Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Two

EARTH

A small smile crept to Aileen's face and I relaxed slightly. She didn't look mad like I had initially imagined. In fact, I could tell there was some concern in her eyes. "Morning guys," Kalani said as we made our way towards the. 

Andrew and I sat down at the table and Alex instantly reached for my hand and gave me a soft smile. "Hey, are you okay? I was worried when you guys didn't show up. Did something happen?" She asked in a whisper, making sure the others couldn't hear.

I moved my head from side to side as I wondered what I should say now. "I guess you could say that. Don't worry, we're going to explain everything."

Alex nodded her head and turned to face her plate. Two waiters came out from the kitchen and each placed a plate in front of us. Scrambled eggs with ham, a slice of bread, and bacon. 

Once the waiters were gone, Aileen cleared her throat and put her fork down. "I'm not mad, guys. Truthfully, I was more surprised than annoyed and I worried about you guys when you didn't answer when we knocked on your door," she began and my eyes widened slightly.

She had knocked on our door? I hadn't heard anything. I must have been very tired.

"We were going to go knocking on your door after breakfast if you didn't show up, but you're here," Alex continued with a small smile.

"Did something happen that we should know about?" Aileen asked slowly and Andrew and I shared a look of agreement.

"Yes, there is," I started as I turned to face my cousin. "Andrew had a nightmare."

Aileen raised an eyebrow and a smile began to creep into her face. "A nightmare? And what happened?"

"That's the thing. I can't remember. I woke up screaming and thinking I was still in the dream but I couldn't remember what it was about and Mason tried to help me recover my memories but there was nothing he could do. I just have a feeling that whatever it was about, it was important. All I can recall is a name, Typhon. It's a name I think I have heard before," Andrew whispered with his forehead creased together. 

Kalani had stiffened and she shared a look with Alex who had shifted in her chair uncomfortably.

"That's... strange," Kalani whispered and all eyes turned to her. 

She cleared her throat before looking at Andrew and me. "I told Aileen and Alex that I had a nightmare last night. I can't remember anything but I did feel a very dark presence in my mind. Like when I had been controlled by the darkness. I also woke up screaming and Alex got Aileen because my powers kind of began spiraling out of control. You didn't hear?" She asked at the end in surprise.

Andrew and I shook our heads and looked at Kalani. "I find it strange that only you two had a dream," I said and Aileen shook her head.

"I think it makes sense. Only they were possessed by the darkness, so whatever is going on might be a warning. At least we got a name," Aileen said thoughtfully.

"Well then, after breakfast we should all head to the library and ask if there's anything on the subject," Alex suggested and I nodded my head.

Aileen smiled, "we were already supposed to head to the library but, Andrew is going to be teaching you about everything you should know about this world. Meanwhile, I'll find out anything I can on Typhon. I can't believe Barbara didn't tell us anything about him," she said as she turned to look at Andrew who only shrugged. 

All of us nodded our heads and finished eating in silence before getting up from our seats and walking into the kitchen. The staff was cleaning and murmuring amongst themselves and they quickly stopped when they saw us. 

Aileen didn't seem fazed as she walked over to the sink and started to wash her plate. Quickly, Alessandro made his way towards us with a smile. "Your Majesty, there's no need for you to wash your plates. We're here to serve you," he whispered and Aileen smiled. 

"I get it, Alessandro. But I'm not like that, I'm sorry. I was never raised as a person who needed to be attended to. If I can do something for and by myself, then I'll do it. You've already been so great making us our meals. This is the least I could do," she responded bluntly and Alessandro seemed surprised but he didn't try to change her mind. He could probably tell it was a lost cause. 

Minutes later, the five of us walked out of the dining room and headed for the library. The hallways were empty and I was surprised Noah hadn't made an appearance yet and no one had mentioned him.

"Are you okay?" Alex whispered next to me and I almost jumped at the sound of her voice. I turned to look at her and found her worried gaze on me as she tried to decipher what I was feeling. 

"I'm good. I'm just a bit tired, that's all. How was your run this morning? Did you have any trouble with Aileen and Kalani?" I asked, making sure neither of them were close enough to hear. 

"Everything was surprisingly civil. I mean, they still threw certain remarks at each other but nothing major," she said with a shrug and I relaxed slightly. One less thing to worry about. 

When we reached the library, Kalani took the lead as she led us towards the librarian's desk. 

An old woman with white hair was sitting on a chair behind it, her head was tilted down as she read a book between her wrinkly, frail-looking hands. 

Kalani cleared her throat slightly and said, "Good morning, Rubie. How are you today?" Her tone was surprisingly sweet. I was surprised she knew the librarian's name and I shared a look with Alex who just shrugged in confusion. 

The older woman, Rubie, looked up as she marked her page and closed the thick book she had been reading. A smile appeared on her face as she turned to Kalani and said, "good morning, dear. I'm very well, thank you for asking. I see that you brought your friends." The woman took off her reading glasses so that she could study us better. She smiled kindly at each of us and walked around her desk to greet us.

"Good morning, my name is Rubie. I'm the librarian here. Have you come looking for something in particular?" She asked. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am, we were just looking for a place to learn. I am going to be teaching them all they need to know about Olympus, the Underworld, and the Gods and Goddesses. Maybe you know of a book that could guide us in the right direction," Andrew said with a warm smile.

Rubie smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, dear. I'll go get you that book. In the meantime, Kalani can help you find the tables and chairs for you. She already knows her way around here," Rubie said as she looked at Kalani who was now blushing slightly. 

"This way," she said as she turned towards the stairs and began to lead us away. 

Aileen was the one who stayed behind and I turned to look at her as she approached the older woman. 

"Excuse me, Rubie. Hi, my name is Aileen. I was wondering if you happened to know anything about a person, or god, or even a creature called Typhon," she whispered and I saw Rubie stiffen and her smile fade away. We were now too far away to hear what she responded but from the way she had reacted, it couldn't be good. 

...

Hours passed and soon, it was time for lunch. Andrew had gone over the basics about who were the main gods and goddesses of Olympus and their respective realms and powers. It was something I was sure Kalani and I had already seen and by the looks of it, Alex had probably already heard this talk more than three times, but she stayed with us nonetheless. Partly, it was because Aileen hadn't joined us after she stayed behind to talk to Rubie. Alex had tried to look for her but she was gone, and so was Rubie. 

The librarian didn't appear again until she brought Andrew a book that she found useful and then she left, but she didn't say anything about Aileen. 

"This is everything for today. I know that you probably already knew this but it's best we all start from scratch, just in case you have any questions about anything," Andrew said as he started to lead us down the stairs and towards the door. 

To our surprise, Aileen was leaning against Rubie's desk with a smile on her face and I raised an eyebrow at her. I had started to worry and was considering reaching out to her through our bond but she was here. 

"Hey, where did you run off to?" Alex asked her friend.

"I was researching more about our topic but Rubie said those records have been sealed and she took me to a private part of the library. Still, there's not much from what I read. It's as if Typhon was never a living being, just a myth. So it got me thinking, if neither of you have any more dreams like those or if you do but can't remember anything about them, we should try to find the Oneiroi. I'm sure they could help," Aileen said as she looked at Andrew and Kalani who nodded their heads.

"I was actually thinking the same thing, but Mason said we should try to at least learn to work together more before heading into the Underworld and I think he's right. This part of the Underworld might be safe, but we can't say the same thing about the rest," Andrew said and Aileen nodded.

"Well then, let's get to lunch and then get ready for your battle training. We're going to see hand-to-hand combat today," Aileen said with an excited smile and I couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed my cousin liked the physical part of training more than the mental. 

...

A loud thud sounded across the gym as I fell on the mat. My back cried out as I felt it becoming sore from all the times I had been knocked down by Aileen. 

She reached down and offered me her hand as she eyed me with amusement in her eyes. "Not bad, but you're forgetting what I taught you back at the cabin. Never let your guard down," she said with a smile as she helped me to my feet and turned to face the others who had been watching. 

"It doesn't matter who your opponent is. It doesn't matter if they're stronger, or if they're taller, or if they're men. What matters the most is how experienced they are. Most of them already know what your next move is going to be before you do. That's the hard part for us who are just learning how to fight. You have to think two steps ahead. And what I think is the most important thing of all is confidence. If you don't have confidence in each of your moves, you're bound to lose. Why? Because you'll hesitate, just like Mason just did at the end. He could have blocked my last move, but he hesitated. That's what we need to fix and change. 

Your confidence and your skills. So we're going to start with simple hand-to-hand blocks and dodges. We'll be working with defense first and then, we'll move on to offense. Once you have already mastered all the basic moves, I want each of you to read about battle combat and try to learn another move. You'll be teaching it to the rest of us in a couple of days. 

Once Andrew and I feel that you have finished your hand-to-hand combat, we'll move to combat with weapons. And yes, we're going to use real, lethal weapons. Not at first, but soon. 

And like we agreed, your power training is going to be every other day, so in the end, combining all your three fighting abilities, you'll be unstoppable. Remember, not all gods or monsters have powers, some of them are just immortal, so in some cases, we'll have the advantage of our elements. Does anyone have any questions?" Aileen asked as she finished her speech and looked at Kalani, Alex, and then me.

We all shook our heads and she smiled. "Good, then, let's begin."