Indigo Eyes

Chapter 20

"A friend of yours?" Clarisse asked as Cressida pulled out her switchblade, a little wary of birds after the races.

"I don't have many friends. That bird is definitely not one of them," she replied.

"Cressida Lynn," the bird spoke, Clarisse now in a defensive position.

"It knows your name," Clarisse whispered.

"Yes, I heard it," she hissed back.

"Your presence is requested on the beach by Lord Hermes," the bird said, and both their eyes widened.

"What did you do to piss off Hermes?" Clarisse asked, still whispering as if the bird couldn't hear them.

"I mean, I stole Greek fire bombs from the Stoll's but that surely wouldn't warrant a visit from Hermes," she replied.

"Maybe he wants to commend you?"

"Now," the bird snapped before flying off.

"Ok, with everything that happens in this camp, that was one of the weirdest, right?" Clarisse blurted and Cressida nodded.

"Definitely. Oh, and if I don't make it back alive, Castor gets all my pinochle winnings from the loose floorboard under my nightstand, and Pollux gets the Lightning McQueen plushie under my bed."

Clarisse just gave her a strange look and the girl could only shrug as she slipped on her flip-flops, still in her grey tank top covered in stars and blue shorts that she slept in. "My brothers are weird, I can't help it."

"Whatever. Good luck," Clarisse said and Cressida gave her a nod as she shut her cabin door.

"You too."

Meanwhile, Percy was standing on the beach that Cressida was heading to, talking to Lord Hermes who was dressed in a jogger's suit.

"And you, Percy," Hermes said, "Have a shorter deadline than you realise to complete your quest. A quest that requires the help of your friends."

"Annabeth and Tyson will-"

"All your friends," Hermes corrected. "The first one should've gotten my message and be arriving right..."

"Lord Hermes?"

"Now," he finished, and Percy's eyes widened at the sound of that voice.

"Lord Hermes, I got your bird - I mean, your message. If this is about those...." Cressida trailed off as she finally emerged from the woods to see who stood on the beach. "Greek fire bombs...why am I here?" she asked.

"Thank you for your haste, Miss Lynn. And you are here to assist Mr Jackson on his quest tonight," Hermes, who she assumed was the man in the jogger suit, explained and her jaw dropped.

"No. No, I am not. Even if I was dressed to go on a quest right now -"

"Ah, I see. Easily remedied. Purple is your colour, correct? Of course, it's correct, just look at your eyes," Hermes interrupted before snapping his fingers and her pj's vanished. She was dressed in leggings, purple converse, a matching t-shirt and a denim jacket, her hair in a simple fishtail braid down her back. Her charm bracelet and camp necklace were still on as she looked from her body to the two boys.

"Lord Hermes, I really can't -"

"Yes, you can Miss Lynn, for your friend, Grover's sake. And for the reasons you listed to Ares' daughter. For the sake of your home."

Her purple eyes grew wider once more at the revelation that the bird had been listening to their conversation.

"But-"