Chapter Text
“And so, now you have to do is move X over to the right…”
Magnus had only started his last period of the day, algebra II. He wasn’t very sure how he got into a higher math class; he was never very good at it. Almost everyday he would ask Sam for help, and in the end, even she could hardly break the barrier Magnus had in his mind.
He always thought he was better at science, which was funny to him, since science contained quite a bit of math.
Well, the only science he really enjoyed was biology and ecology. He loved learning about nature and life, and how it worked. It always reminded him of his parents. They loved nature as much as he did, if not even more.
A lot of times when Magnus was younger, his parents would take him out to little hikes here and there. Eventually, as he got older, they became less frequent, since Magnus’s asthma got worse. That, or because apartment rent kept going up, and they needed to work more to sustain the small lifestyle they had.
Magnus didn’t come from much, but he was happy with what he had. Sure, quite often he would be reminded on how little he was given, but in the end, he was still content.
From time to time, though, he would feel sad. It got hard when people were constantly reminding you of what you don’t have. Even if it’s not intentional.
Magnus tried his hardest to not let his feelings slip out in front of others. He felt like people would make fun of him. That’s why he only trusted his small friend group.
But then again, sometimes they even reminded him of what he lost, and he certainly knew it was never on purpose.
His friends all had lost something, and that was probably why they eventually found each other. And Magnus was so grateful for his friends; they never left his side and tried to encourage him as much as they could.
Except in algebra. They weren’t in the same class as he was, so he was left to deal with his problems alone.
The biggest problem being a curly haired red head named Fenris.
Today, Fenris decided to disrupt precious work time to announce that Magnus was doodling flowers along his notes.
Magnus wasn’t afraid to draw on his notes, since nobody else but him looked at them. He was drawing some carnations and tulips, his favorite flowers. They lined the border of the page, detailed and lustrous. He was really proud of his work. Fenris, though, thought it was a joke, and another opportunity to break Magnus’s self-esteem.
“Cute flowers Maggie-Pie! Hey guys look at the cute little flowers Mag drew!” Fenris slipped the paper from under Magnus’s hands, crumpled it up, and chucked it across the room to Spencer. He caught it, unraveled it, and began to laugh. He then passed it down to some of the other kids who were friends with Fenris.
“Wow this is so gay.” Said a kid named Michael. He crumpled the paper back up and threw it at Magnus’s head. The paper fell to the ground, right under Fenris’s desk.
Magnus just lowered his head, his hair covering his face again. He liked that, because his face felt so hot and he was sure his eyes were tinged red.
He tried to grab the paper, but Fenris was faster. He kicked the paper away from Magnus, and also kicked his hand. Magnus bit back a squeak, trying to keep his head down as long as possible.
“Nuh-uh Maggie. This isn’t yours anymore. I think it belongs in an art museum!” Fenris grabbed the ball of paper and threw it across the room again, making a straight shot into the trashcan. All his friends began to whoop and howl, and Fenris smiled his unforgiving malicious smile. Sometimes, it reminded Magnus of a wolf. There was nothing human about him.
Magnus took a deep breath, and pulled out a sheet of loose-leaf paper. He didn’t know what to do, since his notes were gone, so he decided to try his best and wing the problems in his text book.
“Hey Magnus! What’s with all this hair anyways?” Fenris called out. Magnus had his head lowered again, his nose almost touching the desk. Fenris turned around and grabbed a lock of Magnus’s blond hair.
“You’re sure not impressing anyone with it. Ew, I think I got grease on my fingers.” He tugged on Magnus’s hair, pulling out a few strands. Magnus felt more tears in his eyes, not sure of how much longer he could take it. Fenris was being extra malicious today. Maybe because the year was so close to being over.
Suddenly, the bell rung, and everyone stood up and started to leave the classroom. Magnus tried to linger as long as could, so that nobody could see his face. He quickly wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand, and shoved everything into his backpack.
He walked up to the front of the classroom, and was about to grab his notes from the trash, when Prof. Loki came up behind him.
“Magnus, what are you doing?” He asked, a slight sneer on his face. His autumn leaf colored hair was combed over in a neat pompadour. He was wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Magnus didn’t remember a day throughout his freshmen year that Prof. Loki didn’t look classy.
“My um notes. They’re in here…” He weakly pointed to the trashcan.
Prof. Loki’s sneer only deepened.
“Magnus, I know you really don’t care about math, but don’t waste my papers. This is probably the reason you’re failing my course. If I see this once again, it’s a 50-minute detention. Are we clear?”
Magnus didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t even the one to throw away his papers. It was all Fenris’s fault—
“Magnus.” Loki snapped his fingers in his face. “Are you deaf? I said. Are. We. Clear?”
“Y-yes.” Magnus replied, instantly looking away from his math teacher’s eyes. Just like his nephew, Loki’s eyes held a sort of dullness. They were bright blue, but nothing kind nor understanding could be found in them.
“Good. See you tomorrow.” Loki said, turning around and plopping down at his desk.
Magnus took the opportunity to quickly grab his crumpled notes from the trashcan, and rushing out of the classroom. He decided to take the elevator upstairs; he didn’t want to see people at the stairways.
He walked out of the elevator, looking at his shoes as he walked, and tried to find his locker. Unfortunately, there was already somebody there. He wasn’t sure who it was, since he refused to look at their face, but he hoped it wasn’t Fenris.
“Hey Magnus—oh, what’s wrong?” Rang out T.J’s cheerful voice.
Normally, Magnus loved hanging around T.J. They got along very well, and it was safe to say T.J was his best friend, tied in with Hearth and Blitz. He always confided in him, if Hearth and Blitz weren’t around. Thomas Jefferson Jr. knew almost everything that went on in Magnus’s life, especially anything concerning Fenris.
But today, Magnus didn’t feel like talking to him. He just wanted to go home, shut himself in his room, and sleep for the rest of the afternoon.
That, or paint.
“Nothing, just stressed.” Magnus said, scooting slowly over to his locker, trying to avoid T.J’s eyes. But T.J could read him like a hawk.
“Nah, stressed doesn’t seem right. C’mon, what’s wrong? You know you can trust me.” T.J leaned on the lockers next to Magnus’s. He did that whenever he was talking seriously with Magnus. Most likely to get to his eye level.
“No, it’s—Fenris. Stupid notes in math. I just had a rough day all day, T.J. I just want to go home.” Magnus’s throat felt like it was closing up, and his eyes stung.
So much for not wanting to talk to T.J. Now, Magnus wanted to open up and let his feelings out. Everything seemed to be going downhill for him, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.
“Hey man it’s okay! Don’t cry. Let’s go grab a sundae. It’s on me, don’t worry.” T.J’s voice softened.
“I—I don’t know.” Magnus said, a small hiccup escaping his throat.
That wasn’t something Magnus usually did. He never let his feelings out in public, much less in front of his friends. It was rare he actually stayed and let T.J sooth him. If it were any other instance, he would have left and locked himself in the bathroom.
“Please? Mallory and Gunderson are gonna be there.”
Magnus took a second to decide, then shook his head.
“Can you just take me home, T.J? I don’t want to walk.”
The time read 2:56, way past the last bell. Most of the students from Valhalla high were already gone, which meant they were busy clogging up the sidewalks.
“Yeah, that’s cool. Can you call Mallory and tell her I’m gonna be late?”
“Okay.” Magnus said, softly. He rubbed his nose and grabbed his lock, attempting to open it. But he just couldn’t concentrate. He gave up, and decided that going home without his Spanish binder wouldn’t kill him. That meant he could take more time painting.
After walking down the bare hallways, T.J tried making small talk with Magnus, but nothing seemed to work. Magnus’s mouth stayed shut.
He felt bad about it, but he was so devoid of energy that even walking to T.J’s car was hard.
Once Magnus clicked his seat belt into place, he pulled out his phone to call Mallory. But instead, he found a few text messages from Sam and Blitz.
Hey, where were u? Didnt see u after 10th.
Magnus!
Magnus!
Magnus!
Ok fine im going to Ollie’s. Mal and G r there too. If u wanna talk we’ll be there.
Blitz’s read: you going to Ollie’s?
Sam says to answer her texts, she’s fuming.
Magnus ignored the messages, and instead went to dial Mallory’s number.
It rang and rang, but she didn’t pick up. He decided to text her instead, still leaving the messages from Sam and Blitz unread.
Hey TJ says hes gonna be late. Hes dropping me off at home.
Sorry.
He locked his phone, then slipped it into his pocket. T.J, thankfully, remained quiet during the car ride.
Once Magnus reached his apartment, he quietly said goodbye to T.J and ran inside. He had a lot of sulking to do.
***
Nobody was home. As per usual.
His aunt, Freya was busy working at the town’s most popular salon, the Red-Gold Maiden.
Magnus wasn’t sure how she handled all the stress, since she was literally never home. But then again, she wouldn’t be manager if she couldn’t take it.
He kicked his shoes off, letting them tumble into a lazy mess. He then dragged himself into the kitchen, aiming for the ebony cabinet. Grabbing his two mugs, he quickly slammed it shut, and then trudged up the stairs.
He tossed his bag onto the bed, not realizing that his dog, Jack was sleeping right under the spot it had landed on. Jack’s whine was so high pitched, Magnus nearly dropped the mugs.
“Oh! Jack, I’m so sorry! What are you doing under there?”
Jack, obviously not being able to talk, just stared at Magnus with his big blue eyes. His tail was tucked in between his legs.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you under all those blankets.”
It was funny, because even though Jack was huge, he acted like he was a small dog. Magnus only had his aunt’s cat to blame. Jack grew up with the cat, which Magnus was sure influenced his behavior.
He still remembered the day he had gotten Jack.
It was after his parent’s accident.
Frey and Natalie Chase had decided to go up hiking for their anniversary, to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
It was only going to be for a week. Magnus was sent to stay with his aunt.
Of course, he was devastated. He loved hiking with his parents, and the White Mountains were his favorite. Every year they’d go, and every year Magnus would come along. Though his asthma would cause him to struggle during the hikes, he still loved them.
But he respected the fact that his parents were celebrating a special moment in their life. Even if he complained out loud about it.
“But you guys can do it again next year! Anniversaries are annual!”
Natalie chuckled, leaving Magnus to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why are you laughing?”
“Magnus,” Frey leaned down, resting both hands on Magnus’s shoulders. “You’re almost twelve now, and I’m sure you understand that your mom and I want to take a trip alone for a bit.”
Magnus pouted. “Yeah I know… But we always go together! As a family!”
Frey’s eyebrows knitted. “How about a compromise; when we come back, we’ll plan a trip to Blue Hills, for your birthday. A family trip. We can take Annabeth along.”
Magnus’s face lit up. “Really?!”
“Yes, really. But you have to promise us you’ll behave while we’re gone.”
“I promise. But now you guys have to promise me something.”
“Oh boy.” Frey said, standing up straight, a laugh slipping from his lips.
“What is it, pumpkin?” Natalie said, grabbing both of Magnus’s hands gently.
“You have to swear you’ll come back.”
Natalie and Frey both turned to look at each other, a silent understanding passing through them. Oh Magnus.
Natalie smiled. “Magnus, why would we ever leave you?”
“Promise!”
“We promise.” Frey said, scooping Magnus and Natalie into a huge hug. Magnus was laughing, as he held onto his mom and dad.
“Okay, then I guess I’ll see you in a week.” He said, trying to escape his parent’s arms. But Frey’s grip was strong.
“Bye pumpkin!” Natalie said, breaking the hug and grabbing one of the suitcases by the dining table. Her and Frey began to pull on their winter jackets and boots.
“See you in a week.” Frey said, after gathering their belongings. Natalie walked over to Magnus and kissed him on the forehead. “Freya will come to pick you up in ten. Be the good kid we know.” She said, with her signature wink.
“Bye mom, dad. I love you!” Magnus said, watching them exit their apartment door.
“Love you too kiddo.” Frey said.
Magnus waited until the door closed. As soon as it did, he ran up to his room and threw open the curtains. He saw his parents loading their suitcases into the trunk of their car. Natalie caught Magnus watching them. She waved, tugging on Frey’s coat to get his attention. He waved too.
Magnus waved back, a huge smile on his face. He couldn’t wait until they came back; he loved having family trips with Annabeth.
He watched the car drive off, light snow falling on the street. It was dark already, and the street lamps reflected a golden glow off the snow. Magnus was sad, but felt something unusual too. Something like fear, in his gut. Magnus was always taught to respect his gut feelings.
He shrugged it off, worrying about gathering his art supplies for his week-long stay at Freya’s.
“Magnus.” Freya called from the living room. “Can you… come downstairs please?”
Magnus was confused. It had only been three days into the week his parents were gone, and Freya usually didn’t bother Magnus while he was painting. But the tone in her voice was different. It sang out with grief and worry.
“Coming Aunt Freya!” Magnus yelled, rinsing his paint brush in the mug. He gently laid it on a paper towel.
He ran downstairs, wondering all the possible things that could have come up. Maybe his parents came home early, or Freya was going to surprise him with a pastry from the bakery next door.
But instead, he was greeted with Freya clutching a tissue and her cellphone. Her eyes were red, and tears kept slipping down her cheeks.
"Aunt Freya, what’s going on?” Magnus said, a wave of panic surging through him. What was going on?
Suddenly, her doorbell rang, causing Magnus to jump. He was sure she wasn’t expecting anybody.
Freya rushed to the door, opening it to find Fredrick Chase and Annabeth. Annabeth had flowers in her hand, and tears streaming down her face.
“Annabeth!” Magnus yelled, running over and grabbing the bouquet. He laid them on the table, simultaneously grabbing a few napkins and handing them to Annabeth. She took them, then pulled Magnus into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry.” Was all she said, gripping Magnus’s shirt tighter.
“What? Why?” He said into her shoulder. Annabeth had always been an inch taller than Magnus, but that never really bothered him.
“I—I can’t.” Annabeth started sobbing, each hiccup causing Magnus’s heart to rip into pieces.
“Annabeth what’s wrong?” Magnus said, feeling tears prick his eyes. He pulled away from the hug, and stared into the stormy grey eyes identical to his.
“Magnus,” Fredrick said, lightly grabbing his hand. “Your…” He wiped a tear away from his eye.
"Me? Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” He said, anger boiling inside. Even though he was young, his parents always told him anything that was going on. Good or bad.
“Magnus, your…” Freya continued, letting Fredrick sooth Annabeth. “Your mother and father got into an accident.” She covered her mouth, a few seconds passing before she spoke up again. “Your father is in the hospital. And…”
“And Natalie.” She deeply inhaled. “Your father is in a coma, we don’t know for how long… And your mother. Natalie was killed. There—there was an accident.” A sob escaped from her throat, and Freya swallowed.
"I’m so sorry Magnus. I’m so sorry.” Uncle Fredrick whispered, letting Annabeth scoot near Magnus.
Dead.
His mother. His dad. An accident.
Silence filled the room, and Magnus felt all the blood drain from his face. Everything was too still, too quiet.
They promised.
His parents promised.
“No,” Magnus whispered. His throat felt like it was constricting with every breath he took. “No. They’re okay. They promised me.”
His eyebrows were knitted, and his eyes were wide open with disbelief.
"They promised me! THEY’RE COMING HOME!” He yelled. Nobody said anything in return. Freya tried walking up to Magnus, but he kept backing up.
“WHERE ARE THE—” His voice cracked, and he fell to his knees.
He couldn’t believe it. No, his parents, his mom was fine. They were okay, and this was just a bad dream.
He felt someone’s arms around him, not realizing it was Annabeth’s until he saw the lock of blonde hair.
"Mommy… dad.”
Magnus pushed his palms into his eyes. He hated remembering that day, but it surfaced up as often as it could.
He couldn’t believe two years had already passed. It always felt like it happened yesterday.
He quickly composed himself, wiping his nose on a paper towel he had on his desk.
The only (sort of) good thing that came from the accident was his dog. Freya had her job, so that meant Magnus was left alone almost all day. Annabeth begged her dad to move to Boston, but it wasn’t something possible for his family.
So, about a week after, Freya took Magnus to the local shelter to pick out a pet. She kept trying to convince him to get a cat (so that hers would get along with it), but Magnus didn’t listen.
He spotted a puppy in the far corner, curled up and fast asleep. Its cage seemed relatively new, so Magnus assumed it was a recent drop off.
He walked over to it, hoping he wouldn’t disturb its peaceful sleep. It didn’t really work, since it immediately popped its head up once Magnus reached the cage.
Its eyes were a deep blue, something unusual from the dogs Magnus saw almost every day in Boston.
Its coat was thick and golden, with a few patches of mocha on its back. Its tail was long and fluffy, the entire thing golden-brown too. This dog was so odd, but Magnus took a liking to it.
“You like him?” Someone asked. Magnus realized it was one of the shelter’s employees.
“Yeah.” Magnus said, holding his gaze with the puppy.
“He’s a mutt you know… We found him nearly drowned and frozen to death on the streets about a week ago. He’s been refusing to eat and drink. Are you sure you want to take responsibility…?” The employee’s voice faltered. Magnus didn’t realize. But Freya was giving the worker an icy stare.
“Well, as long as you’ll love him, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
Magnus turned his head, giving Freya a pleading look. “He’s the one.”
Freya’s face softened, and she nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be a great addition to the family.”
Magnus turned back to look at his new dog. The puppy locked eyes with him again, this time wagging his tail slowly. Magnus smiled, feeling a small pang of happiness. He didn’t know how, but he knew he felt some kind of connection with the pup.
Once all the paper work was done, Magnus was allowed to hold his dog the entire car ride.
“What kind of dog are you?” he whispered.
“Apparently, he’s a golden retriever and husky mix. Isn’t that the weirdest thing?” Freya said, silently laughing.
Magnus didn’t even know how that was possible. But nonetheless, he loved the dog.
“You look like a… Jupiter?” The dog remained still in his hands.
“How about Jack?” This time, the dog’s ears perked up, but that was it.
“Jack it is.” Magnus said, burying his face in Jack’s small form.
And now, Jack was here, huge and sleeping.
“What a weird dog.” Magnus mumbled to himself, eyeing Jack as he found a new spot on Magnus’s bed to sleep.
Magnus placed the two mugs on his desk, then went to pull out a few boxes from under the bed. He used to have a bag to carry his art supplies, but after a year his collection grew, and Freya kept pestering him to use boxes.
He pulled out a few brushes and paint, and tossed them on the table.
Today, he was going to paint flowers. His mother’s favorite, daisies.
Maybe later, he could go and visit his dad in the hospital. Even though he couldn’t see his art, Magnus tried to bring something new every few weeks.
As he began to paint, he tried to imagine the day his dad would wake up and see all the paintings Magnus left for him.