Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Four

WIND

I woke up with my body throbbing and sore. I didn't think I had ever woken up like that after a day of cheerleading practice. Whatever Aileen had put us through had been tougher than I had expected. I sighed and reminded myself that maybe today would be better. We were going to use our powers, after all, and that was something I was used to. It was something that came naturally to me because I had learned a thing or two from my father. He had never been one to follow the rules from what I could tell and from what Andrew had mentioned the day before.

To be honest, it felt weird hearing someone talk about my father, especially in the way Andrew did. He said my father was most of the time careless and irresponsible, and either things were done his way or they weren't done at all. Not to mention all he had put my brother through, all the affairs, all the lying, and manipulation. I bet she had felt awful for quite a long time. My only full-blooded brothers were Aries and Hephaestus and both of them were more than a millennia older than me, I doubted they even cared about me at all. I had never met them.

And I wasn't sure I wanted to. 

Don't get me wrong, I had always wanted a sibling, but it was different when you didn't grow up with them and by what Andrew had told us, Aries and Hephaestus weren't very close, to begin with, they had apparently fought for the same girl until Aphrodite finally chose Hephaestus and Aries was left as only the father of her baby. Too much family drama if you ask me. 

I sighed as I turned around and looked at the clock, it was a couple of minutes past 7 and I knew I should probably start to get up if I didn't want to be late for breakfast. My whole body was still very numb from yesterday's workout that I wasn't sure how I was going to manage to will myself to get on my feet. I was glad Aileen had given us the chance to get a break from running because I definitely wouldn't have been able to in my condition. 

Sighing, I turned around and look at Alex's bed. My eyes widened when I saw it neatly made as if she had gotten up long before I did. I hadn't remembered her coming in last night, she said she wanted to talk to Aileen first and I didn't argue, I was too tired to even ask if she needed any help with anything. 

I got up and headed to the closet to find something to wear before walking towards the bathroom to freshen up before anyone saw me. Since the bathroom was connected to Aileen's she could come in at any moment so I made sure to be quick. 

Once I was ready to go, I grabbed my cellphone from the nightstand and pondered if I should try to reach out to my friends. Thinking it was best not to, I only quickly texted my parents, telling them I was safe and that I hoped I was going home soon before putting it down and leaving it there. 

It was funny to think that I had once been that popular girl who couldn't put her phone down for a second before it went off with another text or notification from my social media. Now, I felt surprisingly relieved that I didn't have to check any of that. It was as if it had been big baggage I didn't know I had been carrying. 

I walked out of my room just as Aileen and Alex walked out of the other room and Alex smiled as she saw me. "Good morning, Kalani. How do you feel?" She asked cheerfully and I was surprised she even had the energy to smile. 

"I'm kinda sore but I'll live," I said with a shrug, trying to convince myself it was true.

Aileen eyed me closely before stepping closer to me, "do you want me to help you with your pain?" 

My eyes widened, I didn't know she also had healing powers. 

"I can't heal you like Mason, but the heat can help your muscles relax and you'll feel better quicker," she explained and I quickly shook my head. Maybe it was a prideful decision but I wasn't sure I wanted her close to me. 

"No thanks, it doesn't hurt that bad," I said, faking a smile and she nodded her head.

"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug as she started to walk towards the stairs. Alex nodded her head at me as she motioned for me to follow them and I did. 

None of us talked all the way to the dining room and when we got there, I was surprised to see Andrew was already there, clean and bright. "Morning everyone," he said when he saw us. 

We all greeted him just as Mason made himself known and by the look of his face, I could tell he also felt tired. 

Soon, the five of us were at the table awaiting our breakfast when Alex broke the silence. "So, did anyone have an interesting dream last night?" She asked as she looked at Andrew and then at me closely.

I shook my head and Andrew did the same. "Nope. Nothing. It's weird though, normally I remember all of my dreams but I don't remember dreaming last night."

I didn't say anything because I was usually quite the opposite. I could never remember what I dreamt of the night before. It was a miracle when I did and I always made sure to write it down in case there was something I needed to remember after.

"Strange. I guess we'll have to be patient then," Aileen said just as the waiters came out of the kitchen with our plates and glasses in hand.

I was pretty sure everyone was just as hungry and tired as me because we all dug in quickly and almost didn't notice Noah come into the room.

"Hello guys, how are you this beautiful evening?" He asked with a bright smile that seemed to light up the room. 

He was wearing his hair slightly combed back and his dark dress pants and fit dark shirt made him look more handsome than ever. I had to pull my gaze back to my food so that I didn't make a fool of myself. 

"We're great, Noah. How about you? We haven't seen you in a while," Alex said kindly and Noah smiled as he took a seat next to her.

"I have been caught up with some work. You know how it is with our endless duties, but I'm here now. How do you guys feel about a horseback riding lesson after breakfast?" He asked kindly and I didn't get why Andrew thought there was something off about him. He was charming and handsome, and he had a noble heart. There wasn't anything malicious about him.

"We can't, we have some lessons to cover today, maybe next time," Andrew said before anyone could say anything and I threw him a pointed look at his sharp tone.

Noah nodded his head and smiled, "I completely understand. Like I said, duty calls."

Aileen smiled and turned to him, "I wouldn't mind going with you. It might help me get some steam out with Thunder."

Next to me, Andrew stiffened and he kept himself from looking up but I could tell he wasn't too happy and that's when it hit me. Andrew was jealous. 

I looked at the way Noah's eyes seemed to gleam when Aileen spoke up and he was quick to agree with her. I couldn't believe it, it seemed Noah had a crush on Aileen. I could always tell when things like that happened, I was very observant and apparently, so was Andrew.

"Great, then I'll get everything set up for you when you're done. Have a nice meal, guys, I'll see you soon," Noah said as he got up from his chair and waved at us goodbye before disappearing out of the room. 

"Maybe you shouldn't go," Andrew said without looking up.

Aileen, who was sitting next to him, stiffened and turned to face him. "And why not?" She asked slowly. 

Andrew only shrugged and looked at her with an expression I couldn't see. "Because I may need your help with the lesson today."

Aileen raised an eyebrow and shared a look with Alex who was two seats away from her. 

"But I'm sure you have all of it covered. You're a great teacher, Andrew," she said softly which only made Andrew stiffen even more. 

The tension began to grow around the room as they held their gazes and I had to look away, feeling uncomfortable. 

Andrew opened his mouth to say something when Alex quickly intervened. "I want to go too. I mean, I have always wanted to ride a horse and I already know basically the same things you and Aileen know," she said with a slight smile as she looked at Andrew.

He didn't say anything at first but then he nodded his head. He knew he couldn't make a scene right now, it wouldn't do any good and he'd probably only end up pushing Aileen away.

"Great, I'll be very happy for you to join us. It's actually a lot of fun," Aileen said as she turned back to her plate and continued eating. 

After that uncomfortable moment in the dining room, I wanted nothing more than to get out of there so I finished eating and made my way towards the kitchen to wash my plate and glass. When I came out again, the others were just finishing up and I headed towards the door before turning to them and saying, "I'll see you guys at the library, I just want to get there early."

Before anyone could stop me, I hurried out of the room and made my way through the hallway. 

When I was standing outside the heavy wooden doors, I felt more relaxed and I didn't hesitate to go inside. Rubie was humming to herself as she stacked some books on a shelf nearby and she didn't realize I had come in until she turned around and gasped. 

"Dear gods, child. You almost scared me to death," she said breathlessly but with a big smile on her face. 

I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head. "Rubie, you're already dead."

The old woman chuckled and waved me off, "I know, but it's still a fun expression to say after all these years. How are you, Kalani? You look a bit stressed."

I frowned and nodded my head before sighing and looking at her. I felt as though I could trust her and tell her anything. "There's just a lot going on. I think. I'm not even sure where to start," I admitted with a slight blush and she smiled kindly at me. 

"Wherever is fine. I'm all ears."

And so I told her everything. I tried to summarize all that had happened since I turned sixteen and I tried to only tell her the most relevant details. I told her how Aileen seemed to hate me and how there was tension between us and also between her and Andrew. I wasn't sure when the others were going to show up but I knew I didn't have much time. 

By the time I was done, Rubie nodded her head and frowned. "Tru love bonds can also carry a lot of weight, especially when one part hurts the other. Some might think that that isn't supposed to be the case, that true love isn't meant to be able to hurt you and that's partially true, but sometimes it happens and you have to find a way to get through it. I mean, if both of them want to. It seems to me that the Princess is hurting right now and that she hasn't had a proper closure with everything yet. Maybe you should try to reach out to her. See how she feels. You might be surprised at what you find."

I nodded my head, knowing she was right. I knew that maybe I could ease Aileen's thoughts a bit if I only talked to her. 

"Rubie, can I ask you something else?" I asked after a moment.

"Anything, dear," she said kindly and I smiled.

"What do you know about Noah? Noah Rivers," I said and the librarian looked taken aback by my question. Her eyes widened slightly as she eyed me closely. She hesitated as she pondered on what to say and when she finally opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and I shut my eyes in frustration. 

Mason and Andrew walked in and stopped short when they saw me talking to Rubie. 

"We'll talk later, alright?" She said and I nodded my head and she walked away.

As she walked away, I couldn't help but wonder why she had seemed so fazed and uncomfortable when I had mentioned Noah. What did she know? And most of all, was it something bad? 

The questions circled my mind until I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. 

"Hey, are you coming?" Andrew asked slowly as he eyed me closely. 

Faking a smile, I nodded my head. "Yeah, let's go."