Alexandra Udinov (lilbabochka) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2018-01-16 16:22:00 |
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A Daughter of Zeus should not be afraid of heights. She should be commanding the air like her kid brother and flying around like a boss. But noooo, Thalia’d had to get caught by a bunch of Cyclopes and dangled over a cauldron, and develop a sense of terror about getting her feet off the ground ever since. But she’d done it a few times. She’d flown Apollo’s chariot (badly, but let’s not mention that part), and she’d even flown up a few stories to rescue Dawn when Angel had gone berserk. Sure, she’d lost her mind both times, but she’d done it. And she knew how useful it was to be able to fly. So she was working on it. And with the amount of snow on the ground, she knew at least she’d be cushioned if she fell. None of that seemed to matter, however, when she gathered enough wind to lift her feet off the ground. Because as soon as she left the ground, an intense sense of vertigo took over, and she tumbled back into the snow. “Korakas!” she swore, the Ancient Greek slipping in with her frustration. This was not going well. *** Sometimes, like anyone who had the kinds of skills she had, Alex liked to workout at the obstacle course. Yes, even in this cold. She was Russian. Being able to handle the cold was pretty much in her DNA. Besides, the brisk cold air had a way of being invigorating. What she was not expecting on her way was to see Thalia falling seemingly from above right into the snow. "Are you alright?" She ran over to her, trying to figure out what she could do to help. She was truly concerned for the woman she didn't know well, though she'd spoken to her on occasion at the training center. *** Oh great. And now there was a witness to her humiliation. Thalia sighed and picked herself up, then brushed the snow off herself. “I’m fine,” she muttered irritability. “Just slipped.” She squinted at the woman who’d come over, and tried to place her. “...Alex, right?” *** “Yeah, and you’re...Thalia?” It was such a pretty name, not one Alex had forgotten. She didn’t want to come off as over-confident, though. Or like a know-it-all. “That’s pretty easy to do in the weather, slipping, I mean.” She wasn’t entirely sure this was that kind of slipping situation. She didn’t say anything about it, though. “I’m ready for the warm weather to return.” That seemed like a safer topic. *** “Yeah, totally easy,” Thalia agreed, having no problem lying through her teeth even though it was obviously not the case. Hey, there was a safer topic introduced. Let’s go with that. “I feel like I’ve been shoveling snow for weeks now. It was only a matter of time.” She gave Alex a wry smile. “‘Course, when the warm weather returns, we’ll complain how hot it is. Life in Madison, am I right?” *** “Seriously,” Alex agreed. “Though I think I prefer cold to really hot and humid. I’m Russian. Kind of in my blood, I guess.” She grinned when she said it, a sign she was going for a light hearted joke of sorts. Though part of what she said was probably true. She could handle cold. “I’ll be glad for spring, though.” That was real truth. *** “I’m Greek,” Thalia responded with a grin. “Hot and humid is in my blood.” So was the blood of a god, but Thalia was a lot better about not bragging about it now. “So you’re Russian? Have you been in America for a while? You don’t have an accent.” *** “Oh yeah, been here awhile,” Alex told her. Of course, the way she got here was horrific, and she wasn’t about to get into that. She was in a great place in her life now. She found peace. She didn’t mention that she worked on losing the accent instead of it happening naturally. “Accent kind of went away over time.” It was sort of true. “But I’ll never forget where I’m from.” She was proud of her heritage, though she definitely had issues with the more problematic aspects of her home country. “What about you?” *** “Born in California,” Thalia said with a shrug. Which did explain her perfect English. “My dad’s Greek. Ish. He’s Zeus. You know, God of Thunder?” She spoke with pride. Despite the fact that Zeus was as deadbeat as deadbeat dads went, Thalia liked the prestige of being a child of one of the Big Three. *** “Huh.” Alex was pretty impressed to hear that, though she wasn’t completely in shock either. She’d been in this town long enough to know not everyone was exactly human. “My father wasn’t a god, but I sometimes think he thought he was.” She loved her father and and missed him always, but she knew he wasn’t always a great man. No one was, but, now that she was older, she knew he’d been involved in a lot of shady dealings. It’s partly what got him killed. *** Thalia smirked. “A lot of guys do. But it’s not like my dad was super involved -“ and that was an understatement - “so you’re not missing much.” She glanced down at the clump of snow she’d tumbled onto and sighed. Flying wasn’t going to happen today. “Hey, were you going to go for a walk or are you ready to head back to town? I could do with hot chocolate.” Alex seemed cool enough that Thalia wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Just not in the cold. *** Alex didn't have nearly enough time with her father before his life was cut short, but when he was alive, he was always there. She was lucky enough to have had the time with him that she did, and she would always cherish that. But this wasn't the time to dwell on such things, not when there was hot chocolate to be had! "You know what, I'll say screw it to my plans," she said with a little smile. "I could definitely go for some hot chocolate." Maybe she'd even get to know Thalia better. That was not a bad thing at all. |