《The Shield of Hephaestus: an Olympian Fan Fiction》


 Chapters One and Two: Mavis

    Chapter One


    MAVIS


    Mavis sat in the headmaster''s office¡­ again. She crossed one leg over the other, and there was a quiet ripping sound as the fresh hole in the knee of her black stocking widened. A trickle of blood had dried in a wobbly line down her shin from the nasty scrape she''d gotten in the fight. Her jaw throbbed, and her left hand stung from where she''d cut it against Christian Burton''s crooked teeth.


    Mavis Petrova was a sophomore at St. Agatha''s School for Wayward Youngsters. While it may sound like it¡¯s run by Charles Xavier¡¯s Catholic cousin, it was far from the superpowered wonderland you¡¯d find in a comic book. It was a boarding school for juvenile delinquents, runaways, and any other kind of teenage dirtbag you could think of.


    This was her fifth school in three years. Up until she had turned thirteen, she thought she was just a normal girl, but she¡¯d started seeing things, things that she couldn¡¯t explain, and that freaked out the higher-ups at the high-priced private schools she¡¯d been sent to.


    Like this one time, when there was this guy who tried to follow her home from school. He looked like he was riding a giant black draft horse on the sidewalk, which she thought was weird, but as she looked closer she¡¯d seen that he and the horse were one, a buff human torso sprouting from the horse¡¯s shoulders where the neck should have been! She tried to tell the police and her father, but nobody believed her. They had dismissed him as just another creep who¡¯d happened to be a fan of equestrianism, and she¡¯d been quickly transferred. More weird things like that happened, and then she started getting into fights, even though she tried her best to avoid them. Like one girl last year, who Mavis swore didn¡¯t have a head. The chick¡¯s face seemed to be in her chest, peeking out of her V-neck dress. She just came at Mavis like a freight train, a really ugly freight train. That was always how it went. Somebody would always find some chance to take a swing at her or one of her friends. Never the other way around, No, she never struck the first blow. One shouldn¡¯t strike without first knowing the enemy¡¯s strategy. Somehow she knew that instinctively. Just like how she knew the perfect place to step and the perfect time to swing.


    That was why she never lost.


    Apart from her stocking, her uniform had come out of the brawl remarkably unscathed. Her grey skirt wasn''t the least bit rumpled, and her blouse hadn''t even come untucked. If one of Burton''s lackeys hadn''t tripped her up, you wouldn''t have guessed she''d been in a fight at all. She ran a hand through her straw-colored hair and let out a sigh as the headmaster finished his phone call.


    Headmaster Potts was a portly man with more chin than neck and a small, shiny bald head. Mavis always thought he looked like Dr. Eggman in a business suit, and without the big bushy moustache.


    ¡°Yes, thank you for the update, Mrs. Withers,¡± he said into the phone. He listened to the other speaker intently, ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m glad to hear that he¡¯ll be okay. See you this evening. Yes. Okay, goodbye.¡±


    Headmaster Potts put down the receiver and turned in his chair to face Mavis. His face was stern, but he was trying his best not to look angry.


    ¡°This is the second time this semester you¡¯ve gotten into a fight, Miss Petrova.¡± He said, his tone gentle and not accusatory. She liked that about Potts. He wasn¡¯t like most of the other principals Mavis had been sent to at the other boarding schools she¡¯d gone to, and was subsequently kicked out of. He was patient, attentive, and didn¡¯t think himself above the students at the school, but his legendary patience was wearing thin, she could tell.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good student,¡± he praised, ¡°the best in your class even, so I can only help but wonder what brought this about.¡± He didn¡¯t mention the fights at her last school, though he had to have known about them. That was another thing she liked. He didn¡¯t judge her based on what she¡¯d done in the past, only what she did in his school, like it was her first offense. Well, second.


    Mavis bounced her foot up and down nervously and looked away, her grey eyes trying to lock onto any point but Headmaster Potts¡¯ face. She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips.


    ¡°Mavis.¡± Potts said.


    ¡°Burton¡¯s a jerk and a bully.¡± Mavis finally said, her voice low, but full of venom. ¡°None of the teachers ever seem to see the stuff he does, but they always catch me when I try to fight back.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten a few complaints about his attitude, but a bad attitude doesn¡¯t seem to be any reason to hit him, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    That made Mavis mad, and she glared at Headmaster Potts. ¡°I didn¡¯t start that fight.¡±


    ¡°But you certainly finished it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Potts retorted, his voice becoming more agitated, ¡°You knocked out two of his teeth. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that the school is the one that has to pay to get them reimplanted.¡±


    Her knuckle suddenly stung even more, and she massaged the small cut with her other hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to pay for his teeth.¡± Mavis said.


    ¡°But not for removing them in the first place?¡± Potts asked.


    ¡°No, he deserved that.¡±


    ¡°Did he now?¡±


    Mavis¡¯ pale eyebrows scrunched up and her lip curled up in a snarl. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s made our lives miserable all year.¡±


    ¡°Our?¡± Potts looked intrigued, and then he glanced down at a piece of paper on his desk. ¡°You mean yourself and mister Cassidy?¡± He prodded. ¡°He was present during the fight, yes?¡±


    Mavis felt her cheeks get hot when Potts mentioned Alexander. ¡°Well yeah, but¡­¡±


    She trailed off. He was right, of course. Christian always picked on Alexander, because he would never fight back. He just took Christian¡¯s abuse and rolled with it. Mavis admired that about Alexander. He didn¡¯t let anything get to him. But Christian had crossed a line when he punched him. Alexander had just rolled with it and told him to step off, but he didn¡¯t do any more than that. When the second blow came, Mavis had stepped in.


    Headmaster Potts sat back in his seat with a look on her face that said I understand everything now.


    ¡°You lashed out because he was picking on your boyfriend.¡± He said matter-of-factly.


    The surface of the sun would have felt cooler than her face. She squirmed and wrung the hem of her skirt in her hands. ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡± She felt a pang in her heart as she said it, as she did every time she had to tell someone that Alexander Cassidy was not her boyfriend. She¡¯d liked him ever since they¡¯d first met when school started, but as the year had progressed and they¡¯d hung out more and more she¡¯d only fallen deeper and deeper in love with him. She¡¯d wanted to ask him out for months now, but she could never muster the courage, and if he felt the same way he¡¯d never shown it, and that didn''t exactly give her hope.


    Headmaster Potts snapped her back to reality as he started speaking again. ¡°Miss Petrova, I must impress upon you how serious this is. I will not tolerate violence in my school, and if this happens again I will be forced to expel you. Do you understand?¡±


    Mavis nodded. She¡¯d heard that speech a few times over the past three years from different principals, headmasters, deans, whatever they liked to call themselves. She was used to it.


    ¡°I really do not wish to do that.¡± he continued, and he sounded like he meant it. ¡°It would be a terrible waste of talent. Someone as brilliant as you shouldn¡¯t tarnish her record with street brawls, even if it¡¯s to defend someone she cares about.¡±


    She just nodded, crossing her arms again. ¡°Can I go now?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting out that easy.¡± He said with a playful smirk, a glimmer in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll serve detention after school with Mrs. Withers for the rest of the week, and you¡¯ll have your weekend privileges revoked for the next two weeks.


    She suppressed a groan. After school detention she could handle, but the weekends? Come on!


    The boarding school allowed students to take a shuttle into the nearby town on the weekends to shop, eat out at the many different restaurants, or whatever they wanted, really, as long as it wasn¡¯t illegal. It was the only chance Mavis had to really hang out with Alexander without the threat of teachers or other students being around. No weekends royally sucked, but she would just have to deal with it. They could just hang out at school. It''s not like they''d really need privacy anyway.


    But what if Alexander didn''t want to hang out here. What if he went into town without her? What if he started hanging out with another girl? What if he kissed her?


    Those thoughts ran through her head as she left the Headmaster¡¯s office and her heart hurt as she ran all the possible permutations in her head. It took her a second to realize someone was talking to her.


    ¡°Mavis?¡± A deep voice said, ¡°Earth to Mavis.¡±


    She turned around, and her heart fluttered, like it always did when she saw him.


    Alexander Cassidy was tall and had the physique of a rock climber, wiry and lean. He was blonde, like her, but his long hair was a richer shade and always seemed more lustrous than hers. It shimmered like brushed gold in the sunlight, a stark contrast to the dull hay bail she had on her head.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, stopping to let him catch up to her, ¡°guess I was in my own little world there.¡±


    ¡°Your sentence was that bad, huh?¡±


    She shrugged, trying to act cool. ¡°Nah, not really. Detention for the rest of the week and no weekends for a couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Alexander said with a wince, ¡°guess we¡¯re not going to the Game Palace on Saturday then.¡±


    She groaned and slumped her shoulders, ¡°Aww man, I didn¡¯t think about that. I¡¯ll miss the release for Ares¡¯ Wrath III.¡±


    Mavis had been looking forward to that game for two years, ever since it was announced! It was supposed to be the greatest action video game of the decade, and Game Palace was selling an exclusive deluxe edition that came with a statue of the main character, the god of war himself, and it was only available on release day! She bowed her head and groaned again, her loafers squeaking against the floor as she trudged forward. She was exaggerating, and it got a laugh out of Alexander. That made her smile. She loved Alexander¡¯s laugh. She stood up straight and walked backwards, so she could face him as they talked. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he looked down and noticed the scrape on her knee.


    ¡°That looks pretty nasty.¡± He said. ¡°You should go to the nurse and get that cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± She replied. ¡°I have some Band-Aids in my room.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a Band-Aid¡¯s gonna cut it, and you should really get it properly cleaned out.¡±


    She trusted his judgment on that. He¡¯d told her when they¡¯d first met that his mom had been an Army medic, so he probably knew what he was talking about when it came to first aid.


    ¡°I mean, I could dress it for you if you really don¡¯t wanna go to the nurse.¡± he offered, and she could swear she saw a blush forming on his cheeks.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to go to that trouble.¡± She said.


    What are you saying? She asked herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Alexander said.


    Say yes, you idiot! Her inner voice was kind of a jerk, but she definitely agreed.


    ¡°Okay. If it¡¯s really not a problem.¡±


    ¡°For sure. Come on. I¡¯ve got a first aid kit in my room.¡±


    Heck yes! Score!


    The thought of being alone with him in his room set Mavis¡¯ heart to Ludicrous Speed! Like with most coed boarding schools, St. Agatha¡¯s frowned upon boys and girls visiting each other¡¯s dorm rooms, but that didn¡¯t stop kids from hanging out with each other. As long as you weren¡¯t caught making out or anything, and you were back in your own dorm by lights-out at ten o¡¯clock, the teachers were pretty lenient.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Alexander¡¯s room wasn¡¯t very impressive. It mostly looked like every other dorm room, with a twin bed, a desk and chair, and a simple dresser. He¡¯d put up a couple of posters of rock bands that Mavis hadn¡¯t heard off before. A worn acoustic guitar sat comfortably on a stand by his bed. A tv and game console shared space on his dresser with a few photos, mostly of his mom. She was a gorgeous woman with dark brown hair and deeply tanned skin. In one picture of her and Alexander, she was wearing a tank top that showed off a good bit of hard muscle.


    Mavis had never actually seen a picture of Alexander¡¯s mom, but he talked about her a lot. He really loved her, especially since his dad wasn¡¯t in the picture. They were alike in that regard. Mavis¡¯ father had raised her on his own, if you could call ¡°shipping your daughter off to every boarding school in the Midwest¡± raising her.


    ¡°Is that your mom?¡± Mavis asked, even though she already knew the answer.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Alexander opened up the red first aid kit and started pulling stuff out.


    ¡°She¡¯s really pretty.¡± Mavis said, picking up a picture of Ms. Cassidy decked out in full combat gear with a machine gun on her shoulder, the desert sun high in the sky, a huge tan truck with a big red cross on the door in the background.


    ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± he said with a soft smile. He laid out some supplies and turned, looking at her legs, which made them both blush. ¡°Oh um, could you¡­¡±


    It took her a second, but she understood. She sat down on his bed and pulled off her stockings. She hissed as she slid her right one off her scraped knee. The dried blood made the fabric stick and peel off painfully. As she rolled up the hosiery she looked up at him. He blushed as he stared at the ceiling fan. She didn¡¯t understand what he was so embarrassed about, but it was kinda cute, and she couldn¡¯t help but giggle as she said, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re good.¡±


    Alexander sat in his desk chair and rolled up next to her. He carefully examined her knee, all embarrassment gone from his face. He was all business now. She could imagine him as a doctor, and was so entranced by imagining how hot he¡¯d look in a lab coat that she barely heard him say ¡°This is gonna sting.¡±


    She yelped as her knee suddenly caught fire and she nearly kicked him in the face. She looked down and watched him dab some rust-colored liquid all over her knee. The scrape burned as he scrubbed it with a wet washcloth.


    Mavis briefly imagined a cartoon scene where hot Dr. Alexander was so head over heels for her that he¡¯d missed the bottle of peroxide he was reaching for and accidentally grabbed a bottle of Liquid Tetanus. Considering that he was not, in fact, a Looney Tune, Mavis trusted Alexander to not give her any expired medicine or anything, but still, that stuff looked capital-D Disgusting.


    ¡°Ow! I thought this was supposed to make me feel better.¡± She chided.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be alright,¡± he said, ¡°it¡¯s just iodine.¡±


    ¡°Is it supposed to look like that?¡±


    He snorted. God, even that was cute. ¡°Yes it¡¯s supposed to look like that.¡±


    He cleaned off all the iodine with a fresh washcloth and placed a large adhesive bandage over her knee. Despite the painful stinging, his hands against her skin felt incredible, and she didn¡¯t want him to stop. She watched the tight cords of muscle in his forearms moving under his skin as he worked and butterflies scrambled in her belly, but it was soon over. She wanted to keep this going as long as she could, to make up some other problem that his strong, dexterous hands needed to solve, but nothing came to her.


    He threw the balled up washcloths into his dirty clothes hamper, a perfect 3 pointer from across the room, and they said good night.


    Mavis walked back to her dorm, and curled up on the bed, wondering why she could never ask him out. It was a very simple exchange. Hey, would you go on a date with me? And boom, there it was, she''d asked. He might even say yes. If she was going to do it, it was frankly now or never. She had a bad feeling something unsavory might happen if she waited any longer.


    Chapter 2


    MAVIS


    That week, Mavis¡¯ worst fears all came true.


    It happened purely by coincidence. She was walking to the restroom from her English class. She didn¡¯t actually have to go, but her dyslexia was running wild today, and her head was starting to spin, so she needed to take a moment and regroup. She called it ¡°recovering her mana¡±. It was like how some people use a number of spoons to quantify how much energy they had in a day, only much geekier.


    She passed by Alexander¡¯s science class on her way, and she had a strong urge to look in the window on the door. It made her feel like a stalker, but she did it anyway.


    She wished she hadn¡¯t.


    There was a girl sitting beside him. She must have been new, because Mavis had never seen her before.


    She. Was. Gorgeous.


    Like, she made Scarlett Johannsen look ugly. Her skin was pale and perfect, her eyes glittered like emeralds, and her bouncy, voluminous ponytail looked like molten chocolate suspended in the air.


    They were talking while they worked and he was laughing. New Girl playfully smacked him on the shoulder like he was her oldest friend. He looked into her eyes and said something that made her laugh right back. Mavis had to look down at herself to make sure she hadn¡¯t been shot, because she felt like there was a gaping hole where her heart should be.


    She ran to the bathroom and cried, using the incredibly thin toilet paper to wipe her eyes and nose. She didn¡¯t know how long she was in there, but it only got worse when she finally pulled herself together. New Girl was in there with her! She had been in the middle of dabbing her lipstick when Mavis came out of the stall. She tried not to glare at New Girl but it was hard not to.


    ¡°Mavis?¡± She asked. ¡°You okay?¡±


    Mavis wanted to be mad, but New Girl sounded so genuinely concerned that she momentarily forgot her rage.


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Mavis responded.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± New Girl¡¯s eyebrow raised. ¡°It¡¯s me, Alyssa. I sit behind you in algebra. Ringing any bells?¡±


    Mavis¡¯ head felt foggy for a second, and she vaguely began to recall Alyssa¡¯s shape. Had she really sat behind Mavis this whole time? No, she would have definitely remembered a smokeshow like that sharing a classroom with her.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t remember you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that figures.¡± She let out a giggle, ¡°You¡¯re always so focused on the lesson. I wish I could be that studious.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Mavis trailed off.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Alyssa said. ¡°Are you okay? It sounded like you were crying.¡±


    Mavis¡¯ brows scrunched up in a glower. ¡°None of your business.¡±


    Alyssa held up her hands in surrender. ¡°For sure. Didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡±


    Mavis stormed out, slamming the door on her way.


    The rest of the week didn¡¯t go much better. Alyssa did apparently sit in the seat behind Mavis during Algebra class, and Mavis noted that Alyssa was also in the back corner of her World History class, thankfully on the opposite side of the room from her. She was insanely jealous, and she wanted to hate Alyssa¡¯s guts, but she was so¡­nice! She was engaging in class and seemed to get along with everybody. She was the perfect package, and on top of that Alexander liked her. Mavis could tell just by how he looked at her when they were talking.


    It was official. Any chance Mavis had of being with the guy she liked had been thoroughly trampled through the mud by a raging stampede of wildebeests.


    And then there was detention. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t that bad. She just had to stay in Mrs. Withers¡¯ science classroom after school and be quiet, reflecting on her misdeeds or something like that. She mostly just used the time to do her homework. The worst part of detention was the boredom. On top of being dyslexic, Mavis also had a severe case of ADHD, and had a very hard time sitting still in a silent room with no stimulation. Her knee bounced like she was the drummer in a heavy metal band. She twirled her pencil around in her hand and chewed on the eraser end. She endlessly doodled in the corners of her papers, making patterns of random swirls and squiggles and lines in all four corners. Then the asymmetry started to bug her, so she erased the doodles on one side and drew ones that matched the other.


    On her last day of detention she looked out the window and did an actual double-take. Outside, in the courtyard, was the centaur she had seen when she was 13! He was wearing a big black hat and a long leather duster that split in the back to let it fall around his jet black horse flank, like if The Undertaker grew a horse butt. The getup hid his face, but she was sure that it was the same dude.


    ¡°Mrs. Withers?¡± She called, instinctively raising her hand.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mrs. Withers answered, putting down the book she was reading.


    ¡°There¡¯s a strange man standing in the courtyard.¡± Mavis pointed. The centaur guy was looking up towards the window now, right at her.


    Mrs. Withers walked over and peered out the window, adjusting her spectacles on her beaky nose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone.¡± She said, giving Mavis a glare that let Mavis know she was very unamused.


    Mavis looked down at the centaur, who smiled wickedly, as if he knew that her teacher couldn¡¯t see him. She sat back in her seat and stared at her math homework.


    ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am,¡± she said, ¡°my eyes must have been playing tricks on me.¡±


    Mrs. Withers looked down at her and let out a little huff of breath. Then she hooked her thumb at the door and said ¡°Go on. Get out of here.¡±


    Mavis didn¡¯t object. She thanked her teacher and walked out of the room.


    When she was out of sight, she slumped against the wall. She pressed the back of her hand to her head, trying to check herself for a fever.


    ¡°Tough day?¡± Said a voice. It was gentle, but it still made her jump.


    She turned and saw a tall blonde woman in a grey pantsuit holding a stack of papers against her chest. Mavis didn¡¯t recognize her, but she hardly knew anyone on staff. Although, Mavis figured she would have remembered someone like this. She had this aura about her. She seemed to radiate strength and confidence. Maybe she was on the school board. Either way, somehow, Mavis got the feeling she could tell her anything.


    ¡°Mavis?¡± the woman asked again. "Are you okay?"


    ¡°You know what,¡± Mavis said, holding back tears, ¡°I¡¯m not okay. The guy I like has his eyes on another girl, I¡¯m constantly getting into fights no matter how hard I try, and now I¡¯m seeing a half horse dude in a trench coat that nobody else can see.¡± The tears broke free. ¡°I feel like my life¡¯s falling apart.¡±


    The woman bent down so she was eye to eye with Mavis. ¡°It may feel like that now, and it will seem to only get worse, but you are a strong and clever girl. I know that you can overcome this and all other obstacles in your way.¡± Mavis sniffled and the woman smiled.


    ¡°Although,¡± she continued, standing to her full height, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it would hurt to have a little help.¡±


    ¡°Help?¡± Mavis asked.


    ¡°You are still young, and wisdom must come with experience.¡± She smirked as though she¡¯d made a very clever joke. ¡°Now listen well. Your mind wanders endlessly through problem after problem, and you are quickly overwhelmed by the negative outcomes. Look for the best path to victory and follow it. See every side of every battle, and know that even the smallest choice may turn the tables in your favor. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand, but thanks, Miss ¡ª¡± Mavis looked at her faculty ID badge. ¡°Pallas.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get it in time, I¡¯m sure. Now, you should be getting back to your room, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mavis nodded and shouldered her backpack.


    ¡°Oh, before you go,¡± Miss Pallas said as she turned around. ¡°There are some more words of wisdom that I am rather proud of.¡± She bent down again and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Seeing is believing.¡±


    She winked and stood back up, turning to walk back towards the administrative offices.


    Mavis shook her head and started walking back to the girls dormitory. What a weird woman. But, despite her odd way of speaking and strange words of advice, Mavis actually felt better.


    When Saturday came, Mavis actually got up with a smile on her face. She threw on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt that hung off one shoulder. She sat on her bed and booted up Ares Wrath II, hoping that it would give her some consolation from the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be getting her Deluxe Edition copy of the sequel.


    As she swung her sword, gorily defeating her seemingly endless enemies, there was a knock at her door. Upon opening it Mavis came face to face with her true nemesis. Perfect Alyssa. Even in a pair of jean shorts and an orange t-shirt she was a knockout. Mavis scowled.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Alyssa said with a little wave, ¡°so, I¡¯ve noticed that you don¡¯t really seem to like me that much.¡±


    She neither confirmed nor denied, ¡°And yet you¡¯re at my doorstep.¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to know what exactly I did to make you hate me so much. Maybe you can come into town with me. We can get some coffee and talk.¡±


    ¡°As thrilling as that sounds,¡± Mavis put all the sarcasm she could into that word, ¡°I¡¯m on house arrest for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Alyssa seemed shocked. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°You know how Christian Burton had to make an emergency visit to the dentist?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Mavis showed Alyssa her left fist, and the ugly cut in her knuckle that had turned into a black scab. ¡°I knocked his teeth out.¡± It was a subtle threat, but Mavis thought the girl understood. A competitive, territorial look passed over Alyssa¡¯s perfect mug, but then she smirked.


    ¡°That dude seemed like a real jerk. Glad you taught him a lesson.¡± she said. ¡°I really think you should come with me into town though.¡±


    Mavis got that fuzzy feeling in her head again. Maybe going into town with Alyssa was a good idea.


    What¡¯re you thinking, moron? Do not fraternize with the enemy!


    Her jerk of an inner voice snapped her out of it, but for a second she thought she saw words on Alyssa¡¯s shirt, and a¡­horse with wings? She must have been hallucinating again, because when she blinked it was just a plain orange t-shirt.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Besides, I¡¯m not feeling well. Besides, I don¡¯t want to be your friend.¡±


    Alyssa looked genuinely dejected, but nodded and walked off.


    Mavis went back to her game. She found it hard to think straight. Usually she could beat this game with no sweat, but she was having trouble this time. The enemies¡¯ patterns were all over the place, the controls seemed more sluggish, the puzzles took longer to solve. Or maybe it was her. She thought about Alyssa. She felt guilty for what she¡¯d said. The girl was only trying to get an answer as to why Mavis gave her a death stare every time she looked at her. That wasn¡¯t unreasonable.


    Even the smallest choice may turn the tables in your favor.


    Miss Pallas¡¯ words from the other evening stuck in her head. Maybe that was all she needed to do. Just sit down and talk without being a jerk. But there was someone more important that she needed to talk to. She got up and grabbed her phone from the dresser. She opened her messenger and texted Alexander.


    MAVIS: Hey, can I come over?


    ALEXANDER: I¡¯m not at the dorms. Hanging out in town.


    MAVIS: Oh. Okay. Sorry.


    ALEXANDER: Should be back in a bit. We can hang out then.


    MAVIS: Yeah. Sounds good.


    Mavis tossed the phone back onto the dresser and flopped down on her bed. She finally gets the nerve, and he wasn''t even there.


    Her heart was hurting again and all the negative scenarios were floating around her head. She could see Alexander and Alyssa sitting together at a restaurant, laughing and sharing food. Then they watch the sunset on a park bench. He¡¯s got his arm around her shoulder. Finally she leans in and closes her eyes as he does the same.


    Tears fell down her face, but Mavis didn¡¯t seem to have the strength to sob.

 Chapters 3 and 4: Alexander

    Chapter 3


    ALEXANDER


    Man, this line sucked. Game Palace was always busy, but this time it was jam packed with people eager to get their hands on Ares Wrath III.


    Alyssa was standing next to him, asking questions about the game. They¡¯d hit it off in biology when she was assigned to be his lab partner seemingly out of the blue. He didn¡¯t even remember her transferring to the school, but apparently she¡¯d been there for weeks. She seemed to be really interested in Greek myth, and was asking if this monster or that god appeared in the game. He told her what he could.


    ¡°My friend Mavis is the one you should be talking to.¡± He said. ¡°She¡¯s obsessed with these games.¡±


    ¡°She sounds really cool.¡± Alyssa cooed. ¡°Tell me more about her.¡±


    Alexander wondered where to start. He could honestly talk about Mavis for hours.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s insanely smart, and she¡¯s always there for you when you need her. She¡¯s tough as nails too.¡±


    ¡°I heard she beat up Christian pretty bad.¡± Alyssa added, taking a moment to inspect her makeup in one of those compact mirrors. She didn¡¯t wear a lot of makeup, but she was still a knockout, which made Alexander wonder why she was bothering to hang out with someone like him. She should have been out with the popular girls trying on designer clothes or something, not waiting in line with a bunch of geeks like him for a video game she wouldn¡¯t even play.


    Alexander shrugged. ¡°He wasn¡¯t that hurt. She got a couple good hits in, but one of his goons tripped Mavis and sent her flying into him. Christian ended up falling into a handrail. That¡¯s what knocked his teeth out. Gave Mavis some nasty road rash too.¡±


    ¡°Cheaters.¡± Alyssa said with a grin.


    Alexander chuckled and looked back up at the front counter of the store. The number of Deluxe Edition boxes was dwindling fast. He hoped he¡¯d make it to the front in time. Mavis had been looking forward to this game for a long time. Alexander remembered when they¡¯d first released photos of the Deluxe Edition and she¡¯d literally squealed in delight, talking for thirty minutes about the sculpting on the statue and the art on the steel case. If she couldn¡¯t be here to buy it, he had to get it for her. Heck, her birthday was next week. Maybe he¡¯d even wrap it up for her and surprise her. He sucked at wrapping though. A gift bag would be a better option.


    Alexander¡¯s heart sank as he finally got up to the cashier. The shelf where all the boxes had been stacked lay barren.


    ¡°Any deluxe editions left?¡± He asked the pimply kid working behind the register.


    ¡°Nah man, sorry. Just sold out.¡± The kid answered.


    ¡°What about that one?¡± Alyssa asked, pointing to a box on top of a display cabinet. It had been unpacked to show off all the contents.


    ¡°Oh sorry, miss. That¡¯s the store¡¯s display copy. Not for sale.¡±


    Alyssa leaned in and batted her long eyelashes. ¡°Aw, come on. Surely we could buy that one. We¡¯re still gonna pay for it, after all.¡±


    Alexander¡¯s head felt funny all of a sudden, but he agreed wholeheartedly with Alyssa. They were still going to buy it, so no harm in handing over the display, right?


    The kid behind the counter agreed as well. He packed up the box as neatly as if it had come off the line. Alexander paid, but not before Alyssa had convinced the guy to give them a ten percent discount because it had already been opened.


    ¡°That was awesome.¡± Alexander said as they walked out.


    ¡°I can be very persuasive.¡± Alyssa said, making a show of buffing her nails on her shirt.


    ¡°Thank you. Really. Mavis is going to be stoked.¡± Alexander looked into her emerald green eyes and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. It sounds like Mavis means a lot to you.¡±


    Alexander blushed. ¡°Yeah. I mean, she¡¯s my best friend. I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve survived at this school without her.¡±


    Alyssa smiled back. It made Alexander feel warm inside, like he was sitting by the fire on a cold snowy night.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve got an extra twenty bucks to spare.¡± He said. ¡°Wanna get something to eat?¡±


    Alyssa nodded and they headed off.


    ¡°Chalupa-cabra¡¯s?¡± Alyssa read as they approached the restaurant. Over the name, there was a cartoon of a lizard-like gremlin creature with sharp teeth wearing a sombrero and double-fisting overflowing chalupas.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the name fool you. This place is pretty good.¡± Alexander chuckled.


    A deep voice rumbled behind them, in an unmistakably New York accent. ¡°Gods, it¡¯s been decades since I had a good chalupa.¡±


    Alexander and Alyssa both turned around at the same time and came face to shoulder with a freaking horse. The clydesdale was enormous, but as Alexander¡¯s eyes moved up the beast, it transitioned into a beefy dude with a huge beer gut wearing a black tank top and who had a gold figaro chain around his neck. He had slicked back hair and Ray-Bans shades. He looked just like your typical New York Guido, but he had a Budweiser horse instead of legs.


    Alexander stared wide-eyed. ¡°Am I crazy, or is that¡ª¡±


    ¡°A centaur? Yes.¡± Alyssa supplied.


    ¡°Is he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Friendly? Probably not.¡±


    Chapter 4


    ALEXANDERThe tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°C¡¯mon now,¡± said the centaur to Alyssa, ¡°I can be very friendly. ¡®Specially to a pretty little demigod like you.¡±


    Alyssa didn¡¯t take her eyes off the centaur as she said, ¡°Alexander. Run.¡±


    She then drew a bronze knife from god-knows-where and stabbed the centaur in one of its knobby front knees. He howled in rage as the knee buckled. Alyssa grabbed Alexander¡¯s hand and dragged him down the street. He looked over at her, but she started to shimmer, like heat waves coming off the pavement. Her body didn¡¯t change, but her clothes did. A silhouette of a pegasus appeared on her orange t-shirt, along with the words Camp Half-Blood. A leather sheath was suddenly belted to her right thigh, where she stowed her dagger.


    ¡°Keep moving,¡± she said. She was perfectly calm, like she wasn¡¯t exerting any effort at all, despite sprinting away from a sleazy-looking centaur. ¡°He wasn¡¯t destroyed. He¡¯ll be on our tails any second.¡±


    ¡°What in God¡¯s name is going on?¡± Alexander asked, pushing his hair out of his face.


    ¡°Run now, talk later.¡± As they rounded a corner she pointed to a Goodwill ¡°In there!¡±


    They burst into the door, scaring several shoppers, and then walked into the aisles of musty clothes.


    ¡°We¡¯re hiding in a thrift store?¡± Alexander hissed.


    ¡°Monsters don¡¯t have great eyesight.¡± Alyssa said, as if it were the most normal sentence in the world. ¡°They mostly rely on smell. A store full of human-used clothes and books and stuff should help mask our scent.¡±


    Alexander took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Okay. That¡ªI can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this¡ªcentaur called you a demigod.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alyssa led him back towards the restrooms. ¡°Okay. Here¡¯s the short version. All the myths about Greek gods and monsters are real. Every one of them. And the gods are too. Even in modern times, the gods are doing the same thing they always did, coming to Earth to get jiggy with mortals. Nine months later, give or take depending on the god, you get demigods, A.K.A half-bloods.¡± She underlined the words on her chest with her hand.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying one of your parents was a Greek god?¡± Alexander¡¯s head was starting to spin. If he hadn¡¯t just seen her stab a literal centaur, he would have called her nuts, bonkers, absolutely crazy.


    ¡°Goddess actually,¡± she corrected, like it made a difference, ¡°my mother is Aphrodite.¡±


    His mouth fluttered open and closed a couple of times before he said, ¡°That checks out.¡±


    Alexander thought for a moment. He¡¯d never known his dad. His mom raised him alone, taking him from army base to army base as she was reassigned. He¡¯d asked about his dad a couple of times throughout his life, but she¡¯d never talk about him.


    ¡°He went MIA when we were overseas,¡± she would say, ¡°but I¡¯m sure he would¡¯ve loved to meet you.¡± And then she would ruffle his hair and stare off into the sunset, as if he were leaving her all over again.


    ¡°Do you think I could be a half-blood too?¡± He asked in a low whisper.


    Alyssa nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, Alexander. You¡¯re a demigod, like me. Mavis too. I came to watch over you and take you both to camp at the end of the year, but it looks like we¡¯ll need to leave early.¡± She rummaged around in a leather bag on her belt, which her whole forearm disappeared into, despite it being much too small, and pulled out a small glass prism and a gold coin about the size of a half-dollar. She angled the prism and made a rainbow appear on the wall. Then she began to speak an incantation like she was casting a spell.


    ¡°O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Chiron at Camp Half-Blood.¡±


    Then she flicked the gold coin at the wall. Alexander expected it to ricochet back at them, but instead it disappeared into the rainbow with a plop like it was a wishing well. The rainbow then began to shimmer and a middle-aged man¡¯s face appeared. She had apparently caught him in the middle of trimming his bushy salt and pepper beard, because he had a pair of bronze scissors in his hands and half his face looked like a scraggly rat¡¯s nest.


    ¡°Alyssa, my dear,¡± the man said, going back to trimming. He had a gentle and patient voice, ¡°what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Chiron, I need an extraction team out here, fast. We have a massive centaur on our tail, and he¡¯s not a Party Pony.¡±


    Alexander had no idea what a Party Pony was, but if it was anything like that other centaur, it was probably insane. More than anything, he was fascinated by the godly Skype call that he was witnessing.


    Chiron¡¯s expression sobered and he paused his grooming. ¡°I see.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll muster what forces I can. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Alyssa said. Then she ran her hand through the image and it faded away.


    Before Alyssa could speak there was a loud crash, followed by the sounds of screams.


    ¡°Where you at, little demigods?¡± An all-too-familiar voice bellowed.


    ¡°What¡¯re we gonna do?¡± Alexander asked.


    ¡°You go wide. I¡¯ll distract him and try to kill him if I can. Not much I can do with a knife.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t pack anything bigger in your divine fanny pack?¡±


    Alyssa snorted. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I knew there¡¯d be monsters, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be this strong. I guess my overconfidence got the better of me.¡± She looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes. ¡°Runs in the family.¡±


    Alexander got a sick feeling that she was enjoying this.


    Alexander broke left while Alyssa went right. She ran fast and let out a battle cry as she charged. Meanwhile Alexander tried his best to sneak between racks of clothes. The store was a wreck. The whole right side of the store had been trampled flat in the centaur¡¯s charge. The automatic sliding doors were nothing but a pile of fine glass on the floor. He tried to make a break for it, but a wooden entertainment center exploded like a bomb as it landed inches in front of him. He had to throw up his arms to avoid getting wooden shrapnel in his face. A few nasty shards tore at his arms though, and he felt blood start to run down them. He didn¡¯t feel much pain though. In fact, his senses seemed to grow sharper. His vision sharpened, like he could see every little thing that was happening all at once and react in an instant. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I forgot about you, boy.¡± He bellowed. Alexander turned around and glared at him. ¡°Oh, lookadat. Pretty boy¡¯s got a grill on ¡®im, don¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Eyes on the fight, Meathead!¡± Alyssa called as she slashed with her dagger. She cut the centaur¡¯s waist and a gout of blood streamed out. He cried out and backhanded her. She flew against the wall and slammed against it with a loud thwack. Her knife flew out of her hand and skittered somewhere into a pile of VHS tapes.


    ¡°Man, you¡¯s a feisty one, girly.¡± the centaur said, trotting over to her where she lay, desperately sucking in air. He reached down and picked her up. His hand was large enough to wrap completely around her head. She kicked and flailed and clawed at his meaty paw, her cries muffled by his palm.


    ¡°You remind me of Atalanta. She was feisty too. ¡®Course, she was actually able to kill me.¡±


    Alexander watched the tendons in his hand shift as he started to squeeze. He couldn¡¯t just stand there. He had to do something. Anything. A ray of sunlight passed through the destroyed window and Alexander caught a glimmer of bronze a few feet away. Alyssa¡¯s knife! He didn¡¯t stop to second guess himself. He just acted. He dove for the blade, grabbing it and turning his dive into a roll. He flipped the dagger once in his hand so he was lightly gripping the blade. He primed his right hand to throw.


    ¡°Hey, Guido!¡± he cried.


    Once the centaur turned his head he flung the knife at him. It flipped once, twice. On the third tumble the blade embedded itself in his forehead. His Ray-Bans split in half and fell off either side of his face as he began to dissolve into dust.


    Alexander shook his head, as if he was coming out of a dream. How did he do that?


    He¡¯d have to figure it out later. Alyssa was in a heap on the floor. She coughed and sputtered, choking on centaur dust.


    ¡°Good shot.¡± She managed after a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how I did that.¡± Alexander helped her up, but that incited a loud hiss. Alyssa grabbed at her side and doubled over in pain.


    ¡°Your ribs are broken.¡± Alexander got his shoulder under her arm to support her. She cried out again, but she gritted her teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. We need to get back to the school. Mavis is in danger.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alexander¡¯s heart started to pound with worry.


    ¡°That centaur said he fought Atalanta.¡± She looked at him, fear in her eyes.


    ¡°There were two centaurs in that fight.¡±