Feros and the Underworld Prince

by A. L. Bridges

  There is a post with ten signs directly in front of me, along with a three-way split in the path. I see a sign marked ‘Graythorn Hall’ with an arrow that points left so I follow the cobblestone pathway in that direction. A forest of evergreen trees is to my left before I come across a fork in the path with a sign that indicates that Graythorn Hall is to the right; I follow the sign and continue to the dorm. Passing by some kind of sports field, I see a tan guy that is a couple inches shorter than me, cursing in a language that might be Greek.

  “Umm, what’s up?” I inquire.

  “This stupid sign. I’m trying to find Graythorn Hall, but now I’m lost.” He responds without an accent, despite his earlier use of Greek. I look over his shoulder and see a sign that is like the other two signs I passed, except this sign doesn’t have an arrow.

  “Hmm, this seems to be a problem. I’m trying to find Graythorn Hall as well; I’m Cole by the way.” I say.

  “I’m Travis.” Travis replies.

  “Well, I think that if we were to take another right, we would have traveled in a circle, in which case there would have been no point in taking a left when we got to the stairs when we could’ve gone straight. So I’m thinking that the left path will take us there.” I suggest.

  Travis takes a pen out of his bag and draws an arrow leading to the left; I suppose he can always change it on our way back through if I end up being wrong. We start walking there in silence.

  “So what are you going to school for?” I ask after about a quarter of a mile.

  “I’m not really sure at this point. I’ll probably end up joining The Agency out of school anyway.” Travis replies.

  “Yeah, I’m right there with you. I didn’t even sign up for my classes; I just had my advisor do it for me.” I say.

  “Ha! I wish I could have done that. It took me an eternity to pick my classes! So what sports are you in to?” Travis asks.

  “I’m not all that big into sports, but I’ve been doing martial arts for the majority of my life.” I reply.

  “I’ve been kickboxing for the past few years and I played lacrosse in high school.” Travis says.

  “What a coincidence, I’m pretty sure that I’m taking a kickboxing class.” I respond.

  “They have kickboxing here? Because that would be awesome if they did.” Travis replies.

  “I’m pretty sure it was on my class list… look, there it is.” I say when Graythorn Hall comes into view.

  The dorm has really creepy gothic architecture; the kind that makes you hear organ music and a thunderstorm despite the fact that neither are present. We walk through the wrought iron gate, up the front steps, and into Graythorn Hall. I’m expecting evil scientist’s lair, or haunted mansion with paintings that follow your movements, but the lobby area is rather warm with modern furniture and a large ski lodge-style fireplace in a partitioned area of the lobby to the left, and a large staircase to the left of the partition.

  We head over to the reception desk to the right of the entrance, where I see a familiar looking mousey girl that is reading a manga. I notice that the manga she is reading is yaoi at about the same time that I realize that she is the mousey chick from the night club in Minneapolis that I almost had to punch; this seems a little too coincidental. She quickly puts her manga away when she notices us.

  “Hello and welcome to Graythorn Hall. Names?” The mousey chick asks as I read her name tag that says ‘Rita’.

  “Cole Treyfair.” I reply as I look around the lobby and notice a pool table in the partitioned area with wooden bar walls that are pretty much see-through, across from the desk. With how the partition is fashioned, you can see the whole lobby area at certain angles; when it’s styled like that, what’s the point in having a partition in the first place?

  “Travis Stamos.” Travis replies.

  “Hey Travis—” I start.

  “Despite my last name and my likeness to him, I’m not related to John Stamos.” Travis answers wearily.

  “I was going to ask if you like to play pool… who’s John Stamos?” I ask.

  “You don’t know who John Stamos is!? Dude, I think I’m officially in love with you.” Travis says in the same fashion as when I told Katie that I loved her, while I hear Rita gasp. I turn toward her to see her eyes wide in excitement as she smiles and bounces slightly.

  “No Rita, these are not your yaoi fantasies come to life.” I tell her with a scolding tone.

  “Yaoi?” Travis asks.

  “It’s the shortened form of shounen-ai, which is Japanese for boys-love, a genre of manga about gay guys that is disturbingly popular; although, I guess it isn’t as disturbing as the popularity of lesbian characters…” I explain.

  “Hey, this is a light novel, not a manga! Reading something with pictures would be incredibly inappropriate while I’m at work!” Rita expounds.

  “Yeah, no. Sorry Rita.” Travis says.

  “I really need to stop presuming things… anyway, you’re in room 602 and you’re in room 606.” Rita says while handing Travis his room key before handing me mine.

  “Read the informational pamphlets on your desks. It’s just some basic guidelines, but it also tells you how to get online. If you have any problems, just call down here and someone will help you out. The number is on the back of the pamphlets.” Rita informs us and then we head for the stairs.

  That’s cool that phones work here, but they normally don’t in other worlds like Tir na nOg; satellites tend not to cross planar boundaries. So does that mean that Fogquartz isn’t on another plane? Maybe the connection works using the same method as the one in the Underworld…

  Six flights of stairs with heavy baggage isn’t as fun as it sounds. Travis and I walk into our respective rooms that are down the hall from each other. I unpack my stuff and see a copy of my class schedule as well as my id card on my desk, next to the pamphlet that Rita mentioned. I put my id card in my wallet, pocket my schedule, and start thumbing through the pamphlet.

  The pamphlet is mostly rules and/or information that isn’t applicable to me, like how vampires aren’t allowed to drink from students or people in town, and that they don’t have to worry about the harmful effects of sunlight because of some kind of barrier; or how weres are only allowed one change per month and only in the designated areas. Although I hadn’t been aware that there was a town, the only useful information is the wifi login password. I’m making sure my laptop can connect properly when I hear a knock at my door.

  “Hey, you up for a game of pool? I just realized that there’s fuck else to do until tomorrow.” Travis says when I answer the door.

  “Sure, let’s go.” I reply.

  We walk down the six flights of stairs and up to Rita at the front desk.

  “May we borrow the pool set, please?” I politely ask.

  Rita nods, pulls out the set of balls from beneath the desk, grabs two cues off of the wall behind her, and passes them to us before going back to her light novel. Travis and I walk over to the table, twenty feet away, and set up our game. He breaks and gets stripes. We get about halfway through our game when I decide to play a little joke on Rita.

  “Follow my lead.” I whisper to Travis.

  Travis looks at me and I flick my eyes toward Rita; he smiles and nods in response. He lines up his shot and I do a smacking-ass-grab move that echoes through the empty lobby. Rita looks up from her light novel.

  “Tonight, I’m going to fuck you so hard, you won’t even remember what year it is.” I say loudly enough for Rita to hear. Her eyes go wide and she smiles as she puts her book down. Travis stands turns around to face me.

  “Oh, you tease!” Travis replies.

  “You’re right… who needs to wait for tonight?” I ask as I push him on top of the pool table.

  I see Rita start bouncing out of the corner of my eye. Travis grabs the back of my head and pulls me down towards him. Rita start quietly squealing as my face gets closer to Travis’s. We stop when we are about six inches from eac
h other’s face, and just start cracking up as we look at Rita.

  “Oh damn; that was just too good! Rita, your face is fucking priceless!” I exclaim through my laughter as I look at Rita.

  Then the joke becomes really not-funny, really quickly as I notice Cheza and Naia staring at me in shock from the stairs

  “So is this what guys feel when they see two hot chicks make out?” Cheza absentmindedly asks.

  “Oh… so you guys are in this dorm too, huh?” I ask with a quiet, uninflected tone.

  “Yeah. You would know that, had you waited the five minutes it took us to find out.” Cheza replies.

  “Hello ladies! I’m Travis and I’m not gay.” Travis introduces himself.

  “Hi Travis; I’m Chezarei and I’m not interested. This is Naia. We came here in the same group as Cole.” Cheza replies.

  “Well she certainly is as cold as ice, isn’t she?” Travis mumbles to me.

  “Dude, you have no idea.” I chuckle.

  “Anyway, Naia and I were just about to go check out the campus; you guys want to come?” Cheza asks.

  “Sure!” Travis replies for both of us.

  We spend the next three hours exploring the campus. The architecture is all gothic and relatively creepy looking, but also interesting. It appears that all of the buildings are at the center of campus, the entrance is to the south, Graythorn Hall is on the west side, and four other dorms are to the north with two more to the east. The path that leads into town is to the south-east and cuts through the pine forests that surround the campus. There is also a lake to the north-east that is for the water element related students like mermaids, naiads, undines, sirens, etc.

  “Well I think that about covers the whole campus; let’s head back now.” Cheza says.

  “Yeah, I promised I’d call home right about now anyway.” I respond.

  We reach Graythorn Hall just as the sun sets. We climb the stairs and I learn that the girls are in rooms 510 and 515; I inform them that I’m in 606. Travis and I continue up the stairs and into our respective rooms. I boot up Skype and then I call Sara on my phone when I see that Sara isn’t on.

  “Hey Cole, how’s the campus?” Sara asks.

  “It’s pretty nice. Naia, Cheza, and I are all in the same dorm so that’s convenient. Anyway, get on your laptop and grab Addie please.” I request.

  “Sure, see you in a sec.” Sara replies and hangs up. About thirty seconds later, my Skype starts ringing. I press accept and Addie pops up.

  “DADDY!” Addie shouts.

  “Hey sweetie, how are you?” I ask.

  “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.