Unlocking Olympus: Chapter 6

Unlocking Olympus

Chapter Six: Adamaris

I could feel my pipes being crushed as the serpentine tail coiled around my neck, tightening. I was trying to harden my jaw, straining the muscles of my throat, a futile attempt to stop the Lamia from breaking my neck. It hissed in front of my face and I looked at its wide, unblinking eyes. I struggled to swallow air, opening my mouth, trying to suck oxygen.

“Hiss…no use fighting me demigod…hissss…I’ll make this quick for you.” A curtain of blackness threatened to cover my vision. I was in desperate need of oxygen in my brain.

“Your breath stinks!” I wheezed out as the Lamia’s horrid face contorted in rage. Its mouth opened in what I presumed was supposed to be a sneer. My eyes twitched at the hideous sight of its uneven, sharp teeth and its purplish tongue which was dripping with human blood – an innocent infant’s blood. Hot, boiling rage surged through my veins, invigorating me, lending me an energy to spend so I could fucking send this bitch into the depths of tartarus.

With shaking hands and no oxygen in my lungs, my fingers wrapped on the rough, worn out leather around the handle of the Athena’s dagger, “Your breath fucking stinks!” I spent the last of my energy in plunging the dagger into its heart, emitting a howl from the creature. Instantly, the tail around my neck loosened for a fraction and I hungrily sucked air to fill my lungs. Before the Liama could disentangle itself from me, I dragged the dagger down to its gut, causing for its innards to spill in my fists.

I groaned in disgust as it let out a deafening screech, jerking away from me, extricating itself from the dagger. Hot red liquid oozed from its gaping flesh, its eyeball rolling at the back of its disgusting head. Seconds after, it fell limply on the filthy floor of the sewer.

“Apparently, you’re not quick enough.” I said as I threw the flame from my zippo to its corpse, watching as the fire engulfed it and incinerated it until not even an ash existed.

Two Days Later

I was writhing from pain by the time Cadence parked my car in front of her lawn. She helped me out of the car and I brushed her help away, hissing as my burned arm stung like hell. “I can walk.” I said through gritted teeth.

I heard her sighing and made her way to her door and opened it. She entered without saying a word even after I followed her, closing the door behind me. Cadence lives alone in this one-storey spacious house after her mother got killed by a Minotaur. Different witchy knick knacks adorned her house, from stacks of spell books down to different kinds of herbs.

Cadence emerged from her stock room and sat beside me at the plush couch. “You were burned by God-fire.” She said with a very low voice. Cadence sounded eerily calm as she focused her attention into putting balm in my blistered skin. The concocted ointment was like ice to my burning skin and it gave a temporary reprieve. I knew this wound would heal after a day but it still hurt like a son of a bitch! I would kill that blonde woman!

“You are so stupid,”

“Sorry?” I asked, not hearing what she said because I was so busy plotting the demise of a certain goddess. Her finger stilled for a second then she repeated what she said, this time a whole lot louder.

“Why are you so stupid, Adamaris? That God could have killed you with a blink of an eye! Thank the Gods because she allowed you to walk out of that place with a mere burn!” She was fuming with silent fury, her eyes burning amber from anger. “I told you to give it a rest, don’t get near her!”

A short burst of anger flurried inside my chest, “Monsters littered the Earth and they are fucking running amok and killing humans, Caddie. I need to know what happened to Olympus and figure out how to fix the mess they made, again. I just can’t keep a blind eye to all those killings!” During those two weeks, after what people now called as ‘God’s Storm’, monsters had walked the earth freely as if the Gods had stopped controlling them. “Have you forgotten what happened to those infants that were eaten by a fucking Lamia?” Cadence winced from my question but held my angry gaze. It was just two days ago when I killed a Lamia, one of the many monsters resided in Olympus which was supposed to be governed and leashed by the freaking Gods. But they were all MIA, completely neglecting the people they were supposed to be protecting, not that I was expecting much from them.

A week ago, a series of missing infant cases had took over the news, the media and people were all in frenzy for what they thought was a kidnapping spree. But it turned out that a Lamia was behind the missing infants. I could still remember its hideous face, those wide, unblinking crazed eyes, the scaly hollow cheeks and its broad devious grin, revealing bloodied uneven sharp teeth, the blood of its latest victim still dripping from its hanging purple tongue. I repressed the shudder from rocking my body. I killed it, remorseful that I wasn’t able to save those infants. I was blaming the Gods for my own shortcoming. It has always been easier to blame others for the things you failed to do, I grimly thought.

“But what good did it bring you when you went there carrying just your dick? You were almost killed, Adam!” Treating the burn now forgotten, Cadence threw her hands up.

“Then it’s her greatest mistake that she didn’t kill me when she had the chance.” I knew she was worried for my wellbeing but I still couldn’t help but be crossed that she wasn’t sharing the burning desire to demand answers from the Gods.

As if reading my thoughts, Cadence heaved a long sigh and when she spoke she sounded more irate than angry, “We can get information from someone else. We just can’t demand answers from a goddess, Adam. We could barely put a wrinkle in her clothes.”

“Then we have to do something about it.” I told her, determination set on stone.

Knowing me well enough that that bitch had just gained herself an enemy, I wouldn’t be stopping until I could get my retribution, Cadence sighed again, her eyes rolling upward and muttered, “Gods,”

“We have to do something, Caddie.” I took her hand as her eyes came back to me, not talking about that goddess but talking about saving innocent people that could be victims of the Olympian’s neglect. Reading the sincerity from my voice, Cadence gave me a brief nod.

“We are already trying to help them, Adam. We can’t save the world with just the two of us.” She said, her eyes now trained at the general direction of her working table that was just across us.

Damn.

She turned to me, mustering a smile, “You are doing a great job saving people, Adam. Don’t beat yourself too hard for the death of those babies. It’s not your fault, you did your best. Think about how many lives you saved by killing that Lamia.” She has a point but I could have saved those three babies, I wasn’t just sure how but I knew I could have done something.

“That Goddess is our best shot of knowing what happened there if you are right that she fled here from Olympus.”

Cadence stood, her face reflecting that of someone who just remembered something important, “I was on the phone with my aunt when I sensed that you were doing something reckless and had to run and save you from your own stupidity.” I cringed but remained silent even after she averted her eyes and was lost again in her thought, “There was something she told me, a rumor, but it wasn’t quite an answer.”

Getting my full attention, Cadence continued, “There was this rumor among the sea nymphs at Jersey that Poseidon was in Olympus at the same day because of a very important council meeting. And here’s the interesting part, there’s a rumor among the sea creatures that all but one of the council members were present before the gates of Olympus closed.”

“The gates of Olympus had closed?” I shoot up from where I was sitting, wincing as my burnt arm stung from the movement. “Why? Are you sure?”

“You know how Aunt Priscilla is communicating with the sea nymphs in her county. That’s what she told me, I can’t evaluate if it’s true. What would be my aunt’s intention to lie, right?”

“Why would the Olympians would fucking close their fucking door!” It was a fear that I only learned I was harboring. What if the Gods had finally closed their door to leave the humans alone? But no, the Gods needed the humans as much as the humans needed them. It was how it worked. They couldn’t just close their gates to us and neglect us.

Cadence’s brows were furrowed as she hummed thoughtfully, walking the length of her living area, lost in thought. “No, no, no. I don’t think they closed it purposely. Something happened. But for now, at least we know the reason why these monsters were running wild here on Earth. No one is controlling them.”

“We need to talk to that goddess, torture her for information if we must.” I told Cadence.

“You hate her that much?” Cadence snorted as the gravity of our situation was momentarily forgotten.

The frown in my forehead smoothed as I shrugged my shoulder in response, “A burn for a burn.”

Check out more of my stories in Wattpad!

Read Project: Exodus by Marigold Uy!

Unlocking Olympus: Chapter 5

Unlocking Olympus

Chapter Five: Alectrona

“If you want to masquerade as a human, you have to learn how to look like them. Dress the part, if you must.” Krissy was telling me, dragging me from one uh, what do they call these again? Outlets?Stores? Ah, never mind. We walked block after block, entered building after building, bought clothes after clothes.

“And then I thought dryads hated humans?”

“You think too much.” she smiled briefly and then wiggled her finger at my direction. “Turn around.” I did what was told and saw her grin in satisfaction. “Come on, let’s pay for all these things and we can go back to the café.”

“How about the coffee beans?” I asked, taking the blue blouse off. “Didn’t you say—”

“Clary said she’ll get some form the treehouse later, so no need to worry.” She wafted away from me, towards the counter. She greeted the cashier with a polite smile, but I could see her hand behind her back, her fingers drawing little circles.

Opening my mouth, a sigh escaping my lips, I just shrugged it off. But seriously though, couldn’t she help herself? Once done paying for my temporary clothing, I noticed the cashier’s face now full of freckles. Whether she’ll notice it or not was none of my business but then even I couldn’t help laughing at her.

“You’re evil!” I chuckled, once we were out of the building, the one with the large Prada logo on top.

She flipped her hair and incredulously eyed me. “You’re one to talk, missy. You had to give the poor customer a tail yesterday!”

“He was annoying!” I snapped, adjusting the paper bags on my arm.

Gaping at me in disbelief, a hand dramatically flying towards her chest, “He was just flirting! Human men always do that!”

“Well, they better not do it with me! I have…”

“Someone else in mind?” she inserted, grabbing my arm and pulling me across the street. 

“Oh, please, Alec. You and he had been over centuries ago! Who knows if the bastard is still thinking of you? You know gods, one fling over and they’re on to the next like nothing had ever happened. Do I need to tell you what happened to my mother again?”

Wincing, I grumbled, “Oh, please no. I don’t want to hear you droning over it again and again.”

Reaching the other side of the street, she pointed a finger at me. “Exactly.”

Heels clacking on the ground as we walked, both of us entered the café. “Girls, we’re back!” 

Krissy announced, “Come on, out you come!”

I sat on one of the tall round stools in front of the bar, watching as most of the girls materialised from the wooden walls. We all haven’t returned to the treehouse since last night because of a ‘staff meeting’ or whatever reason Krissy had. I honestly haven’t listened to her anyway.

“How was your sleep?” Krissy asked, greeting her seven younger sisters.

“Awful!” one complained, arching her back, as if in pain. Well, even if they are wooden walls, those do not have lives anymore. They were basically cut from their roots and stuck to building for support and décor.

I sighed, a small smile forming on my lips. They had been taking care of me, I guess I have to at least be kind and give them some sort of treatment. Raising a hand and pointing a finger at each dryad, golden dust slowly drifted into the air, showering each and every one of them.

Krissy looked at me in surprise and then walked past two of her sisters to pat my shoulder. 

“Well, someone’s generous today.”

I am the goddess of the sky, the sun and waking up. It’s the least I could do to make them feel much better.

“Okay girls! Let’s open Lockheart.”

Wiping the table with a clean cloth, I was surprised to find myself a little bit enjoying. The last customer had just gone out the door and Krissy was ready to close the shop. Or at least she intended to when a red car stopped right in front of the café door. Coming out of the driver’s seat was the same lad two days ago, his face extra serious and his eyes sharper than usual.

Swinging the sling bag on his shoulder, he opened the door with one hand, ignoring Krissy’s polite attempt to tell him that the café was closing.

“Okay, ladies, speak.” He announced. “I know what you are and I know one of you is a fucking goddess of some sort. Keep quiet and you all get burned.”

My head snapped up, offended by his words.

“Where are you getting with this, human?” Chrysopeia’s figure was obviously shifting; her arms twisting into branches and twigs with leaves sticking out of her shoulders. Her once delicate fingers turned into small branches, sharp enough to stab into human flesh. Her other sisters did the same shapeshift, their green eyes gleaming in apparent rage. “We do not wish to harm anybody. Can’t you see we are even serving your kind?”

The lad smirked, looking unconvinced. He studied every last of my dryad friends before darting his eyes towards me. “You’re it, aren’t you?” he walked past tables, knocking the chairs as he went, and stood in front of me, his face straight and stern. “Tell me what happened up there.” He commanded.

“And if I won’t?” I challenged. “It’s useless trying to threaten me, demigod.” Hearing that, the dryads gasped and he stifled the urge to laugh at their dense intuition. “Well, let’s say you’re something of a fighter but can you really defeat me? You might have that senseless confidence but that’s all there is to it.”

His face twisted in rage and he spat. “Monster.”

“Ha!” I laughed. “See?” I glided away from him towards the centre of the café. I could see his fist shaking and in a blink of an eye, he grabbed something from his pocket and threw something at me. I raised a hand, my eyes glowing the same golden hue. Whatever he was trying to pull off, or thinking that he can defeat me with some puny demigod tricks, well he was greatly mistaken.

My fire burned past the little item that he had thrown and into his direction. Trying to cover up, he covered his face with an arm but that still was caught in my flames. “Retreat. You do not have any place here. Threaten us once more and that’s not the only thing you will get.”

Falling on the ground, I saw him wincing in great pain. Being burned by godly fire wasn’t at all pleasing to the human flesh, even if the victim had divine blood.

“Ah, before you go.” I moved forward. I haven’t felt this way since the creation of men. I haven’t gone into a fight since then too. And it felt invigorating, like the Ichor in my veins was flowing at a faster rate than before. “What is it that you want? Tell me.” Strong currents of wind escaped my body, knocking the tables and chairs that surrounded us.

Before he could even react, smoke surrounded the café and a female voice called to this lad I was currently threatening to kill.

“Adam, are you alright?”

Seeing the lad she had named Adam, I could now see a girl crouched beside him. The lad mustered up a weak chuckle. “Nice timing, Caddie.”

A growl reverberated in my throat and I raised an arm in the air. Scanning the girl’s spirit energy, I could sense strong magic within her, something related to Hecate. But that didn’t bother me. Magic and sorcery haven’t won against the sun and the sky.

“Do it and I’ll—” The female, Caddie, warned, turning both blind eyes towards me.

“Don’t!” Adam warned, catching her in his arms. “She’s one strong shit.” Struggling to stand, assisted by his companion. “I’m not here to kick your ass, lady. Just tell me what happened up there.”

Kick my ass? My brow rose. “Leave.” I hissed.

“What?”

“Leave now!” I screamed, causing them to wince. Looking at each other, the girl mostly worried by their situation, they finally decided to leave and I made sure they were gone before I put my arm down.

Returning to my calm self, I looked at the dryads. “Are you all fine?”

Krissy nodded, wiping her hand with the skirt of her uniform. “Dang girl.” She commented, grinning. “Haven’t seen you rage out like that for over a millennium.”

I mustered a soft chuckle, walking over to the sisters. “I haven’t felt that way for a long time too. And…” it felt good. Like alatent fury.

“And you were awesome.” Krissy put an arm around my shoulders. “Okay girls, let’s close Lockheart. We’re going home.”

Check out more of my stories in Wattpad!

Read Project: Exodus by Marigold Uy!

Unlocking Olympus: Chapter 4

Unlocking Olympus

Chapter Four: Adamaris 

I just killed the engine of the car, parked at the reserved lot for tenants when my mobile phone rang. Taking it from my dashboard, I tapped it and placed it between my ear and shoulder so that my hands were free to gather my bag and keys.

“Did you see it?” Cadence’s voice crackled from the other line. Her question made me look up in the ominously clear, dark sky. The lightning and thunder had ended fifteen minutes ago, now the heavens were calm. The nagging need to know what happened in Olympus still burned in my gut.

I went out of the car, managing to keep the mobile pressed against my ears, “I saw it Caddie.”

“Do you know what it was? What happened up there and how did it look like?” She asked her voice eager to get information. I grinned; it was a typical Cadence thing to ask.

Bleeping the car door to lock, I went straight to my building, holding the phone properly against my ears. “I have no idea. I also want to know what exactly happened.”

I could imagine her rolling her brown, doll eyes. “Of course, what do you know?”

Her sarcasm made me chortle as I pressed the button for third floor in the elevator pad. The door closed. “What I know is that Jubilant Street is now safe from harpies.”

“That’s great, Adam. Are you hurt anywhere?” She asked, turning motherly in split second. I mentally assessed my physical condition.

“A couple of wounds in my shoulders, a bad lump on my parietal and that’s it.” I told her, reciting the wounds I got from my fight.

“Are you going to need stitches?” She asked as a follow up question. I met her in my college; she knew what I was in one glance. See, that’s her gift: her eyes. Her eyes could see everything and through anything. Not like laser eyes, that would be too cool. I think she is some kind of a psychic. She told me that she has witch ancestry and that her bloodline was blessed by the Goddess Hecate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghost, necromancy and all that crazy Halloween stuff you can think about.

Cadence is not a doctor or affiliated in any medical sciences. She is just plain genius and in my line of work (not that it gets paid or anything), I had been in the hospital too many times I stopped counting so she became an asset. She practiced some old school stuff in healing, she used magic like she used the potty (my analogy skills is also a gift, suck it). It was as easy as breathing.

“Nah, I can manage. Can you figure out what happened earlier, see if you can gather information about the current state of Olympus?” I stepped out of the elevator and traced the steps to my unit. I fished the key out from my pocket and unlocked my door.

I wouldn’t admit to any soul that I jumped from surprise when I entered my apartment and saw her, sitting on my jelly bean couch. Her curly, dark auburn hair was in a bun at the top of her head as she turned to grin at my direction. 

I forgot to mention that Cadence is technically blind but because of her gift, she could function like any normal people. She could see our energy, even things at rest, as per Cadence has a unique energy and aura so she knew if something was on the way. What she couldn’t see was what normal people could see (how objects look like, how I look like, how trees look like and all that stuff). That sucked. But it never bothered her and that was something really admirable.

“What the heck are you doing in my flat?” I asked, closing the door behind me and threw my bag on the other couch across her. Her head followed my bag and it came back to me.

“You’re home!” She observed.

Shaking my head, I went to the kitchen and straight to the refrigerator to get a bottle of Corona. I could hear her from the kitchen, “I am just about to go,”

“Stay for dinner!” I called out after I popped the cap from the bottle and took a swig. I took another bottle and opened it.

“Are you cooking?” She inquired.

“Yes. We are going to phone that pizza place at the corner of the street.”  Her laughter drifted from the other room. I went back to the living room and flopped beside her, “What brought you here?”

“I am here to discuss to you my theory about what happened earlier.” She said, asking for the other bottle in my hand. I gave it to her and she quickly took a long pull from the bottle. “Ah, I was thirsty.”

“You could have taken one out from the refrigerator.”

“And have you clacking on my ass because I am taking stuff from your house without permission?”

I looked at her in incredulity, “You were in my house without my permission, that’s breaking and entering. That’s illegal. And then you’re worried I’ll…be clacking because of a bottle of beer?”

Cadence gave me a wide grin, her honey colored eyes was twinkling from mischief, and she said “You have quite an unpredictable logic.”

“Coming from you huh, that’s something.”

“Anyway, I think some kind of civil war is happening up there.”

“That’s not new at all, how many civil wars had happened up there over the millennia? Those sons of bitches have nothing better to do in their miserable immortal lives so they create wars. But what happened earlier never happened before. It wasn’t Zeus.” I said, my eyebrows frowning as I thought about it.

She hummed, “You are right, but when I meant civil war, it is the Gods versus something else.”

I looked at her inquiringly, “The titans?”

She shook her head, “Maybe,”

Sighing, I finished my beer before I spoke again, “They are full of shit.”

“You are one of them, Adam.” Cadence was looking in my direction, her eyes were soft.

“You are also full of shit.” I grouched, causing her to chuckle.

“I will also be ah… figuring out what happened.”

“Yeah, call those mojos you call your friends over the, what do you call that?” I questioned,

She snorted, “Parallel world,”

“Yeah, that.”

“Your wounds are closing neatly, that’s good. Next time you should be careful in your fights. Avoid being wounded. You heal quickly but that doesn’t mean you can’t die.” I averted my gaze and took a swig from my bottle only to remember I already finished it.

She sighed, “And I think something dropped down here in our city during that storm caused by Olympus.”

She got my attention again, “Something?”

“I could feel a different aura,” Cadence shrugged.

“I’ll drive around the city tomorrow.”

“You need me to come with?”

“Nah,” I brushed her volunteering off.

After class, I drove around the city to scout anything unusual. I wasn’t able to submit that damned essay because after Cadence and I talked last night, we spent the rest of it, watching Supernatural. It was ironic how she loved watching shows when she couldn’t even see it. She liked hearing it and imagine what was happening, she told me once.

I wasn’t lucky that day or even the next days because I wasn’t able to figure out whose aura Caddie told me about. It took me two weeks to discover what it was.

 I was just passing by the Victorian Street when I felt it.

I couldn’t be mistaken that a God was around here.

I parked the car on the side street, scanning the empty streets. Aside from that brawny energy, some other creatures were around it. It was covering up its scent, like a disguise but I have always had the skill to identify human to non-human. It is a skill you develop over time.

I revved up the engine and looked for the source of those unusual energies until it brought me across a café, two blocks down from where I stopped earlier. I read ‘Lockheart café’ from the sign board and fought the urge to roll my eyes.

The snort was inevitable though, “Seriously? Could they think of a lamer name than Lockheart?”

I parked my car to a reserved area for customers and went out, locking the car behind me. I purposely strode towards the establishment and opened the glass door. I was knocked out by the stench of dryads upon entering and I immediately rearranged my face, staring at them blankly but cataloguing much of their unearthly beauty. One man was inside, having coffee and a plate of sweets. Dryads never play fair, but not all of them were twisted and crazy.

They weren’t kind either. Nothing which came from the loin of titans was kind or good. Not even me.

They greeted me but I paid no attention to what they said. I went straight to a vacant table and sat. Someone came to me, definitely a nymph. Her hair was a bright color of red and orange: autumn. I gritted my teeth and locked my jaw.

“One espresso,” I bit off.

The nymph, unaware of what I was smiled brightly. Your charm wouldn’t affect me, monster, I thought to myself. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I internally winced, a monster calling a monster, what a comedy show.

“Coming right up!” Her high pitched tone grounded in my nerves like a sand paper. I carefully maintained my neutral expression, watching the dryads with subtleness as they interact with each other. One of them owned that aura, I was sure of it.

But which among them?

Someone gave me the mug of coffee I ordered and I had to clench my jaw in order to stop the stream of curses from escaping my mouth. I looked up to see her. She was extremely gorgeous, like the dryads, it was unearthly. There was this elegance in her composure, just like of a goddess. My insides turned cold as my eyes followed her form as she went back at the counter.

“Damn,” I hissed.

 

 Check out more of my stories in Wattpad!

Read Project: Exodus by Marigold Uy!