Major's intense tone, bulging veins beneath his skin, and the crackling lightning in his eye glaring at the twins revealed the depth of his fury. Selena loosened her white-knuckled grip on the spear's shaft in her hands and lowered the weapon down an inch.
He jumped off the car's flattened hood, ripped the spear from Selena, and threw it towards the Porsche. The blade hit the pavement with a resonating sound from the tire on Porshe's passenger side.
"How did you find us?" Selena asked in a low breath.
Glancing at her, the lightning didn't recede in his eyes. "The same way I found you in Cedar Springs."
"You tracked us?" Sam said.
Sam still held his compound bow in his hand. The monster's blood speckled his face.
The chimera had bled red, but this one bled green.
Interesting.
Selena looked down at herself; she hadn't been in the direct trajectory of the blood spattering. Some sort of liquid-like substance wetted her face, but she prayed to whatever god—apparently, there are multiples—who listened that she didn't have any monster blood on her favorite loungewear. A trivial to worry about, but she had these pants since she was in the sixth grade; outside of her family, these pants were her longest relationship.
Good.
Her outfit was monster-bloodless. Checking back into the conversation at hand, Major and Sam had already discussed how Major had found them.
She frowned, figuring that particular topic could be useful. Selena didn't want to cut in and have Major repeat himself, she didn't want him to know she zoned out of the conversation.
"So the monsters can track us as well?" Sam asked.
Major nodded. "It's a miracle no one had found you before the chimera."
The lightning in Major's eyes receded.
"Get behind me." He told the twins.
Selena walked behind Major. The base of her neck tingled.
An acrid smell, a lot like burning plastic, mixed with a coppery scent, flowed through the warm breeze. She gagged.
The monster's lifeless body rested atop of the car's hood, its head laid by the tire and spear. Selena practically heard her father going ballistic over the state of his car. Major angled his hand at the vehicle's gas tank, and the blue of his lightning caressed his fingertips, lighting Major's arm. The lightning left his fingertips and shot into a line toward the car, tinting it blue, and a loud explosion rang through her ears.
The blast knocked them backward, and Major covered his body over hers. Selena's head hit the pavement of the parking lot first. White stars blinded her sight, and she gasped, her lungs trying to find oxygen. Blinking her vision back into focus, she found Major's eyes baring into her own.
Up close, Major's eyes weren't their dark sapphire color, flecks of a sky blue traced the lining of his pupil. Her breath caught at their exquisite beauty. She also detected a hint of clove with cinnamon. She instinctively leaned her head closer to his.
"Are you okay?" Major breathed.
His lips hovered above hers now, his warm breath on them. Selena's mouth dried.
"Your eyes are beautiful," Selena said in a hushed tone so only he could hear.
His eyes widened in shock, and pink flushed his cheeks at her weird declaration. Warmth flooded her face. She wasn't sure where all that came from, like the landing not only knocked the wind out of her but her filter, too. His entire weight pressed down on her, his arms the only thing holding him above.
"I-uh...thanks?"
Footsteps scuffed the pavement by her head, and she and Major looked up at Sam towering over them.
"I'm okay too, thanks for asking," Sam said.
Major scrambled to his feet, his face red. He stretched out a hand to Selena, and she took it. His weathered hand, rough with calluses, engulfed her own.
Selena got to her feet and let go of Major's hand, brushing herself off.
"I'm not." She groaned, her heart breaking into a million little pieces, looking to the travesty Major made. "My Stanley is absolutely ruined."
Sam smirked at his sister. "Way to have your priorities straight, Lena."
"It was a limited edition."
Major stared at her, rubbing his brow over what she complained about.
"We have to get going," Major said, grabbing Selena's wrist and pulling her toward the street.
Selena wanted to rebuke that they weren't going anywhere with him, still not entirely convinced that he wouldn't just take them to Olympus. But she had little say in the matter since he was pulling her with such force.
Sam followed.
Streetlights illuminated the sidewalk. Selena squinted, the sudden brightness dilating her pupils.
Major tightened his grip. She had to admit it was a good idea since the last time he left her and Sam to their own devices, they bolted from him. He was taking extra precautions with them; trust was nonexistent.
The trio walked in silence. Selena's eyes focused on the boy before her, the lukewarm wind blowing his hair back.
Passing the second block, Selena saw the flashing red lights of sirens. Major turned them down an alleyway, opening to the back of a diner with a vibrant red metal roof and sleek grey paneling. Through the windows, a tantalizing image of a hot dog holding a mustard bottle surrounded by the name of the restaurant: The Grand Coney.
Major slipped his fingers into hers, and her heart skipped a beat.
Stop it. Selena ridiculed her heart.
Her body did not need to have that reaction around him. Yeah, he saved her and Sam's life...twice. But she still didn't trust him, even if every instinct in her body now roared at her to do that very thing.
"What are you doing?" She asked, ignoring her body's reaction.
"I'm not letting you go, so you two can take off on me again, and it looks less inconspicuous if I hold your hand versus your wrist." He winked at her.
Sam muttered something so soft under his breath that she couldn't quite make out the words.
Major pulled opened the door with his free hand.
Inside, the diner had grey walls, the same shade as the siding out front. In front of them lined a red booth shaped like an L, encircled by a beige table. To their left stood a podium with a cash register and a black letter board sign displaying, Please seat yourself.
Selena led the way to the back, her mind still grappling with the purpose of going into the diner. But she listened to her stomach. The smells of barbeque sauce and grilled onions flooded her nose, and the sounds of sizzling meat on the grill made her mouth water.
They passed two more tables with four red chairs around them until they made their way to the back corner, where a red four-person booth surrounded a table. Selena slid into the booth seat closest to the wall, letting go of Major's hand. Sam slid in next to her.
"What are we doing here?" Sam asked, placing his bag under the table.
Major slid across them, his foot hooked Selena's, she made no move to shake him off. "To get food."
"Why?"
"I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry." Major frowned, his tone sharp.
Before they could ask anything else, a waitress greeted them with a squeaky voice. The brunette's brown eyes darted between Major and Sam like she couldn't decide which one she wanted to gawk at the longest. Selena rolled her eyes and slouched, taking the menu before her. The waitress, Amy, said the name on her nametag, left after she had taken their drink order.
Siren lights flash outside from the window. Selena sank further into her seat, bringing the menu closer to her face.
"Sit normal," Major said in a hushed voice. "Or else you look guilty."
Selena put her hands to her side and pushed herself up. Amy came over, giving everyone their drinks while ogling Major. Selena couldn't stop the sudden burning sensation in her chest.
She sipped on the straw of her Diet Dr. Pepper, waiting for Sam to give his order. Selena ordered a cheeseburger and gave Amy her most predatory smile. The waitress raised her brow at Selena.
Amy probably assumed she and Sam were together, since they sat on the same side. Considering they didn't have a single feature in common, no one would have assumed that they were siblings. Amy wouldn't have been the first one to think that and probably wouldn't be the last, and Selena fought back the urge to gag.
"So." Sam started, seemingly unfazed. Amy preferred Major to him. "We're willing to listen to what you have to say."
Selena zoned in her senses into the matter Sam sought to discuss.
Major crossed his arms and frowned at Sam, "So it only took two monsters to convince you to trust me?"
Selena narrowed her eyes at Major's condescending tone he threw their way.
"I still don't trust you, but you seem to know what's going on better than anyone else around here." Sam flung his arms up in the air.
"And what exactly have I done that's so untrustworthy?"
Selena ignored him and asked what had been bothering her for some time. "When we shot that monster with those arrows, they landed in the middle of her forehead and in one of her eyes, but she didn't die. Why is that?"
"Only metals made in Hephaestus' forge or weapons made with magic can deliver a killing blow to a monster. You can make them bleed all day long with normal mortal metals, but they won't kill them."
"They won't, ya know...die of blood loss?" Sam inquired.
Major shook his head. "No, they heal quickly." He arched a brow at the twins.. "Which apparently, so do you two."
Selena and Sam twisted their heads and exchanged looks.
She remembered the chimera attacking Sam back at graduation. It had lunged at him and clawed at his arm, shredding his gown and the back of his arm. When they had made it to the parking lot, there had been no remnant of having a wound at all, save the evidence of the ruined gown sleeve and dried blood.
Selena had also healed miraculously, albeit slower, with her own injury to her back. She moved with ease, no longer limping. Not a trace of pain lingered from the wound at all.
She chalked it up to be the work of their immortal blood Major claimed was in them. Gods were immortal, healing could be an immortal ability they gained from Apollo.
Both Major and the snake monster claimed her and Sam were children of Apollo.
"Is that,"Selena felt a lump in her throat. Being a demigod was already hard enough to swallow, but being an abnormal demigod was the last thing she wanted. "Is that not something demigods normally do?"
Major folded his arms across his chest. "Nobody really knew what your capabilities were. But no, that's not a normal demigod ability. Now, a Marked demigod's ability—well, you two have proven that it is."
Oh, yeah. That's right. Selena and Sam weren't normal demigods. They were Marked demigods, acquiring Apollo's powers.
"Because Apollo is the god of healing," Selena muttered, remembering that little tidbit from Greek Mythology.
"And so is Artemis." He nodded toward Selena. "Though they are the gods of many things, one could hardly remember them all."
"Artemis? Apollo's sister?"
"His twin sister, coincidentally enough."
"What does she have to do with us?" Sam inquired. "Aren't we Apollo's children?"
Major ran a hand through his hair and let out an exacerbated breath. Like he couldn't believe they would even ask these types of questions.
Selena rolled her eyes. His arrogance annoyed her.
It's not like Major's been descriptive in all of this, but she reined in her anger at him. He had saved them from the chimera—admittedly, she believed Major had something to do with the first monster—and saved them from the snake monster. She guessed he might have sent that one too, but she couldn't see the point.
If Major wanted them dead, he would've killed them by now. Besides, he had to bring them back to Olympus for his father, Zeus.
Yeah, the thought alone was enough to admit her into a mental institution.
This time, she would hear Major out. This time, she would keep a calm, level head, which she usually does. But earlier today, her emotions had been a whirlwind.
"Yes," Major said slowly. "You are both the children of Apollo, but there can only be one Marked demigod per Olympian." He pointed to Sam. "You are the son of Apollo and Marked by Apollo." Major turned his attention to Selena. "You are the daughter of Apollo and Marked by Artemis."
******
I first came up with the idea of Marked when I was 10. Originally, it was a complete Percy Jackson rip-off, but eventually turned into its own unique idea.
Line editing by an editor is expensive, so I am hoping to crowd-fund. Each donation will receive 4 digital artworks to their email address as a thank you.As I know that the money you worked for did not come free, I am not asking for donations for free either.I have HD images of my characters from Marked drawn and will be giving them in tiers:
Tier One - $1-
Get either Selena or Samson KingTier Two - $2- Get both photos of the twins
Tier Three - $3-
Samson King, Selena King, and Major Dawson
Tier Four - $5-
The twins, Major Dawson, and Cathenna and her mystery man
The Goal is: $2,500
Thank you to everyone who has read this book
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