I GO ON A QUEST AND MEET THE FURIES

Our dad had just picked up Helen and me from school. I went to Great Neck South when I was in middle school, and Helen went to school somewhere in manhattan when we used to live there. The traffic was as long as ever. I would get home at around six or seven, but this time the traffic was extra long, so I got home near nine. Our mother had already set up the table and was waiting for us there. Helen's mouth got all watery when she saw the meatballs, pasta, souvlaki, and salad, and I laughed.

My mother's beauty was bewitching. The air she had around her was similar to what I believed the aura a royal or noble would possess. She had the looks of one, too. Her dark hair flowed down her pale shoulders, and her ocean-blue eyes gave such a spark of life. She had a babyface, a dimple on her left cheek, and a slim but attractive body. It all added up into such an alluring image to one's eyes. Helen and I inherited all of that, except I have green eyes, and Helen doesn't have a dimple, and that we both were olive-skinned.

My mother greeted me when we came into the room. My father planted kisses on her, and we had dinner. My mother asked us how school was going and anything interesting that happened today. Helen went on and on about how she and her friend Trixie fooled around in class. The only friend I ever had was Julien, or I guess it's more accurate to say he was the only person I hung out with. Even though Julien was the most popular kid in class, he only hung out with me. It was just us two all the time, and all we did was play video games or hang out after Julien came from soccer practice.

I was curling up the last of my pasta when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and looked up at a man with albino skin and slick black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a black hood over his head, and his beard was trimmed. He was taller than most basketball players, and I was barely four foot five as a seventh-grader. It was a struggle to get a glimpse of his face.

What scared me about him was the air around him. It felt like everything was freezing around me. I saw ice form underneath his feet. His demeanor was intimidating, to say the least. I thought he was a commander like Napoleon or Hitler. His eyes were apparently two clocks, with each of their hands ticking as time went by. In his hands was a double-edged scythe colored with a pattern of black and red.

The color drained out of my mother's face when she saw that man. The two spoke outside in private for a while, then my mother told the man her goodbyes. "Yiannis, Helen," she faked a smile, "It's time to go to bed."

I told Helen good night and headed to my room. I lied in my bed until I heard my parents arguing with each other. I quietly got out of my room and tiptoed down the steps toward the kitchen, careful to make sure I wasn't seen.

"We have to get out of here, then! The children are in danger! The voice was my father's. "We need to leave!

"And where would we go?" Now it was my mother. "If the gods are after the children as Kronos said, there's nowhere to run to."

"Would you rather have them die, then?" My mother shook her head. "I've contacted Hades. He can take Yiannis and Helen someplace safe in the Underworld." Gods? The Underworld? What on earth were my parents talking about?

"Momma, what's going on?" My mother pulled Helen towards her. "Nothing. Your dad and I were just arguing, that's all."

A jagged black wall materialized above my mother and Helen, just before a blue trickle of light entered the house and caused a massive explosion, knocking me into the stairs.

When I came to, I saw my father sobbing with his head in his hands. The whole house was a pile of rubble. I ran to the kitchen and stared in horror at what I saw. My mother's bottom half was separated from her body, and she was encased in ice. Helen was stuck beneath her, screaming as she tried to free herself. "Mother!"

I fell from my bed and landed on the floor. That was the first time I had a nightmare about Mother's death, but looking back on it now, I think I can piece together what happened that day.

Kronos had warned our mother about Zeus that day. He wasn't able to save my mother, but he managed to protect Helen by forming that ice over her. Even still, the force from the blast had rendered Helen unable to use her legs again. It seems that Kronos really cares about us, after all. That just made me more determined to succeed. Zeus killed my mother and probably didn't even lose any sleep about it. The coward likely gave himself a pat on the back and called it a day. I'll make him remember what he did, and he'll pay for it. He'll pay dearly.

I packed my bag and headed outside the hotel, where I found Vittoria and Helen waiting for me. "Where's Julien?" I asked.

"He decided he couldn't go at the last moment, so I'll be taking his place," Vittoria replied. I nodded. "Where's Chiron? He said he'll be here to see us off." Vittoria waved to something behind me, and I saw Chiron galloping to us. "It looks like everyone is here." He handed me two pouches. "Um, what's in here? The bags are kind of heavy."

"I can't let you go penniless. I've given you five thousand dollars and a couple of drachmas."

"Drachmas?"

"It's a form of greek currency that was used in ancient times. You'll find it quite useful when dealing with gods or other monsters." A boy with a black eye patch ran towards us. "Nathan!" Julien introduced me to him, and we've been hanging out ever since. Nathan was one of the five new friends I made at the hotel. "Hey, Yiannis," Nathan panted. He pushed into my hands what appeared to be a pair of blue Air Jordans with little wings on them. "Um, why are you giving me a pair of used shoes?"

"They're called the Talaria." I blinked. "You mean the god Hermes wears Air Jordans? Does he play basketball?" Nathan shook his head. "No, well, yes. The Talaria can take any form the wearer wants."

"Yes to Hermes wearing Air Jordans or yes to him playing ball?" I asked. Nathan sighed. "Both, I guess. The shoes came in clutch for me before. I just wanted to give them to you." I blushed. "Um, thanks." I never received a gift from someone before, other than from Helen or Julien. It felt awkward. "Thanks, Nathan. I'm sure the shoes will come in quite handy." Chiron pulled me aside. "I'm sorry, Yiannis. I wish I had more time to train you. Hercules, Jason, Achilles... they all had more time."

"No, thank you, Chiron. I've only been here for a month, but I've learned a lot. I have to bring the weapons back to the gods by the winter solstice, right?" Chiron nodded. "That's two weeks from now. For all of us, I hope you succeed. About the shoes... try not to give them to Helen."

"Why?"

"The gods don't know you have a little sister, except for the god who's her parent. If the gods see her, they might wonder who she is. Flying around in the sky is the worst way to stay hidden."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll keep my little sister out of trouble." Chiron smiled as he turned around and started walking back to the hotel. "May the gods be with you, Yiannis."

"You as well, Chiron."

"So far, so good. An hour went by, and no monsters showed up," I muttered to myself as I looked out the window. Helen slept peacefully, resting her head on my shoulder. "Don't say things like that," Vittoria said. "You don't want to jinx it."

"Yeah, you're right. So what now?" Vittoria tapped on her phone. "The Mississippi River is gigantic. We could go all the way to Mississippi, but that's too far. The river runs through Illinois and Iowa, which are a lot closer, at least on Google maps." I saw a pack of centaurs pass by. "Hey, Vittoria, do you know why mortals can't see the creatures that we do?"

"It's because of the mist, Yiannis."

"The what?"

"The mist. You can think of it as a supernatural veil that clouds a mortal's perception. It makes them ignorant of what really goes on in the world. Read the Illiad; it's full of references to the stuff."

"That's pretty cool. The mist doesn't seem to affect demigods. Do we have any control over it?" Vittoria nodded. "We're able to manipulate the mist to make mortals perceive what we what them to. Gods and monsters can do that, too."

"So what about those three weird old hags who just entered the bus? Are they manipulating the mist? One of them is literally holding a whip that's on fire, and nobody is saying anything."

"The Furies. Three of them," Vittoria gulped. "Great. Yiannis, why did you have to jinx it?" I got up from my seat. "It's not that bad. Take care of Helen for me, will you?"

"What are you planning? Are you trying to get killed?" Vittoria whispered. I shook my head. "I'm the son of Hades. That gives me some leverage with the old ladies. They can't just kill me unless they want to anger my dad. I'll talk with them, see what they want." Before Vittoria could respond, I stomped my foot on the ground and made time freeze around the bus. Then I casually walked up to the Furies. "What's up?"

The one with the flaming whip glared at me. "Oh, you're the one I sliced at the museum, right?" The Fury nodded. "You cannot fool us, Yiannis Cirillo. We know you have the weapons." I raised an eyebrow. "The son of Hades stole his own father's hat?" The Fury nodded. "The theft occurred a few days before our little meeting in the museum. Lady Persephone occasionally goes to Olympus to speak on Lord Hades's behalf. She had the helm of darkness in her hands, but then it mysteriously vanished, along with two other weapons."

"What does that have to do with me? I was recently claimed by Hades, and I didn't even know gods existed until recently."

"Don't play games!" the Fury roared. "Hades has informed us of the death of your mother. You have a grudge against the gods. Using the fact that a son of Hades will save Olympus as a smokescreen, you committed the theft and waited for Zeus and Poseidon to blame each other." I smiled. Hades had good deductive skills, although he got a lot wrong. Nonetheless, he still figured out I had a grudge and was somehow involved in the theft. Not bad. "You're wrong. I do hold a grudge, but I'm not the thief. As I said, Hades claimed me recently, and by that time I the weapons had been missing for a while. I couldn't have used the prophecy as a smokescreen either, since I didn't even know Hades was my father until he claimed me. That disproves your theory." I let that sink in. "So... it truly was not you?" The Fury with the whip asked. I nodded. "I do have a lead, though. I think I know who stole the weapons. I'm journeying to the Underworld. I want you to follow me all the way there. If you do this, you will find the real thief."

"How can we trust you?" One of the Furies hissed. "If you feel like I'm lying to you, you can kill me. But if you do as I say, you will find the thief. Either way, you win. I don't see a reason to refuse my offer." The Furies looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Finally, one agreed. "Very well, boy. We'll do as you say. But be warned; if you lie, you will face an eternity in Tartarus!" I shrugged. "Fine by me. For now, stay on the bus and put your whip away. I can't have Helen or Vittoria seeing that." The Furies obliged. I stomped my foot, and time started flowing again. "Um, Vittoria, you ok? You're spacing out." Vittoria shook her head. "Sorry, I just... the Furies! Where are they?" I nodded my head in their direction. "It seems my dad sent them here to protect me. Hades thinks that whoever stole the weapons would try to frame me. They would claim the son of Hades is destined to save Olympus, and that is why he could be a possible suspect. I could have used the prophecy as a smokescreen to steal the weapons since the gods believe I would save them, not betray them. I would fall off their radar, which would make it really easy for me to snatch the weapons." Vittoria nodded. "Makes sense." She studied me. "Please don't tell me you actually think I'm the thief, Vittoria," I sighed.

"No, no! I was just thinking that you're already cleared." I tilted my head. "How so?" I knew the reason; I just wondered if her trail of thought led her to the same line of reasoning I gave to the Furies.

Vittoria scratched her head. "Well, this doesn't definitively prove your innocence, but you never knew the gods existed until recently, which was after the theft. Someone who doesn't even acknowledge the greek myths as real wouldn't steal the weapons of three gods. You didn't even know they existed." I nodded. "Yeah, that's a good point. But how exactly does it not definitively prove my innocence?"

Vittoria nibbled on her bottom lip. "Don't take this the wrong way, Yiannis, but the prophecy states a child of Kronos will destroy Olympus. You might be that child. Perhaps you're not the thief, but you could have played a role in it, or maybe you even plotted it. I have no way of knowing that." I grinned. "You're pretty smart, you know that? I think you're a child of Kronos, and you're manipulating me in some grand scheme." Vittoria smirked. "I could be. I thought you would be mad at me for saying that. I was a little scared of that happening." I shook my head. "I noticed, but no, I'm not mad. I'm pretty sure the thief would use that logic to pin the blame on me."

"Yeah, you're right. Oh, we reached our stop." Vittoria grabbed her bag as I woke Helen up. Then we proceeded to exit the bus. I couldn't help grinning. Ironically, Vittoria was getting manipulated by a son of Kronos, and she didn't even know it. It was quite amusing. But I have to be even more careful now. Vittoria doesn't fully believe I'm innocent. In her mind, I might be a son of Kronos who's using her. I have to get that thought out of her head and earn her trust. It's a life or death game I'm playing here, so not being able to do that will end very badly for me.