by Nicole Thorn
I bounced over to him, taking his hand so I could distract him for a second. “Everything is fine,” I promised. “There was one murdery wolf, but he’s dead now. Micha killed him in the backyard.”
Mom gasped, a horrified choking sound leaving her. “You killed someone in my backyard?”
“A little,” Micha said, scratching the back of his head. “I could have waited, but he was about to murder your kid, so I thought it would have been a better idea to take out the threat right then and there.”
I thought I was about to watch my parents die in our living room. To be fair, this would have been a lot easier on them if they would have believed me when I told them about all this three years ago. I’d tried my best, attempting to let them know about my life. They had been the ones who wanted to pretend I was crazy.
“One more thing,” I said, letting go of Aster so I could get closer to my parents. “Artemis wants him to protect me, so I think the best option is if Micha stays with us. We have that guest room right next to my bedroom, and we can do a sleepover!”
Aster moved right next to me. “Is that really needed?”
“I don’t think so,” Dad said. “I would rather not have a boy I don’t know, staying in the room right next to my kid’s.”
Micha put a hand on his own chest. “While I’m flattered that you think my game is strong—and it is—I wouldn’t distract myself from a mission from my god. The most important thing is protecting Callie.”
“Protecting Callie . . . ” Mom said to herself, her eyes finding me. “I don’t understand how she could be in danger. This is crazy. She’s never hurt anyone in her life.”
“But she’s still a threat,” Aster said. “The gods wanted her help with something, and that’s put a bad person on her tail. I think the best thing would be if I was the one to stay. I could sleep on Callie’s floor if I need to.”
“No!” Dad said, waving his hands in the air. “No boy is staying in my little girl’s room.”
“Her life’s in danger,” Mom whispered. “Can you maybe trust her if it means she’s safe?”
Dad glowered at her. “You want to let a person we don’t know, stay in our guest room? He’s already decided his whole sense of purpose is about protecting Callie. I don’t like what that leads to.”
“Oh, is honor a gateway drug to sex?”
“Stop!” Dad hissed. “No sex. No sex with Hunters. No sex with anyone.”
Mom got a funny look on her face, and I hadn’t been expecting her to narrow her eyes at Aster. “Wait a minute. How do you know about all this? Did you lie about who you are?”
His mouth hung open again as his eyes bulged from his head. “Um . . . no. Well, yeah, but also not really. Sort of . . . is the answer I choose to give. My dad is Apollo . . . and you should let me sleep over.”
“Oh!” I shouted, jumping up and down. “We can do a slumber party! I’ve never done one of those. We can make a tent, and get snacks, and wear jammies! Do you have a sleeping bag?” I asked Micha.
He looked down at himself. “Does it look like I can fit in a sleeping bag?”
Dad made a face, all the color drained from him. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this. I think I’ll just sit on the porch with a knife and protect Callie myself.”
Micha frowned at him. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere. It’s my duty to protect Callie, and I’ll do so until I’m told to stop, or I die.”
Aster slid up to me, his arm going around my shoulders. “I’ll also take up this duty. I’m a demigod, so I’m obviously more ready to do protecting. And I do own a sleeping bag.”
I smiled at him, happy that he wanted to stay with me. “We can zip ours together to make a mega sleeping bag!”
“No,” Dad growled. “Not a chance.”
I didn’t let that damper my good time. “It’ll be great. I’ve never had a sleepover before, so I can go online to look up what we’re supposed to do.”
“Not mix the sexes, for one,” Dad said.
“I can invite girls if you want,” I offered.
Micha held a finger up. “I’m good with whatever sexes you wanna mix at this party. Just FYI.”
Dad looked like he wanted to use the crossbow on him. “I didn’t ask. I still think the two of you need to head on home. If the Aster kid says there’s nothing outside, then I don’t see why Callie needs a protector at all hours.”
If I told him the truth, then it would make him fear for me even more. My friends faced all kinds of monsters and bad people almost daily, and I had always managed to avoid that. Being the mouthpiece of the gods didn’t really set me up to be a target. Now that I was getting in on the action, that could have opened me up to all kinds of dangers that my mom and dad couldn’t protect me from. If I said that to him, then it would really open his eyes to the world around him. I wished I could have spared him from it, getting far enough away that the threats couldn’t get to him. What would have happened to my parents if I hadn’t been home when the werewolf came by? Would I have come home to bodies?
I shivered, not wanting to think about it anymore. I’d forgotten that Aster had been beside me, until I felt his hand running up and down my forearm. It made me feel better, smoothing out the goosebumps. I gave him a thankful smile.
Mom clasped her hands, speaking up. “Okay, here it is. Both boys can stay the night and make sure Callie doesn’t get attacked. They’ll all sleep in the living room, and if we catch anyone missing clothes, then they die. Got it?”
“Got it,” the three of us answered. I went on to say, “Even though I hate sleeping with shorts on, I’ll do it for you.”
Aster swallowed, glancing at me. “You normally sleep in a nightgown or something?”
“Nah, just in my underwear and a shirt or sweater. I like my legs free.” I kicked out for emphasis.
“Me too,” Micha agreed with a nod. “Only I go full nude. It’s the only way. You should try it.”
Aster squeezed my arm. “Maybe don’t tell people to sleep naked.”
“I agree,” Dad said. “Callie should sleep with sweats, like any respectable person does.”
I wanted the conversation to end, so I said, “Snack time!” and I made a break for the kitchen.
***
The tent looked wonderful, and I’d done it all by myself. The boys attempted to pick out the movies we could watch, bickering over which order to go in. I couldn’t tell if either cared, but they both seemed like they wanted to win.
Mom and Dad had gone upstairs, but Dad put in the old nanny cam at the corner of the room, aimed at the tent. He said it was so he could make sure monsters weren’t trying to kill me, and no one bought that.
“One last thing,” I said when I had the tent almost ready. “I need to pin the top up to the ceiling. I can’t reach it.”
Micha had no problem swooping in and helping me out. He lifted me without warning, setting me up on his shoulders. I grabbed at his hair, keeping my balance so I wouldn’t fall. I had the tip of my blanket in my hand, ready to pin it up.
“Very sorry my bare thighs are on your face,” I said to Micha, wiggling my feet as they dangled over his chest. I had on my sleep shorts, and they only went to the middle of my thighs. I also wore an oversized sweater, the fabric falling over my shoulder.
“Eh, I don’t mind,” Micha said with a shrug, nearly knocking me off of him.
Aster shot us a look with narrowed eyes, but he couldn’t have been upset. Micha had his hands firmly on my thighs, making sure I wouldn’t fall, so Aster had nothing to worry about. It was sweet that he was concerned though.
I got the tent all set up, and Aster appeared in front of Micha. “I think that’s enough.”
Micha snorted. “Is it?”
Aster stared up at me. “You’re going to break your neck.”
“You can hold me for the rest then.”
Micha didn’t hesitate to drop me in Aster’s arms. Aster smiled at me, and then helped me maneuver so I coul
d fix up the other corners to make them higher.
I wiggled on Aster, my fingers combing through his hair as he walked me to the other corner. “Now I’m assaulting you with my thighs.”
“They’re very soft,” Aster assured me. “You don’t have to worry.”
We finished setting up the tent until it looked like utter perfection, with Micha inside as he set up the pillows, blankets, and crossbow. The snacks had all been set up on the table, ready to go so we could stuff our faces when the time came.
Dad walked down the stairs, a glower on his face as he saw me sitting on Aster’s shoulders. I was still combing through his hair, because I liked being so tall, and I didn’t want him to set me down yet.
“What the hell are you doing?” Dad asked, his foot tapping on the floor.
“Making a tent,” I answered. “I wasn’t tall enough to get it pinned up to the walls, but the boys helped. Now we have a fortress of awesomeness.”
Dad kept on scowling. “I want no direct contact between any of you. When are your girlfriends getting here?”
I pressed my lips together in a hard line before I spoke. “They’re busy, so it’s just us.”
“Your friends are busy a lot.”
“Yeah . . . ”
Aster plucked me from his shoulders, only to hold me in his arms. “It’s fine. We can make fun on our own.”
“No, you can’t,” Dad said.
If I had been paying attention, then maybe I would have noticed the two new people in the house. But I hadn’t been, so when a jammie clad Medusa and Persephone walked through my kitchen with a pizza, I was surprised.
“Hi!” I said with a wave as I flailed in Aster’s arms. “What are you doing here?”
Persephone smoothed her nightie, the light blue silken flower pattern offsetting her dark skin wonderfully. “Well, I heard there was a party and a girl in danger.”
“We thought we would help,” Medusa added. Her jammies had little clown fish all over what looked like grandpa pants and a shirt. I loved it.
Dad pointed between them. “Um, who are they?”
“Medusa!” Micha greeted as he went in to hug the woman. “I haven’t seen you since, ya know, the incident.”
“What incident?” I asked.
I got ignored.
Medusa set the pizza down on the table, Persephone walking past her with a bundle of blankets that hadn’t been there a second ago. “I’ve been busy. You?”
“Killing things.”
“Honey!” Dad shouted. He looked up the stairs, calling to my mom for some backup. I still stayed in Aster’s arms, happy to be there. If trouble started, he could run me out of the room. I hoped he didn’t mind that his hand was close to my butt.
Mom came down the stairs, her eyes widening at the cluster of people that had gathered around. It wasn’t too many, as far as slumber parties went. We didn’t even make a mess, so I didn’t understand why she looked worried.
“Who . . . are you?” she asked the newcomers.
“Persephone,” the woman said. “And my girlfriend Medusa. We’re here for cookies and to make sure there aren’t werewolves in the neighborhood. I don’t like them very much. They tend to trample flowers.”
“Medusa?” Mom asked, her voice tight. “As in . . . Medusa?”
The gorgon nodded. “Don’t worry, I can keep myself from turning you all to stone, and my snake babies are sleeping for the time being. I promise I won’t kill any of you.”
Mom turned her gaze to me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I wiggled in Aster’s arms. “Feet, good sir.”
He set me down, and I felt sadder to not be in his arms anymore. I would have liked to stay all cuddly for a lot longer, so I leaned closer to his ear and whispered. “You should go zip our sleeping bags together.”
He did that cute thing with his mouth hanging open, and then he darted under the tent with the goddess and Hunter. Medusa was busy plating up pizza for us to enjoy.
I followed my mom into the kitchen, leaving Dad to lean on the staircase, looking a lot worse for the wear. Everything would be okay, and time would make sure he felt better about all of this. It was a lot less scary when you started meeting gods, and they became more like people than myths.
“Was that really Medusa?” Mom asked in a hushed tone.
“Yup, and Persephone. She’s Kizzy’s big sister.”
Mom rubbed her face. “Wow, okay then. Just . . . the queen of the underworld in my living room right now, hanging out with my kid. Oh, and a lady who can turn you into stone.”
“She hardly does that anymore,” I promised. Mom made it sound so much worse than it actually was. Medusa never did that for fun. “I’m very safe here. Aster and Micha are going to make sure nothing hurts me.”
Mom’s expression changed then, looking more like a worried mother than a worried person. “I want you to be careful with those boys. I know you don’t have any experience getting attention like that, and I don’t want something bad to happen.”
I laughed. “No, it’s not like that. I don’t even know Micha.”
“And Aster?”
I knew him a little better, and I wasn’t worried he would have done anything to hurt me. He was too sweet for that, careful about what he had to say around me. “He’s very nice. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“I’m your mom. I’m always going to worry about it.” She put a hand on my shoulder, her tone turning more desperate. “Be careful, and pick your friends with caution. I know that he seems nice, but he’s half god. I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
“He’s nothing like the gods.”
“Maybe not. Be careful,” she warned again. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
I’m Entitled to Idiocy
Aster
I WISHED THAT Callie would come back, if for no other reason so that Persephone would have someone else to focus on. I thought the goddess was kind and all that, but she kept touching me. That felt like the kind of thing that would get me in trouble with, say, Hades. I didn’t want to get in trouble with Hades. It sounded like something that would get me killed.
“You are just so cute,” Persephone said, grabbing either side of my face. I waited for something terrible to happen, like for me to sink through the floor and straight to the underworld . . . again. But . . . nothing. So . . . yay for me? Yay. Yes, Hades doesn’t want to kill me!
“Apollo did such a good job,” she continued, squeezing my face.
“I’m not an orange,” I said, through my puffed-up cheeks. Then I waited again for the floor to open up and for me to plummet to the underworld and my doom.
Persephone let go of my face, still smiling. “That’s true. I just can’t believe how much you look like Apollo. You’re the most adorable demigod, other than my sister Kizzy, who is the most beautiful.”
“Yes, yes, beautiful,” I said as Callie came into the room. “Not that that means I’m interested in her, or anything,” I stumbled over myself to say, so that Callie wouldn’t think that I found Kizzy more attractive than her. How could I, when I had never even seen this Kizzy person before?
“Oh?” Persephone said.
Panic bubbled up, and I started babbling again. “Not that she wouldn’t make a lovely girlfriend. I’m sure that she’s a great person and everything, but she’s, um . . . ”
Persephone put her arm around my shoulder, bringing me in against her side. She had laughter in her eyes. “Don’t worry, honey. I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
She tweaked my cheek, and I tried not to feel about two inches tall when she did so. “Of course, I do. Let me say that I’m sorry for what that evil bitch of a mother has done to you.”
“What?” I asked, confused about the sudden topic changed.
Persephone shook her head. “You know, Apollo tried to convince Zeus to let you stay with him when you were a tiny baby. Zeus said no, natural
ly. He couldn’t let Apollo have something that he himself didn’t get too. Which is unfortunate for you, because I think Apollo would have been a wonderful father. And you would have turned out . . . well, not better. Cockier, for sure. I can still see Apollo’s influence, but he hasn’t had you for long enough.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, as Callie stood with Medusa over the pizza boxes. Micha sat in the recliner, one leg thrown casually over the arm, eating pizza with one hand and flipping through movies on Netflix with the other. None of them paid any attention to me and Persephone, but I still felt exposed in this small, tight room. I knew that I shouldn’t have been there, and the longer that I spoke with her, the more that feeling grew. Everyone in that room knew exactly what they were capable of and felt sure of themselves. I was the square peg trying to fit in the round hole. No matter what I did, I wouldn’t fit quite right.
Persephone smiled at me, shaking her head. “You are such a mess.”
I flinched like she had slapped me.
“Oh, no, don’t worry about that,” Persephone said.
“I shouldn’t worry that one of the most powerful goddesses in existence just told me that I’m a complete mess?”
“No,” she said, still smiling. “All the best people are messes, because all the best people have been through some shit. People who have nothing to feel embarrassed or insecure about are annoying.”
She glanced at Micha when she said this. “Well, until they get knocked down a peg.”
“That’s . . . so messed up,” I said.
She laughed, then leaned in a kissed my cheek. “Haven’t you listened to the stories, honey. All us gods like messed up. Anyway, I’m just telling you that you shouldn’t worry about anything right now. Yes, you are screwed up like all the rest of my favorite people. But you’ll get there.”
“Get where?” I asked.
Persephone had flitted away from me, though, getting close to Medusa. Persephone wrapped her arms around Medusa’s waist, leaning in to kiss the gorgon’s cheek. Medusa leaned into the kiss, offering a smile over her shoulder. I knew Medusa’s story, and if Persephone liked fucked up people, then it made sense that she had gotten attached to Medusa. The gorgon had been tormented for the hell of it, and that could really mess a person up.