Time's Daughter

We walked out, he was holding my hand. We had a good time, but we were the only ones in the theatre who hadn't walked out in tears. I guess, the things I've done in my past, makes it easy for me to watch death and not make a sound, but I had no idea why Nico hadn't cried--it certainly wasn't just a manly thing to be unable to cry--several men cried in there. I shrugged Nico had probably seen similar things to me or something.
A lawyer man was waiting for us as we walked out to the street. Nico didn't seem too happy to see him. I stayed behind a bit, and looked at posters as Nico talked to the lawyer. He didn't sound happy.
"Alecto!" he said, angrily. "I thought I told Father I was on break!"
The lawyer's face stayed calm. A true businessman I thought. "Your Father requests your presence immediately." He looked over at me and leaned closer to Nico to whisper something. I only caught the last part. "--Too much time with her, and she'll start to smell differently."
Wait--what? I walk closer, smiling kindly. A facade I'm particularly good at putting on. "Nico," I say. "It's alright if your father needs you, I have to go to work anyway."
Nico looks at me regretfully, then sighs and turns to the lawyer. "I'll be there it a bit, just let me make sure she gets to work safely."
I smile, this one true. "Safely?" I ask. "Believe me, boy, I can handle myself."
Nico smiles as the Lawyer shuffles away. "I don't doubt that," he said. "So where do you work?"
"A book store, that's literally around the corner," I grin. "Though there is an ally between here and there."
I start walking. He follows. We walk mostly in silence, I don't think either of us really know what to say, at least until we got to the book store. I stopped outside the door, just kind of awkwardly standing there with him.
"So," he manages. "Can I--?" He leaves the question in the air, he hand brushes my cheek. I jump back.
"Look, you're nice and all," I manage. "But,"
"You're not interested?"
I shake my head. "No, no! God no!" I say, without thinking. "If I could I'd kiss you right here!" My hand clasps over my mouth. "Oh god, did I just say that out loud?"
He laughs. "Yes, you did." I laugh with him for a moment. Then he asks me. "Why can't you? Is someone stopping you?"
I cock my head. "Something like that." I turn and walk into the book shop. For a moment he stands there confused, then he just disappears.
"Angel?" asked Bernice, my boss. "What are you doing here? Friday's your day off." She peers out the window, realization falls across her face. "Didn't want him to walk you home?"
I shake my head. "You know I prefer to go it alone, Bernice."
Bernice sighs and pats my head in the way only old people can. "Just be careful, on your way home, Angel," she says. "I worry about you sometimes."
I nod and promise her, before walking out the bookshop, for a moment, I swear I see Nico on the corner talking to--a giant bat? He points in my direction, and I quickly duck behind a garbage bin to hide. This was my first mistake.
There is a rumbling movement, and a gigantic beast stumbles out of the piles of trash. It towers several stories above me and glares at me out it's one eye.
My mouth drops. A Cyclops? But that's not possible. Those creatures didn't exist. Yet, here was one standing above me. Before I have any time to react, its hand flies towards me, and I am caught in its grip and lifted to its eye level.
It sniffed at my head, covering my hair in disgusting green snot. "You smell tasty," it says. "But not like half-blood."
It seems confused for a moment. "I am not a half-blood!" I snap, although I have no idea what that means. I struggle to break its hold on me. "Let me go!"
The Cyclops smiles. "No Food is food, and you smell like you've been near a powerful half-blood."
It squeezes. My ribs. I let out a yell. The cyclops laughs. "You are mine, puny human."
He squeezed again. Another yell. There is a flash of black, and the cyclops yells out, dropping me as he covers his eye.
I fall a few stories, before I am caught by the giant leathery bat I had seen Nico talking to earlier. Normally, I'd protest. But my ribs were screaming with pain. I broke at last half of them, and I was sure by the amount of difficulty breathing I was having, I'd also punctured a lung. I gave a cough, blood dripped down my chin. I could only hope that wherever, these creatures were taking me, wasn't to my death--although somehow, I didn't see how that would be so bad.

Notes