Chapter 29: Chapter 29
Alex tried to sit straight but winced from the pain in his back. He resigned himself to sitting in an awkward position where his back was on this weird sideways angle while he used his right arm for support.
The flames flickered for a moment when a breeze came and went. Luke was still slowly running that wet rag over his sword. Bronze, celestial or not, didn't rust, but Alex wasn't sure if the divine metal could oxidise and turn that weird shade of green as the normal version did.
"Got anything to eat?" He asked, feeling the low rumble of his empty stomach.
Luke reached for his rucksack and searched around before taking out a sandwich wrapped in tin foil. Alex caught it when the son of Hermes threw it and hungrily unwrapped his dinner-to-be. He was about to take a bit when...
"Thalia made them so I'd be careful," Luke chuckled, twisting the rag behind him before folding it and storing it in his pack.
Alex eyed the sandwich. Two slices of crustless bread, an egg, some cheese and ham, a small leaf of lettuce, and a sauce he couldn't make out what it was.
"Where did you even get stuff to do this?" Alex was pretty sure with the way they'd left abruptly, even if he had packed some stuff, the extent of food they'd brought were some protein bars, a few bottles of water, and maybe one bar of Hershey's milk chocolate — they still had the nectar and ambrosia, but they couldn't eat that left and right.
"How do you think I've survived on my own since I was nine?" Luke said with a smirk, though Alex felt like it was forced. "Perks of being the son of the God of Thieves. Stealing comes naturally."
Alex finally gathered enough courage to take a bit. "Hm... I know that." he chewed on the sandwich. It wasn't bad, per se, but it did have a funky taste to it. "Read a book on him once. God of Travelers and all that jazz. Anyway, while I wouldn't mind grilling Thalia's cooking skills, there's a bigger fish to fry. Where the hell are we?"
The sandy-haired demigod plopped down on the grass and leaned on the rock.
"South Carolina," He sighed. "I didn't notice at first, but when Thalia screamed for me to stop, did I realize you weren't with her up in the trunk. I... I'm not going to lie; I thought you were dead. Annabeth was ready to tear through the forest after you, but then..." Luke bit his lip in frustration.
"The mother," Alex guessed. Luke nodded.
He ran his hand across his hair. "I was fucking scared. Monsters have been coming for me since I was nine, so I've fought a lot of them. But that thing? How's a single demigod supposed to take that down?"
"Then I suppose you saw the dome," Alex said. He reached for his bottle and drank some more. The cold water on his throat felt nice.
Luke hummed. "When we found you, you were almost dead. Feared the amount of nectar Annabeth gave you might've turned you into the Human Torch."
Flexing the arm that didn't hurt, Alex smirked. "Tough as nails, baby!"
Their laughter mingled for a moment. "Seems so," Luke agreed, a smile breaking through. "Once we had you safe in the back, I just drove. No plan, no direction. Just... away."
"And now here we are, smack in the middle of nowhere, South Carolina," Alex noted, looking around. He didn't see one single light or building; just a grass-covered plain with some hills surrounding it and a treeline in the distance.
"Not really," Luke brought out a map from his jacket pocket. He opened it; not only was it a huge map of the country, but it also had a few red markings along the East Coast, all the way down from Florida to New York. There was one small purple marking in Connecticut.
"What's that supposed to be?" Alex leaned forward awkwardly to get a better view.
"In the months I and Thalia travelled together, we often found ourselves with stuff we couldn't constantly lug around if we were on foot," he pointed casually at his curved sword. "So, we decided to set up some hideouts in case we ever got in a tight spot. This," he pointed at the map, "is one of those places."
When Alex thought of hideouts, he thought of some underground bunker or even a secret room behind a bookcase where people could practice whatever activity away from the prying eyes of the public and authorities. He didn't imagine some... some tiny shack barely big enough for the few belongings they brought from the cabin.
"I know that look," Luke frowned. "I did the best I could, okay? I'm not exactly a son of Hephaestus with a knack for building stuff. And Thalia? She's even worse than me. We—"
Alex lifted his hands in the air in apology, though he had to stifle a laugh.
"I didn't mean it like that," he admitted.
"We had to make do with what we had," Luke said. "It's not like you stumble upon cabins with monster-repelling barriers in the middle of nowhere every day."
An awkward silence settled between the two, where the only sounds were the occasional flicker of the flames or the nightlife making their presence known.
"So..." Alex began, breaking the lull. "How did you figure out you were a demigod?"
Luke tossed a few more branches into the fire. He chewed on his lip before speaking. "Ever heard of a clearsighted mortal?"
Alex shook his head, "No, what's that? People who don't need glasses or something?"
A chuckle left Luke's mouth at Alex's guess but the humour didn't reach his eyes. He prodded the fire again, sending sparks up into the night. "Clearsighted mortals can see through the Mist. They see the world just like we do. The monsters, the weapons, the gods, all of it, for what they really are."
He paused, staring into the flames. "Anyway, that's not really why I took off when I was nine."
Alex leaned in closer to the campfire. The lighthearted moment had passed, and he sensed a sudden shift in Luke's demeanour.
"My mom, she... she was one of them, a clearsighted mortal. But knowing the truth, seeing things others couldn't, it... it broke her, bit by bit. She'd often tell me these magical stories of my father being the Greek god of messengers and thieves; I never believed her. One day, she disappeared, and when she came back, she was... different. Bursts of green gas would leave her mouth and her eyes would glow this sickly green. I was too young. I could only scream out loud and hide behind the sofa, scared of my own mother."
Sitting there, hearing Luke's story, made Alex realize how common it was for demigod pasts to be so... sad.
"Our home became more of a prison than a shelter. Every shadow freaked her out and made her spew nonsense about things that never happened."
Luke's voice was steady, but Alex caught the strain behind each word. The fire crackled, filling the silence as the Son of Hermes gathered his thoughts.
"And then, one day, it wasn't just a shadow. A real monster came. I barely escaped; but after that... I couldn't handle her manic episodes any more, and staying meant putting her in more danger. So, I left."
He tossed another branch into the fire, watching as it caught flame. "Turns out, running didn't stop them. It just... changed the battlefield."
Hearing it, Alex wasn't sure what to say. A small part of him wanted to scream at Luke, saying that at least his one not-douche parent was still alive, even if a bit crazy, and hadn't been made a snack by a creature that still haunted him.
But... he couldn't. The reality of Luke's early childhood, and the weight of his decisions at such a young age, was a lot to take in. Alex thought for a brief moment that, while his dad's death utterly destroyed him, he was glad he didn't see him get progressively more mad with the time. At least... he had a lot of good memories with him.
"That sounds... really tough," Alex managed, his voice low.
Luke gave a half-hearted shrug, his gaze still fixed on the fire. "It's the life of a demigod. We all have our stories. This just happens to be mine."
The fire between them seemed to burn a little dimmer, the shadows a bit longer. They sat in silence, each lost in thought until Luke asked the question Alex was seriously hoping he wouldn't.
"What about you? How'd you wind up at that cabin?"
It took a while for Alex to gather his words, but when he did, he told Luke everything. He didn't hold anything back. Seeing how Luke told him something that he probably wouldn't tell just anyone, Alex felt that was the least he could do.
He told Luke of Grover and Coach Hedge. He told him of the day his dad left for work, the day the lion statues were being replaced. He told him of his fight with Hunter, and how he lost control. He told him of the lions coming to life, their escape with the car, the accident, his fight with the Nemean Lion, and then... Echidna.
Words tumbled out in a tone edged with bitterness. It was as if there was a hole in his stomach whenever he thought about his dad's death, but it was all drowned by the sheer hate the Mother of Monsters brought him. Then, he told him about Halcyon.
"After I escaped the mansion with Hal sacrificing himself," Alex tightened his fists until they turned white, "I just walked around town. Ended up wandering into an abandoned factory to catch my breath, and that's where I ran into Annabeth. I took her in, and, well, nearly a year later, here we are,"
He didn't blame Luke for being speechless. He supposed anyone who heard him would barely believe his story, but then again, that just was how demigods' lives were.
"Man, I... I'm really sorry you went through all that," Luke finally said, his voice soft yet sincere.
Alex quickly dismissed the sympathy with a shrug. "I don't need pity," he insisted. "As you mentioned, we've all got our stories to tell. Mine's just... a bit more gruesome than most."
They fell into silence once again, the fire crackling between them. It was interesting how their paths were so different and yet, so similar. Loss, struggle, and now, the relentless pursuit of survival in a world that seemed bent against them.
"You know, hearing your story made it clear we all fight our own battles. But... don't you think they, I don't know; knit us together and make us stronger? Not just as demigods, but as... family."
Alex looked up, meeting Luke's gaze.
"Yeah," he agreed. There truly was a sense of camaraderie he hadn't felt before. "It's messed up, isn't it? But I think... every man... every man has to go through hell to reach paradise."
"What?" Luke arched an eyebrow when Alex deepened his voice for the last bit.
"You wouldn't get it," He chuckled. Hedge would've loved that one.
Luke nodded, tossing another piece of wood into the fire. "It's the demigod way, I guess. Survive, find others who've survived, and keep surviving together."
The light-brown-haired boy nodded but didn't say anything. Silence was becoming a recurring theme, but it wasn't uncomfortable. But there was an unspoken understanding between them.
"Whatever comes next," Luke said, standing up and stretching, "I think we're better off facing it together. Me, you, Thalia, and Annabeth... we make a pretty good team."
Alex nodded with a grin. "That was decided the moment you decided to break into my house."
Eventually, Luke decided to take a rest, so Alex kept the night watch in case any monster was brave enough to approach them. He lay on the grass, looking up at the stars, and for the first time in a long time, Alex felt like he and Annabeth weren't alone in this fight. And that made all the difference.
**********
A/N: I feel like Alex's quote is a bit more obscure than the rest of the references, so, for those who don't know, it's an iconic line from Robert De Niro's character in Cape Fear (1991).
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