Demigods, Dates and Dragons

I scream as I open my eyes. My vision is blurry. I can’t seem to focus, so I fidget around, in a hopeless attempt to defend myself. Then I hear him, screaming in my ears. My body stops moving, as someone powerful holds firmly my shoulders.
‘Silena! It’s me! Silena, it’s Charlie, we’re here.’
I think it a trick. Tears make my eyes sting and I refuse to open them. Then he kisses me. It’s soft, it’s warm and by the Olympians, that taste… it’s Charlie.
I open my eyes and there I see him, clad in blackened armor, holding me like theirs is no tomorrow and doing his best to calm me down.
‘I’m here baby, I’m here for you. No one’ll harm you so long as I breath, Silena,’ he moans in my ears and I hug him, so tight that I hope to extract all his love for me and close the wounds.
And I gasp. I moan. Suddenly, there’s a fire inside me. It’s not pain, anger or frustration for myself.
It’s power. Power coming from love. I feel like someone has lit a fire inside me and all of it, the warmth, the energy, the glow, everything is filling me.
‘Woah! Silena. You’re glowing.’ Charlie’s eyes are huge and starry. As I look around the room, I see a beaten Diomedes approaching us, with his blades at hands and an expression of befuddlement.
The whole of the room is brighter. Details are clearer. And when I come to comprehend that this source of light is me I gasp.
‘Silena,’ I hear Charlie’s timid voice. ‘This is a blessing. From your mother.’
‘Really glad I’m wearing these shades Silena, ‘cause girl, you’re brighter than a star.’ Diomedes smirks.
At first there are countless questions in me. Why? When? And most importantly how?
As I do look at Charlie’s face however and see that giant, white smile of admiration, of support, of love I get the answers. I get the solution. Not to everything. But just to that question.
He loves me. For now and ever, Charlie Beckendorf loves Silena Beauregard. And the Olympians, the Titans, every star and each primordial power out there knows that I love him back with everything I have.
I stand up and crack my knuckles. The blessing from my mother is the push we need to end this.
‘How did you get here?’
‘We heard some crashing sound. Holding Beckendorf back after that was impossible,’ Diomedes replies.
I take a good look at him. His big, dark, aviator sunglasses reflect the celestial light provided to me and then I get it. And I start laughing. No, not just laughing. I’m tearing up, as the hearty sound fills the room.
‘Silena?’ I hear Charlie asking me, a little freaked out.
‘Now I get it,’ I say in between the laughs. ‘You’re wearing the sunglasses all the time to look like an owl.’
Dio just srugs and mutters, ‘Busted.’
Charlie sighs and giggles, patting Diomedes on the back. I hug Charlie and he says, ‘Let’s end this date and go to sleep beautiful.’
I nod and fix my hair out of my face. ‘Fine by me. Oh and Dio? One more remark before we find this Kaleesha and tear her apart.’
Diomedes gives me his more sinister smile and screams out, ‘Demigods destroy!’
Charlie and I stare at him.
‘My version of “Avengers assemble!” You want to kick ass? Then with a bitching battle-cry you’re half way there.’
I give him a smile and he bumps his fist with the two of us. So, there we are, three demigods.
Diomedes, the rogue son of Athena. The dark wizard. The nerd.
Charlie, a mountain of muscles, rage and steel. And my boyfriend
And me, Silena, Aphrodite’s daughter, blessed by my mother, ready to finish that quest.
‘They were members of the “Daughters of the Dragon.’ Kaleesha’s personal guard. They’re tough as nails and grades better than your average monster,’ Diomedes explains as we run outside. There are car noises.
‘Kaleesha’s safehouse’s blown. She’ll try to flee. Her last line of defense is her personal guard.
We’re halfway down the stairs and I can see the limo pulling up for the snake-ladies to get it.
‘Here it is. Endgame,’ I mutter. Charlie charges them first. He sprints at them, metal clattering on him, his hammer ready to smite and he’s brooding in cold fury. Diomedes is right behind him, bombarding them with scarlet fire.
And as my hunk of a boyfriend slams into the three dracaenae and Dio’s taking care of other three, I’m left with dealing with two and the infamous Kaleesha.
The moment I lay my eyes on her, I know it’s her. She’s the only full-bodied woman there, with the pendant of gold and a lock of shining hair around her neck.
Her two bodyguards try to catch me off guard as I go straight for Kaleesha. One of them is carrying net and trident, the other spear and sword.
I slash through the net. I deflect the trident and cut down the dracaena with a vertical, brutal slash of my shield. For the other one, I twirl around and drive my sword through her, backing it with the force of both my hands.
The anger, the adrenaline, whatever has my mother provided me with me makes me feel like all this is a piece of cake. I don’t struggle. I don’t strife. I do what heroes do.
Finished with her cronies, I turn to Kaleesha. She looks petrified. Her squirming hand tries to open the limo’s door but she’s too nervous to get a good grip on it.
I walk up to her, decisively. Every word I sputter is like throwing venom at her.
‘You took something that belonged to my mother. You threatened a friend of mine. But the worst thing is you actually tried to ruin my date and kill us,’ I scream as I make the attack move.
Halfway through my move, her panicked expression changes. Her skin becomes like a reptile’s. Her pupils slit. And then her tail, armed with a shiny, metal sting is lunged straight for my chest.
Time slows down but there is a flash and something cuts it in half. I gasp seeing Diomedes’s tattered figure saving me, by being agile enough to cut Kaleesha’s sting.
His momentum throws him a bit further away but the threat has passed. I turn to the monster-princess as the blood thunders in my ears.
‘You’re the traitor. You’re on our side’ she hisses. ‘You can’t kill me. Luke…’
I stab her before she finishes her sentence.
‘I am many things. Tonight, I am a demigod on a quest. Now, back to hell with you,’ I growl empathically and drive the sword deeper.
She disintegrates in seconds. And I am left with Diomedes’s amulet. I face him.
‘You called me your friend,’ he growls as he tries to stand up. ‘I couldn’t just leave you die. Not after all this badassery you exhibited tonight.’
I sigh, ‘Idiot,’ and turn to look at Charlie. He’s sitting, panting. His hammer looks broken, and there are all kind of marks on his armor.
‘Silena. Everything OK?’ he calls out concerned.
‘Just fine cornball. Just fine,’ I call out.
‘Then I’m takin’ a three-day nap. And Silena?’
‘Yeah?’
‘That’s the last time, I try to put a date together for the two of us.’
I actually laugh and lie down exhausted. The rash, the fire, the limitless energy has faded. I don’t know what time it is but from the sky, I’m guessing dawn can’t be too far away.
‘Dio, can we get out of here?’ I whisper.
‘Sure, just come here and I’ll teleport us out of here. Maybe I’ll die in the meantime, but hey, you’ll get home,’ Dio nags.
‘Sounds like a deal, if you ask me,’ I mutter. ‘How do you think we’ll get out of here, Diomedes?’
‘Already gave the Camp a call, Silena. Argos is coming to pick us up.’
I close my eyes and take a deep breath of relief. All the tension is released inside me and I fall asleep.

Notes