Andy Jackson: Child of Land & Sea

Asshole Day

Act II — Heart of the Ocean

Part I — So prepare for the coup of the century; be prepared for the murkiest scam.

Grover was terrified of something behind him but Andy couldn't see what it was. She could hear it though, growling, coming for him.

"Have to get away! Have to warn them," Grover kept repeating. He dove behind a rack of wedding dresses.

The smell hit Andy like a wrecking ball—a sickening combination of wet sheep wool and rotten meat.

Grover trembled.

Then lightning flashed, the entire front of the store exploded and a monstrous voice bellowed, "MINE!"

***

It had only been three months since Andy had returned from camp, but it felt like a lifetime. She sat for breakfast with her mother, but didn't eat with as much enthusiasm as usual. She felt a strange urge to uncap Riptide; she missed all parts of that magical world, she missed her friends, she missed even Clarisse, and especially—

"What's wrong?" Her mother saw something in her face.

"I think Grover is in trouble," Andy admitted and then told Sally about her dream.

"I wouldn't be too worried, dear," Sally decided. "Grover is a big satyr. If there was a problem, I'm sure we would've heard from... camp," her shoulders tensed when she said it.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Sally said, a little too fast. "Let's go out tonight. For dinner. You can take Tyson, I like him."

"Why are you changing the subject? What happened, mom?"

Sally twisted her hands. "I got a message last night, Andy, from Chiron."

"What did he say?"

"They're having some... technical issues."

"What does that even mean?"

"Oh, Andy, I am very sorry, alright, but you're gonna have to wait. It is time for school. Tyson will be waiting. Go."

Andy didn't want to leave like that, without an explanation, but it was clear her mom wouldn't tell her anything if she didn't cooperate.

As she stepped outside, she glanced at the brownstone building across the street. Just for a second, Andy saw a dark shape, a human silhouette against the brick wall, a shadow that belonged to no one.

Then it rippled and vanished.

***

Meriwether College Prep was definitely the weirdest school Andy had gone to. The classes weren't taken seriously, the teachers wore concert T-shirts to work, and the kids were all kinds of wrong.

P.E. came and the school bully, Matt Sloan, was ready to spread the hate. He started going around giving people wedgies, which was working fine for him, until he made the mistake of trying it on Andy's friend, Tyson.

Tyson was a homeless kid. If that wasn't enough to keep people away from him, there was also his appearance. He was six foot three and built like the Hulk, but he cried a lot and was scared of just about everything. His face was kind of misshapen and brutal looking and Andy could never look at him for more than five seconds. It sort of gave her a headache every time she tried. Once the other students discovered Tyson was a big softie despite his scary looks, they started to pick on him.