Heroes of Olympus One-Shots

Break In

"So that's it, eh?"

Will Solace, Lou Ellen, and Cecil stood in the tree line staring up at the manor. It was ancient, built from black stone with gold plated columns at the entrance. There was a garden in the back that the Lou Ellen and Cecil had attempted to enter on more than one occasion, but to no avail. The walls were too high and smooth and topped with barbed wire. A man lived in there, his immense wealth inherited or― as it was rumored to be ―stolen from a family stretching back for generations. Now he lived in mostly solitude with only his third wife, son, and youngest daughter for company. Will had only ever seen the man come out of his mansion thrice, and none for a pleasant purpose. The first was for his first wife's funeral, after she was killed in an explosion that destroyed an entire half of the hotel they had been staying in. The second, for his eldest daughter's, who died in a car crash trying to save her friends from certain death. The third for his second wife who perished from an unknown illness. Every time, the man had looked the same. Long black hair and a look of intense hatred and sorrow etched across his sharp, pale features.

Naturally, this sparked a number of rumors across town and the man had been forced to call the police on more than one account of teenagers no different than the trio standing in the treeline now, who had attempted to break into his manor. Will himself was having a few second thoughts, but he felt the need to be here out of both curiosity, and the fact that there was an inevitable capture ahead of them.

Cecil nodded to Will. "Yeah that's it. Now, y'all remember the plan, right?"

The two nodded. Cecil grinned and pulled several pins from his pocket along with a couple of pocket knives ("Just in case," he had said), and a couple of flashlights.

"Let's go then!" he whispered excitedly. "The whole family's out. This is our chance. And don't worry, I've already disabled security."

Will knew perfectly well of Cecil's abilities to hack, pick, and all around ruin whatever he touched, but felt uneasy. Still, he shook off the foreboding dread and followed his friends up to the house.

Cecil went to the side of the mansion, to a small cellar door half buried in the ground. He flashed another grin before pulling out a pin and beginning to pick the lock. Will stood behind Lou Ellen, rocking slightly on his heels as nausea built up in his stomach. Finally, the door swung open silently, allowing a single beam of moonlight to illuminate some stairs leading into a somewhat barren looking cellar. The trio tiptoed down into the basement and saw only rows of boxes. Nothing special it seemed. Wandering through the labyrinth of dusty shelves and old possessions long forgotten, they found the door leading upstairs.

Looking ahead at the two corridors stretching ahead of them, Cecil suggested, "Why don't we split up?"

Lou Ellen elbowed him. "No way! You think we're gonna trust you in this place by yourself? Hell, we can't even have you go into a convenience store without you stealing something. And besides, splitting up is always how people die in horror movies."

Will couldn't help but chuckle. "Lou, as right as you are," he said. "I doubt we're going to be attacked in the next hour."

Lou huffed and glowered at him. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll go with Cecil over here. I trust you enough not to take anything and/or get killed."

Will snorted and waved goodbye as he turned on his flashlight and headed down the dark hall. He focused on the sound of his friends' bickering and footsteps to calm his nerves until they faded away completely. Now that he was alone, he realized how stupid he was being. Occasionally, he heard a thump or creak from the depths of the mansion that couldn't possibly be from Lou Ellen or Cecil. They sounded like footsteps though. Wait, did he just hear someone muttering to himself? It sounded angry. Was this place haunted? Will shook his head. Snap out of it Solace, you're being ridiculous.