Feros and the Underworld Prince (26 page)

“
I’m good, Daddy. Did you know that we’re moving tomorrow?” Addie asks.

“
Yeah, Auntie Tia told me earlier today. Speaking of which, Sara?” I say.

“
Yeah, I’m here.” Sara responds.

“
How are you guys getting to the new house?” I inquire.

“
Don’t worry, Cole; Dagda is porting us there. The house is already furnished so all we are bringing is clothing and some things that we can’t buy when we get there. Oh, it looks like Rei is calling.” Sara replies.

“
Alright, I need to get going anyway. Goodnight Addie, I love you!” I say.

“
I love you too, Daddy!” Addie replies before I end the call.

I strip down into my sleeping attire, i.e. my boxers, when I remember that the bathroom is no longer conveniently attached to my room. I exit my dorm room and walk down the hall towards the men’s restroom. I pass a group of four girls that are about Cheza’s age, getting three stares and a wink. Were they were staring at my physique or my bandages…? Either way, I think I will wear more clothing starting tomorrow.

…

Chapter 24: Welcome Weekend and the Miracles of Fairy Puberty

[September 19th]

Welcome Weekend starts off pretty slowly, mostly just campus tours and information on various clubs and sports. Travis and I tour the commons area in the center of campus that holds all of the informational booths on sports and clubs. I start scanning the auras of everyone there to look for clues, but I don’t see anyone with red auras. However, Travis’s aura catches my attention; he has a normal white outline, but his central aura is black with a red handprint. I really want to ask him what he is, but it might give away the fact that I can see auras and it will lead to a conversation about what I am, which could be problematic.

“
STEP RIGHT UP!” A guy yells under a banner that says ‘Test your strength and win $100,’ next to an arm-wrestling table with a Foot Locker employee and a strong looking werewolf sitting at the table; the werewolf’s red aura is what catches my eye.

Travis and I join the crowd around the table. We watch as a vampire puts up a good fight, but ultimately loses. The vampire walks away from the table, but I notice as a girl (whose aura identifies her as a witch) stops him and hands him a flyer. Next, a werewolf steps up and gets his ass thoroughly handed to him; he walks off and doesn’t get a flyer. I need to get my hands on one of those flyers, so I step up to the table. I need to make an impression for a flyer, but I don’t want to draw too much attention to myself, so I can’t win.

“
Okay, on go. 3, 2, 1, GO!” The referee announces.

The werewolf immediately starts pressing against me. I hold him back and throw some extra strength to get him onto his side, but I allow that strength to gradually fade. The werewolf pins me and I walk off.

“
Hey, we’re hosting this party tomorrow night; you should come by.” The flyer girl says.

“
Yeah, maybe I will.” I reply.

“
Great! It’s in town. There are directions to the party on the back.” She says while handing me a flyer.

“
WE HAVE A WINNER!” The announcer shouts. I turn around and see that it is Travis that has won.

“
Just go talk to Penelope for your winnings.” The announcer says at a normal volume as he points at flyer girl.

“
Look Cole, I won!” Travis exclaims somewhat smugly as he walks toward us.

“
Here you go! You should stop by this party tomorrow night with your friend!” flyer girl says as she hands Travis a flyer and a hundred dollar bill.

“
By the way, what are you? If you don’t mind my asking.” Flyer girl adds.

“
I’m the son of a Hecatonchires and a witch.” Travis replies.

If I recall my Greek mythology correctly, Hecatonchires were giants with hundreds of hands that helped Zeus overthrow the Titans. Well, I guess that answers my question about Travis and I didn’t have to divulge any information about myself!

“
Wow! Well I hope to see you guys at the party!” flyer girl exclaims and walks off.

“
So do you want to go in to town for a bite? I’m starving.” Travis says as we walk away from the crowd.

“
Sure, I’m game.” I reply.

We head to the southeast portion of campus to reach the cobblestone path that leads through the evergreen forest and into town. The town seems pretty big, enough so that it requires a subway system. Travis pulls out his phone and uses Fogquartz’s restaurant rating system to find someplace to eat. I follow him into the subway tunnels and we hop on the train as it leaves. Looking at a map on the train, the subway system is a giant loop with one train that runs clockwise and a second train that runs counter-clockwise. We get off at the second clockwise stop, which also seems to be the stop for Fogquartz High, the local high school. There is also Fogquartz Elementary, which covers preschool through seventh grade. We walk about four blocks until Travis hangs a left into a quaint looking café and bistro. It’s a ‘seat yourself’ type of place so we sit down at a table in the corner.

“
Welcome! Can I get you guys started with something to drink?” a cute little brunette waitress asks as she hands us our menus.

“
I’ll have a Sprite with no ice.” I reply. The waitress frowns in response.

“
Is that a crack at me?” The waitress asks.

“
What?” I ask with confusion until I look at her aura, which reminds me of a ripple in a pond.

“
Oh, no! I meant the lemon-lime soda!” I explain when I realize that she must be a water sprite. Based on her eastern European features, my guess is that she is a Vila from Slavic mythology.

“
I’ll just have a Pepsi.” Travis says.

“
Alright, one Pepsi and one 7-UP.” The waitress says cheerily and leaves.

I look at the menu and decide on a ham and cheese Panini when I hear the door ding as three girls walk in wearing white button-up shirts and navy pleated skirts. What catches my eye is that one of the girls has pearlescent white wings. The peri that the wings belong to is about four and a half feet tall, with a bust size that is visible, and one of the most amazing asses I’ve ever seen, which is obvious even with her skirt in the way.

(Jailbait ass! Making men contemplate whether the sex now is worth the sex in prison later since… sometime in the 1900’s when men stopped marrying fourteen year olds)

The peri stops dead in her tracks when she sees me.

“
No… he’s not here… he can’t be here… he’s dead… that isn’t Cole.” The peri whispers to herself as she clenches her eyes shut.

“
My gods… Lila?” I say as I stand up quickly.

“
Cole…? COLE!” Lila bursts into tears as she rushes forward to hug me.

“
Wow, you’ve certainly… grown, in the past year haven’t you?” I ask rhetorically as I hug Lila back and she cries into my shirt.

“
COLE! I can’t believe it’s actually you! But how are you here? You were de—” Lila says before I silence her by placing my finger on her lips.

“
I’ll explain everything sometime, but now is not that time.” I say seriously.

Lila pulls out her phone and then hands it to me so I can put my phone number in it. I enter my number and see her friends waiting with a box from the café.

“
It looks like you need to get going. I’m going to the university so just call me and we’ll meet up somewhere to talk.” I tell her. Lila smiles, nods, and wipes the tears from her violet eyes before leaving with her friends.

“
So who was that?” Travis asks after the waitress takes our order.

“
Just an old friend.” I reply. The food ends up being terrific; it’s by far the best Panini I’ve ever had.

“
Are you interested in dessert? Our gelato is really good!” the waitress says.

“
No thanks, I’ve been trying to cut back on my sweets.” I say, when in actuality, I just want to leave the site of that awkward misunderstanding from before. At least now I know to order 7-UP… I suppose I could order Sierra Mist as well.

“
I understand; the never-ending battle against calories…” the waitress nods solemnly.

“
Yeah, you know how it is; it starts off with a cup of gelato and later on I’m roaming the countryside, killing hookers, don’t even remember what happened!” I exclaim. The waitress looks at me warily while Travis just starts cracking up.

“
I’ll just bring the check…” the waitress says while backing away slowly.

The waitress brings our check a few minutes later and I reach for it to see how much it is.

“
Relax, I got it.” Travis says while holding up the hundred he won.

“
Alright, thanks… I hope you’re not expecting me to put out.” I reply. Travis laughs, pays, and we head out.

We wander around town for a little bit before I mention that us wandering aimlessly around the high school part of town makes it seem like we are trying to pick up high school girls. We head back to the dorm, so we don’t get arrested for suspicious behavior or something, and arrive at dusk. I head to my room and boot-up my laptop. I look on Skype and see that Natasha is on so I give her a call.

“
Hey Cole, what’s up?” Natasha asks.

“
Decided I should probably report in. By the way, how do phones and the internet work in Fogquartz? We’re on a separate plane aren’t we?” I ask.

“
Nope, Fogquartz is actually a small backwater town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You won’t find it on any maps, but it’s still on earth. They wouldn’t be able to have a pantheon-unaffiliated town of this size in another world because they wouldn’t be able to get supplies.” Natasha replies.

“
How can they have a town here without anybody noticing?” I inquire.

“
Connections with The Agency keep the government or media from getting wind of it and regular humans don’t come anywhere near here; the magic setup at the lighthouse is a weaker version of the same setup that borders the entire area to keep humans away, which is why all supplies are brought in by supernatural delivery men. There are thrill-seekers that ignore the gut-wrenching panic and try to continue, but they are quickly caught by the local police force, flashed with lights, knocked out, and dumped outside of the barrier.” Natasha explains.

“
Giving way for alien abduction theories, I imagine… Anyway, I wandered around the commons today, looking for clues. None of the sports or club members had the red auras of the enhanced, but a werewolf that was at an arm-wrestling table did.” I inform her.

“
It sounds like that might have been the fight club; they’ve always been rather unorthodox in their recruitment of new members and they only offer bids to the strongest people they can find.” Natasha explains.

“
What’s the fight club?” I ask.

“
Exactly what it sounds like: a club where the members train with and fight each other. They hold matches that people can bet on, which fund their club activities and training. They fight against the other combat-based clubs to decide who is going to represent Fogquartz in the annual tournament between the four supernatural schools.” Natasha explains.

“
Well, I think I caught their attention. I got an invite to some party that they are throwing tomorrow night, after I lost my match. My friend Travis was able to win though, so he is definitely on their radar.” I tell her.

“
Wait, he was able to win in a competition of strength with an enhanced werewolf? What in the hell is he!?” Natasha incredulously asks.

“
He’s apparently the son of a Hecatonchires and a witch.” I answer.

“
Huh… perhaps we should hurry up and recruit him.” Natasha says.