Drake's Misguided Adventure

Chapter 17 - Taxis are Lethal

A few hours past since Drake suddenly shut off, on more than an occasional glance, Aina can't help but feel in an awkward position. It doesn't help that Jen is insistent that Drake has teamed up with her other half. She keeps quiet about it as Jen continues to whisper to Aina about her 'findings' but to be frank, she isn't having it.

She knows that 'Filter', as Max has dubbed her, has some strange enjoyment out of torturing Aina. So, extending that to her knowledge of what happened between them in her cabin, it stands to reason that Filter sees Drake as some ploy to torment her even more. In her heart of hearts, Filter must feel that Drake means more to Aina then she knows herself. What other reason could there be?

"Aina, please just don't get too close to that guy," Jen pleads. "There's something off about him. At least wait until Jackson finds something."

"Finds," Aina says in an exasperated tone. "Jen, do you not hear yourself? You have nothing but anecdotal evidence. Drake's arrival doesn't mean some grand conspiracy. And if it did, what would it have to do with me? It makes more sense that Filter is the one dragging him around. From what I've been hearing, and saw with my own eyes, that seems to be the case."

"Saw?" Jen asks.

Aina sighs, "Yes, saw. Back in my cabin, Filter took over again. I won't lie to you Jen, I'm not winning this fight with her. Any slight amount of stress or emotional turmoil is enough for her to take over now and the only reason I am back in control is because she let me. I don't know how much more time I have left. If at all. This could all be one big lie from her. Making me feel like I have an iota amount of control but in reality it was only because she lets me."

The heaviness in Aina's voice, the cracks in her speech, Jen's chest bursts in pain. This is worse than she could ever imagine. She knew Aina was having trouble, but she never thought she would be losing this fight. It has to be because of Drake, she tells herself, everything was fine until he showed up. "You need to back away from Drake. He must've done something for this to happen!"

Jen's voice becomes audible for the rest of the demigods to hear, but the zooming traffic and loudness of the motor crushes most of her words. Max looks with curious eyes but is embarrassed to intrude in what looks to him as an intimate conversation. Ronnie doesn't move an inch, staring out the window in what appears to be her zoning out. In reality, she is trying her hardest to see the outside world. She soon learns the consequences as her eyes begin to strain because the objects outside were just lines to her vision. Lo, would be the only one to intrude but she's fast asleep. Long voyages aren't her strong suit. To avoid boredom, or obnoxiously getting in everyone's face, Lo simply goes to sleep and awaits for her ability to walk on her own two legs to return.

Once confirming that no one is paying them any attention Aina continues on, "Drake has nothing to do with it, Jen. Please just let it go."

"How can you be so confident?"

"Because Filter also attacked him." She blurts out. "When I gained back... when she let me take back control, Drake was a bloody mess. My entire cabin looked like a warzone."

Hearing this, Jen couldn't make sense of it. From everything she witnessed this past week, those two eerily close. It's not too much to say that their close relationship is the crux of her argument. If they really aren't that close, what does make of her assessment of Drake? When did she start concluding that Drake is malevolent? Was all her conclusions about Drake simply because of Dark Aina? He's clearly hiding something. There's no doubt about that in her mind, but maybe it's not that bad. Everyone has a thing or two they don't want the world to see.

No, she can't think that. Jackson himself said that something is really ominous about Drake. It isn't just her that believes that. Drake and Dark Aina were definitely really close. Most likely something happened between them at Aina's cabin and they had a falling out. That has to be the case, she tells herself. If not, then what is she doing?