Chapter Sixteen
Confession
The short walk along my lifeline through the screen isn’t long enough to decide how to explain things to my cousin. Eric is standing in the pit, staring at the screen as I step out of the video of my parents in the yard.
He sees me, takes an unsteady step backward, and drops the remote control.
“What -” He blinks and swallows hard. “How did you do that? I mean, one minute I’m standing here alone wondering what your parents -” His voice catches a little on the word. “- what they’re doing on the screen, and the next minute you just appear out of nowhere, like you - like you walked through the wall or something.”
He’s shaking his head as if he doesn’t believe what he’s saying. Then he looks down, sees the remote, and bends to pick it up. I can see his hand is shaking a little. He fumbles before he can hold on to it, then just drops down into the closest seat.
“I looked around for my dad,” he says, not looking at me. “I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
He finally looks up at me directly. “What happened this morning, Mort? Did you really go out in the boat alone and tip it over? Or was he with you?” When I don’t say anything, he adds, “And how did you - how -” The words run out, and he gestures toward the screen with the remote.
I owe Eric some answers. His father owes him some answers! But since it’s my fault his father isn’t here, I guess I have to say something. I just have to figure out what. I was really hoping I could stall him until my parents get here, since Dad promised to have some ideas, but I never thought he’d be in the pit when I got back.
“Eric,” I start. The words that come out surprise me. “Do you miss your mom?”
“What?” He blinks hard and shakes his head, like he’s trying to clear it. “I asked you about my dad.”
“I know,” I tell him, “but do you miss your mom?”
He shrugs uncomfortably. “I guess so. But I can hardly remember her. It’s just been dad and me.”
“Can you remember when she died?” I’m thinking that if I can somehow explain to him that his dad killed his mother and my parents, he’ll understand why I sent his dad to Hades. Then when my parents get here, they can explain all the rest of the family secrets.
Eric stands up. The remote slides to the floor, but this time he doesn’t bother to reach for it. “Look, I know you’re upset about your parents dying, Mort, but I don’t want to talk about Mom.”
“This is important,” I insist.
“Look—all I remember is that it was summer, and you and your folks were here. I was playing, okay?” The words come out in a rush. “I don’t think we were playing together, you and me, but I don’t know. I think I can remember her lying on the floor, but maybe I’m imagining it. I don’t know! And I don’t care right now. What I care about is how you came out of that screen, and what happened with my dad this morning!”
His eyes widen suddenly as he says that. Eric’s not stupid. He says slowly, “You weren’t playing with me that day, were you?” He steps forward. “Were you with my mom when she died?” He takes another step toward me. “Were you with her, Mort?” Another step. “And were you with my dad this morning?”
We’re almost nose to nose, and I step back, closer to the screen.
“Did you do something to them?”
“Eric,” I try to explain, “you don’t understand.” This isn’t going at all the way I hoped.
“I think I’m beginning to,” Eric says grimly. He takes another step forward and shoves me, hard enough that it hurts. “What did you do to them, Mort?”
I back up some more, holding up my hands in the universal gesture of surrender. “Hey, man, stop it!”
I want to tell him I didn’t do anything, except that’s not exactly the truth, is it? Dad’s right about Eric being angry.
Anyway, he’s not listening. He’s coming at me with his fists raised. I try to jerk to one side, but his punch lands on my shoulder, hard. “What did you do?” As he pulls back for another punch, he demands, “And your parents—did you do something to them, too?”
This time I throw out an arm to block his fist, but he ducks under me and punches my stomach. I double over, gasping. “Stop it, Eric! Let me explain -”
But he doesn’t give me the chance. He swings again. This time I jump to one side, so one of the cushioned seats is between us, but Eric’s too fast. He sidesteps it almost before I realize he’s moved, and his fist connects with my jaw.
I stumble back as he comes around the seat. My neck’s burning from my head being snapped back by his last punch, and my shoulder hurts and I feel like I want to throw up. “Just - wait -”
Eric isn’t waiting. I see his fists coming, and I drop to the floor and roll toward him, hoping to trip him. But he’s too fast for me again. He grabs me, and when I curl up, trying to protect myself, he kicks me in the ribs.
That hurts worst of all, and I’ve had it. I tangle my legs in his and he loses his balance, but he rolls free before I can land a punch of my own. This is ridiculous. I’m no great fighter, but I’ve had my share of run-ins with jerks at school, and I’ve landed plenty of punches while I was reminding myself to feel sorry for them, like Dad had told me. I always thought Eric was kind of a wimp, who only fought on his game console.
Now he’s rolled on top of me, and he’s raining blows on my chest because I’ve got my hands covering my face. I’m shouting at him to stop, but he’s not listening. He’s too busy demanding, “Tell me what you did to my dad! Tell me now, or I’ll kill you!”
Yeah, sure. I’m the one who could kill him, not the other way round. Only I don’t have the breath to say that, in between sucking up the blows he’s hammering on me and trying to get in a punch of my own. He’s just too fast…
I remember watching Eric on his Wii, and marveling at his awesome reflexes. He’s so unbelievably fast...Eric’s father is Karon...
Eric is a demigod! I remember reading about Hercules and Perseus. Demigods have special powers, like Herculean strength. And Eric has these incredible reflexes.
I’m nowhere near as fast as my cousin. There’s no way I can beat him, and there’s no way I can make him stop. The only thing I can do—the only power I have— my only chance to survive this—is to kill him.
– End Chapter Sixteen –
