Ghost of the Skies

Meeting Lightning Butt

I see a giant, pink, fluffy hippo, trying to eat Jeff. Just kidding. I wish I could see that.... What I see is a huge river, and a lot of ancient Roman buildings. I'll let you decide which is weirder. "Okay, so... Why and how is all this down here?" I ask, still pretty shocked. "It's complicated. I'll let the Praetors explain." She replies. "Um, okay." I nod, taking in my surroundings. We arrive at a large building, and the girl pushes the doors open. Inside, at a large table, two teens are looking at a map. "Reyna, Frank, I brought the boy." She says, before turning around, and leaving. I notice two Greyhounds(I think that's what they are?). One is Gold, and the other is Silver. I don't know why, but they make me feel uneasy.

Reyna looks up at me, along with Frank. I recognize Frank as the boy in Jason's room. "Take a seat." Reyna says, showing no emotion. I clear my throat, and sit in an empty seat. "I'm Ben..." I say, with a glance at her dogs. One of the dogs looks at her, and makes a noise. She nods. "Please continue." Frank says politely. "I came here because I heard that my cousin, Jason goes here." I tell them. "Jason Grace?" Frank implores, looking surprised. "Yes, why does everyone seem so surprised?" I ask. "He never mentioned you before..." Frank mutters. "That's because we've never met." I explain. "So, how did you know to come here; and why haven't you met?" Reyna asks coldly. "It was just me and my father, and he didn't like aunt Beryl for some reason. So to sum it up, my father's the only family I've ever known." I tell her.

It might have been my imagination, but I think I saw her eyes soften a little, just for a second. "And how you knew to come here?" She leans forward. Hmm, she's pretty persistent. That could be a problem... "I looked into his online information, and found a mention of this place. I went deeper, and got the basic location; and then I simply looked for it around here." I tell her, deciding to go with the honest approach, but at the same time, not giving too much away.

"There shouldn't be any online information on the camp's location..." She mutters to herself. She still seems pretty suspicious of me. Her face returns it's impassiveness, and she seems to be thinking. Frank turns to her with a pondering look. He doesn't seem like the cold type; he seems more like the kind, strong, loyal type. "Should we get Jason, and see what he thinks?" He asks her. "It seems like the best option." She nods to him. He gets up, leaving me and Reyna alone.

"Uh, so... How's it going?" I say, attempting to break the awkward silence. "Fine." She states coldly. I try again. "What kind of stuff do you guys do here?" I ask. "I am not obligated to tell you that." Ouch. I decide to just sit quietly.... Frank returns a few minutes later, with another boy. He's blond, with blue eyes, and glasses. He looks a mixture of different emotions. Confusion, surprise, nervousness, worry, and other emotions that I couldn't pinpoint. "A-are you Ben?..." He asks me, giving me a weird look. "Actually, I'm the president of the united states." I tell him, keeping a straight face. He lets out a small chuckle, relaxing a bit."Frank said something about you claiming to be my cousin?" He asks me, sitting down. "Yes, that's what I said. I can explain more, if you want." I offer.

He looks at Reyna, and she gives a nod. "Okay... I'd like to know what's going on." He says with a determined look. I take deep breath, and decide how to best explain. "Okay, my father detached himself from the rest of our family after my mom died. I'd forgotten of all other family members until I saw your name online. I remembered him mentioning you and your mom, once. I dug into your background, and found out about this place. After looking around for a while, I figured out where it was located; and I came to find you." I tell him, then take a moment to catch my breath while he thinks it over."I never knew I had any more family... My mom never mentioned you. At least, not that I can remember." He says, seemingly to himself. "This is pretty much my last chance to connect with family. My father and I no longer talk to each other, for reasons I do not wish to explain." I shrug.

In the end, I'll be fine whether or not Jason chooses to get to know me. I never expected this chance. Any chance for family; so if he decides he hates me too, then it's not like I'll have lost anything. And if he decides he wants something to do with me after all.... I guess I might get a new chance? I'm not sure what the future has in store for me. I've been considering looking for a way to move on. I might have killed myself, if I weren't already dead. It looks like he's deciding what he wants. I better not get my hopes up. Wait, what am I thinking? I said I didn't care. I look at him, to see if he has an answer for me. He takes a deep breath. "Okay... here's what I'd like to do...".