Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Who Can Stop Me if I Decide you’re my Destiny?
Nicodemus
“We’re going on a trip! We’re going on a trip! We’re going on a trip…!”
“Shut up, Nicodemus!” Elizabeth, Sebastian, Griffin, and Odysseus screamed, making Deveraux laugh hysterically from the driver seat of the bus.
“What!? I’m excited!” I roared with a deep scowl.
“Yeah, we know, you yappy chihuahua.” Sebastian joked as he rolled his eyes heavily in the seat before us, going back to texting Soren a mile a minute.
I huffed in betrayal before flipping in my seat to hang over the side, “Do you wanna be my partner?” I bawled to Odysseus as I launched myself over the seat, who giggled like a mouse. Elizabeth smacked my leg to try and get me to sit still, laughing when I horse kicked her.
“If you promise not to ruin this trip. I like art very much, so I’d like to enjoy it a little bit.” Odysseus said snarkily.
“Nerd!” Griffin coughed to make Sebastian cackle demonically.
“Can you sit like an adult?” Elizabeth scolded, grabbing my belt to smack me down.
“Why do I have to sit next to you again?” I shot back, trying to wiggle from her snake-like hold, though she only latched on tighter.
“Because I am your second-in-command mother, and you are forever destined to sit with me whenever we go places.” She whined, which made me inevitably giggle at her innocence.
“Why? Do you wanna sit next to Odysseus?” Griffin mocked, which made me flash red.
“I am pretty hot, aren’t I?” Odysseus snickered to him, which made he and his bus mate cheer and high five when I flipped them off.
“Gods, how much coffee did you drink today?” Sebastian asked as Elizabeth ruffled my hair with a smile.
“None!” I sang back dramatically, “This is my natural aura at work!”
“Did you sleep for nine years then?”
“No, I just like to get off campus once in a while. Yeesh, let a guy live!”
“Funny coming from an Elemental of Death,” Deveraux called sarcastically.
“I don’t remember asking for your input, Mother Nature!” I jabbed before tugging on Elizabeth’s arm, “Ok, second-in-command-mother, let go…” I hacked as the arms she had around my neck tightened further and further by the second.
“Be silent and let me smother you. Deveraux and I are your parents today, so deal with it and stop squirming!” She snapped violently, whacking the side of my head as I screamed bloody murder dramatically.
“I thank the Gods that you’re not that obnoxious,” Deveraux said to Odysseus, who snorted like a baby pig.
“Deveraux!” I whined obnoxiously, yelping as Elizabeth continued to beat me.
“Yes, temporary son?” He groaned as his head hit the steering wheel at a red light.
“Tell her to stop beating me up!”
“Elizabeth, please stop beating our temporary child,” Deveraux called, which made Griffin and Odysseus cackle like hyenas behind us.
“I won’t leave bruises where they show!” She evilly taunted.
“As long as Ashlynn doesn’t find out!”
“Deveraux!” I yelled in horror, which made the bus laugh hysterically.
We finally reached the museum, and when we did, I shot up like a rocket and bolted off the bus with a smile bubbling on my lips. The rest of our Modern Art class were exchanging excited chatter about the museum just ahead, and were trying to decide where to go first as we waited for our chaperones to take attendance. Elizabeth and Deveraux patted each head of their excited students before Deveraux whistled to get our attention collectively. “Alright everyone, we have three hours to explore to our hearts content. You don’t have any chaperones following you around, but please report in once an hour with an adult, ok? We’ll meet back at the bus at noon, grab lunch, then head back to Valyce to finish the day.” He explained with a smile.
“Yes sir!” We all replied.
“And please try to be on your best behavior? Let’s try and not stand out amongst the Humans too much?” Elizabeth scolded, eyeing me playfully.
I ignored her comment and stormed up to Griffin and Odysseus, who were giggling to themselves, and ripped Odysseus’s arm up to drag him forward with a violent lurch that. “Hey, hey, hey!” Odysseus cried as he stumbled backwards from the motion.
“Onward, to new lands, my boy!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, storming the steps as the adults rolled their eyes while Odysseus ran to catch up with me.
╪
Odysseus and I stood before a piece in the African American culture section, which was a wooden statue of a Water God. She had multiple servants surrounding her, and had water flowing from her hat onto the rivers below. “I bet you Elizabeth would get a kick out of this,” I whispered, which broke his concentration and caused him to giggle loudly.
“Shut it, please.”
“Sorry…” I bubbled innocently as he cupped his chin, settling his arm into his other hand to concentrate. I blinked up at him before turning back to the piece, desperately trying to see what he saw. I kept walking in circles around the piece, tilting my head as if the answers to the universe were somehow etched into the wooden statue.
“You look confused?” He offered after I had done this a few times.
“Uhm, kind of. How do you understand it?”
“Well, I can’t exactly explain it, but I can help,” he stood me before him, resting his chin on my shoulder to point to the piece, “Everyone’s interpretation of art is their own, which is what I find fascinating about the subject. You are the opinion, and thousands of people can see thousands of things. That’s what makes art so controversial, in both good and bad ways. The idea behind interpretation is to conjure your own story for the piece. What is it? What does it look like, what does it remind you of, and most importantly, what does it mean to you? Think of it, like, your music. Observe it the way you would lyrics and melodies. Once you figure out your own meaning, things will start opening up for you.”
“How do you know it’s the right opinion?”
He chuckled and laid a kiss to my temple that sent a roaring blush up my cheeks, “You’re overthinking this, handsome. Just trust your instincts; your first reaction is usually the right one.”
“I think I understand…?” I lied. He smiled and stood straight, watching my eyes bore into the statue, “Ok, I think I got something.”
“Let’s hear it?” He pressed.
“She’s definitely a God. The servants are her worshipers, people in the village who are tending to her needs. They can’t see her, but she’s right in front of them, supplying them with the most vital thing she can?” I tried with a sheepish grin.
“Good job! I was thinking the same thing! This is an easy piece to read, especially if you know some of the background history. This seems to be a depiction of Oshun, a water goddess from Nigeria. She embodies fertility, protection, purity, love, and water of course. She’s a very powerful and well known deity amongst the southwestern side of Nigeria especially. You can tell it’s her because many artists depict her body as sensual due to her associations.”
“You’re good at this.” I whined with a frustrated scowl.
He chuckled and poked my forehead to break up my expression, “Eh, I just have a curious mind is all. Want to go see the Roman Culture section?”
“Heck yes!” I squeaked, which made him smile blissfully as we continued through the exhibit and further into the museum. I made sure to hold his hand tightly as we walked, and though I bounced at his side excitedly, we kept an even pace like this.
Deveraux, Elizabeth, Sebastian, and Griffin were looking at a statue of a woman that was created back in 600 A.D. or so, talking amongst themselves as Odysseus and I entered the hall. The vultures heard our exchange and began peeking over various exhibits at us, hissing giggles maniacally. “So, how did you figure it out?” He was asking, completely entranced by the conversation as we walked.
“Well, usually anyone who’s surrounded by servants and such is going to be some form of deity, and since they had baskets under the waterfalls coming from her hands I figured she must have been some kind of water goddess. I don’t know how to ‘art’ but I would like to. I find it very attractive.” I replied.
“What’s your favorite subject? If you picked one?”
“Medieval and Roman culture. How about you?”
“The same, but I also like the Dutch and African. Dutch are very much Christianized, but I think it’s interesting to see the world through Pilgrim-esc eyes. I can’t wait to see the paintings that come out of the new religious era regarding Polores Deorum.”
“We should go there next!”
“Sure,” he laughed as we walked over to a set of Human head sculptures, “Beautiful, aren’t they? Their replicas of children.” He said skillfully.
“What can you tell me about them?” I asked, peering over the glass cases in awe.
He smiled a full, beautiful smile, and turned to the heads like a tour guide, “Whenever a child would die in Rome, their parents would make molds of the children’s likeness as an ode to their deceased kin. Sometimes they would sculpt live ones as well, but it was mostly for those who have passed on. They’re very similar to Egyptian death masks.”
“Wow, that’s, cool and creepy?” I giggled.
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“A little macabre, but still fascinating. I admire the detail the most, though. Artists nowadays are so, bland. I like modern art as much as the next guy, but the hand painted vases and details of faces are something you could never create with a computer.” He sighed lovingly as he patted the glass encasing some of the masks.
“How do you know so much about this stuff? Do you go to a lot of museums?” I continued to roll off questions as we zigzagged through the various pieces, but Odysseus was more than pleased that I was as interested as he was in the museum.
“Sort of. I watch online tours and read a lot of books whenever I can’t make it in person.”
“You’re like a walking encyclopedia!”
He burst into giggles, rolling his eyes to me, “Let’s go upstairs, goofball.”
I took his hand and swung our arms lovingly, which made Odysseus flush red, but clutch mine back gratefully. We passed by the group, totally ignoring them as we giggled to one another, which made them all sigh happily. “That is so cute, I’m gonna cry!” Sebastian bawled.
╪
Prom happened to fall on my eighteenth birthday, which pissed my parents off to high Caelum, but they had already committed to forcing me to go to the dance. I dressed in a suit that had a pale blue jacket, black pants, and a black bow tie, with a small white flower in the pocket. Dad slicked my hair back, and Mom pressed my outfit perfectly before they both smiled at my finished ensemble.
They along with the other Gods were to be chaperoning the event, so they too were dressed beautifully. Dad wore a dashing black tux with a matching white flower in his coat. His long hair was neatly slicked back, and with it pulled back like this, he looked more like Galaxy than he preferred. Mom wore a floor length gold gown, with her shimmering blonde locks flowing down her back like waves. It was utterly impossible for her to ever not look perfect, and Dad’s enamored smile was adorable as he watched her chase after me with a comb.
“You look so handsome!” Mom cried, snapping a dozen photos as I rolled my eyes.
“Are you excited?” Dad chuckled as he pried her camera away.
“Um, a little nervous?” I squeaked.
“Why, honey?” Mom tried.
“I'm about to make a lot of girls very angry!” I said, gulping, as they burst into laughter.
“Alright you little player, let’s get going,” Dad joked, clapping my back before we stepped outside and got in the car. Dad drove with a small whistle, occasionally glancing back to me with a smirk. My stomach bubbled with fear as he parked the car and opened my door for me, though I rolled my eyes. “We’re due to work the dancefloor, buddy. Do you want us to wait with you?”
I shook my head, “Oh, um, no, it’s ok.”
“Alright, but we want pictures before the night ends!” Mom cried, kissing my cheek before she and Dad walked hand in hand inside. I nervously fixed my bowtie and clicked my heels as I peered at all of the faces that filled the gymnasium, grumbling about how awkward I felt.
I was pretty envious of how flawless my parents looked tonight, as if tonight were any different than usual for them. They always fit together like perfectly hand crafted puzzle pieces, and entranced whoever’s path they crossed. They were a beautiful couple, aesthetically especially, and it was hard to not be enamored by their perfect balance of light and dark. I watched them greet an abundance of students roaming the ballroom, and prayed that maybe, just maybe, Odysseus and I would look somewhat close to a normal couple in the vast crowds.
A few classmates greeted me warmly and complimented my outfit as they passed, which I politely echoed back to them. I moved to stare at the ground with a ferocious blush as someone tapped my shoulder, which made me jump ferociously and they giggle, “Fancy seeing you here,” Odysseus said, placing a kiss to my cheek.
“H-Hey…” I stammered, slowly turning to him. When I did, my jaw fell slack, and I gazed up into his eyes in pure awe. He wore a handsome suit with black pants and a white jacket, and a gold flower sat in the pocket. His hair was brushed to the side, revealing his breathtaking gold eyes. He held a smile, a nervous one, but still gorgeous.
“What are you staring at?” He whispered teasingly.
“You…” I croaked unapologetically, which made him blush a brilliant red as I touched his cheek, “You look, amazing…?”
“You stole the words right from my mouth, handsome...” He took my hand in his, then turned to the school. He took a deep breath before smiling fully to me, “Well, I’ve prepped myself enough for this; let’s get in there!” He cried enthusiastically.
We walked inside hand in hand, and as soon as we entered, a thousand eyes shot to our interlocked grasp. Odysseus wasn’t fazed at all, and held my hand tighter to reassure me that tonight was about us, and no one else.
Blaine was standing with my parents in his own suit, (which was a pretty rare sight in itself) and was snapping photos on his cellphone with Mom as the two gushed wildly over us. Dad rolled his eyes at them, laughing to himself, but his prideful smile radiated through the ballroom. Galaxy and Elizabeth were on stage greeting everyone, while Deveraux and Zephyrine worked the food stations, and their kids were dispersed throughout different areas greeting their other friends. “Look at how fancy this all is,” I snorted.
“Only the best for us,” Odysseus joked back.
“LOOK HOW HANDSOME YOU TWO ARE!?” Sebastian screamed as he raced up to us, dragging a laughing Soren as he went. Soren wore a crisp brown suit and Sebastian a dark green one; both looked extremely dashing, and held excited smiles as they hugged us. Soren’s fiery hair was slicked back without a strand out of place, which made him resemble Griffin more than ever since that was how Griffin usually styled his own. Sebastian’s own yellow locks were tossed messily, though that was on purpose, and made his razor sharp jade eyes illuminate in contrast to the forest green suit.
Soren had picked perfect outfits for them, and I could tell he was relieved as well when I complimented the two. “Hey, buddy; glad to see you two could make it after all!” Soren said, clapping hands with Odysseus.
“Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Odysseus replied gleefully.
“Where’s Praxis and Griffin?” I asked as the four of us went to find a table.
“You mean the not couple?” Soren teased, rolling his eyes, “Their over with the DJ trying to request nine thousand songs.”
Sebastian abruptly blew into his hands, and bowed to me obnoxiously, “Lest we forget, tonight is the eve of the eighteenth year our dearest Nicodemus joined our world!”
“Would you stop that!” I laughed with an eyeroll.
“Oh come on, we can at least say happy birthday! What a way to celebrate…!” Sebastian nudged Odysseus slyly and nodded to me, “He gets to parade around with hot stuff over here all night? Talk about a dream come true!”
“That is enough, you pain in the ass!” I barked as Soren and Odysseus screamed laughs at my ferocious blush despite me trying to act tough.
Soren respectfully pulled a seat out for his boyfriend, then flopped into his own chair and ripped over a menu, “What are they serving tonight... hmmm...”
“Leave it to you to only care about food,” Sebastian snorted as Griffin and Praxis joined the table, igniting a rambunctious discussion over the delicacies Deveraux has picked for us.
╪
After dinner, the dance floor glowed to life.
Sebastian and Soren took off into the crowd along with Griffin while Praxis, Odysseus, and I struck up a conversation at our table. Praxis, who wore an amazing lilac gown to match her shimmering eyes, claimed she was tired of parading after Griffin in high heels, and laughed to see him stumble between his brother and hers trying to get a word in, but they were busy sucking each other’s faces off. “What a goofball he is…” She sighed warmly.
“I’m surprised you two came together,” I mocked, which made her hiccup wildly, “I take it this is a, just friends, thing as well?”
“You have no room to talk!” She yelled, but Odysseus and I just laughed at her.
She rolled her eyes and stuck her hand in my face to act as a wall between us, “Pardon my intrusion, Odysseus, but aren’t you going to Siberia tomorrow? I was trying to get sent on one of the Earth explorations, so I wanted to see if you had room on your team?” She asked, taking a swig of sparkling cider as my jaw hit the floor. Odysseus cleared his throat nervously at the look on my face, making Praxis gulp. “Oh, I mean…?”
“Well, yeah, I kind of am. My Dad’s sending me on my first solo mission, so, um, not really a team thing, I suppose.”
“What’s the mission?” I sadly asked.
Odysseus awkwardly pushed a tomato around on his plate, “Pretty basic; spend some time in Siberia studying Human beings.”
“Why Siberia?” Praxis tried to ask to lighten the tension.
“I wanted to see snow,” he said blandly, shrugging.
A stagnant air fell between the group, and Praxis was aware that it wasn’t going to lessen anytime soon. “Well, I'm going to go get a dance in with Griffin! Last I need is someone stealing my date,” she cried, disappearing to wiggle out of the damage she had just caused.
It took a moment for one of us to break the tension. Odysseus turned to me with sad eyes; I smirked hesitantly, but was unable to shake my nerves. “Nick...?” He tried.
“When were you going to tell me?” I whispered.
“Tonight... after prom...” He sighed.
“What’s the real reason you chose Siberia?”
He fell quiet for a moment before he looked over his shoulder, then back to me, “I did some digging after what happened to you and Seb to try and trace some information about Pandora and her little pose, and stumbled upon a diamond in the rough. I'm going to retrieve something very important. It’s the answer to everything our parent’s aren’t telling us, and about where this nonsense with Pandora is stemming from.”
“What do you mean?” I breathed.
“It’s a sacred tome that’s been passed down by each set of Gods since the beginning of time. I can’t get into it much right now, but when I bring it back, I want all of the God’s kids to sit down and look through it together.”
“A tome...?” My throat swelled, and I clasped his hand nervously, “Odysseus, Pandora was reading the rituals she made us do out of a book just like that…?”
“I know, that’s why I’m going to get it.”
“Are you insane…?!”
“Shh, shh!” He pulled me closer to try and make me lower my voice, “She doesn’t have this book, Nick. My Dad hid it near Siberia, so I’m going to sneak out there and get it. We need answers on what’s going on, and if the Gods aren’t going to give them to us, then we need to take some initiative. I promise it’ll be fine.”
“Odysseus…?” I groaned.
“Hey, don’t worry about it for now. Let’s go make the best of tonight, ok?” He chirped, standing and holding his hand out to me. I couldn’t say no, not to that smile. I took his gesture, letting him lead me onto the dance floor to try and distract my worries. He took both my hands and twirled me once before pulling me into his arms, where he slid my hand up onto his shoulder and his own down to my waist. I slid my other arm around his neck, clasping my hands so he couldn’t leave my grasp. He pressed his forehead down to mine and moved us in a small circle, closing his eyes with a fragmented smirk that was covering a mixture of things.
I abruptly moved my hand to his cheek and titled his head up before I slowly leaned in and kissed him. Our parents screamed out like morons and snapped a thousand photos as we passionately twined lips, breaking apart to giggle at them. “What was that for?” He asked.
“Don’t worry about me. You promised you wouldn’t leave, and I'm holding you to that. I have to trust you, and you have to trust me.” I declared firmly.
“Nick...?” He whispered in awe.
“If our relationship is going to work, we have to work on trusting each other. I can’t just assume everything is over because you’re going away for a bit…”
“I do trust you,” he chuckled, twirling me again before catching my hands and pulling me close to him, “Why do you think we’re here? I couldn’t ever do this without you.”
“You say that, but look how confident you’ve been all night. You’re dancing in a room packed full of people; that’s a big step up from mute kid hiding behind his Dad?”
“Yeah, but you know the reason why I can do it.”
“Do I?” I taunted.
He rolled his eyes, making me laugh as he pecked my lips cutely. “Now you’re fishing for compliments,” he joked. The next song queued up, and made Odysseus’s eyes sparkle. “I didn’t think they’d actually play it!”
“What?” I asked.
“I requested this song for, you…?” He said, blushing wildly.
I blinked in pure awe as he leaned close to me, pressing our foreheads together before he began sweetly singing the song. My heart almost exploded at the sound of his voice. He sang like the purest of bells ringing on a Sunday morning. He knew every word to the sweet lullaby, and never took his eyes from mine. His eyes said it all; he truly wanted to be with me. This was his way of showing it, this whole event. He had forced himself to buy the tickets, slid into a monkey suit, and swallowed his fears to make us live out a normal night as normal teenagers.
He wanted my happiness.
The last chorus of the song played, and as it did, I slid a hand onto his cheek before singing the last few lines with him. Our voices melded together blissfully, and as the melody concluded, Odysseus blinked back a few stray tears that were trying to escape. His vulnerability pulled my heart strings, far beyond any magic he and I could ever conjure. Before I knew it, we were lovingly kissing under the twinkling stage lights, lost in a moment in time I wish I could have frozen so I could never stop living in it.