by Dee King
Both of our hands are touching what seems to be a rather larger candle.
“One, two, three.” I blow on where I believe the candle is. I can feel Colin’s breath on my hands. The flame is lit. I look around. Candles everywhere are starting to light. I had never noticed how many candles were in the house before. One after another. I run to Sebastian as the candles light.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yes, but look behind you.” I turn slowly to see writing on the wall across from me.
I look at the wall clutching Sebastian’s hand. I begin to read.
Dad, what do we do now? They are missing.
I know, son. You will find the answers you seek just outside of the house. You will need to drive. It won’t be far. Good Luck, son.
I turn to look at Sebastian. Colin is running past us. “Wait! Wait for us!” Sebastian and I begin to run after Colin. I can hear thunder breaking over our heads. I start to really run. Faster than I ever have.
Sebastian unlocks the car as Colin starts the motorcycle. He takes off before Sebastian’s car is even started.
Sebastian nor I look at one another while he drives fast behind Colin. The lighting is starting to strike all around us.
Colin is weaving in and out of lanes. We see a car.
It’s Ian’s.
I feel like I am about to get sick.
“It’s Ian’s car!” I scream. Sebastian does not say a word as he stops the car. We both open the doors. We run. Colin is already beside the car.
“NOOOOOOOO!” I hear Colin screaming. We run faster. Sebastian pushes Colin out of the way. The driver’s side door is open. I see Sebastian step inside of the vehicle. Colin stands next to him. They both start to drag out a body. I get closer.
It’s Ian.
I run to the side of them as they lay his body down on the ground.
“OH MY GODS! Is he breathing?” I start to try to take his pulse.
“Don’t! Don’t touch him!” Sebastian yells at me.
“We need to call an ambulance.” I say.
“No, they don’t work on us. We are gods! Have you learned nothing?” Colin snaps at me.
I step back. Sebastian has Ian’s head in his hands. He sounds like he is saying a prayer. I see something flicker out of the corner of my eye. I turn sharply.
It’s Cali. I start to run towards her.
“I didn’t know.. I didn’t know..” She is crying.
“You didn’t know what?” I ask her.
“I didn’t know.. Oh gods forgive me.. I didn’t know..” She keeps mumbling this over and over. I put my hands on her shoulders.
“Shut up! What did you not know? You didn’t know Alex was going to cause this?” I point to Ian’s lifeless body laying on the ground.
“I.. I.. didn’t know that it was him.”
“Who was him? Where is Alex now?” I start to look around. A bolt of lighting strikes down. I hear a loud clap of thunder. I know now where he is.
I can sense him. I let go of Cali. I run to Sebastian, who is still holding Ian in his arms.
“I will be back.” I run to his car. I hear Colin yelling out my name. I don’t care. I put the car in reverse. I burn the rubber on the tires. You can hear the squealing of them as I drive in and out of the lanes like Colin did.
You! I am coming for YOU! ALEXANDER! YOU HEAR ME! YOU’RE NEXT!
I am driving faster. I turn the corner fast. Faster than I should have. The brakes lock up. I can feel the car going faster than I wanted.
Selene, you need to calm down, the car is not going to stop. You will have to stop the car.
Dad?
Selene, stop the car!
I can’t!
You can.
How?
Use your powers!
What powers?
The one’s you know you have.
I turn to go towards Sebastian’s house. I am driving at an exceptionally fast speed. I speed through his driveway, and through the grass. I make it to the beach. I have no where else to go. I drive the car straight into the ocean.
I start to panic. I hit the water at such a fast speed the car immediately is taken under. Water is filling in fast.
I start to unbuckle the seat belt. It’s stuck! I start tugging at the belt. Water is to my chest. Finally, it snaps loose.
Break the glass. I hear a voice tell me.
I look down through the water at my bracelet. Its glowing.
I raise my hand. I make it into a fist. I punch the glass of the window as hard as I can. It barely makes a dent.
I punch the glass one more time, watching it shatter into pieces.
I push my body through the broken glass of the driver’s side door. The car is starting to sink. Water is rushing over my head faster than I can swim. My bracelet starts pulling me upwards. I keep trying to swim up, but the current is dragging me down.
Out of no where I see a bright light. It’s getting closer. I feel something around my waist. I try to pull free. It’s holding me tightly. I start trying to swim harder. Suddenly, I feel like I am being lifted.
I shoot through the water like a cannon ball. I am gasping for air. I start swimming. I am above the water now.
I can feel something underneath me again. I start swimming faster, harder. I can see something out of the corner of my eye.
A fin.
The fin nudges my hand. I look to my side while trying to swim. It’s a dolphin.
I grab a hold of the fin. The dolphin starts to carry me through the water. I hang on with both hands as the dolphin jumps up and out of the water. Under, over, under, over the water.
I hang on tight. There are now three more dolphins jumping with us. It’s the pod. The same pod of dolphins I remember a week ago in the water with me. I feel like I am flying. I am flying through the air. The dolphin flips me completely off. I land hard on the shore. I can hardly move. I peek my head up.
Thank you....
No time to thank me.. get to your feet now!
I take the advice from my father. I look up while trying to stand.
Alex.
His back is to me.
His arms are outstretched above his head. I move quietly. Above our heads is a black storm cloud. I catch my breath.
I run straight into him head first. I wrap my arms around him and tackle him down to the ground.
He tries to move from underneath me. I am holding onto him with all my might. He rolls over. I roll with him. He is now on top of me. The lighting strikes right beside our bodies.
“SELENE?” I don’t wait for him to figure out that it’s me. I move my hand from underneath him. He feels my hand moving and he grabs it.
He slams my hand onto the ground. I try to free my other one from underneath his body. I go for the punch on the side of his ribs.
“STOP!” He yells at me.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He pulls himself off of me. I scramble to get to my feet before he can.
“I didn’t do what you think I did.” He says panting. I get to my feet. Ready to charge at him again. I start to go towards him.
“Wait! Stop! It wasn’t me!” He puts both hands up towards me.
“Then what in the name of the gods are you doing?” I stand face to face with Alex. “I was...”
“You were what?” I demand.
“I was mad. I am mad, but I didn’t cause the accident.” Alex lowers his head. “If you didn’t, then who did?” I am about to hit him again.
“I can’t say, but you have to believe me.”
“I don’t. Why would I? You threatened to kill him, remember?” I stand close enough to feel him breathing on my face.
“I DIDN’T KILL HIM!” He yells at me. I look into his eyes.
“If you didn’t do that to Ian, or to the car, then who did? You were going to let me drown out there!” I scream back at him.
“Just trust me! For once, just trust me.” He tries to take a hold of my hand. I pull away fast.
“I don’t trust you, Alex. You killed him!” I yell.
“I wouldn’t do that! It wasn’t me! I knew your father would save you, I didn’t have to come get you! I would never want to hurt you, Selene.” I look out the ocean. I see the car rising out of the water. I move past Alex. The car is thrown with an unseen force onto the beach. I jump back. The car burst into flames.
Chapter 29 The flames are getting higher and higher. I look to Alex.
“Help me!” I start to run to get a bucket from Sebastian’s house. Alex just stands there. “I am sorry...” He spits out the words.
“Hurry! Come on!” I keep running to the house. I reach the top of the balcony. I turn
around to see that Alex is not there. Not behind me. Not anywhere. I look over by the car that is still on fire. He is gone. He has left me to fight the blaze by myself. I run behind the outdoor kitchen looking for a bucket. I see one. I pick it up and start running back down the balcony steps.
I place the water from the ocean in the five gallon bucket and start throwing it on the car. I repeat this several times. The car is still on fire. The fire is in a full speed.
I look back towards the ocean. I walk to the water. I place my hands through the water. I try to part it as I did the first day I realized I was a goddess. It parts.
I keep moving through the water, separating it with my hands. It is starting to get harder to hold back. I have made a clear path. I turn around with my hands separated looking at the car. I raise both my hands above my shoulders.
I throw the water towards the car with all my might. The water flows rapidly to the car. High in the air, it makes it to the car. It looks like a tidal wave.
I drop my arms. The water crashes all around me and the car.
I am now surrounded in water crashing over my head. I start swimming to the beach. The high tide carries me to the shore. I start to cough up the salty water. I look at the car. The fire is completely out. I crawl onto the beach. I lay down feeling the sand on my face.
“Selene! Selene!” I hear my name being called. I slowly pull my head up from the sand. I crawl to pull myself up.
“SELENE! Where are you?” Sebastian is yelling, the shaking in his voice makes me sad.
“I am here..” I quietly speak. I feel someone kneeling beside me.
“Oh my gods! What did you do?” Colin reaches underneath my body and holds me in his arms.
“I have her!” He shouts.
“Selene, Selene. Are you okay?” I hear Cali ask. I ignore her. I just let Colin carry me.
“She is alive. She took a beating, but she will be okay.” I hear Colin say. I can hardly open my eyes. I just bury myself into Colin’s shoulder.
“Let me take her.” I hear Sebastian’s voice, but I don’t move. I can’t move.
“No. You help me find somewhere to lay her down.” I can feel that Colin is climbing the steps of the balcony. I hear scrambling around. Colin lays me down on a couch outside on the balcony. I want to open my eyes, but I feel like I am drifting away. I hear their voices around me, but I just lay there.
You did well, my child. Rest now.
I hear my father’s words, and I muster a slight smile.
I suddenly awake from what seems to be days. I jerk my body upright. I look all around to see if anyone is near. I stand to my feet.
“Sebastian?” I try to yell, but nothing comes out but a whisper. I walk inside of the house.
The house is a mess from the party still. I look at the wall where the words from Hades had been. They are no longer there. Candles are all out. One light is on. I keep walking towards the front door. The house seems so quiet.
I walk up the double staircase of the house. I hold myself up on the railing as I get to the top. I finally see a light through a door. I follow the light to the closed door. I place my hand on the knob and slowly turn it. Sebastian, Colin, and Cali are all sitting around a table.
“So, now that Ian is gone, what is next?” I hear Colin ask.
“We take the fight to the Mount!” Sebastian exclaims.
“You can’t just go there and start a fight.” Cali says to Sebastian.
“Yes I can! He runs away after what he did. We can take him! Come on you guys!” Sebastian’s voice cracks as he speaks.
“Selene?” Colin says.
“That’s the only problem. She will have to want to come. I can’t leave her here.”
“No, Selene, you want to say something?” Colin looks in my direction. I slowly walk to the table they are sitting at. On the table is Ian’s clothes, and shoes. I take a seat beside Colin.
“No, I have no words.” I whisper.
“You shouldn’t even be awake right now.” Cali tries to touch my arm. I pull away from her.
“Selene? What is that about?” Colin points to my arm.
“She knows.” I say looking directly at Cali. Cali looks at Colin and shrugs her shoulders.
“I have no idea what your talking about? Maybe I should take you to one of the rooms so you can rest?” She moves her chair back from the table.
“I am not going anywhere with you, and do not touch me again!” I shout as loud as I can get out.
“Selene? What is going on?” Sebastian asks me.
“Alex said it wasn’t him, and I believe him.” I stare at Cali.
“You saw Alex? When? Where?” Sebastian stands to his feet.
“When I was trying to not to die, and when I was trying to kill him.” I slowly stand to my feet. Colin has to help me stand so I do not lose my balance.
“You need to sit.” Colin tries to help me sit back down.
“I am fine. Stop.” I brush his hand off my side.
“It wasn’t Alex. I can not say exactly who it was, but I talked to him, and I am telling you it was not him!.”
“First off, you ran off, almost got yourself killed, and you saw Alex all while I was losing my best friend?” Sebastian kicks the chair to the side.
“Hold on! I went to find Alex to make him pay for what I thought he did!”
“So, you admit it? Alex killed Ian’s mortal body?” Sebastian proclaims.
“Wait! No, I mean yes. Stop twisting what I am saying! Alex left me when I was trying to put the fire out for your car! I am not on his side!” I walk around the table closer to him.
“Then please, tell us what happened, since you seem to know so much about how I just lost my best friend!”
“Screw you!” I rush out of the room.
“Wait!” I hear Colin yelling while I am trying to make my way down the stairs. I keep going.
“Wait, Selene!” Colin catches up to me on the stairs.
“Stop! Just stop!” He takes a hold of my arm. I lose my balance. I can see what is about to happen as I put my arms out in front of me. I fall down the stairs. I try to stop myself, but I can not stop. I hit hard at the bottom of the staircase on my side.
“Oh My gods! Selene! I am so sorry!” Colin hurries to my side. I stand to my feet.
“I’m okay.” I rub my side where I had landed.
“Selene, I am so sorry. If it makes you feel better, Sebastian is just mad. He just lost his best friend.”
“I know..” I bowed my head.
“Let him calm down for a minute. We have a lot we need to do. Go sit down. We will come out there.” He points to the balcony. I nod.
I sit on the couch facing the ocean. I see Sebastian’s car. It’s burnt so badly that you can hardly tell it was a car at one point.
“Selene?” I turn around in the couch to see Sebastian standing behind me.
“What?” I say as I turn back around to look at the ocean. He comes to the side of the couch.
“I am terribly sorry. I just...” I look into his eyes. He has tears falling. I stand. I hug him. Tightly.
“No, I am sorry. I was trying to help. I just can’t believe Ian is gone. What happened? Where is his body?”
“His body is being taken care of. We will see him soon.”
; “Huh?”
“Yea, only his mortal body is dead. He is a god, Selene. He just now will only live on Mount Olympus. He will never be able to come back down.” I step back.
“Wait? Your telling me he isn’t dead?”
“No. Yes. I mean he is dead to mortals, but he can not be killed on Earth. We don’t die, well, I should say we don’t die on earth.”
“I am very confused.” I shake my head because none of this makes sense.
“I know. I am not explaining it well. Okay, sit down.” He guides me back to the couch.
“When we die on earth, well, it’s not like humans. Your soul is still alive. You live on that way, but to a god.. We don’t die unless we are killed in Mount Olympus.”
“I am lost.”
“Let’s just put it like this..” He moves his hair from his eyes with his hand.
“You will see Ian again when we go to Mount Olympus.” He looks at me.
“I am not going there.” I tell him.
“You may not have a choice.”
“I always have a choice.” I look away from him.
“You do, but this time you may not.” He lays his hand on my knee. I roll my eyes at him.
“Listen, that’s not important right now. Tell me exactly what happened when you left.”
“Okay...” I start telling him about how I was going to find Alex, when his cars brakes had locked up. I begin telling him the story as he sits back on the couch. He nods every so often, and says yes, go on. I keep telling him the story and how the car was thrown onto the beach. Then caught on fire. How I had to put the fire out.
“Then that’s when you guys found me.” I finally finish. I sit back.
“I see. You believe that Alex had nothing to do with this?”
“No, I did not say that. I just know that he had help.”
“Who?”
“Cali.” I look directly into his blue eyes.
“No. Cali? No. That’s impossible.” He leans forward on to his knees.
“I still am not sure, but I am telling you, Cali had something to do with this.”
“Selene. I know you guys aren’t best friends or anything, but she is on our side.”
“I don’t know who’s side she is on..” I look away.
“Ours. Selene. She has always been on our side.”
“Sure.” I say nonchalantly.