Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Forty-Two

EARTH

I was practically flying through the castle to find Alex. I didn't know why I felt so desperate, but a part of me needed to see her alive and well to know that everything was alright and that nothing had changed while we left, even though, everything had changed. 

I wasn't too thrilled about being out in the open again. I was going to miss being able to sleep in a warm, comfortable bed and having warm showers. They were things I didn't know I had missed so much until we arrived in the Underworld. But I also preferred to be safe and this place was no longer safe. Truthfully, I doubted any place could be considered safe now that the king of gods was gone. 

Aileen, Andrew, and I still hadn't decided if we should tell Kalani about her father being missing. We didn't know how that could affect her health or memories. For all we knew, it could make her memory loss permanent if she was under any more stress.

Shaking the thoughts away, I tried to focus my whole attention on getting to the guest rooms to see if Alex and Kalani were there. To my disadvantage, neither Alex nor Kalani were in their room. It looked completely empty and unused. The beds were neatly made and the window curtains were wide open, letting the light from the outside stream through. All of her things seemed to be missing and I couldn't stop the panic from creeping into me from behind

Why weren't they here?

Had something happened to them?

Had we gotten back too late?

A million scenarios danced around in my mind filling my thoughts with awful images of could be's and if's. I knew I shouldn't let my fear get the best of me. Aileen had always said that was our biggest enemy. Mason, focus, I thought to myself before imagining Aileen standing in front of me with her usual serious face. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glanced disapprovingly at me.

Mason, our greatest threat is our fear. If we let our fear paralyze us and cloud our judgment, we'll never get anywhere. Breathe. Close your eyes. Relax. Feel the fear but only briefly, once you've felt it, push it aside and think beyond that. Think about what your next move is going to be. Think about the possibilities, do not fret on the end. None of us know when or how our end is going to be like, but we can't let our fear be the reason why we don't move forward. 

Her voice was stern but there was a certain warmth in her words and the words echoed in my mind so clearly that I almost felt as if she were right in this room with me, telling me to think. She was right. 

Closing my eyes, I focused my attention on my breaths as I inhaled and exhaled slowly. The fear inside of me started to subside and once it was almost completely gone, I pushed it aside and opened my eyes. I felt more in control now that I could hear myself think. 

With a nod, I exited the room and closed the door behind me before heading over to the common room. The room, just like their bedroom, was empty and I didn't let fear overwhelm me again. I pushed past it as I headed for the training room and when I didn't have any luck, I decided it was best to go looking for them in the library or the dining room. 

Along the way, I didn't see Andrew or Aileen but I wasn't worried about them, I knew they could fend off for themselves and if it was something hard to manage, Aileen would always reach out to me. 

So I walked into the library and the sound of silence greeted me. I listened closely as I walked through the aisles and aisle of books but had no luck. Not even Rubie was here and that was something that also put me on edge. She had been gone for so long and no one seemed to know where she was as if she had never existed here. 

After what had happened with Kalani, I could only guess that Rubie had met a much worse fate. I had always believed that librarians were some of the most knowledgeable people in the world. They might not seem like much but the number of books they read and study was immense and I wouldn't put it past Rubie to be one of the best in her area. Every time I saw her, she had a book in hand and was either writing in her notebook or carrying it around with her.

With a sigh, I gave up looking for them in the library and I sprinted out of the room, heading towards the dining room. 

I was about to turn a corner and I was walking so fast that I crashed against someone on my way and the two of us fell on the ground with a grunt and thud. Rubbing my head with one hand, I opened my eyes and started to apologize when I saw Alex on the opposite side from me, getting up and with blazing eyes.

Kalani had stiffened when she saw Alex fall but when she saw it was me, she let out a sigh and helped Alex up. Alex's eyes filled with surprise as she registered my face and she opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. I would like to say that I was able to say the right thing, that I was able to tell her how worried I had been, but I couldn't. Just like her, I was completely speechless.

The two of us looked at each other in awe and time seemed to slow down. No words were shared between us for a moment, but when time seemed to return to its normal pace, both Alex and I reached for each other, and as we embraced each other as if our life depended on it.

"God, Mason. I was so worried. Why didn't you try to reach out? Wasn't there a way to do so? Like a smoke signal or something to tell us you're alive. I was just telling Kalani that I was done waiting, that we should go looking for you guys," she said breathlessly as she cupped my face with my hands and studied my face for any sign of injury. When she saw that I was alright and in one piece, she let out a sigh of relief but her peacefulness was cut short when she realized I had come alone.

"Where are Aileen and Andrew? Did something happen? Are you guys alright? Tell me everything," she said quickly as she untangled herself from my embrace but kept a firm hold on my hand. Her eyes now looked even more worried as fear began to get the best of her.

Slowly, I placed my free hand on her shoulder and let my calming energy seep into her and she closed her eyes briefly as her body relaxed. Once she was looking at me again, I shook my head and smiled. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing bad happened on our trip but we did get held back. Aileen and Andrew stayed back to tend to the horses while I came looking for you. When I didn't find you in your room I started to panic and I was looking around for you guys. There are a lot of things we need to discuss, but not until Aileen and Andrew are here with us," I explained and she nodded her head and smiled.

Gently, I placed a kiss on her forehead and when I pulled back, she took me by surprise as she pushed my head towards her and our lips met halfway. I felt tingles course through me as our lips touched and moved in sync. I closed my eyes as I pulled her closer to me, wanting to feel her beside me. Wanting to reassure myself that she was alright and nothing had happened while we were gone. 

I lost track of how much time had passed as Alex and I kissed but it was Kalani's noise of discomfort that pulled us back to reality. Opening my eyes, I looked at her and saw that she was looking at anywhere else besides us. Her cheeks were flushed and I wasn't sure if that was because of a fever or of the embarrassment. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt but... where are we supposed to meet Aileen and Andrew?" She asked awkwardly and by the natural way she spoke, I raised my eyebrows at her.

I opened my mouth to say something when Alex shook her head and gave me a look that said it all. Kalani hadn't recovered her memories. All that she knew was what Alex had been catching her up on and still, I didn't think it was even half of it. 

"We didn't say. I left very fast and I sort of forgot to ask but I'm sure they're both very hungry. We ran out of food and water so I say we should head over to the dining room. I'll reach out to Aileen on the way, don't worry," I said with a faint smile and she nodded her head.

Alex let out a sigh as she wrapped her arm around me and started to lead us towards the dining room. She caught me up on everything that had happened while we were gone and she told me Kalani and she had already eaten but they wouldn't mind accompanying us. 

Along the way, I reached out to Aileen and told her where we'd be to which she only responded with a short; "okay." 

It didn't take long for us to get to the dining room and I took my usual seat next to Alex and on her other side sat Kalani. 

"How do you feel, Kalani?" I asked as I eyed her closely. She didn't show any signs of pain or fever, which was good, but she had gotten so used to hiding her headaches before the incident that I wasn't entirely sure if that was true.

Taken aback by my question, she hesitated before offering me a smile and saying, "good. I actually woke up much better today than yesterday. Alex has been keeping a close eye on me and doesn't let me exert myself. She's a really good caretaker." 

Alex blushed slightly and waved her off before shaking her head. "It's obvious she has a fever. I took her outside even though my better judgment said that she should be in bed, resting."

I chuckled and shrugged. "If Kalani felt like it was something that she could handle, then I don't see why that's a bad thing. She seems pretty well today," I commented before getting to my feet and walking towards her. "May I?" I asked as I pointed at her hand and she slowly nodded her head. 

Holding her hand in between mine, I closed my eyes as I let my powers guide me as they scanned her body like an x-ray machine. Kalani didn't seem as uncomfortable as the first time and that alone made it easier to read her. A second later, I opened my eyes and slowly set her hand down before walking back to my seat. 

Both Alex and Kalani were eyeing me closely, waiting for me to give them my verdict. "Kalani seems to be all healed up," I said slowly and Kalani raised an eyebrow.

"But?" She asked, already anticipating what I was going to say next.

I sighed and turned to her as my eyes met hers. "But I don't know why you don't remember anything yet. I guess it's going to take a while for them to come back and they'll probably come back in glimpses and flashes but only time will tell. As long as you don't feel bad or in pain, I think you're ready to continue your life normally."

Kalani scoffed and I raised an eyebrow. Now that sounded like the real Kalani that I knew. 

"If we ever go to Olympus, I am going to ask my parents if there's anything or anyone that can help me restore them. It's really frustrating not being able to remember anything," she murmured and I nodded my head in understanding. A part of me wanted to tell her about her father then, or just to tell her that we were going to Olympus soon, but I couldn't form the words in my mouth. 

And by the time I was about to respond, the doors of the dining room opened and Aileen walked in, followed by Andrew. Their serious gazes fell on us briefly as they moved to take their usual seats. 

"Okay, so let's begin," Aileen said slowly, and Alex and Kalani shared a look of discomfort before leaning back on their chairs.