Champion of Love

We Are NOT Saying We Drowned in a Bathtub

Making references to canon and slightly making fun of it is one of the best parts of making an AU. Percy, coming up with an actually decent cover story to give Medusa on why they're all alone in the wilderness: Well it's better than saying we're Circus Orphans or something, Annabeth!

Canon Percy:....

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They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a
tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

No more incidents interrupted their journey to the Underworld, though there was one strange moment that kept coming back to Percy: They'd been walking along, too tired to run all the way to DOA, when Percy caught sight of someone who didn't look shady and actually looked like he was very concentrated on whatever he was supposed to be doing.

It seemed he was looking for something, or maybe someone. Maybe he was lost? Percy didn't know why, but the boy just stood out to him-tan skin that was lighter than Percy's, covered in the occasional pale scars, tidy golden-blonde hair cut short, and piercing electric-blue eyes that caught Percy's for a moment.

The boy wore a purple shirt, a black jacket, olive-green cargo pants, and combat boots. He looked like he was about to flip the-was that gold?!-coin in his left hand, but he'd stopped abruptly at the sight of Percy. His eyes flickered to Percy's choker and then back up to the Champion's eyes before he blinked and turned away, walking off quickly. Weird. Percy didn't know what about the-could he call it an encounter of they'd been ten feet away from each other?-encounter stuck with him, but it kept resurfacing in his mind.

Percy sighed. For now, he had to ignore it. They needed to finish this quest and hopefully get back to Camp and sleep for a week.

Yeah, easier said than done. None of them were in a rush to get inside just yet. They'd been coming up with plans all the way to the studio, but they'd all been vetoed- especially Grover's plan of telling Charon that he and Annabeth and drowned in a bathtub together to get through with Percy and the siblings.

Percy's heart wanted to beat out of his chest now that he was there, but he swallowed and took a few deep breaths. His friends were doing the same. Percy nibbled at the inside of his cheek for another minute before finally speaking.

"This is it." He started, turning to them. "I know Hades will have probably told Charon to let me in with Nico and Bianca, but I need you two with me." He admitted, looking at Annabeth and Grover. They nodded. He could do this by himself, but they were his moral support and they liked it that way.

"Thankfully, I have a plan for that. Let's go." Percy pushed the door and it didn't budge. He frowned and pushed again before looking at the sticker beside the handle. He sighed.

"No one say anything." He threatened as he pulled the door open. Annabeth's shoulders shook and Nico bit his lips, smiling as they walked in.

Smooth Jazz played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cacti grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were see-through people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, talked, or did much of anything.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so the questers all had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with dark skin and bleached-blond hair, shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A blood-red rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.