Running Over Water

[8 - Denarii]

Annabeth

"Okay, so, if the Captain walks in on us, I'm hoping he won't ask too many questions. I'm also hopeful he won't bash me if I have kids with me. But there's still a 99% chance he will because he just won't care."

I wanted to mention that we weren't really be qualified as kids anymore considering everything we've been through. But I decided against it for obvious reasons.

Barry was able to take the both of us to CCPD in one trip, surprisingly. When we arrived at his lab, it was very underwhelming. Especially because the floor and tables were filled with empty beakers and papers. Percy and I leaned against a column that was in the middle of the room, eating the 'Big Belly Burgers' that Barry had sped out and bought us.

We watched as Barry zipped around the room, picking up pieces of equipment from gods know where and began analyzing the coin Snart had left behind, hoping to find any clues as to what it was. I began walking around the room slowly, trying not to step on any of Barry's papers. But I still found this better than staying at S.T.A.R. Labs. If this situation had happened a year ago, I would've been ecstatic. Now, not much.

"Where did you say you found this coin, Percy?" Barry glances up at him in question.

He looked up. "Oh, I found it near the bags of money. I assume it fell out of one of their pockets or something."

"Oh," Barry exclaims and continues doing his own thing.

I kept glancing at Percy. Every glimpse of him was tarnished in dishevelment. His hair was messy and his tattered Camp Half-Blood t-shirt was charred, the letters on the front were ineligible to read. He had finished inhaling his burger and was fiddling with Riptide in his fingers, twirling the magical pen. He kept looking at the clock blankly as if he could make time go any faster.

I began walking around the room a little bit, exploring the one chance I'll have to see a lab like this one. But of course, it's hard to do so when Barry's lightning speed always leaves papers flying in the air.

I give up trying to do the exploring thing and I'm about to walk back towards him when I accidentally step on a manila folder filled with papers. I cursed and apologized but Barry wasn't looking.

I bend down and pick up the folder. Just as I set it on the table, a man walks in. And of course, it's the Captain.

You can imagine to my dismay how stunned I was. The way Barry described this man was honestly terrifying. I was expecting some military boeuf with a shaved head and a permanent frown. Instead, it was like you could pass this person on the streets and barely spare him a glance.

From what I could see, he was around my height and he most definitely did not have a shaved head. I couldn't tell if he had a permanent frown, it was too soon to tell.

"Oh hey, Captain Singh! What brings you here?" Barry scratches the back of his neck and glances back at us with worried eyes.

"I'm still waiting for the case, you know, the one that I asked for last week?" He puts his hands on his hips like a scolding mother and it makes me spurt out a muffled laugh. It just reminded me of how whenever Percy takes a cookie immediately after his mom said not to. Sally always does that same pose. Percy and Barry both give me a death stare. The Captain looks behind Barry and at us.

"Who are you?"

"Oh! Uh, these are my cousins!" Barry says, walking over to us and wrapping his arms around our shoulders. We give a false smile while mushed against Barry's side.

"Uh huh," Captain Singh says, barely entertained. "Well, you got the file?"

"Right, sorry. It's right here," Barry lets us go from the hug and when the Captain looks up at the clock behind him, Barry takes this as his cue to move. Faster than the eye could see, zips around the lab, presumably looking for the file, before quickly ending back next to us. He jogs to his table (he's very slow without his speed) and hands his boss the file that I had just placed there.