They Will Not Be Silenced

by Nicole Thorn

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

  I’m Good at Planning

  Callie

  ASTER’S FACE WAS cuter when he looked sleepy. Then he yawned, making me feel all giddy on the inside. He helped me take down our blanket fort, since Medusa and Persephone had left before we even got back in the house. Micha had gone off to shower, leaving Aster and me alone.

  We folded the blankets up, putting them beside the pillows on the couch before we took a seat. I took it upon myself to throw my legs over Aster, because he looked sad and I thought it would make him feel better. He sort of always looked sad. I would have liked to smooth out the worry lines on his face.

  Unsure of how else to comfort someone, I gently brushed my fingernails against the back of his neck. I would have gone for a different method if this had been another person, but I liked this better for Aster. I liked touching him.

  “You wanna nap?” I asked. “I bet we can sneak up to my room and use my bed without my parents knowing.”

  He looked at me sideways, not saying anything about my fondling of him. “You . . . you would be there too?”

  “We could cuddle,” I said happily. “Have you ever cuddled before? I haven’t, but it sounds nice. We can be all warm and squished together. Do you wanna be the big spoon or the little spoon? Actually, I could probably sleep on you, if you didn’t mind the weight.”

  He let out a breath, the confused look on his face making me want to tackle him. “I wouldn’t . . . I wouldn’t mind.”

  My fingers went up to his hair, combing through it. “We could go right now if you want.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but it took a few seconds before the words got out. “I should check in at home. My mom is going to freak out if I stay missing.”

  I didn’t want him to go back home. A werewolf had almost killed him there, and I didn’t like him being away from me. Aster needed to be around friends, because it seemed like he didn’t do well alone.

  “I’ll drop you off,” I offered. “Micha can drive us so I can say goodbye. I don’t want you to go away.”

  Micha came down the stairs then, ready and showered. I hopped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast before I went to shower. Aster didn’t follow me, which made me a little sad. I thought he would be right behind me, standing there so I could talk to him. Maybe he needed a break from me.

  After finishing off the last of the cookies and some snack cakes, I went up to the bathroom. Aster stayed on the couch, disappointing me. Though it wasn’t like he could come up and shower with me.

  I put on a green dress after I got cleaned up, and I left in a hurry, eager to see Aster again. But if I hurried, then it would only make him leave faster. I didn’t want him to get in trouble with his awful mother, so I wouldn’t drag my feet.

  “Are we just gonna leave your boy alone then?” Micha asked me when I got to the living room. “I can’t protect the both of you if you separate.”

  I wanted to beg Aster to stay right then, suddenly panicked that something bad would happen if I left him at that apartment. Maybe Micha and I could hide in there, tucked in a closet or something. We could kill time that way. I had games on my phone.

  “I can protect myself,” Aster said. “Half god, remember?”

  Micha stared flatly. “Take it from someone who solidly got their ass handed to them because of too much hubris; no one is safe. Not really. There’s always something that can get you. Doesn’t even have to be stronger. It only needs a moment where you’re not on your game.”

  My fear didn’t go away, but Aster moved closer to the door. “I’ll be fine.”

  I rushed over to him, not wanting Aster to get more than a few feet away. He wouldn’t have been any safer for that, but I felt slightly better. I tailed Aster the whole way to the car, and Micha got in the driver’s seat. I sat in the back with Aster.

  “Well, don’t I feel fancy,” Micha commented as he turned the car on. “I sure hope I get tipped for this ride.”

  Aster stared at him through the rearview mirror. “You can leave if you want. I would be more than happy to drive her myself.”

  “Then she wouldn’t have a ride home, my good man. We’re a little team now. We can be a fucked up Scooby gang if you want. You can be Fred and she’ll be Daphne.”

  I smiled. “Then who are you?”

  “I’m the van.”

  He started driving, taking a sharp turn to get out of our neighborhood. I tumbled closer to Aster. I took it as a sign to cuddle up to his side, even when the speed of the car evened out. I put my arm through Aster’s as I sent my mom a text to let her know I would be gone a while. It was safer to tell her this way than try to talk to her in person.

  “Are you sure you don’t wanna stay with me?” I asked Aster. “Werewolves might have been the least of our worries. And I don’t want you to have to kill anything again.”

  He stared straight ahead, and I didn’t think he planned on answering me at first. “Unfortunately, I think you’re the prime target. I doubt anything else is going to come to my apartment.”

  My nose twitched as I tried to come up with an argument better than I’m terrified and like you very much, so please come home with me, then I can pin you to my bed and keep an eye on you. I came up with nothing.

  I squeezed Aster’s hand, keeping it tight in mine. If I kept holding it, then nothing bad could happen.

  We got to the apartment, and I refused to make him walk up there alone. Anything could happen, so Micha and I escorted him into the building. I had one of his hands in both of mine, trapping him. If I yanked him away from the door, maybe he would follow.

  He started unlocking the door, robbing me of time to think. I cleared my throat, pulling him toward me. “We can go get ice cream first. My treat.”

  “I really can’t,” Aster said. “But we can probably go later.”

  I breathed out through my nose. “Okay. Just . . . just text me a lot, huh? You can send me pictures of you with today’s newspaper.”

  He smiled sweetly as he opened the door. “I’ll be okay.”

  I lost my hold on his hand, but I followed him right into that apartment. Micha called after me and I ignored him. He came in right behind me, which meant all three of us were in the same living room as Aster’s mother.

  She looked up, rising from her seat. “What the hell, Aster? You just vanished and didn’t bother telling me you weren’t coming home. After everything that happened?”

  I moved to defuse the bomb as best I could. Stepping forward, I said, “It’s my fault. There was some business that needed to be taken care of, and I asked him for help. Please don’t be mad at Aster.”

  She scoffed. “It’s nice that you’re covering for him, but he could have called me. He chose not to, because he doesn’t care enough about me for that. He’s done this before, and I’m sure he’ll do it again.”

  “Hold your Pegasus’,” Micha said. “The kid didn’t do anything wrong. Arguably, he’s got the least power and the most timid personality. Of course, he came with us to help, so cool it.”

  “Don’t tell me to cool it. This is my home, and I don’t recall inviting you into it.”

  “Excuse me, Ms. . . . ”

  “Petrillo.”

  Micha smiled. “Ms. Petrillo. You can go ahead and calm right down. There’s some shit going down and you might get hurt, so it would be wise of you not to insult the bodyguard, or his little Oracle buddy.”

  The woman glared up at her son. “Get them out of my home right now so you and I can have a talk.”

  Aster turned to me. “Maybe you guys should go. I can handle this.”

  “Handle?” Ms. Petrillo asked. “Like I’m something to be handled? Do you know who you’re talking to? Have some respect for the mother who raised you. I find it interesting that you would have more loyalty to these people than me. Your father abandoned you, and I stuck around. But sure, do what you want. I don’t matter anyway, right?”

  I
bit the inside of my cheek, unsure of what to do. I didn’t want to walk out the door and leave Aster alone with this. Even if he could handle it, he shouldn’t have to. No one should have their mother talk down to them like this.

  “Come home with me,” I said quietly. “Just come with me.”

  “Aster,” his mother snapped. “Why are these people still in our apartment?”

  He swallowed, barely glancing at her. “They’re worried that something else is going to happen, and I won’t have anyone for backup.”

  “Oh, because you decided to go off and get in trouble with your father? Great, so we’re in danger because you did something stupid. How many times are you going to risk our lives because you aren’t being smarter? What if you get us killed?”

  “I can keep him safe,” Micha offered. “I’m a Hunter sent by Artemis herself.”

  Ms. Petrillo eyes widened a touch, her body tensing. “Oh, I want you out of my apartment right now! I’m not dealing with the gods and the trouble they bring with them. They show up like a tornado, and they don’t care when they leave everything broken behind them. You would do more harm than good, so leave.”

  “Mom,” Aster started.

  “Don’t you Mom me,” she snapped. “Why are you like this? Why when it would be so easy to not screw up, do you do it so expertly every chance you get? Do you not care if you accidentally get me killed? What about you? You might walk around thinking you’re strong because you’re a demigod, but how many thousands of you are dead right now because they got cocky? How many of your siblings are gone because of what their father did?”

  “Stop,” I said to her. “Right now, you need to stop it. Aster was helping me, and that’s why he left. Be pissed at me if you have to, but don’t take it out on him.” I was about a second from dragging him out of the apartment, regardless of my human strength.

  His mother narrowed her eyes in challenge. “You don’t seem to understand my son very well. If it wasn’t you pulling him into danger, it would be something else. He does this sort of thing a lot, and especially when his father comes around. He doesn’t even put up a fight.”

  “Against a god?” Micha scoffed. “Yeah, that would end well. You’re clearly not stupid or anything.”

  “Micha!” I hissed. “Not helping.”

  “Go,” the woman ordered us, walking in our direction as she pointed to the door. “Get out right now, or I’m calling the police.”

  My mom and dad would have been upset if a police officer brought me home, but it wasn’t the worst thing that they’d dealt with in the last couple of days.

  “Aster,” she said, waiting for him to say something.

  He shook his head. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Go home and stay out of danger. We can talk later.”

  It felt like betrayal, walking out of that apartment. I started doing it anyway, letting Micha tug my arm toward the door.

  “I’ll be fine,” Aster repeated.

  I didn’t believe him, but that was okay. There was more than one way to get things done.

  ***

  “You could be less obvious,” I said, glaring at Micha as we stood in the cold wind, long past midnight.

  He looked down at the orange sweater he had on, then my outfit. I found it offensive when I went to so much work, and he only threw on a sweater. It was as if he didn’t understand the importance of this mission. “Yes, I’m clearly the problem, hon. Not you. Not you at all.”

  I turned to look at my reflection in the glass. I had on black sweatpants, a black sweater, black gloves, and a black beanie. My orange hair stuck out of it a little, but not as bad as Micha’s did at the moment. And I’d even smudged some black lipstick on my cheeks to blend in better with the night.

  “Ya know,” Micha started. “We could probably text Aster and get this done way easier.”

  I looked up at the quiet apartment building, doubting it. “No, I have this all planned out. You’re a Hunter, so you should be able to sneak around no problem. The more of us, the better.”

  “That makes literally no sense, but you look adorable and I can’t say no to you.”

  I grinned. “Thank you, and you should keep that in mind when I ask you to stop off for food before we get home.”

  He sighed. “Come on then. Let’s go get in trouble.”

  I followed behind Micha as he broke into the apartment building with more ease than I felt comfortable with. It was like he knew exactly what to do to unlock the door, and it took all of five seconds. He had a smug smile on his face as he did it, but I found it charming. He gestured to the hall in front of us.

  I worried as we walked, thinking my phone would vibrate with an angry call from my parents. I didn’t tell them I would be sneaking out this late, or that I had a mission to carry out. I knew how they would have taken it, and this would have been a whole thing. One I didn’t want to deal with.

  We got up to the right apartment, and Micha worked his magic again to get us inside. I held my breath, tiptoeing my way through the living room. The last thing we needed was to run into Aster’s insane mother. Being insane was the only way she could have acted like that to someone as sweet as Aster. He was like a gentle, yummy marshmallow, and she treated him terribly. I wanted to scream at her for it.

  Micha got to Aster’s room before I did, stepping around the unpacked boxes. I rushed past him, wanting to be the one to wake Aster up. I thought I would have done it nicer. I would have done it much, much nicer if Micha wasn’t there.

  I sat on the bed, gently scratching at Aster’s shoulder. “Wake up. I’m here for you.”

  I had a moment of worry, thinking that one sharp movement from Aster could probably mess me up, but he was more careful than that. I didn’t want to startle him either way, but a broken neck would have made for a tough night.

  Aster groaned, moving so he laid on his back. I couldn’t understand what he said.

  I rubbed his chest, speaking softly again. “Do you have pants on? You might need them. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you slept naked from the waist down, but that would be a little weird. Still, I would have respect for someone so boldly going full Donald Duck.”

  That got him to open his eyes. Aster squinted, his sleepy voice saying my name. It made my heart race. “Callie, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to kidnap you!” I chirped. “So, are you naked?”

  Aster moved the blanket off of him, revealing that he wasn’t actually naked. No Donald Duck for me, but I got to see his cute car jammies. He sat up, looking over at Micha.

  “What are you doing?”

  Micha held up a full suitcase in his hands. “I’m packing for you. The lady says you’re coming home with us, so you’re coming home with us.”

  Aster looked at me. “He obeys you?”

  I shrugged. “I think I have a certain presence about me. Which makes me confident that you’ll come with me too. My bed is big enough for both of us if you don’t wanna sleep alone in a strange house.”

  He got up from the bed, looking around in confusion. “I can’t, I can’t up and leave. Why are you kidnapping me?”

  “Because I don’t want you here. I was already worried about the creatures coming for you, but after seeing what your mom did, I decided that I can’t leave you here. You can come stay with us for as long as you need. Or forever. Forever works for me.”

  “I don’t . . . What? I can’t, I shouldn’t go home with you and sleep in your bed. As pleasant as that would be.” He shook his head. “Not because I’m some creep. I like spending time with you.”

  “Dude,” Micha said. “You know you can just say what you’re thinking, right? Like . . . it would save you so much time.”

  Speaking of saving time . . .

  I stood next, still keeping my voice quiet when I walked back to Aster. “We should get out of here soon. I wouldn’t want your mean mom to wake up and cause trouble. It would be rather upsetting to have to punch her in front of you.” But I would do it. I
would do it as many times as it took for her body to hit the ground.

  Aster blinked at me, clearly unsure of himself. “Why do you think I need to leave?”

  “You know why. You deserve better than what you have here. I might not have much to offer you, but it’s more than this.” I could give him a peaceful home, and parents that while they were worried now, were good people. They were understanding.

  I didn’t know how this would go down, but I knew I wouldn’t leave the apartment without him. Micha might have needed to knock him out. That would bother me greatly, but it would get us what we needed.

  I understood his loyalty to his mother, even with how mean she was to him. I could believe that he would decide that it was his duty to protect her. Or even stay, just because he was her son.

  “You don’t have to share your bed with me,” Aster said.

  I got too excited, jumping Aster right there. He caught me like I knew he would, taking the brunt of the assault I gave him in the form of face kisses. I kept my kisses quiet though, but I left them on as much of his face I could manage. I avoided his mouth, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

  Micha stared at us when I looked back at him, remembering he existed. I stayed in Aster’s arms, grinning sheepishly. “Oh, don’t mind me. Enjoy your foreplay.”

  I wiggled. “This isn’t how I would start foreplay. First off, he’s not even laying down. Second, he has too many clothes on. All the clothes come off first, and then I would have my way with him. Duh.”

  Micha chuckled. “Sorry, I should have known better. While you’re not having your foreplay time, I’ll go ahead and put this bag in the car. Have fun.”

  I waited until he left the room before I resumed my kisses. He felt soft, tempting me to nibble on him. I would have had to ask permission for that one though, so I held off.

  “Thank you for coming with us,” I said. “I promise that I’ll take really good care of you. We can hang out all the time, and I’ll get you the kind of food you like.”

  He smiled. “You make me sound like a dog.”

  “Of course not. But if you were, then you would be the sweetest puppy in the world, and I would cuddle you all day. I’ll probably end up sitting on your lap a lot more than you’ll do for me though,” I giggled. “I would give you equal kisses though. Is your hand on my butt?”