The Blood Of The Beast

17: Deceit

(27/01/17 - 31/01/17 )

Over the years, I had grown accustomed to dissapointing people. The constant looks of judgement and disgust, tongues only held back from lashing out against him by the thought my parents death, the fact that he lost them at such a young age he couldn't even remember him. I should be glad, not having peope coming at me, yelling at me or picking on me in school.

However, I hated it. I wanted to be an average, normal kid. I was okay with the fact that I dissapointed people; never getting good enough grades, loosing the football match because I stumbled on my feet. But maybe, if they treated me like everyone else, I wouldn't be okay with being a failure, I would strive to do bigger, better, the best I could.

That wakeup call, that kick in the ass never came. So the moment I sat down in front of Chlöe and Jason and she started yelling at me for being reckless, I started laughing, tears pooling my eyes and my head slumped back, hands clutching my stomach. It was so refreshing, it was so relieving that when added to the emotional stress and confusion from the past couple of hours that it made me a hysterical mess. And I loved every bloody second of it.

However, too soon for my liking, my emotions calmed and I went back to feeling bleak, that constant phantom that hauted me since the day I realised that not every kid lived with their aunt and uncle and had no parents.

I sat down between both of then on my bed. One, a pretty girl which I had only met a few days ago and for no reason already seemed to despise me, a constant in my life. Another a boy that I had known as long as I could remember, stuck in a situation so similar, yet so different to mine, and a child of a goddess.

At that moment, the realisation of the situation we were on caught up to me, as as if a camera had snapped into focus, I saw them in a different light.

A young, jaded woman that didn't know how to trust, and a young, injured man not knowing how to show his feelings or how family worked, drowning himself in distractions from reality.

The newfound knowledge seemed to weigh down my shoulders twice as much as everything had before.

Not knowing how to break the once comforting and now awkward silence, I cleared my throat.

"So, how am I here? I mean, I'm pretty sure I died... Yesterday? Was it yesterday." A sudden wave of panic came over me, ever since this all started happening, I lost all sense if time.

"Yesterday," Chlöe confirmed. She hesitated for a moment then whispered, "You need to leave your family and Mariana's care, Alex. They aren't truly on your side, they're using you!"

If it was possible I felt my mood droop even more, to the pont where I wasn't just upset, I was angry. We hardly knew each other and there she was, spilling lies about the only family I had left and a woman I never heard of.

"First of all, don't say crap like that about my family! Second of all, I don't know a Mariana!"  My voice was rising by the second, u was surprised I wasn't yelling yet.

Chlöe seemed distraught and next to her Jason was pleading for me to listen. The only friend I ever had, almost on his knees and begging. I hated the sight so I put my hands up in surrender but by scowl didn't leave.

"Mariana is Mary, and what your family told you about her isn't all true! She's really a daughter of Poseidon that went rogue and joined Apollo's side and what Mariana herself told you about the shifters wasn't true either. Artemis didn't want us to tel you immediately, but we're running out of time! Please, trust us!" Chlöe was stumbling on her words and seemed to keep looking at the door, waiting for my aunt to burst in any second.

"We need you to trust us Alex, and if not her, then me! Please just come with us! We don't have time! Please!"

Jason or my family.

I remembered the good times with my father's brother and sister-in-law.

"I love you so much, boo!"

But then old memories resurfaced, ones that were buried in the corner of my mind.

"Alex get out of my sight, your uncle and I are very disappointed in you! You should have been gone like your parents!"

Jason.

"Okay. Fine. Just- I don't know! Explain everything to me!"

"We don't need to," Chlöe stated with an ominous voice. "Your dreams will."

And before I could react Jason picked up the vase and pulled it under my arm while Chlöe swung  the baseball bat that always stayed near my bed towards my face.

And the world went dark.