3.10. Goodbye to Magic(Kleio)
No matter what I told Donte, the worry wouldn’t leave me. Something wasn’t right. Even in bright daylight, I felt like I would during a full moon. On edge. Uncertain. Nervous. I’d been pacing all day, and now I turned from the bedroom window to back to the livingroom, still just pacing.
Orpheus and Galatea were there, staring outside and clinging to each other, as though they felt the same as I did. Orestes was by the bookcase and Donte stood in the middle of the room.
He came over to me as soon as he saw me and gave me a smile. It caught me off guard – I’d been in my own thoughts all day.
“What…?” I asked.
“Oh, wow, Kleio, isn’t it me who’s supposed to forget?” Forget? I looked at him like he’d suggested that the grass outside was bright red. Then he rolled his eyes at me, but he pulled me into a tight hug and whispered: “Happy anniversary.”
“Goodness I forgot?”
He chuckled. “Of course you did. It’s okay, that’s why I’m here.”
I pulled him closer and snuggled in his warmth. “Don’t ever leave me.”
“Oh, wow, that’s so touching.”
We all turned as an eerily familiar voice sounded. Minerva was casually walking into our living room. She laughed.
“Happy anniversary. It’s your anniversary, right? I should know – I was at your wedding.”
“Oh, hi there, buddy, how’re you?”
We spun. She was talking to Orestes.
“What? No… how…”
“Minerva…”
“Remember our deal, Orestes?” she said. “You haven’t really done what I asked of you yet, have you?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“Hey, wait, you’re that woman!” It was Orpheus. He and Galatea walked towards Minerva, Orpheus with recognition in his eyes. “You gave me that potion.”
“Potion?” Galatea said. “What…?”
“Yes, yes, I gave that to you, sweet boy. You can thank me later.”
“You got what from Minerva?” Donte asked, a horrified expression on his face.
Orpheus explained: “When I was a kid, she gave me a bottle and told me to give it to Gally and… I did and that’s why she became real.”
“She… who is she?” Galatea asked.
Minerva rolled her eyes. “If you like, you can call me ‘Mummy’ and you’re welcome, by the way. Orestes. I really need you to do that thing. Remember?”
“Orestes, what is going on?” I asked. “What on Earth have you been up to?”
He didn’t answer me.
“Orestes?”
“She… helped me.” He finally looked at me. “She’s the only friend I’ve ever had.”
“That’s not true!” It was Galatea who was talking now. “Oh, Orie, I didn’t mean what I said the other day, I really didn’t…”
“Oh, be quiet!” Minerva laughed. “You couldn’t care less about him. None of you could. You do realise that, don’t you, boy? These are the people who cast me out, my own dear family.”
“That’s not true!” Weak words, I knew, but I cried them out anyway, hoping that somehow my voice sounded more sincere than the words suggested.
“You’re not sorry, are you, Minerva? I guess I should have known you’d try and charm your way through this, as usual,” Donte said. “And you know very well why nobody wants you anymore.”
“I told you – he won’t forgive me.” Minerva basically ignored Donte and kept staring at Orestes, but she was sounding less in control than usual. “Now help me and throw the elixir. I’ll give you everything if you just-”
“Wait, elixir? What…?”
“Orestes, is that…?”
I stared in horror as Orestes raised his hand, holding an elixir. One that I knew very well. The eerie blue glow was one I was familiar with by now. I knew exactly what she’d wanted.
“Orestes, please don’t-“
Time stood still and then glass shattered, and everyone was silent. And when the glass hit the floor…
Minerva stood quietly in front of us. No longer feeling ominous, threatening, not quite so wrong. Just… like a normal person.
“It was a cure elixir,” Donte said quietly. “She… gave you that?” He was looking at Orestes who refused to look at any of us.
“She wanted me to throw it at you. I don’t know why but because I didn’t know what it was…”
“You…” Minerva looked at him, stunned. “You removed… my powers.”
“You little… you… You… How dare you! After all I did for you!”
“All you did for me?” Orestes almost sounded bored. “All you did was negated when I saw the look on my mother’s face. I don’t know why she doesn’t like you, but that’s enough for me.”
“I see.” The whitehot anger that I’d seen in her eyes only moments before vanished. “And I had such great plans for you, too. An Ithaca-Vicentia-kid. Had potential.” She’d been on her knees, and now she got up, looking at Orestes icily. “Good thing I have a back-up plan.”
Donte shook his head. “I’d like to see what you can do without magic. And now I think it’s time you leave before I call the authorities.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry, Donny-boy, I’m out of here. See you in… oh, that’s right, you’ll be dead by then. But you.” Her eyes burned as she looked at Orestes. “I’ll be seeing you in the future.”
And then she left.
Only when she was gone did Orestes look anything but calm and collected. He turned to me, shaking slightly.
“Oh sweetie, come here.” He almost fell into my arms and clung to me tightly. “My baby boy, my sweet little boy.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. “I’m so sorry.”
“You couldn’t know. We should have told you about her. Both of you,” I said, looking at Orpheus. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you felt that way.”
“It’s not over.” He sounded on the verge of tears. “There’s something… something she was looking for and I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s important.”
He pulled away from me and tried to discreetly rub his eyes of tears.
“What is it?” Donte asked.
“I don’t know, but she’s been looking for something and she’s been really busy with it, too.”
“So…?”
“Egypt, it’s in Egypt. I think I need to go to Egypt.”
[Author’s note: And that was it for generation 3! Yeah! If you think I’m happy with this ending you don’t know me haha… Anyway, yeah, the heir, as you might have guessed, is my boy Orestes. So, we’ll see what happens!]
