Chapter Text
A R I A N
HE ALWAYS HAD THE HUNCH the boy in the back of his English class wasn’t a normal human. After all, how could someone who had the ability to simply breeze through life without ever even trying be simply human?
No, Arian was convinced Ceron Rey was a monster or spirit of sorts.
Though, he never had a chance to discuss his theories about the dark skinned boy with anyone else before he mysteriously disappeared. Most people didn't just disappear in the middle of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Even if it was a city, no one ever just vanished from everywhere, including others’ memories. It just wasn’t possible.
Arian was told by his teachers he was making up the other student. They said they worried the death of his father was finally taking its toll. That parentless children very commonly went crazy because of their lack of support. Arian would always just scowl and find somewhere else to go inquire about the mystery boy that came and went from his school. Today was no different.
Arian swept through the hallways, whispers following him like fossilized versions of his steps. He kept his head down, glaring at the louder of the gossiping students. He’d gone to school with most of these kids his whole life yet there was always a new rumor about how he lost his eye.
This week so far he’d heard it was a wound he got after killing his own father, or that he got it during his father’s murder a few months ago. None of that was true though. Sure, his dad had been killed, but not by him. As for his eye, well, he was just born with only one.
Regardless, Arian continued down the hall and stormed out of the school, uncaring that the day had yet to conclude. He couldn’t stand the school, he never could. The doors at the back of the building opened easily and the dry warm air rushed into the school like an air lock had opened.
He began down the path to the road and started towards the highway, deciding he’d just grab some food and head back to his current foster parents house.
The desert heat was intense, but nothing he wasn’t used to, having lived in New Mexico his whole life. He could see the heat rising off of the roads and sidewalks as he headed down them, having half a mind to take off his shirt. Alas, a shirtless, one-eyed kid wandering down a road alone during school hours was a recipe for trouble so he withheld.
After maybe fifteen minutes of trekking through the sweltering sun, he saw an autoshop come into view. Deciding he needed an air conditioned break, he beelined for the building, picking up his pace.
It was there, a few feet from the door he spotted Ceron Rey, cheerfully chatting to the shop’s owner. He looked perfect as ever, dark skin with freckles that looked like gold glittering in the sun. His hair seemed like a windswept, blinding halo. The grin the boy wore seemed to shine even brighter than the harsh desert sun beating down on them. The way Ceron seemed so perfect and had everyone wrapped around his finger never ceased to frustrate and disturb Arian. How could everyone not see how suspiciously perfect everything about the boy was?
He approached, moving to hide behind the building so hopefully the boy didn’t notice him. This was his chance to figure out what exactly was up with this kid and prove he absolutely was not crazy!
He could hear Ceron Rey’s perfect, honey-like voice project across the prairie, “You see, mister, I was wondering if you would mind me staying a night? I can just sleep on the bench in the longue, no room required!”
A small part of his brain urged him to offer his foster parents’ house as a place to stay instead but his general distrust of the other boy prevented him from acting on such a whim. It was odd, every time Ceron spoke and asked for something, Arian always got the urge to provide whatever it was. Most other people did give in, no matter how absurd the request was.
Once, he had heard Ceron ask someone if he could borrow their mom’s car. Later that week, he heard the same kid talking about how mad their mom was because her car had gone missing but reappeared a few days later.
No normal human being could ever have that kind of persuasion.
Arian refocused on the conversation between Ceron and the shop owner, realizing that dwelling on other weird things the golden boy had done would distract him from catching any new weird behavior to add to the list. No, there was not actually a physical list, but he could definitely write one.
The shop owner’s voice sounded like the crackle of fire when he spoke, “Ah, well of course. I should invite you to dinner too! What kind of host would I be if not?”
“You’re far too kind, sir,” he heard Ceron sigh in something near relief.
Arian almost scoffed, given how Ceron could get basically anything from anyone, he doubted simply asking the pizza place down the road for a meal wouldn’t have been a problem. Alas, leave it to a pretty face to use other people to get by in life. Pretty privilege was an unfortunate invention of man.
“Of course,” the man continued, sounding almost amused, “I mean, who would want a meal without the main course? I certainly wouldn’t.”
He heard Ceron let out a laugh, one that suddenly sounded tense. The normally honey quality of his voice was lost to the nerves now clear in it. “Ah, well, that sounds… promising, I guess. I just remembered my aunt asked me to dinner tonight though so I have to pass.”
Arian could hear a wheeze from his hiding spot around the wall of the building. It sounded like someone having the air squeezed out of them, painful and sickening to hear. He decided maybe now would be a good time to peek out from behind the wall to get a read on the scene.
The shop owner had turned into a grotesque creature of bones with flesh and nerves drooping off it. It staggered closer to an increasingly uncomfortable looking Ceron. That was part of what made it weird, though.
Ceron looked uncomfortable, not scared. Arian wondered if the other boy could see the monster for what exactly it was, but unless he was incredibly brave, Arian doubted it. So maybe he was wrong about Ceron being anything other than a typical human because only humans couldn’t see monsters.
“Sir, I think I should head over to where I’m supposed to see my uncle,” Ceron slipped up in his lie, though his voice was like honey again. The other boy was backing up towards the sidewalk, clearly wary of the monster now. “It’s been really nice talking to you, though.”
The monster wheezed again, and Arian realized it was laughing . It spoke with hisses and gurgling noises, “Oh, little demigod, you must be a fool. Your silly magic words do not work on the dead.”