know a guy who could upgrade your walkman." They ran their fingers through their electric blue hair. "I'll introduce you to him. He's a night owl like you are, I'm sure he'll like the brain break."

"Oh... Oh I don't want to bother-"

"No...! I insist, it won't be any trouble, Lulu." I missed that nickname. Not. Luna was already a nickname, I go by it because the majority of people can't fucking pronounce Alioluna. It isn't hard! "Ah-Leo-luna" see?

Oliver looked back at the road, placing their feet on the dashboard as Will drove.

"Ollie, I'm glad you're trying to help Luna get friends, but I really think we should tell her where we're going." Will sipped her tea, then set it back in the cupholder.

"Oh! Right." Ollie turned toward me again.

"You're going to camp halfblood. It's where people like us can stay safe from monsters. They like to eat us, we taste good apparently. Anyway, we're heading there. Will and I are year round campers. And since you don't have a family-"

"Oliver! Rude!" Will cut them off.

"It's true.." I mumbled, looking away as I paused my music. My thoughts drifted to the day at the house, when I caught a glimpse of my dad in a white sheet. The relief that washed over me when my suspicions were confirmed by the cop. The oddly tranquil feeling that I had gotten the night before, when I was mixing in the white barium powder into the noodles.

Oliver rolled their eyes.

"Anyway, I think you're gonna be a year round camper. You'll learn how to fight, heal, maybe you'll find out you have powers."

"Eh? Powers?" I asked.

"Yea! There's a kid who can summon the dead, another can control water, I know a guy who can control fire- same guy who's gonna fix your walkman." They seemed really happy, bouncing up and down. I smiled softly.

"We'll see... Whos my godly parent...?" I asked, but Will shook her head.

"We don't know. You'll have to get claimed. That could take a few seconds or a few years. I didn't find out I was an Apollo kid until months later." She drummed on the wheel.

"W-Wait, so you two aren't siblings-" I was confused. I always thought they were brother and sister?

"No, we are. We have the same mom. Just... Different dads." Oliver explained. I nodded. I'm stupid.

"Got it... So... I'm a demigod of a god to be determined, I'm going to a camp where I'm going to be safe, and...?"

"That's it. It's pretty straightforward. You'll learn as you go, I promise, Lulu." Oliver kicked his heels together. The car fell silent again, and I pressed play on my walkman. The vibrations of the car, the smell of pine and coffee eventually lured me to sleep.

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"Will?" Oliver asked, turning their head to face their sister.

"Hm?"

"Who do you think her father is?"

Will sighed. "How do you know her godly parent is her father?"

"I've met her mom. She looks exactly like her. Her mom may have been the one to disappear, but I know it has to be her father. He... He was an asshole. I hated him." Oliver explained, talking with their hands as well.

"She could very well be a Hades kid. Maybe even Ares, you remember elementary school. Hermes? Nah... She's too shy. I doubt she's Zeus or Posideon, she can't swim." Will listed off names, glancing toward her sibling, then back to the road. "You okay, Ollie?"

They sighed. "Yea, I just... I remember she used to do this thing, when I couldn't sleep."

"Mhm...?"

"She would touch my shoulder, or my cheek and say something in Russian... And then I would sleep. Like, immediately. No matter the time of day or how tired I was. She said she never knew why she said those words, they just... Came to her. What if she's Hypnos?"

"Hypnos?" Will shrugged. "She very well could be. Sleeps like a fucking rock. She'd be the only one though. The last ones all moved out of camp. They're rare, Oliver. Are you sure?"

They nodded.

"Tell you what." Will smirked. "I'll give you 50 drachma if she's actually hypnos. You give me 50 drachma if she isn't."

"Deal." They held out their hand to shake. Will shook it, then got back to driving.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

I woke up when Will gently shook me. Her skin was warm, once again. She always was warm... She really was an Apollo kid after all. I slowly sat up, putting on my glasses. It had to have been ten or eleven PM, I remember being grumpy when I woke up. I was met with her smiling face.

"We're at a motel." She explained. "It's safer inside than to sleep in a car. Cmon, Ollie's already got a room. We're gonna keep driving first thing in the morning."

I could only nod, unbuckling my seatbelt and exiting the car. She handed me my stuff, and I took it with a mumbled "thank you." The two of us walked into the motel, and up to a room. She knocked on the door to our room, and Oliver answered. They were shirtless, and appeared tired. They let us in without another word, and I crashed onto the bed, falling back asleep. I needed that. Badly.