Authors: Taylor Lavati
"We had to fight all of Hades's demons until it was clear we'd win. He wouldn't give them the order to stop until the last dozen or so were left. I just don't understand how he accumulated so many followers." She shakes her head in disbelief.
"It seemed like there was thousands of them."
"There was. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to know about us." She points from her chest to mine.
"What about us? I didn't even know there was an
us.
"
"That's my point. Do you want there to be an us?" Her question weighs on my mind; honestly, I'm not sure what I want. I don't know how my dad would feel about it. I don't want to betray him; although, yesterday, he and mom seemed to be buddy-buddy.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that. I'll be around for five hundred years or so." I nod, and her purple eyes fill with tears. She pulls me to her chest and hugs me tight, her hands hold my head to her collarbone.
"My guess is you'll be around longer than that. Despite only being a half-god this reincarnation, your original life you were a full-blood. Who knows? But I'd bet you'll be around thousands of years."
"What?" I gasp, unable to believe her. She nods and looks across the gym at Zeus and Atee.
"Zeus!" my mother calls out. Both of their heads snap towards us. Atee waves and laughs as he drops about twenty feet to the ground, landing in a perfect crouch. Zeus drops as well.
"Hey, sister." Atee punches my arm jokingly after he sprints towards me. He smiles down at me and sits beside me, reaching over and tapping Mom on the back.
"It's good to see you again." Zeus formally takes my hand in his and kisses the top of it. I giggle as he takes it and try not to wipe it on my pants when he lets me go.
"I'm going to be sticking around here for a while. I wanted to know if you'd like to stay and get to know Eury, as well. You too, Z." My mother takes my hand and interlocks our fingers. She looks at me the same way that Cece used to. My heart clenches.
"I'll definitely stay. I have to go home and pack a bag, but it'll only take a day, two at the max. What about you, pops?" Atee looks way up at his father who sits down on the bleacher above us.
"I can't stay, but I'll stop by as often as I can. I'm sure you guys want family time."
"You're a part of this, too, right?" I ask him, looking up through my lashes.
"We're just one big, dysfunctional family." My mom stands, tugging me with her, and hugs Zeus. I reach for Atee and make him join in, too. Together, we all hold each other, until it gets too weird. Then Atee and I race to the ropes and see who can climb up faster.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
memorial
The memorial service starts in just under an hour, and I'm not even close to ready. Luckily, they're having it in the large meeting center in the Administration building, so I don't have to run too far.
"Do you think this is okay?" I ask Kara as I try out a cap sleeved, black dress. It cuts just above my knees, which are still are covered in black and green and yellow and blue bruises, but I don't have anything longer. It's been five days, but it seems like just yesterday.
"That's perfect. I have a pair of leather pumps that you can borrow." She bends down into her closet and pulls out a pair of pointed toed shoes.
"Will I be able to walk in those?" I ask her as I stare at the three-inch heels.
"Doubtable."
She quickly slips into her black dress, but it's much nicer than mine. It is beige with a black crocheted slip over the dress. She's wearing tights as well, with tall black-heeled boots.
A knock sounds on the door, and I run over to get it since Kara is in the middle of curling her long, blonde hair. Ari pushes in, lifts me into his arms and kisses me while walking us back in the room.
"I love you," he says as he places me back on the ground.
"I love you, too."
"Ugh. Gross. I'm going to vomit. Please, don't tell me Junior and I were like this!" She pretends to vomit, sticking her finger in her mouth, and then realizes that her hair is burning, so she quickly takes the iron off her head.
"You two still are," Ari says as he hops on my bed.
"And it's worse since you make out all the time." I wink at Ari at our joint attack on Kara and Junior. I notice that he's in a really nice, dark gray suit.
His slacks are cut to perfection, clinging to his butt at the perfect spot. His jacket isn't buttoned, and his dark red tie hangs from his neck. Gel holds his black hair back. He's really hot. And he's all mine.
Junior storms into the room without knocking and taps on Kara's butt as she stares at him through the mirror.
"Apparently we can't make out anymore."
"Says who?" Junior glares over at me, and I stick out my tongue.
"They say it's gross."
"Who gives a—"
"Hey! No swearing. I thought we were working on that." Kara leans over and slaps Junior on the wrist. But he grabs her hand and wraps her into him, planting wet, loud kisses all down her neck.
"Gross!" I yell as I finish brushing my hair.
"We're going to be late if you jerk wads don't hurry it up," Lisa says as she too walks into the room without knocking. She's dressed to perfection: black from head to toe with bright red lips to match her auburn hair.
"Okay, let's go." I say as I reach for Ari's hand. "You have five minutes to get that cute butt downstairs." I glare at Kara through her mirror and make Junior promise that he'll hurry her along.
We follow Lisa down the stairwell and wait in front of Aphro Hall for Kara and Junior. Shane is already there, leaning against the front of the brick building with a cigarette in his hand. White smoke clouds around him like a thought bubble.
"Sorry, Shane." Mikey bounds through the front doors and only when he stops at the sidewalk does he notice the rest of us. "Hey, guys!" He walks in a circle, hugging me, then Lisa, then giving a weird bro-hug to Ari. Then he nods over to Shane. The two walk over to the Admin building alone.
"I don't know what his problem is," Lisa mutters under her breath.
"Just leave him alone, okay? Just today. Please?"
"Fine." She huffs at me, rolling her eyes, but I ignore her. Shane's been through enough, and Lisa needs to just let it go. Kara sprints downstairs, Junior gasping for air behind her, and we trek off together as one big group.
Truthfully, I have no idea how many people are going to show up and who exactly will be there. A lot of people left in not so happy ways. I hope that Linus shows up, for his mom. A lot of speculation has been going on—that he's left town and refuses to speak to us—but it's all just rumors.
There's a line that goes out the Admin building and down to the fountain at the front of the school. I look over at Ari and widen my eyes in confusion. Cars are parked up and down the left side of the street and out the front gates.
"There must be a lot of people." Ari shrugs his shoulders, and we continue to walk to the line.
I check my bag to make sure I have tissues when I see Ollie a few people in front of us with Dimitri by his side. I start to walk over, but Ari catches my elbow and stops me.
"We can talk to him after. Just let him be." I nod and wait patiently in line. We finally get into the main hall, and we're directed to move around the perimeter of the room.
There are tables set up along the walls and on each table is pictures of those who have passed. The first table has a school photo taken of Megan. I didn't realize they'd include her in this. There's a bouquet of yellow flowers beside her.
Immediately, the waterworks start coming and I can't stop it. Ari places his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to his chest. There are a couple of candid pictures also: one of Megan as a child; one of her at the academy; and then there's a picture of Megan, Lisa, Kara, and me from the cabin field trip.
I whisper a quick, "I love you," and then move to the next table, not wanting to hold up the line. Two girls and one of the guys from the attack at the cabins each have a table with special flowers and their favorite photos.
Alexius' table is next. The largest photo is one from a long time ago it seems. She's wearing a peasant dress and holding an umbrella. But she looks identical to when I knew her. There's a picture of her and Lex and another similar-looking man, and then her and what looks like their parents. The picture in the front is another one of her and just Lex.
It's up close, just their faces in the shot. It's hard to tell them apart with it being so zoomed in. They're both brightly smiling, their cheeks pressed together, eyes squished.
The last table in the long line of casualties is Professor Onassis. There's a note above her picture that states that she wasn't killed in combat, but that her actions with the war are what helped us succeed.
I couldn't agree more.
The largest picture is in a black frame. She looks like she's only twenty, not a wrinkle on her body. Her hair is bright white, and cropped short, ending right around her chin. Her violet eyes are vibrant and lined in black coal.
In a smaller frame is a picture of her and Linus with a diploma in his hand. Next to that is her with a man, a small baby in her arms, Mimi and Lee by her sides grinning wide. The last picture on her table is her at her desk at the school. She looks to be about fifty or so. It must've been a fairly recent photograph.
There is a clear vase on the table with pink roses and little tuffs of baby's breath. She would have loved it. After her table, an usher instructs us to find a seat and wait for the eulogies to begin.
We all sit near the center of the room. There are folding chairs lined up and down in tight rows. We squeeze in until there's nowhere left to go, and I end up sitting on the aisle seat.
I look towards the front of the room and see Ollie sitting on the stage, playing a slow, sad song on his guitar. He doesn't look up from his guitar, but I can tell from his strained posture that he feels my entrance. After the short song, Ollie collects his guitar and case and sits in the wing.
"Welcome, everyone." A man enters the stage from where Ollie exited. He's not wearing a robe, or anything religious—just a suit with a white rose on the lapel. "Since we're celebrating many lives, we've chosen not to make this about religion, just about the people.
"To start this service, I'd like us all to stand and sing with our very special band." The man steps to the side, and I just barely can see Ollie and the orchestra begin "Amazing Grace."
By the end of the song, my heart hurts in my chest. I'm trying to hold back tears, and my chest aches with all the effort it takes. I look to my left and everyone is full of tears, but none of us can let them go.
"And now I would like to read a prayer called 'The Glory of Life is Love.' 'The Glory of Life is not that it endures forever, but that, for a time, it includes so much that is beautiful…'"
I hang onto Ari's arm as silent tears fall from my face. Faces float through my mind: first Megan and then Alexius and then Carter and Martin and then Cece. I can picture them all so perfectly, but they're not here. And they won't ever be back.
"I'd like to invite a special person up who is giving a eulogy to his mother. Linus Onassis, please join me at the microphone."
I look around the room trying to spot him before he spots me. He comes in through the back doors, walking like a regular human. There's a paper in his hand. He walks right past me and doesn't say a thing, doesn't even glance at me.
"I wasn't planning on doing this, but my mother, being the organizer that she is, left me strict instructions of what to do." I laugh through my tears because that is typical Cece. Leave it to her to leave step-by-step instructions of her own funeral.
"I'm just going to read from her letter:
For my service—
Hello everyone. My name is Cece Onassis, and I taught at Demi God Academy for over three hundred years. I was a counselor, teacher, and friend to many of those who I've crossed paths with at the school.
I've given this letter to my dear son, Linus, to read at my service. It's short, I promise, and it's important, so listen up.
To those of you that know me, please don't grieve for too long. I cannot stress enough how ready I was to pass. I couldn't be happier with my life and the way everything around me turned out. I know that your war with Hades went well, because you are all such strong-willed people.
Please don't cry over me. I want you all to celebrate my life. I want you to remember our favorite moments, not the last ones.
To those who fought in the war, congratulations. You are the strongest, bravest gods in the world. You saved Earth and provided a safe place for our young. Know that all the deaths were worth something. Their sacrifices aided your eventual win; without them, you may not be here.
With my last words, I just want to thank you all. You've each touched my life. In my last moments, I know I will picture all of your smiling faces looking down on me.
And know that I will now be looking down on you all. I may be a soft breeze or the warm rays of the sun. I may be a hummingbird on your window or a deer passing by. But always know that I am watching.
I love you all.
For the last time,
Cece Onassis"
The entire hall is dead silent as Linus steps down from the podium and walks to the front row. He sits down and tucks the letter into the front pocket of his jacket. I notice he sits beside Mimi and Lee.
"Next, we'll open the floor to anyone who'd like to say a word about one of the deceased." Again, the room quiets. I watch Alexandros stand from his seat and walk towards the podium.