Read Online The Heir of Olympus and the Forest Realm by Zachary Howe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Zachary Howe
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avoid. As if she felt her son’s woe, Ellie sauntered into the room, knelt down, kissed him on the forehead, and climbed into the full-size bed with floral sheets that hadn’t been slept under in months. Her loving touch spread a warm relief through Gordie’s body, and he smiled, grateful for her company.
“I love you, Mom,” he whispered into the darkness to remind her that he was at her side.
“I love you more than anything in the world,” she replied, one-upping him. After that the silence resumed, even though Gordie got the feeling that his mom was as awake as he was. There was a clock on the wall in front of him that he could read, swathed in moonlight as it was. He once again took to watching the minute-hand make its painstaking revolutions.
He wasn’t tired so he didn’t know why he had suggested bed. His body coursed with unwanted energy. It was hard to remain still, like ignoring an itch under a cast. At a quarter to midnight, he was still reliving the events of the day in silent horror, wincing occasionally at the gruesome visions.
It was 11:59 pm and the terrors were no less pronounced. Gordie began to fear that he would not sleep a minute as he watched the second hand tick towards the twelve. Just as his angst reached its peak, the clock struck midnight—his body was instantly consumed with an overwhelming exhaustion and he plummeted into the deepest sleep of his life.
4
An Airport Surprise
It had been ten days since Gordie’s father was killed. The pain was still constant, but muted. The anger he occasionally experienced at the thought of it had become ever-present. The cause of his father’s death was still fresh in his mind, even though it had not been mentioned since the day they had arrived there at his grandfather’s house.
Gordie had succumbed to his grief for a few days after his world had been upended. He had wallowed in sadness, cried for hours on end. He had not left the guest room for two days after that first night. The thought of walking downstairs and not seeing his father at the breakfast table was gut-wrenching. He didn’t know why his sorrow was more severe the day after the incident, but it seemed that the reality of his loss had not truly hit him until then.
What tore at him the most was the knowledge that he was responsible for his father’s death.
His father died because Gordie had overslept. He dwelled on this. He was reminded of it in his dreams. He was aware of it during each endless, waking moment. Later in the week he had learned that over two hundred people had died as a result of the blast, which only exacerbated his depression. The devastation was unimaginable.
After Gordie had finally emerged from his den, he started devoting most of his thought to the possibility of his powers. He kept these thoughts to himself, however. He was afraid that bringing up his relationship with Mount Olympus might upset his mom. But now he felt it was time to end the embargo on discussing the elephant in the room; he couldn’t take it anymore. They were still living with Atalo, and every day was as monotonous as the last. Gordie hadn’t been back to school, neither did he have any intention of going back. He just felt that he needed to act, in some way or another. Idleness would no longer suffice.
It was midmorning on a Saturday. Gordie was distractedly watching TV in the living room. Next door in the kitchen, his mom and grandpa were making breakfast together. They were having a cheery conversation when he entered the room. He decided his mom’s spirits were whole enough for him to broach the subject of gods once again. He was nervous, and he didn’t really know where to begin, so he just dove in.
“We need to talk about Zeus,” he announced to the room at large. Both Ellie and Atalo turned around looking startled, not having noticed that he entered the room. As their surprise dissipated, their faces transformed to express very different emotions. A small smile graced
“I love you, Mom,” he whispered into the darkness to remind her that he was at her side.
“I love you more than anything in the world,” she replied, one-upping him. After that the silence resumed, even though Gordie got the feeling that his mom was as awake as he was. There was a clock on the wall in front of him that he could read, swathed in moonlight as it was. He once again took to watching the minute-hand make its painstaking revolutions.
He wasn’t tired so he didn’t know why he had suggested bed. His body coursed with unwanted energy. It was hard to remain still, like ignoring an itch under a cast. At a quarter to midnight, he was still reliving the events of the day in silent horror, wincing occasionally at the gruesome visions.
It was 11:59 pm and the terrors were no less pronounced. Gordie began to fear that he would not sleep a minute as he watched the second hand tick towards the twelve. Just as his angst reached its peak, the clock struck midnight—his body was instantly consumed with an overwhelming exhaustion and he plummeted into the deepest sleep of his life.
4
An Airport Surprise
It had been ten days since Gordie’s father was killed. The pain was still constant, but muted. The anger he occasionally experienced at the thought of it had become ever-present. The cause of his father’s death was still fresh in his mind, even though it had not been mentioned since the day they had arrived there at his grandfather’s house.
Gordie had succumbed to his grief for a few days after his world had been upended. He had wallowed in sadness, cried for hours on end. He had not left the guest room for two days after that first night. The thought of walking downstairs and not seeing his father at the breakfast table was gut-wrenching. He didn’t know why his sorrow was more severe the day after the incident, but it seemed that the reality of his loss had not truly hit him until then.
What tore at him the most was the knowledge that he was responsible for his father’s death.
His father died because Gordie had overslept. He dwelled on this. He was reminded of it in his dreams. He was aware of it during each endless, waking moment. Later in the week he had learned that over two hundred people had died as a result of the blast, which only exacerbated his depression. The devastation was unimaginable.
After Gordie had finally emerged from his den, he started devoting most of his thought to the possibility of his powers. He kept these thoughts to himself, however. He was afraid that bringing up his relationship with Mount Olympus might upset his mom. But now he felt it was time to end the embargo on discussing the elephant in the room; he couldn’t take it anymore. They were still living with Atalo, and every day was as monotonous as the last. Gordie hadn’t been back to school, neither did he have any intention of going back. He just felt that he needed to act, in some way or another. Idleness would no longer suffice.
It was midmorning on a Saturday. Gordie was distractedly watching TV in the living room. Next door in the kitchen, his mom and grandpa were making breakfast together. They were having a cheery conversation when he entered the room. He decided his mom’s spirits were whole enough for him to broach the subject of gods once again. He was nervous, and he didn’t really know where to begin, so he just dove in.
“We need to talk about Zeus,” he announced to the room at large. Both Ellie and Atalo turned around looking startled, not having noticed that he entered the room. As their surprise dissipated, their faces transformed to express very different emotions. A small smile graced
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