I hope you’re enjoying the story so far!  Did I surprise you with Luke’s curse?  Hope so!

All right, without further ado, here’s your next chapter!

Chapter Quote:

“We create monsters and then we can’t control them.”

~Joel Coen

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Chapter 5: You’re Not His Family

Silena

The drive went along much more smoothly with Derek driving.  Silena could actually close her eyes without fear of dying or going to jail.  Bryn had fallen asleep when they neared Pittsburgh, not opening her eyes until they reached Cincinnati.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Derek said when she woke up.

“Where are we?  If you turned around, I swear on my life-” Bryn began.

“We’re almost to Cincinnati, promise.  I was thinking we could stop at a gas station or something and take a break,” Derek mused.

“Sounds good.  I need to pee.  I’ll drive next, give you a break,” Bryn offered.  Silena prevented herself from groaning out loud and instead suggested, “Why don’t you let me drive?”

“And risk having you turn us around?  I’ll pass thank you,” the daughter of Zeus retorted.

“What does that mean?” Silena demanded, hardly holding back her anger.

“I think you’re so worried about getting in trouble with your mum and dad for disobeying them that you’d turn us around to avoid harsher punishment.”

“So you think I care more about my parents than I do my brother?  Is that it?”

“You care more about the punishment.  You’ve always been a goody-two shoes.  I mean, I am too, but I care more about family than my own well-being.”

“Luke is not your family,” Silena hissed. “He’s mine, and you best well remember that.”

“Both of you shut up.  Bryn, Silena wouldn’t turn us around.  And Silena, Luke is Bryn’s family.  Both of you remember what I said,” Derek warned.  He typically didn’t get angry, so upon hearing his tone, the two girls shut their mouths instantly, leaning back angrily in their seats.  Bryn looked out her window, biting her lip.  She had one leg propped up against the dashboard of the car, she had her arms crossed, and the more Silena studied her, the more it became apparent that Bryn was far from angry.  In fact, she appeared to be… upset?

Then it dawned on Silena that she might have actually said something to Bryn that upset her.  At first, she felt bad because no matter how angry she got at the daughter of Zeus, she still held a place in Silena’s heart simply for her fierce protectiveness of her friends.  Not many things got underneath Bryn’s skin, but when it came to Luke or Derek, she changed.  She did consider those two family.  Silena had no doubt Bryn would not think twice about dying for either Derek or Luke.  But Silena herself was a different story.  She was a friend in good times, an annoying acquaintance in the bad.  Sure, she had and Bryn had bonded a lot over the school year, but Bryn still acted like she was superior to Silena.  Without Luke in the group, Bryn ran the show, meaning the only other person that mattered was Derek and Rachel (and Rachel only because she was the Oracle).  Silena meant nothing to Bryn; and if she did, it was only because Silena meant something to Derek.

A cold feeling settled in Silena’s stomach.  Was she the expendable one on this trip?  If she died, Luke would be there to take her place as the other relative of Poseidon and Athena.  Bryn wasn’t expendable because she was the only child of Zeus.  Derek was just special.  Silena couldn’t place why, but she knew he was.

A tear escaped her eyed.  She quickly brushed it away lest Bryn see it and start making fun of her.  Silena wouldn’t let her though.  Derek wouldn’t let her either.

I’m not expendable.  I mean something, and I’m going to prove it. Silena thought with determination.

“We’re here,” Derek informed.  He shut off the engine and got out.  Silena trailed behind him.  They had stopped at a gas station near a stadium.  It cast a huge shadow over the area they were in.

“The Great American Ball Park,” Derek observed. “Isn’t it awesome?”

“Yeah,” Silena agreed, taking his hand in hers.  He kissed her on the head; she smiled at the tingle she got from it.

“Get whatever you need, whether it be food, drink, or magazines.  We still have a long way to go,” Bryn admonished.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Silena queried, hiding as best she could the dubiousness in her voice.

If Bryn picked up on it, she didn’t care.  Her tone remained snappish. “I’ll know when we get there.  We’re far away so let’s hurry up and get moving again.”

Derek gave Silena a nudge.  She looked up at him to see him rolling his eyes.  So he was definitely on Silena’s side on disapproving how Bryn was acting.  That was good to know.  The four walked into the convenience store.  Silena and Derek headed straight for the candy.  Rachel went for the magazines.  Bryn nearly flew to the bathroom.

“You okay?” Derek inquired.

“Yeah, why?” Silena replied nonchalantly.

“You and Bryn were pretty harsh on each other.  You looked pretty upset.”

“I’m fine.  She’s probably stressed from the quest.”

“That doesn’t give her a right to say what she did to you.  But word of caution, don’t say Luke isn’t family to her.  He is in her eyes; whether he feels the same way or not, I don’t know for sure, but I think you just gave her the biggest and worst insult you possibly could’ve given.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better or warning me?”

“Both.  I don’t want my girlfriend being blown to smithereens by my best friend nor do I want her feeling down.  Now let’s buy this candy and get out of here.  This place is giving me the creeps.”

“How so?”

“I find it weird that in a city this size, we’re the only four in here,” Derek whispered.  Silena looked around, trying to disprove what he said, but she couldn’t.  They were, in fact, the only four in there.

“You ready?” Bryn’s voice floated from behind them.  The two demigods whirled around.  Bryn and Rachel stood in front of them.

“Would you stop doing that?” Silena grumbled.  Bryn put one finger to her mouth, making the message clear: Be quiet.

Silena hated listening to Bryn at the moment, but she did trust her enough to know when to listen.  They padded silently through the store, careful not to bump into anything, although the place was so packed with junk that it was nearly impossible not to.  They somehow managed to reach the front of the store and were about to leave when a deep gravelly voice said, “Leaving so soon?”

Silena and Derek whipped around, swords already elongated and ready to fight.  Bryn and Rachel had other plans, kicking the glass doors out.  Someone grabbed Silena’s hand, dragging her out of the place.

“Run!” Bryn shouted.  The exclamation was unnecessary but Silena listened anyway.  Her feet pounded on the pavement at the same pace as her heart.  Bryn and Derek had gotten a good lead.  Rachel lagged behind since she wasn’t as young as the rest of them.  Silena wondered where they were going until the stadium loomed in front of her.  She followed her friends towards one of the doors.  Derek slammed his body into it, breaking the door instantly.  He looked like he was in pain but got up anyways and continued running.

“We should split up.  Separate them,” Silena suggested.

“It’s easier to hide one than four.  All right, be careful.  Meet down on the field,” Bryn ordered. “And don’t get killed.”

With that, she dashed off towards the stairs, heading up.  Rachel went to the right.  Derek and Silena were the only two standing there.

“Let’s go to the left, both of us,” he said.

“No, you go left.  I’ll go down.  I have a plan.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek before running to the stairwell Bryn had just used.  Silena thought she heard the roar of the thing chasing them as the door shut but she couldn’t be sure.  The only thought in her head was hope that her friends were getting to safety.  She entered the hallway underneath the stadium where the teams would walk to and fro to their intended destination while avoiding screaming fans.  Silena wanted to catch her breath but decided not to.  She didn’t know how close the monster was to her.  She didn’t want to find out.

The air smelled of sweat and dirt, making Silena want to gag.  If her thoughts were correct, baseball season was still going on.  Meaning the players were either already here or going to be here.  Maybe the players wouldn’t show up today.  It would be hard to explain to them why three teenagers and an adult were running like the devil was after them in the stadium.

At that moment, a tunnel leading to the field appeared on Silena’s left.

Thank the gods! She exclaimed in her head.  She dashed down it, skidding to a stop when she saw men in baseball uniforms practicing outside.  Silena flattened herself against the wall to avoid having them see her.  Where were Bryn, Derek, and Rachel?  Surely one of them had gotten down here already?  Had one of them been detained by the monster?  Or worse?

“Don’t think like that,” Silena chastised herself quietly.

“Hey! What’s that?” One of the baseball players shouted.  Risking a peek to see what was going on, she peered outside of the tunnel.  The men were staring up at something high in the stands.  A moving figure, obviously running, was the thing of interest.  At that moment, another figure, quadruple the height of the first figure, and probably five times fatter, thundered into sight.

“Come here little demigod!  Let me eat you!” It boomed.  Even from all the way down on the field, Silena could hear the giant perfectly.  A muffled voice replied in pursuit, obviously giving an angry, sarcastic response.

Bryn…

Silena watched as her friend flitted through seats and up and down stairs.  The giant lumbered after her, crushing seats beneath his massive feet which looked disgusting even from where Silena stood.  Did he not know the word ‘hygiene’?

Bryn ran down the stairs again.  Unlike the previous times where she went to another aisle, she leapt gracefully over the railing and plummeted like Pocahontas towards the ground.  This of course caused mass havoc among the baseball players because some started shouting in horror while others ran to try and catch her.  Silena automatically ran out to her friend, momentarily forgetting she could now fly.  Bryn landed easily on her feet, her sword elongated.

“How the- are you okay miss?” One of the players asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.  You best get out.  This might… no, this will get ugly.  Go!” Bryn ordered.  Silena forced herself not to obey due to the Charmspeak being so strong.  The baseball players, however, scattered.  Some gave Silena a weird look as they passed her, wondering where she’d come from probably.

“Who are they?” Silena queried.

“The Cincinnati Reds,” Bryn replied.

“Not the team idiot, the things chasing us,” she retorted.

“Oh, Anax and Asterios.  Two despicable giants.  The one chasing me is Asterios I believe.  Where’s Derek and Rachel?”

“Incoming!” Derek hollered, running as fast as he could from the farthest tunnel.  The other giant, Anax, charged behind them.  Asterios dropped down behind Bryn and Silena, making the girls whirl around.

“Little demigods will make good snack,” Asterius cheered.

“So, which one of you shall die first?” Anax inquired casually.

“Same question goes for you,” Derek responded, swinging his sword over his hand.

“You eat giants?” Asterius responded confusedly.

“My dimwit of a son,” Anax grumbled, shaking his head. “Asterius, he meant he wanted to know which one of us wanted to die first you idiot.” Asterius’s expression showed how he was actually attempting to understand his father’s meaning.  Silena held back a smile.

“Let us go,” Bryn ordered, using her Charmspeak.

“They always think it’ll work on us,” Anax mused drolly. “No, you shall be lunch.  It’s been a long time since we had demigods to eat.  We’ve had to live off of Cool Ranch Doritos and Diet Coke for the past few millennia.”

“And living off Cool Ranch Doritos is a problem, how?” Derek questioned in confusion.

“They are not meaty like demigods.  Bleh, spices don’t taste good.”

“You’re tastebuds are off their rockers.  How can someone not like Cool Ranch Doritos?”

“You’re seriously having an argument about Doritos?” Rachel demanded. “Can you not kill their butts?  You have three epic demigods.  Honestly, I think you can handle them.”

“Oh please, just because you have a daughter of Zeus, a child of Poseidon and what is that… Athena?  And this demigod.  What are you?” Anax inquired of Derek.  Mixed emotions flashed across the son of Apollo’s face, one’s Silena couldn’t decipher. “You smell weird.  Weirder than these two.”

As Anax motioned at Bryn and Silena, Bryn swiped her sword at his arm.  He snatched it away just in time.  He glowered at her.

“Looks like this one wants to die first,” Anax decided.  At that, he lunged at Bryn who dodged out of the way.  Silena, Derek, and Rachel dispersed, making Asterius and Anax confused for a mere second before gathering their wits.  The former giant might have been stupid, but he was a good fighter.  Rachel and Derek took him on while Bryn and Silena paired up against Anax.  The battle wasn’t going well.  With their height advantage, the giants could cover five times the distance for every one step the demigods took.  Bryn got a few good stabs in the ankle of Anax and actually created a crater in his arm from a lightning bolt.  However, the force of it made the daughter of Zeus fatigued, causing her actions to be slower.

Where’s water when I need it? Silena groaned to herself. I feel it nearby but where the Hades is it?!

The river, Silena, use the river, a man’s voice whispered inside her head.

“Thanks Poseidon,” murmured Silena. “Bryn!  Keep him distracted.  I have an idea!”

“Yeah, you do that,” she muttered, jumping out of the way of Anax’s club.  Silena ran to the stadium where the massive TV screen was.  The Ohio River was just on the other side.  If she could harness the power of that river, she could throw these two giants far away.  She shut her eyes and concentrated on feeling the water on the other side of the stadium.  She was giving herself a headache so focused so hard.

And then she felt it.  That tug Luke had mentioned when he told her about his times controlling the water.

“Be the water, Silena,” she whispered.  As she said this, she sensed a shadow above her.  Opening her eyes, Silena nearly jumped around.  A massive tidal wave was being held at bay above her head.

“Hey morons!” Silena shouted.  Anax and Asterius paused their fight to stare at Silena and her water wave.  She didn’t give them time to think about it.  She swept them up into a water ball.  The two giants struggled to get out, clawing their massive hands at the demigods who stood smiling in victory. “Bryn, think you could fly me out above the stadium so I can see where to throw these suckers?”

“Yeah, sure,” Bryn replied back breathlessly, looking semi-annoyed and semi-victorious.  She grabbed Silena by the hand and pulled her up.  They shot up into the sky; Silena fixated her thoughts on keeping the two giants in the water ball.  When the river came into view, she made a throwing motion with her arm, causing the water ball and giants to go sailing far, far down the river.

“I don’t think they’ll be bothering us anymore.  Let’s get back to the stadium and let’s get out of here,” Silena said.

“No arguments there,” Bryn replied, dropping them both back to the ground.  Derek and Rachel were there to greet them.

“Silena, that was incredible!” Derek exclaimed before giving her a kiss.

“Thanks,” she said, blushing.

“Come on, let’s go raid their store again and then leave.  I’m tired of this place.  Who wants to drive?” Bryn queried.

“I will.  I’m not tired,” Derek offered.  Bryn nodded and the group headed out of the stadium.  Silena slipped her hand into her boyfriends.  When they reached the gas station, Derek went straight for the Cool Ranch Doritos, cleaning the place out of the product.  Bryn grabbed any Smarties, Sweetarts, and Skittles she laid eyes on.  Rachel grabbed pretzels.  Silena didn’t understand that one.  Silena herself grabbed protein bars and as many water bottles as she could carry.  When the group couldn’t hold anymore, they left, stuffing all their items in the car.  Bryn took the passenger seat.  Silena and Rachel took the back again.  Derek hopped into the driver’s seat.  He started the car and quickly pulled out of the gas station, heading west and out of Cincinnati as fast as he could.

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Hope you guys enjoyed!  So two things!  First, I have come up with a WONDEFUL idea for Derek’s future :P  Second, I have a challenge for y’all!  If I can get ten reviews (combined between Wattpad and Fanfiction), I’ll give you a sneak preview of either an excerpted line from a future chapter/story OR a song that will be the theme song for a chapter (Wattpad users will understand this in particular).  Put your preference in your review and I’ll put whatever the majority choice is :) NOW GO!