Indigo Eyes

Chapter 108

Before she could continue, a sparkle of light appeared next to them, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air. "You have nothing to apologize for, my dear."

Standing on the hill was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over her shoulder.

"Hera," Annabeth said darkly as they all rose to their feet.

The goddess smiled. "You found the answers, as I knew you would. Your quest was a success."

"A success?" Annabeth said. "Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. How is that –"

"Our family is safe," Hera insisted. "Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you."

"My family isn't safe. My brother is dead," Cressida said venomously, her eyes simmering as if they were about to burst into flames.

"And that is unfortunate, but such are the ways of war. There are always casualties."

"Casualties?!" Cressida exclaimed, enraged as she took a step forward as if she was about to tackle the goddess, only for Percy and Annabeth to hold her back. Both of them were angry, sure, but not as much as Cressida had the right to be as her eyes flamed.

"You're the one who paid Geryon to let us through the ranch, weren't you?" Percy spat.

Hera shrugged. Her dress shimmered in rainbow colours. "I wanted to speed you on your way."

"But you didn't care about Nico. You were happy to see him turned over to the Titans."

"Oh, please." Hera waved her hand dismissively. "The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong."

"He's the one that saved your precious family!" Cressida shouted.

"Hephaestus was right," Percy growled. "You only care about your perfect family, not real people."

Her eyes turned dangerously bright. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. I guided you more than you know in the maze. I was at your side when you faced Geryon. I let your arrow fly straight, though it was not my fault he managed to move out of the way. I sent you to Calypso's island. I opened the way to the Titans' Mountain. Annabeth, my dear, surely you see how I've helped. I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."

"Oh, I'll sacrifice something alright," Cressida promised, her eyes still on fire as Percy held her back (which would've been a lot harder if he was shorter than her), knowing that he'd never be able to take her on a date if she wrestled the Queen of the Gods to the floor because only she would wrestle the Queen of the Gods to the floor and he wasn't sure that her father would be able to save her from the consequences of that.

Annabeth, however, was as still as a statue. She could've said thank you. She could've promised to throw some barbecue on the brazier for Hera and forget the whole thing. But she clenched her jaw stubbornly. She looked just the way she had when she'd faced the Sphinx – like she wasn't going to accept an easy answer, even if it got her in serious trouble - well less trouble than Cressida would get into if she was given her way with Hera.

"Percy is right." She turned her back on the goddess. "You're the one who doesn't belong, Queen Hera. So next time, thanks... but no thanks."

Hera's sneer was worse than an empousa's. Her form began to glow. "You will regret this insult, Annabeth. You will both regret this very much."

And Percy covered Cressida's eyes as he averted his own gaze and the goddess turned into her true divine form and disappeared in a blaze of light.

The hilltop was peaceful again. Over at the pine tree, Peleus the dragon dozed under the Golden Fleece as if nothing had happened.

Percy hesitantly let Cressida go as the light faded and they opened their eyes. She looked murderous; downright homicidal as the fire in her eyes flickered as she struggled to get a handle on her fury.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth blurted. "I -I should get back. I'll keep in touch. Take care, Seaweed Brain," she said before jogging back down the hill, not looking back once as she left the two of them alone, she just needed a minute alone.

"I would call you Drama Queen but I'm afraid that you'll kill me instead of Hera," Percy said nervously, getting no reaction out of her.

"I thought you were dead for two weeks because of her. She almost got Nico killed and us by extension. She's the reason Castor is dead, and she called him an unfortunate casualty?!" she raged as her spear appeared in her hands and she ran it through a tree.

Argus honked his horn down at the road, trying to summon Percy who flinched at the sound.

"Shit! Cress, I gotta go. Are you going to be ok?" he wondered apprehensively.

"I'll be fine once I hit something. I think I'll go spar with Pollux. Papa only knows how angry he'll be once he hears what that woman said about Castor. Papa only knows how angry Papa will be when he finds out what Hera said."

"But I'll still see you for my birthday?"

"I swore on the Styx. And I pity the person that tries to keep me from that."

"And don't get me a gift."

"Again, try and stop me and not only will I hit you, but I will get you an I-heart-New-York T-shirt instead."

"And I'll take it gladly," Percy said as he kissed her cheek and suddenly some of her fire went out. "See you in two days, Wine Vine."

"See you around, Fish Face."

And she pulled her spear from the tree as she spun it and started heading for the sword arena. "Oh, Polly!"