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CHILDREN OF GODS The Dream - Chapter 1
Icy cold sheets of rain and sleet lashed against his skin, soaking him through and through, sending a numbing chill deep into his bones. As the frozen winds slammed against him and sent him hurtling through the dark, ominous cloud banks, his nervous system threw itself into overdrive, every inch of his body screaming out for mercy. He had just passed from one dense copse of clouds to the next—in barely more than the blink of an eye—when he felt it. It was sudden and subtle, but the change was there all the same. He could sense the ions charging up in the atmosphere like a battery getting ready to explode; the air enveloping him smelled of copper and rust. Like the blades of a turbine engine revving up, the energy built and increased to the breaking point, when an eerie calm fell over everything. He was still free-falling through the clouds, but in that moment the world had become silent, still, peaceful. Just as he emerged from the last bit of cloud cover, the barr
CHILDREN OF GODS A Visitor - Chapter 2
After dinner, James quietly cleaned the dishes, waiting for the unknown visitor to show up. He hadn’t said much to anyone throughout dinner, just sat there lost in his thoughts. Joey had tried numerous times to break the silence with a few jokes, but when he hadn’t received much response, he ate in silence as well. He must have been able to tell there was something going on with James and Karen, since they barely looked at each other, but he refrained from asking what it was, probably knowing he wouldn’t receive an answer. But then, as if reading Joey’s thoughts, Karen had said, “James has a visitor coming to speak with him after dinner, so I need everyone to help clean up and to be on their best behavior.” Subdued mumbles of agreement around the table. Joey blinked his eyes, as if he were about to cry, but before he could say anything Karen continued, “And Joey, I’ll need you to watch the twins in their room so they won’t be in the way while James and I speak wit
CHILDREN OF GODS A Breath, A Sigh, A Nod - Chapter 3
Early morning sunlight filtered through the blind-covered window as James sat on his bed waiting for Karen, Joey, and the twins to return from Sunday morning mass. He had stayed home to finish packing and was now just waiting to say his goodbyes before Blakeney swung by to pick him up. Nervousness and anxiety coursed through him as he studied the school pamphlet for what seemed like the hundredth time. What will the students be like there? Will I even fit in? He kept wondering. It’s not like I’ll be leaving again in a few more months, like every other school. I’ll be finishing out this year and all of next. He sighed. Well, I guess I’ll get through it just like every other time—make a few friends and trudge it out the best I can. Changing track, he thought about when he broke the news to Joey yesterday and how the normally comic, easygoing boy had actually cried for a bit. James hadn’t known how much the younger boy had really thought of him as an older brother. That conversation
CHILDREN OF GODS Mount Olympus - Chapter 4
From what little he had seen of the school, James couldn’t quite describe the overwhelming atmosphere of it all. The main hall was much more massive than he thought it would be. The whole situation felt utterly surreal, as if at any moment he would wake up and be back at Karen’s with Joey banging on the door wanting to hang out. But, no, James knew this was not a dream; it was just beyond anything he had ever expected to experience. “Ready?” Blakeney said. “Huh?” James started, noticing that they had pulled into a small parking lot in the midst of massive trees. He shook his head to clear it. “Oh, yeah . . . right, I’m good to go.” “Great. Come on, then,” said Blakeney, laughing softly. They climbed out of the car and made their way onto a small cobblestone path a patch of trees. The large branches shadowing the path blocked the view, but he could see emerald green grass just beyond the edge of the trees and glimpses of some kind of immense, white building with pillar
CHILDREN OF GODS The Fire of Prometheus - Chapter 5
After leaving Blakeney’s office, the pair made their way straight down the first hall to a nondescript wooden door, which the older man opened to reveal some kind of grand entryway. Right in the middle of the beautiful, white marble flooring was a fountain with a statue of a nude woman—maybe Aphrodite? James thought—and winged cherubs shooting water out of their mouths across her sprawled frame. The walls weren’t paneled with wood, but instead retained the same white granite as the exterior. Here, unlike the unadorned exterior, exquisite painted carvings of cherubs, laurels, heavenly bodies, and lounging figures graced the walls at what at first seemed random. The more James stared in wide-eyed wonder, the more he recognized the pattern of it all. The cherubs were dancing in the air around the bodies, throwing laurels at their feet while the reclined figures themselves seemed to be studying representations of the stars and planets. It was like nothing he had ever seen be
CHILDREN OF GODS The Beginning of Something Great - Chapter 6
Once he made it to the third-floor landing, finding his room was easy. Everything was labeled clearly, so it was just a matter of following the numbers until he found a simple wooden door with 320 carved into it. The flooring that ran the length of the long hallway was the thin, rugged-type carpeting that many schools and office buildings used. With so much traffic, it made sense. James had passed several other guys and of course in keeping with guy code, the greetings were nothing more than sup’s, what’s ups, and hey. Sometimes they were nothing more than a quick nod. Ah, the simplicity of being a guy. His new room was across the hall from the bathrooms, so maybe he wouldn’t have to wait too long to get into the shower most mornings. Staring at the door marked 320, he looked down at the key that Blakeney had given him. He raised a single eyebrow as he studied it some more. It was just a simple, black aluminum stick with a knob at the end of it. He couldn’t make heads or tail
CHILDREN OF GODS Alexandra - Chapter 7
The early morning sun gradually bathed the small room in a pale, gray and pinkish light as James opened his eyes from a dreamless sleep. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. The red holographic numbers of 6:28 a.m. stared back at him from tether-less suspension. What a weird clock, he thought. He was too excited on this newest of new days, so he knew trying to gain any more sleep would prove futile. Taking a deep breath, he swung his legs out from under the covers, deciding to get a head start on the day. Doing his best not to wake up Tres, he quickly made his bed, grabbed a few hygiene items, a towel, and some boxers, and headed out the door in search of an early shower. James thought he would’ve been one of the first to make it to the bathrooms, but by the time he swung open the door, he found that wasn’t the case. Of the six showers, only one was available. He stepped in, put his boxers and towel on the offered hangers, and stripped off the athletic shorts
CHILDREN OF GODS Jennifer West - Chapter 8
When Blakeney had dropped off his textbooks last night, James had been a little confused upon seeing the title of the text for Photography. Thinking he might have been the butt of a joke, he slipped Photography For Dummies, along with his history text, into his bag. He shut the door to his room and hurried up to the fourth floor, not wanting to be late. The classroom was on the opposite side of the building, next to the girls’ dormitories, and James found it easily enough. As soon as he walked in, he realized no one else had their schoolbags with them. The only accessory they happened to have was a camera. He felt a little out of place as he made his way across the room to the only friendly face he saw, Jennifer West. She smiled at James as he approached. “Well, hey, James. Could a girl have any more luck?” “Uh . . . hey,” he said, glancing around. “Did I miss something? Why doesn’t everyone have their books with them?” “Oh, you only need it on Wednesdays. And don’t worry
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CHILDREN OF GODS Epilogue
“Boom, boom, boom,” the bass blasted from the speakers drawing everybody in the room into a rhythmic trance. As the beat pulsed and vibrated through his bones like the strikes of a war drum, his turquoise-blue eyes raked the dance club hoping against hope to spot a new object of desire. Seeing a possibility, the young man put a hand up to ruffle his sandy blonde hair, swallowed back his nerves, took a deep breath, and made his way through the throng knowing that tonight was going to be a productive night. He saddled up to the bar and turned to his left. “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked the raven-haired beauty. She was resting against the polished metal countertop in a suggestive way: all hips and attitude; she wore a skin-tight black dress that came down to her knees and left little to the imagination. A slight smile broke across her face as her eyes took him in, but then slowly, sarcastic indulgence washed out all else from her expression. “Maybe next time, sweetheart,” she
CHILDREN OF GODS A Revelation - Final Chapter
The setting sun created a beautiful mosaic of reds, oranges, yellows, and violets as James stared across the waterfront. As the light played across the water as if flames were dancing on the current, he thought about all that had changed in the past few months. He had set out on just another fork in life, or so he thought, but now he had discovered more about himself than he had ever known. He’d also gained more of a family than he had ever had before. His heart had grown as if by magic, and he cared for more people than he ever thought possible. James breathed a heavy sigh. That train of thought brought the tearful goodbye with Eliza this morning to the forefront of his mind. She had been through more than any one person should ever have to go through, kidnapped, tortured, and in fear for her life. He tried to be helpful and sympathize with her, but in truth he knew he couldn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what she had been through. He just didn’t have any experiences to com
CHILDREN OF GODS Cerberos - Chapter 37
The dog, if you could even call it that, was enormous. Cerberos had a wide and stout body like that of a pit bull’s, except this body stood at least ten feet tall. The three, fear-invoking heads, rose a few feet higher. Its skin was completely hairless, the dark, leather-like material stretched taut over sinew, muscle, and bone. Teeth as long and sharp as daggers emerged as each of the heads pulled back its ugly black lips in a show of hatred. Each head reminded James of a decomposing Doberman; ears flat back in agitation, black pits for eyes. The middle head barked a low bass-filled roar. He could feel the rumble in the pit of his stomach. Eliza was trembling uncontrollably in his arms. No doubt a hint of the hallucinogen still lingered in her veins. “Don’t look,” he murmured. She complied and buried her face into his shoulder. “My god . . .” Blakeney whispered fearfully, more to himself than anyone. “Cerberos. But . . . it can’t be.” He was beside himself. “We . . .” He swallowed
CHILDREN OF GODS Soldiers from Hell - Chapter 36
The building where Eliza was being held turned out to be some kind of old factory or manufacturing plant from the early 20th century, only it looked more like a stone castle than a factory. The drive had taken almost two hours in a general northern heading, into the heart of rural Pennsylvania. The place was huge, and the only vestiges of a plan that they’d developed was for Oliver to take the search on the upper floor, Blakeney going through the main and largest level, while James would take the basement. Infrared imagery from a passing satellite had revealed only two human-sized heat signatures—and some kind of large heat blob, likely a heating source for the building—but when dealing with Hades, anything was possible. No kind of advantage could be seen as they made their way to the outskirts of the property. The Academy’s Mercedes was parked a half-mile back. Blakeney held up a corner of the dilapidated security fence. “Go on through, you two,” he whispered, following right after.
CHILDREN OF GODS He has Her - Chapter 35
The sun had reached its zenith and was now arcing towards the western sky on the first leg of its descent. James had barely moved for hours, just sat in the chair, staring emptily at his phone that lay on the bed. Several additional text messages had gone completely unanswered. Nothing. No response. And it wasn’t as if he would be seeing her on Monday. School was now over for the summer. His stomach rumbled, clearly in need of food, but he seemed to be a man completely immobilized. What few scraps of food he had eaten this morning had been forced upon him by Tres, Svet, and Adonis. They had all even tried to get him to come down to the pool with everyone else who had stayed at the hotel, but he had flat-out refused. He didn’t deserve any kind of enjoyment or distractions—at least not in his own eyes. So there he had sat for hours, patiently awaiting that one message from Eliza, that one lifeline thrown that could get him moving again. James closed his eyes and sighed, bringing
CHILDREN OF GODS Bait - Chapter 34
“Have you seen Eliza Masters?” James asked a random passerby fretfully, probably for the hundredth time. The girl shrugged and walked on. Seeing a friendly face, he ran over, desperate. “Ricky, you seen Eliza?” The dark-skinned boy bit his lip. “Um . . . not that I—“ Ricky’s eyes flashed in remembrance. “Oh, wait. I did see her heading to the valet parking lot. Does that help?” “Yeah, thanks,” James declared anxiously as he jogged out the door. He sprinted up and down each row of the car-filled lot, the heels of his dress shoes clacking loudly on the pavement. But it was all to no avail. The Fiat was nowhere to be found. I really screwed up this time. James pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to her. In only seconds there was a reply. It read: Leave me alone. He clenched his jaw and cursed himself as he sent another text. This time, there was no further response. His heart felt as if an Olympic strongman was crushing the life out of him with their bare hands. Once agai
CHILDREN OF GODS An Angel in Green - Chapter 33
“Hey!” said Eliza cheerfully the next morning at breakfast. “Hey.” He gave her a short kiss on the lips. Her searching eyes studied him. “You okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. “Why?” “You just . . .” She hesitated. “…seem a little put off.” He shrugged. “Probably just nerves cause of finals.” Eliza nodded, still not fully convinced. “Speaking of which,” continued James, “Director Blakeney gave me the rest of the week off to study.” “Well, that was nice of him. I know I could use the help.” Apparently, she had decided to let the earlier topic go. “Consider me at your disposal then, your royal hotness.” She rolled her eyes and directed herself at Adonis. “So who are you taking to the dance, Adonis?” “Um . . .” he started, “I didn’t really have any takers.” “Are you kidding me? I could probably name at least twenty girls that would die to go with you,” Eliza pointed out. Tres began to mumble something that sounded like, “But none of them is James,” until Svetlana kicked his
CHILDREN OF GODS Late Night Storm - Chapter 32
The weeks went by like a flash of lightning and before James knew it, the last week of May had arrived, the last week before summer break. At Mount Olympus Academy, instead of a prom for juniors and seniors only, they held one for all the students on the Saturday after the last day of class. Kind of a last gathering before everyone went their respective ways for the summer. Of course, he and Eliza would be going together, and since Tres couldn’t date a computer—no matter how adamant he remained that he could—Svetlana would be his date for the evening. It was a formal dance, and in keeping with such occasions, he and Tres had rented tuxedos from a local formalwear shop. Eliza had flat out refused to tell him the color of her dress, so James just picked a vest color that would flatter her eyes—an iridescent gold with sparse green accents. He was, he admitted, incredibly excited to go to his first formal dance. And, being able to add to the many lists of first-time events he had with El
CHILDREN OF GODS Should've Never Played - Chapter 31
Hades. Just the name had been bouncing around the insides of his skull all day. He had barely been able to concentrate on any schoolwork. How was he, James, supposed to stand up against a force such as that, a god with immense power and creatures at his disposal? The answers would not formulate in his mind and James felt incredibly vulnerable. Even his dreams weren’t safe. He fiddled with the straps of his shoulder pads for what felt like the tenth time as Dieter Hoche spewed on and on about winning tonight in the German’s attempt at an inspirational speech. It was more like a drill sergeant’s yelling, though. Tonight, they were at St. Stephens/St Agnes. Both of the teams were 8-0 and as such, this game would likely be the deciding factor for who would take home the conference title. He checked his gear once more, doing his best to ready his mind for the game. His ribs sure weren’t ready, though. Even taped up as tight and thick as possible, they would still be screaming in pain eve
