Protogenesis: Before the Beginning

by Alysia Helming

  Hal’s expression suddenly morphs into an ugly sneer as he says, “Unfortunately, so are you.”

  “Wha…what do you mean?” I ask, stepping back from him.

  “We brought you here to lead us to the Gate,” he scoffs, “but all you’ve done since you’ve been in Greece is behave like a stupid girl, following these boys around like a lost puppy.”

  I shake my head at this. He has it all wrong. I’m not the one following the boys. They are chasing me. And they are not “boys.” Seriously. They’re guys. But what he said before that is what shocks me. Hal works for the mafia? The mafia wants to find the Gate? They know about Gaea?

  “But you were shot!” My mind spins through the scene in California.

  “We had to stage that. It was the only way you’d believe me.” Hal’s face is a mask of cruelty as he laughs. “We should have known that your mother would never tell you where it was. You’re worthless.”

  He starts to move towards me and pulls out a knife. But I’m not concerned. Hal is no match for me. In fact, I’m looking forward to wasting him after all he’s put me through. This is going to be fun.

  Raw adrenaline and sheer power pulse through my veins as I whip up my leg into a roundhouse kick, knocking Hal square in those disgusting crooked yellow teeth. No loss there. I must be a bit too distracted by my fight with Hal because I don’t even notice that at least four more scraggly thugs have just materialized out of the shadows. How did I not see them before? Then, the four suddenly become ten.

  I feel the harsh blow before I see it coming. Someone hits me hard with insane strength, bringing me to my knees. I hold the back of my head as the world spins out of control. What happened to my awesome super fighting power?

  As my vision clears, an apparition materializes in front of me. My heart stops. Another ghost. But not like Poseidon. This ghost’s image appears crisp and crystal clear, and he’s meticulously dressed head to toe in high-end fashion, like he should be in GQ. His dark hair whips around while his black trench coat floats out behind him, as if he’s caught somewhere in a slight breeze, but there’s no airflow here. It must be coming from somewhere else.

  The ghost pulls off his gloves and speaks. “I’m Ares.”

  Ares, as in the god? My mouth hangs open in awe.

  “You know who I am?” he asks in a haughty voice.

  “Of course,” I stammer.

  “I know what you’re thinking. God of War? Silly, weak human…you know nothing. I’m the commanding officer of Zeus’ First Army, the Vorlage.” He talks down to me like I’m a complete idiot. “You do know who Zeus is, right?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I whisper in disbelief. “B...but how are you here?”

  He sneers at me as if the answer is totally obvious, but he’s not telling me. “You haven’t figured it out, have you?” He scoffs. “Do you even know who you are?”

  What is he talking about? “Of course I do. I’m Helene Crawford,” I say.

  Ares eyes me, smirking, then swiftly turns to Hal Avery, who is still profusely bleeding from when I crushed his teeth earlier. Hal whispers something in a hushed tone that only the two of them can hear. Ares turns back to me. The way the light above shines on his eyes, it’s as if they are dancing with delight. “So, it’s true. You don’t know. Your mother didn’t tell you, did she?”

  Ares knows my mom? What does she have to do with Gaea? The legend of the Last Standing Tree comes to mind…of the carvings of the gods on the branch and how her necklace glowed when I touched them. Since Mom once lived with Janus and he clearly knows about the mirror, it’s entirely possible that she’s been there before. Maybe I was wrong before. Could the Last Standing Tree be one and the same as my mother’s Lone Cypress Tree?

  My God. Yes!

  If that’s true…is it possible that Mom is on Gaea now?

  Ares clearly enjoys the intrigue of playing this guessing game with me, but I need to play it cool and act as if this doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t want to say anything that could possibly hurt my mom. I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, so why don’t you just tell me?”

  Ares motions to tattoo guy, who kicks me hard in the back, knocking me flat on the ground. Satisfied with my pain, Ares tells me, “Since you’ve not led us to the Gate, Zeus ordered your immediate execution. I am quite happy to oblige.”

  Tattoo guy is driving his boot into the back of my neck, which forces my face right into the ground. I can barely breathe. Zeus wants to kill me? But why?! This can’t be how my life is supposed to end after all that has happened! I’m in total shock. My first thought is that this is all a big mistake. They have the wrong girl. But deep down, I know that there’s no error. I’ve heard about this Prophecy before, and somehow, it’s about me and my mom. Clearly, I’m not dealing with the local mafia here.

  Then a horrible thought hits me. Zeus must have my mom.

  “My mom,” I command. “Take me to her.”

  Ares’s eyes grow wide in surprise. “We don’t have her. She escaped—” He stops short, as if he shouldn’t have told me. I’m both relieved and sad at the news that my mother isn’t with Zeus. But how can I save her if I can’t find her? Perhaps Sarantos was right about her not wanting to be found. But that makes no sense. She would never intentionally leave me. Even if she’s not with Zeus, she could still be on Gaea. The Last Standing Tree is the key. I need to go there and find it.

  Ares seems to enjoy debate. Maybe there’s a way to talk my way out of this. Maybe he would be open to a negotiation. I whip my head backwards, hitting tattoo guy’s foot with so much violence that I hear his bones snap. He screams in agony. While he’s distracted, I lift his body high above me and slam him hard against the brick wall. His body hits with a crack, knocking him unconscious.

  The remaining nine thugs start moving in towards me when Ares yells, “Halt!” They all freeze in place, completely motionless. As I stand to face Ares, he chuckles.

  I shut him down when I say, “Look, Ares, maybe I can make you a deal.”

  He raises a mocking eyebrow. “Really? I don’t ‘deal’ with mortals.”

  I try to distract him enough with our conversation that I can make a run for it…through his apparition. I doubt there’s any substance to this “ghost.”

  I goad him by saying, “What makes you so sure that I’m a mortal?”

  For a moment, Ares converses with someone I can’t see before returning to our conversation. “Fair point.” His answer surprises me. Is there a possibility that I could be immortal? Serina and Xonos said that the gods can die. They’re just mortals, so why would I be immortal? Weird.

  I need to get out of here, so I continue to talk. “How about this? I promise not to go back to Gaea if you’ll just let me go.”

  The smug, delighted look that he had before is suddenly gone. “What do you mean? You’ve been to Gaea?”

  We stare at each other in astonishment. He doesn’t know that I was in Gaea? Then why was he talking about the Gate like I already know what it is? He tricked me!

  Just then, we’re startled by a loud yell, “Helene!!”

  I turn to see who is there. Nick. I sigh in overwhelming relief at the sight of him, so grateful that I rush up and throw my arms around him, taking him by surprise. “Nick, thank God you’re here!” I say in half-crazed giddiness.

  Ares screams, “Resume!” The thugs immediately come back to life. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so great to have Nick here. He could get hurt or worse. Tattoo guy and Hal Avery lead the group of thugs as they start to move in towards us. As I turn back towards Ares, he’s gone. Vanished.

  The thugs seem unsure what to do without their leader. We use this confusion to
attack. I’ve never seen Nick fight before, but he surprises me with his deft skill as he picks up a long pipe and takes down two thugs in one hit. Feeling confident that Nick can handle himself, I launch into the rest of the clan. Before we know it, the ground is littered with bodies. God, I hope we didn’t kill anyone!

  Nick lies on his side, his body bloodied and bruised. Fear fills me as I run over to him. I pray that he’s okay. I don’t know what I would do if he were seriously injured while trying to save me.

  He has no idea what he’s up against.

  25 – Miracle

  Nick groans as he slowly turns over and attempts to stand. His gray-green eyes suddenly come alive with concern. “I told you not to mess with the street gangs! You sought them out, and they came for you.” His voice fills with anxiety. He’s upset with me. “And how are you able to fight like this? I’ve been around the block a time or two and have never seen anyone fight like that.”

  I’m so entirely exhausted now that I can’t even come up with a good story for him. I just stand there with a stupid look on my face. I feel completely shaken up by his attitude towards me, so I lash out. “What do you care what happens to me?” I scream.

  “Because!” His eyes widen in fury. “You’re important to me!”

  All my fear, confusion, and anger melt into nothingness…and then I start to cry.

  “Hey…” His tone shifts to worry as he strokes my hair. “Look, I just want to know the truth. What’s going on with you?”

  It’s my turn to yell as I wail, “I don’t know…about anything! I’m scared. Please, Nick, you have to believe me.”

  I’m delirious as tears begin to fall down my cheeks. He hands me a tissue when I snuffle. He must feel some compassion because he reaches his arms around me and pulls me in close. I sense the warmth of his firm body against mine as he whispers in my ear, “Hey, look.” He guides my chin up to look into his gray-green eyes. “We can talk about this later. Let me get you home. There’s a huge gash on your forehead.”

  I look down and gasp when I see my shirt torn and covered with bright red blood…my blood. He rips off a strip of his t-shirt and wraps it around my head to stop the bleeding. “I don’t want to hear about you going out at night all alone again. Understand?”

  “I can go out and do as I want, when I want!” I declare. Nick can’t dictate my life. He may care about me, but he’s being a bit overly concerned here. He reminds me a little of my mother when she’s scared and tries to control every aspect of my life. Way too overprotective. On the other hand, while I’m not sure that I can handle being babied by Nick, he fills me with such a sweet sense of calm. I feel safe with him. Such a contrast from Ever, who makes me feel wild and alive but frustrated.

  “Fine!” he raises his voice. “Right now, we need help. You’re bleeding.”

  We walk arm in arm across the street. When we reach the front door and discover it locked, Nick shakes his head, swearing under his breath. “Shit! What now?” he asks.

  My head hurts a little, but not as bad as before.

  “Let’s go up on the roof,” I say. He helps me quietly up the outside spiral stairway, careful to not awaken Janus. When we reach the top, we step onto the roof. There, I feel my breath catch in my chest as I stare up. Above us is a vast darkened sky lit up faintly with millions and millions of shimmering stars. The layer of fog that covered Athens earlier now hovers off to our right where the mountains meet the sea. Towards the coast sits the moon, now much smaller in this later hour of the evening.

  Nick grabs a blanket and throws it over a lounge chair, where he sits with his legs out in front of him, slightly parted. He motions for me to sit with him, so I sink down onto the lounge chair, lying face up with my back to him. He wraps his arms and the blanket around me as we snuggle and enjoy the solace of this beautiful place and the twinkling stars above.

  “I’ll bet you believe in ghosts now, right?” I ask. There’s no way he can deny the clear vision of Ares earlier.

  “You know my thoughts on that topic,” he declares, using the skeptical, annoyed tone that he usually gets when we talk about this.

  “So, you didn’t see the ghost tonight?” I whisper mostly to myself. I bury my head in my hands, totally frustrated. How could he not have seen Ares? He was right there!

  Nick doesn’t at all get why I’m upset, but he wraps his arms tighter around me. I should be careful about how much I confide in Nick about Gaea or my transformation. He’s not going to understand.

  “So…your insane ninja skills…where did that come from?” He seems so genuinely interested that I feel a little guilty I have to lie to him.

  “My mom wanted me to be able to defend myself,” I start. So far, all true, but then I continue, “So I took tae kwon do and eventually got my black belt.” I think he believes me. “See? You don’t have to worry so much about me. I’m fine.”

  “Okay, but just promise me you’ll stay away from street gangs and the mafia!” he says insistently.

  I sigh. Luckily, I couldn’t care less about the mafia now because I know that they can’t help me with my mom, so it’s an easy promise to make. “Fine. I promise.”

  Nick turns me towards him, the moonlight reflecting off his gray-green eyes. “So…isn’t there something that you’re supposed to ask me about?”

  I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. “What?” I stammer. “Can you give me a clue?”

  He grins. “You know, like something that might be going on at school on Saturday night?”

  Oh, the dance. Vani must have talked to Nick. They’re friends, after all. The problem is that I’m not going to be here on Saturday.

  “Oh yeah. But…well…” I start to turn him down, but now that I’ve been attacked and almost captured by a Greek god, I suddenly feel desperate for a normal life. Nick did just save my life! Mom would forgive me for one night of peace. She would want this for me.

  Suddenly, it dawns on me that Nick is expecting me to ask him to the dance. Something about this role reversal feels all wrong to me, so even if I wanted to go with him, I would never ask him. That’s his job. “Nope, I can’t do it. You’re the boy. You’re supposed to do the asking.”

  “But it’s your school and your dance,” he jests. “I can’t ask you to your dance.”

  I sock him softly on the arm. “Well then, I just won’t go at all if you can’t just ask me.”

  We grin at each other, beaming at the ridiculousness of this situation. He’s not going to ask me, but I’m definitely not asking him. So how do we do this, then?

  Then, amazingly…finally…he breaks the impasse by getting down on one knee. He takes my hand up to his mouth, kisses it, and asks, “Will you please go with me to your dance?”

  I want to say yes, but I can’t. I’m thinking about Ever. This day has been so crazy that he seems so far away and surreal now, but I can’t escape the memories of the sorrow in his liquid turquoise eyes, his magnetic charm, and the insane tingling sensation I experience every time he is near me. He bared his soul, sharing so many personal, intimate aspects of his life with me in such a short time that I couldn’t help but fall a little for him.

  Of course, all of this is hard to reconcile with his hasty departure and that text, most likely from another girl. My heart lurches as I relive the sting of rejection from his “almost-kiss.” I intrigue Ever only when he can’t have me, but as soon as I show interest, he discards me like some old toy he doesn’t want to play with anymore.

  Besides, I clearly told him no when he asked me to the dance, so I can’t help it if he doesn’t listen. He’ll be fine. I’ve made my choice. I’m going to the dance with Nick.

  I smile and say softly, “Yes.” />
  “Good…because I wasn’t leaving until you said yes, no matter what was required. Be ready at 19:00 Saturday.”

  “You’re picking me up?” I ask, envisioning Nick whisking me off to the dance in my gorgeous dress on the back of his motorcycle. My hair would be a total mess from his helmet. “But how? Not on the motorcycle…”

  “No! Of course not.” He smiles sweetly. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  We cuddle up on the lounge chair, the sounds of the city surrounding us in the oncoming night as I rest my head on his chest, listening to the slow, steady beat of his heart. I touch the spot on my head where the blood was before, and I don’t feel anything there. It’s like Nick’s sweetness has somehow cured me. His gorgeous gray-green eyes glisten under the soft moonlight as he slowly lifts my mouth to his. We start kissing, gently and sweetly.

  The moment is shattered when suddenly the door to the roof flies open with a loud crash. There stands Janus, headscarf crooked, with his watering can sloshing liquid all over the wooden roof deck. What is he doing? I mean, who waters his garden in the middle of the night? Janus, that’s who. His vivid brown eyes grow wide as they lock onto Nick’s. Not good.

  “I told you…no boys sleep over at this house!” Janus has reached a whole new level of crazy as his eyes grow maniacal. “Not on a school night…and especially…not him!” He jabs his finger at Nick.

  Janus notices my injury. He swiftly marches over and rips the strip of cloth from my head. “That’s a nasty cut, Helene.” Then he turns to Nick. “What the hell happened?”

  Nick tells Janus what he witnessed with the fighting and my getting roughed up, but he leaves out the part about us fighting ten thugs who all belong to a local mafia street gang.

  Janus is irate. “Helene, you’ve got to pay more attention to your surroundings around here! I warned you about this. It’s dangerous here at night.” He pushes Nick towards the edge of the roof while in the middle of his rant. “But you never listen to a word I say. It’s like I’m not even here, like I’m not even alive. This is all a crock of God-damned teenage bullshit!”