Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Five

FIRE

I was beginning to think Andrew was losing control of his feelings when it came to Noah. I couldn't believe the way he had reacted when I said I would join him on a ride. He was just teaching me how to horseback ride, nothing else. Noah was just like that, a naturally sweet and charming person. It wasn't my fault Andrew was feeling insecure.

Although I had to admit. It did make me feel a little bit better to see him react like that. I knew it was wrong and maybe egocentric, but in a way, it showed he cared and worried.

Shaking my head, I pushed the thoughts away as I walked through the hallway with my best friend. We had walked with Mason and Andrew all the way to the library before each of us went our separate ways. I was glad she decided to join Noah and me, I liked her company and I missed the way we were so close back in the orphanage. Nothing had been the same since we left.

I had a feeling she felt the same way from the way she had asked me the night before if she could spend the night with me. We had a sleepover just like we used to have in the orphanage. We'd watch all sorts of movies but never finish any of them and we'd critique them as if we were experts and we'd also talk for hours until one of us fell asleep. It was nice to see she still had my back. With all the changes going on around me, I knew she would always be the one there for me.

"So, when you told me you went horseback riding with Noah, did something happen? Or why is Andrew so defensive and cold towards him?" Alex asked once we were out in the open.

Even under the artificial sun, it was very bright and I had to squint my eyes because of the way it shone. Even after all this time, I still hated the day. I was more in touch with the night and the Moon than I'll ever be to the sun. Maybe it had something to do with who my powers were, but it never came up to ask either of them. It didn't seem important.

"Nothing happened. At least not how Andrew imagines it," I murmured and Alex raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

I hesitated as I thought about whether or not I should tell her about my recent outbursts and how I had almost set myself into flames by accident.

"You can tell me anything, you know," she continued and I looked at her closely. She already knew. I was sure of it.

Mason must have told her what was going on and a part of me felt annoyed at him for doing so. But another part of me was relieved he did.

"I know. It's just that, I haven't been completely honest with you and it's not because of something you did. It's because I was scared of how you would react. This week has been hard on me. I have lost control of my powers several times and that time I went horseback riding with Noah, something happened. I was riding Thunder and I was feeling at peace for the first time in a long time, but as soon as I got off, my powers made themselves present by setting myself on fire. I was able to stop it, but it scared me. Normally I would only feel a slight tingling sensation in my fingers that became uncomfortable and I'd need to release a spark or something small to make it go away. Only a few times have my hands set on fire, but that last time, my whole arms were burning up and that's when I got worried and went to talk to my father," I explained without looking at her.

I kept my gaze fixed forward because I was embarrassed and I knew I would start to cry if I looked at Alex. I had been so calm in the last couple of hours that I didn't want to jinx it.

Alex placed a soft comforting hand on my arm and I could hear her warm smile through her warm voice, "I understand, Aileen. I know it's hard for you to talk about it because you've always been the strong one. The one who has always had a clear mind and a plan to follow. And you're still that person. You might be the daughter of two gods but you're still human. You also have feelings and sometimes feelings become too much and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Okay?"

I felt as my eyes began to tear up and I looked at my friend and quickly nodded my head. She pulled me into an embrace and I let the tears that were in my eyes fall down my cheeks.

We stayed like that for a moment before I pulled away and quickly wiped my cheeks and smiled. It felt good to finally get that off my chest.

When I looked at Alex again, I smiled and nodded my head. "Let's keep walking.  We're almost there and there's someone I  want you to meet," I said as I continued walking and she followed my lead.

A couple of moments later, we reached the barn where Noah was waiting for us, he was ready with three horses. Thunder looked like the biggest out of the three and my heart began to race as I recalled the way I had felt when I rode with him.

"Hey! For a moment I thought you weren't going to come," Noah said, half teasing.

I rolled my eyes as I walked up to Thunder and gently ran my hand over his nose. We made eye contact and I felt a spark go through me when we looked at each other.

"We weren't going to miss it," I said and Alex nodded her head as she eyed a yellow mare nervously.

Noah noticed her discomfort and quickly made his way to teach her how to approach a horse properly. I let them talk and I got lost in Thunder's gaze as I ran my hands over his fur while I made my way to his side. He was already geared up and ready to go and I firmly grabbed onto the saddle and pulled myself up.

Thunder huffed and neighed playfully and a smile crept into my lips.

Next to me, I watched as Noah helped Alex up onto her horse and I laughed in my mind as I saw her pale face. Once she was on the horse, she looked taken aback and surprised.

"I did it," was the first thing she said.

I smiled and nodded my head, "you did. You're going to love this. By the way, this is Thunder. He's a pretty cool horse but he's kind of picky around people," I said as I recalled what Noah had told me about him.

Alex eyed the black horse with wide eyes before chuckling. "Well, he seems to like you just fine. I guess you two were meant to find each other, huh?"

I didn't respond but it did feel that way. That we had some sort of connection that was beyond what words could explain.

Are you guys ready?" Noah asked as he got onto his grey horse.

Nodding our heads, we both said, "ready," and then we were off.

...

Noah took us to a part of the forest neither of us had ever been to. It was a clearing with a stable and inside, there were practice ramps and jumping fences for the horses. 

While we were there, Noah showed Alex some exercises to bond with her horse, Belle, while I practiced what he had shown me first. He was surprised by how quickly Thunder and I had bonded that he thought we might be ready to try jumping. And that's how we spent an hour or so before we finally stopped and continued our riding lesson.

We returned to the barn a couple of hours later, just in time for lunch and I had a wide smile on my face. While we had been riding, I had completely lost track of time and if it weren't for Noah telling us to ride back, I would have spent the whole day with Thunder.

Alex also looked happy and pleased with our lesson, she was also smiling and she looked much more relaxed than she had at the beginning. "That was awesome," she said as she got off Belle and copied what Noah and I were doing, taking off all the gear the horses were wearing. 

"It is. And anytime you want to ride, either of you, you're free to come," he said with a warm smile and Alex nodded her head happily. 

Once all the horses didn't have anything else on, I grabbed a brush and quickly brushed Thunder, making his fur shine even brighter and look softer than before. 

"He is a beautiful horse," Alex commented and I smiled and nodded my head.

"They all are, but he has something special," I whispered as our eyes met again and a flicker of energy coursed through me. 

"Would you like to join us for lunch, Noah?" Alex asked, taking me by surprise and I turned just in time to see Noah nod his head.

"I would be very happy to do so, that is, if Aileen or Andrew don't mind," he said as he looked at me and I froze slightly. 

"I don't mind, you can join us anytime," I said with a kind smile and he nodded his head. 

So the three of us walked to the dining room and when we walked inside we saw that the others were already there. We walked in and as soon as Andrew's eyes landed on Noah, he stiffened and clenched his jaw but he didn't make a comment. 

We had a nice lunch as we all talked about our mornings and Noah told us more stories about his childhood. I was very amazed by how exciting and fun it had been, especially considering the century he had been born in. In history, I always thought the nineteenth century was harder than the ones after but easier than the ones prior in some ways. 

The only one who didn't look impressed, was Andrew as he eyed Noah skeptically. I wasn't sure what he was thinking but I could guess by the look on his face. From the way his eyes bore into Noah, the way his lips were in a thin line and his eyebrows creased slightly, it was a look I knew he made when he was trying to analyze something he couldn't understand. When he was trying to dig deeper into a subject. 

I sighed in my mind and shook my head. Why couldn't he just accept that Noah was a good person? That he didn't have to make him the enemy when it was clear he was harmless. He had never done anything to prove otherwise and besides, he worked for my father, and if he trusted Noah, then I thought we should as well. 

A burst of laughter rang around the table, pulling me out of my thoughts and I quickly turned to see what was going on, apparently, Noah had decided it would be funny to demonstrate how he had fallen off a horse one time. I smiled and looked away from Andrew, I would talk to him later, but for now, I was going to enjoy this moment with my friends.

...

A couple of minutes later, all of us got up from the table and headed towards the backyard. Since we were going to use our powers, I thought it would be more prudent to do it in an open space. 

Noah walked us there as he continued making jokes and goofing off and when we got to the door that led outside, he smiled and waved at us. One by one, everyone walked out but I stayed behind until we were alone.

"Thank you for today, Noah. You're a great guy," I said with a smile to which his widened. 

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," he said with a slight bow and I shook my head.

"You don't have to be so formal with me. It's weird. Call me Aileen," I said and he seemed surprised but nodded his head nonetheless. 

"Very well. The pleasure was all mine, Aileen," he whispered before taking my hand and placing a soft kiss on the back of it. I shivered, not used to having contact with anyone, but I smiled and nodded my head. 

"See you later, Noah," I said as I pulled my hand back and walked out into the clearing. Outside, I could feel Andrew's eyes on the back of my head but I ignored him as I walked to the center of the clearing where the others were waiting for instructions. The only one who didn't seem eager was Alex, but that was because she didn't have any powers and she felt unsure as to what she was doing there. I would find something for her to do, I didn't want her to feel left out.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" I asked and Mason and Kalani nodded their heads. "Okay then. Andrew, can you do the honors?" I asked as I motioned for Andrew to join me as he explained what we were going to work on that day. 

He stood stiffly next to me and ignored my gaze as he explained how our powers worked before finally telling Mason and Kalani what they were supposed to do. As soon as he blew the whistle, Kalani and Mason looked at each other and then turned away. It was showtime.