Finally Heroes

Chapter Two

In the ol' noggin I got here, the dialogue at one point in this chapter is a duet between Hera and Carlos, and there's some good ass choreography so basically what I'm saying is I really wish visuals were a thing.

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        "Hey, Carlos, have you seen my--"                

        I felt something soft strike the back of my head and tumble to the ground, causing me to turn around and stare downwards. A neatly rolled pair of socks sat a few inches from me, having been thrown a great distance in order to get here. Sighing, I reached down and picked them up, carefully setting them in the bag.

        "I was going to say 'phone', but I do need these, so thanks!" Carlos wandered out of my room with my phone in one hand. He eyed me with caution as he placed the device in my hands.

        "Are you... gonna be okay?" I scoffed and shook my head as I slung my bag over one arm.

        "Carlos, it's just swimming. And these people are my friends now, so really, you don't have to worry." I quickly squeezed his hand. He fell silent for a moment, then finally smiled.

        "I'm impressed, Hera. I remember there was a time when you wouldn't have gone within a fifty-foot radius of Jon. And now you've been spending time with those kids you met in class."

        "Well, we've had time to change." I turned around and glanced out the window for a moment. "I used to be afraid. I'd fall in line, say 'yes ma'am', and pray I kept my head. I never knew anything better than obeying whomever." My hands leaned against the windowsill. "And when someone finally showed me love, I knew it wasn't true. But I went with it anyway, because what else had I been taught to do? I let the waves toss me around, beat my head on the ocean floor, hold it under in the current until I nearly drowned."

        I slowly turned and faced Carlos, resting my hands on his forearms.

        "You never really came along, you were always there. I just never saw you as someone who would become this to me." My hand floated up to his cheek. "But it's always been you protecting me like the shield I never knew I needed. My past covered my eyes until you moved its hands, and only then did it become clear: through all the ups and downs, we were always meant to get here." Carlos gently placed his hand over mine.

        "I never thought you'd turn my way, so I took what I could get. Being there for you felt like enough, I swallowed the rest down. And it wasn't always like that, there was a time when the thought of loving you grossed me out." He leaned forward to try and kiss my cheek, but to emphasize the point, I leaned away.

        "We both felt the same way." He pulled me back up and smirked.

        "But in the place I least expected, you came to me. I will never forget that moment, I will never regret the waiting." Suddenly, in a burst of joy, Carlos spun me in a circle, causing me to laugh. "You never really came along, you were always there, and I hoped, one day, you'd become this to me. It's always been you fighting like the sword I never knew I needed. You cleared the clouds of my past to help the sun shine, and that's when it became clear: through all the ups and downs, we were always meant to get here."

        "Before, my life was a foggy road, no end in sight."

        "I tried to catch you when you fell, but sometimes, you were just out of reach." Carlos leaned forward and pressed his hands against mine.

        "You were the beam of light, showing we the way, leading me home." I jumped up, and quickly reacting, Carlos wrapped his arms around my waist and spun around.

        Carlos lowered me toward the ground again and placed a kiss on the top of my head, and as I blushed, my eyes moved to the clock on my wall. In the span we'd been messing around, the time I'd promised to meet the others had passed. Scrambling, I reached for my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

        "I'm late!" I exclaimed, trying my best to run out the door.

        "Hey, you're the one who started going off on a tangent." I could tell Carlos was joking, but I still whipped around, halfway out the door, and stuck my tongue out.

        "That doesn't matter. I'm late for this very important date, so now I have to go."

        "You know, you never really said hi to me in the first place."

        "No time to say hello! Goodbye! I'm late!"

        Part of me felt bad leaving Carlos behind, but he'd told me he had to help make plans with Ben, so it's not like I was leaving him to wander and wait. I jumped on my motorbike and sped toward the Enchanted Lake, hoping my lack of helmet wouldn't come back to bite me. Thankfully, I reached the lake without accident, and my friends didn't appear to be upset with my lateness.

        "Hera!" Aria waved at me, calling me over to them. It wouldn't be hard to spot her red head of curls, but it was nice to know they were watching for me.

        "What took you so long?" I opened my mouth to respond to Ray, but before I could, Rajah interjected.

        "Carlos, no doubt." She and Aria giggled, while the boys shook their head.

        "A quick conversation, yes." I slipped off my cover up and folded it, gently placing it in my bag.

        "Hera's allowed to spend time with her boyfriend, guys." Jon attempted to defend me, but there really wasn't a need.

        "Thanks, Jon, but I'm pretty sure they were just joking." I extended a hand down to him, helping him up. "Now, come on. That Enchanted Lake is calling my name."

        "There's actually a really good chance that's happening." With a slightly devilish smirk, I lunged forward and shoved Aria right in. I'd caught her completely off guard, so she flailed her arms in the water, shrieking and laughing as she attempted to stay afloat.

        "Come on, Aria! Wasn't your mom a mermaid?" Ray taunted. Aria narrowed her eyes at him, while the rest of us rolled our eyes at each other, then jumped in, joining her in the water. The moment my head came back up, a large wave of water splashed me. I swallowed a bit of it and sputtered, and when I came to my senses, Aria was laughing gleefully.

        "Oh, you asked for it!" I tried to splash her back, but she ducked, and I ended up hitting Ray instead. My hand flew to my mouth in shock, and I began to laugh before he lunged for me. Rajah reached out and tried to grab onto ray, falling onto Jon and starting an all-out splashing war with each other.