Killing Olympia

Before you say anything, I know what you're thinking: Ry, don't be stupid. But hear me out. A lot of people in this city don't give people hand-outs, and maybe it works differently over in Europe, but not here. A lot more people are a lot more interested in themselves and what they can get out of you. Maybe it was in the water, but New Olympus wasn't exactly the most friendly place on the planet. I appreciated Europa wanting to help, but look, I get it. It's either you save the world from being infested by clones and a budding billion dollar industry built on the backs of long-dead superheroes, or you divert your attention to some teenage girl. Bigger picture. Superheroes do it all the time. Fortunately, I'm not a very conventional superhero. I know I can be selfish and I know I can be a bad person.

But if Bianca was sick, then I was going to save her. It sounded obsessive, sure, but what else was I meant to do? Let the ELS figure things out with Cassie first, and who even knows how long that'll take, then twiddle my thumbs and hope they remember me? I doubted they came here for me, anyway. They probably just didn't like the look of what Cassie was doing, and Gods know what they'd broken out of that prison I was housed in, too. Secrets. Gotta love 'em. They make the wheels on this pretty shitty industry keep turning. And unfortunately, I once knew someone who had just about every secret this city had to offer locked inside his skull. Luckily, I didn't need the rest of his body. Just the head. The one part Ava had kept and locked away. Imagine that, two of my favorite people ever.

Just one normal day would be great, I thought, standing outside of a laundromat. The neon sign outside the door flickered a soft pink. The street was wet, glistening under sparking street lights. But I'll have to earn that.

I glanced up at the building and the boarded up windows. Not exactly a place you'd think the daughter of a supervillain like Lucian would crash, but I could smell Ava as soon as I got deeper into Little Olympus. The air smelt of old noodles, burnt electrical wires, and homeless people crowding around softly burning trash cans. The front door was locked, with the sign flipped over to Closed! But doors weren't really a problem for people like me. Not when I flew past several stories and landed on top of the building. I found a roof access that came off its hinges pretty easily with enough force. I left it leaning against an old a/c unit as I walked down a flight of stairs, and the stink of mildew and what might have been a crime scene shot up my nose the moment I got to the top floor. I tried not to gag, I really did, but the lunch of greasy donuts rushed up my throat and stopped in my mouth. I swallowed. Winced. Spat and swore to myself that was the last time I ever bought from a guy who deep fried sugary pastries.

Don't look at me that way, my body digests just about everything I put inside of it.

Kinda like the gas that gushed out of the air vents embedded into the walls. It almost looked like smoke, and I watched it fill the corridor like a cloud that reeked of rotten eggs and decaying roadkill had forced its way inside the building. I held my breath and walked down the hallway, then reached a locked door. I tried the door knob for courtesy sake, then shouldered the thing out of the way. It clattered onto the ground, and a dozen tiny black holes stared at me. The thugs pointing rifles my way wore gas masks, black gloves and biker jackets. Big. Small. Some curvy, others so large they split the seams of their boots. They looked at me, and I looked at them.

I said, "Come on, guys. We all know this would be a waste of time. Where's Ava?"

"Fuck," one of them whispered, his voice muffled. He stepped back and shakily lowered his shotgun, the sawed-off end so jagged it looked like someone had done it blindfolded. "Oh, fuck. I-I didn't sign up for this!"

"Good," I said, folding my arms. "That means you're not a contract killer…right?"

He froze, then nodded vigorously.

I walked toward him. He backed up. They parted behind him until his leg hit the edge of a desk, making him jerk and point the gun at me. He was panting so hard it was fogging up his goggles, then I smiled up at him.

I slapped his shoulder and said, "Relax, dude. I'm trying to turn a new leaf." I turned around and looked at the rest of them. "And that goes for all of you. This is a new me. A me who doesn't hurt guys like you on sight. You kinda have to give me a reason to do that now, and the bright side?" I looked back at the guy behind me. "No more killing, so if you'd like to do me a favor right about now, that would be awesome. Tell me where Ava is hiding."

If Ava was paying these guys to keep her safe, then she must've picked them right off the street. They all pointed to the floor below, silent as a troop of dead bodies as I smiled and headed for the door across the room. Then I stopped, my hand on the latches, and looked over my shoulder. They were all staring at me, staring so hard I could just about see their eyes going white and their heartbeats trying to punch right through each of their chests.

I need some better PR, I thought, leaving them behind.

I found Ava half-dressed, lacey red undies, unbuttoned shirt and all, hunched over a rickety table, staring at a map that drooped over the edges. A single bulb hung over her head, yellow and sickly and making her sweat glisten on her forehead as she dragged a cigarette and scribbled something on a piece of paper. I stood at the door for a moment, taking in the sacks of cash in the corner of the room, the couch covered in more than one person's clothes, and an old tv set playing the local news. All that was playing right now were Cassie's interviews, all with that clone standing just over her shoulder, staring dead at the camera, smiling very wide, as if she could see me.

It was also hard not to notice the naked girl in the corner of the room, going through a mini fridge. She was covered in tattoos, had black hair that fell down her back and enough rings and piercings on her body to almost make her hum. She glanced over her shoulder. We locked eyes. The cola can in her hand started shaking as she stared at me, her black lips curling into a wide gasp as her eyes widened. The light from the fridge colored her blue.

As for Ava, she glanced at the door, paused, then sighed through her nose. "Out," she said, shooing me away. "Give me a second to get into something a little more decent. I wasn't expecting any visitors. Five minutes."

"Nice Olympia undies, by the way," I said, because yes, someone, somewhere—and they better count their days—had put my face on a pair of lingerie, and where Ava got them, I do not want to know. "But don't bother. I've seen you ripped in half and I've seen you when you were only a head. I think we're a little past that comfort zone."

The girl beside the fridge, though, wasn't. She popped out of existence—literally, it sounded like a bubble had just blown up—and appeared near the couch, grabbing her clothes off the cushions. She didn't change. Her hands were shaking too violently for that. So she stood there, breathing hard, as Ava and I both glanced at her. She swallowed. Looked around, opened her mouth to speak, and decided that sitting down on the couch with her back to us was a much better option. She found the remote and turned up the tv volume, as if trying to mask her panic.

"Do I even need to ask?" I said.

"I didn't take you for the jealous type."

"I've got daddy issues," I said, folding my arms. "You could've at least called me."

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"I was the one who wanted to meet your mom, but no. You told me, and I quote, to 'fuck off.'"

"Aw," I said. "Did I hurt your feelings, Ava?"

"My heart's yours, darling. Never."

The girl on the couch glanced over her shoulder. "Should…should I give you guys the room?"

I waved my hand and said, "Nah, I'm just kidding. I actually really don't like Ava. Like, at all."

"You're not a ray of sunshine either, superhero," Ava muttered, straightening from the table.

"Blow me, devil spawn," I said, walking over to the table. I glanced at the map and slowly nodded. It looked like the one she owned the first time we met, except this time, there were a lot fewer pins in it, and a lot more red, yellow, and green sticky notes all over the city. I quietly whistled. "Someone's been pretty busy lately, huh?"

"It's not a turf thing," she explained, flicking the cigarette into an ashtray at her feet. She massaged her eyes, then left her glasses hanging from her bra. "I've been trying to get people together, and before you say it, no, it's not for domination or crime. After what happened when you left to unsuccessfully stop my father"—side note, but I really loved when she pointed out my flaws, like she was perfect—"I had a hard time keeping people on track. Most people take the lawless chaos as an opportunity, so there's about a dozen new gangs popping up every other day because the cops are still too afraid to come down here. Rhea and the others aren't nearly as ready as I'd want them to be, and that superhero friend of yours, that actress, bailed on me the second she could. So this is all of it."

A dreary room with a burnt stove in the corner, a busted window and a hole in the wall. Impressive.

I waved my hand at the map. "And the sticky notes and those pins?"

"Pins are gangs," she said with a sigh. "Sticky notes are what I'm calling 'hazard zones.' Uptick of superhuman activity in those areas. Green usually means its majority vigilantes. Rough around the edges, mostly kids who're gonna be dead in the river by the end of the week. Yellow is a mix. Red is a no-no, even for me. But I'm more focused on trying to get the power and the water back on and running, because right now, that might just be the most lucrative commodity in this half of the city. My only problem is everyone else has the very same idea."

"Cool," I muttered, nodding slowly. I let the silence rest between us. Ava tilted her head.

"You're not here to help, are you?"

"I need Lucas' head."

The answer was immediate. "No." I blinked. Ava turned around and headed toward the fridge. "Now if there's anything else you want, you either pay me, ask nicely, or help me right this sinking ship. That would help."

"What do you mean no?" I said, spreading my arms. "Just give me the head."

Ava fished through the fridge, then turned to the girl on the couch. "Is that the last one?"

She stopped drinking the grape cola, then nodded. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I got thirsty."

"It's fine," Ava said. "Just make sure you get a couple more, and some noodles. The Chinese place a few blocks away got shot up yesterday. Jiang isn't picking up, so the old man might be dead. We'll find a new place."

"Man," the girl muttered. "I really loved his egg rolls."

"Ava!" I said. She turned to look at me. "The head? Please?"

"Hey, Taylor?" Ava said to the girl. "What did I just tell Olympia?"

"Uh, you said no. You told her no." She nodded, glanced at me, then quickly looked away, busying herself with trying to finish the cola instead. She drank it so quickly she began coughing, thumbing hard on her chest.

I was in Ava's face faster than she could blink, not that she would have, because she stared at me with that same bored expression on her face that she'd been wearing since I walked in. I grabbed her collar and pulled her closer, so close I could smell Taylor's saliva still on her neck. "Look," I said quietly. "If you don't do what I say—"

"You're gonna kill me, hm?" she said. "Gonna tear me in half, or put me on the moon, or rip my guts out?" Ava scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Rylee, I have things I actually need to do right now, and giving you his head isn't one of them. Now if you could please stop crumpling one of the very few shirts I've got left, I'd really appreciate it."

"What, you're acting tough now?" I asked. "You think that changes anything between us?"

Her eyes darkened. "Rylee," she said slowly. "No means no. You're not seeing his head."

"Good," I said. "Because all I need to do is talk to him."

"That's also not happening."

I gripped her shirt so hard my fingers went through the worn fabric. "Do you even have it?"

Ava didn't shrug, she didn't blink—she barely even looked like she cared. "Maybe."

"The one time I actually need your help, and this is how you—"

"He ruined your life," Ava said coolly. I paused, and she pulled my hand off her shirt. "He filled you with so much hate, and so much rage, and so much disgust, and then made you think you were always in the right. And he's still in your head. The second someone pushes back against you, violence is the answer. You never talk. You never think. You made a deal with me and thought it would go well, and in hindsight, I was overconfident, I was so high off my father's legacy I thought I was untouchable." Ava put her hand on my shoulder. "You, Rylee, are very much untouchable. But your mother isn't. And neither is Bianca. Don't make enemies with people because of your anger issues. Lucas is the last person you need to either hear from or see. Go to Olympus U. Go on dates with Bianca. Save the day and come here once in a while so we can fix this goddamned city for once and for all. " Ava leaned in and lowered her voice, shadows hooding her eyes. "But I'm not letting you see that man. Am I clear?"

Quiet tension simmered between us. A clock ticked somewhere in the building, echoing in my head as I stared at Ava. Neither of us moved. Her heart barely announced itself. It was so silent it almost felt like…like…

I frowned. "Ava," I said. "Where's your heart?"

She smiled a little. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Ava," I repeated. I put the back of my hand to her neck, and she felt frigid, like a dead body. I pulled my hand away and reached for her shirt, then paused. Ava didn't move. So I pushed her shirt away, and stared at the symbol carved into the flesh just over her left breast. That looks just like Cadaver's scars. "What did you do?"

"I bought a once in a lifetime opportunity, is what I did," she said, buttoning her shirt. "Like Zeus did."

"How—"

"Oh, I know a lot. You'd be surprised."

"Are…" I stepped back, then looked around. The shadows didn't move, however long they were. The silence remained, lurking and lingering like some festering little animal. "Are you working with Lucain again?"

"Rylee," she said. "No, come on. What incentive would working with him even bring me?"

"Legacy," I said. "People. Money. Manpower."

"I don't need his legacy. Not when I'm very busy trying to carve out my own." She walked past me and stopped at the table. "Now if that's all you had to say, are you going to help me? If not, Taylor can show you out."

I swallowed, making my throat wet again. Relax. He's not here. I breathed out, then turned. "Lucas—"

"Rylee—"

"I need to save Bianca." The words came out faster than I would've liked, and I also didn't like the look on Ava's face. I sighed, then got closer to the table. "She's sick. Something's wrong with her and I don't know what to do and Ava, I…I can't do it. I can't fucking help her. I promised I would help her, but I don't even know where to start right now. I-I'm lost, and confused, and I want to hit something, but I know that's just me acting out but I don't know what else I'm supposed to do!" I pressed my palms against the table, making it groan. "And Ava," I said quietly, looking at her through strands of my hair. "If I lose Bianca to the thing inside of her, I won't forgive you, I won't forgive myself, and I definitely won't forgive the universe, because I've stomached enough. I just need this one thing. Just this one, tiny thing to work for me. So please. Let me just get the answers I need. I'll work with you. I'll fix the fucking power grid and be a human battery for all I care, I just need you to help me out this one time."

I dug my fingers into the wood, splintering it. But I couldn't stop myself from shaking.

Couldn't stop the haggard breathing. Couldn't stop the racing thoughts.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache hammered at the front of my skull.

"Fuck me," Ava muttered, massaging her eyes. "Fine." I looked at her and got closer. She put her hand out to stop me. "But I'm going to be there, and so will Taylor, and the second I feel something's wrong, you're done."

"Really?" I whispered. "You're actually gonna help me?"

"Only because you've promised to work for me again," Ava said. "You're a valuable asset and nothing—"

I never thought I'd do this in my life.

But I hugged a supervillain, and only stayed on my feet because I dug my fingers into her shoulders. No, I didn't whisper thank you into her collarbone, and no, I didn't feel like finally, someone was actually going to give me something that wasn't just disappointment, and…yeah, my eyes stung, and I couldn't stop them from doing it.

Must be something in the air. Lower Olympus, right? Gotta fix that some day.

Just…after I spoke to Lucas.