Davis

The Sun shines bright into the room. Denim walks into the room and turns on the TV, sitting on a stool. I can't quite bring myself to an actual being awake state yet, so I close my eyes more, and it feels good to sleep in. I then hear Denim say,

"Jamie" He calls "He's asleep we should throw him in a ditch or something, or at least finish his mustache for him,"

"Get the sharpie then but I don't think he'll stay asleep long enough for you to find a good ditch," Jamie calls back.

"You sure?"Denim says.

"You wish you coulda found out huh?" I sit up. "Cause I'm kinda awake."

"So?" Denim says.

I give him a strange look.

"Asleep or awake I'll throw ya in a ditch if I really want to," he laughs.

"Oh cool," I yawn. Couches are much more comfortable than bus benches or roadsides. It puts me in a good mood actually.

"Thanks for the couch guys, " I say.

"Now he's complaining about his rest of the night he's lucky he got one from us!" Denim says to no one in particular.

"No I'm serious I haven't slept on anything soft for like a frickin year or so,"

"Really?" Denim says as Jamie walks in. He sits down next to me.

"Been really runnin for a year?" Jamie asks.

"Kinda, " I say, not sure if I should tell them about going under. I never thought about being alive to tell the story, or even telling the story at all.

"Where are ya from?" Denim asks me.

"My mom had me in Montana, and then after that I kinda just wandered until the foster home took me in." I say.

"Foster home?" Jamie asks.

"Yeah," I say "they're better than u think." Sure Ms. Dubose was a grouchy old hag but it was relaxing knowing you were gonna be fed that night.

"Cool," Denim says.

"So what happened after that you just went south and came here?" Jamie questions.

"Kinda, " My palms start to slightly sweat. What the heck will they think of a returned-underworlder. I don't know if I'll scare them too bad or something, cause I already told them about Ayers, so they prpbably take an eye gauging hellish demi too good. I know if I was them and knew me good I wouldn't feel safe.

Who likes a monster?

"What do you mean?" Jamie asks

"I kinda just wandered around for a year I think. As I got older I got more dangerous, so I couldn't stay much longer or some monster would raid. You just can't do that to a bunch of Foster kids." I explain. "It would scar them too deep."

"We get attacked a lot though, I feel fine," Denim says "except when they manage to actually hurt me."

"Well yeah u can fight back though. You can at least see them." I say. "Humans can't even see monsters. If the monster was just on a bloodlust it would be attracted to me but it wouod just kill everything in sight. To the regular kids they would just be slaughtered by an invisible force."

"We know they can't see them," Denim says.

"I get it," Jamie says "sad but smart of you."

"It wasn't smart though it was just what I had to do." I say. Staying in the home would be a very selfish thing to do. " Those kids almost died because of me.

"Why couldn't you just protect them?" Denim asks

"Wouldn't be able to protect eleven kids who have no idea what's going on." I shrug.

They say nothing. Jamie sits leaning forward on the couch with his hands clasped while Denim sits with his hands on his thighs on the stool.

"Hmph," Denim turns toward the TV. Jamie walks into the kitchen calling;

"I'm making quesadillas!"

》》》

I asked them what they did all day because an hour of watching TV got boring faster than I thought. So what they did was grab a football from their room and told me to follow them outside.

We started playing catch, and man were the twins good at it. They must play a lot because their movements looked like Peyton Manning and Odell Beckham right in front of me. I don't get what else what they would do.

Jamie would release the ball and it would fly into Denims hands as he bombed or ran something like a short slant or another route. They told me to defend the pass, but I felt pretty helpless.

"Do you guys actually play?" I ask. "Cause no one whoops my butt like this,"

"Nope, but we sure as heck are good enough for any Highschool varsity team." Jamie says.

"Well then since you can just walk on a team why don't you?" I say.

"Same reason you left the foster home. Plus you need to actually go to the school, and you aren't gonna get me to go to school anytime soon." Denim throws the ball back to Jamie.

It hits me we demigods are constant danger. Wherever we go monsters follow. Why can't we stay anywhere for more than a week without getting attacked? I don't know. It makes it worse that if other people around us will get killed because monsters don't give a crap about who they kill.

It would make it much more tolerable if they solely aimed for us and left regulars alone.

"Neither of us can focus at all. If 6th grade was a nightmare we had no idea what to expect for highschool," Jamie tells me.

"I've never even thought of school," I say,

"Don't try it," Denim tells me.

"Sounds good" Either way I wouldn't consider going. It would put me in the same situation as the Foster House. "By the way I'm sick of being crushed. Can we do something else?"

Jamie and Denim laugh. "I dunno it's kinda fun actually testing our plays on a "defense"," Denim says.

"Yeah I kinda have had too much embarrasment doing this," I tell them.

"Alright," Denim sighs. He looks at Jamie "I'm all-time offense,"

He rushes over to me, and hands me the football. "Just throw it up I'm going deep,"

Jamie stands straight in front of Denim, choosing man coverage. With just an hour or two I've learned a lot of football talk from these guys.

"Hike!" I say, dropping back as Denim runs downfield. As he nears the endzone I sling the ball toward the endzone, but I overthrow. He even dived for it.

I grimace, and denim comes back.

"Hit me on the slant," He says quietly.

I say hike again, and Denim takes a few steps and cuts to a slightly diagonal run across the field. As he crosses midfield I throw it just in front of him, but Jamie reaches and bats it away.

"Come on," I grunt. Why is Jamie such a good defender?

Third down, and Denim tells me just to hand it off to him. And so I do. He takes the ball and runs upwards to the sideline, and Jamie runs to meet him there. As they meet denim sticks out his arm and stops Jamie, and he slowly gets another yard or two before Jamie chops his arm away and brings him down. A little better but not good enough.

On fourth down we try for another run from a pitch but Jamie was there to stuff it and the ball is turned to him.

Don't even ask how he and Denim scored on me.

》》》

We went through that cycle all day, Denim and I getting pretty close to the endzone sometimes scoring, and Jamie dominating me.

other than when we went into town to eat lunch that's all we did. Luckily I got a little better each hour we played and that made it more fun.

By the time the sun was setting the score was probably 77-21 or somthing. I had the ball, and of course Denim was still trying to do all the work for me. He said to just hit him in the endzone but Jamie was gonna intercept it again, so when I said hike, I waited. As he went into the endzone I inched forward.

"Hey throw it!" He says standing in the endzone waving his hands. Jamie stands right next to him, but as he sees me cross the line of scrimmage he darts foward, and I book it. He ran straight to where I was going to be in a few seconds but instead of avoiding him I bullrush him.

About as we are about to collide he slows to a stop, and opens his mouth, but I cut him off, and he sprawls on the ground.

I also thought I heard Denim swear. I look behind me and immediately think; I should have known.

About 30 feet away an huge 6-foot tall ogre thing lumbers up on us. It's pinkish-orange fat swings around as it steps. One side of its face is larger than the other, and many scars and rashes cover his face. Saliva drools out of his mouth. It sees that we see it, so it roars, slinging slobber forward.

"Shiz" I say. Jamie walks up beside me, looking at the monster.

"We have to hold it off the house," He tells me. I would ask why, but there is obviously something important in that house. Something it that room.

I hate summoning dark energy but I clap my hands, and a shroud of darkness forms around my right and left hands. I know i'll feel sick tonight. It keeps moving toward us, inchung around 20 feet toward the house. I push ny hand out, and some of the shroud flies toward the ogre thing, and it connect with his face, seeming only to irritate him.

These things are less lethal than I remember, these actually did some good stuff in the underworld. I send another one and it smacks him in the chest, causing his torso fat to shake like an earthquake.

"Ew," I say. It advances forward, and I try to chuck a couple more balls at him, hoping that maybe it will slowly break him down. It doesn't really work.

So close now, probably only 10 feet now. Almost ready to give a quick deayh bat on our heads. I look for a stick, I swear I tripped on one when we were playing ball. Of course it's gone now.

Wait where the heck is Denim? I realize that right as he comes back. He carries a 8 foot long spear, tipped with hopefully something like Olympus steel. Something that I can kill this thing with.

As the moster nears the porch Denim runs out and blocks him, waving his spear, fending the ogre off.

"Back!" He yells, an intimidating, guttural, fierce, growl almost. The ogre doesn't budge.

In an amazingly fast speed Denim flicks his spear nicking the ogre in the face. He some sort of frustrated sound and a small cut bleeds dust slightly on his cheek. He swings his huge arm at denim but denim sticks the spear in his wrist and pulls it eight out as soon as it punctures and the ogre pulls away.

"You ain't got nothin' on me!" Denim swings the spear, cutting the ogre's chest open. Some dust rolls out and Denim plunges the spear deep into the ogre's chest, pushing it back. It roars and falls back. Denim jumps on it, stabbing it a few more times with the spear. It slowly breaks into dust.

A few seconds later Denim stands on a big pile of dust, panting. He looks at me and smirks

"Bet you twenty bucks you wouldn't be able to kill a monster with that kinda style,"

"Maybe, maybe not" I shrug. I don't know how heavy that spear is but it's gotta be pretty heavy for it's size. Denim made it look easy.

Just then there is a yell from inside the house. I notice Jamie was no longer standing next to me. We run inside and denim runs in the room. I know better than to go in. I don't think they trust me enough yet with what ever is in there.

A moment later Jamie and Denim walk out of the room. Jamie carries some small carcass of something. He walks out and chucks it outside. It splatters into dust.

"I don't understand," Jamie says in an angered and confused voice.

"There has never been more than one, much less seem to have a plan," Denim says. Jamie walks down the hallway and Denim follows.

"How did she know she was in there?" Jamie questions.

"I dunno but if she goes under more stress her cancers gonna-"

"I know but now we gotta decide if we can still protect her or if we leave" Jamie says

"I don't know if we can Jamie," Denim says "They are stronger now too,"

"Now they're stronger," Jamie stares at Denim, fear in his eyes

"He lasted a lot longer than the others do. I usually just knock them back and they are all mine. I was lucky he didn't flip out with me on him." Denim says. "You tell me."

Jamie does a facepalm, and then looks at me, a little bit of hope.

"Will you help us?" Jamie asks.

Normally I would ask why the heck I should help him. Why I would even bother when I've been treated with this mystery and not even knowing what I would protect. But I know why. For her. It is one step closer. It is how I gain their trust.

"Yes," I say after a moment.

Jamie smiles and kinda laughs. He brings me into a hug, "thank you brother,"

Okay, Does a hug like that count as trust?

"Denim keep the spear next to you and out." Jamie says as he pulls away.

Just then my legs go numb and I collapse.

"What the," Denim says "Lynn?"

Sweat trickles down my face, and my palms get instantly wet. My insides turn to mush and I feel like puking. I feel really fatigued.

Jamie picks me up, "you good man?"

"It's just I'm tired," I say. "My powers," I don't know what happened. A few shots of darkness shouldn't phase me this much. They take me to the couch, and I lie down on it.

I'm sleeping in seconds.

》》》

"I still don't get it." A voice fades in from my sleep, almost a part of a dream. Denim's.

"It means that it couldn't have been a coincidence. It means they obviously planned for that diversion. Naturally monsters will choose demigod meat over human," Jamie says quietly. "Especially ours over hers. Definitely."

"But why would they do that?" Denim questions. I lie fully awake now, intently listening.

"I dunno, the only reason they would do that is if they were purposely trying to hurt us. But why would they want to hurt us we are nobodies."

I've come to the conclusion that someone is in that room. Maybe a God or another Demi. However they make it sound like whoever's in there is not so important. But they think they aren't important either. I then make the decision to tell them what they are. Put another piece In the puzzle. I actually like being the one who knows more.

I sit up. "You guys ain't nobodies," they both look over at me. Jamie's face is mostly just surprised, but Denim seems to be kinda mad for my eavesdropping. "This is gonna sound weird but ypu are apart of something. Something important. It's the Seven or something. I'm one too and my dad sent me here to like recruit you guys."

"What do you mean recruit?" Denim asks.

"He said I need to help you get to the Gathering place" I continue " It's down south somewhere,"

"So was this all fake or something?" Jamie asks.

I shake my head "it sounds like we are gonna be on some Avengers or something so I don't think these is fake."

"How can we trust you?" Denim says to me.

"You know what I got trust issues too," I say. "Probably worse than you."

" yeah good for you but how do we know you're just not a monster in disguise?" Denim.

"Denim I think we are good," Jamie says. "I saw him use his powers. Monsters can't do that."

Denim looks at me, and I see a little relief in his eyes, but he's still a little stubborn.

"So what you are saying is that we have like destinies ahead?" Jamie asks.

"I guess we all do."

"So that's why they attacked us," denim concludes.

"They wanted to mess up fate," Jamie says. "Oh,"

We sit there, and I build up the courage to asks, just as they walk away.

"Jamie?"

He turns to look at me.

"Who's in the room?"

He waves his hand, motioning for me to follow. We go to the door, and he stops at the door, putting his ear to the door.

"Come on" he whispers. We go in.

A hospital bed. That's what it what was. It is just a regular room, but a hospital bed is to the side of the room, equipment next to it. The window is shattered but it is boarded up.

And there is a woman on the bed, the consistent beeping almost in sync with her breathing. She has no hair, and actually doesn't wear hospital clothes. She wears ripped jeans and an old leather jacket.

"Hey mom," Jamie says. "Meet Davis, the guy who showed up the other day."

She turns to look at me. A weak frail movement. She smiles. "Hello Davis,"