Schrödinger’s Poison
Mending the spaceship’s extra cargo net was difficult. Too many strands. I held a couple in my teeth while both hands struggled with the rest, and it wasn't enough. I was considering getting my feet involved (or maybe a crewmate) when I heard excited voices in the hallway.
“Welcome back! Find anything good?”
“Yes! I met someone who wanted the expired heatpacks!”
“What, seriously?”
“You owe me a shrimp stick. Pay up.”
Good-natured grumbling followed. I was pretty sure these were the Frillian twins, who looked like fishy bodybuilders with a fashion sense that always caught me off guard. Either drapey veils and skirts, matching their own flowy fins, or strategically placed stretchy bands. No middle ground. And they were very competitive.
“What did they even want with old heatpacks? You told them they were expired, right?”
“Of course I did! You think I would cheat like that?”
The indignant one was Blip, I was pretty sure, the female of the pair — or the closest thing to female, since their species seemed to handle gender a little differently than humans did. Her brother was Blop.
“Ah, ‘course not,” he admitted. “What are they going to use them for, though?”
“Something about separating the components and putting them to other uses. But look what I got in trade! Human food that’s not expired!”
I looked up at that, mouth still full of cords, but of course the cargo bay door blocked my view. I listened, though.
“What kind is — OH, GET IT AWAY!”
“What? Why?”
I froze, just as curious.
“Do you know how many humans that stuff kills every cycle??”
“What are you talking about?” Blip demanded. “It’s food. It says so right here.”
“Don’t touch me with it! Put it in the containment chamber and get yourself scanned for poison!”
I wove quickly, rushing to finish so I didn’t lose my place; we needed all the nets, and we hadn’t been able to get a new one at the space station; this was important; but Oh man, what do they have out there?
“Humans are omnivores who eat anything! How is this deadly?” Blip was demanding when a new voice arrived.
“What’s the shouting?” asked Paint, her usual cheer dampened by worry. I could just picture her with hands clasped anxiously and her scaly tail held stiff: the very picture of lizardlike concern.
“That’s poison!”
“It’s food!”
“Poisonous food!”
Any hope I had of Paint calming things down was dashed when she asked for a closer look, then slammed into the cargo bay door in her panic to jump back. “I’ve heard of that! It killed an ambassador!”
“See? I told you—”
“We need to get you both scanned, and maybe me too,” Paint said, hyperventilating already. “Maybe the whole ship! Is it airborne? CAPTAIN! CAPTAAAIN!”
I threw the net to the floor and lunged for the door button. It banged open and startled Paint even more; she spun from where she’d been about to dash off in a streak of orange scales.
“What is it?” I demanded, making the pair of Frillians back up a step. I probably looked like some unhinged demon, slamming out of the bay like that. They were both wearing veritable clouds of neon green silks, so the surprise was at least a little bit mutual.
Blip held a jar over her shoulder, clearly torn between showing me the label and keeping it at a safe distance. I squinted, expecting alcohol or some unregulated drug.
Spaceman Spiff’s Chunky Peanut Butter, said the label.
I stared for a long moment, while everyone was silent. Then I’m afraid I startled them all by bursting into laughter.
“It’s not poisonous!” I managed to say.
“But it killed an ambassador!” Paint objected. “I read the report!”
“I am sorry to hear that,” I said, leaning against the wall for support. “The ambassador was allergic to peanuts.”
It took a bit of explaining, and I had to go over it all again when Captain Sunlight came running up, but I did get things settled.
“I can’t believe there are humans allergic to food,” Blip said. “I’ve heard of overreactions to mild toxins and venoms, but really, food? From your own planet?”
“Yup,” I said, putting out a hand for the peanut butter. “Not me, though. I like peanuts.” The jar was a hefty one, manufactured for long voyages. “We can still scan it to run through the medical systems, just in case one of you guys might react badly to it. But it’s not officially toxic.”
“Well, that is good to hear,” said Captain Sunlight, standing as tall as her little lizardy frame allowed. “How about you do that now, and anyone who came in contact with it goes along?”
Blip and Blop agreed immediately, not needing Paint’s waving hands to usher us down the hall.
I looked over my shoulder at Paint as I walked. “Once we get everybody checked out, you should try some. It’s good on toast.”
“Toasted what?” Paint asked, still shooing away.
“Bread.”
“Oh no,” she said. “I heard about that ‘pizza’ you talked people into eating on Kamm’s ship!”
“Some of them liked it!” I objected.
“Not Bopburt.”
“No, not Bopburt,” I admitted. “But this is totally different. Thanks for getting it, Blip!” I turned to wave the jar at the Frillian in the lead.
“My pleasure,” she said, and it almost sounded like she meant it.
“Want to try some once it’s safe?”
“No, I do not.”
“Your loss.”
~~~
The ongoing adventures of backstory for this book! More to come.
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KICKS DOWN THE DOOR
After a long while of my computer being in the shop I gots it back and what did I do immediately?? DRAW MORE FAN KIDS, I ended up getting so invested in them that I did not make any actual fan kids from MTAS and just fellow pals OCs asdfghjkl BUT HERE WE GO!!!
AHEM AHEM
From Left to right
Boulder (the Onyx x Builder kiddo) @florisam
He's a happy go lucky lil man who hides his eyes cause they spooky a lot of people, just like both Mom's <3 He likes scarabs and beetles and collects bugs and is very good at building little houses for them!! My soft son with sharp teef
Alouette (the Aerie x "Builder" kiddo) @illusidy
She is a chill girl, just likes laying on rocks and watching the clouds go by. She's a bit quirky?? Tilts her head at unnatural angles when no one is looking and just stares... a lot. But she's so cute : D so don't be freaked out when you see her glowing eyes at night.
!!DOUBLE TROUBLE!! Maverick and Calla (the Aka x "Builder") fan kiddos @oxalisworks
The names are place holders cause I dunno how to name kids asdfghjkl but BOY ARE THEY PRETTY!!! Mave is just a suave but terrible at being genuinely normal, he has weird hecking hair like his pops and is more cunning then anything. Calla is a grumpy baby girl who wants to adventure but has 0 sense of direction and gets lost ALL the time. She has a lil whistle to blow so that people can come find her lmao
Anemone (Skye x "Builder) fan kiddo!! @neonlightsblog
Let it be known she doesn't hate you, she just has RBF and doesn't want to talk to you unless you talk to her first. A picky girl who loves Moms but also gets tired of how weird her eyes are because of them. Tries her HARDEST to be super normal, but let's be honest she probably has some weird traits to. (Def licks rocks and the air sometimes to figure out if its going to rain)
Noelle (the Daeth x "Builder") Fan kiddo! @tyesteban
She hates you actually. Literally do not talk to her unless you are her dad or mom. Sunburns super easy and gets heat stroke even easier. She is rather delicate but also grows to be pretty tall?? She is the western goth we have all been waiting for. She prefers wearing black because it traps the heat in and she likes to be warm like Mom, but doesn't want to be caught laying on a rock or the roof.
Carmin (the Valentine x "Builder") Fan kiddo!! @sunstream7
Perhaps the most ENERGETIC of the bunch!!! He loves running around in circles and loves loves?? Ok, he is the kid who meets you and says "Bye I love you have a good day : D" he's got a bit of a lisp cause of the teeth! A charming goober who needs to have eyes and hands on him at all times or else he will be found in a tree or on the roof or- OH mY GOD GET OFF THE STATUE OF PEACH???
LET IT BE KNOWN!!!
All these kids?? Eyes glow in the dark.
Is it freaky?? Yes.
Is it just like mom??
Also yes
:>
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Jason but he comes back and just wanderes into the Big House.
Everyone is staring at him in awh, confusion, happiness, sadness, fear.
There's a choked sob.
Jason doesn't say a word till he sits at what had once been his assigned seat.
Passing a paper to Chiron who stands as confused as everyone else.
"By order of the Olympian council, from the reports of Apollo, formerly the mortal known as Lester Papadopoulous... quote from Artemis "this name is stupid"... We have seen to it that therapy is to be granted to all demigods.
We believed a demigod would be the best to give such therapy due to your unique experiences and will be assisted by Hestia and Apollo.
The demigod chosen for such a task is Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. He will be granted partial immortality until we feel he can no longer complete his duties OR deem this no longer necessary."
Everyone stares at Chiron and than Jason.
"Suprise?" Says Jason before he's tackled into a hug.
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