by Mary Ting
“I love you, Sky.” He pulled his lips back into a grin.
“I love you too, Mason. I’m glad you pulled me over the first night we met.”
“I’m glad I found you. Oh, and no one lives around here. The next house is a mile away. You can glow and sparkle as much as you like. This is going to be our first time together, so I don’t know what will happen.”
I giggled, feeling Mason’s hand lace through my hair. “If we were back home, I’m sure you would make your house glow. No, I take that back. You would blow out all the street lights and light up the whole neighborhood.”
“Sky, I’m going to light up the whole damn sky for you.” His words came out hot and sensual, and I had no idea what to say after that.
Mason took me. He molded his body to mine in the most loving way. He caressed me, loved me, and kissed me tenderly over every part of me. I never knew love could be like that. I was so glad we’d waited, because it was worth waiting for. That place…that moment…I would never forget that night. But I didn’t have to try to hold onto the moment forever. Knowing Mason, I knew there would be more like it. And he wasn’t kidding; he did light the whole damn sky.
“Mom, Dad.” I dove into their arms when they both greeted me by the door.
“Come in. It’s so cold today. You must be freezing.” Mom fussed over me, went to the kitchen, and came back to give us each a mug of tea.
“I thought you were coming next week.” Dad shifted on the sofa to make room for Mom by his side. “I mean…not that I mind you coming today. Of course, you’re welcome anytime.”
I watched Mom lean in to make herself comfortable. She had gotten bigger. Zara had warned us that Mom’s baby would grow much faster in her womb, since she was a Titaness.
“I know we already spoke on the phone, but I wanted to show you the ring Mason proposed with.” I stretched my arms out to show them.
“It’s beautiful. We’re so happy for you.” Mom looked like she had tears in her eyes.
“Yes. It is beautiful,” I agreed. It seemed surreal to see it on my finger. I’d daydreamed about Mason proposing to me, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. In fact, I never thought we would be a couple, considering his actions when we first got together, but that was before he let his wall crumble and let the good in.
Dad cleared his throat. “To tell you the truth, under normal circumstances, I would have thought it was a bit too early; however, our lives aren’t normal. Mason is a fine young man, and I know he’ll make a great husband. He promised your mom and me that he would.”
“Be happy, Sky,” Mom added. “Life is long for us, yet it can be short. You know what I mean. For now we are safe, but who knows what evil will come about? If there is good, then there is evil. Everything is about balance. You can’t have one without the other. That’s just the way it is.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked Mom, gravitating my eyes to her stomach.
“Tired and hungry all the time,” Mom sighed, taking a sip of her tea. “Honey, how do you feel about all of this? I want to know what you’re thinking.”
I placed my mug down on my lap and looked up. “I know it’s normal for the gods to…you know…” Oh God, I didn’t want to say the word “sex” in front of my parents. Although this was more like rape. “…make babies with siblings, but what Hephaestus did to you was wrong. And yet, you seem fine with it. I mean…I don’t want you to have a nervous breakdown, but….” I didn’t know what else to say or how to say it.
“I’ve been talking to Zara…a lot. And having sessions with all the three Oracles to help me get through this.” Mom laced her hand in Dad’s. “Your father has been wonderful and understanding.”
“I didn’t know that.” I looked away shamefully.
“It’s quite normal for the gods to sleep with their siblings, and get married to them, like Zeus and Hera. I’m your mother, and I’m also someone else. But that doesn’t mean I love you any less. What Hephaestus said was true. You are more powerful than the descendants, because you have Titan’s blood in you. Because I’m inside a human’s body, I’m not as strong and powerful as I would be if I were myself. I’m going to have this baby. If it survives, we will raise our child with enormous love, just as we have with you.”
“What do you mean ‘if it survives’?” I held the warm mug with both of my hands, not because I was cold, but because I needed to hold onto something. The warmth gave me comfort.
“He or she. We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. The baby’s position is making it difficult for Zara to pinpoint the gender. The heart…it’s very weak. Hephaestus forced me to drink…I don’t know if it was your blood or the vulture’s blood. It’s doing something to the baby. And to tell you the truth…I’m not sure if I’m happy or sad about it. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just trying to do the right thing. This is all too much for me, as I am sure it is for you. All of this…everything we’ve been through has been too much.”
Mom looked down at her mug after taking a sip. I didn’t want to upset her. It wasn’t the reason why I’d come here. I just wanted to ask her a few questions that were bothering me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean….”
Mom looked up. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry. I’m just glad everyone is safe.”
“Did Hephaestus say anything to you about…?” I wasn’t sure how to ask the question. “Just before he turned into a statue, he said that this was just the beginning, that he had other plans. Do you know what he meant by that? Did he tell you anything or say anything that was suspicious to you?”
Mom looked up to the ceiling, seemingly trying to recall. “He didn’t hint at anything. He could have just been saying things to make himself feel better. Don’t worry, Sky. Hephaestus always spit out threats to make us worry. He had the need for attention. He would do anything to make us think of him, even till the very end.”
“Okay.” I nodded, pushing the thought aside. Perhaps Mom was right. I was over-thinking things.
“I think it’s time to eat. I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving.” Dad stood up and helped Mom to stand.
“Come on, Sky.” Mom gestured with a tilt of her head. “You can set the table, for old times’ sake.”
And just like that, things were back to normal. It was just the three of us…the family that was before I was eight years old. We talked about the years before I turned eight. Some of the things my parents mentioned, I couldn’t remember, but others were vivid in my mind, as if they’d happened yesterday. I never thought I would see my dad again, but here he was. Three lost souls finally put back together after all these years. Hope was a small word, but when delivered, it was huge.
“Welcome, Sky and Mason.” Mona greeted us when we entered. Looking at the time, we’d just missed the dinner rush. Mona gave each of us a hug, and led us to our table. She reeked of perfume, like always, and this time she’d changed her hair to red. “Kayla and Nick are in the kitchen. I’ll go get them.”
“Nice color,” I complimented, before she had a chance to move. “It goes well with your skin tone.”
“Thanks.” Mona blushed, fluffing her hair.
“I can’t believe this place got cleaned up so fast.”
Mona glanced around, then whispered, “We had help from the gods. Hades felt bad that the creatures he created with Medusa did all these bad things.”
“Good. I’m glad he did,” I said. “He’s got a lot to make up for.”
“Hey, beautiful. Hey, Mason,” Jack waved with a spatula in his hand, breaking into our conversation.
“Hey, Jack.” Mason and I greeted in accord. Our attention shifted to Nick and Kayla stepping out of the kitchen, and then it turned to Amanda, Noah, and Everett walking into the diner.
After our hugs and kisses, we sat down and ordered our dinner.
“So, Nick told me you have something tell us.” Kayla looked at Mason and me, looking too elated.
I looked at Mason with a smile, and then plac
ed my left hand out, which I had been trying to hide from everyone until the right time. I had even twisted the ring so that the diamond faced the other way.
“Oh my God!” Kayla squealed from the top of her lungs. “When? How? I want details.”
After I told them how Mason proposed to me, everyone expressed their happiness for us, even Mona and Jack. Seeing everyone smile and laugh as we ate our dinner made me forget who we were. It was something that I’d surely missed.
“I have news too,” Amanda said, out of the blue, tossing her blonde hair back. “I’ve decided to move to New Olympus. Well…Noah asked me to.” She shrugged sheepishly. “It’ll be easier for the both of us.”
“That’s great. Now I don’t have to hear you snore,” Nick chuckled.
Amanda kicked him under the table. “What do you mean? I don’t snore. I rarely stay over anymore.”
“Exactly. I can hear you all the way from your place.”
“Shut up.” Amanda tossed a piece of noodle at him, but before it could touch him, he zapped it with his electricity. It bounced back and hit Amanda on the nose.
“Ouch.” She wrinkled her nose. “You’re cruel, and you’re so going to get it.”
Splat! Water squirted out of Nick’s cup onto his shirt, leaving a dark patch on his black sweater.
“Don’t mess with my girl,” Noah warned with a grin.
As I listened to everyone giggle, I gave Nick a dose of my fire, just enough warmth to dry up his sweater.
“Thanks, Skylar.” Nick grunted at Noah and ruffled his hair from across the table with his light. It was cool to see how he did that quickly with his dim sparks.
“I can’t believe this.” Kayla looked amazed. “This is just way too cool. It’s like being surround by superheroes.”
“You are, Kayla,” I said, and I meant it. To me, they were my heroes. They’d helped me, knowing there was a chance I could accidently kill them with my blood. They fought alongside me to help me rescue my parents. They risked their lives so they could save humanity. The people would never know, because descendants like us didn’t exist, but I knew. I knew the true heroes, and they were sitting at that table with me. I was lucky to call them my friends.
It had been a month since we locked the nightmares away, and it really felt like it had just been a dream. Having everything back to normal and not having to constantly look over my shoulder gave me peace I hadn’t had in a long time. Needing some time to relax and spend time with my family and friends, I’d decided to sit out the last semester and continue next school year.
It had been rewarding, spending time with Mason at the restaurant and learning how to run it. I’d never imagined all the detail and hard work that went along with running such a fine, elegant restaurant. It also was nice to be a normal couple and do what normal couples did, instead of killing monsters.
There was a lot of construction in Bella Amore; the floors had to be replaced, and the walls had to be re-constructed and painted. Luckily, the outside structure was still good as new.
“I can’t believe we open next week,” Nick said, straightening the black picture frame on the wall. Looking down at the hardwood floor, he smudged something I couldn’t see with his shoe.
Everett came out from behind the cash register. “What I can’t believe is that the three gods are actually going to work part time at our restaurant.” He raised his brows. I could understand his lack of excitement. The gods argued with the Grand brothers about how things should be run in the restaurant, but they had finally come to an understanding.
“Did someone mention the gods?” Hades walked in, pulling down his sunglasses, with Zeus behind him.
No one could ever tell they were gods. With tight jeans and dark gray polo shirts forming to their chiseled chests, I had to admit, they looked gorgeous.
“Nope…and you’re both early.” Mason shoved the menus into the wooden rack where the hostess would be standing to greet the customers.
“We thought we’d grace you with our presence and make your day,” Hades said smoothly, giving me a kiss on the cheek. He gave me a kiss every time I saw him, so it wasn’t a big deal. Although it was more like a big brother type of kiss, Mason always frowned upon that. I thought I heard a growl from him this time.
“I think Hades should work in the kitchen,” I suggested, tugging a strand of hair to my face, trying to hide my blush.
“Why?” Hades demanded to know, arching his brows.
“Because, you’ll either end up flirting with our female customers or they’ll end up flirting with you.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? I can bring more business.”
“No, thanks. Just make sure you do your job and don’t create any problems, please.” Mason added one more chair to the table, then paused. “You drove here, right?”
Hades dangled his car keys and placed them back into his pocket. “Of course, I did.”
The Grand brothers had bought each god a brand new car and taught them how to drive. If they ever got pulled over by a cop, they could use their powers and make the cop forget.
“I drove too, to get extra practice,” Zeus informed. “It’s not so bad.”
“Come sit with us. We’re having lunch.” Mason patted the top of the chair with wood trimming.
“We didn’t come to eat, but if you’re offering, then thanks.” Zeus sat at the head of the table, followed by Hades.
The door swung open. Everett must have slipped into the kitchen just before the gods got there. “Hungry anyone?” He held a tray with plates of food, and stopped from walking any further. “Zeus. Hades. You’re early. Just in time for lunch.”
“Here. Let me help you.” Nick took the tray from Everett and passed the plates filled with chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables to the center, for family style dining. “That looks delicious,” Hades said, waiting for us to sit.
Everett went back to the kitchen and came back with another plate. “Are you excited to work here?”
Hades took a bite from a drumstick. “I need to make money; therefore, I must work. I’ve never done any labor job before. But I think escorting the ladies to their tables won’t be a problem.” He winked at me.
“Some will have a husband or a date, so you behave.” I shook my index finger in a scolding way.
“Yes, ma’am.”
For some reason, I didn’t believe him.
“Surprisingly, I actually enjoy cooking,” Zeus threw in. “I’m coming up with my own recipes.”
“Yeah…about that.” Everett looked nervous. “Let’s just stick to mine…please.”
“The gods are only working once a week, so it won’t be a problem,” Mason said, taking a scoop of rice with his spoon.
“They can’t live on that.” Nick leaned back in his seat. “That’s nothing.”
Mason shrugged, looking apologetic. “Oh…I forgot to tell you that I agreed to pay them a lot more than one day’s wages. I think we need to ease them into catering to real people.”
The conversation stopped abruptly when a noise came from the kitchen. It sounded like a pot had fallen, but that couldn’t be. All the pots and pans were hung from a fixture that was nailed to the ceiling.
“What was that?” Nick asked, frozen in place.
“Damn rats.” Everest grimaced. “We need to do something before we open. I found one, but couldn’t catch it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mason asked, standing up. “You know I can give it a dose of my shock without killing it.”
Everett gulped down the glass of water and swallowed. “My ego.”
“Your ego?” Mason chuckled. “Right now, the rat has a bigger ego than you. It knows it can get away. Let’s see how far he can run from me.”
I held onto Mason’s arm before he could leave. “Stop. Eat first.”
“It’s going to get away.” Mason frowned.
“It already did,” I giggled.
Mason curled his lips slowly, letting me know he agreed with me, an
d sat back down to eat.
“How’s everything at Mt. Olympus?” I asked.
“Everything is back to normal…the bickering, cursing, gossiping, and the partying.” Zeus shrugged. “Sounds like one of the television shows Hades watches.”
I spooned some rice into my mouth. “Do you have any questions?”
“Can you tell me what school is like?” Hades asked, placing his fork down. He was the first one to finish. “Why do the men wear a ribbon thing that hangs down from their neck? If you have a television at your home, why do you go to another place and watch it on a big screen? Why do some cars make noises, and when they do, why do all the cars pull to the side?”
“Who wants to answer?” Nick chuckled. “That’s a lot of questions in one breath.”
Everett started to explain, when we were interrupted with the same noise. This time I stood up.
“Where are you going?” Mason asked, gripping my wrist.
“I need to fill my glass.”
“I’ll get it.” Mason excused himself and left.
Clank! Clank! Clank! The sound of numerous dishes falling rang in the air.
“Looks like the little rat was faster than Mason,” Nick snorted. “It’s smatter than you, Mason! You can’t catch it,” Nick yelled.
We all laughed aloud, until suddenly, the ground started to sway. I thought it was in my mind at first, but then the ground shook like an earthquake…then got even worse.
“Shit. It’s an earthquake.” Everett got ready to duck under.
“Mason!” I yelled. “Forget the rat. Come here!”
When there was no answer from Mason, I ran to him, almost stumbling a couple of times. My body thrashed against the wall when I entered the kitchen. I was shocked to feel a hurricane-like wind twirling everything about, catching everything in its way. Utensils, pans, spices, and even the leftovers from what Everett had cooked were spinning with the speed of the wind.
“Mason! Where are you?” I hollered over the noise.