Indigo Eyes

Chapter 113

"Anything," he said, and she shook her head at him.

"You need to promise me that no matter what the prophecy says, no matter what the gods say, you'll try to stay alive."

"Cress-"

"I don't care what does or doesn't happen between us. You are my friend, and I won't be able to handle it if I lose my brother and then you."

"Hey," Percy said as he took her free hand. "I said I'd wait for you, and I will. In this life or in Elysium."

And she let go of Percy's hand to smack his head.

"Ow! You really have to stop doing that," he said as he held his head.

"And sometimes you need to learn when to say the right thing," she snapped. "So, let's see what you have to say when I inspect your cabin."

Percy hadn't even realised that he was standing in front of his cabin, and he followed Cressida inside.

It was just him as of now, so all he'd done was kind of made his bed and straighten the Minotaur horn on the wall and he'd had the audacity to give himself a four out of five.

"Four out of five, my ass," Cressida said as she lifted up a pair of running shorts with her pencil as she made a face. "That's way too generous. "

Percy snatched the shorts away. "Hey, give me a break. I don't have Tyson cleaning up after me this summer.'

"You shouldn't have to have your little brother clean up after you," she scolded as she began writing on her clipboard. "Three out of five. And that is being generous."

"Hey, it's not that bad."

"Whatever you say, Barnacle Brain."

Percy began skimming through Chiron's stack of reports as they walked, messages from demigods, nature spirits and satyrs all around the country, writing about the latest monster activity.

They visited the Aphrodite cabin next where Cressida was more than happy to give a listless Silena perfect marks as usual. They promised to see her later as they kept moving.

As soon as they crossed the commons area, the Ares and Apollo cabins were fighting again. Some Apollo campers armed with firebombs flew over the Ares cabin in a chariot pulled by two pegasi. Soon, the roof of the Ares cabin was burning, and naiads from the canoe lake rushed over to blow water on it. Then the Ares campers called down a curse and all the Apollo kids' arrows turned to rubber. The Apollo kids kept shooting at the Ares kids, but the arrows bounced off. Two archers ran by, chased by an angry Ares kid who was yelling in poetry: "Curse me, eh? I'll make you pay!/I don't want to rhyme all day!"

"Dammit! Not again," Cressida sighed.

"What?"

"The last time Apollo cursed a cabin, it took a week for the rhyming couplets to wear off."

Percy shuddered at the thought because he'd heard Apollo rhyme in person, and he'd rather get shot by an arrow. "What are they fighting about anyway - Oof!"

He was winded as Cressida slammed her clipboard into his chest. "Hold that," she ordered as she raised her arms rather similarly to the way Nico did as she said, "Rise."

Vines rose from the earth, wrapping around each individual camper, even the flying ones as they all began shouting at her, so she drew her thyrsus and banged it on the ground as it echoed. "If you don't cut this out, I swear on the gods, I will destroy the chariot, and no one gets it! No more fighting are we clear?" She was met with silence, and she pointed the pinecone in the air. "Are we clear?"