Mild violence warning Chapter in the Notes/credits and up here Scratch picture is the "cover" That's Venus! :D First~ https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/811362488/ Previous~https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/895213058/ Next~ https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/990401451/ Chapter 28 When I walked outside, I found Colleen in the police car, clutching her head, and Mac comforting Castor. Ignoring the latter, I went to go see how Colleen was holding up. Remembering the Kraken incident, and her little fit, I walked a little faster. I pulled open the door, scooting over next to her. “How are you doing, Colleen?” I asked, voice soft. She looked up in surprise. “Shouldn't you be checking on, you know, your boyfriend?” I cringed. “He doesn’t want me right now.” I shook my head. “Besides, I asked you a question.” “I’m… fine. Death is just… difficult to see.” She shook her head and let out a weak laugh. “Who am I kidding? It’s hard in general.” I nudged her shoulder. “Yeah. But you can let it be hard for you.” She let out a breath. “Actually, I can’t. Otherwise, I’ll get stuck again. Stuck without control.” Frustration seeped into her voice. I paused, trying to come up with a response. None came, so I just sat with her, trying to let my presence speak for itself. After a couple minutes however, she spoke up again. “Venus, you really should check on Castor. I’m fine.” “Okay.” But, I leaned over and gave her a hug, probably invading her space. I then opened the car door, trying to think of what to say. Sorry? That sounded too sarcastic. Especially coming from me. Too late, I was right there next to him. “Hey, Castor.” I cringed. Too casual. He didn’t look at me. Mac stood up, gave me a nod, and walked towards the car. I sat next to him, leaving a good amount of space between us. “Castor…” I tried to start, but he shook his head. “I should go first. And apologize. I didn’t mean anything, I was just…” “Yeah.” I said. “I think if this- us- is going to work, we need to start over. Nothing felt sincere. It just felt like we saw each other, and tried to make it work like a romance novel. We need to be real. Get to know each other. So, why not take a step back for a while?” He paused, considering. “Okay. I think we rushed a bit.” His face turned pink, probably remembering the several kisses we shared. Rushed, insincere, almost fake. “We’re still friends, right?” I asked timidly. He nodded, and gave me a tired, sad, grin. “Of course. Now, let’s get back to finding the underworld.” “Are you sure?” I thought grieving periods would last longer. He nodded. “I can’t stay here. I need to do something.” I stood up and held out my hand, pulling him off the floor. “Then let’s go.” I smiled. He smiled back, and it felt so much better this way. ***************************************** Mac was driving again, and we were back on our way to LA, to go to the underworld. How the two were connected, I had no idea. But that’s where Rachel said to go, and so that’s where we’re going. I sat in the back with Colleen again, though she had offered to let Castor and I sit together. We’d both declined, still needing a little more time to heal. Healing words were said, and now it was time to believe them. I rested my head against her shoulder, slowly falling asleep. Luckily, I wasn’t visited by my crazy, smoky aunt, but by Rachel. She was sitting down in her little cave, paintings covering the majority of the wall. Her tongue was stuck out in concentration, and she had an extra paintbrush behind her ear. “Hello?” I asked, unsure whether or not she could see me. She turned, and jumped. Then, she smiled.
“Venus! I was wondering when one of you would check in. I was getting worried.” She stood up, then sat back down. “On second thought, you can’t really sit, so I don’t need to stand. There’s something I need to tell you.” She paused for dramatic effect, continuing when I rolled my eyes. “I’m getting closer to finding out who the villain is. Not just the little guys, the big boss. I had a vision. It’s best to just show you.” The scene grew black, and opened to a new one, almost like acts in a play. It opened up to a sky, tinted black and red. I was in a huge field, though it wasn't very green anymore. Screams echoed and blood and bodies piled on the floor. I could see familiar faces from camp fighting monsters of every kind. Cyclops, centaurs, empusas, and ones I didn’t recognize. In the very center of it all, a bloodied swan, with a helmet and torch displayed across its chest, cackled, eyes flashing red, and spearing innocent campers. Around the swan were three figures: An Adder with a golden apple in its mouth, a grinning lion, and a young boy with a lion’s head. A chariot stood in the center of them, missing a rider. The four looked around, as if waiting for them to appear. Suddenly, blackness covered the dream, taking me back to where Rachel was. As I started to fade, she said, “I hope this helps! Find out who-” And I no longer was sleeping.
