I climb into the backseat of my family's minivan, conveniently big because I'm an only child. "Who's ready for some fun!" My mom exclaims. She is always trying to make this trip super exiting, but it's not. We always go to the same old, one room, termite infested house. After about 3 hours of mountains, forest, and coastline, we make it.
I step out of the car, just looking at this place makes me grimace "Come on, cheer up Axel." my dad says, "I'll go down to the beach." I respond. "Just don't run into any sharks." mom pipes in, She's always making jokes. I laugh with her. I walk down the old wooden path, thankful for shoes because of all of the splinters. As soon as I get to the beach, I see a strange mound of rocks at the edge of the woods, with carvings. That's not the weirdest thing I've seen here, but it looks really cool. Even though I'm not a kid, I build a sandcastle on the top of it. I don't know why, but it was a rebellious thought. I keep walking around the beach for a while. By the time I get back, it's dark. I pull out the couch bed and fall asleep.
I wake up to a weird smell, mom had left the milk out over night. Gross. I go to take it out with the garbage, because they were nowhere to be seen. I go out to the trashcan, the car was still here. So I go to the beach to see if they are there. What I find instead is shocking, on the rock, instead of carvings, the words WE ARE MAD is inscribed on the rocks. With where I built my sand castle, completely out of reach of the tide, completely gone. Something is up, whoever this mysterious WE was, they were mad and they took my parents. I have to get to the bottom of this.
I go back to the house to get some supplies. A flashlight, some PopTarts, my switchblade, some water bottles, and my backpack. In case I find anything. I go out to the rock again, this time I ignore the writing and I find the smallest rocks off to one side, I start to dig. As I predicted, there was something under, a stairwell leading down. I descend, with my flashlight on, and come across a fork. Then I see something, my parents down one path, but these weren't them.
They were distorted, fake, I turn the other way. That's when they disappear. I knew my future choices will not be so easy. I forge on. Only to find 3 doors. One made of glass, with a wall right behind it. A wooden one that looked to be from our beach house, and a steel one, with chains a padlocks. My common sense told me to go through the wooden one, but I didn't, it was to real. I try the glass one, which of course had a wall behind it. The steel door was locked, or was it? I walk up to it, and it opened! I go through, with another puzzle to be found.
I see a pit of lava rising steadily through the chamber, and a tightrope leading across. I want to cross, then I look down, it wasn't even tied to the edge! one step would send you tumbling down, with the lava fairly below me. I jump, grab the rope, and swing across. Using all my strength, I manage to climb up and run out the door, awaiting my next puzzle. I don't even know why I'm here, but it just seemed to happen, like I was meant to do it. So I did.
This time, there are three chairs. My distorted mother, distorted father, and something else. It was like a shadow, but it had it's own form. Below me, sat a small table with a gun, I picked it up. I knew what was expected of me, but I couldn't do it. I've come this far and, wait. This isn't real. I would never have the strength to climb that rope, the lava would have felt hot, This chamber wouldn't be able to be made of sand. It was all fake. I raise the gun to my own head, and one piercing sound before everything went black.
I wake up in a cold sweat. Everything was white, I was dead. I stand up, there is a man in front of me, it was my dad. I run up to him, then he puts up his hand. "You have been in those tests for a long time Axel, now you have succeeded." I didn't understand, it wasn't that long, was it? Where was I, anyway? "I know you will have many questions, Axel, but we must hurry." It was like my dad could read my mind. we walked for a while now, until we came upon a ridge. "You have always known me as your father, but this is not true. I am Zeus, and this is our real home." I walked up a path, to see a huge mansion in the clouds. As I neared, it sprung to life. Color fulfilled the land, and mom was sitting on the porch, reading a book."Mom!" I called, and we ran to embrace. "Oh honey, I'm so proud of you! Nobody has ever done that on the final test!" she exclaimed."What?" I asked. "Athena, he doesn't know." Zeus stepped in, "We are a part of a society of the clouds, once every century, a new youth is created in place of an elder. They are put through a series of tests, to be put into a class." he stated "What class am I in?" I pondered. "Sweetheart, you've been upgraded, your royalty! You've sacrificed yourself in temptation, strength under pressure, and compassion. We are so proud of you." mom stated. This was going to be exciting.
I go up to see how my room is, it was amazing. I had a big four poster bed, a balcony overlooking the edge of the cloud, and a desk with a small library on the side. I go to the closet, were I see a small stool in the middle, and lavish clothes neatly pressed and hung on racks. I choose one plaid shirt and some jeans, the only normal thing here, then I go outside. I walk up to my mom's room"Why am I here anyway?" I ask. "Oh sweetheart, your here to rule the sky, that is why you went through the tests." She said, beaming "Tomorrow, you are to ride up to the castle." mom stated. "Okay." I mumble.
I didn't get much sleep last night. Everything I knew was crumbling apart, and then it did again. I wake up to the sound of crying, dad was comforting mom "Hey Axel." mom said with a smile. "What's wrong?" I ask, "Your Mom was cutting some unions for the omelets when I gave her an idea, we got you a carriage to take your stuff in!" he exclaimed. It was like they wanted me to go, like they didn't want me here. I step outside to see a small carriage. About the size of those two seater ones you see around christmas time. My stuff was already packed, and a black exiting o pull it "Wow, thanks guys." I say with an awkward smile, I climb up and wave goodbye. The I flick the reigns, this wasn't so bad. "Just drive off the edge of the cloud, you'll see it." dad called. Was he crazy!? You can't drive off the edge of a cloud! Then again, we were floating on it, so it could work. The horse gives it full speed, and we fly! I can't belive it. I see the castle, so I turn right and pull in, landing safely. A man takes my horse and walk up. Stepping up to the front door, the king, KING of this place come up to me, "I am glad to see you, come, sit down." We go to a long dining hall, the table cleared so we can see each other. "You know why you are here, don't you?" he asks, I nod. "Then we are done." He says, standing and walking out. I sit in the dining hall, stunned. I go out to the hallway and into the throne room. There, sitting on the throne, was the shadow figure from the tests. "You did it." it said, in a raspy, old voice, then disappeared.
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