Indigo Eyes

Chapter 56

"We're serious," she scolded as Cressida walked over to where Percy was staring intently at something.

"Planning on killing me?" she teased as she saw the sunflower charm that was sitting there just asking him to pick it up. Sunflowers were her favourites. "Because I'm pretty sure whatever happens if you take something from here is worse than what the prophecy could drum up for me."

"Uh, no. I'd never - I know I joke about it but I'd never -"

"Whoa, Captain Nemo," Cressida interrupted, very surprised that he took that joke literally. He'd always been able to tell when she was joking before. "I wasn't being serious," she said, a concerned expression on her face.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I, uh, I guess, I think I'm still a little wired after the whole Ares and Aphrodite thing."

"Easily remedied," she said as she reached for his hand, but he pulled away.

"You can't do that. You can't get tired. You should be wasting your energy on me."

She rolled her eyes. "Barnacle Brain, if I can help you feel better, I will. And this is like doing a cartwheel. After a bit of practice, it becomes effortless, and you've given me quite the bit of practice. So, give me your hand."

Percy gave her a tired smile before obeying. He was more aware of the feeling of her hands in his now as she blinked and her eyes burst into flames. "Calm," she ordered and he felt the familiar sensation of the wave of calm washing over him, weights lifting off his shoulders as all the anxiety was funnelled out of him. "Better?"

He nodded. "Thank you. And just for the record," he said. "I'd rather get you real sunflowers. You like living plants better than fake ones."

She seemed impressed by his words, as if she hadn't expected him to notice something like that.

"Look!" Bianca cried out, preventing Cressida from replying as they followed her down the hill where she tripped over bronze coils and golden plates before picking up a bow that glowed silver in the moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!" She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword and Cressida's spear!"

Both aforementioned demigods seemed a little annoyed that this was what they were pulled away for.

Zoë's face was grim. "Leave it, Bianca."

"But –"

"It is here for a reason as Cressida said before. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed."

Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down.

"I don't like this place," Thalia said. She gripped the shaft of her spear.

"You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" Percy asked.

Thalia gave him a hard look. "Zoë is right, Percy. Things get thrown away here for a reason. Now come on, let's get across the yard."

"That's the second time you've agreed with Zoë," Percy muttered, but Thalia ignored him as Cressida changed the subject.

"You didn't think that posing for a photo in Medusa's lair would almost get us turned to stone. You didn't think hiding in a mattress store would lead to us almost getting stretched to death. You didn't think that accepting Circe's hospitality would get you turned into a guinea pig. You didn't think -"

"Ok, I get it! Anything can happen," Percy interrupted.

"No," Cressida said as she held a finger in the air. "No, see the point I'm trying to make is that anytime you think something is a good idea, it usually ends up with us almost getting killed. And now you've gone and jinxed it. So, we are most likely going to end up being killed by killer refrigerators."