25 Chapter 25
"What's taking you so long?"
"Hang on a sec, will ya? Jeez."
It had been a full week since Thalia and Luke had appeared at Alex's doorstep like lost puppies. Alex, being an icon of magnanimousity and kindness, welcomed them with open arms. Of course, the added set of hands greatly improved their supply run, and that showed with the almost full mini-van they had brought to the cabin. The poor mortal to be ensnared this time was a construction worker, so Alex made sure to leave him a tip after he made him leave the perimeter of the house. It was funny, seeing Luke and Thalia's reaction to his little trick with the mist. They liked it so much that the first thing they asked when they got back was a lesson.
"If you can beat me in a spar, I'll teach it to you," he'd said. Obviously, he planned to teach it to them one way or another — the more able hands the better — but he wanted to have a little fun first.
He finished up the last touches to the wooden sword and threw it for Luke to catch. Annabeth was taking care of the spear for Thalia, but that would take a few more minutes.
"You ready?" Alex asked the Son of Hermes, twirling the sword in his hands as he talked, and walked to a wider patch of grass.
"Did you ever get taught how to fight with a sword?" Luke asked curiously as he got used to the feel of the wooden hilt in his hands.
"Nah," Alex admitted. "Learned how to fight with the monsters, if that counts."
Luke smirked. "Then we're on even ground."
He lunged forward, aiming for a quick diagonal strike at Alex's left shoulder. Alex returned the smirk and parried the blow with ease, redirecting Luke's sword to the side. He countered with a quick jab towards the sandy-haired boy's midsection, which he sidestepped, barely escaping the hit.
They circled each other, eyes locked, looking for openings. Luke moved first again. He attempted a series of quick, successive swipes aimed at Alex, trying to break through his defence. Alex swung his sword at the overhead strike, then tilted his head, feeling the air vibrating by Luke's jab. The sound of wood on wood punctuated as they fought.
"Are you going to dodge the whole time?" Luke tried to taunt his opponent, but it only resulted in a calm smile to play on Alex's lips.
The younger boy seized the moment and feinted a high over-the-head strike towards Luke. The latter tried to raise the sword to block, but Alex was already crouching, left fist cocked back. A swift punch in the liver later and Luke was doubled over, clutching his stomach. Alex didn't stop though. He rushed in for a swipe at Luke's sword hand, but the older boy stepped back in time. What he didn't see was Alex's foot hooked around his ankle, making him fall on his back with a thud.
Alex gave Luke a moment to breathe, twirling his sword in his hands. "How was that for an attack?"
Luke laughed. "Pretty nice, I can't lie."
They engaged again, swords clashing. This time, Alex increased the pace, delivering a rapid combination of strikes from different angles, and still keeping himself out of the path of Luke's sword.
A slice from below, dodge, a quick thrust while Luke's sword was in an awkward position, dodge, an arched strike meant to destabilize him, then dodge again. Luke gritted his teeth, trying to keep the sword in his hands. He did block the first two strikes but struggled to keep up with the speed, and the third attack threw him off-balance. Alex's sword tapped lightly against Luke's side, marking the first clear sword hit.
To Luke, Alex seemed like he'd fought with a sword his whole life. And Luke was no pushover; he himself knew how good with the sword he was. But to randomly bump into a kid two years younger that kept him in check so easily was frustrating, to say the least… but extremely exciting as well.
Undeterred by his thoughts, Luke tried to regain the initiative with an aggressive push, slashing with all his might a strike at Alex's side. Alex, instead of parrying like he was doing before, absorbed the impact with his sword, using the momentum to spin and counterattack with a slash of his own strike on Luke's arm, landing a hard hit that made Luke grunt in pain.
The spar grew more intense. Alex kept the offensive. Luke tried again for a short jab, but Alex crossed the distance with a small leap, hitting the flat of Luke's blade with his elbow and driving it of course. Luke dodged a high strike by a hairbreadth, but Alex immediately followed with a low thrust, tapping Luke's leg before he could fully react.
In a bout of panic, Luke desperately swung his sword towards Alex, hoping to get at least a tap. Unfortunately for the Son of Hermes, Alex anticipated the move with a sidestepped and did a quick, precise strike to Luke's shoulder, making him drop his sword with another grunt and fall on the wet grass with his bottom.
"Holy shit," Thalia muttered, and Annabeth hid a smirk as she gave the punk girl's spear the finishing touches with her dagger.
Luke gasped for air when Alex finally lowered his sword. He looked up, feeling the wetness sink into his clothes. Alex had his arm stretched for a helping hand, one that Luke gladly took.
"Nice fight," Alex said with a grin. Luke shoved his hand away playfully.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You got me there at the end," He said, walking over to where their water bottles lay on the grass. Annabeth was still busy with the spear, but Thalia didn't seem to be so eager to spar anymore. "And I thought you didn't have anyone teach you? How do you fight like that?"
"Like what?" Alex asked, genuinely confused. He was nothing special at sword-fighting, or at least he thought so. Yeah, he felt more comfortable with one in hand than using his fists, but the one time he fought a monster that equally matched him (Blink), he almost died. He had his jacket and shield to thank that win for.
"Don't play dumb," Thalia said from the side. "Luke's been fighting with a sword since he was nine."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't exactly call a golf club a sword, but to which their own I guess."
The sun was still high, casting long shadows on the ground. Luke shot an upset glance at Thalia before turning to Alex.
"She didn't mean it in a bad way, Alex," Luke said, taking a swig from his plastic bottle. "You really had me on that feint."
"But you caught on quickly after that. I had to switch it up," Alex admitted. He grabbed his own bottle and felt the water wash down his throat. Hydration was key in restoring fluid levels and helping muscles recover.
The conversation switched up to what they could improve. It was nice, Alex thought, having more people in the cabin. The place was livelier than a week ago, and having everyone to talk to made the thoughts that plagued his mind disappear for a moment. He didn't spend his day anymore thinking about his dad, his friends back in Queens who probably thought he was dead, Grover and Gleeson, and even Hal.
Alex could, for once, completely relax. He wouldn't have to always worry about Annabeth's safety now that there were two other people to help protect her; he wouldn't have to worry about the monsters overwhelming them with Luke and Thalia to help; and now he had even more mouths to cook too. If that didn't make his ADHD part of the brain happy, then nothing could.
The sun felt nice on their skin. It was finally warm after days of rain and freezing winds. At some point, the other three set up a large checkered-patterned blanket on the grass while Alex took to the kitchen to cook them a hearty meal.
Should he go for a simple pasta again? Or maybe a lasagna... but that would take longer. What about some simple salmon sandwiches? But would that be—
"Hey, Alex?" Thalia called. She was by the record player. "Where are the vynils?"
"In the garage," Alex said, looking for the salt in one of the drawers. "With the rest of the important stuff."
"So you were serious about packing?" She walked over to the kitchen and looked over his shoulder to see what he was cooking.
Alex hummed. "We don't know if the barrier failing was a one-time thing. Let's just hope the truck works."
He'd finally decided on cooking mac-n-cheese, so he got a pot of water boiling and added a pinch of salt.
In goes the macaroni, bubbling away. Keep an eye on it - al dente is key, the Italians say. Drain, but save some pasta water for the magic touch.
Now, the sauce. A generous knob of butter in a pot melted over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook until golden - a roux, the foundation of flavour. Gradually pour in milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. The sauce thickens, velvety and smooth.
Cheese. Grated cheddar, maybe some Gruyère for depth. Into the pot, it melts into the sauce, stringy and gooey. The macaroni returns, a stir to coat every curve and corner.
Too thick? A splash of pasta water is the secret to perfect consistency. A crack of pepper, a pinch of salt to taste. And for a twist, a spoonful of mustard or a dash of nutmeg is subtle but transformative.
Transfer to a dish, maybe sprinkle breadcrumbs on top for crunch. Under the broiler it goes, until bubbly and golden.
"And now we wait," Alex sighed in satisfaction. Luke and Thalia were about to be introduced to the best mac-n-cheese in America.
Just then, a tremor shook the house. It felt like an earthquake, only it didn't last as long. A vinegar-like smell, that Alex was sure wasn't coming from the food, assaulted their noses like a tidal wave eating up the sand of a beach. Alex instinctively looked out the window to the tree line, and his stomach curled up in a ball like a dog did at the end of their owner's bed.
"No way..." Thalia was too shocked to move, and Alex saw a hint of recognition in her eyes.
He bolted outside.
Annabeth and Luke were around one hundred feet away, running towards him and the cabin, having left the blanket to be trampled by what was chasing them. A drakon, Alex quickly recognised. A baby one, at least. It was slightly smaller than the Nemean Lion, but just as scary; serpent-like body, thick, dark green scales, yellow eyes that burnt with malice, S-shaped horns and a mouth with so many fangs Alex lost count. If it were to have wings, there'd be almost no differences between it and a dragon.
"Alex!" Annabeth shouted, fear being well apparent in her face. Luke was behind her, urging the little girl to run.
"Thalia!" Luke yelled. "Call Thalia!"
Maybe that would've been the best course of action; they already knew the punk girl's lighting could stun the drakons. But Alex was pissed. He spread his wings, tensed the muscles in his legs, and shot at the Drakon like a bullet.
The air shimmered like a pebble being dropped in a pond when Annabeth and Luke got close to the cabin. Alex frowned but didn't get much time to think when a spit of acidic venom came flying at him.
His wings flapped and he cut upwards, dodging the attack. The drakon didn't stop its charge. It roared in defiance and leapt at Luke, who was lagging behind from the sudden surprise of Alex looking like a bird.
Yet, the drakon never reached him. When it crossed the boundary of air that had shimmered, it turned into golden dust like a paper being put through a shredder, turning the grass golden.
Alex was mid-air, trying to process what the hell just happened when he remembered the other monolith.
"So that's what Protect was for..."
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A/N: Some action next chapter.
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