Petra stood shoulder-deep in warm water that did little to conceal her. Jasson had been expecting Petra to swim in shorts and a shirt, like her more masculine apparel. But instead, she came out in a perky one-piece with a geometric pattern.
Huh, Jasson thought, I could have sworn they didn’t have the material science for that.
“I told you,” Petra said, “This is for recovery purposes only. Mana-infused water is amazing for recovery.”
“Is that so?” Jasson said, “Then why is your swimsuit so cute on you?”
“Shut up,” Petra turned away from Jasson, “It is not.”
Jasson grinned then said, “Are you gonna join Clara in the heat resistant zone?”
“Idiot,” Petra said, “Clara’s tougher than I am. I can only handle those temperatures for a brief time.”
Maybe it was the long day or some effect from the night before, or maybe it was seeing how identical twins looked in different swimsuits, but Jasson was feeling like saying some dumb things.
“Good to know,” Jasson said, “So…you have a swimsuit? I never would have taken you for the type to swim.”
“I excel at swimming,” Petra said, “And it was a two-for-one offer.”
“Well it looks cute on Clara,” Jasson grinned, “Which I guess means it must look cute on you. I think I see it now if I squint to look past the scowl.”
“Idiot!” Petra splashed Jasson with water and started swimming away.
“Running away?” Jasson said, “Or are you going for a crystal so you can kill me? Come on!”
Petra whirled and slammed a handful of water at Jasson, peppering him with irate spray. Jasson laughed and splashed back.
Clara shouted “OOH! Splash fight!”
Then a giant wave crashed into Jasson and bounced him against the bottom of the spring. Jasson came up with a gasp, coughing and grinning as he searched out Clara.
“Have some back!” Jasson cupped his hand for a precision shot and splashed toward Clara. Then Petra splashed the back of Jasson’s head and Jasson backed up, trying not to be surrounded.
“I shall fight the fruitless endeavor against the superior foe of Clara!” Harriet shouted, followed by several jets of water streaming toward Clara.
Clara cut her arm downwards and an explosive wall caught Harriet’s shots and nearly enveloped Harriet herself. Jasson didn’t catch what Harriet did but a moment later he saw her standing on Scott’s shoulders.
“Oh you’re a tricky one,” Clara said, stretching her shoulders, “I’ll have to be fast.”
“Hey, hey,” Scott Sterling waved his arms, “I don’t remember being part of this- AEEEOOF!”
What hit Scott could only loosely be defined as a splash. It was more like a waterfall turned sideways, fifty gallons of dihydrogen monoxide force meeting Scott’s face. Jasson watched as Scott was thrown out of the pool and crashed against the moss-covered wall. Then he held out a thumb.
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“I’m ok!”
Jasson felt another splash drill into the back of his head and turned to see Petra holding a blue crystal.
“Hey,” Jasson backed up, “Magic isn’t fair!”
“How else am I supposed to compete with Clara?” Petra said.
Jasson said, “But you’re not splashing Clar- erh!”
Petra nailed Jasson in the nose and Jasson coughed, wiping the water from his face.
“You can use magic too,” Petra said.
“I can’t,” Jasson said, “my phone doesn’t do well in water. It gets all wonky. Besides, you have our only water crystal.”
“Well then,” Petra stalked toward Jasson, an evil smile on her face, “You’ll just have to lose, won’t you?”
****
Once night swung into the sky above them, the echoing grotto spring felt like a soft cave of comfort. Jasson reclined against the wall, keeping an eye on Scott as the girls took turns in the changing room. By the time Harriett had ‘suffered to be last’, Jasson was satisfied with Scott. Nothing more than a lingering eye from the man as the blessed redhead sashayed from the changing room.
And I’m not jealous. Jasson thought. Not at all. After all, the body of a god isn’t a dad bod.
“Hah,” Jasson said, “As if.”
Scott looked over and motioned to the changing room, “You want to go?”
“In a minute,” Jasson swiped, “I want to watch this TikTik.”
Jasson watched as a man got eco-friendly veneer from his aunt and sighed. What he built looked so satisfying and helpful in small spaces. But the problem with Reflection Manor wasn't a lack of space, it was cutting exposure. Why were they here again? To look for crystals? Would they really find anything? And how would that help? Couldn't Petra make a shelter with her earth powers? Did it control metals like galvanized square steel?
Jasson looked up at the grotto's open top, Petra’s lights disappearing into the pitch. Jasson blinked.
“Guys,” Jasson said, “Are those…eyes?!”
Jasson laughed as the others looked at him, then said “That can’t be right. They’re too big.”
But they were eyes. Twin pupils reflected red in the magical lights, hovering in the black above the grotto the size of beach balls. Jasson felt a now familiar terror tingle (porportional to the observed change in threat level) as the great red eyes blinked.
Holy (*&#$! Jasson thought. It’s some kind of giant!
Jasson heard a commotion from Petra and Clara, and even Harriett didn’t add an overly loud comment. They all froze and watched as the eyes flicked around intelligently.
A large something slowly entered the cavern, a mess of tangled orange hair and calloused skin. Jasson stepped involuntarily backward and watched as the thing scooped water up to its mouth. Tombstone teeth and rotting breath greeted Jasson before the creature drank.
Oh. Jasson thought. That’s its hand!
“Hey,” Petra hissed, “Get ready idiot!”
Jasson started and fished the little light crystal from his pocket, opening MADaptation and praying that the beast didn’t sense him arming himself. Never removing his eyes from the monster, Jasson slotted the crystal in with a click.
The eyes fixed on him and his phone and the lips pulled back in a smile that exposed more teeth than Jasson had thought conceivable for a mouth. Something about the creature seemed genuinely interested in Jasson, and the light of disturbing intelligence was not something Jasson liked to see.
“OOK!” it said, then the hand disappeared above. Then the eyes shrunk into the distance.
Then it was gone.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” Scott burst from the changing room, “I- eek!”
Petra (hair-trigger pulled) buried her earthen bullet into the moss beside Scott's head.
“You #($-_ #)$+ of a @/$)_+-$!” Petra marched towards Scott, “Have some &-#() tact you mannerless bore!”
“Woah,” Scott backed into the changing room, holding the door protectively, “What happened.”
“It was amazing!” Harriet said, “It looked like a subset of Gigantopithecus! It would have broken me like a twig! And that intelligence! Horrifying and existential! Wonderful! I don't think that I will get any sleep tonight!”
Scott blinked and ducked away from Petra's chastising fist, then said, “Umm…anyone want to give me a straight answer.”
Jasson looked to Clara who motioned back to him.
Raising his eyebrows, Jasson said, “Okay. Umm…it was some kind of giant ape. Or a Bigfoot with orange hair. Its hand was bigger than I was tall and its teeth-”
Jasson shuddered. It felt like that one anime he’d seen clips of, the one with weird giants and walls. But…far too real.
“Oh!” Scott said, “That's the Great Fire Ape! He's good luck!”
****
A couple of minutes later, the party descended the mountain with great temerity, weapons at the ready. The creek burbled more disturbingly at night, and the timid light from Jasson’s phone did little to ease their jumpiness.
“I told you,” Scott said through a fat lip and triple bumps on his head, “He’s fine. A good omen, actually. If he’s here, the weaker monsters don’t dare show up. There’s no need to be worried.”
“I wasn’t worried,” Petra said, “I was tense. You are lucky that I just managed to swerve my bullet away from your head.”
Jasson couldn’t pay attention to the conversation, if it could be called that, and considered what he’d seen.
It was bigger than those wyverns. Jasson thought. But…something about it felt different. Powerful. And far too intelligent. I- well I’m glad it’s known for being peaceful.
Still, it had almost seemed to recognize him.