Daughter of Aphrodite(a demigod story)

Hotel Maids from Hell

We stopped at a hotel that was no more than six miles away from Mount Rushmore. I threw my bag against the wall and stood on the balcony, looking up at the dreaded destination. Why did I do this? Why did I try to do do this? Why did Aphrodite choose me?

I was so caught up in a land of thought I didn't notice Stewart leaning against the railing of the balcony next to me. To tell the truth, I nearly jumped when I turned and saw him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" I asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Stewart repeated.

"I'm just scared..."

Stewart nodded.

"I just don't know if I can do this."

Stewart punched me in the arm.

"Ouch, what was that for?" I punched him back.

"Just making sure Alyssa is still in there," he grinned, "You're a determined girl. Once you set your mind to something, you make sure it gets completed."

I blushed; I never knew he noticed that much about me. Then, he started to sing "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," a duet for a guy and girl he and I used to sing quite often.

"There's a full moon over Tulsa, I hope that it's shining on you. The nights are getting cold, in Cherokee County. There's a Blue Norther passing through..."

He and I sang until the sun finished setting then we retired to the clean sheets of the hotel beds

**********************************************************

In the middle of the night, there was a knock at the door. I sleepily wandered to the only door that led out and three old ladies walked in,

"Housekeeping," the first one said.

Housekeeping, at twelve in the night?

They carried no cleaning supplies and my hand instantly went to my pocket. As soon as I made that move, one jumped at me, tearing out of her disguise into a monster with leathery wings. I screamed and Stewart was awake in an instant and drew his sword. All three of the old ladies were in their true form; Furies!

Tyson punched the one who had her razor sharp claws sunk into my arms and she slammed against the wall; he followed it up with a second that smacked a tooth from the jaws of the monster. With my arms crying out in pain and dripping with blood, I uncapped Heartbreaker. Instantly, I was

thrown off my feet by another Fury, but she left an opening in which I sliced off her wing, vaporizing her into dust.

Stewart was busy with the third and Tyson had the first pinned against the wall. The monster managed to break through Tyson's grip and the first snatched me up and broke out the glass window. Cut and bruised from the glass, I wearily saw the hotel pool below me and I reached out and sliced the none-too smart Fury in the soft belly. She disappeared into dust and I splashed into the hotel pool. The salt water stung my skin and I tried to swim up, but my arms wouldn't function.

I heard a splash nearby and felt big arms wrap around me and pull me to the surface. Tyson's big calf-eye was searching me for any signs of life. He poured some nectar onto my cuts and down my throat and I started feeling better. A weak smile spread across my face and Tyson shouted to Stewart, who stood from the broken window, "She okay!"

Tyson carried me the hotel room where Stewart was examining the broken window, "We can't stay here. If we do, we'll be blamed for damaging property."

"Whoever hires these workers are really horrible at what they do," I said.

We set up a camp far from the city and I was able to walk on my own then. Tyson dozed off right after eating his meal. Stewart and I sat there quietly. While he stared at the campfire, I stared at him. He looked like a hero in the firelight, his brown eyes distant and his auburn hair brushed over his forehead; though what I hadn't noticed before was a bite mark on his shoulder, close to his neck.

"What don't you tell me of these things?" I asked, pulling back his jacket and shirt. It was a

bloody mess.

"I don't want to waste the nectar."

"We can 'waste' a few drops on a bite like this," I did exactly as I said, "Fury got you?"

"Yep,"

I finished cleaning his wound and took back my old place near the fire, "I feel like we're playing keep away with monsters."

"And you're the hard to catch ball..."

Another silence fell among the small camp. Stewart kept his eyes focused on the fire. Slowly, my head leaned closer and closer till it rested on his shoulder. He didn't stir but I noticed his cheeks grew faintly pink.