Volcanoes (21 page)

"Mom?" The voice on the other end sounded a little confused. "Why can't I see you?"

"Because I look
like death warmed over, that's why. What's up, chicken butt?"

"Mom," he said, sounding skeptical. "I've seen you after a week-long writing bender. I don't think you could look worse."

I laughed, even though it hurt. "You've got me there. The virus has kin
da taken its toll on my body and I'm pretty scary looking. I didn't want you to have to see me like this."

"Don't be a dork, Mom. Unfog the glass."

I shouldn't have done it
–
but I did. I cleared the glass and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the
shock.

"Shit," he whispered.

I didn't even give him crap for that one. I just said, "Yeah. It's pretty bad."

"Are you going to die?"

"Maybe. It's a strong possibility this time. But I'll tell you something."

"What?"

"I've survived a lot of shit that shou
ld have killed me so far, yet here I am breathing and talking to you. Do you think I'm going to let this thing beat me?"

He silently shook his head no.

"Damn straight, I'm not. Do you know why?"

He shook his head again.

"Because I love you so fucking muc
h that I'm going to stick around to see you grow up, have kids and make fun of me in my old age."

He was nodding now. He believed in me. No matter what I did or said to piss this kid off. No matter how many times I thought I'd failed him
–
he still believe
d in me. That was pretty powerful.

They say that love conquers all. I don't know about that romantic bullshit, but my love for my son was going to help me beat this virus. Hypnos wasn't going to win. I was going to get my friend out of his clutches and th
en save the god damned world!

"Tell me what you've been up to." I wanted to get this conversation back to normal.

"Training and working on math. Mom? I hate algebra."

"Me too, buddy. Me too."

"We're also studying politics and world events. They say it hel
ps us keep up on what
’
s going on and that way - even as old as we get - we'll never lose sight of what we're protecting."

"I think that's very wise," I responded with a nod.

"And I, uh," he started blushing furiously and stuttered a bit.

"You what, baby?"

I was such an idiot. Of course he was getting to the age where he started noticing girls. This was a classic reaction and I wasn't cluing in on it.

"I think I like a girl."

These were my first three thoughts.

1.
                  
Thank God he's not gay. It wasn't that I
had anything against people who were gay or lesbian. Some of my best friends are. It was the selfish thought that it would be easier to get grandkids. I was going to have grandkids. I would be an awesome grandma.

2.
                  
How long had it been since I had the bi
rds and bees talk with him?

3.
                  
Holy shit. My bubby isn't a baby anymore. That one was the hardest and I had to fight to keep the tears out of my eyes.

"Oh yeah?" I said, instead of flipping out. I think he
’
d expected me to flip out because he visibly rela
xed.

"Yeah it's Alton's sister. He's kinda pissed at me." He frowned and fidgeted.

"Well, what's her name and how old is she?"

He blushed. "They named her after Venus, of all things, and she's thirteen. Mom she's beautiful and so smart."

Of course Cupid ha
d named his daughter Venus. "Okay, first thing
–
Older woman. Wow. And second
–
Alton is going to be protective of his sister. That means until he either gets over it naturally or you show you can be a gentleman, he's going to stay pissed at you. Does she
like you back?"

He screwed up his face in concentration. "I don't know. I keep catching her staring at me."

I frowned in thought. "Wait a minute. If she's thirteen does that mean she and Alton are twins?"

He nodded and looked like he wanted to be anywhere
but here. What did I say in this situation?

"Okay. It's okay to like her. But be respectful of both her and Alton's feelings. You're not going to know if she likes you unless you ask her. If we were back at home I'd say you should
see if she wanted to come over for dinner or go to the movies or something. What are you guys doing for recreation here?"

"We generally just mess around on the Bubble field."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this - but you know who probably has some real
ly good advice about this?"

"Who?" He asked curiously.

"Drew."

His eyes widened and he bonked himself on the forehead. "I didn't even think to ask him, Mom. I just came to you."

How much did I swell up like a peacock at that? A lot. "Baby it's okay to com
e to me. I will always be honest with you." I didn't even blanch at that lie. See how good I was getting? "But in this case, I haven't got the boy hormone thing figured out and he probably does."

"That's a really good idea, Mom. I'll talk to him today."

"E
xcellent." I beamed at him and he cringed. I may have looked a little hideous. I didn't blame him at all so I let him off the hook. "Hey, don't you have dinner and training to do?"

I didn't let his relieved look hurt me. I remembered the last time I
’
d seen
the woman I
’
d thought was my great-grandmother. She'd lost almost a hundred pounds from the last time I'd seen her and I was so uncomfortable being around her that she finally sent me away with a hug that smelled of decay and a kiss that made me sad she'
d
figured it out.

You shouldn't have to see your loved ones in their last stages of life when they
’
re shrunken and look like death warmed over. You should be able to remember them as they were. I'd have to remember to have someone grab some pictures of wha
t I used to look like for him - just in case.

"I love you mom," he said quietly.

"I know you do, Bubby. I love you so much that all of the stars in the sky wouldn't be enough to express how much."

"I love you more than I love Halo," he countered and my b
reath caught.

"I you more than Drew's roast beef."

He gasped. "That's a lot."

"I know," I said, nodding. "Now get. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Do you promise?"  That one got me. I never made promises to him that I wouldn't or couldn't keep. If I promis
ed him I'd be here tomorrow, then I
’
d goddamn better be here.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise."

I could see the relief in his face and he leaned forward and kissed the glass. "
‘
Kay. See you then!"

"Quit kissing things when you don't know where
they
’
ve been!" I yelled at him as he walked off. "Someone could have rubbed their butt up against that glass!"

His bark of laughter echoed back at me and I smiled. The smile didn't last long, though. I had to get serious. I needed to find a way to hit Hyp
nos where it hurt, get Rose out of their clutches and not die.

The last was the most important of course.

As it turned out, figuring out how to hurt Hypnos was much easier than I had anticipated. I fell into a food coma after consuming Drew's roast beef.

Hypnos was waiting for me on the other side. He was red and blistered in places. I had to wonder if his ph
ysical body was as affected on the other side.

"You don't get any more chances, bitch." He snarled at me.

"Whoa there, buddy. Let a girl get settled into her dream before you start bitching at her. People are going to start thinking we're married with al
l of the bickering that we're doing."

My voice sounded stronger and I pulled a mirror into my dream so I could check out my reflection.  I was surprised to see that it wasn't my deathly pallor or even the face of the woman I'd become in the last year. Huma
n Grace stared back at me - her face a little too pudgy and a double chin barely visible if I angled my face just so.

I don't know why, but it made me smile. She was a determined, hard-assed bitch who faced everything she could head on and didn't back down
unless she had to admit defeat. I realized that I loved this Grace. If Zeus found a cure and it left me simply human
–
I didn't know that I would mind so much - H
uman Grace was a badass
.

"Vanity, thy name is Grace Murphy," he snidely spat at me.

"Well a
girl wants to look her best when she's about to get into a fight. Don't hit me in the face. I'd hate to see this pretty mug ruined."

I turned to him with a bright smile. His stride faltered and I cocked my head.

"Is Hypnos feeling a little intimidated?"

He growled and sped up. And I did something that surprised the holy living shit out of me.

I lengthened the distance between us. He stumbled in surprise and fell face first into a graveled path. Ouch, that was going to hurt.

I knew about lucid dreaming,
but this felt like something different. He jumped to his feet and brushed the loose gravel from his hands onto his pants. Fury crossed his face and I felt a small shudder of fear trickle between my shoulder blades. Now was not the time to be so cocky. I c
o
uld put on a front of bravado but I had to remember who I was dealing with.

Hypnos had successfully evaded the best hunters in the Universe. He constantly bested us in every situation he set up. Hell, he'd nearly won the one offensive attack we'd launched
. I could not underestimate him. This man was a brilliant tactician and a powerful being that deserved a healthy level of fear.

I'd save the dream shifting for later. Instead I called in only one of my kukri. I was saving the other hand - just in case.

"
Well, come along then. I know you've wanted to do this for ages."

He paused, uncertain, then smiled - mocking me. "You think because you know a few parlor tricks, you're going to beat me? Who do you think is in control here, Grace?"

Me, my mind whispered.
And I realized that I
was
in control. He was on
my
turf
–
in
my
dream. He was here because I'd fallen asleep wanting to meet him again, on
my
terms. He may have been waiting for me to fall asleep, too weak to keep him out of my mind, but I'd wanted him her
e and he didn't know that. That gave me a bit of the upper hand.

"I'm thinking that you
think
you are in control."

"I
know
I'm in control."

I rolled my eyes. He was getting predictable. So much so that I raised my kukri as he pulled me forward. He hadn
’
t
been expecting that move and it stabbed him in the chest.

He roared and grabbed my throat, shaking me around like a mangy dog. My head snapped back and forth - I was pretty sure he was going to break my neck.

I set myself on fire to make him let go. He d
id, but it was mid-shake and I went flying into a wall. The loud crack that issued from my back told me he'd fractured some bones back there. It hurt and I slowed down in response.

It was one thing to believe the power of my mind could keep me safe in here
–
but my living body was weak.  I didn't know if what happened in here affected me out there.

I groaned and staggered to my feet. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit girls?"

My voice sounded a little groggy, but I was still in fighting spirit. T
he skin he'd been gripping was
covered in oozing pus from the 3
rd
degree burns I'd given him.

He pulled his hand up next to his body and cradled it while baring his teeth at me in fury. He had nice teeth. I wondered if he had regular dental visits.  My te
eth were crowned, filled, and cavitied, you name it
–
they'd taken the damage.

Yeah, I'd hit my head on the wall and my thoughts were a little erratic. So there we w
ere, both hurt. It looked like he was trying to figure out how to stay far enough away from me so I wouldn't be able to burn him. That was really fine by me. I could do all sorts of nasty things to him from a distance.

"Tell me what you did to my friend,
Hypnos," I called.

"You mean the pretty, plump one? Her screams feed me, Grace. She didn't last long before she broke and did as we asked. I don't know if her mind will recover from this."

"Are you kidding me? Rose is tough as nails, you dick.
Of course
s
he's going to recover from this."

I'd devolved into name calling, which was a sure sign I was frustrated and didn't know how to continue rationally.

"I gave her to Lyssa to play with," he countered with a smirk.

I lost it. I roared and shot myself at him
with all the force I had in my body. I hurtled forward and fell right into his trap.

Literally. I fell right into his trap. He'd created a pit in front of him with a cage inside. As soon as I hit the bottom, the top closed with a loud clang.

"What the f
uck?" I shouted. I
’
d twisted my ankle in the landing and had to limp from side to side
–
checking the bars to see if there was any way for me to get out of this.

He peered down at me from above and clucked his tongue. "I told Lyssa you would fall prey to
me because of your temper. She owes me a boon for this."

A bloom of fire shot from my hand straight up and out of the cage, missing him by a hairs breadth.

"You're a one trick pony, Grace. I think I'll leave you in this cage for a bit. I have a little of
this and a little of that to do for now. I'll tell your friend you said hello. I'm sure she'll appreciate you even more than she already does. The words that come out of her mouth when Lyssa isn't using her. My, how she blames you for this mess."

I was not
going to let him mind fuck me. I was NOT.

I sat down on the floor and closed my eyes, ignoring him. He'd leave soon enough and I could get down to the business of escaping this cage.

It didn't take long before he grunted and silence fell over the area.
It finally occurred to me that we'd been in my back yard. Why hadn't I recognized it? I totally could have manipulated events much better if I'd opened my eyes and taken a look at my surroundings.

I would write that down as lesson five-hundred fifty eight
.

558. Open your eyes and take in your surroundings before engaging the enemy.

Okay, it probably wasn't lesson 558, but it was close. I was learning slowly, but I
was
learning. My mother's words about me flying by the seat of my pants one time too many ca
me back to me.  I realized that she had been right. I was hasty and volatile and I had a bad habit of not looking before I leapt.

I stood and tested the bars of the cage. They were strong and impregnable. There was no way I was getting out of here until h
e came back and let me out.

I sat back down and crossed my legs, Indian style. Closing my eyes, I placed my hands palm up on my knees and tried to meditate. The thought had occurred to me that I still had more powers to discover. Maybe if I could get back
into that rubber band ball state I'd been in while I was in Greenland, I could discover what they were.

My body swayed side to side in a wave-like pattern. It lulled me deeper inside of myself. I was almost there; the multi-colored ball was just coming i
nto focus.

"I see you've gotten yourself stuck, Brat."

My eyes popped open and the vision burst apart like confetti. I looked up and can honestly say I'd never been so glad to see Hephaestus in my life.

"What in the world are you doing in my dream?" I as
ked, flabbergasted.

"You must have pulled me in. Were you thinking about me, lovey?"

"No," I said defensively. "Yes," I groaned. "I was just thinking about when you dropped me into the wasteland of Greenland. It was a pretty strong thought. But how would
I get you in here to me? I don't understand."

He shrugged. "Beats me. But here I am. How'd you get caged in your own dream?"

"Hypnos," I stated shortly. It must have been explanation enough because he nodded in understanding.

"So, how are you going to get
yourself out of there?"

"Can't you get me out?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm afraid I don't have any power in your dreams. I'm just here to keep you company, darlin
’
."

"Hmm, well at least I won't have to suffer captivity alone. I'm not sure how long Hypnos
is going to be gone, so I should probably get to thinking. Mind if I talk it out with you?"

"That's what I seem to be here for," he chuckled.

I stood back up and ran my hands down the metal of the bars. They were spaced evenly apart
–
perhaps six inches.
There was no way I was squeezing through. "Have you seen my body?" I asked quietly.

"Yes." He didn't say more and I started to fidget. Why wouldn't he tell me what he thought?

"Well?" I prodded.

"You look like hell, brat. It physically hurt me to see yo
u like that."

I nodded. "I do look like hell. I'm pretty sure I'm going to die. I keep fighting it, but
–
shit. You saw me. It's not looking good for our plucky heroine."

He bit his lip to keep from smiling and said in a deadpan voice, "Yes. Our plucky he
roine is starting to look like a plucked chicken."

"What?
What
? That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither do you half the time I'm talking to you. Now you know how it feels. Quit procrastinating and find a way out of this cage before Hypnos comes back and fr
ies us both."

"Well - heat isn't working. I've already tried melting the bars."

"Wait, your powers are working here?"

"Well,
yeah
," I said, confused. "Why wouldn't they? My dreams aren't linked to my physical limitations. I've been flying in my dreams for
as long as I can remember and the last time I checked, I couldn't fly."

I grinned up at him and checked the hinges for susceptible stress points.

"So that means that in your dreams you should have more than just your fire power."

"Yep. As a matter of fact
, before you showed up, I was hunting for them."

"What do you mean 'hunting for them'?"

"Remember when I had that epiphany back in Greenland with the big rubber band ball and the colors and strings? Well, I was trying to recreate that."

"Ahhh," he said, no
dding. "So that's how I got here. I was kinda hoping for a racy dream where at least one of us was naked."

I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him with a combination of puzzlement and exasperation. "Really?" It was a sardonic question but then my j
aw dropped open and I repeated, "Wait. Really?" and that question was simply filled with surprise.

"You can't be surprised that I'm interested in you. I've been yanking your pigtails since I met you. Hell, I've even tried to tell you several times but you
always shut me up and push me away before I can get past the first word."

He was right. I had been doing that. For as long as I'd known him, there had been the confusion about Drew. And then one thing after another had happened and I just couldn't deal wi
th his romantic attentions. Plus, there was the obvious fact that he annoyed me a great deal. I was always mad, annoyed or exasperated at/with him. Always. This led me to believe there was a slim chance I could have feelings for him, as well. But I wasn't
ready to act on them or let him know. My life was complicated enough right now without adding this nonsense into the mix.