The Son of the Night - Chapter 3: Los Angeles

Chapter 3: Los Angeles

Jase and Bohdi figured out a way to bring down Jase’s glamour so that when he touched down in the States, he didn’t look too divine. It took visits to the nearest sorceress, and two trips to the barber that lived down the street from Bohdi’s grandmother. Jase snuck out of the Underworld successfully with the help of Cerberus, Hades’ hellhound, who distracted the guards—or ghouls, per se— that were stationed at the gates.

The portal to the Mortal Lands was smaller than Jase had thought. It was simply a small circular orb of starlight that, when touched, teleported a god or goddess to any place they wished. It was introduced by Hermes, who got tired of the old-school route of going through the Eiffel Tower.

Jase stared at it, his eyes gleaming with excitement, “Are you sure I won’t stand out?”

“I’m sure. Julius is the best barber in the Underworld. If you manage to keep that little sparkly-God-glamour under control, you’ll be fine,” Bohdi answered, “now, let’s get going before your mother notices we’re missing and decapitates me with a gargoyle.”

Bohdi touched the orb first, and his body disappeared into a million shards of light before shrinking back into the portal. Jase shuddered. That did not look fun. He hesitated before reaching his hand out. When it came in contact with the starlight, his whole body felt as though he’d just stepped onto the sun—his skin burned, and his bones and muscles and ligaments felt like they were being diced into cubes. He held back the scream of agony. The pain lasted for another brief two minutes before he was relaxed. A cool breeze brushed Jase’s cheek as he opened his eyes, finding himself in a bathroom stall.

“Bohdi?” Jase’s voice echoed through the bathroom.

“I’m here,” Bohdi responded, his voice indicating that he was concentrated, “just… stuck is all. What took you so long? I’ve had my foot inside this toilet for at least three minutes.”

Jase smiled to himself and shook his head. He unlocked the stall and observed his surroundings. It was a big change from the Godly Lands, the tile was absurdly awful, and it smelled like someone took the meanest crap of their lives a few minutes ago. Jase almost gagged. He somehow found the strength to avoid dashing out of that gas chamber and instead went to help his friend.

He walked into the stall, finding Bohdi with one hand on his stuck leg, “Help me pull. Ready? One, two…three—”

Jase yanked on three and both of them fell backwards, the ceramic crumbling to the ground and the pipes bursting in a million different directions. They scurried to their feet.

“Lets get out of here,” Bohdi groaned and led Jase out of the bathroom and into the crowded Los Angeles Mall. 

~

Bohdi had a lot of friends. He also took up numerous occupations when he turned nineteen, from becoming a lesser-known actor in The Young and the Restless to working at a dairy farm part time. Bohdi was always moving, always evolving, and that’s what Jase admired about him. He wasn’t afraid to try something new. When he was in his acting era, Bohdi attended a ton of mixers where celebrities would gather and gossip about the new and upcoming. Los Angeles is the city of fame and greed, Bohdi had told Jase a few months ago.

The boys walked the streets of Los Angeles. Bohdi had called in a favor to one of his celebrity friends—Austyn Brown. He was a well-known actor in soap operas and dabbled in action movies, Bohdi had told Jase. He guest starred on The Young and the Reckless for a few cameo episodes. Jase knew his friend was longing for drugs, but he didn’t care. He was in the City of Stars. People passed by them; women dressed in small dresses and men in business attire. Most looked like they were headed to work, but Jase could point out a few that looked like they were on the way to auditions.

“Austyn is a really cool guy,” Bohdi said, lighting up a spare cigarette he just so happened to have stashed in his jean pocket, “we’ll be staying at his place during our time here. His dad is Lawrence Brown, a famous producer in the rap industry.”

Rap industry. Jase was never a fan of rap, but he could bare a couple songs here and there. He fancied Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and a few others—but loathed the new music that Bohdi had come around playing. Jase was old-school man at heart. Either way, Olympus’ artists didn’t have much to offer, so he resorted listening to music from the Mortal Lands instead. His favorites ranged from AC/DC to Queen, but he had many others that he listened to on repeat. Music was Jase’s escape from reality.

Jase nodded and slunk his shoulder back so that an old man could pass them in his scooter, “Can’t wait to meet him. He seems like a brilliant guy.”

“Who? Austyn or his dad?”

“Both… I guess,” Jase wasn’t lying, he’d be excited to meet any mortal at this point. He was excited just to meet Bohdi when he was younger. Nothing other than groaning and desperate souls were the only ones usually welcomed in the Underworld, so Jase grew up rather lonely.

Bohdi chuckled, “Just wait until I tell you about guns.”

“What the hell is that?” Jase asked. It sounded like a torture device.

“Guns are automatic weapons,” His friend explained, glancing around at the street signs while they halted at a stoplight. Jase heard about these things, the colors represented whether pedestrians could walk the road or not. He found it rather stupid, so he furrowed his brow and watched as cars drove past them. They didn’t have cars in Olympus. They resorted to horses or teleportation if they needed to get from one location to another. Bohdi continued, ashing his cigarette on the light post, “don’t worry, everything will be explained sooner or later. For now, lets just focus on getting to Austyn’s house. I always get confused around here, and I don’t trust cabs.”

Jase ignored his friend’s blabbering; focused on the sky. The clouds were big and fluffy and reminded him of the delicious marshmallow goulash that his mother made during the summer solstice. Hi stomach rumbled at the thought. He was insanely hungry and wanted nothing more than a nicely roasted turkey right about now.

The little screen underneath the light pole across the road turned into a digital man walking. They crossed the street, along with about twenty other pedestrians, and started walking towards the tallest building ahead of them. Jase couldn’t take his eyes off the architecture; the modern reflective windows shined against the city, where everyone could see themselves and the world around them. It was a marvelous idea, and Jase wondered why Zeus and the others in Olympus hadn’t caught on to this revolutionary phenomenon.

When Jase and Bohdi entered the lobby of the skyscraper, the nice-looking woman at reception connected eyes with them. Bohdi strode up to the desk, while Jase stayed in the seating area, making himself comfortable on the eccentric lounge sofa. He ran his tattooed fingers along the stitching of the leather fabric, but soon noticed a glass jar sitting on the white coffee table in front of him. He glanced at Bohdi before tossing a spear-shaped mint candy in his mouth. The human’s way of decorating was more than intriguing— Jase felt like a foreigner amongst aliens.

After his quick talk with the receptionist, Bohdi strode back over to his friend, “C’mon. Lets try not to eat everything we see sitting on a coffee table, okay?”

Jase rolled his eyes, “I think I would know the difference between drugs and candy, Bohdi.”

The walk from the lobby to the elevator was quick. Bohdi had told him about elevators as well—another odd transportation method created by humans. Jase couldn’t wait to experience it for the first time. He stepped inside and observed his surroundings once again. The walls were lined with mirrors, and corny music blasted from the small circular speaker in the corner. Jase grimaced and shook his head, ignoring the horrible soundwaves vibrating around them. The little cubicle they were standing in started to move and bounce, causing Jase’s heart to drop slightly when it hit a bumpy electrical rod.

He couldn’t be happier that the doors opened but couldn’t believe what laid beyond them. A fortress is what it was; a home made for a king. A large living room spanned the interior of the room they stepped into, followed by a modern take on a kitchen. Windows filled each wall from the floor to the ceiling, overlooking the rolling hills and the Hollywood sign. Jase had never seen anything like it.

Then, there came Austyn. Jase didn’t know what to expect when it came to ‘famous’ people, but before he left, he had done extensive research on natural human interests. The most important things he had taken from it ranged from Taylor Swift to K-Pop. Austyn was nothing like the normal celebrities he’d seen in books; the actor waltzed out of the hallway to their right wearing nothing but a red velvet robe—his kinky brown hair still wet from a shower.

“Hello, my friends!” Austyn announced, motioning to the liquor bar in the kitchen, “Come on, do you guys want a shot?”

“No, thank you,” Jase smiled as Bohdi embraced his ex-coworker.

“I haven’t seen you in years! You look wonderful, brother,” Bohdi pat Austyn on the back and focused his attention to Jase, “This is Jase, my brother as well. He isn’t from here, but I promise I’d show him around. I hope you have much planned for us.”

“Of course I do,” Austyn responded in the middle of pouring himself a shot of tequila, “I was hoping you both would join me at Avalon tonight. You know, do some social networking, and get to know important people in the industry. I’m sure you’ll find interest in a few girls while we’re there too, if not all of them. When you’re with me, you’re destined to come home with a fox.”

Jase couldn’t help but laugh. Austyn wasn’t ugly, in fact, he was handsome for a mortal. The actor had prominent eyebags that sat underneath his golden iris’, and a pimple here and there. Jase was used to attracting females in the Underworld, and on Olympus. There was not any chance that he’d start his losing streak now, around mortals. Bohdi sat on the bar area, throwing his suitcase to the side. Jase spoke up, “Is there any way I can go freshen up? At what time will we head out?”

“Ten o’clock sharp. There’s a guest bedroom up the stairs to your left. You can’t miss it.”

Jase nodded and dragged his bag up the stairs, more than tempted to use his magic to move it for him. But, Austyn was mortal and Bohdi specifically asked him not to act divine in the Mortal Lands. Jase would do his best, but he made no promises. When he reached the top of the stairs, he treaded through the narrow hallway before reaching his room which held a large, black bed surrounded by lush grey carpet. Windows covered each length of the wall, and an enormous closet was placed conveniently next to the luxurious washroom. Jase dropped his bag, grinning to himself.

This is going to be fun.