Mixed Worlds

Chapter Thirty One - Not A Very Good Host

    Once everyone is packed and ready to go, Anthony, Anna, Alex and myself decide to take the truck, and Jack and Lucas take our black Escalade. Lucas pouted that he couldn’t take his car, but after explaining that I have four cousins to pick up, he gave in. Everyone double checked to make sure they had everything, and Alex and I put Christian into a Vervain-induced coma. I left a note for my mom to come find us when she’s ready, and quickly cleaned her up of the dried blood and dirt, and brushed out her knotted hair. All of us headed down to the garage and loaded up the vehicles. I punched Miami into the GPS, and we take off on our day long drive halfway across the country. We take turns driving every few hours, and make a couple of pit stops to get food and use the bathroom. 

    Anthony tells us stories of his life, and I grew jealous when he told us he got to see his father quite a bit as he grew up, as Ares was in charge of keeping an eye on the demons that roamed the earth, and dragged them back to Tartarus. He was able to secretly train his son, and spend time with him. He told us of his travels around the world, and explained how he spent most of his time in Athens. We were all shocked when he told us he was actually thirty-seven years old. He doesn’t look a day over twenty-five. It gave me a bit of hope to know that I would age the same as Alex, but sad as I would out live my friends by hundreds of years. 

    We arrived in Miami shortly after one in the afternoon the following day, so Alex and Anthony checked us in to a hotel about ten minutes from the pier. We all changed into weather-appropriate clothes, as it was mid-summer. All of us headed down to the beach, and Alex had me on his back because my legs were still achy from the drive. We were all laughing and enjoying the sun, and stopped to grab some things for the beach, and Alex had bought me a new bathing suit. It was a white bikini with gold straps, and gold strings that tied around my hips. I threw my hair up into a messy bun, and Anna bought herself a red one-piece suit that accentuated her features, and dipped low down her back. The boys had their plain shorts, and we all set ourselves down on the soft sand. 

            “I’d love to live here. I miss the sun. New York was amazing in the summer. It’s not the same as living by the beach, but it was still hot.” I sighed to Alex.

            “Maybe when our lives finally settle, we can buy a house here. There’s plenty of opportunities to build a business here, so I’m sure we’d be well off.” I smile as I sit up and drag Alex into the water with me. It’s cool, but it’s nice against the sun. I was trying to ease myself in, but Alex and Anthony decided it would be funny to pick me up and throw me in. A wave crashes over me as I try to resurface, and I’m sucked back underwater. I try to swim back up, but the waves continue to drag me under. As I feel myself staring to pass out from the lack of oxygen, a strong pair of hands pulls me into their chest. Suddenly, I can breathe but I can feel I’m still underwater. A few moments later, I’m laying down on the burning sand and can hear Alex and the rest of my friends all calling out to see if I’m okay. I look up at the dark haired man who’s kneeling over me and can’t stop staring at him.

            “Ally! Ally are you okay?! I’m so sorry we were just playing around!” Alex rushes to my side and helps me sit up. “Thanks man. I appreciate you helping her out.” He reaches out his hand, but the man simply stands up and starts to walk away.

            ‘That’s him! I can feel it! Wait here.’ I focus on Alex, trying to just link him, and not everyone else. I use Alex to pick myself up and run after him. “Wait! Stop!” I call out.  He looks back at me and starts to pick up his speed and weaves his way through the large crowd of people surrounding a stage.  The music is loud, and people are getting closer to me as I try to push my way through the crowd. “Peter! Come back! Stop running!” I scream. Sadly people are screaming and hollering at the DJ, and my words get lost among the crowd. I keep pushing my way through when suddenly someone grabs my wrist.

            “Why are you following me? How do you know my name? Who sent you!?” He has deep blue eyes and his wet brown hair sticks to his forehead. His shirt is gone, and I can see many different runes across his perfectly tanned, muscular skin, similar to the ones Anthony has. 

            “My name is Ally. My mother is Athena, and you are the son of Poseidon.” His face contorts into anger, and he grabs me by the shoulders. “I’m telling the truth! I swear on my fathers grave I am telling you the truth!” I try to struggle free, but his grip is strong and I can feel water begin to fill my lungs. He’s trying to drown me. “I can prove it!” I cough up water and finally pull away. I grab his head and hold him by his temples.

    I think of my mother, and of Anthony. I push my memories towards him, hoping he can see my truth. “Believe me now?” I turn my hands up so he can see my runes, and point to the mark of my mate on my neck. “I’m the Armonîa, and I need your help. Our family is in trouble.” His eyes go wide, and with a nod and a flick of his wrist over a rune, he wraps an arm around my waist and looks me in the eyes.

            “Don’t let go.” I give another confused look and the next thing I know we’re floating above the crowd back over to my confused flock of friends. We touch the ground and Anna shrieks at the sight of us.

            “How in the f**k did you just appear here?! And who the hell is this guy?” She runs over to me and wraps me in a big hug. Alex and Anthony take a defensive stance in front of me, and Jack and Lucas are right behind us. I push my way to the front and stand in front of Peter.

            “Guys! Relax! This is the guy who pulled me from the water.” I look at Peter, and he looks angry. ‘It’s okay. They’re with me.’  I think to him. He nods, and relaxes. I really gotta learn more about this linking thing. “Everyone, this is Peter. Peter, this is Anna, my best friend,” I point to Anna, “this is Jack and Lucas,” they both wave, “this is my mate, Alex,” I hold his hand in mine, “and this is Anthony. He’s the son of Ares.”

            “Hey man.”  He reaches out for a shake, and Peter clamps down on his arm in a tight grip. They both nod, and Peter takes a deep breath.

            “I’m sorry for running. I was taught by Poseidon to keep quiet about who I was unless the daughter of Athena found me.” He holds a fist over his heart, and gives a slight bow just as Anthony did the other day. “My apologies, Armonîa.”

            “Am I the only one who grew up not knowing I was a Demigod? And what is it with people bowing to me?! Am I gonna have to go through this every time we find another Demigod?” I throw up my hands in frustration and drop them to my sides. “This is going to drive me crazy.” I look to Peter and sigh. “Do you have a place around here? I think we all need to talk and there’s too many people around us. We don’t know who’s listening.” Peter nods and after packing up our things, we follow him about fifteen minutes up the sand to a huge beach house. 

            The French front doors are an off white, and the paint is starting to chip off. The exterior of the house is a beautiful sky blue colour, and the trim around the windows is a deep navy blue. Peter unlocks the door, and we all gasp when we walk inside. He has a big, black grand piano in the living room that has high ceilings, and there’s an echo as our footsteps walk throughout the room. He takes us into another room and there’s two big antique couches. One is a vanilla colour with golden, intricate swirls around the armrests, and the other is a simple off-white with a high back and deep seats. He also has one of those fancy chaises that’s black and slightly curves inward. He doesn’t have a T.V., instead he has a large fish tank with dozens of exotic looking fish swimming about.

            We each take a seat and sit in uncomfortable silence. Peter stands up and clears his throat. “Does anyone want something to drink?” He rubs his hands on his suddenly dry shorts, and looks around at all of us. “I’m sorry, I never have guests over. I don’t really know what to do.”

            “Water is fine, Peter. Thank you.” I say on behalf of us all. Peter disappears for a moment and returns with a tray of glasses. He sets them in a circle on the coffee table, and I notice they’re all empty. He sits back down in his chair and holds out his hands above the glasses. He closes his eyes, and I smell fresh water, like I’m somewhere on vacation. I stare in amazement as water flows from another room and fills each glass perfectly. Peter closes his eyes and goes to take a sip from his glass.

            “What the hell is everyone looking at?” he raises an eyebrow, and then realizes the answer to his question. “Oh, yeah my bad. Like I said, I’m not a very good host.” We giggle and pick up our glasses and join him in a drink. “So. You said our parents need our help? What happened?” He leans forward on his knees, and I dive in to the whole ordeal that happened with my mother, and how her and Poseidon got into a huge fight with the opposing Gods and Goddesses. He nods as I fill him in on each part, while listening intensely to not miss any information. 

            “And then we packed up and came right here. We wanted to find you first, so we could see if you knew how to get ahold of your dad. We want to see if he can help point us in the right direction, as I’m pretty sure my mother is still out of commission.” I lean into Alex and he holds me close. 

            “Keep in mind, the three of us are still pretty new to all of this Greek Gods and Goddesses thing, so we may need you guys to repeat a few things.” Jack says as he signals to Anna and Lucas. I haven’t heard him talk in a while, and feel bad at the fact that I forgot he was even here. “We’ll help in whatever way we can, but try to be a bit understanding when we’re a little confused. Anthony has it a bit easier because he grew up knowing his dad pretty well, and Alex has a connection with Ally that neither of us can understand.”

            “Oh we understand it, you just won’t accept it.” Anna snaps back. I glare at her and she retreats back into her seat. “What I mean is, some of us are fining it a bit harder to comprehend some things that are changing. A week ago, it was just Ally, and now we’re half way across the country and picked up two more Demigods along the way. We still have three to go, and I have a little girl to get back home to.” Her face becomes sad, and I feel guilty. It seems I’m forgetting quite a bit lately. There’s a million and one things running through my mind making me forget about the people who care about me the most. 

            “Anna, I’m so sorry. I’ll get you on the first flight home tomorrow morning.” She starts to protest, but I raise my hand to stop her. “You have been a great amount of help. Not just to me, but with Jack and Lucas too.  You’ve been gone for longer than just a couple of days, and I’m surprised Tyler hasn’t tried to get you to come home.”

            “Oh he has, and we had a good cry about it, but you needed me. Tyler knows how much I love you.” She gives me a sad smile.

            “I’ll see if there’s a flight tonight. You’ve been away from your family long enough. I know that if I need you I can call you.” I look over to Jack and Lucas, and smile. “You guys can go home too. I’ll find a flight for you guys. You both came when you didn’t have to, and I appreciate it so much. I know it was hard for you Jack. Thank you.” I stand up and walk over to give them all a hug. “Head back to the hotel, and we’ll meet you there. there’s a few things we need to talk about that would probably confuse you guys anyways.” I joke. 

            Anna hugs me first, and starts to cry as she pulls away. Lucas goes for a handshake, and I yank him in for a big hug. He says goodbye and goes to console Anna. Next, I’m standing in front of Jack, and I don’t know what to do. Do I hug him? Shake his hand? Or just say goodbye?

            “I’m sorry for everything.” He says. I can sense the pain in his voice, and can tell he still has Demon Blood running through his veins. I give him a gentle hug, and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

            “I’ll be okay. Just don’t be afraid to lean on your brother when you need it okay? The hard part of withdrawals are gonna hit soon, and you need to push through it.” He nods. “And,” I look over at Lucas, “we’re gonna try to figure out how to turn Alex as we go on. Once that happens, we’ll be back to finish off Christian. Don’t worry about feeding him, let him starve.” I think back to my dream, and try to convince myself that I’m changing the outcome.

            “You got it kiddo.” Lucas winks. Anna smacks him. We all laugh. The three of them walk out of the house, and when the door closes behind them I head back over to my spot next to Alex. 

            “Alright. We should look for Salem next. I know Artemis and Demeter got her out of Olympus, but my mother didn’t tell us where.” I pull out my book from my beach bag and set it on the table. “This was a gift from Athena. I think of any question, and a light shines on where to stop. It’s how I found you, Peter.” He smiles and nods his head in response. “So, I’m gonna try that again and see what happens.” I scoot over to the middle of the couch to give myself a bit of room. I set the book on my lap and place my hands on the cover. I close my eyes and think of Hecate and her love for her daughter. For the sacrifice she made for her safety, and then I think of Salem. I mentally ask the book to show me where she is. I open my eyes and begin to flip through the book a few pages at a time. About halfway through, a dark purple light shines though the pages. I look up at my audience and Peter has his mouth to the floor. Anthony and Alex nod for me to continue. 

            I place the book open on the table and turn to the glowing page. “Gia na vreîte tin îdia tin kóri tou Darkness, epistrépste sto méros pou xekínise Gia próti forá I skoteiní mageía kai to vountoú.” Everyone stares at me as I spoke perfect Greek. “It means,  ‘To find the daughter of Darkness herself, return to the place that dark magic and voodoo first began.’” I translate. “New Orleans maybe? I’ve read that that place has all kinds of different cultures and magic in its history.”

            “It’s a place to start? Let’s head to the hotel and after we drop Anna and the guys off at the airport, we’ll get some sleep and head out in the morning.” Alex suggests. Peter walks us to the door and tells us to come get him in the morning. We all shake his hand and climb into my truck and make our way back to the hotel. 

            “I haven’t seen Salem in a long time. I wonder what’s going to happen tomorrow.” Anthony sighs. He slides his key card into his door and swings it open. “We should leave as early as we can.” I agree, and Alex and I enter our room. 

            “There better be a very long vacation at the end of all this.” Alex says as he climbs into bed. He pulls me close and holds me tight. “Just an endless amount of new adventures, memories, and an intense amount of pleasure.” He whispers the last part into my hear and I quiver.  I giggle as I feel myself becoming aroused, and by the feel of what’s pushing against my thigh, I can tell he is too.

            “Don’t you tease me Alexander Blackwell. Or you’ll feel the wrath of the daughter of the Goddess of War.” I say as I flip around and sit on top of him. We both laugh and Alex pulls me forward for a kiss. I put my hands on his chest and push myself back up. I trace my fingers over my mark on his chest and smile like a kid on Christmas. ‘You will forever be mine.’ I link to him.

            ‘forever and always, my love.’ 

    I lean in and kiss him again and grind my hips into his growing member beneath me. His hand gets tangled in my hair and the other grinds my hips deeper into his. We take turns with control of the kiss and Alex sits up and holds me close against him. He slowly takes off my shirt and tosses it aside. He undoes the tie of my bikini top behind my back, and then the one around my neck. I wrap an arm around his back and trace his arm with the other. He holds the side of my face and deepens our kiss. When he pulls back, he looks me in the eye and smiles. I can hear his heart beat faster than it was before and can feel that he’s nervous.

    “What’s wrong?” I feel worried, and think I did something wrong.

    “I love you, Ally. You are the air I breathe, and the light through all of my darkness. I can’t wait to spend the rest of forever with you.” He smiles and I feel a tear roll down my cheek. 

    “I love you too Alex.” He smiles at my response and flips me onto my back. He kisses my neck and grazes his teeth over my mark and I shudder at the feeling. I slide his boxers down and he kicks them off the rest of the way. Without breaking our kiss, he unties my bathing suit bottoms and slides them out from under me. He lifts my hips and slides into me and grabs my ass. His thrusts are slow and gentle as he runs his hands up and down my body. I place a hand on his back and pull him in deeper with each thrust. He takes my leg and hooks his arm under it, and holds it up close to my chest. As if it were possible, he slides in deeper and thrusts harder than any other time we’ve slept together. He hits my g-spot over and over again and loud moans of painful pleasure escape my mouth. His free hand cups my breast and plays with my hard n****e which makes a soft ‘f**k’ escape between my lips.  He picks up his pace and I feel myself closing tighter around him.  He starts kissing my shoulder and makes his way to my neck and sucks on my mark. Right as I’m about to c*m he bites down onto my mark and drinks from me. 

    He tries to seal his bite but I stop him before he can. “Keep going.” He c***s his head in confusion and shakes his head. “We have to try. We might have luck tracking down an ancient vampire, but after what happened in Olympus I doubt Zeus would bless the blood. Somethings telling me that we need to do this, and do it now.” I sit up and lean up on my pillow. I look him in the eyes and link to his mind. ‘Drink, my love. My mate. My forever.’   He takes a nail and cuts open the side of his neck and pulls me onto his lap. I lower my head and he sinks into me, fangs and all. I hold his head in place as I begin to drink from him. He begins to shake as my hands glow around him. I feel heat radiate from his chest and assume his mark is glowing too.  I push back the pleasure he’s making me feel and focus on his vampire genes. To wash away his connection to Christian and all other vampires, but leave his immortality, strength, and endurance behind. I feel myself becoming weaker, so I drink more from him to try and replenish my strength. I take my nail and cut into my leg the healing rune, and concentrate on it. 

    I feel the burning of a new rune over my hip where I just cut, and I pull away from Alex and hold his head in place. I put my hand on the back of his head, and the other on his back behind his heart. I focus on the power of my blood that is running through him and try to envision wrapping it around his vampire genes. I feel Alex go limp in my arms but still I hold him in place. ‘You need to keep drinking.’

    ‘I can’t. I feel like the inside of me is on fire.’

    ‘That means it’s working. My blood is fighting against your vampire blood. You need to keep drinking!’ I try to hold him up and he wraps an arm around my neck and holds on tight. He bites down hard and I wince at the pain. I push through it and focus again on my healing. Words come to the front of my mind, and I let them flow freely.

    “I athánati agápi mou. O kollitos mou. therapéfste ton kai eleftheróste ton apó tin tromerí moíra tou.” ‘my immortal love. my mate. heal him and set him free from his terrible fate.’ I link the words to him and I feel his tears stream down my chest. He finally gives out and he goes completely limp and passes out.

    “Alex? Alex! Alex wake up!” I shake him to try and wake him, but it’s no use. I can hear his heart rate begin to slow, and I hear his soothing voice in the back of my mind.

    ‘I feel it fighting, but I’m so tired. We need sleep.’ I nod my head despite the fact I know he can’t see me, and I lie next to him and pull his head onto my chest.  I stare at the clock on the wall and focus on his heart, and count how may times it beats per minute. The bed is soaked with blood, and finally I fall asleep with my forever love in my arms.